The Scythe. Forged by the ancient warrior in blackened armor, a solidification of his own demonic essence. He was no true demon, his fiendish energy impure, thus the blade born of it was flawed, imperfect. Yet, the shadow upon his brow was a fragment of a true demonic soul. With such essence infused, even mundane iron could be twisted into a weapon of hell. How much more so, this scythe already wrought from dark energies?

With the soul’s fragment bound within, the scythe was transformed into a demon blade! Upon it coiled the very essence of the demonic path!

The celestial swordsmanship of Lord Ling Tian, and the demon blade steeped in the infernal. Which would prove the stronger? None could say!

A flicker of sword-light emanated from Wang Lin’s fingertip, the unleashed power of Lord Ling Tian’s swordsmanship surging forth. So potent was its essence that the very heavens themselves seemed to falter at its unveiling!

A moment of stasis, as if time had yielded its relentless flow. Even the arcane spells of the Yellow Springs, and the tempestuous fury of wind, rain, and lightning, dimmed in its presence.

At the sword-light’s emergence, all existence became sword-energy. Such was the density that the Yellow Springs waters above were forced back, merging into Wang Lin’s very being. Within, the thirteen thousand spirits of slaughter crumbled, the souls of the Yellow Springs multiplying from one into a countless legion.

The powers of storm and sky suffered a similar fate. Black lightning shattered, countless raindrops, each carrying its electric charge, were annihilated. Even the winds of the heavens, swirling in a vortex above, were pierced and torn asunder.

At the sword-light’s unveiling, all spells and powers yielded, unable to contest its dominance. This was the very Dao of Lord Ling Tian, held within its shimmering form!

Domination!

Lord Ling Tian, arrogant and unmatched in his time, traversed the realms with the iron fist of supremacy. His sword-energy held this dominance, a divine mandate made manifest.

The demon visage upon the blade of the scythe contorted in grave concern. In a flash, it transformed into a streak of darkness, hurtling towards Wang Lin.

Sword-energy danced, bearing the will of dominion. A single sweeping cut!

As demon blade and sword-energy drew near, behind the latter, the spectral form of Lord Ling Tian seemed to materialize. Similarly, behind the demon scythe, a hulking figure with a single horn upon its brow rose into being.

In the instant of collision, the earth fractured, a chasm born of the impact cleaving the land in two. A great ravine spread, rending the ground asunder.

The clouds above vanished, and the heavens themselves dimmed, shrouded in shadow.

The demon apparition behind the blade dissolved, a howl of anguish escaping as it faded. In that same instant, the demon blade shattered!

Lord Ling Tian’s sword-energy dimmed, leaving behind only a flicker of golden light. Yet, even within this remnant, the Dao of the Celestial Lord persisted!

As the demon blade shattered, the remaining sword-energy swept forth, aimed directly at the black spire.

Wang Lin, having unleashed the celestial swordsmanship, retreated with haste. He must flee, he knew, with lingering terror clutching at his heart. To surrender to the madness that sought to claim his mind and to force his entry into that tower would assuredly spell his doom!

Under the gaze of the armored warrior, retreat had been impossible. But now, with the blade unleashed, this was the opportune moment!

As the demon blade crumbled, the warrior in black armor coughed forth a torrent of blood. His strength waned. He saw Wang Lin flee and, with a snarl, prepared to give chase, but abruptly halted, his face contorting in alarm as he turned to intercept the encroaching sword-energy.

For the energy rushed toward the black tower, the importance of which to the fiendish servant was undeniable!

Swift as the warrior was, the remnants of the celestial sword-energy proved swifter still. In an instant, it reached the tower. At that moment, a cold snarl echoed from within the structure, causing it to tremble. Yet, the energy persisted, its inherent dominance piercing the power contained within the snarl, and struck the tower with a resounding blow.

A gasp of surprise echoed from within the tower. At the same time, it shuddered. Though it did not crumble, fissures appeared across its surface.

“Such potent sword-energy! The one who unleashed it rivals my strength even in my prime!”

The warrior in black armor, seeing the sword-energy dissipate and the tower spared from collapse, breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a wave of demonic energy erupted from within the tower, flooding his being. The armor that clad him shimmered with an unholy light, his form rapidly swelling, expanding several times over until he became a towering giant, three lengths tall. His armor grew with him, and a single black horn erupted from his brow, radiating an icy chill.

The man was no more. He howled in torment, turning to gaze upon Wang Lin, who was fleeing with all speed, his eyes burning with malice.

“Little whelp, where do you think you can run?” he roared, taking a mighty step forward to give chase.

“Ascension Fruit giveth, and Ascension Fruit taketh away,” Wang Lin muttered, his eyes gleaming. “I must risk everything!” He slapped his storage pouch and drew forth a waxen orb, covered in swirling runes that pulsed with each beat of his heart.

With gritted teeth, Wang Lin severed a portion of his spirit, plunging it into his storage pouch. Sweeping through its contents, he locked onto a small sphere bound by countless seals. He thrust his consciousness within.

Within the sealed sphere, Yao Xixue’s face was flushed, sweat pouring from her brow, a bizarre mixture of agony and pleasure twisting her features. Shame and struggle flickered within her eyes.

“Yao Xixue, speak the incantation to control the Blood Soul Pill! Refuse, and before I fall, I will crush the storage pouch, condemning you to oblivion, trapped in your current state until your very life expires!!”

Wang Lin’s mental shout ripped through Yao Xixue’s consciousness like a thunderclap, shattering her daze. But immediately, she began to struggle, the unnatural sensations induced by the esoteric seals upon her body driving her to the brink of madness!

“Release… Release the seals! I’ll tell… you!” Yao Xixue stammered, willing to tell Wang Lin anything to escape the torment.

Wang Lin’s mental gaze swept over her body, and the seals vanished. Yao Xixue gasped, her face still flushed, but freed from the source of her suffering, she felt a measure of relief.

She had never seen Wang Lin in such dire straits. Seeing an opportunity, she prepared to barter for her freedom.

Wang Lin divided his consciousness, a portion remaining within the storage pouch, while the other stayed with him in the physical world. Sensing the black armored warrior closing in, he summoned a battle axe from within the pouch!
The battle axe, a relic of the Trollkin, was produced by Wang Lin. He hurled the weapon with a guttural cry:

“Shatter!”

The axe vibrated violently, then exploded in a cataclysmic burst of force. The Ebonyclad Elder, his brow furrowed, dismissed the tempest with a flick of his expansive sleeve.

Within the confines of the enchanted satchel, Wang Lin roared, “Confess!” He mentally willed the arcane bindings to tighten, ready to further inflict agonies upon the captive should she remain silent.

Yao Xixue, her face flushed crimson, yet her eyes wide with dread, stared at the imprisoning glyphs. With no hesitation, she revealed the process for wielding the Blood Soul Pill.

Meanwhile, outside the satchel, the Ebonyclad Elder, having dispersed the axe’s remnants, clenched his hand, reaching to seize Wang Lin.

Wang Lin, his mind still within the satchel, repeated the question, then swiftly withdrew his consciousness. Clutching the Blood Soul Pill, he crushed the wax casing, revealing a single drop of cerulean ichor.

Without pause, Wang Lin pierced his finger, drawing forth a drop of his own crimson blood. He wove it into a complex rune, shimmering in the air. As the rune met the cerulean ichor, melding them into one, Wang Lin grasped the symbol and pressed it to his brow.

The Ebonyclad Elder, now a titan of three fathoms, loomed near. From Wang Lin’s brow, the rune discharged, flinging itself a thousand leagues distant, to vanish in the vastness of the heavens.

Having completed the ritual, Wang Lin whirled around. The clarity in his eyes vanished, replaced by the crazed bloodlust and battle frenzy instilled by the Ascendant Fruit.

“Ancient one, you shall meet your end!” Madly screaming, eyes bloodshot, Wang Lin charged headlong toward the Elder, showing no fear.

In that instant, a furious conflagration erupted from within Wang Lin, engulfing his entire body in a raging inferno.

The Ebonyclad Elder’s face contorted in alarm, recoiling in astonishment. He retreated, and then retreated again.

“You madman!” Horror etched itself upon his face.

Self-detonation! The suicidal fury of an Ascended cultivator! Even the Elder dared not face such power head-on.

Wang Lin’s mind was drowning in the Ascendant Fruit’s strange power, madness had seized him. His spirit essence was consumed by flames, and the four droplets of Celestial Dew within him were simultaneously unleashed in a maelstrom of pure energy.

Wang Lin, a comet wreathed in fire, hurtled towards the retreating Elder. With growing dread, the Elder continued to flee.

“Burst!” With those final words, the flames around Wang Lin blazed with unimaginable intensity. He fixed his burning gaze upon the Elder, his physical form consumed by the unleashed Celestial energy, his spirit essence dissolving into a force beyond comprehension, a wave that roared outwards to obliterate all.

A common Ascended cultivator’s self-detonation could wound the Elder, but would not bring him death. However, Wang Lin possessed the Celestial Dew, making it a difference between heaven and earth!

The blast of annihilation swept outwards, striking the Elder first. He coughed a torrent of blood. The armor protecting his body shattered into countless threads, which frantically coalesced into a shield before him, attempting to withstand the annihilating force.

The shield lasted but three heartbeats before dissolving, replaced by a shadowy demonic figure. With a desperate leap, the figure abandoned the Elder and fled toward a black tower.

Stripped of his armor’s protection, the Ebonyclad Elder was consumed by the blast and disintegrated!

In the final moment of his self-destruction, Wang Lin, with the last vestige of his being, hurled a single, powerful blow toward the black tower. This strike, infused with his will, his life force, his dissolving spirit, and even the ancient god’s power residing within him, was unleashed as his body ceased to be.

The fist transformed into a roaring gale, striking the tower with incredible force. The cracks left by Ling Tianhou’s axe spread across the tower. In the blink of an eye, the entire structure crumbled into dust.

In the air, a gauntlet-less piece of armor floated, pulsing with an eerie light, and radiating an intense, malevolent aura.

“You dare destroy my Demon Spire!” the armor thundered. “Even if you are connected to *him*, I shall slay you!” The Demon Spire was a crucial nexus point, allowing the Ebonyclad to project his consciousness across vast swaths of the Demon-Spirit Lands. Without it, his power was severely diminished.

Where the Demon Spire had once stood, the earth revealed a black sigil array. Within the array, a figure sat in meditation, his long hair flowing around him, purple and gold veining upon his skin.

From the air, the gauntlet-less armor descended, coalescing into streaks of darkness that enveloped the figure. In an instant, the armor was complete, and the warrior opened his eyes!

A thousand leagues away, a single drop of cerulean ichor appeared in the void. No sooner had it manifested than it darted off, accelerating at an impossible speed. As it fled, it began to transform, slowly taking the shape of Wang Lin.