A cursed blade pointed skyward, a maelstrom of black energy swirling around it, a vortex of howling wind that seemed to claw at the heavens. From afar, the storm resembled a serpentine dragon of shadow, a spectacle both terrible and awe-inspiring.

Wang Lin’s grip upon the blade was unyielding, the weapon seemingly fixed in the void. This stillness formed a stark contrast to the raging dragon-storm, a juxtaposition of tranquility and chaos.

From this confluence emanated a pressure, a force that threatened to shatter the very mind. This oppressive weight bore down upon the White Tiger General, whose spiritual form had been devoured, and whose blood oaths bound him utterly. He trembled uncontrollably.

The pressure was a mountain crushing him, forcing him to submit. Head bowed, he succumbed to its might.

His counterpart, the Five-Elements cultivator, fared even worse. Though unbound by blood oaths, his spiritual essence had suffered the same fate. Now, under the crushing weight, his soul resonated with a primal fear, a tidal wave of awe and dread.

Wang Lin, however, spared them no thought. His entire being was focused, drawn into the heart of the blade. Slowly, he closed his eyes, abandoning the sky to the tempest. All that remained was the weapon in his hand. This blade would become his eyes, his senses, coalescing the very essence of his cultivation into a strike of unparalleled power.

Across the starfield, in a desolate western sea of stars, a cataclysmic rumble echoed. A vast vortex materialized, yet its formation was fleeting. In a shuddering instant, it collapsed inward with a thunderous roar, as if rent asunder from within.

As the echoes faded, a blinding surge of seven-colored light erupted. From its heart strode the Seven-Colored Daoist, stepping directly into the ruined realm.

The instant he entered, he sensed Wang Lin’s presence. A murderous glint ignited in his eyes, followed by a chilling laugh.

“Wang Lin, I have found you! This time, there is no escape!”

At that very moment, on the third of this realm’s cultivation stars, Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open. The blade he held aloft blazed with an unearthly light. With a guttural roar, he leaped into the air, unleashing the most powerful strike he could muster!

The blade flashed, and a colossal blade-phantom appeared in the heavens. With a deafening shriek, it absorbed the surrounding storm, Wang Lin’s very armor, and the legion of soldiers conjured from the chess game below. Empowered, the blade shattered the White Tiger’s established rules with ease!

The White Tiger coughed up blood, his spirit faltering.

The blade-phantom soared skyward, vanishing in an instant, only to reappear in the desolate starfield where the Seven-Colored Daoist stood. The blink of an eye, the very moment the Daoist arrived within this world, Wang Lin had struck.

The phantom, now manifested in the starfield, swelled to an impossible size, nearly ten thousand fathoms in length. No longer illusion, but substance, it hurtled toward the Seven-Colored Daoist, poised to cleave him in twain!

The blade was born from the rules of this very place, its power amplified by Wang Lin’s complete cultivation. To slay with this blade was to wield the realm itself, crushing the enemy with the might of an entire world!

Words failed to describe the blade’s terrible beauty. Its light burned with an intensity that riveted the Seven-Colored Daoist.

The Daoist’s pupils contracted. For a moment, he felt a tremor of something he rarely experienced: danger. In all his long existence, it had only happened thrice!

Two of those times had been when in pursuit of this Wang Lin. The first, within the Rift of the Cloud Sea. Now again, within this shattered realm!

“To wield this world’s rules as a blade… Wang Lin has conceived of this in so short a time! His mind is formidable, truly! But precisely for that reason, he must die! He cannot be allowed to live!” A storm of thoughts raged within the Daoist’s mind. With Zhan Laogui looming, he could not afford injury. With a flick of his sleeve, seven-colored light coalesced before him, forming a seven-petaled lotus, each petal a different hue. The lotus blossomed before the Daoist.

“Seven-Colored Dao-Lotus, Lotus-Forged Armament!” As the Daoist spoke, he stepped into the heart of the lotus. The seven petals contracted, enveloping him entirely.

From afar, it no longer resembled a lotus at all. Instead, it was a massive, unopened bud. The blade, howling with power, struck it with earth-shattering force.

The heavens themselves trembled, the very fabric of the starfield torn asunder. The blade-phantom shattered into countless glittering shards.

The seven-colored bud shuddered. The hues flickered wildly, and two of the petals crumbled into dust.

But the blade’s destruction, and the breaking of the two petals, unleashed a cataclysmic shockwave. Centered upon the lotus-platform, it expanded outward, a force of annihilation.

The starfield buckled and warped, collapsing inch by agonizing inch. It was as if a silken cloth were being ruthlessly shredded.

Stars trembled, their structures disintegrating. The force swept over the nine cultivation stars, destroying seven of them. The cataclysmic destruction formed titanic black hole vortices, consuming all in their path.

This realm was doomed to oblivion!

On the third cultivation star, the world groaned. Deep chasms tore the land asunder, and the darkened sky roiled with fury. As the ground heaved, the star itself began to break apart.

The earth churned, sending shattered remnants of the world into the sky. The end had arrived!

Blood trickled from the corner of Wang Lin’s mouth. He felt helpless, Seven-Colored Daoist was too strong! His hesitation was nonexistent, retreating while a void portal appeared. But as he began to leave, the starfield erupted, a low roar permeated through all directions.

The Lotus bud, missing two petals, appeared on the rapidly crumbling third star in a wave of seven colors. As its petals open, revealing the seated Seven-Colored Daoist!

“Seven-Colored Dao-Lotus, Lotus-Borne Grief!” Seated upon the lotus, the Daoist raised his hand, the point of a finger going towards Wang Lin, who was near the portal.

Even if the Seven-Colored Daoist looked normal, internally he was dark. Wang Lin’s blade was so powerful, even exceeding his own calculations. The entire ruined realm was attacking him!

Even for him, the force of the entire world attacking him was too much! Especially with two petals being destroyed, and the pain it brought to the Seven-Colored Daoist. A murderous intent permeated his next course of action!

As his finger descended, the five remaining petals broke off, and morphed into five-colored streaks, all heading towards Wang Lin, planning to extinguish him!

The Seven-Colored Daoist sprang forth, coming after the five-colored, charging at Wang Lin.

Wang Lin was already halfway inside the portal and about to leave, but the Seven-Colored Daoist’s act of force caused the destruction of the star, and also transformed his powers into pressure on Wang Lin’s soul.

But, Wang Lin dared to stay and release that world-breaking blade, which meant he had prepared himself. Even if he acted in haste, he had planned ahead, using a left-handed incantation, to prepare a way out. Now as the five-colored lotus got near, Wang Lin grabbed hold, a sea of fire materialized to form a flaming umbrella.

Burning Boundary Fire Umbrella!

As the umbrella appeared, it covered the sky. It was still held like an umbrella, in Wang Lin’s hands. The Burning Boundary Ancient Umbrella’s art needed to conjure prohibitions, but this would cost too much time.

But when the blade came forth, Wang Lin had already thought of a way out. He used a hidden left-handed incantation, that would conjure a fire-umbrella. Even if this cost him life-span, it was worth it!

Now with the umbrella in hand, Wang Lin lifted and opened it. The flame was unleashed, and blocked all five lotuses, forcing Wang Lin to retreat.

With three steps, the body and portal were in harmony, leaving this world during the flames that obscured vision!

As he disappeared, he could hear a roar, the Seven-Colored Daoist chased after the Five-Colored. Reaching Wang Lin’s position, the Seven-Colored Daoist slammed a palm towards him, a Seven-Colored print that destroyed the void tunnel.

But the print failed, and Wang Lin left!

“Even if you escape to the edge of the world, you can’t escape my pursuit!!” An echo of rage resounded, and the Seven-Colored Daoist chased after Wang Lin, without looking at the White Tiger general and the Five-Elements Master.

Once Wang Lin and the Daoist left, the third star was completely destroyed, and so was the dimension. The White Tiger General raised his head, with a complex expression. He was now bound to the oath, Wang Lin had time to issue his final orders.

So he had no other option but to respect it, rising to face the Pale Five-Elements master.

“Capture him, I have important use for it!” These were Wang Lin’s words as he departed, and his first command for the White Tiger General.