In that instant, as he grasped the Heaven-Cleaving Axe, a torrent of primordial god-force surged through Wang Lin’s right hand, invading his body and converging upon his brow, targeting the nascent eighth star, barely a swirling vortex.

This ancient power, potent beyond measure, caused the vortex of his eighth star to swell, hungrily devouring the influx!

“I am but a humble cultivator! But I will fight!” Wang Lin roared, his voice echoing like thunder. In response, the surviving thousands of cultivators from Cloudsea Domain erupted in a frenzy.

“We are cultivators! We will fight!” It was not merely Wang Lin’s cry, but a unified roar from thousands, who, in this moment, forgot death and all else. Only a burning battle-lust remained!

Wang Lin stood beneath the star-strewn sky, towering above the masses. Turning, he beheld the thousands behind him, their blood boiling.

“Will you follow me to death?”

The words ignited a tempest, crashing into the ears of his comrades. Their answering bellow shook the heavens!

The sound pierced the ranks of the invaders, striking terror into their hearts. Their eyes, widened in horror, were haunted. Long ago, during the Second Sealing War, their ancestors had looked upon another being with the same dread, a figure of legend: the Sealing Exalt.

Wang Lin’s gaze, like lightning, turned toward the distant figure of Yunluo the High Priestess, sheltered by a throng of protectors. His eyes blazed with deadly intent!

What Hong Shanzi had failed to achieve, he would accomplish now!

Amidst the frenzied cheers of his followers and the dread of the invaders, Wang Lin, consumed by a killing intent that threatened to shatter the sky, took a step forward!

“Slay!!!” He bellowed, a sound that defied the heavens!

The roar was an earth-shattering echo, the voice of an ancient god. The very fabric of space quivered. An indescribable aura surged from him, amplifying the roar.

Before him, the invaders faltered, their faces twisted with fear. A primal dread, born of the soul, gripped them.

It was as though Wang Lin, wielding the Heaven-Cleaving Axe, was invincible. A battle-spirit emanated from him, promising to crush all who stood in his path!

With him surged thousands of frenzied cultivators, charging toward their doom!

They would meet their end in battle. To flee was unthinkable. It was a matter of resolve, a testament to will, a badge of honor. A glorious death!

Their sacrifice would resound throughout the Domain Within, igniting the hearts of every cultivator. This was the fire needed to secure even the slimmest chance of victory in the face of such overwhelming odds!

This war, spanning countless years, was only just beginning. If the Domain Within were to fall, it would be with a resolve that no cultivator would remain to witness it!

This was a death-pact!

The hills are cold, the warfires burn endlessly. The border falls, and the bones of the dead are left unrecorded.

Wang Lin plunged into the ranks of the invaders, a living blade slicing through their lines. He advanced with the axe held high, its killing intent alone enough to keep his path clear!

Yunluo the High Priestess paled, her gaze fixed upon the approaching Wang Lin. With a flick of her hand, she invoked a sealing command, ordering the wavering invaders forward. Their faces were contorted in expressions of savage defiance, a desperate attempt to mask their fear.

Wang Lin’s eyes burned crimson. Surrounded by a howling wind, he was unstoppable!

“Kill!!”

Those who dared approach him were scattered like leaves. Their terror overwhelmed their feigned ferocity.

Hong Shanzi and Nan Yunzi appeared, seeking to prevent any Third Step powerhouses from escaping. But the Iceclad Child, engaged with Hong Xuzi, possessed superior cultivation. Hong Guiyu, wounded by the ambush of the Immortal Consort and facing numerous powerful foes, could not hold them all.

The Fire Sparrow Ancestor was first to break free from the fray with Hong Xuzi. Encased in black flames, he hurtled towards Wang Lin!

The Fire Sparrow glyph on his brow pulsed. With a deafening roar, it transformed into a gigantic black bird, engulfing the Ancestor within its fiery body.

Saturated with incense power, the Fire Sparrow Ancestor surged through the ranks, a fiery meteor hurtling towards Wang Lin!

“Insignificant whelp! So what if you wield the Heaven-Cleaving Axe? I shall be the one to slay you!” His speed was blinding, closing the distance to within a thousand zhang. The black bird blazed furiously, the heat waves washing over Wang Lin as they drew nearer!

Wang Lin, eyes bloodshot, locked his gaze upon the Fire Sparrow Ancestor. He remained silent, his right hand tightening its grip on the Heaven-Cleaving Axe. As the star-points on his brow spun, unleashing a torrent of ancient god-force, he raised the axe, bringing it down upon the approaching Fire Sparrow Ancestor!

“Death to any who stand against me!” Wang Lin roared. Leaping into the air, he swung the Heaven-Cleaving Axe. Before him, a colossal axe-shadow materialized!

It was nearly the size of the spirit of the Sealing Array itself. With a thunderous roar, it hurtled toward the black firebird!

The swing shook the heavens, drawing countless gazes. Even the great powers warring with Hong Guiyu and Nan Yunzi glanced over.

The terrified invaders watched, their eyes filled with hope. They yearned to see Wang Lin fall, to see him slain before their very eyes!

Only then would their fear begin to subside!

The thousands of cultivators charging behind Wang Lin also watched, their hearts pounding. They did not fear death, but they knew that if Wang Lin faltered, even if he merely engaged the Fire Sparrow Ancestor, the morale they had worked so hard to build would be shattered!

One breath of air, endlessly obstructed!

Wang Lin, eyes blazing with killing intent, brought the great axe down. The axe-shadow hurtled forth, colliding with the black firebird. The firebird’s flames erupted outwards in a desperate attempt to repel the attack!

But this axe was the Heaven-Cleaving Axe!

With a deafening roar, the flames collapsed. Without any resistance, the axe-shadow pierced the firebird, striking directly at its core!

The sound shook the stars. Before the eyes of all, a scene unfolded that would forever haunt the invaders and become a source of pride for the cultivators of Cloudsea Domain!

The axe-shadow, without slowing, cleaved through the black firebird, rending it asunder! A desperate shriek pierced the void, tearing at the minds of all who heard it!

The shattered firebird revealed the Fire Sparrow Ancestor, pale and filled with dread!

He watched, helpless, as the axe fell with unstoppable force. He could offer no resistance as the Heaven-Cleaving Axe struck his brow!

A destructive energy surged into his mind, instantly causing blood to erupt from the point of impact, forming a crimson line!

The line widened, tearing through flesh and sundering his ancestral glyph, revealing the bone beneath!

Even the bone shattered, a fissure splitting it apart and exposing the quivering brain beneath!

The Heaven-Cleaving Axe plunged into the exposed brain, cleaving it like butter. The blade continued its descent, severing the Fire Sparrow Ancestor’s head in twain!

With a sickening crack, the axe continued downward, splitting his neck, his chest, his entire being!

His soul could not escape. As his body was torn asunder, it was obliterated, vanishing into the void!

All this happened in an instant!

Instant annihilation!

An instant kill of a Third Step powerhouse!

In the aftermath, silence descended upon the stars. The invaders stared in disbelief at the shattered remains of the Fire Sparrow Ancestor. They could not comprehend what they had witnessed!

In that moment, none could stand against Wang Lin. He emerged from the ravaged corpse, his crimson eyes locked on the pale, terrified face of Yunluo the High Priestess. He charged!

The invaders finally snapped out of their stupor, and their cries of terror filled the air. Those who stood before Wang Lin recoiled in horror!

Even the closest of Yunluo’s protectors retreated, their faces ashen. They beheld Wang Lin as a demon emerged from the deepest depths of hell, intent on annihilating all life!

Yunluo retreated as well, her face white with terror. In her mind, she saw a vision, a scene from her calculations. A looming figure, a source of untold dread, was approaching.