Shui Qing’s eyes flashed with crimson light, the very essence of slaughter coalescing around him like a tangible aura. Within that Immortal Realm resided his daughter, a world they, each and every one, had painstakingly built. This was their home!

And now, someone dared to break down the gates, to extinguish their hearth and home. Regardless of who this interloper might be, be they ancient immortal or primeval god, Shui Qing would slay them!

With a blur, Shui Qing shot forward, a tempest of righteous fury unleashed.

Hong Shanzi and Nan Yunzi hesitated, a flicker of doubt crossing their faces. But only for a heartbeat. With grim determination, they gritted their teeth and followed close behind!

Qing Lin stood paralyzed, the conflict raging within him a visible storm. But then his gaze fell upon the sight that shattered his doubt – dozens of immortals, with wild laughter, tearing a gaping hole in the celestial tapestry of the Silver River, revealing countless terrified cultivators from the outer realms cowering below. With a roar of defiance, Qing Lin strode forward!

“Halt! Ancient Immortals, this is our realm, the origin of celestial tea…” Qing Lin began to plead, but before his words could fully form, a handful of the immortals whirled around, their eyes burning with oppressive golden light. With a swift gesture of their hands, they unleashed a blast of raw power towards the approaching figures.

A deafening cacophony filled the air as a golden vortex, infused with the very essence of immortal lineage, erupted and engulfed the quartet. Staggered by the force, Qing Lin, Shui Daozi, and Nan Yunzi reeled back.

“Insolence!” one of the immortals sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance and a sense of divine entitlement. “To dare obstruct us immortals from claiming our due!”

The oppressive weight of the immortal bloodline proved too much for Qing Lin and his companions, a primal terror seizing their very souls. But Shui Qing remained untouched, as if impervious to the force. Unwavering, he plunged through the golden storm, his killing intent a palpable force, aimed directly at the scores of immortals ahead.

Yet, even with his speed, he was slightly too late. The first wave of immortals had already breached the celestial barrier and now gazed down upon the frightened cultivators below, their laughter echoing through the heavens.

A few, driven by a depraved hunger, began to unleash their own bloodline powers, binding the masses in place. One of them descended, seizing a Zhao He cultivator, intending to devour her essence and transform it into the coveted incense offering.

But in that very instant, another of the ancient immortals, his laughter still ringing, unleashed his divine sense. His mirth turned to choked horror, his eyes bulging, and a piercing shriek tore from his throat!

The horrifying sound echoed across the newly conquered Immortal Realm, causing the scores of immortals to freeze. The one about to devour the woman instinctively released her, his gaze snapping towards the source of the scream.

“His effigy! There! His effigy!” the terrified voice wailed. As the immortals followed the pointed direction, their eyes fell upon the distant mountain peak, where a statue stood in silent vigil. Recognition struck them like a physical blow, and a collective gasp swept through their ranks.

The one who had held the woman released her completely, his face turning ashen.

“It is he!”

“How can his statue be here?!” The sudden realization sent waves of terror through the ancient immortals. They could never forget the terrifying might displayed within the Ancient Immortal Domain three years prior! The power of *that* single arrow!

It was then that Situ Nan finally understood. Without hesitation, he retrieved a jade slip, given to him by Wang Lin during their encounter on Suzaku Star, after he learned about the Caves World. Wang Lin had instructed him to shatter it should the ancient immortals descend and begin to slaughter the cultivators.

As the jade shattered, Wang Lin’s essence erupted forth in a cataclysmic burst!

The ancient immortals recognized it instantly. In the swirling void above, a figure coalesced – a white-robed warrior, none other than Wang Lin! The slip contained a fragment of his divine sense, and though the apparition was ethereal, the chilling fury emanating from his eyes was undeniable.

“Suzaku, Xuanwu, Qinglong, Baihu… is this the pact you swore?” Wang Lin’s voice, laced with icy contempt, echoed through the heavens. With a sweeping gesture, he unleashed a bellow of pure, unbridled power.

“BEGONE!”

The word vibrated through the very fabric of reality, stirring memories long dormant within the ancient immortals. Their faces paled, and they turned and fled the Immortal Realm with desperate haste!

Among the ranks of immortals still arriving outside the realm stood an elderly figure – Qinglong himself. His expression was grim as he glared at those who had invaded the realm. With a disdainful snort, he stepped forward, bowing respectfully towards the entrance of the Immortal Realm.

“I must apologize for the lack of discipline. I arrived too late. I hope my esteemed friend will accept my sincerest apologies. I will ensure this never happens again! Fortunately, no harm was done. The agreement still stands… we of the Ancient Immortal Domain shall not harm a single cultivator within this realm!”

Far away, in the ancient starfield of the outer realms, Wang Lin sat in meditation, his eyes blazing with frigid fury. He had foreseen this possibility and thus entrusted the jade slip to Situ Nan. Now, witnessing the terrified retreat of the ancient immortals through his fragment of divine sense, he prepared to speak, but a sudden tremor made his head snap around.

Without hesitation, Wang Lin rose and shot towards the horizon with unparalleled speed!

The Ancient Immortal Domains, once a unified whole, had been divided. Though separated by realms, a deep connection remained. The opening of the inner Ancient Immortal Domain would inevitably trigger the opening of its outer counterpart!

Though the inner realm’s upheaval was partially masked by protective formations, it was still sensed by the powerful beings of the outer starfield. In that instant, the Grand Empyrean, the Palm Sovereign, realized with a jolt what Wang Lin was planning!

“Impossible! He intends to destroy our outer Ancient Immortal Domain using the power of both realms! How… how could he be so reckless?! He must know everything! He knows this is merely the Caves World!” The Grand Empyrean’s face contorted in horror, and he shot into the cosmos.

He was not alone. All the powerful beings focused on Wang Lin understood his intentions. They realized what the cultivator intended to do!

Wang Lin hurtled through the vast expanse, crossing the distance between stars in the blink of an eye. He materialized in a starfield riddled with countless rifts in space!

The rifts pulsed with ominous energy. As they crisscrossed and widened, the very fabric of the starfield fractured and collapsed, creating an enormous gaping maw in the sky!

An ancient aura surged forth, and a chorus of maniacal laughter echoed from within as a wave of golden light poured out of the rift!

These, too, were ancient immortals, disciples of the Seven Dao Sect. But now, they obeyed not the commands of the Seven-Colored Daoist, but those of his concubines! Or rather, they obeyed the woman that the Daoist betrayed to save his own life!

For without her orders, the Seven Dao Sect would never have followed the concubines. This betrayal was the very seed from which the chaos of the Caves World War had bloomed!

These immortals were the concubines’ final trump card. As the Seventh Concubine saw Wang Lin’s purpose, her expression changed drastically, and she raced towards him.

Even the Third Concubine’s heart pounded as she, too, sped towards the battlefield.

More golden figures surged from the gaping tear in the cosmos, their crazed laughter reverberating throughout the void. But as they emerged, they beheld a lone figure waiting patiently for them outside the rift – a white-haired, white-robed man with his eyes closed!

They did not know Wang Lin, and though his power was immense, they dismissed him as an insignificant threat. With wild abandon, they roared, their voices shaking the heavens.

“We are free!”

“Now that we are here, the Four Generals must emerge as well! Kill them all, claim the Dao, and we shall rebuild the Seven Dao Sect!”

“Not only shall we slaughter them, but we shall exterminate every living being in the Caves World! Only then can we recreate the Caves World as it was!”

The golden immortals surged forward, their eyes burning with fanatical zeal. One of them spotted Wang Lin and, with a cruel grin, charged directly at him, raising his hand with a bloodthirsty roar.

“You are a lucky insect! You came right to me! I shall devour you and transform you into incense!”

“A mere cultivator from the Immortal Astral Continent? A common disciple of the Seven Dao Sect? And you dare call yourself an immortal?” Wang Lin opened his eyes, and a blinding golden light erupted from within them!

It was the light he had forged by fusing the blood of the Immortal Vajra Body into his very being. It was the purest, most concentrated essence of immortal bloodline!

The charging immortal froze, his face contorting in shock. He stumbled backward, a wave of primal dread washing over him.

“Who are you?!”