A hush fell upon the Realm within. Even the Immortals who battled Nan Yunzi and Crimson Fir, such as the Chill-Robed Child, withdrew from the fray, observing with frigid gazes.

The Crimson-Garbed Celestial Concubine, however, wore a mask of thunderous ire. Unaware of the bow’s impending appearance, the words of Feng Bi, Disciple of the Great Hand Sovereign, stung her deeply. Her keen mind discerned that she had become a pawn in some grand design.

With a scornful snort, the Crimson Concubine cast a fleeting glance at Zao He Ziemeng, who had likewise ceased her assault, before turning her back on all and striding directly towards the breach in the Sealed Array.

None dared impede her passage. Nan Yunzi’s gaze flickered imperceptibly as the Crimson Concubine stepped through the breach, vanishing into the tapestry of the Primordial Starry Skies.

The Chill-Robed Child and the others retreated in silence, each passing through the sealed fissure.

“What, denizens of the Realm Within? Does not a single one of you dare claim this bow?” Feng Bi, Disciple of the Great Hand Sovereign, shook his head, addressing the cultivators trapped within the Sealed Array.

The rift in the barrier, through relentless healing, had shrunk to a mere ten fathoms. The edges shimmered with arcane energies, on the verge of sealing shut entirely. But just as it contracted to seven fathoms, the colossal hand that had previously manifested in the Primordial Skies materialized once more. It grasped at the breach in the Sealed Array, rending it asunder with a thunderous roar. The starry firmament trembled as a force of immeasurable power surged inward, tearing the healing fissure back open to hundreds of fathoms.

A deafening cacophony erupted, and an overwhelming pressure radiated from the hand, engulfing the Realm Within. Beneath its weight, Crimson Osmanthus and the others reeled back, their spirits shaken to their core!

Wang Lin, too, felt his face pale as the pressure washed over him, forcing him back hundreds of feet.

Crimson Decay’s eyes blazed with icy fury. He surged forward, a wave of crimson mist billowing forth from his outstretched hand, hurtling towards the hand tearing at the Sealed Array.

At the same time, Nan Yunzi’s expression grew grave. He struck his brow, and his body shuddered. A myriad of phantasmal images erupted from behind him, coalescing into a legion of statues, arranged in a vast array. These followed Crimson Decay’s crimson mist, charging towards the colossal hand.

Zao He Ziemeng, the Middle-Aged Beauty, Master Lu, and Tai A Luo, all unleashed their powers in unison. Myriad beams of light converged, their spells rapidly weaving together to form a cataclysmic storm, joining Crimson Decay and Nan Yunzi’s conjurations in a furious assault against the hand tearing the barrier.

Even as Wang Lin’s thoughts raced, the Agile Adept and Zhou Jin silently revealed their own arcane skills. It could be said that every powerful being in the Realm Within unleashed their utmost might in that instant. The combined sorceries coalesced into a roaring tempest.

The Ancient God’s star spun within Wang Lin’s brow. He flung his right hand forward, and the head of the Ancient Dao manifested, transforming into a gigantic fist wreathed in seas of fire and crackling with lightning. It fused with the tempest, becoming the Realm’s mightiest force, and hurtled towards the hand cleaving the barrier!

In an instant, the Realm’s assembled power slammed into the monstrous hand. At the moment of impact, a surge of demonic energy from within the Realm Within rushed forth, coalescing into the visage of the Nine-Star Ancient Demon, its features twisted in a hateful snarl. It opened its maw and spewed forth a torrent of demonic breath, which instantly transformed into a colossal, roaring wyrm, hurtling forward alongside the tempest and Wang Lin’s fist towards the hand.

The ensuing cataclysm shook the very fabric of the cosmos, heard clearly by all, both within and without the Realm. The storm of sorcery unleashed by Crimson Decay and the others detonated against the hand, unleashing a shockwave of unimaginable proportions, sweeping across the land!

Under the deafening roar, Crimson Decay and the others spat forth blood, retreating hastily. The colossal hand trembled, and four of its five fingers shattered!

Then, Wang Lin’s Ancient Dao fist crashed into the remaining digit, just as the tempest shattered and the four fingers disintegrated. The echoes of the impact reverberated, and Wang Lin felt his body convulse. Blood trickled from his lips, and his right fist throbbed with excruciating pain, as if the very bones had been pulverized.

He staggered backward once more.

The last finger of the hand, having collided with Wang Lin’s Ancient Dao fist, showed signs of imminent collapse. In that moment, the wyrm, infused with the nine demonic stars, roared forth and slammed into the hand, instantly shattering the final finger! All that remained was the palm of the hand, which, assailed by the combined might of the Realm’s Immortals, recoiled violently!

The shockwave spread, reaching within the Sealed Array, causing it to emit a blinding light. The torn fissure expanded further.

Amidst the devastation, the bow, which had been the closest to the fray, remained unchanged. It floated serenely, as if the unleashed powers were but a whisper. The gentle light emanating from it merely flickered.

As the severed hand retreated, five sparks of light flickered upon its stump, faintly suggesting the regrowth of the lost digits. But then, a shocking event occurred. Behind Wang Lin and the others, the fabric of space quivered into existence. A howl, powerful enough to shatter the minds of all cultivators, thundered forth from the Realm Within behind them!

The sound started as a distant whisper, but swiftly escalated into a deafening roar. Crimson Decay and the others, their faces aghast, turned to look, and Wang Lin followed suit.

He beheld a sight he would never forget!

Nine burning cultivator planets, blazing like suns, streaked across the void in a straight line, hurtling forth from the distant cosmos.

Their incredible velocity rent the fabric of space, creating countless shockwaves that rippled outwards, carrying the searing breath of destruction.

With blinding speed, they bore down upon the Sealed Array and the bow floating beyond.

The great hand, in the midst of regrowing its digits, flung itself forward, blocking the path of the foremost burning planet. The two forces collided in a thunderous explosion, and the first cultivator planet detonated, unleashing a titanic force that slammed into the hand, forcing it back.

Before it could retreat even a thousand fathoms, the second planet arrived and crashed into it, driving it back once more!

The third planet followed immediately, impacting upon the hand. The great hand quivered and burst apart, and as it did, a robed figure stepped forth from within.

The figure was none other than the Hand Sovereign, whom Wang Lin had seen outside the Ancient Tomb!

He said nothing, but lifted his right hand. A beam of luminous light erupted from the withered hand, becoming the first and most radiant light in the entire cosmos.

He raised his hand and pressed it against the fourth cultivator planet rushing towards him. The heavens roared, and the fourth planet collapsed, though the robed figure was also forced back several steps.

The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth planets arrived simultaneously, detonating in a cacophony of destruction the moment they neared the robed figure. The resultant shockwave was beyond description, echoing through the Primordial Starry Skies beyond the Realm.

A wave of searing heat washed over the land, howling across the Primordial Skies. Stars were obliterated, and the robed figure’s garments billowed. He spat forth a mouthful of primordial essence, his body threatening to be torn asunder!

“You are not dead!!!” A hoarse voice, filled with shock, escaped from the robed figure’s lips.

“I am not dead!” A booming voice echoed from somewhere within the Realm Within, reaching the Realm Without as the ninth burning planet crashed towards the robed figure. The robed figure roared, raising his arms and rapidly forming incantations. A massive well materialized behind him, its waters reflecting a crescent moon. As the well appeared, the robed figure thrust his withered left hand deep into the waters, grasping for something within.

He pulled out the crescent moon from the well! It was difficult to tell if he had grasped the water or the moon, but his hand emerged dripping with well water and clutching the crescent moon!

With a mighty swing, the robed figure hurled the well water towards the ninth planet.

The two collided instantly, the well water evaporating in a burst of white mist. The ninth planet quivered, shattering into pieces!

Upon it, one could see the distinct imprint of a crescent moon, which pierced through the collapsing planet and flew out towards the empty void beyond.

“In those days, I fought my way into the Realm Beyond, and none of you five Ancient Sovereigns were a match for me! I stole vast quantities of incense from you! To meet again today, and you are still so pathetically weak!” As the ancient voice of boundless arrogance thundered forth, a phantom figure materialized in the void where the crescent moon had landed. The figure’s features were indistinct, but as it appeared, it raised its right hand and drew the character for “WAR” with its index finger!

The single character embodied the essence of war, and the crescent moon shattered instantly!

“The world only remembers that you were driven out by a single roar, but they know nothing of the warning within that roar! Should you dare step half a foot into the Inner Sanctum again, you will surely die!

“You cowardly lackey of the Hand Seal, how dare you call yourself a Sovereign? This bow cannot be mastered by anyone but the Li Clan. Since you offered it as bait, I shall simply take it in his stead!” The voice, calm and resolute, stepped towards the bow floating beyond the array!

“Old Ghoul War!!! You still live!!?” The robed figure snapped his head up, and the robe shattered into fragments, revealing the face hidden beneath!