Even as the command to halt echoed across the windswept plains, the very earth trembled. With a deafening roar, a colossal fist of hardened soil erupted from the ground, aimed squarely at Wang Lin.

Wang Lin’s expression remained unchanged, though a flicker of icy resolve ignited within his withered eyes. His gaunt right hand clenched into a fist, and as the earthen behemoth descended, he unleashed a strike of his own.

The impact reverberated with earth-shattering force. Wang Lin stood unyielding, while the earthen fist, struck by an unseen power, shattered into a thousand fragments. A cry of utter terror escaped from within the crumbling earth.

A figure cloaked in ochre hues materialized from the depths. Without a moment’s hesitation, it plunged into the heart of the plains, merging with the soil in a desperate attempt to flee. From afar, only the swaying grasses betrayed its passage, concealing it within the earth’s embrace.

Simultaneously, the third assailant, who had been struggling within the maw of fiery death, his body shielded by an emerald aura, emitted a final, agonizing shriek. It was abruptly silenced.

The inferno’s jaws snapped shut, consuming the wretch entirely. The raging flames coalesced into a swirling vortex, from which emerged Wang Lin’s true form, bathed in ethereal light.

“You think to escape?” Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with an unholy light, fixating on the fleeing figure beneath the earth. With a single stride, he landed upon the ground, the force of his presence shaking the very foundations of the plains.

“I sought no bloodshed, but you have courted death!” With a chilling pronouncement, Wang Lin raised his desiccated hands, and rather than pursue, he pressed them firmly against the earth.

A wave of primordial energy erupted from beneath him, causing his hair to billow in the sudden gust. Where his hands touched the ground, the verdant grass withered and died, its life essence siphoned away by Wang Lin’s parched touch.

The absorption was swift and devastating. In an instant, the land around Wang Lin began to decay, a cloud of spectral mist rising from the dying flora and converging upon his outstretched arms.

Especially before him, the land withered with unnatural speed, as though pursued by some unseen plague. From above, one would have witnessed a horrifying spectacle: the grassland before Wang Lin succumbing to a rapid blight, the life drained from it, the encroaching decay relentlessly tracking the fleeing earth-shaper.

The earthbound fugitive’s heart quailed within him. He fled with desperate abandon, acutely aware of the deadly aura that hunted him. Should that touch overtake him, annihilation was certain.

With each desperate stride, the withering corruption drew nearer, the land behind him turning to dust. Several hidden havens, scattered across the plains, threatened to succumb to the encroaching blight, and in a moment of grim decision, the fleeing sorcerer changed course, hurtling towards these abodes.

“Accursed one! How can he possess such power?! Yet, he is but a single man! Here, in the Extreme Sky Plains, he dares to invite the wrath of many! He shall surely meet his end!”

The earth-runner sped towards the havens, the deathly blight hot on his heels. Mere moments before he could reach the nearest haven, and with a glint of sinister intent in his eyes, a formidable aura erupted from the hidden sanctuary. An elder, his hair the color of winter, emerged from the depths, his presence radiating raw power.

Without hesitation, the elder advanced upon the fleeing figure, unleashing a devastating blow.

The plains echoed with the force of the impact, the earth churning in violent upheaval. The escaping sorcerer was hurled back, his momentum shattered.

“Return to the abyss from whence you came!”

The fleeing figure coughed up blood, blasted from the earth. Yet, as his body left the soil, the withered plains lunged like a ravenous maw, engulfing him in its deadly embrace.

A piercing scream tore through the air as the sorcerer’s body shriveled and crumbled, all moisture and vitality stolen away. His flesh perished, his soul released, only to be swathed in tendrils of black smoke, its essence rapidly dissipating. Even as it struggled to flee, it was overtaken by a sinister puppet, who devoured the soul in a cacophony of screams, until nothing remained.

“Friend, I am Zuo Zhou. This wretch invited your wrath, and has met his end. I beseech you, abate this sorcery. This is the lowest point of the Heavenly Bull Continent, not to be lightly despoiled, lest you destroy the foundation of the scattered cultivators of the Extreme Sky Plains!” The elder hovered in the air, addressing Wang Lin from afar, his hands clasped in respect.

As his words faded, the land ceased its withering, a soft mist rising and clinging to Wang Lin. Yet, even the life of the slain sorcerer would not sate Wang Lin’s need for the ninth cycle.

Slowly, Wang Lin lifted his hands from the earth. He glanced at the elder, then at the vast plains, a flicker of contemplation crossing his gaunt features.

“The scattered cultivators dwell beneath the surface… There is something amiss here! The lowest point… perhaps, this is the closest to the world’s core, here on the Heavenly Bull Continent…”

Lost in thought, Wang Lin remained silent, casting one last glance at the elder before turning and stepping into the sky.

The puppet and the coin, as if summoned by his will, returned to his side in streaks of light. With a flick of his sleeve, they vanished, drawn into his possession.

As Wang Lin strode, ripples of power emanated from beneath his feet, each step shrinking the distance, and he vanished, leaving the Extreme Sky Plains behind.

Only when Wang Lin was gone did the elder exhale a sigh of relief. Figures materialized from the ground, a dozen or more silently watching Wang Lin’s receding form.

“Elder Zuo acted swiftly. This man is not one we could afford to offend. His puppet possesses immense power, his beast is eerily unnatural, and he himself is formidable! Such a being is surely not without a master!”

“Indeed. He is ruthless, slaying the Black Mountain Daoist and his disciples without hesitation. His manner… he is a demon!”

“The Black Mountain Daoist and his disciples invited their fate, following him for days. Their deaths are their own responsibility. Let us speak no more of this. Friends, disperse!” The elder spoke sternly, turning and merging with the earth, leaving the plains behind.
Wang Lin, with a second stride using the mystical Ground Shrinking Step, materialized amidst a tapestry of mountain ranges. Consulting the crude map sketched by Yan Luan, he estimated a three-month journey eastward to reach the inland sea that bordered the Green Devil Continent.

“The Celestial Bull Continent is vast indeed…” he murmured, his form coalescing fully. He summoned the Mosquito Beast, mounting its back and urging it onward, towards the east.

The Mosquito Beast maintained a brisk pace. The terrain, nearing the border with the Green Devil Continent, was sparsely populated by cultivators, dotted only with the occasional mortal city.

Wang Lin knew little of the Green Devil Continent, but in the memories of Kang Ren, the region evoked dread. It seemed any cultivator originating from the Green Devil Continent was deemed a figure of terrible power.

Ten days elapsed swiftly. Wang Lin encountered several other cultivators, but their paths did not intersect. They passed each other warily, and even those whose spiritual senses brushed against him seemed to hesitate and withdraw upon discerning his presence.

After these ten days, Wang Lin executed a third Ground Shrinking Step, his form dissolving once more into the vast mountainscape.

The Eastern Province was immense, and within it, the Celestial Bull Continent shared a boundary with the Green Devil Continent. This joining was mostly comprised of the Dan Sea, an inland ocean. Legend claimed its origin was a celestial pill that fell from the heavens and shattered, its essence becoming the sea.

This tale, however, was too fantastical. The idea of a pill capable of creating an ocean was beyond comprehension. Gradually, belief waned, yet the legend persisted, passed down through the ages, a whispered story among generations of cultivators.

The Dan Sea stretched to the horizon, its waters surging. Though an inland sea, it was subject to fierce winds that stirred massive, rolling waves.

As a shared territory between the Green Devil and Celestial Bull Continents, the power dynamics among cultivators were chaotic. The sky was constantly veiled by heavy, ominous clouds. At this moment, lightning crackled and rain poured down in torrents, merging with the sea.

Beneath this oppressive sky, amidst the downpour, ripples appeared in the air, concentric circles expanding outward. From their depths, Wang Lin’s form solidified. He stepped forward, standing between the sky and the churning sea.

Gazing down at the water below, a fierce light blazed in Wang Lin’s parched eyes. His Water Essence cycle was incomplete, lacking only a sliver, a mere trace!

In the short time he had, the only method he could conceive of was to attempt to condense it from this boundless ocean. Whether he would succeed remained unknown.

Silent and resolute, Wang Lin slowly descended to the surface of the sea, plunging deep into its depths. He continued to sink, his speed increasing until, after what seemed like an eternity, the seabed materialized beneath him.

Around him flourished a vibrant tapestry of coral and seaweed, teeming with countless schools of fish and crustaceans. Wang Lin settled amidst the swaying kelp, closed his eyes, and placed his hands upon his knees. With sudden, deliberate movements, he formed a hand seal.

The instant his fingers locked into position, the surrounding water shuddered as if struck by an invisible force. Unseen waves pulsed outward, rippling through the vast expanse.

“Water Essence, coalesce!” Wang Lin whispered.

The moment his words echoed, the endless Dan Sea erupted in a frenzy. Waves surged skyward, and dark clouds churned, filling the heavens with thunderous roars that reverberated across the land and sea.

Wang Lin’s body became utterly devoid of discernible energy. He seemed to meld with the ocean, becoming indistinguishable from the water itself. He was one with the sea.

This sudden upheaval in the Dan Sea, the surface boiling as if in a crucible, should have drawn the attention of countless rogue cultivators from both continents. However, at that very moment, a bloody tempest was unfolding across the Dan Sea, its intensity eclipsing all else. Few noticed the ocean’s raging cry.

The entire Dan Sea was ensnared within an unseen barrier, a mystical confinement so subtle that Wang Lin had not detected it upon entry. He only became aware of it now, as he attempted to draw upon the ocean to condense his Water Essence.

The barrier allowed entry, but forbade escape, effectively sealing the Dan Sea off from the world!

As Wang Lin absorbed the Water Essence from the sea, faint screams of agony echoed from various locations within the Dan Sea. Celestial Bull Continent cultivators were being hunted, brutally slaughtered by groups clad in green robes, their bodies wreathed in eerie green flames.

These executioners were numerous, their presence overwhelming the Dan Sea!