“Since you know me not, then vanish into the void!” The maiden in cerulean silk lowered her left hand, the complex emotions swirling within her gaze slowly fading away.

Wang Lin’s pupils constricted. A wave of oppressive power descended from the heavens, immediately hindering the flow of essence within his very core.

The black whirlwind surrounding him howled. From its depths, two shadowy dragons surged forth, roaring towards the lotus leaf descending from the skies. Their spectral forms pulsed with a chilling wind.

Yet, the lotus leaf continued its descent without pause. The void beneath Wang Lin cracked and splintered further, spewing forth icy gales. In that instant, the two black dragons, empowered by their winds, collided head-on with the leaf.

A deafening roar shattered the air. One dragon shuddered, its form collapsing, reduced to countless wisps of black vapor. The other, howling in defiance, unleashed a torrent of spectral wind upon the lotus leaf. Yet, its power proved futile, absorbed entirely by the leaf, which now glowed with a faint verdant light.

As this verdant hue spread, the oppressive power intensified! Even the swirling black wind faltered, then shattered beneath the leaf’s crushing weight, dispersing into a myriad of black mists across the heavens.

“What manner of arcane artifact is this?!” Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with a fierce light. He extended his arms, and uttered a low incantation, “Summon Rain!”

This was the first time Wang Lin had truly and completely unleashed the second art of the Immortal Emperor Bai Fan! As the words “Summon Rain” echoed forth, the celestial essence of the world seemed seized by unseen hands, gathering with mad frenzy.

A shimmering, diaphanous film of water materialized around Wang Lin. With a flourish of his outstretched arms, the surrounding black mists, as if infused with new life, coalesced into a vortex that spun violently around him.

Within the swirling darkness, droplets of water materialized, infused with the gathered celestial essence. Each drop pulsed with immense power! Moreover, within the vortex, a trace of immortal aura lingered, transforming Wang Lin into a figure of celestial grandeur! Arms outstretched, he floated in the star-strewn expanse, a hundred-foot vortex whirling around him. Water droplets condensed and drifted, emanating a crystalline light, painting a scene of ethereal beauty.

In that breath, Wang Lin thrust his hands forward. The surrounding vortex trembled, reversing its spin with a deafening roar, ascending furiously towards the heavens! It was as though a hundred-foot maelstrom was tearing itself from the very earth, yearning to touch the sky! The booming sound reverberated as the vortex rose, engulfing Wang Lin within its embrace, allowing but a glimpse of his form.

As the vortex ascended, the ten thousand droplets of water within surged forth. Each one howled with power, as if the earth had become the sky, rain erupting from the ground, destined to die at the end of all things! Lightning flashed within Wang Lin’s eyes, yet he restrained himself, unwilling to reveal his true power in this place. The vortex soared, the ten thousand raindrops hurtling towards the descending lotus leaf.

The vortex struck first, its sweeping force causing the leaf to tremble. Then, the ten thousand raindrops unleashed their fury, a constant barrage of explosions echoing in the void. The leaf, wracked by the assault, crumbled! The resulting shockwave, swept away by the ten thousand raindrops and the vortex wind, dispersed in all directions. Wang Lin felt the oppressive power recede. He strode forward, casting a hand seal, and pointed towards the maiden in cerulean silk.

The vortex and the rain, born of his “Summon Rain” technique, swept forward, heading directly for her.

But then, from afar, the Black Fiend Demon Lord, who had been battling Xue Shen and the blood-man formed from the Luo Fu blood orb, faltered, retreating towards Wang Lin.

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. Without hesitation, he retreated. His attempt to slay the maiden was not borne of true malice, but a performance, to show that he, Xu Mu, had given his all in this battle.

Moreover, with his previous contributions, any transgression could be overlooked.

As he retreated, the maiden in cerulean silk’s eyes narrowed. She pointed her right hand, bearing the seven-leaf lotus dais, forward. A phantom lotus blossomed before her, shielding her from the incoming “Summon Rain” technique.

She glanced at the battlefield, noting the disadvantage of the alliance. Yet, she remained calm. She knew the true battle had not yet begun, that this was merely a prelude! Raising her jade hand, she cast a spell, pointing towards the void and whispering, “Summon the Bone Prison Realm!”

As she spoke, a vast formation, spanning hundreds of *li*, materialized silently in the void before her! The formation inverted the starry sky, swirling rapidly, spreading waves of purplish-black miasma. In that instant, a purple iron chain plunged from the formation’s depths.

A Luo Tian cultivator, unable to avoid it, was struck by the chain. He screamed as his physical form collapsed, his spirit unable to escape, bound to the chain.

From afar, the cultivator’s spirit appeared fused to the iron, struggling desperately but unable to break free.

Another chain emerged from the formation, swaying as it fell. Soon, scores of chains swept the surrounding area.

Then, a muffled roar echoed from the depths of the formation. The sound was filled with pain, causing all who heard it to feel their very souls being torn apart.

In that instant, a figure emerged from the formation. A wave of putrid stench, the stench of rotting flesh, emanated from it, engulfing the surroundings. The figure stood ten *zhang* tall, its skin a mottled purplish-green. It was not alive, but a corpse! The corpse was bound in countless iron chains, the chains that had emerged from the formation, encircling its monstrous form.
These unholy constructs were no natural occurrence, but a gruesome tapestry woven from countless corpses, blasphemously bound together by forbidden sorcery. Within the annals of the Cultivation Alliance, they are known as Corpse Fiends, abominations forged in the hellscape of the Bone Prison from the ghastly tithes of the Corpse Shade Sect. Only eighteen such horrors have been wrought in the aeons since their creation, each imbued with a strength akin to a peak Void Gazer cultivator.

The first of these abominations lurched forth, its iron chains rattling like the death knell of a forgotten god. A chilling roar ripped from its throat, a sound that bypassed flesh and bone to strike directly at the soul. With each bellow, the Corpse Fiend charged into the fray, its chains becoming deadly flails, reaping a bloody harvest amongst the assembled cultivators. With each sweeping arc, a mournful wind howled, forcing many a valiant warrior to retreat in terror.

Then, a second Corpse Fiend emerged from the summoning array, its own horrifying roar adding to the cacophony of battle as it too lumbered into the bloody dance of war. As more of these creatures poured forth, the tide of battle shifted with horrifying speed. Most fearsome of all were the last three, their auras not of sickly violet or green, but of shimmering silver and gleaming gold!

The two silver-clad Fiends, one male and one female, retained a semblance of their former selves, their expressions blank and vacant but their forms near human. They were clad in simple silver raiment and bore only two chains apiece, coiled around their bodies like morbid ornaments. As they stepped forth, a wave of nascent Tribulant power surged outwards, washing over the battlefield.

But the final Fiend defied description as merely a corpse. He was a regal figure, a middle-aged man adorned in the dragon robes of an emperor and crowned with a high, ornate diadem. No chains bound him; instead, five yellow talismans spiraled above his crown, crackling with arcs of lightning that bound them in a macabre halo. The power of the Five Elements pulsed from him, an aura that struck a chord of recognition within Wang Lin, reminding him of the enigmatic Red Butterfly.

“A Five Elements Spirit Body!” Wang Lin muttered, retreating with renewed urgency. He knew his own cultivation was but a flicker in the face of such a monumental conflict. He had come seeking only self-preservation, seeking opportunity where it presented itself, but willing to retreat to safety if the tides turned against him.

“I wonder where Senior Brother Clear Water is amidst this chaos. He must surely be nearby!” Wang Lin thought as he edged backwards. But the azure-robed woman had marked him as prey. With a flick of her wrist, she commanded an ordinary Corpse Fiend to pursue him, its eyes fixated on Wang Lin with a chilling, unwavering stare.

Wang Lin’s expression darkened. A mid-Void Gazer opponent he could overcome with his physical strength and array of techniques. But a late-stage Void Gazer presented a far greater challenge, demanding a full unleashing of his power, a perilous gamble with so many unknown variables at play. To expose all his cards now, to risk injury, would be foolish indeed, potentially leading to a far more dangerous predicament.

Wang Lin’s true aim was to slip through the cracks, to exploit the chaos and find a way to enter the body of the sealed Wang Moon, to seize the ancient godling’s legacy of strength.

As he retreated, the Corpse Fiend howled in pursuit, its chains lashing out, carving a path of destruction as it relentlessly closed the distance. Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed, but he held his nerve. Just as the chains were about to strike, he took a step back, colliding with the black shell that imprisoned Wang Moon. As his body made contact, Wang Lin released a sliver of his Ancient God essence, allowing it to seep into the shell.

In that instant, the dormant Wang Moon stirred, instinctively recognizing the familiar aura of a kindred spirit. A surge of primordial rage coursed through it, shaking its prison to its very foundations. The greater the Ancient God’s fury, the more terrifying its power became! The black shell began to tremble and groan, cracks forming across its surface as an unimaginable force surged from within. And then, with a deafening roar, the shell shattered! From the heart of the destruction, a colossal, rough-hewn finger of ancient godflesh burst forth!