A cacophony of slaughter, a symphony of silenced screams, coalesced into a single, cataclysmic thunderbolt, a force wielding dominion over the very annihilation of all living things.

This thunder, steeped in world-ending power, architect of life’s demise, was the wellspring of all darkness in creation, the embodiment of death and utter ruin.

When Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open, no golden light shone within, only an abyss of pitch black. This darkness consumed his pupils, and his hair, with horrifying speed, transformed into raven locks.

Black hair, black eyes, a Wang Lin now wholly draped in black.

“I wonder, in this state, if I can breach the first layer of the Celestial Venerable’s Trial of Nirvana…” A smile played upon Wang Lin’s lips, a smile that would send shivers down the spine of any who beheld it.

For this smile held no joy, only a cruel and merciless intent.

In the distance, Celestial Venerable Haizi witnessed this smile and felt a chill grip her very being. The figure before her was utterly alien to the Wang Lin she knew.

This black-haired Wang Lin inspired a primal terror within her, the dread of a natural enemy, causing her to tremble and recoil several steps.

Even the ethereal finger that had appeared from the void retreated slowly, and from the unseen depths, two pairs of shocked eyes glimmered momentarily.

“Let the slaughter begin,” Wang Lin declared, and with a flourish of his dark hair, his body erupted with thunderous roars. Countless black lightning bolts materialized around him, and with a defiant roar, he charged towards the hundreds of figures that advanced upon him.

These hundreds, normally fearless in the face of death, were deathsworn warriors, their purpose to fulfill their mission at any cost. Even their emotions were suppressed, almost extinguished.

But now, witnessing the black-haired Wang Lin’s roar and his relentless advance, their hearts quailed. Yet, retreat was impossible, and they surged forward as one.

Cruelty danced upon Wang Lin’s lips, madness burned in his eyes. He closed the distance, and with a flick of his right hand, a net of black lightning surged forth.

As the thunderous echoes reverberated, the foremost ranks of the hundreds detonated themselves in a cataclysmic explosion. The resulting power collided with the net of lightning.

But with an unnatural ease, the net tore through the blast as if it were nothing. Fracturing into countless strands, the lightning darted toward the figures.

Those touched by the ethereal storm shuddered, their bodies crumbling to dust.

Wang Lin moved like the wind, unleashing a torrent of lightning. Wherever he went, any form that dared to stand before him shattered into oblivion.

He appeared behind a snow-blurred figure, and with a touch, unleashed a blast of black lightning, causing the unfortunate warrior to explode.

He teleported ceaselessly, his strikes unrelenting. He seemed immune to fatigue, oblivious to pain. Explosions that tore through heaven and earth did not even make him flinch.

“Form the array!” A desperate cry from one of the remaining hundred warriors pierced the air. They coalesced, forming an arcane formation. The ground quaked, as if the very essence of the land was being drawn into the ritual. From the earth, a colossal, inky black hand materialized, reaching for Wang Lin.

Wang Lin remained steadfast. With a gesture, hundreds of black lightning bolts materialized, their destructive energies coalescing into a shroud of dark smoke that enveloped him. He became a living star composed of countless lightning orbs, blazing toward the approaching hand.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

The hand shattered. The hundred warriors within the structure collapsed into a pile of corpses. Wang Lin emerged, blood trickling from his mouth, but his eyes burned even brighter. He was about to charge forward, when, suddenly, the void before him rippled. The previously vanished finger reappeared, aimed at his brow.

“All existence shall become naught…” a strange voice echoed throughout the heavens.

But beneath that fateful touch, Wang Lin lifted his head, his eyes burning with defiance.

“Annihilation is the goal of all destruction, and your paltry power will not erase me!” Wang Lin roared. He unleashed a fist into the void, creating a distortion that caused the hidden being to cry out in pain. The finger faded away from Wang Lin’s head.

As the finger vanished, thousands of figures materialized on either side of the street. Wave upon wave of warriors advanced upon Wang Lin!

Cruelty contorted Wang Lin’s smile, and his eyes flashed with exhilaration. He whirled, his black hair flowing unnaturally, extending outwards, engulfing the attackers.

A resounding blast echoed across the battlefield as the warriors chose to detonate.

Wang Lin spat blood, but his armor of black lightning held his own.

More figures emerged on either side of the street. The slaughter could not stop.

Wang Lin roared and tore at his own chest.

“Begone, Celestial Bull!” He cried as he ripped a phantom of armor away from himself, his body losing the Celestial Bull spirit.

With this final act, the madness vanished from Wang Lin’s eyes, leaving only a deadly calm, but the cruel smile remained.
Having forfeited the Soul Armor, the ebony-haired Wang Lin saw his cultivation plummet. Yet, simultaneously, the aura of slaughter and obliteration emanating from him surged tenfold. Beneath this dark miasma, wisps of black vapor, thick as midnight, coiled about Wang Lin’s form. With a blur, he lunged towards the thousands arrayed against him!

Slaughter. In the heart-stricken awe of Celestial Hai Zi, it continued relentlessly. Wang Lin moved like a demon lord, each life extinguished adding another tendril of obsidian silk to the shroud about him.

Each fallen foe deepened the enigma that was Wang Lin in Hai Zi’s eyes.

In this frenzy of bloodshed, a mere breath later, the thousands before him were torn asunder. Wang Lin stood wreathed in endless blackness, his form lost within.

At that moment, from beyond the inky sphere surrounding Wang Lin, the vanished finger reappeared, stabbing viciously. But before it could strike, Wang Lin’s right hand snapped out, seizing it in a savage grip, and with a roar, he yanked outwards.

With that wrenching pull, half an arm was dragged into reality.

“COME FORTH!” Wang Lin bellowed, clutching the dismembered finger, and lunged forward, his head smashing against the void. The heavens themselves seemed to convulse as the arm shattered, and from the emptiness, a pained groan echoed forth.

“All of you! Enter this place and obliterate him!” The voice, laden with malice, commanded from the unseen depths.

As the order reverberated, figures materialized with alarming speed along the length of the once-grand street. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of warriors materialized, filling every space, ignoring Celestial Hai Zi entirely, and advancing upon Wang Lin.

The dark-haired Wang Lin retreated, his form cloaked in the suffocating blackness. His eyes were like death itself, a stark contrast to the cruel smile playing upon his lips. Abruptly, he raised his right hand and slammed it against his brow.

“Five Elements True Body, be GONE!”

With that blow, Wang Lin shuddered violently. Overlapping phantoms flickered about him, and the Five Elements True Body was wrenched from his very essence!

The Five Elements True Body stumbled back, its face etched with concern, and took its place beside Celestial Hai Zi, watching with wary eyes.

The ebony-haired Wang Lin, having shed the Five Elements True Body, witnessed a further decline in his cultivation. Yet, the aura of slaughter surrounding him only intensified, becoming something pure and terrible.

“Laws of Restriction Origin, be GONE!”

“Primordial Origin, OUT!”

“Origin of Lightning, away with thee!”

Enshrouded in darkness, Wang Lin’s low growls echoed with each expulsion, and one by one, the very foundations of his being were driven from his flesh.

As the tens of thousands of warriors pressed closer, Wang Lin within the blackness lifted his head. His eyes remained deathly still, but the cruel smile had faded. With a sudden movement, he clashed against the overwhelming force that sought his demise.

The air thundered with each impact. Soon, blood gushed from Wang Lin’s lips, his form on the verge of shattering and collapsing. Even his strength was finite against such a multitude!

“Life and Death of Illusion, Karma, Truth and Falsehood, BE GONE!”

From within the darkness, Wang Lin issued his final roar. His body quaked as he forced the three great illusory Origins from his soul!

Now, only two Wooden Origins remained within the dark-haired Wang Lin: Silence and Slaughter. He retained no True Body, only the shell of his original form!

In that instant, the black aura around him contracted, becoming a long, dark robe that draped his form. His hair shifted, entirely black, and his eyes were as cold as a grave. The cruel smile was gone, and he appeared as Death incarnate!

He gazed calmly at the advancing horde, and closed his eyes. The moment his lids fell, the tens of thousands faltered as one. When the black-haired Wang Lin opened his eyes once more, the warriors vanished before him, like mist in the dawn!

The street, the surrounding buildings, all dissolved into the silent oblivion of history, reduced to dust. Even the snow falling from the sky turned black.

“I bind the luck of the Dying Heaven, seal the Underworld Court. Those unblessed to find true enlightenment shall forever wallow in the sea of sorrow, forever lost. I, who uphold truth, carry on this trial!” Wang Lin murmured. He raised his right hand and grasped the finger that appeared once more, aiming for him. With a soft *crack*, he crushed the offending digit. A tug, and a figure radiating pure white light was dragged from the void.

“You are not the Imperial Preceptor,” Wang Lin stated without looking. Releasing the light-wreathed figure, he seized its throat and crushed it with a final squeeze.

The figure trembled violently, and then dissolved.

“You… You are not Wang Lin! Who are you?!” Celestial Hai Zi’s voice, filled with terror, echoed in the silent, black night.

The dark-haired Wang Lin turned his gaze, cold and unwavering, towards Hai Zi, and began to walk.