At the very instant Wang Lin achieved mastery over the Source of Water, phantasmal figures materialized within the surrounding seawater, each shimmering with an ethereal green glow.

Wang Lin, seemingly anticipating this sudden apparition, remained unfazed. With a steady gaze, he raised his right hand and grasped at the waters above. All the black liquid within the sea rushed forth, coalescing in his palm into a single, viscous drop – the legendary Purifying Bile of the Ages!

As the spectral figures continued to manifest, their potent energies swirling menacingly, converging upon Wang Lin with ill intent, he crushed the vile droplet between his fingers.

“Water,” he intoned, his voice a low rumble, “can sever all connection, quench the fiercest flame, suffocate the breath of life, and strip the world of its very hue.” With that final word, the dark water burst forth from his hand, spreading like a creeping ink stain, engulfing all around him in its abyssal embrace.

The thousand or more phantoms that had dared to approach Wang Lin were caught utterly unprepared. Before they could unleash their arcane powers, they were swept away by the ravenous tide of inky darkness.

Piercing shrieks echoed within the Sea of Elixirs as the vile liquid touched the green-clad wraiths. Their forms shuddered violently before dissolving into nothingness, their very souls extinguished.

Others gasped for air, their eyes wide with terror, succumbing to a silent demise. For this darkness did not merely suppress aura; it severed the flow of celestial energy and choked the very flame of life.

Some were instantly obliterated, their bodies imploding as their blood reversed course, erupting from their pores in a crimson spray, shattering flesh and soul alike.

Still others were seized by a rapid decay, their bodies withering before the eyes until naught remained but desiccated skeletons, their souls crumbling from the sudden loss of moisture.

All this transpired in the blink of an eye, a mere twitch of Wang Lin’s hand. His face remained serene as he walked forward, passing through the macabre landscape of bones. Wisps of the dark liquid seeped from the corpses, melding with his very blood.

After seven paces, Wang Lin paused, turning to gaze into the distance, towards the far reaches of the sea where three great banners stood, marking the presence of the woman.

She, in turn, shuddered visibly, her eyes wide with horror. The compass in her hand, which had charted Wang Lin’s progress, now displayed a terrifying sight: all the green lights surrounding his beacon had vanished, consumed by darkness. Only a single white light remained, slowly drifting until it, too, disappeared without a trace.

“Who is this man?!” she exclaimed, her voice laced with dread. “Why was he not mentioned in our preliminary reports?”

After a moment of strained silence, the woman bit her lip. “All Green Devil Guards, hear me! Search the entirety of the Sea of Elixirs! Hunt this man down! Do not let him escape! He has stolen the Purifying Bile of the Ages, and we must recover it!” As she spoke, she spat a mouthful of blood, which vaporized and seeped into her compass, infused with the weight of her command.

As the blood disappeared, the green-clad warriors surrounding her sprang into action.

At the same time, all the Green Devil Continent’s warriors within the Sea of Elixirs felt a jolt in their minds, the woman’s voice resounding within their heads.

The woman’s voice could spread such a range because her compass wasn’t a simple artifact, it was the linchpin of the Sea of Elixirs’ array restrictions!

Wang Lin walked slowly within the Sea of Elixirs, his pace steady, each step covering a great distance, and as he continued his pace, his speed increased.

“They’ve sealed this Sea of Elixirs… though I know not why. But it seems only those who enter are permitted to remain; they fear news leaking to the outside world…” As he continued, his eyes flashed, and with a wave of his right hand, a small figure emerged from his palm.

This tiny being was a fragment of Wang Lin’s soul, forged in the crucible of the Hun Yuan Dao. The soul fragment looked up at Wang Lin, it shivered and kneeled in his palm, and kowtowed to Wang Lin.

As its head touched Wang Lin’s skin, his mind reeled. Just as he was about to glimpse a vision of the future, a force slammed down, forcibly severing the connection.

Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed, his expression hardening.

“Someone is interfering… but not specifically with me. Rather, they are blocking any attempt to divine the secrets of this place…” Wang Lin closed his hand, and the soul fragment disappeared, rejoining his own soul.

“A great upheaval is coming to this place…” Wang Lin mused, his body blurring, leaving only ripples in the water, and he disappeared.

Not even ten breaths passed before thousands of figures appeared, clad in green. After briefly searching, they vanished as well.

Wang Lin stopped at the sea near the Celestial Bull Continent, his figure materialized in the water, and his brows furrowed. His body remained submerged as he looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce the surface and see the dim sky above.

“The restrictions here prevent the use of Spatial Shrinkage to leave the Sea of Elixirs… these restrictions are quite intricate…” Wang Lin mused. He was not afraid of restrictions. The more restrictions he saw, the better it was for his source of Restrictions.

If he could absorb and refine an ancient array restriction, his source of Restrictions would increase greatly.

“I can refine these restrictions and absorb it as a part of my source…” Wang Lin muttered.

After thinking, Wang Lin’s face remained calm, and with a wave of his right hand, dozens of burning flames appeared in the sea to his right.
As the stolen sun-fire ignited, a chorus of death screams echoed through the abyssal depths. The churning sea revealed phantasmal figures, a dozen clad in verdant robes, their forms consumed by writhing, ebony flames. A cursed fire, born of murderous intent, that even the ocean’s embrace could not extinguish.

This Spirit-Fire Art, rarely invoked by Wang Lin, now tasted its first offering on the soil of Immortal Continent! Its power, amplified by the element of surprise, proved devastating. The green-robed acolytes, their cultivation woefully insufficient to reach the Third Step, were but mere scouts in pursuit of Wang Lin. They possessed no defense against such infernal magic, and their lives were snuffed out in an instant.

Pressing onward, Wang Lin intended to breach the surface and examine the intricate array that ensnared the entirety of the Pill Sea. But a sudden tremor in his senses halted his ascent. He turned, his gaze piercing the gloom, towards the distant depths.

“Those three…” A smile, cold as glacial ice, touched Wang Lin’s lips. He altered his course, his form dissolving into the watery embrace in a single stride.

A deafening roar reverberated through the underwater canyons as the White Tiger coughed crimson, desperately fleeing with the Scarlet Sparrow and Obsidian Tortoise in tow. In their wake stalked a gaunt, Qian-named cultivator, his lips slick with anticipation, his eyes burning with predatory hunger.

“A remarkably resilient vessel,” he rasped, his voice echoing eerily through the water. “Once reforged into a puppet, it would serve as a most impressive tool.”

Beside him, the alabaster-skinned youth spoke, his voice smooth as polished jade, “The three of you possess considerable talent. According to our sect’s investigations, you arrived in this region mere decades ago, unbound to any master or school. I offer you sanctuary within the Limitless Sect, that you may escape a far more permanent fate!”

The White Tiger, his face ashen, remained silent, his desperate flight fueled by the flickering life force of the Scarlet Sparrow and Obsidian Tortoise. But even at his utmost speed, he could not widen the gap between them and their pursuers.

“White Tiger,” the jade-faced youth continued, his words dripping with subtle menace, “you are clearly not nameless. Yet, the records concerning your past, stretching back countless years before your arrival at the Pill Sea, are inexplicably… blank.” He raised his hand, his ornate fan flashing in the dim light as he pointed it forward.

Instantly, a stream of verdant energy erupted from the fan, coalescing into a magnificent golden-armored celestial warrior. With thunderous steps, the warrior charged, a massive golden blade held high, roaring as it descended upon the fleeing White Tiger!

As the blade fell, the White Tiger whirled, his roar tearing through the water as a spectral projection of a ferocious tiger erupted from his body, hurtling towards the celestial warrior.

The impact resonated with a deafening boom, shattering the warrior into fragments of light. But the White Tiger himself cried out in agony as his projection dissipated, sending him reeling back hundreds of feet, a fresh torrent of blood gushing from his lips.

“I am the White Tiger Battle-General!” the White Tiger roared, his expression twisted with defiance. “One of the Four Great Battle-Generals of the Seven Dao Sect! Mark my words, whelp!” He ceased his futile flight, a grim acceptance dawning in his eyes. Death was inevitable; better to face it with pride.

“Scarlet Sparrow Battle-General!” The Scarlet Sparrow, blood trickling from her lips, fixed the jade-faced youth with a defiant stare. “Another of the Four Great Battle-Generals of the Seven Dao Sect!”

“Obsidian Tortoise Battle-General!” The Obsidian Tortoise, his usual stoicism momentarily cracked, mirrored his companions’ resolve. He sighed, resigned to their impending demise, before proclaiming his identity.

“Seven Dao Sect?” The jade-faced youth frowned, racking his memory. “I have never encountered such a sect in our Heavenly Bull Continent….”

“Seven Dao Sect?” The Qian-named cultivator peered intently at the three warriors. “I recall the name from some long-forgotten scroll. An ancient sect, whose sect master, the Seven-Colored Immortal Paragon, possessed considerable power in his day. But he is surely long dead.”

The mention of the Seven-Colored Immortal Paragon plunged the White Tiger, Scarlet Sparrow, and Obsidian Tortoise into a somber silence, their faces etched with a mixture of sorrow and reverence.

“Though our Sect Master is gone,” the White Tiger declared, his voice regaining its former strength, “within the Seven Dao Sect still walks another! One who, within a few short years, will carve their name into the annals of the Immortal Continent!”

The Scarlet Sparrow and Obsidian Tortoise exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

“Carve their name into the annals of the Immortal Continent? How amusing! Do you speak of the Wandering Cloud of the Returning One Sect, or perhaps one of the Four Prodigies of the Eastern Prefecture? You jest!” The jade-faced youth scoffed, striding forward with the Qian-named cultivator, preparing to deliver the final blow.

But as they approached, and the White Tiger, Scarlet Sparrow, and Obsidian Tortoise steeled themselves for a final, desperate stand, a voice, as cold and piercing as the winter wind, swept through the water.

“Amusing, is it?”