Wang Lin halted, his gaze fixed upon the eye that emerged from the swirling vortex. He remained silent.

“Let your companion unleash that Celestial Seal,” a voice echoed, “and I shall grant thee the secrets of an immortal art!”

“Who art thou?” Wang Lin inquired, after a long moment of contemplation.

“Wilt thou learn, or wilt thou not?” The voice did not answer his question, but pressed on relentlessly.

Wang Lin’s eyes flickered with caution. He gripped Li Yuan and retreated, heading swiftly back towards the tunnel’s entrance. The voice, and the promise of immortal power, tempted him, but his cautious nature prevailed. Such gifts were rarely what they seemed.

More importantly, even if the art were genuine, Wang Lin’s past haunted him. The memory of the Blood Immortal Curse was a constant reminder. He would not repeat that mistake.

“Celestial arts must be earned, not given,” he muttered, resolve hardening his gaze. He channeled his vital energy, alert to any threat from the vortex, and hastened onward with Li Yuan.

Soon after their departure, the vortex stirred. The eye at its heart gleamed with a sinister light, following Wang Lin’s retreating form before slowly retracting.

“I have little patience for the overly cautious…” a flicker of crimson energy escaped the eye, speeding into the tunnel.

Finally, the eye vanished, the vortex stilled, and normality returned. Yet, the crimson streak, like a vengeful spirit, pursued Wang Lin and his companion.

Wang Lin moved with unnatural speed, dragging Li Yuan back through the tunnel to the hidden cave. With a swift series of pressure points, he jolted Li Yuan awake. Confusion clouded his eyes, but quickly yielded to clarity.

“Many thanks, Brother Xu,” Li Yuan said, “I believe I was ensnared by the strange power emanating from that vortex.”

“This place reeks of ill omen. We must leave with haste!” Wang Lin glanced back at the tunnel, a frown furrowing his brow.

Li Yuan nodded, no questions asked. He wove a quick hand seal, and cast a protective ward over the cave’s entrance.

Suddenly, Wang Lin tensed. His hands flew into a complex gesture, releasing the power of primordial lightning that crackled around his fists. Without hesitation, he thrust his arms forward, unleashing a thunderous barrage of lightning to seal the passage.

Instantly, the crimson streak shattered the lightning. It burst forth, aiming directly at Wang Lin. His expression turned to horror. He recognized the sensation of the crimson light, a feeling that resonated within the depths of his soul.

“An Extreme State!”

He reacted instantly, merging with the very essence of the surroundings in retreat. But the crimson energy was too fast. In a blinding flash, it entered his body.

At the same moment, the cave’s wards activated, but Wang Lin had no time. He seized Li Yuan and teleported away, leaving the protections behind.

Miles away, upon a desolate piece of the shattered continent, Wang Lin and Li Yuan materialized. He swayed, his face pale. He coughed up a pebble, which expanded into a massive seal above them, radiating an aura of immense power. Wang Lin immediately sat cross-legged, raising his right hand. The ancient beast bone embedded there materialized, swirling around him and emitting an ethereal glow.

“Guard me, Brother Li!” Wang Lin ordered, before closing his eyes. He focused his energy, channeling it into his mind.

Li Yuan’s face was grim. He tapped his storage pouch, summoning nine ethereal swords that spun into defensive positions around them. He stood guard, though he understood nothing of what afflicted Wang Lin. Never before had he seen the other man so troubled.

“What manner of spell is that crimson light?” Li Yuan wondered.

Within Wang Lin’s spirit, the crimson energy raged, brimming with murderous intent. But just as it threatened to overwhelm him, Wang Lin’s immense vital energy enveloped it, layer upon layer.

The red lightning was unable to fully unleash its power, but it was an Extreme State, its inherent power immense. Although surrounded by protective energy, it continued to burn and eat away. It would soon break free.

It was only because Wang Lin possessed an innate familiarity with the Extreme State that he was able to maintain his composure. Though his spirit was merged with the Ancient Thunder Dragon, the memories of the past gave his soul a shred of resistance against the onslaught.

Once, he himself had been a master of the Extreme State!

That small advantage prevented the crimson energy from instantly obliterating his spirit, granting him a chance to fight back. Another, even one of greater cultivation, would have no defense, and would fall.

Fortunately, Wang Lin was saturated with vital energy and did not fear the expenditure. With unwavering resolve, he continued to smother the crimson lightning, constantly eroding it. At last, he managed to match, and then surpass, the speed of its internal decay.

As Wang Lin battled the Extreme State, a solitary cultivator approached the sealed entrance to the cave with hesitant steps.

It was one of the men who had spied on Wang Lin from afar. He had lingered, hoping to scavenge any discarded treasures that the mysterious Xu Mu might have left behind.

He had seen them flee and, after much deliberation, crept closer, peering cautiously into the cave’s depths. With a last surge of courage, he ventured within, following the twisting tunnel.

Hours passed. He arrived at the end, and stared dumbfounded at the vortex. A strange glimmer ignited within his eyes, and he began to approach.

Then, the eye in the vortex center reappeared.
“Draw closer… come…” the chilling whisper slithered into the sorcerer’s mind, a siren’s call in the abyss of his soul. With each step nearer, his will unraveled, his purpose forgotten, until he was utterly lost within the thrall.

Then, a muffled thunder echoed through the ancient passage. The sorcerer, in a final act of defiance or despair, ignited his very spirit, unleashing it upon the swirling vortex before him.

Yet, no drop of his lifeblood escaped. Every shred of flesh, every scintilla of essence, was devoured by the vortex, leaving not a trace of his existence behind.

The vortex, glutted with the sorcerer’s sacrifice and strained by the spirit’s explosion, trembled on the precipice of annihilation. Within, the ancient seal, a ward against unspeakable horrors, began to crack. Lines spread like spiderwebs across its surface, until, with a final, deafening sigh, it shattered.

A crimson tide erupted from the vortex, engulfing the passage in its malevolent glow. The stone itself writhed and shrunk, becoming a minuscule rune, an echo of its former self. The red light recoiled, drawing the rune back into the heart of the vanished vortex.

Silence descended. The vortex was gone.

“Five of the Nine Seals are broken,” a voice, laced with sinister glee, whispered into the void. “With what remains of my power, I can nudge the last four, lure more fools to their doom… and shatter them all.” The voice faded, leaving only the chilling echo of its ambition.

Across the shattered lands of the Thunder Immortal Realm, on four isolated fragments, pillars of raw, celestial power blazed into existence. Drawn by this potent beacon, wandering sorcerers and desperate warriors began to converge, lured towards an unknown destiny. But each beacon was guarded by an ancient seal, and only a master of the arcane, a weaver of forbidden energies like the legendary Li Yuan, could hope to unravel them… or so it seemed.

Wang Lin awoke, drenched in a cold sweat, his face ashen. He drew a ragged breath and pressed his hand against the rough earth. With a mere thought, he could purge the crimson lightning that danced within his veins, contained only by his own vital energy.

But his gaze hardened, and he withdrew his hand.

“To banish this sliver of ultimate power would be a folly,” he muttered. “Better to contain it, let it slumber within me. In a moment of desperate need, it may be my only salvation!” He turned inward, his spirit delving into the depths of his being. To restrain this fragment of forbidden energy demanded constant vigilance, a steady drain on his vital force.

Yet the potential reward outweighed the cost. After a moment’s contemplation, his decision was made.

He rose to his feet, reclaiming his weapons. Just then, the earth beneath him shuddered, the tremors emanating from the direction of the forsaken passage, leagues away.

Li Yuan, witnessing Wang Lin’s recovery, had not yet voiced his questions when the ground began to shake. Without a word, they took to the skies, ascending with unnatural speed.

“Brother Xu,” Li Yuan glanced back, his eyes filled with apprehension. “That passage…”

“Let it remain unmentioned,” Wang Lin replied, his voice grim. “We must hasten our departure.” He increased his pace, and together they reached the precipice of the fractured land and plunged into the ethereal void.

“Brother Li,” Wang Lin declared, his gaze fixed on the infinite expanse before them, “I seek a place called the Treasury of Curios. If it is guarded by ancient wards, I would beg for your aid in breaching them!”

Rather than randomly searching for lost immortal havens, he would seek out the Treasury that the old Yao family patriarch had spoken of. There, he was certain, lay the forbidden arts he desperately needed.

Li Yuan nodded, his face grave. “I shall lend you my strength to the utmost.” Ever since their harrowing journey through the passage, a prickling unease had settled within him, a premonition of impending doom. It was a vague and unsettling sensation, like a thorn buried deep within his heart.

“I thank you,” Wang Lin said softly. Recalling the patriarch’s memories of the Treasury’s location, he changed course, focusing his vital energy and guiding Li Yuan with relentless speed through the desolate emptiness.

“In the patriarch’s mind, the Treasury is protected by a seal forged by the united might of the Four Great Clans,” Wang Lin mused internally. “Without their blood, it is impenetrable. I pray that Brother Li possesses the skills to circumvent this ancient barrier.”

Enveloped in Wang Lin’s surging power, they streaked across the void like a blazing comet, bypassing countless fragmented lands, their course set for the heart of the Thunder Immortal Realm’s shattered core.