When the icy grip of death loomed, Wang Lin acted without thought. The crimson eye upon his brow blazed with a furious light, unleashing a fan-shaped wave of power as he twisted to face the encroaching doom.

The crimson surge was not aimed at the void, but at Li Yuan!

The oppressive force that had seized Li Yuan faltered for a heartbeat under the assault of the red light. His face a pale mask, he raised his right hand and pressed it against his brow.

Instantly, a black line, thick as a babe’s arm, erupted from his forehead, forming a sigil of forbidding power before him. With a low, guttural growl, Li Yuan invoked, “Heartbane Seal!”

The sigil pulsed with dark energy, swelling to an immense size before shattering just as the crimson wave crashed against it.

A thunderous roar echoed across the land, sending shockwaves through the oppressive atmosphere. The collapsing seal, though broken, did not vanish. Instead, it splintered into countless black threads, weaving themselves into strange and eldritch patterns as they spread in all directions.

As these dark glyphs flew, Li Yuan’s pallor deepened, proof that unleashing the true Heartbane Seal was a terrible burden.

“Seal!”

With that single, spoken word, the glyphs raced across the heavens, encircling the crimson figure. A tempest of blood-red light erupted from the encircled form, like a sea of blood unleashed upon the sky. As the glyphs converged, the figure blazed, then burst free, even as the seals detonated, unleashing a cataclysmic reverberation across the shattered sky.

The fragment of the Thunder Immortal Realm trembled, threatening to unravel.

In the momentary reprieve, Wang Lin seized Li Yuan’s arm and lunged, his right foot striking the collapsing teleportation array.

A flash of blinding light, and they were gone. In the instant of their departure, Wang Lin slammed his left hand upon the array, shattering it into glittering dust that vanished without a trace.

Silence descended upon the ravaged hundred paces. The blood-red figure stalked forward, coming to rest where the teleportation array had stood, and stood there, brooding.

At long last, he raised his right foot and smashed it upon the ground!

A colossal fissure ripped through the earth, a monstrous serpent of destruction writhing across the land. The ground groaned and shattered, splitting again and again until the landscape was a jagged tapestry of ruin.

A power surpassing the Ascendant Nirvana stage had breached the Thunder Immortal Realm’s fragile threshold, raging across the fragment like a raging storm. Soon, the entire continent was riddled with chasms, and even the sky wept tears of fractured space.

The land was breaking!

This shard of the Thunder Immortal Realm buckled and crumbled beneath the crimson figure’s foot, triggering a chain reaction of devastating consequences. Great chunks of land simply ceased to exist.

Space itself rent and tore, forming gaping maws that swallowed all. Shattered earth vanished into the void, some drawn into the ravenous mouths in the sky. After a half an hour, the sky was no longer sky, the ground was nothing, and the shard of the Thunder Immortal Realm was lost forever. The destruction was swift and terrible. Those few cultivators of the Luo Tian Starfield, who witnessed the horror, fled in utter panic, desperate to escape.

The fear of death, fueled by the shard’s demise, drove them to madness. Only a handful managed to escape before the end.

The collapse spawned a vortex of unimaginable power, drawing in all that remained. In the distance, chains of crackling lightning were pulled taut towards the center of the destruction.

These chains, stretched to their limits, yanked upon the continents to which they were bound, causing the entire Thunder Immortal Realm to shudder and shift.

But the architect of this devastation cared nothing for the fate of the realm. Even if the Thunder Immortal Realm was to unravel entirely, he would not be deterred. All that mattered to him was his daughter!

“Wang Lin, you little whelp, next time you will not escape!” The crimson figure turned and vanished into the void.

This was none other than Xue Zu, the Blood Ancestor. Since arriving in the Thunder Immortal Realm, he sought neither treasure nor immortal techniques, but instead scoured fragment after fragment with all possible speed.

Upon reaching each shattered land, he unleashed his divine sense, sweeping the area before moving on.

A perpetual twilight shrouded the land, pierced by fleeting flashes of forbidden light. From the perspective of the shattered earth, the sky seemed oppressively low, a dark and suffocating blanket.

Small hills rose and fell, forming a series of uneven valleys. Silence reigned supreme.

Only the occasional tear in the sky, briefly spilling forth a gust of chilling wind before sealing shut, broke the stillness.

This was the only sound to be heard.

A ten-foot-tall altar, brown and ancient, stood upon the ravaged earth. Its many steps were cracked and broken, the damage extending upwards towards the altar’s peak.

Atop this altar, within a raised plateau, light flickered and two figures materialized.

Wang Lin stepped forward, his face grim. The events that had transpired had shaken him to his core. He had once again brushed against the chilling touch of death.

Had it not been for the power of his third eye, he might have perished. Likewise, had Li Yuan not possessed the Heartbane Seal, escape would have been impossible, even with the teleportation array within reach.

“Xue Zu…” Wang Lin frowned.

Li Yuan stumbled from the array. As soon as he did so, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He sat cross-legged and began to breathe deeply in an attempt to recover.

Wang Lin sat nearby, his eyes closed, protecting Li Yuan while he recovered. At the same time, he subtly unleashed his divine sense, scanning the surrounding area.
After a short while, he withdrew his divine sense, his face growing even darker. The rifts that appeared intermittently in the sky devoured spiritual power. If one’s consciousness scattered, those rifts would be drawn forth, eager to consume it.

“Even so, this place holds a strange safety,” Wang Lin murmured, gazing toward the distant valley, lost in thought.

“The Blood Ancestor has ventured into the Roaming Heavens Starfield… He gave me no chance to speak, attacking the moment he appeared, intent on capturing me. He seeks to search my very soul, to find Yao Xixue’s whereabouts…” Wang Lin touched his storage bag.

“If I surrender Yao Xixue, would the Blood Ancestor cease his pursuit…?” As Wang Lin pondered, the Immortal Guard stepped forth from behind, protecting Li Yuan as he meditated. Wang Lin waved his hand, creating a barrier, then tapped his storage bag. A glowing, restrictive orb flew out, landing and blossoming into the form of a lotus blossom, taller than a man.

Within the radiant bloom, Yao Xixue sat, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. Over a century of imprisonment had left her gaunt. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened. Seeing Wang Lin, she was momentarily dazed, but clarity quickly returned.

Her gaze revealed no joy or anger, only calm as she stared at Wang Lin. After a long silence, a hint of mockery touched her lips. “I sense the remnants of my father’s blood magic upon you… and I sense your fear.”

Wang Lin stared back, saying nothing.

“Do you intend to release me? Or do you beg me to plead with my father, to spare your life… Wang Lin, am I wrong?” The mockery deepened at the corners of Yao Xixue’s mouth.

“I could persuade my father to spare you, for I will not allow you to die so easily…” The calm vanished from her eyes, replaced by a bottomless hatred.

Wang Lin frowned slightly. “It seems, then, that whether I release you or not, my fate remains the same…”

Yao Xixue regarded him coldly. “You dare not kill me, for to kill me is to set me free! Should you seal me away somewhere, you face my father’s eternal pursuit. One day, he will find you, and I will escape.”

Wang Lin’s gaze intensified, a chill entering his eyes. He raised his right hand, casting several restrictive seals upon Yao Xixue. The glowing lotus constricted, forming a sphere of light. Wang Lin seized it and stored it within his bag.

He rose, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.

“To release… or not to release… the decision is not mine, but the Blood Ancestor’s!” A fierce light ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes. He dismissed the barrier and turned to Li Yuan, still deep in meditation.

After a moment, Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a breath of turbid air. Terror filled his gaze. “Brother Xu, who was that?!”

Wang Lin sighed inwardly, stepping back and offering a cupped-fist salute. “I fear I have brought trouble to Brother Li. That man calls himself the Blood Ancestor, and his power is unfathomable. I have crossed him. Brother Li, when we leave this place, you must depart first, lest you be caught in his wrath.”

Li Yuan pondered, then offered a bitter smile. “Brother Xu, that man’s cultivation far surpasses any ordinary second-step cultivator. Though my Shattered Restraints are only at the fourth level, I used the Heart Restraint, yet he evaded it still. He is likely a Pure Nirvana cultivator, if not one in the Shattered Nirvana stage… Such power is unmatched in the Roaming Heavens Starfield. You… how could you provoke such a being? Alas… if my Shattered Restraints reached the seventh level, I might have a chance to seal him.”

Wang Lin remained calm. “Brother Li, we should focus on finding an exit from this place, then speak of this further.”

Li Yuan sighed. “His power is great, but if we avoid him, perhaps there is a chance. Very well, we will speak of it later. Let us seek an exit.”

He rose, surveying their surroundings.

“Here, one cannot spread their divine sense; the spatial rifts will devour it!” Wang Lin warned, his gaze falling upon the distant valley.

Curiosity flickered in Li Yuan’s eyes. He descended from the altar, gathering a handful of the soil. He examined it closely, then stepped forward, snapping a branch from a nearby tree. He tasted it, his gaze growing even more curious.

“Brother Xu, lend me your puppet!” Li Yuan slowly ascended into the air. Even at this height, spatial rifts appeared, threatening to consume him.

Wang Lin’s eyes sharpened. Li Yuan’s actions suggested he had discovered something new. Wang Lin sent forth the Immortal Guard, its golden light blazing. It rose, flanking Li Yuan.

As the rifts appeared, the Immortal Guard struck the void, creating whirlpools to disperse them. The effect was limited, but it helped.

As Li Yuan ascended higher, the rifts multiplied. The Immortal Guard became a golden whirlwind, constantly striking the air, creating thunderous echoes.

Reaching a certain height, Li Yuan’s eyes flashed. He looked into the distance, his expression filled with shock, even disbelief.

Suddenly, from below, a rift far larger than the others appeared, opening like a gaping maw. A frenzied suction emanated from within, threatening to swallow Li Yuan whole.

Li Yuan’s face paled. The sheer number of rifts overwhelmed even the Immortal Guard, plunging them into peril.

Wang Lin sprang forward, and his storage bag opened. The Mountain and Rivers Painting unfurled, spreading across the sky like a landscape, covering many of the rifts. Taking advantage of this, Wang Lin grabbed Li Yuan, and pulled him back with lightning speed.

As the rift snapped shut, they, with the Immortal Guard, returned to the ground.

The painting, now riddled with countless tears, hung damaged in the sky. Wang Lin’s expression was solemn. With a wave of his hand, the painting vanished, returning to his storage bag.
“Brother Xu, do you know this place we’ve stumbled upon?!” Li Yuan’s face was a tempest of emotion, disbelief still clinging to his eyes. He drew a deep, steadying breath and, a wild excitement bubbling in his voice, continued, “Brother Xu, the Celestials rarely deign to use simple satchels of holding. Nay, they carve from the very ether, a pocket realm of their own making. Upon a Celestial’s passing, this space remains, uncollapsed, yet nearly impossible to breach anew.”

Wang Lin halted, a tremor of understanding running through him. He spoke, his voice hushed with awe, “Do you suggest, Brother Li, that we stand within the confines of a Celestial’s personal holding realm?”

Li Yuan roared with laughter, his eyes gleaming with unrestrained delight. He nodded vigorously. “Indeed! Time, the great devourer, has gnawed at its edges, and perhaps the Celestial who forged this place was less than diligent in its binding. Thus, cracks have formed, allowing us passage. Had they not, we would never have set foot within.”

“Observe the very soil beneath our feet,” Li Yuan gestured wildly. “It was brought here from some distant land. Even these mountains and the trees that cling to their slopes are not native to this space, but transplanted from the outside world!”

A strange light ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes. He spoke slowly, each word measured. “If this realm were to crumble, Brother Li, would not everything within, be shattered as well… utterly annihilated?”

Li Yuan paused, momentarily taken aback. He nodded somberly. “Aye, this is no mere fragment of a larger continent drifting in the void. Should it fall, the unleashed power would instantly unravel all that exists within, leaving nothing, not even dust. But fear not, Brother Xu! Without some external force to hasten its demise, this place shall remain stable… you… could it be…?” Li Yuan’s words faltered as a sudden, terrifying realization dawned upon him. He gasped, sucking in air.

A chilling glint flickered in Wang Lin’s eyes. He spoke softly, a subtle edge of ruthlessness in his tone. “Indeed. Perhaps… I could fashion a trap here. A cage for the Blood Ancestor himself.”