In the abyssal depths of the ocean, a dread entity known as the Revered Master of Mystical Sounds writhed. Though his visage was contorted in rage, his pupils constricted with terror and stark realization.

“Thou hast slain my avatar, seized my spiritual fragment – surely atonement enough for transgressions of ages past! Why then this relentless pursuit to obliteration? We cultivators tread a path of arduous ascension. Deal thusly with me, and a day shall dawn when such a fate befalls thee!”

The Revered Master’s voice, a piercing screech, thundered from the seabed, reverberating across the golden ocean. The waters churned in a frenzy, birthing colossal waves that spiraled into a massive vortex, a maelstrom that descended into the ocean’s heart, directly to the submerged domain of the Revered Master.

Above, in the heavens, stood Wang Lin, while Mystical Sounds remained beneath the waves. Though the vortex acted as a barrier, their visages remained clear to one another.

Unlike the Celestial Nine, the Revered Master did not immediately flee. He understood his diminished power, knew that escape from Wang Lin was a futile endeavor.

“Today, Wang shall not slay thee, but instead, offer thee rebirth!” Wang Lin declared, his gaze fixed upon the Revered Master trapped within the swirling waters. He raised his right hand, casually reaching downwards.

A colossal hand materialized, descending with a deafening roar, grasping at the sea with overwhelming force.

The Revered Master’s expression shifted rapidly, his eyes locked onto Wang Lin’s face, his heart caught in a maelstrom of desperate struggle. He possessed a deeper understanding of Wang Lin than the Celestial Nine, who upon hearing the words “rebirth,” had foolishly believed Wang Lin intended death and fled in panic.

The Revered Master did not share such a misconception.

“Rebirth… where?!” He shrieked as the immense hand descended.

“The Immortal Gang Continent!” Wang Lin’s words echoed through the air as the colossal hand pierced the swirling sea, seizing the Revered Master in its grip.

A tremor ran through the Revered Master, and in bitter resignation, he abandoned all futile resistance, closing his eyes as Wang Lin pulled him from the depths. He was sealed and placed within a spatial artifact, his fragmented soul reunited with his main essence.

The ocean grew still, as if the events had never transpired. Wang Lin turned and ascended towards the heavens.

“One more… the Void God Sovereign!” A glint flickered in Wang Lin’s eyes as he scanned the starfield, his senses pinpointing the secluded location where the true form of the Void God Sovereign meditated.

This Void God Sovereign, whose avatar had been slain by Wang Lin in ages past, had retreated into seclusion with grievous wounds. He had never dared to set foot within the Realm ever since, and Wang Lin thought the matter settled.

But to leave him be was to invite future calamity. Wang Lin refused to burden Lan Meng and the remaining Nan Yunzi with this potential threat. He would resolve it himself!

His gaze swept across the starlit expanse, and with a ripple of space, Wang Lin vanished from the ancient starfield.

In the southern reaches of the ancient starfield lay a desolate wasteland, a region littered with shattered remnants. It was once a flourishing cultivation world, now reduced to countless fragments drifting amidst the void, a realm of death and decay.

It was here that the Void God Sovereign had retreated, abandoning all thoughts of returning to the Realm, even forsaking the very notion of conflict. Whether this was a temporary state or a permanent one, even he did not know.

At the very least, he dared not tread into the Realm. He held an immeasurable, soul-deep dread of Wang Lin.

At this moment, he sat cross-legged upon a fragment of rock, ceaselessly drawing upon the energies of the cosmos to nourish his form and sense the shifting celestial patterns. Undisturbed, he could remain thus for millennia.

Until his power was fully restored, until he scaled the peaks of strength, until he strode forth, reclaimed his dominion over the stars, and roared his dominance across the cave heavens! He had the faith to do so, if none came to disturb his isolation.

And truthfully, even if someone did come, the Void God Sovereign would not be afraid… unless that someone was Wang Lin.

But such a hope was naught but a fragile dream, for cruel reality held a different fate. On this day, the celestial bodies shifted in their age-old dance, showing no sign of change, yet within that shattered domain, an unseen pressure suddenly descended.

The very fabric of the area trembled. Fragments of rock collapsed, dissolving into dust, swept outwards in a reverse cascade, giving the illusion of shattered stellar rings.

The Void God Sovereign’s eyes snapped open, revealing a weary resignation. Before him in the star-strewn void, walked the figure he could never forget, draped in pristine white.

That flowing silver hair was a dreamlike vision, sending a shiver down the Void God Sovereign’s spine.

“So… he comes after all…” The Void God Sovereign murmured, his gaze fixed upon the approaching Wang Lin, filled with despair.

“Wang Lin… I once sought to seize thy body, even sought to end thy existence, but failed on both counts. My avatar was destroyed. I swore a solemn oath never to set foot within the Realm again… I… I beg thee for mercy, just this once!” Seldom did the Void God Sovereign speak such words, but he had no choice.

As he spoke, he rose and bowed towards Wang Lin.

Wang Lin stood upon a shattered stone a hundred paces away, regarding the Void God Sovereign. After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly.

“Thou art ill-suited for this place. I am about to depart from here and journey to the Immortal Gang Continent. Many have decided to reincarnate there. Go thou also! Only then can I be at peace.”

“Thou…” The Void God Sovereign’s face twisted, a storm of thoughts raging within him, but in the end, he could only let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

“Thou art leaving and doth not trust this old one… hast thou considered that if thou art gone too long, countless talented individuals will emerge from the Outer Realm, from the ancient starfield? In the future, there may be those who trouble thee even more than I! Canst thou possibly prevent them all?”

“I cannot prevent them all, but I can send all third-step cultivators from every clan of the Outer Realm to rebirth! Those who refuse, shall be slain!” Wang Lin’s words were uttered in a calm, even tone, yet their meaning resonated with an earth-shattering power, chilling the very souls of any who might hear them.

The Void God Sovereign remained silent, fear etched deeper into his gaze.

“Madness… this man is mad… He forces rebirth upon others… what choice do I have?” With a wretched smile, the Void God Sovereign ceased all resistance and closed his eyes.

Wang Lin flicked his sleeve, directly pulling the Void God Sovereign into his spatial vessel. He then turned and departed, leaving the desolate ruins behind.
From the celestial tapestry, woven with starlight and ancient secrets, arose the Clan of the Curs, a scion of the archaic Starry Races. They, too, had tasted the bitter ichor of the War Between Worlds, though their numbers were few. Within their ranks lingered an elder, a master of the Third Step, whose eyes had witnessed epochs of cosmic struggle. Foreseeing the tide turn against them, he commanded retreat, cloaking his clan in isolation.

Their domain, a scattering of near a hundred cultivation stars, lay undisturbed until that fateful day. Into the void beyond their borders strode Wang Lin, each footfall a thunderclap echoing across the heavens, a sonic tide crashing against the very foundations of the Clan of the Curs. In a blink, he stood upon one of their celestial jewels, the star trembling beneath his weight. He ascended through raging gales, his purpose unwavering, toward the highest peak where stood a venerable temple.

Within its hallowed halls, a man of middle years meditated, eyes snapping open as Wang Lin’s presence shattered the tranquility. Horror blossomed upon his face as a hand, seemingly conjured from the ether, descended upon his shoulder, pinning him with insurmountable force.

“Wang Lin comes to deliver you to rebirth,” a voice whispered, the man’s final perception before darkness consumed him. An alien power surged from the touch, a binding curse that engulfed his spirit, leaving him helpless.

Moments later, Wang Lin departed, his arrival and departure a silent, spectral affair. In the vast expanse, he raised a hand toward the cluster of cultivation stars that marked the Curs’ territory. Dozens of Ancient Breath Leaves materialized, coalescing into a whirling vortex that plunged toward the stars, sealing them, sealing the Clan!

“Henceforth,” Wang Lin proclaimed, his voice resonating across the cosmos, “your lineage is denied the power of the stars! Let no scion of the Curs ever rise beyond the Shattering Nirvana! Never shall they tread the cosmic path!” With a final gesture, he turned his back upon them.

Thus, he traversed the Ancient Starry Sky, a harbinger of rebirth, visiting each clan that harbored a Third Step adept, delivering them to the cycle of reincarnation, binding their bloodlines.

Even those clans without such powerful elders felt his touch, bound by seals that would stifle their potential, ensuring that for countless ages, the Starry Sky would bear no new titans. Their worlds became their prisons, escape denied by the arcane bindings left by Wang Lin.

“The Ancient Starry Sky is no longer a threat… As for other lurking dangers, their time has not yet come,” Wang Lin mused, standing at the nexus between Inner and Outer, gazing back at the firmament. Finally, he stepped through the shimmering gate, leaving the Ancient Starry Sky behind, venturing into the domain of the Inner, into the lands of the Luo Tian Starfield.

Thus, Wang Lin concluded his final task within the Cave World, preparing to depart.

Within the Luo Tian Starfield, golden light blazed from a colossal portal, its depths black as a void mirror. Xuan Luo sat in silent vigil, his gaze fixed on the distant stars, where he espied Wang Lin approaching.

Wang Lin bowed in deference. “I have completed all that was asked, and bring with me a few more souls, that they might be delivered to rebirth.” With a sweep of his sleeve, eight figures appeared, their faces etched with resentment, their spirits chained.

“After rebirth, all debts are settled. May you find peace in your new lives.” Wang Lin’s voice was even as he swept his hand forward, a gust of wind carrying the eight toward the obsidian portal, where they were swallowed by the darkness.

“Elder, I, too, must depart. Until we meet in the Immortal Astral Continent!” Wang Lin glanced one last time at the stars, then turned and became a streak of light, vanishing into the depths of the portal.

Xuan Luo rose, his face grim, and stepped into the gate.

As the portal groaned shut behind him, a sliver of ghostly light, born of the deepest reaches of space, slipped within, disappearing an instant before the colossal doors slammed shut, sealing the passage.