A chilling dread seized Yu Fei’s heart, for he perceived the unsettling aura of this Xu Mu. Though but an initiate of the Kṣāntika stage, his physical form possessed an unearthly fortitude, enduring even the strikes of enchanted artifacts forged from his own divided essence! This revelation sent tremors through his very soul.

But what truly shattered his composure was the reverberating roar that had utterly extinguished his four spectral avatars. Even Yu Fei himself felt the chilling touch of an insurmountable terror.

His spirit for battle utterly extinguished, he staggered back, spewing forth a torrent of crimson. In a desperate act, he dissolved his very being into the sanguinary pool, vanishing in a crimson streak towards the distant stars.

As he fled, the colossal stone slab upon which he had stood shattered with a deafening roar. A miasma of malevolent energy billowed forth, forming a chaotic tempest that spread in an attempt to impede the relentless pursuit of his foe.

Wang Lin’s gaze remained as frigid as the void itself. With a swift gesture, he commanded the heavens, unleashing a tempestuous gale that swept away the collapsing earth. His body, a vessel of unwavering purpose, followed in relentless pursuit.

Yu Fei’s speed was astounding. This blood-escape was a desperate gamble, a forfeiture of power for survival. Panic now his sole guide, he abandoned all caution, fleeing with reckless abandon.

But as he traversed countless leagues, the void before him shimmered, and Wang Lin stepped forth, his fist a harbinger of doom.

The blow landed, rending the fabric of space itself. The energies of heaven and earth spiraled in chaotic vortexes. Yu Fei coughed up blood, his crimson aura shattered, and he was forced from his ethereal refuge.

Driven to the brink, Yu Fei wove desperate incantations, and from his crown rose a beam of scarlet light. Thick and suffocating, it coalesced into a blade of ten fathoms, which, with a deafening shriek, lunged towards Wang Lin.

This was Yu Fei’s soul-bound artifact, a desperate measure born of utter desperation. His cultivation at the mid-Kṣāntika level barely sustained the expenditure. With trembling hands, he conjured a swirling mist of blood before him, from which a monstrous serpent of a hundred fathoms emerged, its jaws agape, ready to devour Wang Lin whole.

Even then, doubt gnawed at his heart. He desperately rummaged through his pouch, unleashing a torrent of enchanted trinkets that shimmered with arcane power. Spitting a globule of vital essence upon each, he roared, “Slay him!” The artifacts surged forth, a chaotic barrage aimed at Wang Lin. His face ashen, Yu Fei retreated without a backward glance.

Wang Lin’s expression remained a mask of cold indifference. As the crimson blade hurtled towards him, his form emanated a torrent of spirit energy. With terrifying speed, Wang Lin’s physical frame expanded, becoming a towering giant!

A sense of ancient wisdom radiated from his colossal form, along with a profound and overwhelming power. Stepping forward, he stood firm. The crimson blade struck true, but with a resounding clang, Wang Lin did not falter. Instead, the blade itself shattered.

Had Wang Lin remained in his separated state, he would not have dared face the soul-bound artifact of a mid-Kṣāntika cultivator. But now, with the union of avatar and true self, he could withstand its power. The potent energies that coursed through him dissolved the artifact’s power as it touched his skin.

Hardly had the crimson blade dissipated when the hundred-fathom serpent, a phantom of blood mist, lunged to devour him. Wang Lin, with a look of utter disdain, stepped forward, seizing the beast’s head in his mighty grasp. With a single squeeze, the serpent shattered into nothingness.

As he was about to discard the remnants, Wang Lin paused, sensing a nascent soul within the shattered form. Without hesitation, a vortex of the Yellow Springs materialized around him, and a surge of spectral energy erupted.

He tossed the remnants of the serpent into the Yellow Springs, then swept his hands forward. The oncoming barrage of enchanted artifacts shattered into fragments.

The destruction of his soul-bound artifact struck Yu Fei like a physical blow. His face turned deathly white, but with a surge of grim resolve, he clenched his teeth. Enduring the agonizing pain, he ripped off his own left arm. Blood gushed forth as he uttered a series of complex and arcane incantations. In an instant, his severed limb collapsed, forming an elliptical vortex-gate. Without hesitation, Yu Fei plunged through.

“Xu Mu,” he shrieked from the threshold, “Within the realm of slaughter, there remains one more Soul Sentinel besides myself! Though your physical form may be formidable, you will surely perish before his art!” With a final glare of hatred, Yu Fei vanished into the vortex.

Seeing Yu Fei’s escape, Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with icy malice. His philosophy was simple: leave me be, and I shall leave you be. But cross me, and you will meet your end! Yu Fei was already halfway through the vortex, which rapidly contracted, threatening to disappear into the void.

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with a chilling light. From within his being, the resonant tones of a great cauldron echoed, and a colossal artifact materialized, its form shimmering like phantom flames.

It was the Cauldron of the Ancient God. In his separated state, Wang Lin required the mark of Greed Wolf to wield it. But now, with the union of avatar and true self, its power was magnified tenfold!

“Transposition!” The ancient cauldron roared, and the rapidly closing vortex seemed to be held in place by invisible hands, drawn towards Wang Lin. Simultaneously, Wang Lin’s body hurtled forward with equal speed.

As they passed each other, Wang Lin formed a sword with his fingers, imbued with the severance incantation, the thunderous power of heaven and earth, and the dao of yin and yang. Combined with the raw might of the Ancient God and his power to shatter all, the focused energy pierced the shrinking vortex and plunged deep within.

The target lay within the League’s starry domain, in the realm of slaughter, home of the Soul Sentinels!
In that realm of obsidian spires, each a testament to some forgotten war against the very fabric of reality, a tear opened in the void. An elliptical vortex, swirling with energies unknown, pulsed into existence, its strange gravity a siren’s call to the hardened warriors of the Slaughter Domain.

From the heart of this swirling chaos, Yu Fei stumbled forth. His face was a pallid mask, his left arm weeping crimson. As he emerged, the vortex behind him convulsed, shrinking with unnatural speed, threatening to devour its own existence.

Relief washed over Yu Fei as he recognized the familiar, brutal landscape of the Slaughter Domain. He inhaled deeply, the metallic tang of blood and battle a comforting aroma, yet a shadow of lingering terror clung to him. He raised his gaze towards the tallest spire, about to speak.

But at that instant, an overwhelming aura of power erupted from the obsidian tower, a primal roar echoing through the land. “Yu Fei, get away from there!”

Simultaneously, a crimson streak shot from the spire, a blinding projectile hurtling towards Yu Fei. But it was too late.

Before the warning could fully register, before he could even take a step, a chilling, predatory energy ripped from the dwindling vortex behind him. The air crackled as the dwindling portal was pierced, rent asunder by some unseen force. Then, two spectral fingers, emanating a killing intent of unimaginable potency, emerged and struck Yu Fei squarely in the back.

“It’s Xu Mu!” Yu Fei gasped, spitting a torrent of blood. He was hurled forward with brutal force, his body wracked with explosions from within. Crimson mist erupted from every pore, and with a final, agonizing crack, he disintegrated. His very being, his soul, his essence, was obliterated, unable to escape the catastrophic implosion. Even his storage pouch shattered, scattering its contents, save for a single withered branch. In a flash, it vanished, snatched by the spectral fingers that still lingered in the dying vortex.

A wave of horrified gasps rippled through the Slaughter Domain. The crimson projectile that had raced from the spire veered towards the fading vortex, but the fingers had already retreated, the portal collapsing behind them.

A furious bellow echoed from the heart of the crimson streak, now taking the form of an ancient figure, his face a mask of rage framed by a cascade of blood-red hair. With a speed born of desperation, he thrust forth a gnarled, withered hand towards the dissolving void. A deafening crack resonated as his hand grasped at empty air, save for a splintered remnant of wood. “Xu Mu!!!” he roared, his voice shaking the very foundations of the Slaughter Domain.

Never in countless millennia had such an outrage been witnessed within their borders. One of their own, slain before their very eyes. This was not merely an attack, but a violation of their sacred territory, a stain upon their honor that demanded vengeance.

A chorus of enraged cries rose from every spire, figures cloaked in palpable killing intent materializing from the shadows. Their gaze was fixed upon the spot where Yu Fei had met his demise, a simmering silence gradually descending, a silence pregnant with unimaginable fury, a pressure building, waiting to erupt.

The crimson-haired elder took a deep, shuddering breath, his eyes burning with a chilling light. After a long, agonizing moment, he turned and vanished back into the obsidian tower. A cold voice echoed from within its depths, a pronouncement that would shake the foundations of the cosmos. “Hunt down… Xu Mu!”

Meanwhile, Wang Lin, having retracted his spectral fingers, slowly shrunk to his mortal form. His expression was cold, devoid of remorse. Once the deed was done, there was no turning back. To allow the enemy to escape was simply to postpone the inevitable. He had chosen to sever the root of the evil.

After a moment of contemplation, Wang Lin examined the splintered branch in his hand, then carefully stored it within his pouch. This prize, so carefully seized amidst the chaos of Yu Fei’s demise, would serve a vital purpose. “With this, I can ensure my safety in the Western Alliance!” He blurred out of existence.

He reappeared upon the back of Leiji, the colossal beast. The large-headed child was trembling, but visibly relaxed at Wang Lin’s return, his face filled with awed respect.

Ta Shan, wounded in his battle against Yu Fei’s astral projection, sat nearby in meditation, mending his injuries. Wang Lin sat atop Leiji’s back and calmly instructed, “Leiji, find me a desolate, secluded star within the Wildlands. I need to meditate.”

Leiji’s voice boomed, and with a surge of power, he vanished, leaving the Slaughter Domain far behind.