The air crackled with a malevolent shriek, thick with a demonic aura that blanketed the heavens. So dense was this miasma that flickers of infernal fire danced across the sky, a stark contrast to the ethereal light emanating from the approaching phantom form. Above Wang Lin, a plume of black smoke erupted, coalescing into the grotesque visage of a horned demon. It howled, its voice a piercing lance that shattered the very essence of the scattered demon spirit within Wang Lin’s soul, a spirit he had long sought to bind as a second soul fragment.

Centuries had been spent imprinting this entity with a brand of control, yet true mastery remained elusive. Indeed, the very act of imprinting had plunged the spirit into a slumber, diminishing its power. Were it to fully awaken, Wang Lin knew his control would be shattered.

The appearance of this unbound demon sent a visible shockwave through the onlookers. The Patriarch of the Illusion Clan paled, stumbling back, his eyes fixated on the ghastly shade. A bitter understanding dawned on his face. “So, this is his hidden trump card.”

Huan Fengshen, heir to the clan, gasped, inwardly grateful for his earlier caution. Behind him, the other scions of the Illusion Clan mirrored his sentiment.

Qian Kuizi of the Thousand Families felt his heart pound in his chest. The released demon was immense, the very sight of it inducing a primal fear that threatened to overwhelm his senses. “Terrifying… what manner of fiend is this? No wonder he is a disciple of the Thunder Celestial Hall, such mastery…Thunderbeasts, puppets, swords of law, and now…this abomination! He must be a pillar of their order, else how could he command such power?”

The elder of the Xu family, unmoved until now, finally betrayed his surprise, a flicker of excitement in his eyes as he gazed at the demon’s form. “A scattered demon! One of the fallen lieutenants of an Ancient Demon God!”

The demon, now fully manifested, chuckled wickedly as it descended from Wang Lin’s crown. Disregarding the looming celestial phantom, its crimson eyes locked onto Wang Lin himself.

“Mortal, I shall fulfill our pact, and aid you in this conflict! But should you attempt to bind me once more, I shall gladly unleash every ounce of power I retain to destroy you.”

Wang Lin, his voice calm, replied, “When this battle is done, you shall be free.”

“Agreed!” The scattered demon roared, its form dissolving into a swirling vortex of black mist that engulfed Wang Lin. Seven tendrils of the vile substance pierced the seven apertures of his face.

Instantly, a palpable demonic aura emanated from Wang Lin’s body. Simultaneously, his hand plunged into his void pouch, summoning forth the Demon Armor. The terrifying plating enveloped him, transforming him into a grotesque warrior of shadow.

A grimace of pain crossed Wang Lin’s face, but his eyes grew colder, their depths swirling with demonic smoke.

This was his gamble, the card he held that allowed him to challenge the Illusion Clan within their own domain. To slay Liu Mei, guarded by the patriarch of the illusion clan, was impossible under any normal circumstances.

The Illusion Clan held traditions spanning millennia, naturally endowed with special secrets that Wang Lin could not simply ignore.

He had chosen to forgo a slow domination of the scattered demon and awakened him instead. With freedom as the price, the demon would serve him one last time. Strong the demon may be, his body held a control seal that the ancient demon, Bera, helped Wang Lin place; a mark of the Demon’s essence.

Powerful as the demon may be, he could not easily break the seal. In truth, only a fraction of his power was available to Wang Lin, but at this time, he awakened.

The demon, not of a temperament to speak, was forced by the brand on his soul. Even awake, he could not simply abandon Wang Lin’s soul; still rooted in Wang Lin, he was forced to the pact, for freedom was what he truly sought.

Upon awakening, the demon had thoughts of stealing Wang Lin’s body, but the seal made that endeavor pointless. Wang Lin had offered him an opportunity to earn freedom. With the pact fulfilled, Wang Lin would release him. Unless Wang Lin reached a certain level of cultivation, however, he could not break the seal placed upon him by Bera.

The demon held his own ambition. After centuries, he could remove Bera’s seal and finally exist, truly free! With the scattered demon’s essence infused in his soul, Wang Lin’s eyes burned with demonic flame. He strode forth to challenge the phantom form, delivering a simple, unrestrained punch.

Wang Lin was split between realities; his body was controlled by the demon, his magical essence instantly converting to demonic energy. With the scattered demon within him, the conversion was complete.

This punch was the force of the demon combined with the power of the Demon Armor; a burst of darkness transforming into a black dragon that roared towards the celestial phantom.

The phantom formed a sigil with its right hand, drawing the celestial energy, which burst into a vortex around the black dragon, instantly dissolving it into nothing.

The phantom form opened its arms and wove an incantation, and in that moment, the entire world of the Thousand Illusions pulsed, and the world’s energy started to consolidate, converting from magic to celestial, which burst in the phantom’s hand into a ball of pure light.

Wang Lin gazed in anticipation, while the scattered demon hissed, “A small illusion, something stolen from the ancient demonic blood! Do not try to fool me with these tricks!”

Wang Lin did not respond. Under the Demon’s control, he raised his right hand to the sky and cried, “Ancient Demon!”

The words were ancient, a forgotten language that erupted in a wave of power; his hand turned into a talon, covered in demonic flame as he grabbed emptiness below him. Wang Lin continued in that language, crying, “Tear the soul from the stars!”

A sudden pulse erupted from the ground, and an ancient aura rose from the ground. Wang Lin’s hand had reached into the heart of this world and drawn its very soul into his hand.

“You try to use the power of this world, and I will use the soul of this place. We will see who is stronger, then.”

His body controlled by the demon, Wang Lin felt and understood the ancient magic; the secrets of the ancient demon.