BOOOOOOM!
The sky trembled violently.
One after another, enormous bolts of lightning descended from the heavens, striking the western forest of Cang Yue City. Every time a bolt struck the ground, the earth shattered, and an enormous cloud of dust and debris rose into the air.
The forest had almost completely disappeared.
Trees that had once towered over the surrounding landscape had been reduced to ashes or frozen into enormous pillars of ice. The ground was covered with deep fissures, while the surrounding mountains trembled beneath the pressure of the two extraordinary auras.
In the middle of this devastation, two figures continued their battle.
The enormous Talismanic Wolf opened its mouth.
A terrifying fluctuation of energy began gathering between its jaws. The surrounding frost, spiritual energy, and even the icy power scattered throughout the atmosphere were drawn toward it.
The energy condensed into a tremendous attack.
Then—
BOOOOM!
A powerful beam of icy energy shot toward Yan Feng Luo.
His clothes had already become little more than torn fragments. Several parts of his crimson robes fluttered in the violent wind, and his fiery aura was constantly being suppressed by the wolf's overwhelming frost.
Yet his eyes remained fierce.
He spun the halberd in his hand.
The weapon drew a blazing circle through the air, and an enormous wave of fire erupted around its shaft.
CLANG—BOOOOM!
The icy attack collided with his rotating halberd.
A violent shockwave spread across the sky.
Yan Feng Luo was pushed backward several metres, but he managed to stabilize himself. His arms trembled slightly from the impact, and the flames around his body flickered.
He looked at the enormous wolf.
A fierce smile appeared on his face.
"I'm not that weak!"
His voice carried through the turbulent sky.
He tightened his grip on the halberd, raised it above his shoulder, and suddenly leapt toward the wolf.
The flames around his body surged.
The two powerful auras collided once again, sending another wave of destruction through the already devastated forest.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the frozen world, a completely different scene was unfolding.
Cold winds swept across the endless white landscape, carrying countless tiny ice particles. The sky was covered with pale clouds, and the enormous ice formations surrounding the ruined platform reflected a faint white light.
Three young men dressed in white robes were suspended in the air.
Their figures remained perfectly still, as though the violent winds had no effect on them.
Each possessed an extraordinary aura.
They were the three ancient warriors who had appeared after Lin Shuan activated the pillar.
At first, their attention had been directed toward the mysterious participant who had awakened the ancient structure.
They had expected an opponent of considerable cultivation.
After all, the pillar had been activated, and the second part of the Sky Dragon Smash Technique had emerged.
Such an occurrence was not something that happened casually.
However, when their gazes finally settled upon the figure standing on the platform, their expressions became somewhat strange.
A young man.
He wore white clothes, and a mask concealed most of his face.
His cultivation aura was not particularly impressive.
In fact, compared with the three figures suspended above him, it appeared exceptionally weak.
The three ancient warriors exchanged glances.
One of them finally moved.
He took a step forward while remaining suspended in the air. His gaze settled upon Lin Shuan.
"You, the young man wearing the mask…"
His voice was calm but carried an unmistakable authority.
"Were you the one who demonstrated his power through the pillar just now?"
Lin Shuan immediately looked up.
The moment he heard the question, his expression brightened.
He had finally encountered the ancestors of the ancient Lin Clan.
Although he did not know exactly how they would react to him, he was genuinely excited to speak with them.
He clasped his hands respectfully.
"Yes, Ancestor! It was me. I am Lin Shuan."
The first ancestor examined him.
A powerful consciousness swept across Lin Shuan's body, carefully investigating his cultivation, physical condition, and spiritual energy.
His expression gradually changed.
The young man standing before him was only a Six-Star Meridian Tracer.
The ancestor's brows drew together.
He looked at Lin Shuan again, then spoke.
"You awakened the second part of the Sky Dragon Smash Technique. That means you already possess the first part…"
Lin Shuan lowered his head.
"Yes, Ancestor."
The first ancestor paused.
Something about the young man's repeated use of the word Ancestor seemed unusual.
He had heard it several times already, and each time Lin Shuan spoke it with complete sincerity.
However, before he could ask about that, another question came to his mind.
"The Sky Dragon Smash Technique is normally obtained by a warrior of the Lin Clan after reaching the Soul Spark Rank and participating in the clan's trial."
His gaze sharpened.
"But you have obtained it while remaining at the Meridian Tracer Rank. How?"
Lin Shuan answered honestly.
"My father gave it to me when I was at the Nine-Star Luo Initiate Rank."
Silence.
The three ancient warriors stared at him.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Even the first ancestor's expression changed.
The Sky Dragon Smash Technique was no ordinary inheritance. It had been created specifically for the powerful warriors of their clan, and its two parts were not casually handed to every descendant.
Yet Lin Shuan claimed that his father had given it to him when he was still at the Luo Initiate Rank.
The first ancestor finally asked:
"Who is your father? Is he an elder of the clan, or perhaps someone holding a high position?"
Lin Shuan looked at him.
"He was the patriarch before me."
The three ancestors stopped breathing for a moment.
"Patriarch?!"
Their voices overlapped.
The second ancestor immediately moved closer, examining Lin Shuan with greater suspicion.
But the statement made little sense to them.
As far as they remembered, their clan head had no child.
How could this young man claim to be the son of the former patriarch?
The second ancestor stepped forward.
"Are you making fun of us?"
His voice became stern.
"Let me tell you something. Our clan head does not have any children at present."
Lin Shuan did not appear surprised.
He had already realised that the three men belonged to an extremely ancient era. They were judging everything according to the circumstances of their own time.
It was entirely possible that the patriarch had not yet had a child when these three ancestors were alive.
He therefore did not argue.
However, the second ancestor continued speaking.
"You are strange, and you are mysterious. Are you trying to deceive us?"
His eyes swept over Lin Shuan's body.
"You are only a Meridian Tracer, yet you somehow summoned the Sky Dragon of an Immortal First. Do you think this is a joke?"
He looked at Lin Shuan's mask.
"You are concealing your identity, and you have appeared in this place for some unknown reason. What exactly do you intend to do here?"
His tone became increasingly impatient.
"You should return to the training grounds behind the clan and continue your cultivation. This is not a place for children to play!"
Lin Shuan's expression became rather peculiar.
He had come here expecting a trial against his ancestors.
Instead, he found himself standing on an ancient platform, being questioned as though he had wandered into a place where he did not belong.
He slowly turned his head toward Tian Wuchen.
The golden shadow stood nearby, surrounded by an armour-like golden radiance.
Lin Shuan looked at him.
Master, I didn't expect that I would have to argue with them instead of fighting…
Tian Wuchen's expression remained calm, but the faint movement at the corners of his mouth suggested that he found the situation rather amusing.
Before Lin Shuan could say anything, the third ancestor stepped forward.
"Enough."
His voice was not particularly loud, yet it immediately silenced the second ancestor.
The third ancestor looked directly at Lin Shuan.
"Young man, you said your name is Lin Shuan?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
The ancestor continued.
"However, I cannot sense much of our clan's bloodline within you. Your bloodline appears exceptionally weak."
His eyes narrowed.
"And you keep calling us ancestors. Who exactly are you?"
The words struck Lin Shuan deeply.
His heart gave a sudden, powerful beat.
He looked at the three ancient warriors again.
Until now, he had been wondering why they could not recognise him. But their words finally made the situation clear.
They were not aware of what had happened after their era.
To them, he was merely an unfamiliar young man claiming to belong to their clan.
And there was another reason.
Lin Shuan no longer possessed a divine bloodline in the way they expected to sense it. His cultivation and physical constitution had undergone many changes, and the ancient bloodline they were searching for could not be recognised through their ordinary perception.
He slowly understood their confusion.
Lin Shuan took a breath.
"Ancestors… please allow me to clarify something."
He paused briefly.
"You no longer exist in the present world."
The three ancient warriors stared at him.
For a moment, they did not understand what he meant.
The second ancestor frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Lin Shuan looked at them carefully.
"Ancestors, could you tell me which year it is after the Age of Void Chaos?"
The second ancestor snorted.
"Hmph! Why should we answer your questions?"
He folded his arms.
"But since you seem so ignorant, I will tell you something that everyone here knows. It has been four thousand years since the Age of Void Chaos ended."
Lin Shuan lowered his gaze for a moment.
Then he raised his head.
"Ancestor… I come from one million years in the future."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The three ancient warriors seemed to lose their ability to think.
Their expressions froze.
A moment later, the second ancestor spoke.
"What nonsense!"
Lin Shuan did not react angrily.
He continued in a calm voice.
"Ancestors, all of you have already passed away. What stands before me now are your lingering wills."
The third ancestor studied him.
The young man's expression was serious.
There was no obvious sign that he was trying to deceive them.
Nevertheless, such a statement was difficult to accept.
The third ancestor finally spoke.
"I will consider what you have said. But how do you intend to prove that you truly come from one million years in the future?"
Lin Shuan looked at him.
Then he slowly raised his hand toward his mask.
"Ancestor, do you recognise this mark?"
He removed his mask.
His face was revealed, and the mark upon his forehead began to shine with a pale, icy radiance.
A mysterious white aura spread from it.
The moment the three ancestors saw the mark, their expressions changed completely.
Their eyes widened.
"The Prince's Seal?!"
The first ancestor moved forward.
The second ancestor stared at the mark in disbelief.
The third ancestor's expression became solemn.
"This… is the seal of our clan's Crown Prince!"
Their voices carried unmistakable shock.
One of them spoke again.
"This is the mark possessed by the Crown Prince of the Lin Clan. Whoever carries it is recognised as the Crown Prince of our clan!"
The three ancient warriors looked at Lin Shuan.
"Then… are you the Crown Prince?"
Their expressions remained filled with disbelief.
"And are you telling the truth?"
Lin Shuan nodded without hesitation.
"Of course."
Before the three ancestors could respond, another voice echoed through the frozen world.
It was deep, solemn, and carried an extraordinary authority.
"That is indeed the seal of our Crown Prince, Lin Xin Jian…"
The three young-looking ancestors immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
The voice continued.
"Where did you obtain it? And… does he still exist?"
Lin Shuan's expression became slightly solemn.
He looked at the three ancestors before answering.
"No. He is no longer alive."
The atmosphere grew quiet.
Lin Shuan continued, his voice carrying a trace of sadness.
"For one million years, he tried to recover from the severe injuries he had suffered after encountering that strange Void power. However, in the end, he failed."
He paused.
"On my birthday, he gave me this seal as his blessing."
The three ancient warriors fell silent.
Their eyes were filled with a mixture of astonishment, sorrow, and hatred.
Lin Xin Jian.
A name that history could never forget.
And a name that the Lin Clan itself could never forget.
He had been the Crown Prince of their clan, an extraordinary figure whose existence carried immense significance.
To learn that he had remained alive for one million years, desperately attempting to recover from his injuries, only to eventually fail…
The news weighed heavily upon them.
The deep voice spoke again.
"So the Crown Prince truly remained alive for one million years…"
There was a brief pause.
"Do you possess any other information about him?"
Lin Shuan turned his head toward Tian Wuchen.
The golden shadow stood nearby, surrounded by a golden armour-like radiance.
Tian Wuchen quietly spoke to him.
"They cannot see me."
Lin Shuan looked at him.
Tian Wuchen continued.
"What you wish to learn from them is up to you."
Lin Shuan understood.
He turned back toward the ancestors.
"Ancestors, I was told that after he was injured, he was taken to the Eastern Ancient Forest of the Tian Yuan Continent."
The deep voice responded immediately.
"The Ancient Forest?"
There was a brief silence.
"Interesting…"
The voice seemed to be examining Lin Shuan.
"I can sense some of his remnants within you. However, judging from your current strength, it seems that things did not turn out well."
The speaker paused.
"You said that you come from an era one million years later. Then tell me…"
His voice became heavier.
"What is the present condition of our Lin Clan?"
Lin Shuan lowered his eyes.
His hands slowly tightened.
He had known that this question would eventually arise.
Yet answering it was still difficult.
The clan whose history had once filled him with pride was no longer what it had been.
He took a slow breath.
Then he spoke.
"Please forgive me, Ancestor…"
His voice carried a trace of pain.
"The Lin Clan has almost completely fallen."
The three ancient warriors remained silent.
Lin Shuan continued.
"Among our descendants below the Meridian Tracer Rank, only thirty-two people are still alive."
For a moment, the frozen world seemed even quieter.
Thirty-two.
A clan that had once produced countless powerful warriors, a clan whose name had commanded respect throughout the region, had been reduced to such a small number.
The Lin Clan had never been an ordinary clan.
Its history was filled with warriors who refused to bow before anyone. They had faced death without fear, and their strength had once been sufficient to make even powerful forces cautious.
Its members had numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
Its warriors had stood among the strongest of their era.
And now…
Only a handful of descendants remained.
The three ancestors clenched their fists.
Their expressions became cold.
The deep voice spoke once more.
"What cultivation level did your father reach? And what is his current position on the Tian Yuan Continent?"
Lin Shuan's eyes gradually turned red.
He clenched his fists more tightly.
"My father was an Immortal Seed warrior…"
His voice became quieter.
"But he is no longer alive."
He took a breath.
"He died during the catastrophe of that night."
The atmosphere became heavy.
Lin Shuan continued.
"The First Elder of the Lin Clan has reached the Nine-Star Form Shaper Rank."
The deep voice remained silent for a moment.
Then it responded.
"That is below expectations."
The words were calm.
There was no exaggerated expression of grief, no dramatic lamentation, and no attempt to deny the reality.
Anyone else hearing such a response might have wondered whether these ancient warriors truly understood the condition of their clan.
The Lin Clan had nearly disappeared.
Its patriarch was dead.
Its strongest elder had reached only the Nine-Star Form Shaper Rank.
And its remaining descendants were barely enough to preserve its name.
Yet the ancestors did not collapse beneath the weight of this news.
That was the nature of the Lin Clan.
Its people did not spend their lives mourning what had already been lost.
They looked at what remained and made it stronger.
They had never been a clan that surrendered simply because the circumstances were terrible.
After a brief silence, the deep voice spoke again.
"Since we no longer exist in this world, there is only so much I can give you."
The atmosphere around the platform changed.
The voice became more solemn.
"I can only leave you with something that may help you restore this clan."
A pause followed.
"And I will place my expectations upon you as well. I expect you to accomplish this."
Lin Shuan raised his head.
The speaker continued.
"You possess the Prince's Seal. Do not allow it to be lowered."
His words carried the dignity of an ancient clan.
"Listen carefully, Lin Shuan. You possess the Third Stage of the Consciousness Realm. You must use that ability to first master the Sky Dragon Smash Technique."
Lin Shuan's expression became focused.
The voice continued.
"I created this technique after we escaped the Void Chaos and established our home once again in the eastern region of the Tian Yuan Continent."
Lin Shuan's eyes widened slightly.
'So that is how this technique came into existence…?'
A thought immediately appeared in his mind.
'Then could this ancestor be a Cosmic Overlord?'
Before he could ask, the deep voice continued explaining.
"This technique may appear to be a Heaven Rank Second-Class technique when its two parts are examined separately."
The voice became more authoritative.
"But once both parts are combined, its true power is revealed."
A brief pause.
"Its complete form belongs to the Emperor Rank."
Lin Shuan looked at the technique in his hand.
His expression became serious.
The Sky Dragon Smash Technique had already impressed him, but hearing its creator explain its true potential made him understand that he had not yet grasped its full value.
He clasped his hands.
"Ancestor, may I ask what exactly the Void Chaos was? And who were the people that attacked the Ancient Lin Clan?"
A faint pause followed.
Then the deep voice responded.
"Excellent question!"
There was a trace of approval in his tone.
"That is the kind of question I would expect from a Crown Prince."
The moment those words fell—
BOOOOOOM!
The entire frozen world trembled.
The enormous ice formations shook violently, and the sky above the ruins began to distort.
Cracks appeared across the heavens.
They spread rapidly, as though the sky itself were a sheet of glass being torn apart.
CRACK!
The entire sky split open.
Beyond the opening, countless stars and celestial bodies became visible.
Entire solar systems stretched across the darkness, their stars illuminating the vastness beyond the frozen world.
Lin Shuan looked upward.
His expression changed.
Then a figure slowly emerged through the torn heavens.
An elderly man dressed in white.
His appearance was somewhat indistinct, and his aged face carried countless wrinkles. His hair and beard were white, while his eyes seemed to contain the accumulated passage of an immeasurable period of time.
He was a man.
Yet the moment he appeared, the entire frozen world seemed to become still.
His icy aura alone was sufficient to freeze an entire solar system.
The surrounding space trembled beneath his presence.
Lin Shuan's Frost Divine Heart suddenly shook.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Its beating became unusually intense.
Lin Shuan's expression changed.
He placed a hand over his chest.
His Frost Divine Heart seemed to be reacting to the elderly man in front of him.
It was almost as though it were demanding blood from him, as though it wished to receive divine blood from that figure.
Lin Shuan stared at the elderly man.
He could not understand why his Frost Divine Heart was reacting so strongly.
Nevertheless, he did not dare to remain disrespectful.
He immediately clasped his hands and bowed.
The elderly man glanced at him.
"There is no need for that."
His voice was old, yet it carried an extraordinary clarity.
Lin Shuan straightened.
The elderly man looked toward the three ancient warriors and then at the ruined platform.
"I will explain."
His gaze moved toward the heavens beyond the torn sky.
"At that time, the birth of the Void Chaos was not a natural phenomenon."
Lin Shuan listened carefully.
"It was a calamity created by a mysterious and ancient divine race."
The elderly man's expression became solemn.
"They wielded the power of the Void to destroy worlds. Even the True Immortals of the Wan Xing Shen Universe feared this calamity."
He paused.
"Because of it, nearly seventy percent of the universe was swallowed by the Void."
Lin Shuan's pupils contracted.
Seventy percent.
Such a figure was almost impossible to comprehend.
The Wan Xing Shen Universe was vast beyond ordinary imagination. Its countless worlds, celestial regions, and powerful civilizations were spread across an enormous expanse.
And nearly seventy percent of it had been swallowed by the Void?
The elderly man continued.
"As for the force that attacked our clan…"
His eyes became colder.
"That, too, was the work of the same mysterious race."
He paused briefly.
"But they were not alone."
Another name emerged from his mouth.
"They were accompanied by another clan. One of the Four Great Clans of this universe."
The atmosphere seemed to grow heavier.
"Their name was…"
The elderly man's voice echoed across the frozen world.
"Soul Specter Clan."
Lin Shuan repeated the name.
"Soul Specter Clan…"
He looked toward the elderly man.
"Ancestor, how powerful are they?"
The elderly man remained silent for a moment.
"I do not possess complete information about their strength."
His gaze became distant.
"However, one thing is clear. If they were capable of severely injuring our Crown Prince Lin Xin Jian, then their strength must have exceeded our expectations."
Lin Shuan's expression became serious.
The elderly man continued.
"If you are thinking of taking revenge against them, understand this: at present, you are not even within their field of attention."
His words were not meant to discourage Lin Shuan.
They were simply the truth.
The difference between Lin Shuan's current strength and the forces responsible for the destruction of the ancient clan was enormous.
Yet the elderly man did not stop there.
"However, you have awakened this pillar."
His gaze shifted toward the enormous structure.
"According to the rules of our clan, anyone who activates it must undergo this trial."
The elderly man looked directly at Lin Shuan.
"Only after completing this trial will I be satisfied that the future of our clan is in safe hands."
He paused.
"Only then may you take this technique with you."
Lin Shuan immediately lowered his head.
"Yes, Ancestor!"
The elderly man nodded.
Then his voice became authoritative.
"Begin the battle!"
The moment his words fell, the three ancient warriors prepared themselves.
Their auras rose.
One by one, they moved forward, but two of them stepped back, leaving the remaining ancestor to face Lin Shuan first.
It was the second ancestor.
He looked at Lin Shuan with a faint smile.
"Let us see what our Crown Prince in the future is capable of."
A flash of light appeared in his hand.
A sword emerged.
Its blade shone brilliantly, and its surface carried an extraordinary divine aura.
Divine Grade Sword.
Lin Shuan examined the weapon.
A faint smile appeared beneath his expression.
He raised his hand.
Icy energy gathered around his palm, spreading outward before rapidly condensing into the shape of a halberd.
The weapon took form.
Its shaft was long, and its blade carried a cold, sharp brilliance. Strange markings appeared across its surface, glowing with an unusual radiance.
The surrounding frost seemed to respond to its presence.
Lin Shuan held the halberd firmly.
The three ancestors stared at the weapon.
Their eyes widened.
"Divine Grade Halberd?!"
One of them could not conceal his astonishment.
"How did he create that using his own power?"
Another ancestor looked carefully at Lin Shuan's cultivation.
"The ability to form a weapon directly from one's own power is normally possessed by a warrior of the Form Shaper Rank…"
His gaze shifted toward the halberd.
"How can a Meridian Tracer accomplish this?"
The first ancestor remained calm.
"Do not forget. He was chosen by the former Crown Prince."
He looked at Lin Shuan.
"It is only natural that he possesses something extraordinary."
The second ancestor examined the halberd for another moment.
Then he raised his Divine Grade Sword.
"Very well."
His voice carried a hint of expectation.
"Let us see the true power of your halberd. Merely creating a weapon does not prove your strength."
Lin Shuan tightened his grip.
And put on his mask he lowered his head respectfully.
"Please guide me, Ancestor."
The second ancestor's expression became serious.
Lin Shuan's gaze sharpened.
The two figures faced one another across the ancient platform.
In the next instant, both moved forward at tremendous speed.
Their weapons flashed.
And the first clash of the ancient Lin Clan's trial was about to begin.
Notice — [Immortality has been divided into many parts —
Like immortal seed rank, it is called immortal first, meaning the first step of immortality.
And the one who is called True Immortal is of Grand Soul Emperor rank.]