As the golden palm sigil materialized, Wang Lin surged forward, his form flickering, and planted himself upon its surface. He bit his tongue, spitting forth a mouthful of golden ichor, which melded with the sigil, causing its golden light to intensify a hundredfold.

“You seek my demise? Then you shall pay the price!” Wang Lin roared, his face contorted in fury. He thrust his right hand downward, guiding the golden hand to descend with earth-shattering force. The placid waters below churned into a violent maelstrom under the oppressive weight of the sigil.

The grey-robed elder’s eyes flashed as Wang Lin’s Spirit Rend imprint approached. With a swift gesture, he produced a circular vial.

Within the clear glass was a quantity of yellow earth. Crushing the vial, he unleashed the contents with a wave of his sleeve. The earth erupted in a yellow glow, expanding rapidly into a swirling mass of mud, quickly reaching ten thousand feet in size.

“Essence of the Earth, Burial Zero!” the elder proclaimed. The colossal mound of earth surged, a mountainous wave, to intercept Wang Lin’s golden Spirit Rend.

Simultaneously, the black-clad elder, his expression impassive, performed a swift hand seal. His nine fingernails elongated instantly, severing from his fingertips and transforming into nine streaks of black light.

Within each streak, upon the nail itself, a ghastly apparition roared, as if the nails were enchanted blades upon which spectral figures rode, howling towards the Spirit Rend in the wake of the monstrous mud.

The white-robed man, his gaze as frigid as a winter’s wind, fixed his eyes upon the descending Spirit Rend. He bit his lip, drawing blood, and swiftly painted a sigil before him. As soon as it appeared, it crystallized into ice with a crack, and with a flick of his wrist, he launched it skyward.

The heavens trembled. This was a clash of mighty arts. Wang Lin’s Spirit Rend, blazing with infinite golden light, collided with the oncoming tide of earth.

Thunderous echoes reverberated as the mud enveloped the entirety of the palm sigil, the sounds of titanic struggle emanating from within. At that moment, the nine spectral nails of the black-clad elder pierced through the earthen shield with explosive force.

Immediately after, the icy sigil from the white-robed man slammed into the mud, shattering upon impact and unleashing a wave of frigid energy, encasing all within its reach in a sheath of ice!

“Ground Shatter!”

“Soul Slay!”

“Frozen Still!”

The three elders stood below, gazing upon the embattled palm sigil, uttering their pronouncements in unison. At that instant, the Spirit Rend shattered into five splintering fragments!

The five fingers, like falling mountains, plummeted downwards. As the sigil disintegrated, a shockwave ripped outwards. Wang Lin coughed blood, reeling backwards as his Spirit Rend was undone. Nine spectral nails pierced his flesh, wounds that now threatened to turn to earth, while within his body, the chilling aura spread, threatening to freeze him from the inside out.

His eyes burning crimson, Wang Lin staggered back, spitting more blood. Though heavily wounded, a murderous intent blazed in his eyes.

He reached into the void, summoning a vial of elixirs. But as he prepared to swallow them, the three elders below surged forward as three bolts of lightning, closing the distance in an instant.

The grey-robed elder, his eyes narrowed with concern, couldn’t discern the true nature of the golden light, but felt a distant familiarity. He appeared at Wang Lin’s left, and with a raised hand, his index finger glowed with a potent yellow hue, appearing to morph into solid earth. He thrust this earthen finger towards Wang Lin’s brow!

As he struck, countless incense souls erupted from the tip of his finger, a legion of spirits transformed into grains of mud, seeking to engulf and devour Wang Lin as they had the Spirit Rend!

Simultaneously, the black-clad elder materialized to Wang Lin’s right, his eyes glowing with an unearthly light. He thrust his five fingers towards Wang Lin’s chest!

Within his grasp, incense souls manifested into a host of wailing specters, their voices filled with cruel joy as they reached for Wang Lin. The elder’s fingers seemed to become the very gates of the underworld, emanating a killing intent laced with the stench of death!

Before Wang Lin stood the white-robed man, his expression as cold and unforgiving as ever. He moved forward, extending his right hand, the air around him frosted over. He aimed a palm strike at Wang Lin’s crown!

“It ends here!” the man whispered. All three launched their attacks towards Wang Lin in unison!

In this moment of utter peril, the ancient god star within Wang Lin’s brow flashed with blinding speed, and the Emperor Furnace burst forth, enveloping him. Yet, as soon as the Furnace materialized, it collided with the three killing strikes, and with a shuddering groan, shattered, sending its spectral light spiraling back into Wang Lin’s brow.

Capitalizing on the brief resistance offered by the Furnace, Wang Lin roared, and a beam of light erupted from his body as the Prism Shield appeared again, expanding violently outwards. But it was for naught; the Shield crumbled with a thunderous crash.

All this unfolded in the blink of an eye. From the moment the three elders appeared until now, only moments had passed, and within that span, Wang Lin had teetered on the brink of death multiple times. His many arts and treasures were useless because the enemy wouldn’t give him time to invoke them. He couldn’t even summon his Spirit Rend without being interrupted.

He also had to spare some attention to what was happening around him. He knew there were more opponents hiding somewhere nearby. This was just the opening gambit. Just like when they tried to kill Feng Zun, the real attack would come from people he didn’t expect.

The Palm Sovereign had yet to make his appearance!

The Ancient Immortal Consort still remained hidden!

This was the greatest danger of Wang Lin’s life! It was a deathly calamity!

As the Prism Shield shattered, and its fragments swirled around him, Wang Lin’s right arm shimmered, and the Ancient God Armguard appeared. He needed time, a precious fraction of a second to unleash more of his arts and treasures. But his enemies would not grant it.

If they would not grant it, then he would have to steal it. As the three killing blows closed in, as the pain stabbed at his brow, chest, and crown, the Ancient God Armguard flared with raw divine power.
A surge of ancient god power, breathtaking in its intensity, erupted from Wang Lin, coalescing into the massive, battle-scarred visage of the ancient deity that had shielded him time and again. Though marred by countless wounds, the familiar warmth of its protection remained.

The ethereal giant, its form seeming to prop up the very heavens, was instantly assaulted by the threefold onslaught. Time itself seemed to hold its breath as the ancient god recoiled, its body shuddering. As if with a final, mournful glance at the mortal it sheltered, the illusion began to shatter. In the instant of its collapse, every star-like point embedded in the spectral brow of the god exploded in a blinding flash! A torrent of raw, primordial god-force unleashed itself, a cataclysmic wave that slammed against the three pursuers.

Each of the trio staggered backward, their faces contorted, crimson staining their lips. The sheer force of the blast drove them back, their eyes widening in horror as the colossal image rapidly disintegrated. First the legs, then the torso, vanishing in an instant, leaving only a gigantic, spectral hand. This hand snatched Wang Lin from the air, hurling him downwards, towards the surface of the water below.

Even as it released him, the hand itself dissolved, leaving no trace.

Sorrow etched itself onto Wang Lin’s features, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. A faint aura of ancient god power still clung to him as he crashed into the lake, sinking beneath the murky surface.

Ripples spread outwards, disturbing the stillness of the water.

The three hunters, their initial assault thwarted, fixed their gazes upon the disturbed surface. Regaining their composure, they prepared to resume the chase, their murderous intent renewed.

Beneath the waves, Wang Lin’s right arm guard shattered, the fragments drifting away in a slow, agonizing dance. His eyes, still reflecting profound grief, now blazed with a desperate fury. As his tormentors neared the surface, poised to strike, the tranquil water erupted.

A colossal whirlpool materialized, churning with terrifying force. From its depths, a gargantuan fist, formed entirely of water, shot upwards, aimed squarely at the white-robed attacker at the forefront.

The white-clad warrior’s eyes flickered in response. As the watery fist bore down, he slammed his palm against its surface, unleashing a wave of frigid energy. The fist instantly transformed into solid ice, shattering into a million fragments. But even as it did, a roar of defiance echoed from the depths. Wang Lin, fueled by a desperate surge of power, broke through the remaining ice, his own fist colliding with the warrior’s outstretched hand.

This single blow was the culmination of Wang Lin’s will, unleashed against the protests of his own body, the most potent strike of his Dao God lineage.

And behind Wang Lin, the spectral head of his Dao God ancestor manifested, its silent roar of encouragement propelling the strike. The white-robed man was hurled backward hundreds of feet, coughing up blood.

Golden ichor splattered from Wang Lin’s own body, but he did not falter. Ignoring his own injuries, he whirled, lunging towards the grey-robed elder. Raising his right hand, he unleashed a storm of golden lightning from his right eye. The azure sky vanished, consumed by a tapestry of crackling energy. With a gesture, Wang Lin commanded the tempest, sending bolts of raw power hurtling towards the elder!

The thunder roared, the old man could not even dodge, the lighting surrounded him, inside it there was immortal energy, this immortal energy gave the lighting even more power. The grey-robed man was instantly engulfed in the maelstrom of golden electricity. The hint of immortal energy interwoven within the lightning intensified its ferocity, forcing the elder to recoil in terror, golden sparks dancing across his skin as he spat blood.

“Immortal… Immortal Energy!” he shrieked, his voice laced with horror. Remembering what that golden hue was!

His wounds mounting, Wang Lin pressed on, driven by desperation and heedless of the pain. Snarling, he pivoted towards the black-clad crone, unleashing a torrent of golden flames from his left eye as his palm struck outwards. A sea of incandescent fire engulfed the old woman, forcing a bloody cough from her lips as she stumbled back.

Her eyes widened in fear, a mirror of the horror etched upon the elder’s face, for she too, had recognized the words he uttered.

“Immortal… Immortal Energy!”

Having bought himself a precious respite with a desperate assault, Wang Lin took a step backward, his expression a mask of savage determination. Raising his hand towards the heavens, he spoke the forbidden words:

“Ancient Umbra, unfold and devour the sky!”

The azure above darkened, and a gargantuan umbrella handle materialized, piercing the veil of reality. In an instant, the sky itself transformed into the umbrella’s canopy, forming a colossal blue shield against the wrath of the heavens.

But even as the umbrella took form, the golden flames surged upwards, engulfing its surface, transforming it into a Burning World Umbra, a bulwark against annihilation.