The wellspring of Wang Lin’s dominion over lightning, though vast, had yet held imperfections. But now, with the creation of new blood forged within his very bones by the madman, those imperfections shattered, and the lightning, empowered by the alien lineage coursing through him, transformed into… Celestial Lightning!

Truly, the lightning of immortals!

The golden flame within his left eye, once a mere phantom fire, distant from the true fire of the Dao, and further still from perfection, was now, fueled by the new blood flowing from his marrow, reborn as a celestial fire, surpassing all others in its sublime essence.

Truly, the fire of immortals!

These celestial flames and lightning alone were enough for Wang Lin to obliterate any cultivator in the nascent stage of Void Nirvana. Even those in the intermediate stage could scarcely withstand its fury, succumbing in horrified defeat. And should a powerful elder of the advanced Void Nirvana stage witness this true immortal fire and lightning, it would shake them to their core, forcing a desperate retreat!

Further still, as the blood born of bone marrow coursed through his veins, Wang Lin’s three remaining sources – life and death, cause and effect, truth and falsehood – began to subtly shift, slowly progressing towards completion. A single catalyst, a spark beneath the celestial blood, was all that was needed to achieve the Grand Dao!

The arrival of this madman was a boon for Wang Lin, comparable only to the ancient God’s inheritance he had once received in the ancient God’s land, shaping the very course of his life!

And this fortune, as yet, remained incomplete!

Wang Lin’s mind was clear, yet he remained paralyzed, unable to stir. He silently sensed the changes within, a feeling utterly unlike anything he had known before, and a hidden suspicion began to form in his heart.

Especially his blood, the new blood forged from his marrow, pulsed with an aura of the utmost heaven and earth – an aura of divinity! Even his nascent soul was undergoing a frenzied transformation under its influence!

Unbeknownst to Wang Lin, even the Four Great Immortal Realms of old, even the Four Great Immortal Emperors, including Qing Shuang, though they called themselves immortals, were but mortals compared to what he was becoming.

The power within Wang Lin’s blood had reached an earth-shattering degree!

But his body was unique, perhaps the most unique body to ever exist. His body was that of an ancient God, a legacy of the Dao, but his blood had been touched by the madness of the madman, imbued with the essence of the immortals! Such a convergence was exceedingly rare!

Two mutually exclusive forces, locked in perpetual conflict! Though the power of the Dao was suppressed, the immortal blood could not destroy it. Thus, Wang Lin’s body was no longer whole!

This incompleteness caused his lower body to cycle between recovery and destruction. His nascent soul fluctuated between clarity and imprisonment!

Should this state persist, Wang Lin would become a living corpse, or, worse, a treasure to be refined, a peerless artifact usable by both immortals and ancient Gods!

The time for a choice had come! Should he cling to his old legacy of the Dao, and forgo this unimaginable fortune, or embrace the fortune, forsaking the ancient God’s inheritance that had guided him for millennia? A grueling choice, yet even the choice was beyond his grasp. His nascent soul was immobile, separated in some manner from his flesh!

“Granddaddy, I’m exhausted!…”

Just then, the madman, unconscious from blood loss, groggily awoke. His face was gaunt with fatigue, but a spark of excitement flickered in his eyes as he turned to Wang Lin.

But the excitement swiftly crumbled, replaced by unbridled rage!

“You! You! You’re still not recovered?! So much of my blood, so much blood that could buy so many things! So much blood that could convince that seven-colored little bird to… that I could use on her! So much blood… if my brother knew, he’d go berserk!” The madman leapt to his feet, seized Wang Lin by the shoulders, and began to shake him violently.

“Give me back my blood! You took my blood and you’re not recovering? Are you trying to infuriate me? Little Red, push this guy out and execute him!”

Unsatisfied with mere roars, the madman fixed his gaze on Wang Lin and sank his teeth into his shoulder, emitting a guttural growl like a rabid dog.

“I’ll bite you to death! Bite you to death!”

After much thrashing, the madman panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot once more, twisted in a grotesque expression. He glared at Wang Lin, gnashed his teeth, and released his grip, clutching his mouth in pain.

“I hate the cultivators of the Ancient Lands! Their bodies are too hard! My teeth, they hurt so much! Little Red, go to the Zhou family and fetch that… that thing! I forgot what it’s called! Go get it, and if they refuse, tell them my brother will come plunder it tomorrow!”

The madman, whimpering in pain, stumbled to the side, muttering to himself. He seemed to regain some composure, but then he turned back to Wang Lin, and the madness began to flare anew.

“I refuse to believe it!” He howled. “Just you wait! Let me think…”

The madman’s bloodshot eyes darted rapidly, but after a moment, no solution presented itself, and his frustration only intensified. He snarled at Wang Lin.

The madman’s rage was beyond mortal comprehension. The more he failed to find a solution, the greater his anger became, until, in a fit of fury, he seized his left arm and ripped it off at the shoulder! No blood flowed; the wound was perfectly smooth.

Holding his severed arm, the madman didn’t even glance at it. He simply stared intently at Wang Lin, uttering words that even he himself could not understand.

With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the severed arm to the ground, where it landed with a deafening crash. The madman’s hand movements became more and more erratic, the sounds of destruction growing louder and more frequent. Finally, he leapt into the air and began to hurl insults at Wang Lin’s unmoving form.

And so, the madman’s tirade continued for days!
Until the madman’s throat was parched and his voice a rasp, he ceased his ranting, gasping for breath. He reattached his left arm, and a flash of golden light erupted. Where the wound had been, a circular mark appeared, an arcane sigil etched with the dust of ages. Its complexities defied comprehension; to gaze upon it was to risk being lost within its labyrinthine depths.

An aura of creation clung to the mark, as though it had witnessed the birth of the heavens and the earth, a thing of eerie and unsettling provenance.

The madman stared at the mark upon his rejoined limb, a flicker of bewilderment crossing his features. Then, with startling suddenness, his eyes blazed with an unholy light.

“I have it! Hahaha, I have it!” The madman, licking his cracked lips, wrung his hands together in glee. He pranced toward Wang Lin’s inert form, for to him, the corpse was but a plaything, a source of amusement in his interminable boredom.

Yet, when obsession takes root, when a toy becomes the object of demented fascination, a being transforms into something terrifying.

“By the ancient blood, I had forgotten! The Three Seals of the Immortal Ancestor! Yes, yes, that is it!” In his fevered excitement, the madman felt his very blood simmer. He stared at Wang Lin, a vacant grin plastered across his face, which slowly morphed into a look of bewildered confusion.

“Something… feels amiss. My brother, he said that even in death, I must never impart this power to any outside our Immortal lineage. I believe he even forced a vow upon me: blood may be given sparingly, but the Three Seals…none but us may possess it!” He paused, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, and lowered his gaze to Wang Lin.

“Or was it…no. Was it that anyone could receive the Seals? Hmmm, what was it truly?” The madman furrowed his brow, tapping his skull with a knobbly finger, each tap deepening the fog in his mind.

“My brother’s words, I must heed them! It was permitted, yes. Permitted!” The madman nodded with grave conviction.

“Yes, that is it. Even Little Red agrees that my memory is impeccable; I could not possibly be mistaken.” He muttered to himself, his eyes shining once more with manic glee. Licking his lips once more, he raised both hands and began weaving intricate hand seals, causing the entire Cultivation Star to shudder. The madman’s very body trembled violently.

Faintly, the circular mark that had graced his arm materialized upon his brow! “In the dawn of existence, the Immortal Ancestor descended! The Three Seals reshape realms, securing our Immortal legacy for eternity! One seal shapes the heavens! Two seals shape the Dao! Three seals shape…shape what, now? Little Red…what was the third seal, hmmm?” The madman blinked, then shook his head dismissively.

“Forgotten… blast! My memory is far too good; I shall recall it eventually!” He grumbled, then struck his forehead with a resounding crack. An indescribable, cataclysmic force surged forth, tearing through the Cultivation Star and flooding the very essence of the Underworld Beast’s innards!

With a roar, the madman snatched at his brow as though plucking the seal from his flesh and slammed it upon the ancient God star-point residing on Wang Lin’s own forehead!

“Three Seals of the Immortal Ancestor… forging an imperishable Immortal form!” The instant the madman’s hand landed, an apocalyptic power erupted from Wang Lin’s body. It surged from within, overwhelming the brow point, colliding with the madman’s touch.

A geyser of blood spewed from the madman’s lips as he was hurled backward, crashing to the ground far away. As he fell, confusion clouded his gaze, and he muttered, “I… I believe I remember now. It was forbidden to give… especially to any bearing the ancient surnames of the Ancient Clans. It would incite a great calamity… ”

“But what troubles me? I imparted nothing. Aye, nothing. My memory is perfect. I recall imparting nothing at all…” And with that, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped into unconsciousness. Wang Lin’s body spasmed as his eyelids fluttered uncontrollably, and his heart raged as the crazed one’s actions were felt. The very instant that the mark descended, he became aware of the suppressed powers of the ancient God and Dao ancient, suddenly and violently erupting within him as if mad.

“You cursed lunatic!” Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open!