A lament, echoing with sorrow, resonated through the Void, finding its way to Wang Lin’s ears. In that instant, a tremor ran through his soul, a resonance of understanding blooming within him. Luo Chen, throughout his life, dared to defy the very Heavens, fearless before all creation. Yet, even he could not escape the twist of his own fate: Wang Yue. Consumed by Wang Yue, robbed of the greater part of his Ancient God power, he had been reduced from the peak of eight stars to a mere babe. This fate, unyielding, had imprisoned him within Wang Yue for countless ages, a wretched existence neither man nor beast. The pride of an Ancient God, enduring such humiliation, bled into his mournful cry with an endless desolation.

For the Ancient Gods, the pinnacle race of existence, possessed a pride that knew no equal, tolerating not even a shadow of disrespect. So it was with Tu Si, and so it was with Luo Chen.

Wang Lin stood in solemn silence, a wave of indescribable grief washing over him, yet his eyes held a light of respect. He honored the Ancient God Luo Chen! A howling wind now arose in the Void as two points of starlight, the essence of Ancient Gods, hurtled towards him. With incredible speed, they reached Wang Lin, and as he grasped them in his hand, the Ancient God stars merged into his being.

At that very moment, an unimaginable surge of Ancient God power exploded within Wang Lin’s core.

So vast was this power that his body began to convulse and groan, expanding tenfold, reaching a height of three hundred zhang! Veins bulged across his skin, and searing pain pierced him from within, as though a force sought to tear him asunder. With a guttural roar born of agony, Wang Lin unleashed a blast of sound into the Void. That roar, laced with the power of the Ancient God royal bloodline, birthed a sonic boom that thundered outwards, instantly halting the crystalline hand that reached for him.

Wang Lin could feel it distinctly: with the infusion of Luo Chen’s two Ancient God stars, a tempest had erupted within his body. A torrent of Ancient God power surged through him, flooding every corner of his being.

Such concentrated power was akin to Wang Lin himself absorbing the essence of countless stars for millennia. His very form threatened to shatter under the relentless onslaught.

The tearing sensation drove him to the brink of madness. Savage howls erupted from his throat, a primal urge to release the building pressure, fueled by a surge of bestial fury. Upon his brow, the star points spun with dizzying speed, their number blurring beyond recognition. With another earth-shaking roar, Wang Lin took a mighty stride forward and unleashed a furious blow.

His fist struck, creating a cataclysmic wave. The Void before him recoiled as though ripped asunder, giving birth to a tempest of force that swept outwards with thunderous might.

The crystalline hand, momentarily stunned, was caught squarely within the path of Wang Lin’s rage-fueled attack. With a deafening crash that shook the foundations of existence, his fist collided with the crystalline hand.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!* The unending barrage of strikes unleashed a torrent of chaotic energy that exploded outwards, consuming all in its path with devastating force. The crystalline hand was forced to retreat, overwhelmed by the assault.

Wang Lin faltered for a moment, stumbling back a few paces. His eyes gradually stilled, the pain within him subsiding, replaced by a sensation of profound liberation. He clenched his fist, as though grasping the very world in his hand!

Nearby, Qing Shui was spared from the crystal hand’s grasp, but his expression was twisted in confusion. He stared blankly towards the net outside, a battle of emotions raging within his eyes. A flicker of bewilderment quickly mixed with a growing sense of torment. It was as though a veiled memory was forcibly unearthed at the sight of what played out before him.

The shimmering net in the Void contracted quickly as it began to completely reseal. Upon the other side of the net, the old man’s eyes gleamed with cold calculation as he fixed his gaze on Wang Lin’s massive form, especially the four swirling star points upon his brow, where a vortex had begun to form. Crystalline motes emanated from Wang Lin’s being, converging upon the vortex, causing waves of Ancient God power to spread outwards with increasing intensity.

Within the vortex, a single drop of black liquid flickered into existence! “A Royal Ancient God, truly!” The old man’s eyes flashed with brilliant light.

“A newly awakened five-star Royal Ancient God! Never would I have imagined that such a being would exist within this Sealed Realm. If the Council of Elders were to learn of this, a tempest would be unleashed! Fortunately, this one is only just awakening. Had he fully awakened and reached six stars, even I would have to yield before him!” The old man gasped, his eyes brimming with avarice.

“If I could absorb the power of this Royal Ancient God, I would secure my place within the Council of Elders!” A crescent moon mark upon the old man’s brow flickered to life. With gritted teeth, he formed a complex incantation. The crescent mark trembled, then phased out of reality, transforming into a spectral moon seal one zhang in size before him! “I am of the Moon Devourer Clan of the Ancient Immortal race! Today, I am faced with the greatest opportunity of my life! I will not allow him to escape!” The old man roared, the moon seal pulsing frantically as it hurtled towards its target with impossible speed.

Just as the shimmering net was on the verge of fully sealing, the moon seal burst forth, expanding in the Void to an enormous size in an instant, becoming nearly as large as Wang Lin himself.

“Moon Immortal Devours God!” The old man’s face contorted as veins rose across his brow and converged upon the moon seal, giving him a truly terrifying appearance.

As the words left his mouth, the moon seal surged towards Wang Lin, shimmering with an unearthly light. The seal transformed into a gaping, crescent moon maw, intent on devouring Wang Lin whole.

From within the maw, an endless torrent of suction emanated. This suction, an eerie, insidious force, spread outwards, transforming into countless threads that sought to burrow into Wang Lin’s body.

The moon maw reached Wang Lin in an instant, offering no chance for resistance. Engulfing him in its insatiable hunger, it vanished, taking Wang Lin with it.

The Void was once more empty, save for the moon seal, which sped away under the gleeful gaze of the old man.

Overjoyed, the old man let out a hearty chuckle. He had never imagined that such a twist of fate would befall him, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“By consuming this Royal Ancient God, I shall attain the strength to challenge the Council of Elders!” With another peal of laughter, the old man soared towards the shimmering net, his right hand reaching out to seize the retreating moon seal.

He could already envision himself, having absorbed the Royal Ancient God, reigning supreme within the Council of Elders, rising above all others within his sect! But in that very moment, the old man’s face twisted in disbelief, all thoughts of grandeur shattering before the spectacle unfolding before him.

From within the moon seal that had swallowed Wang Lin, a wave of unrestrained energy surged outwards. This energy was so overwhelming that the moon seal trembled violently, collapsing with a thunderous roar before reaching the barrier of the shimmering net! The moon seal shattered into countless fragments that spiraled outwards. The old man’s face paled instantly, and he spewed a mouthful of blood as his brow throbbed with agonizing pain. He was struck with a horror unlike any he had ever known. “Impossible!” he croaked.

The moon mark upon his brow split asunder in that instant, falling apart into two separate halves. The old man stumbled backwards, while the black-clad youth beside him gaped in dumbstruck confusion, unable to comprehend the sudden, drastic turn of events.

From within the shattered remnants of the illusionary moon seal, Wang Lin emerged. Upon his brow, five ancient stars rotated slowly, the power of a five-star Royal Ancient God radiating outwards.

But this was not the cause of the moon seal’s destruction, nor the reason for the old man’s grievous injury. Hovering above Wang Lin’s brow was a bead swirling with black and white colors! The Celestial Banishment Bead! In the instant that Wang Lin was swallowed by the moon seal, the Celestial Banishment Bead within him began to act of its own accord, freed from Wang Lin’s control. It burst forth from his brow in a burst of power.

As the Celestial Banishment Bead appeared, an indescribable force emanated from it, causing the moon seal that had devoured Wang Lin to crumple without resistance! The black and white colors of the Celestial Banishment Bead surged, transforming into two streams of energy that shot through the shimmering net, hurtling towards the old man.

The old man screamed in terror, recognizing the Celestial Banishment Bead as something that caused him unimaginable dread.

“You… You are…”

His soul quailing in horror, he retreated without a second thought, his eyes wide with terror that bordered on madness.

But he was too slow. The black and white energy passed unimpeded through the sealing net. As it broke through the barrier of the Sealed Realm, it exploded in size, rapidly closing the distance.

In an instant, the energy overtook him, overwhelming him completely. The old man’s body convulsed, his eyes consumed by fear. The frantic beat of his heart drowned out all other sounds.

The black and white energy swirled around him, forming a vortex before the old man. From within this vortex, a hand reached out, beckoning towards the severed crescent moon mark upon the old man’s brow! The broken moon mark was ripped from his flesh, its severed connections tearing free, causing the old man to howl in anguish. Sweat poured from his body, his veins swelling until they threatened to burst.