If your endeavor proves successful, I shall impart unto you the mystical arts of Rain of Illusions and Bean Soldier Transmutation. Should you fail, know that these enchantments are not destined for you. My intervention here serves but to repay a sliver of the fate you share with the Whirlwind Sage, your mentor. Fare thee well, and make wise choices!” Qing Shui regarded Wang Lin a moment, then, with a touch of hesitation, raised his hand and with a flick of his fingers, summoned a single, crystalline droplet of frozen rain. It hovered before Wang Lin. “Within this trinket lies the essence of three Rain Summoning incantations, a safeguard against peril!”

Qing Shui turned, his form dissolving into the ether, receding into the void. As he faded from view, a deeper melancholy clouded his gaze. He murmured, “This man surpasses even my venerable master in strength. Yet, an uncanny familiarity clings to him. I am certain I have crossed paths with him before!”

Wang Lin watched Qing Shui’s departure, his thoughts a tempest within. Bowing deeply in the direction the immortal had vanished, he grasped the droplet of frozen rain. With a shift, he vanished, melting into the very fabric of existence. “That being… he must tread the Third Step. That such a master walks the Roaming Heavens Starfield…” Wang Lin, now one with the world around him, set his course towards the Li Clan, a flicker of purpose ignited within his soul.

“I wonder, do similar titans stalk the Star Alliance Domain? This one’s power is so immense, even the Shattered Nirvana realm could offer no resistance.” As Wang Lin threaded the starry expanse, his eyes gleamed with newfound resolve.

“However, within the Heavenly Opposition Pearl, I glimpsed the path to the Third Step. One day…” The fire in Wang Lin’s eyes blazed brighter. He surged forward, again merging with the universe around him, and traversed the stars in bounds that defied distance.

In a remote quadrant of the Roaming Heavens Southern Domain lay a solitary cultivation star, known as Ruin. Ages past, its name had echoed through the land, not merely in the Southern Domain, but throughout the entirety of the Roaming Heavens Starfield!

The Li Clan, inheritors of ancient, powerful seals, were masters of the Ruin Seal. Their power had once been legendary, their name a beacon in the Roaming Heavens. But countless years brought decline, and the secrets of the Ruin Seal were scattered. The Li Clan slowly toppled from their lofty perch.

By now, only faded memories remained of their glory, shrouded in the dust of ages, their brilliance dimmed.

As the Li Clan dwindled, even those memories grew fainter, as if fading from existence entirely.

The Ruin Star lay desolate, shunned by cultivators. Only the warding arrays woven by the Li Clan throughout the ages preserved it from utter oblivion.

Within the ancestral halls of the Li Clan on this forsaken world, Li Wu, a shadow of his former self, stared blankly into the distance. The events of the Thunder Immortal Realm were fresh in his mind, and he was filled with gratitude towards Xu Mu, especially for his final act: sending Li Wu away while facing the threat himself.

“Brother Xu… the Yao Clan’s pursuit of you is not something I, Li Wu, can aid in, but my heart yearns to help! ” Li Wu’s voice was laced with bitterness. He longed to help, but his own meager cultivation was nothing against the might of the Yao Clan. His intervention would only be a burden.

With a sigh, Li Wu rose and stepped outside, his gaze drawn to the sky. Visions of the Thunder Immortal Realm swirled in his thoughts. “Brother Xu, were you to arrive, I would offer you the secrets of the Ruin Heart Seal without reservation!” He whispered, suddenly tensing as he gazed at the heavens. A moment later, his eyes widened with surprise.

In the sky, a ripple appeared, spreading outward like a disturbance in a still pool. The air itself seemed to shimmer, as if it were liquid.

From within these ripples, Wang Lin stepped forth. He hung in the air, his eyes immediately finding Li Wu on the ground below. A subtle smile touched his lips as he descended.

Within the ancestral shrine of the Li Clan, Wang Lin and Li Wu sat cross-legged in a pool of ink-black water, so frigid that it bit at the bone. The water churned slowly, forming a delicate vortex around them.

The vortex was faint, yet as it spun, subtle ripples spread through the pool. Li Wu’s eyes were closed, and a dark aura coalesced between his brows. As it dispersed, it formed tendrils of black light that seeped down his body and into the water.

Upon touching the water, the tendrils surged like dragons unleashed into the sea, roiling and creating even larger ripples across the surface.

Wang Lin sat opposite Li Wu. They had been immersed in this ritual for three days. Wang Lin, upon arriving at Ruin Star and exchanging greetings with Li Wu, was invited to this place to inherit the Ruin Heart Seal.

The Ruin Seal’s true power can only be unlocked by mastering the Heart Seal, and its secrets can only be transferred within the Li Clan’s ancestral shrine, or the inheritance is impossible.

The dark tendrils flowing from Li Wu’s brow into the water writhed, then dissolved, becoming one with the pool. At the same time, the black water rose around Wang Lin, creeping up his body until it gathered at his brow, there it solidified.

Time crawled by. Weariness etched itself on Li Wu’s face. Among his clan, the Heart Seal was passed down only in the moments before death, bestowed upon a chosen successor.

Yet now, to repay a debt, he unhesitatingly relinquished half of the Heart Seal within his body to Wang Lin! By the fifth day, Li Wu looked decades older. The dark light between his brows had dimmed, with a great portion of it forming the tendrils that flowed into the pool. Within the pool, the vortex intensified, spinning ever faster, drawing closer to resembling a tempest. With a weary sigh, Li Wu emerged from the pool, sat down cross-legged, and looked upon Wang Lin, his voice faint as he murmured, “Brother Xu, your kindness is repaid!”

He closed his bloodshot eyes, a deep exhaustion permeating his being. To repay this debt, he had sacrificed too much, relinquishing a large part of his Heart Seal, and diminishing his control over its power.

Wang Lin sat within the pool, the vortex growing ever more ferocious. On the sixth day, the vortex became a true tempest, the rising waters engulfing Wang Lin, the chilling aura spreading outward, frost forming on the surrounding surfaces, in some places even turning to ice.

Within the swirling black water, tendrils of darkness fused with Wang Lin’s brow, weaving complex patterns, layering and imprinting themselves quickly.
A profound transformation enveloped Wang Lin. It was as if he had stepped through a veil into a realm of utter strangeness. Within the crucible of his mind, the secrets of the Shattered Doom surged forth, each principle and tenet of its intricate weave illuminated. He weighed them against the禁制 (Jìnzhì) he had already mastered, comparing, contrasting, and ultimately, forging them into a unified whole.

The arcane mysteries of array formations and wardings were now etched upon his very being, the sinuous black lines burning deep within his consciousness, sharpening his understanding with each passing moment.

On the ninth day, his eyes snapped open, their depths now holding a knowing spark. The swirling vortex of black water that had surrounded him shattered with a thunderous boom, erupting outward in a violent cascade, unleashing a wave of frigid air so intense it threatened to freeze the very bones.

A peculiar light shone within Wang Lin’s eyes, a kaleidoscopic dance of countless禁制 (Jìnzhì) flickering within their depths. They seemed capable of piercing the veil of reality, seeing through the intricate wards and barriers that held the fabric of existence together.

He raised his right hand, extending a single, decisive finger. The scattered fragments of black water, still recoiling from their disrupted confinement, trembled and coalesced, drawn back to their master. They swirled and fused within his palm, solidifying into a single, obsidian sphere.

The dark orb pulsed with an unsettling light, radiating an aura of chilling dread that cast the ancient shrine in an ominous gloom. Wang Lin closed his eyes, focusing his mind upon the sphere. After a moment, he abruptly opened them and slapped his storage bag. A cloud of earth erupted forth.

This was no ordinary soil. It was the blessed earth he had gathered in the Thunder Immortal Realm, guided by the wisdom of Li Yuan. With a flick of Wang Lin’s left hand, the earth merged with the ebony sphere.

Slowly, inexorably, the sphere began to solidify. Wang Lin unleashed a torrent of Yuanling Qi, a vital breath of his very soul, against the sphere. The sphere flared with a surge of black energy, but under Wang Lin’s watchful gaze, it began to shrink and warp, its form changing until it had transformed into a meticulously crafted, octagonal compass!

“Each inheritor of the Shattered Doom Heart禁制 (Jìnzhì) must possess their own Heart禁制 (Jìnzhì) Compass. Congratulations, Brother Xu!” Li Yuan, his eyes weary but bright with genuine joy, spoke from the side. There was no hint of deception in his gaze. The compass in Wang Lin’s hand pulsed with a soft light before merging with his very being, vanishing into the space between his eyebrows. In a single stride, Wang Lin stood before Li Yuan, clasping his hands in a respectful bow. “Brother Li, I thank you!”

Li Yuan smiled and shook his head. “Brother Xu, there is no need. You have aided my family, and this was my duty! What are your plans now?”

Wang Lin’s brow furrowed. He had arrived at Shattered Doom Star several days prior, and during his reunion with Li Yuan, he had learned much, including the unsettling moniker of ‘Devil Dao Child’ that clung to him.

Remembering Li Yuan’s tale of the Thunder Immortal Hall’s contest, a brutal free-for-all for the title of the One Hundred and Eight Immortals across the Four Great Star Domains, Wang Lin made his decision.

It was not just for the sake of the two Grand Immortal Spells promised by Qing Shui, but more importantly, for the promise of the Xiang Family of the Eastern Immolation Star! To be amongst the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars Celestial would grant him an unwavering oath from the Thunder Immortal Hall and two ancient Cultivation families! His eyes blazing with determination, Wang Lin asked, “Brother Li, would you have any interest in vying for a spot among the One Hundred and Eight Immortals?”

Li Yuan fell into a long silence. After what seemed like an eternity, he offered a wry smile. “With my current cultivation, I would be but a footnote. I intend to enter secluded meditation, striving to break through to the Yin Void Realm!” The resolve in his voice and eyes was absolute. For his family, for their chance to reclaim their former glory, he was willing to stake everything on his own advancement.

Wang Lin nodded. “With your talents, Brother Li, it is only a matter of time.” He paused, then tapped his storage bag, retrieving a jade slip. Focusing his mind, he engraved the essence of the Thunder Essence Spell within it. “Brother Li, this slip contains a cultivation technique. Practiced with caution, it may greatly increase your chances of breaking through!”

Li Yuan accepted the slip, his eyes widening as he studied its contents. Although the Li family had once boasted an ancient lineage, much of their knowledge had been lost to the ravages of time. Beyond the Shattered Doom Heart禁制 (Jìnzhì), they were little more than a common Cultivation family.

A Thunder Immortal Hall technique like the Thunder Essence Spell, while perhaps not priceless, was undeniably rare and valuable in his eyes. He nodded slowly. “Brother Xu, words of gratitude are meaningless between us. If I should achieve my breakthrough, I will seek you out, and together we shall roam the stars as we did in the Thunder Immortal Realm! It would be a glorious thing!”

A smile graced Wang Lin’s lips. “Farewell, Brother Li!” With those words, he stepped forward, the void rippling beneath his feet. He vanished within the shifting energies, disappearing without a trace.