Across the star-strewn abyss, an immense shroud of doom-laden clouds churned, their dense mass pressing down with a crushing weight. So potent was this celestial pressure that it engulfed a ten-thousand-league expanse, turning all within into a domain of tribulation.

Yet, the trial by heaven had only just begun. The celestial wrath contained within this unfolding calamity dwarfed all that had come before, seething with an aura of annihilation.

The manifestation of these ominous clouds did more than isolate this vast region from the heavens and earth. Throughout the Southern Domain of the Luo Heaven, cultivators of great power could faintly sense the wild, untamed energy that now roiled through the cosmos.

So potent were these energies that they seemed to threaten the very foundations of their own cultivated power. In an instant, countless practitioners paled and retreated into a meditative stance, locking down the energies within their bodies.

Upon Yao Yun’s brow, the demonic sigil flickered, its light waxing and waning. His gaze, once wild, now held a glimmer of confusion as the bestial rage slowly ebbed from his features. Even the bulging veins that had corded his face began to subside.

Yet, deep within his eyes, a frantic struggle remained, a madness barely contained. Had one the power to peer into his soul, they would have heard the echoes of near-deranged screams.

Before him, the crimson essence coalesced until, in a blinding flash that painted the surrounding stars in shades of blood, a figure emerged.

Clad in a blood-soaked robe that hung loosely from his frame, his crimson hair danced in the void without the touch of wind. His face, etched with the marks of ages, held a subtle, unsettling beauty. This was the Old Ancestor of the Yao family, the Blood God Child!

The moment he materialized, he casually waved a hand behind him. Instantly, the demonic sigil upon Yao Yun’s brow intensified, causing the younger man’s body to convulse. The struggle within his eyes finally extinguished, leaving only vacant obedience.

Wang Lin’s pupils contracted, his form retreating swiftly the moment the Blood God Child’s light appeared. He moved like a wraith, his hand already upon his storage pouch. Were it not for the descending tribulation that prevented instantaneous travel or merging with the heavens, he would have fled without hesitation.

As it was, his speed was remarkable, a desperate burst of all his remaining power as he retreated in a frenzy.

The Blood God Child regarded the fleeing Wang Lin with disinterest, as if watching an ant scurry. Slowly, he raised a hand, pointed toward Wang Lin, and spoke with a tone of chilling calm: “Give me the artifact you stole from within the body of Wangyue!”

His voice was soft, yet each word erupted like a thunderclap, creating a shockwave that resonated through the heavens. So great was this sonic tempest that the very fabric of space seemed to tremble.

It was as though the Blood God Child’s voice, in the face of this divine tribulation, was itself the voice of heaven! His words were the decree of the cosmos, brooking no defiance.

Under the booming resonance, the very stars seemed to shift as even the storm clouds above recoiled.

All of this was due to the power of the Blood God Child’s voice. Within it resided a force of law, capable of twisting the very essence of this ten-thousand-league radius in an instant, forcing all to bend to his will or face utter destruction.

Within this expanse, the Blood God Child was as close to an immortal deity as mortal could be.

“Words of Power!” Wang Lin gasped, recognizing the terrifying art. To wield such power over reality with mere utterances was beyond comprehension. He could not fathom the energies that allowed the Blood God Child to warp reality with his words, but he felt the impact as if a thousand, thousand of the Severing Luo Seals had been unleashed upon him.

It was as if this entire realm shattered before his eyes with the utterance of the Blood God Child, and his own flesh was beginning to crack along with it!

Without warning, an ancient god’s cauldron materialized to shield Wang Lin, but even with its protection, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face draining of color.

*“The Blood God Child is wounded! The ancient god’s shattered star strike… there is no way he has recovered so quickly!”*

Spitting blood, he retreated even faster, chanting under his breath:

“For a senior to strike at one so young is unbecoming! The Yao name will be forever stained!”

The Blood God Child remained impassive. He raised a hand, pointed a finger, and spoke again in a measured tone: “Evade my Immortal Art if you can, mortal! Consider it your fate!” As he spoke, a flash of crimson light erupted from his fingertip, coalescing into a blood-red swallow that shot forth, aimed directly at Wang Lin.

Wang Lin’s face was ashen as he slapped his storage pouch. A fragment of the Immortal Mountain appeared in his hand. He had no time to lament its loss. He hurled it forward and cried out: “Soul Burst!”

He had taken the Immortal Mountain fragment from the grasp of Greed Wolf, and it contained the lingering soul of a mountain, an entity of immense power. Though the soul was not released, the latent energy of its destruction was terrifying!

The instant before the blood swallow reached him, the mountain fragment exploded with a resounding boom, unleashing a violent storm. Driven skyward by the raw energy, the storm rapidly formed a gargantuan vortex filled with waves of utter devastation.

Without hesitation, Wang Lin spat forth the Seal of Immortality and, with swift hand gestures, enlarged the seal to block the path of the incoming blood swallow.

But then, a scene unfolded that made his blood run cold.

As the blood swallow collided with the turbulent storm unleashed by the mountain fragment, the swallow opened its beak and inhaled. The raging storm, as if encountering an irresistible force, contracted violently, shrinking until the swallow had devoured it whole.

It happened in an instant, almost simultaneous with the mountain fragment’s demise.

The blood swallow, radiating its baleful light, continued its advance toward Wang Lin, unimpeded. Now, with the mountain gone, Wang Lin thrust his hands forward, unleashing tens of thousands of golden runes that streamed toward the swallow.
But in that fleeting instant, the Crimson Swift opened its maw. Before it, the storm of pulverized mountain rock it had just devoured erupted once more, summoned by the Swift’s will. It pulsed with a terrifying power, an unimaginable force that crashed against the golden glyphs of the Seal of Immortality, each collision echoing with deafening thunder.

“What sorcery is this?!” Wang Lin growled, his face a mask of fury. “To swallow my power is one thing, but to regurgitate it with such mastery!?”

He gritted his teeth, his hand darting to his storage sack. With a shimmer, the third Heavenly Chariot transformed before him, bursting into existence as the iridescent Butterfly of Five Hues.

The Blood God Son’s eyes narrowed at the Butterfly’s appearance, a subtle furrow creasing his brow.

The Crimson Swift, meanwhile, had pierced through the Seal’s golden barricade and hurtled towards Wang Lin. Just as it was about to strike, the Butterfly’s wings fluttered gently.

Instantly, the Swift’s crimson eyes blazed brighter. It faltered, halting in mid-air, and opened its beak in a sudden, desperate inhalation.

The Butterfly’s wings beat again, this time releasing a shimmering dust of five colors. The Swift screeched, but pressed onward, drawn inexorably towards the butterfly.

With each beat of the Butterfly’s wings, the Swift advanced only haltingly, consumed by a desperate need to absorb the emanating energies. Its speed was drastically reduced, its attack a slow, agonizing crawl.

The Blood God Son’s expression remained cold. He raised his right hand, pointing a single finger forward. In response, the Crimson Swift was engulfed in a wave of crimson light, intensifying tenfold. It seemed to break free of some unseen constraint, unleashing a piercing shriek as it accelerated towards its target.

The Butterfly, in turn, began to move. It flew towards the Swift, circling the creature’s body as its wings pulsed, scattering the colored dust. The Swift’s red glow slowly dimmed, replaced by streaks of the Butterfly’s own iridescent hues. It no longer charged, but moved in concert with the butterfly’s dance.

It was a bizarre spectacle. Wang Lin saw clearly that the Butterfly’s own light was fading. Even this ancient artifact struggled against the Swift’s sorcery.

The Swift, now tethered to the Butterfly, remained close to Wang Lin, yet refrained from attacking, instead hovering and weaving in the air around him.

Wang Lin retreated without hesitation, the Seal of Immortality trailing in his wake.

The Blood God Son scoffed. He took a step forward, and as he did so, the very fabric of space behind Wang Lin ripped asunder with a deafening roar. A chasm too wide to cross appeared, a frigid wind issuing from its depths, momentarily halting Wang Lin. He glared at the Blood God Son, his voice edged with steel. “Do you break your oath, Elder?”

“Oath-breaking? What does it matter!” The Blood God Son’s face twisted with a dark pleasure. His step not only cut off Wang Lin’s retreat, but infused the storm clouds above with a surge of elemental power.

In an instant, the brewing storm in the heavens coalesced with renewed ferocity. The thunder roared, arcs of crimson lightning crackling across the sky, and then, torrents of crimson celestial fire rained down.

Half the lightning lashed out at the Blood God Son, the other half plunged towards Wang Lin.

The very heavens and earth were consumed by the tribulation. Waves of raw lightning energy surged through the void.

The Blood God Son ignored the descending thunder, stepping forward to appear directly before Wang Lin. He reached out, his hand moving with deceptive ease.

The motion was simple, devoid of any apparent spellcraft, yet Wang Lin felt his heart clench. It was as if escape was impossible.

As the lightning descended and the Blood God Son’s hand reached for him, Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with a chilling light. He roared, “Do you know of the Ancient Demon, Bairo?!”

The Blood God Son froze. An intense, unholy light erupted from his eyes. Above his brow, a swirling vortex of black energy appeared, birthing a horned, azure-skinned demon, reeking with primal power!

As it manifested, a piercing voice echoed in Wang Lin’s soul.

“Bairo! Where is he?!”

(Personal Note: Last night my child coughed. We didn’t get to sleep until 4 am. I swear, I will never smoke indoors at night again.)

(P.S. To all who enjoy Renegade Immortal, please add it to your library! novelonl.com is the fastest updating site online.)