A single roar, though it shook the very stars themselves, could not restore shattered glory, nor rekindle the embers of desperate survival!

The Cloud Sea cultivators, after the relentless assault from beyond the Realm, numbered less than ten thousand. With each passing moment, more fell, and a terrible tide began to turn.

One faltered, and like a crumbling levee, the entire force broke. Retreat cascaded like a receding wave, dissolving their lines into utter disarray.

Despair etched itself upon every Cloud Sea cultivator. Gazing at the invaders – a horde many times their number, a seemingly endless swarm – their courage withered. They could no longer find the will to fight on.

And as they retreated, the invaders’ ferocity only intensified. A cacophony of piercing laughter and savage howls echoed across the heavens, reaching the ears of every single Cloud Sea warrior.

Yet still, they fled…

Few are truly unafraid of death. They were simply…terrified.

“The Cloud Sea…is doomed…”

“Better to live and fight another day, than to perish here…”

“The war is not yet lost! Though this battle is, if I flee to other stars, perhaps I can fight once more…”

Such thoughts gnawed at their hearts, offering solace, justifying their retreat. Their steps quickened, their flight became a rout.

Redwood remained. He stood locked in mortal combat with six Great Powers, knowing that he *could not* yield. He could not halt the flood of fear that drove the others, but as a Great Power of the Realm, if *he* retreated, all would be lost.

This first defeat, upon a Realm still unprepared, would be a crippling blow, leaving them no strength to continue the fight.

Southcloud also held his ground. A man of few words, he was nonetheless bound by his oaths. The Sovereign had shown him great kindness. He would repay that debt. The Realm was his home. He would defend it. There was no justification for a peak cultivator like himself to flee. In silence, a burning intent bloomed in Southcloud’s eyes!

Amidst the retreat of nearly ten thousand Cloud Sea cultivators, the invaders surged forward like wolves amongst sheep. Slaughter ensued, and amidst the pained cries of the dying, thousands more, stripped of all honor, fell.

Yet there was one more who did not retreat!

It was Wang Lin!

He offered no words of defiance, no grand pronouncements. Instead, he raised his head, his gaze hardening with resolve. He strode forward, directly towards the invaders who pursued the fleeing Cloud Sea warriors!

Each step thundered across the void. Wang Lin arrived in an instant, his right hand unleashing a storm of lightning. A colossal Thunder Diagram materialized in the heavens, and in the instant it appeared, Wang Lin’s right hand tore through the very fabric of space!

“Open, Ancient Thunder Realm!”

The stars trembled. From the shattered diagram, an ancient, chaotic energy poured forth. A chorus of primeval thunder-dragon roars ripped through the silence as several Ancient Thunder Dragons emerged, their heads bursting from the rift. They melded with the diagram, unleashing a torrent of lightning!

Each bolt was as thick as a towering tree. With Wang Lin unleashing the full force of his Thunder Essence, they rained down in a furious onslaught!

A vortex of fire erupted into existence, a vast maelstrom within which danced the Vermillion Bird. With a chorus of searing cries, it plunged into the ranks of the invaders!

The heavens roared! The deafening clamor echoed across the cosmos. With his own strength, he stood against the invaders’ charge. Single-handedly, he forced their advance to halt!

The sight was enough to shake the very souls of those who witnessed it!

The stars seemed cleaved in twain – one side held the fleeing, despairing thousands of the Cloud Sea.

The other, the endless legions of invaders!

And in the center…stood Wang Lin!

Above him, the Thunder Diagram howled. Around him, a swirling storm of nine-colored flames danced.

His back to his retreating comrades, he faced the endless sea of invaders. His face was impassive as his cold eyes gazed back at them!

He alone, held the invading horde at bay!

A brief silence was shattered by a thunderous surge of fury from the invaders. A cacophony of guttural roars erupted as they charged!

Wang Lin did not speak. He simply raised his right hand, conjuring forth the Blood Sword. Gripping it tightly, he lifted his arm, his gaze fixed on the enemy, and stepped forward. Thunder boomed as he moved, the fiery storm swirling around him.

As the invaders drew near, hundreds were engulfed in phantom flames, their screams echoing as they were forced back. Nearly a thousand more were struck by lightning, their forms dissolving into nothingness!

But there were too many. Among them were countless cultivators of great power. Wang Lin, not yet a Third Step cultivator, stood little chance against such numbers. Even a Third Step cultivator would struggle against such a host.

A storm of combined powers erupted, converging on Wang Lin. This was a fight to the death. Wang Lin roared defiance into the sky, refusing to yield, pushing forward to meet the enemy. Blood splattered from his lips, staining his white robes crimson.

His eyes were bloodshot, his face etched with weariness. His Yuan Essence dwindled, his Ancient God power faltered, and his body was battered.

Countless wounds marred his flesh.

Yet the number of invaders who fell by his hand was beyond counting. He did not care to count. All that mattered to Wang Lin was that he could not find a reason to leave…

The Sovereign’s charge, the memory of his Realm, his friends, his home – all of these things held him fast. He could not retreat.

His bloodshot eyes painted the world in crimson. And amidst the carnage, amidst his lonely defiance, one of the Cloud Sea cultivators faltered.

He was a youth, barely a Nirvana Scryer. By some miracle, he had survived the initial onslaught. He turned, staring back at Wang Lin’s distant form, at Wang Lin’s back, and at the seemingly insurmountable tide of invaders that the solitary warrior held at bay.

“What is one battle, for a cultivator such as I?” The youth muttered. The shattered fragments of glory seemed to stir.

Another Cloud Sea warrior halted his retreat. He turned to gaze at Wang Lin’s lone silhouette. Slowly, battle-lust flared in his eyes, his gaze turning bloodshot. A furious energy surged from within him.

“What is one battle, for a cultivator such as I?”

More and more Cloud Sea cultivators stopped their flight. They turned back, drawn by Wang Lin’s defiance. The muttered words carried a strange resonance, a power to ignite the hearts of the most craven!

“What is one battle…for a cultivator such as I!”
“, A Warrior Ascetic Knows No Fear of Battle!!!”

One by one, the Cloud Sea cultivators halted their retreat. Until at last, the thousands who fled like hunted dogs stood their ground, all eyes fixed upon Wang Lin. The words he had roared echoed in their ears, sharp and clear.

Before, those words had rung hollow, failing to stir their hearts or minds. But now, Wang Lin’s actions painted their meaning with vivid strokes, etching into their souls the true essence: A warrior ascetic knows no fear of battle!

Their Cloud Sea glory may have shattered, yet Wang Lin offered them a new glory, a glory forged in the fires of war! To fight for the Cloud Sea! To fight for their homeland! To fight for all they held dear!

In that very instant, the colossal Heaven-Cleaving Axe within the Sealed Realm formation descended once more. With a thunderous roar, five thousand extra-realm cultivators were crushed to dust. As this happened, Wang Lin lifted his head, his gaze locked upon the falling axe. Before the eyes of the thousands of Cloud Sea cultivators behind him, he surged into the air!

“,Sealed Lord! Lend me your strength!!”

Wang Lin’s roar reverberated, tearing through the Sealed Realm formation, piercing the soft light that imprisoned the Lord of the Heavenly Punishment Hall, reaching the jade pendant within!

Within the jade, the remnant spirit of the Sealed Lord unleashed the last vestiges of its power. A tidal wave of energy surged forth, and the gentle light infused itself into the very essence of the Sealed Realm formation.

Then, following the intricate pathways of the formation, it flowed into the Heaven-Cleaving Axe itself, which was slowly rising after its devastating blow! Engulfed in the light, the monstrous axe trembled violently!

A primal struggle raged within, a desperate resistance against the invading light. But as the luminous energy poured in relentlessly, as thunderous booms echoed across the cosmos, the colossal Heaven-Cleaving Axe ground to a halt in mid-air, and the ancient aura of the gods emanated from within, intensifying exponentially!

“,Heaven-Cleaving Axe of the Sealed Realm, grant your power to my inheritor…,” an ancient voice echoed from within the Sealed Realm formation, resonating in the heart of every warrior.

A shadow of sorrow crossed Nan Yunzi’s face. How could he forget that voice?

The crimson-clad woman who battled him paled, a flicker of rare trepidation crossing her eyes. Memories of the past, of the Sealed Lord, flooded her mind.

Hong Shanzi remained impassive, yet the ancient voice awakened a distant memory, a return to his youthful debates with the newly arrived, stubborn Sealed Lord. He had once scorned the Lord’s unwavering principles, only to be met with a gentle smile and a silent shake of the head.

Even the Ice-Clad Child betrayed a hint of fear in his eyes. The one he feared above all others was not the Extra-Realm Overlord, nor the Immortal Consort, but the Sealed Lord!

As the ancient voice faded, the Heaven-Cleaving Axe ceased its struggle. Its size shrank rapidly, until it was no more than a few dozen feet in length, yet the divine aura it radiated exploded in intensity!

Wang Lin soared upward, and before the gaze of all, he grasped the Heaven-Cleaving Axe!

This was an artifact of the ancients, the most potent weapon of the royal lineage, a Heaven-Cleaving Axe forged to sunder the very fabric of existence!

The moment his hand closed around the haft, the ancient god star markings between Wang Lin’s brows began to whirl, a vortex of power unleashed with an intensity rivaling even the inheritance of the Dao Ancient. A tempestuous wave of raw power surged forth from him!

For countless millennia, since its sealing within the formation, Wang Lin was the first ancient god to wield the Heaven-Cleaving Axe!