Beneath the tapestry of stars, where a myriad of extraterrestrial cultivators knelt in quaking reverence, Wang Lin gazed upon the colossal Cultivation Star. His countenance was serene, though the Demon Star within his right eye flickered with untold power. The forces of rejection surged within him, yet he suppressed them with an iron will, betraying no sign to the onlookers.

As he quelled the tempest within, Wang Lin’s gaze lingered upon the gargantuan star, a thoughtful gleam in his eye. “The star is shielded by a grand enchantment,” he mused, “surely the second gate to the Alliance’s domain, beyond the swirling vortex.”

The enchantment was a masterpiece of arcane design, utilizing dozens of smaller stars as its foundation, intertwined in a complex web. It bestowed upon the star the ability to cultivate, as if it were a living being.

Wang Lin, who had never witnessed such a sight, regarded it with palpable interest.

“This star is… intriguing.炎雷子, when you held a position within the Alliance, did you ever hear tales of its creation?”

炎雷子, jolted from his stupor of awe, bowed deeply, his voice hushed with respect. “My Lord, I have heard whispers. The great Cultivation Star was not born of celestial chance, but forged by the Alliance through the sacrifice of countless lesser stars. Those who cultivate upon it find their progress amplified manifold!

“Moreover, the ancient龙磐子 wove a potent magic into its very essence, transforming it into the Alliance’s second line of defense, surpassing even the vortex in strength. However, few from beyond these borders ever gained entry, so I never witnessed its true might.”

He paused, then added, “龙磐子 was an elder of the Alliance, and master to重玄子. Alas, he has long since passed into oblivion.”

“Perhaps not,” Wang Lin countered, his eyes like daggers, piercing the veil of space. He discerned four distinct presences upon the star. Three emanated palpable fear, trembling on the verge of collapse.

The fourth lay dormant, as if lost in a slumbering dream.

The myriad of kneeling cultivators, their bodies wracked by tremors, were consumed by dread. Their lives were no longer their own, but held within the grasp of the white-robed封尊, before whom they were compelled to prostrate.

Even the three black dragons, coiled in the void, trembled with awe, their roars reduced to whimpering cries.

Wang Lin turned his gaze from the star, suppressing the surging rejection. He raised a hand toward the serpentine beasts, seizing them with an irresistible force. The dragons writhed, pulled inexorably toward him.

With a swift motion, he separated one of the intertwined creatures, grasping it firmly by the neck.

The dragon, writhing like a serpent, was consumed by terror. Wang Lin’s golden gaze pierced its flesh, revealing within its belly a realm of incense, where thousands of souls of the inner realm were imprisoned. He recognized several faces, men and women of his own world.

A flicker of chilling rage ignited within him. He clenched his fist, and with a thunderous boom, the dragon shrieked in agony. Golden light erupted from Wang Lin’s hand, surging into the dragon’s core. In an instant, the trapped souls were expelled, rising into the void, free to seek the cycle of rebirth.

He cast the broken dragon toward炎雷子. “Do you remember our first encounter? You proclaimed me your kindred spirit. Take this creature. Incense is poison, but for you, the benefits may outweigh the dangers. With its power, you might one day achieve greatness.”

炎雷子 trembled, his face alight with overwhelming emotion. He seized the dragon, still bound by Wang Lin’s enchantments, rendered speechless by the unexpected gift. He could never forget their first meeting, his words of destiny now bearing the weight of fate.

“There was a son of the申公 family, known as申公虎. Does he still live?” Wang Lin scanned the kneeling hordes, regarding them as nothing more than corpses.

炎雷子, his hands trembling, accepted the dragon. He was an ancient cultivator of ten thousand years, and yet, he struggled to contain his excitement. He bowed deeply. “申公虎? Yes, my Lord, he resides in罗天.”

A flicker of remembrance crossed Wang Lin’s face. The memories of his encounters with申公虎 washed over him. Though he had been weaker then,申公虎 had declared himself Wang Lin’s loyal subordinate. The memory still brought a smile to his face.

“Then, upon your return to罗天, see to his well-being.” He raised his hand once more, separating the second dragon. After imprisoning it and releasing the captive souls within, he tossed it to炎雷子.

“Deliver this to申公虎. Tell him it is a reward for his loyalty, a chance for him to fulfill the promise he made so long ago.”

炎雷子 stared, a flicker of envy in his eyes, and readily accepted the second dragon.

His golden gaze fell upon the third dragon, and his voice became cold. “I sense that you understand my words. Devour these wretches, break the enchantment, and I shall grant you life.”

The dragon shuddered, raising its head, and with a thunderous roar, it charged toward the kneeling masses.

A cacophony of screams erupted in the starry void. The pitiful sounds sent shivers down炎雷子’s spine. Though he was of the inner realm, the sight of the extraterrestrial cultivators being devoured instilled in him a profound sense of dread.

The sight filled him with awe and a deeper respect for Wang Lin’s ruthless power.

Before the might of the dragon, the myriad of cultivators were helpless. Fueled by the promise of survival, the beast raged through their ranks, its jaws a portal to oblivion. In less than the span of half an incense stick, no one survived.
The souls of the devoured, near ten thousand strong, became phantom denizens of the Black Dragon’s internal realm, fueled by incense smoke. Their blood and flesh merged with the beast’s form, tinting its scales with a haunting violet hue.

The vicious barbs that lined its body writhed, growing longer, sharper. Even the single, ivory horn that jutted from its brow extended a full inch, yearning for carnage.

A deafening roar ripped through the void as the Black Dragon doubled in size. Its gargantuan form, now tens of thousands of feet long, pulsed with malevolent power, its eyes fixed upon the colossal celestial body that served as the heart of the alliance.

With a speed that blurred the stars, leaving only phantom trails in its wake, the dragon struck. The impact resonated through the cosmos, shaking the very fabric of reality as it collided with the fortress world.

A cataclysmic rumble echoed across the heavens. The massive celestial body shuddered, and the smaller planets that orbited it were caught in some unseen gravitational snare, hurled like missiles towards the primary world.

The sound was a cosmic thunderclap. A shockwave, born of the dragon’s impact, spread outwards with terrifying force, flinging the Black Dragon backwards. Even the behemoth world itself groaned under the assault, cracks spider-webbing across its surface.

Yet, Wang Lin stood unmoved, the internal turmoil within him slowly abating. He watched with focused intensity as the slumbering fourth aura within the colossal world awakened with the birth of those fissures.

As it stirred, the celestial fortress seemed to breathe. Its orbiting satellites arranged themselves into two neat rows, connected by shimmering threads of ethereal energy, flanking the world like the arms of some slumbering giant.

A blinding white radiance emanated from the surface of the wounded world, coalescing into the spectral form of an ancient, white-haired sage. He was a figure of ethereal fragility, yet intrinsically bound to the planet, as if he were its very soul.

“Those who trespass against our Alliance shall find their souls banished, their lineage extinguished, their bodies dust!” The voice, ancient and filled with the weight of millennia, resonated through the void, reaching into the very souls of Wang Lin and the bewildered Flame Thunder Child.

“Dragonreaver!” the Flame Thunder Child gasped, his eyes widening in horrified recognition. “It is Dragonreaver!”

From afar, the true nature of the Alliance’s fortress world became chillingly clear. The gargantuan planet, riddled with cracks, formed a colossal, limbless torso. The two rows of smaller worlds were its arms, held aloft in eternal defense.

And the spectral sage, wreathed in celestial light, was its head. This was no mere planet; it was a being.

“Such ambition!” Wang Lin murmured, his eyes gleaming with understanding. “To bind one’s spirit and soul to a world, forging a vessel for immortality!” He had suspected the world’s unnatural essence and sent the Black Dragon as a probing claw. Now, he saw the dreadful truth.

Dragonreaver, master of the Chongxuanzi, must have cheated death by fusing his essence with the world, becoming an immortal, if monstrous, entity.

“Never underestimate the ancient ones,” Wang Lin thought, respect mingled with his grim determination. “To conceive of such a path requires a mind of incredible power.”

The Flame Thunder Child, his astute mind working feverishly, echoed Wang Lin’s thoughts. “I saw Dragonreaver only once,” he stammered, his voice tight with dread. “I believed him long dead…I was wrong.”

Wang Lin raised his hand, and with a surge of power, the Black Dragon, momentarily repelled, roared its defiance. It charged once more, its immense form tearing through space towards the celestial fortress.

As it neared, the dragon unleashed a torrent of power, opening its maw to reveal the swirling chaos of its internal realm. From within, a swarm of incense-fueled spirits surged forth, a wave of ethereal flame directed at the fortress world.

But in that instant, a horrifying transformation occurred. A scream, born of pure, unadulterated madness, erupted from the heart of the celestial body. It was a sound that dripped with the blood of countless lives, a primal cry imbued with the very essence of slaughter!

This killing intent, one only born of endless, horrific battles, was a familiar signature to Wang Lin. It was the source of ultimate carnage and destruction!

The roar resonated in Wang Lin’s heart, shaking him to his core. For the first time since the beginning of this cosmic conflict, an emotion other than grim determination crossed his face. A surge of fervent hope washed over him.

“It cannot be…” he whispered, his voice trembling. “Clearspring, my brother!”