Even the Celestial Guardian faltered, its golden light flickering like a dying ember.

Wang Lin, teeth clenched, ignored the abyss of the earth’s maw that roared beneath him, and surged forth once more, desperate for the concealing mist.

But in an instant, the gaping chasm rose with unnatural speed, as though the very land beneath his feet was ascending. With the earth’s monstrous movement, the entirety of Yunxia Star trembled with a deafening rumble.

Great swathes of land shattered, countless islands crumbling and dissolving into the void. A scene eerily reminiscent of when his true form devoured a world’s essence, leaving behind only desolation. Yet, where that devastation came from within, crushing all that stood too close, Yunxia Star’s agony was different. Though it too was collapsing, it lacked that obliterating power. Instead, it was as though the ancient beast, Wang Yue, stirred from slumber, shaking off the accumulated dust of millennia, the dust that had become the very land itself.

The ascending earth was naught but a trick of the eye, for the land itself *was* Wang Yue’s colossal form. The “ascent” was merely the beast’s awakening, its head rising from its eons-long rest.

The monstrous fissure hurtled towards him, faster than thought itself. Wang Lin, glancing down, felt a flicker of grim determination. The power of the Ascendant Fruit still lingered, else he never would have reached this place.

If he could but stall Wang Yue for a moment, he could escape the fog and reach the sanctuary of the stars.

Wang Lin gritted his teeth, hand reaching for his storage pouch, but then his eyes narrowed. As the chasm drew closer, he sensed a familiar energy emanating from its depths. The Seven Star Sword Formation! Withdrawing his hand, he formed a hand seal and pointed, his voice ringing out, “Sword Formation, SPIN!”

His voice carried the weight of potent magic, each word a thunderclap, stirring the Seven Star Sword Formation deep within the approaching fissure. The swords shrieked into motion, a whirlwind of lethal energy unleashing its fury from within.

But against Wang Yue, such attacks were mere pinpricks, incapable of hindering the beast for even a heartbeat.

As the chasm loomed, Wang Lin’s eyes glinted with desperate resolve. “Sword of the Rat, DETONATE!” he roared.

A muffled explosion echoed within the fissure, followed by an enraged bellow. The rising tide of earth surged faster, closing to within a hundred paces. Wang Lin, moving with matching speed alongside the Celestial Guardian, plunged into the mist.

Yet the mist itself began to dissipate before the approaching chasm, vanishing entirely in the blink of an eye! For the first time in Yunxia Star’s countless years, the concealing fog was gone! “Boar of the Pig, Goat of the Ram, Ape of the Monkey, Ox of the Cow, Tiger of the Tigris, Hare of the Rabbit, ALL DETONATE!” Wang Lin cried, his voice tinged with madness.

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” A series of cataclysmic blasts ripped through Wang Yue’s innards. The Seven Star Sword Formation detonated not only its blades but even the trapped souls within, unleashing a tempest of destructive energy that assaulted the beast.

But Wang Yue’s might was such that the detonations barely registered, only momentarily slowing its advance.

And that was all Wang Lin needed. He and the Celestial Guardian surged forward, the starry expanse of the heavens now tantalizingly close! The gaping maw, briefly staggered, recovered its momentum, its dull mind, still under the influence of the Ascendant Fruit, unaware of the source of the pain and peculiar pleasure.

In its confused, newly awakened state, it merely recognized something familiar about the fleeing figures and the burden they carried.

Instinctively, it gave chase, eager to reclaim these familiar things.

As their escape grew more desperate, a sound, ancient as time itself, echoed from the fissure, a sound without discernible meaning, yet alien in its utterance.

As the sound washed over him, Wang Lin’s blood turned to ice. The words were of the Ancient Gods.

“Tu Si’s memories never mentioned Wang Yue speaking in the tongue of the Ancient Gods! What IS this Wang Yue?!” Wang Lin gasped.

As the Ancient God words reverberated through the heavens, Wang Lin felt a chilling certainty that it was not Wang Yue who pursued him, but a fully-fledged Ancient God! The words were a primal roar from a forgotten age, a surge of power that threatened to extinguish his very existence. The starry heavens themselves seemed to crack and crumble, an apocalyptic vision that sent shivers down his spine.

He knew this power – the Shattering Technique of an Eight-Star Ancient God, capable of collapsing reality itself.

Never had death felt so close. With a desperate surge, Wang Lin spun around, unleashing a primal roar and a string of guttural sounds, the words of the Ancient Gods, learned from Tu Si.

The earth shuddered. The monstrous fissure narrowed, and two more chasm opened in the land, revealing icy, predatory eyes. They fixated upon Wang Lin, radiating a chilling malevolence. As the Ancient God incantation faltered, the fracturing heavens stabilized, and Wang Lin, without hesitation, turned and fled once more, the Celestial Guardian unwavering in its pursuit of escape.

Then, a gaunt figure, driven by a mix of terror and exhilaration, hurtled from the depths of the fissure.

It was Greed Wolf! Wang Yue’s violent transformation had caused a tremor in its…digestive tract, creating a sliver of an opening. Greed Wolf had seized his chance, of course not forgetting his precious cauldron.
Having burst forth from that vile pit of excretion, the Ancient Star-God, Greed Wolf, felt the dreadful presence of Wang Yue, the Moon Gazing Beast. Without pause, he channeled the power of his colossal cauldron, ascending with furious speed. His weary eyes beheld a vast, beckoning rift in the sky, a gateway to the very stars! A century of stifled hope surged within him, bringing tears to his eyes. This half-life, neither man nor specter, choked by the stench of decay, was finally nearing its end.

He recalled the agonizing years, trapped within the beast’s fetid waste. It was an utter humiliation, a defilement he could never erase! The reek clung to him, a phantom scent that lingered even now, threatening to overwhelm his senses.

Greed Wolf vowed that should he escape this abyss, he would never again set foot in the Northern Domain of Luo Tian. And if ever he sought treasure again, he would proceed with utmost caution. As the rift drew nearer, joy swelled in his breast, threatening to consume him. “I, Greed Wolf, am finally freed!” he roared in anticipation.

At that very instant, upon the cursed earth below, the entrancement in Wang Yue’s eyes shattered. The primordial voice of the Ancient God echoed once more, chilling Wang Lin to the core. Facing imminent death, he cast aside all pretense of honor. With a desperate thought, he slowed the advance of his Immortal Guard puppet and cast the severed Moon Gazing Bone it carried down towards the beast. “Take back your own!”

The bone, resembling a sprawling mountain range, plunged downward with a deafening roar. The fierce winds it generated momentarily faltered the opening of the celestial rift.

The chaotic collapse of the surrounding stars briefly ceased. Wang Yue gazed upon the descending mountain with a confused air. The object was familiar, yet the beast struggled to remember its significance…

Instinct took over. The monstrous maw of Wang Yue gaped wide, swallowing the colossal bone in a single gulp! The ensuing delight overwhelmed Greed Wolf as if he had swallowed a thousand Ascension Fruits! He accelerated towards the beckoning rift, eager to finally unleash a triumphant cry.

After nearly a century of misery, his freedom was at hand! Within the beast’s innards, instantaneous travel was impossible. He knew from bitter experience that any attempt to teleport would ensnare him in strange forces, slowing him even further.

But then, just as Greed Wolf was but a breath away from the rift, a colossal shadow suddenly engulfed his vision.

He squinted, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. Perhaps the nauseating fumes had finally broken his mind! What was this monstrous shadow?

“A… a mountain!” Despair washed over Greed Wolf. All his triumphant anticipation evaporated in an instant, replaced by a sickening sense of impending doom.

Yet, Greed Wolf was a master of great power. With a desperate roar, he propelled himself forward, diving into the confines of his cauldron. He hurled the cauldron sideways, hoping to narrowly avoid the mountain.

The sheer force of the near miss sent the vessel careening, sparks erupting where the mountain grazed the cauldron’s edge. Inside, Greed Wolf choked and spat blood.

“Damnation!” Barely surviving the onslaught, he emerged from the cauldron, his face pale. He was unable to fully control the cauldron; the vessel could eventually consume him with its vile and ominous energy.

Having swallowed half a bone mountain, confusion reigned in Wang Yue’s eyes. What was this sensation? So familiar… so ingrained… A memory struggled to surface. Amidst Wang Yue’s hesitation, Wang Lin seized the opportunity. With a thought, the Immortal Guard returned to his side, bolstering his strength to heft the remaining section of Moon Gazing Bone. Together, they fled towards the starry expanse.

The confusion within Wang Yue gradually cleared. The power of the Ascension Fruit began to fade, and the source of the agonizing pain was now known. Wang Yue remembered the bone it had devoured; it was its own! A wave of pain washed over it. A tempest of rage erupted within the beast. Never before had it felt such anger, such excruciating pain. It was now fully and utterly infuriated!