A force unimaginable, a gale from the abyss, crashed upon Wang Lin. It materialized as the smallest digit of a hand forged of Yellow Springs itself, sending a shiver of cracking sounds through his bones, power flowing from the point of impact to the very core of his being.

The sheer magnitude of the blow propelled him backward, gouging twin furrows deep into the earth beneath his feet. He retreated three lengths before bracing himself, his right foot digging in to halt the relentless slide.

Ten leagues of ripple-shocked earth groaned. Beyond the Second Gate, the remnants of demon soldiers, their bodies consumed by the insidious Yellow Springs energy, dissolved into motes of ash, swept away on the tremors that shook the land.

Structures and towers within those ten leagues crumbled into dust, the debris of flesh and stone forming a swirling vortex of power that expanded outwards. Only a handful of cultivators, their power on par with the nascent soul stage, withstood the storm, their defenses strained to their utmost limits.

Meanwhile, the ashen vapor drawn from the Slaughter Immortal Art rose from the shattered remains, coalescing from the vast carnage. Four wisps of this killing essence joined the single strand claimed from Sima Yan, forming a quintet of draconic currents swirling about the spaces between Wang Lin’s left fingers.

“A potent finger-art indeed!” A voice, deep and resonant as a mountain’s heart, echoed from beyond the dissipating dust. The hulking form of the Demon General emerged.

He dug his heels in, halting his own backward slide, his demon-infused life force churning. With eyes like chips of obsidian, he planted his feet, closing the three lengths in a single stride. He slammed his hand forward, and the very air crackled. The ten leagues of earth transformed, as if by sorcery, into a vast, roiling ocean.

At the Demon General’s command, the ocean surged, a furious, chaotic tide rushing towards Wang Lin. “Endure the Demon Sea’s Hundred Breakers, and you earn the right to speak with me!”

Wang Lin retreated again, keenly aware of the swirling change in the world’s essence. The demon energy, normally ephemeral and intangible, under the Demon General’s spell, gained substance, becoming a veritable sea. The Demon General’s gesture was a command to unleash its fury upon him.

Compared to the Ten Collapse Fists, the Demon Sea’s Hundred Breakers possessed greater power, its inherent magic subtly surpassing even the crushing intent of a fist-art!

Faced with this tangible assault, a long-dormant memory surfaced. The Sea of Cultivation on planet Suzaku held a tale, whispered to be the work of an ancient master. A single spell, it was said, had transformed a corporeal sea into a sea of formless mist, creating its unique landscape.

Though Wang Lin had dismissed the tale as fanciful, now, witnessing the Demon General conjure a physical sea of demon energy, awe mingled with profound contemplation.

Wave upon wave of the Demon Sea crashed, thirty breakers pummeling him relentlessly, forcing him back.

But retreat was not surrender, but a yielding, a strategic withdrawal to find a path to victory.

The Demon Sea’s thirty breakers pursued relentlessly. As he retreated, Wang Lin’s fingers danced, weaving seals of power, conjuring barrier after barrier in an attempt to halt the raging torrent.

But these barriers, fragile as parchment, shattered against the demon tide, dissolving into specks of darkness.

As the demon sea drew closer, more menacing than ever, Wang Lin’s hand instinctively reached for the crimson jade talisman of Yao Xixue, a desperate defense. But then, unbidden, a vision of the golden rune absorbed from the second stone statue flashed in his mind.

The rune appeared suddenly, as if seared into his memory. Ignoring it, Wang Lin summoned a handful of crimson jade talismans, shattering them. Crimson light exploded, enveloping him.

The thirty breakers slammed into the crimson shield. A thunderous roar echoed as the relentless waves crashed against the fading barrier. The shield held for mere moments before collapsing, the demon tide surging onward.

As the demon sea advanced, the golden rune in his mind pulsed brighter, becoming clearer, more distinct. He, at his level of cultivation, possessed a body capable of channeling celestial energy, a mind that could perceive the void. Such an intrusion, an unsolicited image, defied explanation.

The golden rune pulsed, as if yearning to break free, to burst from the confines of his mind.

Hampered by its presence, his thoughts became entangled, his celestial energy flow disrupted. Sensing a hidden significance, he relaxed his mental defenses. With his right hand, he scribed a seal, then unleashed a cloud of ashen vapor between his fingers. His forefinger moved swiftly, drawing a line.

A single stroke, a dragon of ash twisting, transforming into a rune!

As the rune formed, Wang Lin felt an overwhelming surge of clarity, an urge to unleash an irresistible force. The Demon General, observing the event from behind the towering waves, frowned. The rune appeared utterly devoid of power, yet, the fact that Wang Lin chose to employ this art at this critical juncture suggested it possessed latent significance!

Wang Lin’s forefinger continued to move, adding another stroke, layering the ashen vapor, forming a two-stroke rune!

The Demon General’s frown deepened. The rune, newly formed, evoked a chilling sensation, a feeling of standing before the very might of the cosmos.

Wang Lin’s forefinger danced once more! The third stroke materialized. At that instant, the golden rune in his mind dissolved, its essence flowing through his finger, merging into the three-stroke rune.

Then, a boundless aura erupted from the newly formed rune! The sheer power of the energy made the Demon General’s heart race.

He channeled his energy, summoning the thirtieth breaker to the sixtieth, and sent it forth.
With a deafening roar, the rune surged forth to meet the demonic tide. Thirty waves crashed and shattered against its might, yet the golden sigil, its light fading, was consumed by the next onslaught of thirty, dissolving into nothingness.

But from the heart of that vanished radiance, three strands of ashen energy shot forth, piercing the demonic sea and streaking towards the Demon General himself.

The Demon General’s eyes narrowed. “Armor, unfold!” he commanded.

At his word, a ward of pure demonic energy shimmered into existence seven feet before him. The ashen strands struck this barrier, causing it to violently tremble. The force of the impact sent the grey energies rebounding, their glow dimmed but not extinguished.

“A potent rune-craft indeed, Wang Lin. I confess I underestimated you. But judging by this rune’s complexity, more transformations await. Unleash them all and let us have a glorious battle!” The Demon General’s eyes blazed with excitement as he strode forward.

“Where is Thirteen?” Wang Lin demanded, his voice cold.

“Win first, then ask!” The Demon General roared with delight, his gaze like burning coals.

Wang Lin’s eyes flickered. He retreated several paces. “My final strike… were I to unleash it, you would flee in utter terror!”

“Oh? Then show it to me! If it truly possesses the power to slay me, I will yield without complaint!” With a fluid motion, the Demon General summoned forth a wall of forty churning waves, which surged towards Wang Lin.

“To slay you would make this entire Demonic Prefecture too small to contain me! Observe closely, and you shall judge for yourself whether you can withstand this blow!” Wang Lin did not attempt to meet the tide. Instead, he launched himself into the air, rising hundreds of feet, then gazed down with an unnerving stillness.

A strange light flickered in the Demon General’s eyes. With a thought, he recalled the forty waves, which now swirled around him like forty serpentine dragons, transforming him into a veritable Sea Demon God.

Wang Lin closed his eyes in the air. The Demon General’s strength surpassed all his expectations. The Ten Crushing Fists were but one of his many skills, and the hundred-wave demonic sea was his true masterpiece. Whether this foe possessed even deeper, more terrifying powers, Wang Lin dared not test.

Though their cultivation was ostensibly equal, the Demon General’s abilities far outstripped his own.

In the realm of arcane prowess, Wang Lin had to concede defeat.

Even with the aid of his treasures, Wang Lin could not be certain of victory. For the first time in his centuries of cultivation, he faced an opponent of equal rank who not only threatened to defeat him, but could crush him utterly.

Furthermore, he was deep within enemy territory. Wang Lin was here to rescue Thirteen, and any injury to himself would doom that mission to failure. Therefore, knowing he could not win through sheer power, Wang Lin decided to gamble on cunning.

He closed his eyes, and his mind returned to a shattered fragment of the Immortal Realm, to the gargantuan handprint he had once witnessed there. During his time in the Immortal Realm, Wang Lin had spent countless hours studying that mark, and had even mimicked the gesture during his battle with Red Butterfly. Yet that imitation had been mere mimicry, possessing no true power.

However, that gesture remained almost impossible to decipher, for its very appearance conveyed power beyond reckoning!

The image of the massive handprint solidified within Wang Lin’s mind. He steeled his spirit, recapturing the feeling of that ancient enlightenment. Then, in an instant, his eyes snapped open, and a strange, alien light shone within them.

He gazed down upon the earth, and a feeling of surveying all creation washed over him. The Demon General, in his eyes, seemed as insignificant as an ant.

That gaze reached the Demon General, and for the first time, his heart trembled.

“That…that look… I felt it only once before, when I first beheld the ancient demonic effigy in the Great Demon Hall! Not even the Demon Emperor possesses such power!” The Demon General recoiled. The waves of demonic energy around him spun wildly, beyond his control.

Wang Lin extended his right hand and pressed downward. As he did, the sky darkened, and strange energies from all directions coalesced. Beneath him, a gargantuan palm print began to form in the air.

A palm of judgement descended!