A deathly hush descended upon the expanse, the tens of thousands of Thunder Immortal Palace cultivators fixed upon the Verdant Sky Tree. Their gazes burned with fervent desire, yet not a murmur dared break the silence. Deep within each heart, a longing grew, intensified by the oppressive stillness.

For it was the Verdant Sky Tree, a treasure crafted by the very hand of Sage Lu!

Even the likes of Lord Raging Cloud could not entirely mask the tremor of yearning that ran through them.

Only Flame Thunder, possessing the Thunder Immortal Realm as his own artifact, held it in lesser regard. Yet, the fact that Sage Lu had forged it lent it an entirely different significance.

In the silence, Sage Lu’s voice echoed, a resonant proclamation.

The gaze of Wang Lin swept over the Verdant Sky Village, his pupils contracting slightly. Though seemingly insignificant, the village was nourished by the blood of tens of thousands of cultivators, a masterstroke that elevated the treasure beyond a mere Void Realm artifact. It became imbued with a legacy of blood!

A legacy forged from the essence of tens of thousands!

These cultivators hailed from every clan within the Celestial Vastness, encompassing nearly every family. Their blood, coalesced, represented nothing less than the entirety of the Celestial Vastness.

Any cultivator of this realm could potentially wield this treasure, such was the vastness of its bloodline legacy!

Moreover, the Verdant Sky Tree was rooted in the starlight of the Celestial Vastness, quickened by Sage Lu’s own lifeblood and source essence, instantly circumventing the slow passage of years required for its refinement.

Yet, were it only this, the treasure would be considered newly born, lacking the aged refinement that denoted true perfection. But Sage Lu, a master artificer, had gathered the endless cosmic dust of the Celestial Vastness, dust aged beyond reckoning, and used it to give the tree its form, thus imbuing it with an aura of ancient grandeur!

Even more astonishing, the treasure pulsed with a battle spirit, born from the collective resolve of the cultivators of the Celestial Vastness, their unyielding determination to stand against the invaders from beyond. This treasure lacked no virtue! Upon it rested a heroic spirit!

Should Wang Lin destroy this treasure, he would crush that spirit, setting himself against the very soul of the Celestial Vastness! Sage Lu, with the cunning of one who has seen millennia pass, clearly understood this, and thus unveiled his plan!

Such an artifact could only be forged by a cultivator of the Third Step, only they possessed the power to conjure it. Furthermore, never in a single lifetime could one create many such wonders!

“This treasure… is worthy of being called Supreme,” Wang Lin finally declared, his voice measured and deliberate.

Sage Lu’s laughter boomed across the starfield, his pride overflowing with unwavering confidence!

The moment Wang Lin’s words were spoken, the tens of thousands of cultivators roared their approval, their gazes upon Sage Lu burning with fanatical devotion. Were he to command them to leap into a sea of fire and blades, they would not hesitate to obey!

“My treasure is complete,” Sage Lu announced, his gaze turning to Wang Lin. “Now, I bid you to show your hand, and let me behold the treasure you shall create!”

“The cultivators of the Celestial Vastness possess valor, yet they lack a certain savagery… a taste for blood,” Wang Lin countered, raising his right hand and reaching towards the array of hundreds of cultivator stars below.

With a thunderous rumble, one of the stars was wrenched from its orbit, collapsing into countless fragments. From within its heart, a single drop of golden liquid hurtled forth, settling before Wang Lin.

The force of this act struck terror into the hearts of the distant cultivators, even Sage Lu’s eyes narrowed with concern.

He could accomplish the same feat, yet Wang Lin’s demeanor was utterly serene, as if such power were but a trifling matter. It was this, above all, that shook Sage Lu to his core.

“His physical strength surpasses even that of the ancient god Tuo Sen of Vermillion Bird Star!” The memory of the ancient god of Vermillion Bird Star, Tuo Sen, darkened Sage Lu’s expression.

Gazing upon the golden liquid, Wang Lin’s mind conjured images of the ancient god Tu Si crafting his artifacts. Like the Seven-Colored Daoist, the ancient gods drew upon the stars as raw materials, creating a spectacle of awe-inspiring power.

Wang Lin raised his hand once more, and with a resounding roar, eight more cultivator stars shattered, each yielding a drop of golden liquid that converged upon Wang Lin.

They formed a circle before him, rotating slowly.

“Within this first drop lies the endless slaughter of Vermillion Bird Star,” Wang Lin declared, his voice even. He reached out, touching the first drop of golden liquid.

The moment his fingers brushed its surface, a wave of unimaginable bloodlust surged forth from his memories.

The mountain of heads of the Teng Family, the river of blood in the Zhao Garden, the desperate struggles of the Cultivation Sea, the Hundred-Day Massacre—all the events of Vermillion Bird Star, infused with that primal bloodlust, poured into the golden liquid. Instantly, its color transformed, becoming a vibrant crimson! A wave of murderous intent emanated outward, engulfing all.

“The second drop holds the countless departed souls of the Alliance Star System!” Wang Lin continued, touching the second drop of golden liquid. As his memories flowed forth, the liquid darkened, becoming blood red once more!

The murderous intent intensified, shaking the very fabric of space!

“Even within the Celestial Vastness, Wang Lin has slain many…” The sky itself seemed to twist, the red light consuming the stars!

“The Cloud Sea Star System, blood mist veiled, hidden killing intent…” The tens of thousands of Thunder Immortal Palace cultivators turned pale, recoiling under the weight of the growing murderous aura, their gazes upon Wang Lin filled with unspeakable fear.

“The Seven-Colored Realm, the killing intent of the Dao Fruit…” Flame Thunder and the others shifted uneasily, especially Blood God, who coughed up a mouthful of blood as the killing intent washed over him.

“Beyond the realm, the ancient starfields, the blood-devouring magic of the Star Devourer…” The very starfield trembled, engulfed in crimson, transforming the vast array into a sea of blood. The wave of crimson spread, sweeping across the Celestial Vastness, causing countless cultivators to shudder.
“The Vanishing Clan of Lightning… Slaughter most foul!” A chorus of ghostly wails, echoes of torment given form within the starlit void, shook the very souls of those who heard them. Like thunder rending the heavens, they spoke of a massacre complete.

“A graveyard’s stench… the reek of blood!” Grand Scholar Lu inhaled sharply, his eyes wide with a dawning dread. The killing intent emanating from Wang Lin was so potent, so absolute, it chilled him to the bone.

“Return to the Heaven of Luo, the Fall of the Eastern Star!” With a flick of Wang Lin’s wrist, a lifetime of merciless deeds coalesced into a terrifying, malevolent aura. Nine drops of liquid gold, once pure, were now stained a horrifying crimson.

He raised his gaze, piercing the ten-zhang Luo Heaven Tree, his eyes locking onto Grand Scholar Lu.

In that instant, Lu felt his mind reel. Wang Lin’s gaze carried with it the weight of the cosmos, a tide of slaughter made manifest. It crashed against him in waves, a psychic assault that forced him to stumble backward.

The ten-zhang Luo Heaven Tree before him shuddered violently, unable to bear the immense pressure, threatening to splinter and collapse.

“Compared to the life I have lived, the cultivators of Luo lack the raw, desperate fury born of a cornered beast!” Wang Lin thrust his hand forward. The nine crimson droplets, now fused into a single, pulsing blood crystal, hurtled towards the Grand Scholar.

Within that crystal writhed a million souls, each slain by Wang Lin’s hand. They surged forth, phantasmal and ravenous, as if ripped from the bowels of the underworld, eager to consume all that lived.

The tens of thousands of cultivators arrayed behind Lu felt the crystal’s oppressive aura, choking and paralyzing them with terror. Many coughed up blood, stumbling back in panicked retreat, feeling as though they were standing upon a mountain of corpses.

The swirling star formation behind Grand Scholar Lu ground to a halt, its ancient machinery failing under the strain. Blood God let out a strangled gasp, and the always arrogant Flaming Cloud could do nothing but stare in horrified disbelief. In their eyes, Grand Scholar Lu faced not merely one man, but an endless ocean of spilled blood.

Silent and thoughtful, the Flame Lightning cast Wang Lin a complex look.

A single crystal, forged from a lifetime of bloodshed, held back an army. This was Wang Lin.

“This weapon possesses no Origin, no trace of my blood, no Luo Heaven’s war spirit, no subtle mental traps… It is composed solely of a lifetime of death. With this single treasure, I shall shatter your Luo Heaven Tree!”

Grand Scholar Lu, retreating, roared a challenge, his hands weaving a barrier to stay the crystal’s approach. His mind reeled with a primal fear. Never had he imagined a single mortal could accumulate such a terrifying weight of malice. The man before him had transcended mortal boundaries, and stood with the blood of countless victims at his back!

This was an opponent he did not wish to provoke, did not dare provoke.

“This treasure is naught but raw malice! How could it possibly destroy my Luo Heaven Tree?” Lu demanded, planting his feet and glaring defiantly at Wang Lin.

“It is mine to command. I say it can destroy, therefore it will. If you doubt me, then put it to the test,” Wang Lin said, his voice soft, yet laced with iron resolve and an undeniable arrogance.

Lu’s expression shifted rapidly, realization dawning within him. He had underestimated Wang Lin’s cunning. His own little game, intended to cripple Luo Heaven’s resolve with the pressure of war, had been turned against him. The casual invitation to “put it to the test” was a challenge, a declaration of war in disguise!

After a long, agonizing silence, Grand Scholar Lu spoke, his voice hoarse. “You believe I lack the courage to test you?”

Wang Lin simply stared at him, his eyes like chips of ice.

Time stretched on. Finally, Grand Scholar Lu clenched his fist, and with a dramatic sweep of his sleeve, declared, “The first contest of wills… you have won!”