A gust of wind swept past, causing the tattered hem of the black-robed figure to settle, concealing him once more in shadow. His gaze, dark and malevolent, remained fixed upon Wang Lin, his lips barely moving as if uttering a silent incantation. Instantly, a sliver of black light erupted from the space between his brows.

This obsidian sliver solidified into a short blade, its passage marked by a keen, piercing shriek as it lunged towards Wang Lin. The robed figure’s lips continued their silent pronouncements, and an incessant stream of dark light poured forth from his forehead, each flicker materializing into a deadly short sword. In the blink of an eye, a dozen such blades filled the air, whistling their deadly intent towards Wang Lin.

Wang Lin stood motionless. He perceived the black-robed man to be possessed of profound cultivation, far beyond the realms of Yin-Yang or Illusory-Real.

However…it was evident that only the man’s head retained its flesh and blood. The rest of him was naught but bone. Though his cultivation might be vast, his ability to wield it was undoubtedly diminished.

Wang Lin remained calm. The black-robed figure’s current power likely did not exceed the initial stages of the Kṣaṇa realm. As the barrage of short swords hurtled toward him, Wang Lin merely willed it. Behind him, the Immortal Guardian, Ta Shan, took a single, earth-shaking stride forward. The previous obstacles meant nothing to him. With a flash of golden light in his eyes and a radiant aura emanating from his form, he unleashed a single, devastating punch.

The force of the blow tore a vortex in the air, attempting to ensnare the incoming blades. Yet, with piercing shrieks, the swords resisted, weaving through the turbulence like serpents and striking Ta Shan’s body.

A series of dull thuds echoed through the air. Ta Shan’s face remained an impassive mask. His fists became a blur, each impact driving back the attacking swords. Those blades that managed to evade his guard and pierce his flesh inflicted little significant harm.

Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed. He surged forward, extending his right hand to summon the Soul Flag. At his command, the twin eyes of the flag ignited with an eerie glow, and it hurtled towards the black-robed man ahead of Wang Lin.

Simultaneously, an oppressive miasma began to coalesce around them, born from the flag’s spectral gaze. The air grew thick with a tangible aura of death, and the black-robed figure began to glow with a faint, unsettling light.

A complex emotion flickered across the man’s face. He sighed, seemingly to himself, “It has been many years since I have beheld my master’s artifact…”

From beneath his robes, he raised a skeletal hand. The bare, white bones looked terrifying, as his bony fingers began to form a seal. The creeping gray light that was consuming him faltered, then abruptly retreated and vanished altogether.

As the gray light dissipated, the black-robed man’s lips parted. A pure white light materialized between his brows, coalescing into a fan of snow-white feathers. With a flick of his wrist, he unfurled the fan.

A violent gale erupted, accompanied by the deafening roar of thunder. In moments, a tempest of wind and lightning was unleashed, surging directly towards Wang Lin.

Wang Lin remained unfazed. He raised his right hand and pointed towards the heavens. The Seal of Immortality, hovering behind him, ascended and crashed down towards the black-robed figure, a crushing weight of ancient power seeking to bind him.

At the same time, Wang Lin retreated. As the storm of lightning neared, the ancient thunder dragon that was his primordial spirit manifested between his brows, opening its jaws to swallow the tempest whole.

*BOOM!*

Thunder reverberated as Wang Lin retreated again. The entire storm of wind and lightning was consumed by his spirit, and as he returned it to his body, a flush crept onto his face. Tendrils of lightning danced across his skin, arcs of electricity crackling into the air.

The black-robed man’s expression was now one of grave concern. Above him, the Seal of Immortality descended like a divine judgment, threatening to crush him. Sounds of strain emanated from within the confines of his black robes. A touch of wild desperation twisted his features. He raised both skeletal hands, weaving an arcane sign and thrusting them upwards. He uttered a low, guttural incantation: “Uphold!”

At the instant the black-robed man raised his hands, the very fabric of space for miles around began to respond. Ethereal strands of energy, like invisible threads of smoke, streamed inward, drawn towards the man’s hands as if to a vortex. In an instant, they gathered, coalescing upon his skeletal hands.

His face contorted with the strain, the black-robed figure braced himself and heaved upward!

*BOOM!*

A cataclysmic roar echoed throughout the heavens. From afar, the members of the Immortal Chosen Clan, who had been hurrying toward the commotion, halted in their tracks. They trembled violently, as if struck by an invisible wave, and were forced backward. Those of weaker cultivation were instantly felled, blood streaming from their orifices.

The Seal of Immortality shuddered, its downward momentum momentarily checked.

The black-robed man’s face grew paler. Wang Lin, having barely stabilized himself, surged forward, drawing his Immortal sword. Without hesitation, he unleashed a devastating blow.

“The Severing of Karma!” The black-robed man’s eyes narrowed, and his gaze intensified into two beams of black light. As the force of the Severing of Karma approached, those beams erupted from his eyes, striking it head-on.

With a sound like the cracking of stone, the force of the Severing of Karma dissipated! “Is this all you have? You cannot even force me to move, not by an inch. If this is your true strength, then you are not worthy of possessing my master’s treasures!” The black-robed man’s voice was raspy, laced with a chilling contempt.

Wang Lin remained composed, his eyes locked onto the black-robed man. He raised his right hand to the sky and quietly intoned, “Release…the Seal!”

From the Seal of Immortality, a series of cracking sounds erupted. A beam of golden light burst forth, swiftly followed by another, and another. In an instant, countless golden rays cascaded from the seal, and the previously dimmed golden light swelled into a blinding radiance. It hung in the sky like a second sun.

An overwhelming pressure descended, an aura of boundless power. Across the surface of the Seal of Immortality, golden runes flickered into existence, an intricate web of ancient inscriptions numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

“Fall!” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with cold determination, and he unleashed the final command.
In a heartbeat, the Celestial Seal thundered down once more. This time, no mystical art, no barrier of power, could halt its descent. Its speed was breathtaking, as if the very heavens were collapsing.

The dark-clad figure’s face twisted in alarm. He raised his hands, roaring, “Ten Dragon Zenith!” A surge of dark light erupted from his brow, coalescing into ten spectral black dragons. Their tails remained tethered to his forehead, and as they soared into existence, the air filled with their echoing roars. The dragons, consumed by a primal fury, lunged towards the descending Celestial Seal, crashing against it in a frenzied assault.

* * *

The concussive booms reverberated through the world. The ten dragons, in their desperate fury, threw themselves against the Seal, but it remained unmoved. Each impact sent the beasts reeling, their bodies flung back with brutal force. Yet they persisted, their roars growing ever more frantic as they continued their relentless, futile barrage.

Still, the Seal descended, unyielding. It loomed a mere ten fathoms above the dark figure, and a chilling resolve settled upon his face. For the first time in countless ages, he rose to his feet. His black robes billowed, enshrouding his form entirely, save for his head, where dark hair swirled around a face illuminated by eyes that gleamed with glacial fire.

With a contemptuous snort, he darted forward, seeking to escape the Seal’s crushing path.

A killing intent flared in Wang Lin’s eyes. As the dark figure attempted to flee, he uttered a single, chilling word:

“HOLD!”

The golden radiance emanating from the Celestial Seal vanished in an instant, retracting into its core. The world plunged into a temporary darkness, but in that fleeting moment, a light even more dazzling than before erupted anew.

Runes of pure gold, countless and infinite, blazed across the surface of the Celestial Seal. They poured forth, spreading with impossible speed until they engulfed the land within a thousand fathoms.

The dark figure’s face darkened. He lifted a bony foot, ready to step away, but the encircling runes contracted with sudden ferocity, converging upon him.

In a blinding flash, the thousand fathoms of space became a cage of golden light. The runes, like celestial insects, swarmed upon the dark figure, binding him tighter and tighter. A flicker of terror ignited in his eyes. He looked up at the Celestial Seal, and as the runes constricted around him, a grim resolve hardened his gaze. The ten black dragons, still linked to his brow, roared in defiance. Black light pulsed within them, a destructive power building to a cataclysmic crescendo. The dark figure snarled, “Ten Dragon Void Shatter!”

One of the black dragons, saturated with the destructive power, shuddered violently. In a final, agonizing act, it tore itself apart, unleashing a maelstrom of pure force in a blinding explosion! The shockwave ripped through the air, momentarily pushing back the golden runes that imprisoned the dark figure. Before the energy could dissipate, another dragon detonated.

Then another, and another, until all ten dragons had consumed themselves in explosions of unimaginable power. The combined force obliterated the golden runes and even buffeted the Celestial Seal itself, forcing it to recoil slightly.

Wang Lin retreated swiftly, while Tasan abandoned his battle with a short sword and rushed to Wang Lin’s side. Spreading his gigantic arms wide, he used his two-fathom frame to absorb the brunt of the devastating shockwave.

The dark figure, his face ashen, stumbled free from the Seal’s oppressive presence. “Such power!” he hissed, his voice laced with grudging admiration. “Even in the Celestial Realm, this artifact would be a force to be reckoned with!” He rose into the air, ascending towards the shattered remnants of his dragons.

Tasan coughed up blood, his face paling. Stepping out from behind the giant, Wang Lin’s eyes burned with a ruthless intensity. Drawing his Celestial Sword, he became a streak of lightning, hurtling towards the retreating figure.

So swift was his assault that the dark figure barely registered his approach. As he drew closer, Wang Lin raised the Celestial Sword, unleashing ten rending strikes that merged into a single, devastating *Zhan Luo Jue*. The combined power of his sword, the mystical art of the rending strike, hurtled towards the enemy.

The dark figure continued his ascent, not even deigning to glance at his pursuer. With a flick of his bony hand, he summoned a wall of condensed Celestial Energy, a barrier meant to halt Wang Lin’s advance. “Such a weapon is wasted in your grasp! Better it serve a true immortal!”

Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed. Even as the *Zhan Luo Jue* flew towards the barrier, he raised his Celestial Sword once more, channeling the power of ten strikes into a second, even more potent attack. The two forces collided, and the wall of Celestial Energy shuddered. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, but it held. Then, the second *Zhan Luo Jue* struck.

The barrier shattered, and Wang Lin burst through the remnants, his momentum carrying him forward. With a final surge of speed, he flung his Celestial Sword ahead, crying out, “HOLD!”

The sword flew like a bolt of pure energy, streaking towards the dark figure. A frown creased his face, but the figure had reached the space above the Celestial Seal and reached out to seize the incoming blade with a bony hand.

But at that precise moment, Wang Lin’s word, “HOLD,” echoed with thunderous force.

The dark figure’s head remained untouched, but his hand faltered, freezing for a fraction of a second. In that briefest of delays, the Celestial Sword flashed past, severing the dark figure’s entire right arm! The limb disintegrated in a flash of bone dust, vanishing before Wang Lin’s eyes. The timing had been exquisitely calculated. Had the sword been any further away, the *Hold* spell would have been too fleeting to be effective.

But now…

The dark figure stood motionless, staring at the empty space where his arm had been. A look of incandescent rage twisted his features, and his eyes blazed with murderous intent.

“I have guarded this place for countless eons, slowly piecing myself back together until I finally possessed a complete skeleton! And you DARE to steal my right arm!” His voice was a guttural snarl. Forgetting the Celestial Seal, he turned and lunged directly at Wang Lin.
From the void, the obsidian-clad figure twisted in a silent scream, his face a grotesque mask of desperation unseen before. His remaining left arm, a skeletal branch against the inky black, rose. With two fingers, he formed a blade of pure will, and lunged towards Wang Lin, severing the very fabric of reality itself. A dark rift, spiderwebbing with crackling energy, tore open under his desperate assault.

**(Further adventures await! Seek the next page, brave reader, for a continuation of this epic tale!**

**(Should you find yourself enchanted by “Xian Ni,” remember to add it to your collection at novelonl.com, where the latest chapters unfurl with unparalleled speed!)**

Wang Lin’s eyes glinted with chilling resolve. He retreated a step, raising his right hand to the heavens. “Hark!” he roared, channeling his inner energies with desperate haste. He could ill afford the expenditure, yet a tempest of swirling darkness erupted above his outstretched hand. It expanded with terrifying speed, engulfing the chamber in a maelstrom of impenetrable night.

A biting cold radiated outwards as the black wind howled, driving inexorably towards the obsidian-clad warrior.

Disbelief etched itself upon the figure’s face, a shock more profound than even the sight of his adversary wielding the treasured artifact of his master.

“The Celestial Emperor’s Wind Call! You… who in the nine hells *are* you?!” the warrior shrieked, recoiling in terror. He knew the Wind Call all too well; it was a nightmare made manifest. He remembered, with agonizing clarity, the day he broke the Celestial Edicts. Though his master pleaded for mercy, the Emperor Bai Fan had nonetheless unleashed this very technique, declaring that should he withstand its fury, his life would be spared.

That Wind Call, summoned by the Celestial Emperor Bai Fan, had shattered his mortal shell. Flesh and bone had dissolved, leaving only the intervention of his master, the enigmatic Xiaoyao Zi, to salvage his skull.

He had been banished here by Xiaoyao Zi to guard the coffer, enduring eons of meditative penance within the grand array, a task that slowly purged the lingering Wind Call from his very soul, allowing a semblance of bone to reform.

Now, faced with this resurrected horror, he felt his spirit unravel. He retreated frantically, spitting forth a luminous object – a sapphire orb that instantly bathed the surroundings in an ethereal, cerulean light.

“Who are you to the Celestial Emperor Bai Fan?!” he howled again. The orb pulsed with protective energy, shielding him from the ravaging wind.

Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with murderous intent. He offered no reply, but surged forward, the black wind swirling around him. He moved as one with the tempest, his very being a conduit for its power. Reaching the warrior, he slammed his hand forward, unleashing the wind’s fury in a focused blast.

The obsidian-clad figure, pallid as death, stumbled back. The sapphire light flickered, growing dim, yet the warrior’s gaze hardened. With a guttural growl, he thrust his hands forward.

The sapphire orb began to spin, emitting waves of intense blue light, creating a vortex that greedily consumed the onrushing black wind.

“His Wind Call is weak, but I cannot allow even a whisper of it to touch me! It will awaken the remnants within! The Wind Call… a vile and insidious art. Once it takes root, it is nearly impossible to eradicate. And should it claim me again… the old wounds will rend me anew! Damnation, how can he wield the Wind Call?! I must rely on my master’s gift!” The warrior, his face a mask of grim determination, retreated behind the shimmering blue shield.

Wang Lin, relentless, reached into his storage satchel, producing the Godslayer chariot. It shimmered, then shapeshifted into a polychromatic butterfly.

The butterfly’s wings fluttered, dispersing a cloud of iridescent dust. Wang Lin channeled his energies, pointing toward the retreating warrior. The butterfly drifted forward, wings beating slowly.

As the dust reached him, the warrior stumbled, his face contorted in horror. With a sickening crack, the bone of his left arm crumbled to ash, forming a grey butterfly before him.

The grey butterfly flapped its wings once more.

The obsidian-clad figure, deathly pale, continued to retreat. His feet crumbled. His terror intensified as the butterfly prepared to beat its wings yet again. With a final, desperate scream, he detonated his lower body, the resulting force propelling him backward onto the array surrounding the coffer.

As his remaining body touched the array, tendrils of black miasma rose from the sanguine sigils, coiling around him, rapidly forming a spectral lower body.

The polychromatic butterfly fluttered its wings once more. The spectral body evaporated, leaving the warrior a limbless torso. Miasma surged from the array, once again forming a body.

The flow of miasma into the coffer ceased, instead rushing toward the warrior, solidifying his form, until it began to resemble flesh and blood.

Wang Lin lunged forward, summoning the Wind Call once more. The exertion of two Wind Calls in quick succession drained his reserves, leaving him pallid.

He knew he must kill the warrior to escape! The black wind whipped the dust into a frenzy, lashing at the array. The warrior frantically tried to retreat, when the polychromatic butterfly beat its singular left wing.

The spectrally formed flesh evaporated with a hiss, along with the warrior’s raiment.

Only the warrior’s severed head remained. In his eyes, terror reached its zenith.

“A violation of the very weave of the cosmos! An artifact of nullification!” the warrior shrieked, and desperately retreated as the black wind consumed his fading form.

Despair filled the warrior’s eyes. If only he had been at his full power, he could have resisted. If only he had flesh, he could have slain his foe before he could even raise the butterfly.
A chilling gust, not yet a true whirlwind, stirred the air, but it was enough to send a shiver of dread down the black-clad figure’s spine. “Were it not for Bai Fan’s cursed winds of old, I would not be so easily cowed by this fledgling power! I will not be undone!” Hate burned in his eyes. As the oppressive force of the unnatural wind threatened to engulf him, he hurled forth a desperate breath – the essence of his very soul.

This potent gust collided with the dark wind, erupting in a thunderous explosion. Seizing the fleeting opportunity, he recoiled, his gaze hardening with grim resolve. With gritted teeth, he retreated to the center of the ancient array, to a coffin of ebony wood. He whispered, “Master, forgive my broken vow. Faced with certain death, I have no choice but to open the vault!”

He lunged forward, slamming his head against the coffin lid. With a resounding crack, the ancient seal was broken. But as the lid creaked open, the body of the youth within crumbled to dust, dissolving as if exposed to an alien sun. The coffin lay empty.

A voice, echoing from a forgotten past, resonated within the black-clad figure’s skull. “Long Daozi, you transgressed against the Celestial Laws, and the Jade Emperor decreed your punishment. I could not save you, but I could preserve your soul, sealed within this ancient vessel. I have foreseen a great cataclysm descending upon the Celestial Realm. Your departure, in truth, may be a blessing.

“This coffin is a relic from the primordial lands, won at great peril. It is called the Havenwood Coffin. You must know that before I ascended, I bore a son in the mortal realm, to whom I owe an immeasurable debt. I have claimed a fragment of his soul, foregoing centuries of cultivation and every celestial opportunity, to find this coffin. Within, his essence can be restored, his mortal coil rebuilt. One day, he shall awaken.

“When he does, you must acknowledge him as your liege, swearing eternal fealty. Only then may you use the Havenwood Coffin to reclaim your own form and restore your lost power.”

The voice faded as the head of the black-clad figure plunged into the empty vessel.

“Master… forgive me…”

Long Daozi, the black-clad one, fixed his eyes with iron resolve. As his head slipped into the coffin, the lid slammed shut with unnatural speed, transforming into a shimmering shard of light that shot forth from the array, streaking across the horizon.

Wang Lin’s eyes widened, the spectacle searing itself into his memory. He had witnessed the youth within the coffin vanish at the moment of exposure. He had seen Long Daozi’s head enter the empty vessel, and watched as a body began to form with impossible speed.

“What manner of sorcery is this?” Wang Lin murmured. Without hesitation, he formed a hand seal, summoning the metamorphosis of his artifact, the Arrowgod Chariot. Now a shimmering butterfly, it landed beneath his feet, propelling him in pursuit. His left hand summoned the Seal of Immortal Binding, which, with a resounding whoosh, flew beside him, chasing after the rapidly receding coffin.

The hulking form of Tarsan blurred, becoming a shadow clinging to Wang Lin’s back, lending his strength to the chase.

Wang Lin’s gaze burned. “What arcane treasure is this, capable of conjuring flesh from the void!”

Inside the Havenwood Coffin, Long Daozi felt the nascent stirrings of a body materializing around him. The sensation of flesh and bone was intoxicating, a feeling lost to him for countless ages.

A cruel smile twisted his lips. “Master,” he hissed, “I, Long Daozi, guarded your son’s sanctuary for millennia without form. It seems all I needed was a moment’s rest within. Why did you deny me this, fearing I would abandon my duty once I had my body back? I felt remorse before. But now, Xiaoyaozi, I see the truth! For eons, I remained steadfast in my gratitude, never once considering tampering with your precious vault! How foolish I was!”

Within the confines of the coffin, Long Daozi clenched his fist, and his bones reverberated with a symphony of cracks. The sensation was exquisite. He could feel his power returning, surging back with unbelievable speed.

From the paltry strength he possessed at the battle with Wang Lin, a mere First Tier Celestial, he had risen to the Third Tier, the very threshold of Nirvana Peering.

“Xiaoyaozi, how cruelly you deceived me!” Murderous intent ignited in Long Daozi’s eyes, and his power continued to climb, reaching the Sixth Tier of the Celestial Realm. Still it did not halt.

As Wang Lin pressed on with his pursuit, a flicker of alarm touched his face. He could sense the vast wellspring of power coalescing within the coffin ahead, growing stronger with each passing moment! “What cursed artifact is this?” he gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Long Daozi grinned, unleashing his Celestial essence. In an instant, he ascended to the Ninth Tier of the Celestial Realm, the apex of his former glory! But he had not reached the summit. With a final, cataclysmic surge, he shattered the boundaries of Celestial existence, ushering in an unforeseen transformation. His eyes blazed with a light that pierced the coffin, bathing the realm in its unholy glow.

His power had transcended the Celestial and achieved immortality, reaching the lofty domain of the Immortal King! “A Third Tier Immortal King! You were but a Ninth Tier Immortal King, Xiaoyaozi. Now I, Long Daozi, stand as your equal. I will slay this wretched Ascendant, claim his artifacts, and vanish from your sight. The world is vast. You shall never find me!” With a triumphant roar, Long Daozi slammed his hand against the coffin lid. It shattered, sending fragments scattering like shattered dreams, and Long Daozi burst forth.

Wang Lin halted, his expression grim. He hesitated, ready to retreat, when his gaze locked onto the spectacle before him.

Long Daozi, bathed in otherworldly light, hovered in the air, his victorious laughter echoing through the hills. A maelstrom of raw power emanated from his form, weaker than that of the Blood Ancestor but still terrifyingly strong.

An overwhelming storm of Celestial energy roiled outward, and at its very epicenter stood Long Daozi.
“Insolent whelp! Prepare to meet your doom!” Dragon Daozi roared, a mad glint in his eyes as he lunged forward. But in that very instant, fate twisted with cruel irony. The moment his feet left the ground, they vanished, swallowed by some unseen force. A look of horror stretched his features as he watched his legs, then his torso, his arms, all crumble into nothingness like dust scattered by a vengeful wind.

*(A whispered spell, barely audible, seemed to carry on the wind: *“This chapter’s end, but the tale unfolds…”)*

This gruesome spectacle mirrored the ghastly demise of the youth within the coffin he had foolishly opened.

“How… how can this be? Impossible!” Dragon Daozi stood frozen, a statue carved from despair. He glanced down, but his own flesh was gone, lost to the ether. Even his head, once filled with ambition and malice, began to dissolve, fracturing into countless shards destined to disappear into the void.

“Why is this happening… Master, why?!” Terror seized Dragon Daozi, driving him to the brink of madness. His voice, a ragged shriek, echoed through the emptiness.

“Master! For countless ages, I have guarded your slumber! Why do you now seek to destroy me?! You swore that even a fragment of your soul within the Coffin of Heavenly Avoidance could be made whole! Yet, when I reformed my body within, it crumbled! Why?!” Dragon Daozi lifted his fading face to the heavens, a desperate plea escaping his lips.

“Xioayaozi, had I not braved celestial law to secure the secrets of this Coffin, you would remain lost! Is this my reward?! And what of your promise that after your awakening, your body would recuperate within this coffin? Was that a lie? Did you plan for my demise?” The remnants of Dragon Daozi’s head continued to dissolve, his very soul withering along with his body.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…

Yet, a potent residue of hatred and resentment remained lingering in the void. It was the accumulation of eons, forged within the crucible of Dragon Daozi’s existence from before the collapse of the Immortal Realm, an implacable force unleashed at the moment of his annihilation.

The strength of this hatred defied comprehension. Unchecked, it would linger for all eternity, perhaps even coalescing into a new entity born of bitterness and despair.

Wang Lin witnessed this tragedy unfold. After a moment of somber contemplation, he raised his right hand to the heavens, uttering a soft incantation: “Dao Transform, Underworld River.”

A river of the Underworld materialized, shimmering with an ethereal light. The swirling resentment, as if guided to its natural harbor, surged towards it, merging with the already present currents of bitterness. The River grew and swelled in power.

Within the span of an incense stick, the last vestiges of Dragon Daozi’s hatred had been consumed. The River of the Underworld vanished as Wang Lin turned away.

The Coffin of Heavenly Avoidance remained, held within Wang Lin’s ethereal grasp. His gaze was pensive, his eyes scrutinizing every mark on the dark wood.

“This artifact possesses the ability to nourish a soul, to allow it to reconstruct a corporeal form, yet the occupant can never leave. To emerge from it is to court annihilation…Unless perhaps… the methods used were flawed. What if there is another way?.” After pondering in silence, Wang Lin stored the coffin, a sigh escaping his lips as he moved away.

At the moment of understanding the significance of the coffin, Wang Lin was reminded of Li Muwan.

“Donglin Star! With my current strength, I should be able to investigate!” A spark of resolve ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes. Beyond escaping the pursuit of Tian Yunzi, his primary goal in entering this perilous realm was to find the Xiang Clan of Donglin Star and to discover a means to restore Li Muwan.

Wang Lin would never forget the moment when the woman within the painting revealed that there was a possible way of awaking Li Muwan from her slumber; it filled him with a great emotion, that he had not ever felt before.

In that instant, a wave of determination coursed through him, causing his very soul to tremble. The only thought was that he would be going to Donglin Star to face the Xiang Clan. He vowed that regardless of the trials ahead, regardless of the inherent dangers, he would not falter. Some fates, like the tides of destiny, are beyond control, and even if the Heavens themselves were to fall, he would pursue this path with unyielding resolve.

Deep within the Western Territory of Luo Tian, in a region known as the ‘Abandoned Domain’, few dared to tread. It was a blighted land shrouded in perpetual twilight, where grey mists obscured the horizon.

Only the swirling fog, in its slow, eternal dance, hinted at the unknown horrors that lay within. Silence reigned supreme, a suffocating blanket of quiet that swallowed all sound. This forsaken realm was engulfed by an endless veil of mist, possessing no visible boundaries.

Then one day, the mists began to stir. A subtle tremor at first, but it rapidly escalated into a violent upheaval. The fog churned and writhed as if a monstrous leviathan thrashed within its depths. From above, it would have been revealed that the mists, within tens of thousands of miles, swirled in a vortex.

As the mists parted, a colossal being, reminiscent of a whale but of impossible proportions, became dimly visible. It was of such vast scale that, even upon a cursory glance, it appeared to span tens of thousands of miles in length.

With each movement, the grey mists billowed and roiled in its wake.

Upon its colossal head, where eyes should have been, there was only a gaping maw. As it opened, a dense cloud of grey mist spewed forth.

Within the cavernous mouth, a formation shimmered with arcane energies. From this portal, a figure emerged, followed by others.

Leading the procession was a young man clad in simple green robes. Yet, despite his youthful appearance, an unfathomable age seemed to cling to him, as if an ancient soul resided within a young vessel.

Wang Lin’s eyes widened with recognition. The instant he stepped from the formation, a surge of energy propelled him forward through the swirling mists. Behind him, the members of the Immortal Chosen Clan followed, their faces etched with confusion and a primal fear of the unknown.

Driven by the swirling vapors, Wang Lin turned back. He caught sight of the immense beast.

“As Tu Si once spoke to of in his memories of the Youming beast…an entity from the age of the Ancient Gods. This creature, it seems, lacks all aggression; it is said to be possessed of a timid heart. Yet, within its gargantuan form lies another world, vast and unfathomable, far surpassing the boundaries of its own flesh.”

“To think, a creature from the days of Tu Si has managed to survive until this day.”
Wang Lin gazed upon the Gloombeast, a sigh escaping his lips, unseen, unheard.

The creature, as if sensing his presence, slowly closed its maw. It retreated, measuredly, vanishing into the swirling mists. Soon, naught remained of the beast but the roiling fog, a testament to its passage.

Wang Lin, absent for nigh half a great harvest cycle, once more graced the Starfield of Luo Tian with his presence. Yet, during his departure, two events, earth-shattering and spine-chilling, had unfolded. Tidings that had shaken every cultivator to their very core! And one of these momentous occurrences, like a poisoned arrow, pointed directly towards Wang Lin himself!