Li Yuan’s gaze was fixed upon Wang Lin, a seed of doubt taking root within his heart. If this man truly understood the entirety of their affair, why did he exude such confidence? There was a strange and unsettling air about it all.

With a contemptuous snort, Li Yuan wasted no words. He took a single, decisive step forward, and as his foot landed, his right hand formed a complex incantation. In a flash, a formidable seal manifested before him, its essence shifting and swirling. From this single source, eighteen distinct strands of power split forth. Yet, even as they appeared, these eighteen strands seemed on the verge of unraveling, as if teetering on the edge of control. However, this instability was subtly masked, difficult for the untrained eye to perceive.

In an instant, eighteen ethereal statues coalesced around Li Yuan, born from the intricate network of seals. Like eighteen illusory celestial deities, they surged towards Wang Lin with lightning speed.

Within each of these divine effigies, the light of binding enchantments flickered, enveloping Wang Lin in a cage of arcane energy.

“Behold! This is the Plum Blossom Eighteen Banishments technique! Observe it well!” Li Yuan declared, a glint of icy resolve in his eyes as he extended a pointing finger.

Wang Lin, undisturbed, remained composed. In a measured tone, he spoke, “To spill the blood of the Lord’s descendants, such an act is vile, devoid of humanity! Li Yuan, beneath your Lord’s idol, you offer the blood of his kin. Can you not sense the grief, the resignation, emanating from the stone? Dare you turn and gaze upon the seal etched upon your master’s right hand?”

“Silence, and do not attempt to break my faith!” Li Yuan spat, a shadow darkening his features. “All that I do is for the resurrection of my Lord! How could a mere whelp such as you comprehend such a grand design?”

Within the depths of his mind, Wang Lin found his suspicions confirmed. The woman named Ge was indeed a descendant of the entombed celestial being. Li Yuan’s ancestor had brought one of Ge’s lineage to this place long ago, but fate had taken a cruel turn, resulting in his demise and the seizure of his enchanted artifacts by the Ge family.

Yet a question remained, one that cleared when he had witnessed Li Yuan’s recognition of the Celestial Guard and knowledge of the Immobilization Art. He understood the chain of causality at last.

“You… you cannot even recall who you truly are,” Wang Lin uttered, his voice imbued with a strange power. “You are not Li Yuan!” As he spoke, the eighteen divine statues descended upon him.

Wang Lin reached into his storage pouch, producing a mountain stone. As it emerged, the stone swelled in size, becoming a small mountain, its surface radiating the ancient essence of a mountain spirit. With a strike of his hand, the spirit was released, spreading outward in a circular wave.

Wang Lin stood firm within the wave’s center, his eyes burning with a fierce light.

“Li… you are a descendant of the Li family, whose entire existence has been dedicated to breaking free from a cursed bondage. Yet you defy your heritage, seeking not to sever the chains of servitude, but to use the very bonds that imprison your kin to resurrect your Lord. The key lies in the blood of his descendants, offered as a sacrifice to awaken his sealed and slumbering soul! Who… who are you truly?”

Li Yuan’s gaze was glacial, his right hand moving through its incantation. With a point of his finger, the eighteen divine statues shuddered, transforming into eighteen blossoming plum blossoms, swirling rapidly around Wang Lin.

They created a vortex centered upon Wang Lin, from which emanated a terrifying aura.

Wang Lin’s countenance remained serene, untouched by fear. He raised his right hand, his fingers weaving an incantation of his own. A phantom of a binding seal materialized before him, splitting into eighteen fragments, though six of them remained only partially formed, mere wisps of power.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent the eighteen fragments flying, imprinting them upon the eighteen plum blossoms. The whirling dance of the blossoms faltered. In that moment, Wang Lin retrieved his immortal sword from his storage pouch.

Grasping the blade, Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with icy purpose. He brought the sword down in a single, decisive strike!

The Severing Slash!

As the sword fell, time seemed to freeze, allowing the blow to land unopposed.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Three of the eighteen plum blossoms shattered, collapsing into nothingness. Wang Lin seized the opportunity, stepping out from the vortex formed by the remaining blossoms.

“You are a servant of a celestial being, with a slave seal woven into the cycle of reincarnation of the Li family, ensuring that generations upon generations of your kin would serve at the celestial’s whim!”

“You are not Li Yuan. Even the Li family ancestor who, tens of thousands of years ago, supposedly gathered the three divine artifacts—that was not his true self. You and he are but reincarnations of the celestial servant soul, embodied by the slave seal!” Wang Lin’s voice rang out, clear and resonant.

“Thus, in your first reincarnation, tens of thousands of years ago, you could compel the Ge family to obey. And now, in your second reincarnation, you seek to do the same, wielding a twisted sense of righteousness: that even the Ge family must be sacrificed to resurrect your master!”

“You can deceive others, but you cannot deceive me. For in this world, if there is a cycle of life, death, and reincarnation, there is nothing I cannot unravel!” Wang Lin declared, his eyes burning with an unwavering intensity.

Li Yuan fell silent, Wang Lin’s words echoing within his soul, stirring a sense of resistance within his body. An internal struggle was visible upon his face, and Wang Lin’s gaze sharpened, for this was the opportunity he had been waiting for. With a swift motion, he released the mountain spirit in the form of swirling mist, sending it hurtling towards the distant idol.

Simultaneously, Wang Lin pointed a finger skyward, and the brand of causality blazed upon his brow. The Whip of Karma materialized before him with a crackling report. In a single step, Wang Lin grasped the whip, lashing out with all his might.

The whip moved with incredible speed, striking not the flesh, not the spirit, but the very essence of Karma!

With a single lash, it landed upon Li Yuan, who shuddered and stumbled backward.

“Even the flesh you inhabit rejects you! For the soul within is not of the Li family line!” Wang Lin roared, his eyes shining with arcane power. He took another step forward, extending a pointing finger.

The Immobilization Art!

Li Yuan’s retreat was abruptly halted, his body frozen in place. Then, the Whip of Karma struck once more.

*Crack!* Li Yuan’s body quaked again, his internal struggle twisting his features into a grotesque mask.

Wang Lin prepared to continue his assault, but abruptly stopped, as the struggle vanished from Li Yuan’s face.

“I… I am not wrong!” Li Yuan muttered, his movements swift. He planted his hand, wreathed in restrictive enchantments, upon the mountain spirit, halting it in its tracks, and fixed his gaze upon Wang Lin.
As if answering Li Yuan’s words, the crumbling of the stone statue atop the distant mountain peak intensified. Within the crimson flames surrounding it, all resentment and pale light had been completely absorbed by the statue. Even the crimson flames themselves began to shrink, as if destined to be consumed by the stone behemoth.

“To release the Lord’s soul, to enter reincarnation… I am not wrong! I cannot be wrong! Even if the Lord’s subsequent incarnations all perish, I am not wrong!” Li Yuan’s voice grew ever calmer. His gaze fixed upon Wang Lin, his right hand rose from his brow, and a streak of darkness materialized within his palm.

This dark thread was identical to the mark bestowed upon the Immortal Guards of the Outer Domain.

Yet, as soon as it appeared, faint fissures marred its surface, as if the object was not whole.

Wang Lin noted this imperfection, his expression serene. The two prior lashes of the Karma Whip had already carved a fissure into Li Yuan’s heart. The man was, indeed, as Wang Lin suspected: merely a wisp of a residual soul trapped within a slave seal.

“Though I know not why your first reincarnation tens of thousands of years ago ultimately failed,” Wang Lin began, “it is clear that even now, your confidence is not absolute! Otherwise, if you truly possessed absolute certainty, why would you have taken an interest in *me*?

“What you desired was not my Stasis Art, but *this*.” With a flick of his wrist, Wang Lin summoned the Karma Whip, its ethereal form crackling with energy.

A strange light flickered in Li Yuan’s eyes as he gazed upon the Karma Whip in Wang Lin’s hand. “You are perceptive. You are correct, what I seek is this artifact imbued with the essence of reincarnation and karma! Without it, I have but seventy percent certainty. With it, I have ninety.” As he spoke, he pointed his right hand at Wang Lin. The dark thread coiled upon itself, forming a ring that hurtled towards him.

Wang Lin retreated swiftly, his heart untouched by panic. His previous actions had been largely to confirm one final suspicion.

If that suspicion proved true, he would possess absolute certainty of escaping this place.

That suspicion was confirmed the moment he heard Li Yuan’s response regarding the Karma Whip! As the dark ring drew near, Wang Lin increased his speed, retreating even faster.

“If your first reincarnation tens of thousands of years ago ended in failure, then this second attempt will also fail!”

“All of this is because your Lord does not wish it!”

“Silence!” For the first time, Li Yuan displayed such profound emotional turmoil. Murder flashed in his eyes. He took a step forward, and with a wave of his right hand, three more dark threads materialized in his palm, weaving together to form three sharp blades that surged toward Wang Lin.

Wang Lin laughed aloud, and with an exhale, a stream of white light shot forth from his mouth. It materialized before him, becoming a screen adorned with landscapes of mountains and rivers, radiating an aura of vastness.

This Landscape Screen was the first time Wang Lin had employed it. Even if Li Yuan had witnessed his battle against the Yin Void cultivator, he would have no knowledge of its existence.

As the Landscape Screen manifested, images of mountains and rivers appeared in the sky around Wang Lin, transforming him into a figure within a painting. The onrushing dark ring instantly melded into the Landscape Screen, appearing as a blot of ink upon the canvas, its advance slowing to a crawl.

“Tens of thousands of years ago, you possessed these same three artifacts, the bloodline of the Ge Clan. So tell me, why did you still fail? It is because your Lord himself does not wish to awaken in such a manner! As his servant, are you truly *not* wrong?!”

Wang Lin’s voice echoed from within the Landscape Screen, a resounding thunder that filled the heavens. The voice was immense, with every word piercing Li Yuan’s ears without exception.

Li Yuan trembled, the struggle returning to his face.

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. He pointed with the Karma Whip, and it shimmered before lashing out, striking Li Yuan once more.

“Look back! Look at what lies beneath your Lord’s stone eyes!” Wang Lin’s gaze burned like lightning as he roared.

The Karma Whip cleaved through the air, striking Li Yuan and causing his body to convulse. But at that moment, it was as if an irresistible force was pulling him, compelling him to turn and gaze at the stone statue of his Lord atop the mountain peak behind him.