“Excellent!” A wizened voice echoed from within the hidden chamber. The air shimmered as an ancient Daoist stepped forth, his gaze lingering upon Wang Lin, particularly at the space between his brows. “Did you see?” he asked, his tone even.

Wang Lin rose, his fists cupped in respectful greeting. “I glimpsed fragments of visions.”

The Daoist chuckled softly. With a flick of his wrist, he seized the fiery orb before him. It flared with incandescent light, then condensed into a tangible form within his grasp.

“This,” the Daoist declared, “is the distilled essence of a Gold Leaf Rune Master, a Paragon of the ancient Rune Clan. To comprehend this essence is to greatly benefit your cultivation. It is a trial all Inner Sect disciples of my Vermillion Bird lineage within the Four Sacred Sects must endure. Success in this trial leads to Inner Sect status.”

The Daoist drew a wisp of power from the orb, his face flushed with a momentary vitality before returning to its normal composure. With a final wave of his sleeve, a swirling vortex enveloped Wang Lin, whisking him away.

“Go forth and fulfill your destiny. While I stand guard upon Vermillion Bird Star, none shall dare to lay a finger upon it!”

Once Wang Lin had departed, the Daoist’s eyes gleamed with a strange light as he peered downward. “The Rune Clan… I vow to unlock its final secret,” he muttered to himself.

Upon a mountaintop on Vermillion Bird Star, Wang Lin materialized, his face pale. He immediately turned his gaze toward the settlement of the Immortal Relict Clan, his expression grave.

“That old Daoist’s cultivation is profound, rivaling that of the Elder Yan Leizi, perhaps even exceeding it. What is his purpose in remaining upon Vermillion Bird Star for so many years?” Wang Lin pondered. “Firstly, the secrets of the Immortal Relict Clan’s deepest levels are undoubtedly among his goals. And, secondly, I wonder if he knows of the location of the Ancient God’s Land…” His eyes flashed with renewed determination as he swiftly departed.

“His identity is shrouded in mystery, yet it is certain that he belongs to the Vermillion Bird within the Four Sacred Sects. Still, his words held deeper meaning… No matter, the clues are too few to decipher. For now, I must leave this place.”

Wang Lin resolved to depart. He extended his spiritual sense and located Ta Shan and the others. After sending a mental command, Wang Lin looked down upon the land. His business on Vermillion Bird Star was concluded. He knew he could not linger here, not with Torsen still present.

With a sigh, Wang Lin shot into the sky.

At the same time, Ta Shan, the Big-Headed Boy, and Lei Ji emerged from various locations on Vermillion Bird Star.

On a peak overlooking the land, Zhou Wutai gazed into the distance, a melancholic expression upon his face. After a long sigh, he turned and vanished.

At the border of the Fire Fen Country, beyond the Sea of Cultivation, Li Qiqing lifted his head to the heavens, remaining silent for a long while before whispering, “Sister… Following him is your choice. I give you my blessing…”

Within the Cloud Heaven Sect, Tie Yan stirred from his meditation, as if sensing something. He looked skyward, knowing that Wang Lin’s departure would likely be a very long one.

Beyond Vermillion Bird Star, Wang Lin emerged into the starry void. Soon after, Ta Shan and the others arrived. Ta Shan melded into the illusory form behind Wang Lin, while the Big-Headed Boy, now somewhat recovered, stood respectfully by.

Lei Ji, his eyes darting about, transformed into a giant hundreds of feet tall, his body emitting a series of explosive booms. A wave of immense pressure swept across the void.

The reason the Giant Demons were sometimes captured and used as mounts by powerful cultivators was due to their unparalleled physical strength and the overwhelming pressure they exerted. Such mounts were superior to even the most formidable beasts!

Moreover, the Giant Demons possessed uncanny innate abilities that made them highly desirable to cultivators of great power.

Lei Ji knelt upon one knee, a thunderous rumble emanating from his mouth.

“Master, Lei Ji willingly offers himself as your mount!”

Wang Lin was taken aback by the sight of the colossal being before him. A Giant Demon as a mount would undoubtedly attract attention as he traversed the cosmos.

Anyone who witnessed this would be struck with awe.

A smile crept upon Wang Lin’s lips. He stepped onto Lei Ji’s back, while the Big-Headed Boy scurried behind. His small stature and oversized head, though intimidating, clearly marked him as a mere servant standing behind Wang Lin.

Lei Ji’s back, nearly a hundred feet across, was surprisingly flat, despite his blue-grey skin. Wang Lin sat cross-legged upon it, and Lei Ji let out a mighty roar, lunging forward with all four limbs.

His speed, while not comparable to that of a Thunder Beast, was still impressive.

Lei Ji’s massive form tore through the void, generating gusts of wind and thunder that reverberated through the stars. The Big-Headed Boy stared in bewilderment at this spectacle.

He now truly understood the difference between the Alliance Star System and the Luo Tian. In the Luo Tian, there were no giants hundreds of feet tall, let alone the concept of using them as mounts. It was utterly incomprehensible to him. Yet, at the same time, a strange sense of awe washed over him.

He wondered if he had ever seen someone riding such a mount before, his heart would have been filled with murder, wanting to kill the rider and seize the mount for himself.

“A cultivator daring to ride such a mount must be extraordinary,” the Big-Headed Boy mused.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. In the distance, a figure emerged from the starry expanse. The figure stood atop a massive, pockmarked boulder, riddled with countless craters like a honeycomb.

The figure, clad in crimson robes, resembled a scarlet streak across the void. Hands clasped behind his back, he rapidly approached Lei Ji’s location.

The boulder moved at an astonishing speed, creating sonic booms that ripped through the silent void like thunderous waves.

The red-clad figure appeared to be a young man, no older than thirty. Seven scarlet swords circled him, radiating a palpable aura of murderous intent!
The air thrummed with a palpable malevolence, a coppery tang of blood thick enough to taste. It swirled, coalescing above the crimson-clad warrior into a monstrous vortex that resembled a gargantuan serpent poised to strike. From its maw erupted a chilling roar, devoid of mercy.

“The Alliance of Immortals seeks justice for the slain within the Shadowlands! You, Xu Mu, will pay with your head to avenge the fallen guardian, Yu Fei!” With these words echoing through the void, the red-clad figure spurred his stony steed onward, the friction igniting the very rock into a trail of searing flame as he charged toward Reggie.

Panic flared in Reggie’s eyes. He scrambled to evade the onslaught, but the rotund Celestial Child, darting a glance towards Wang Lin, gritted his teeth and stepped forward. His hands danced in a rapid series of incantations, drawing upon his inner celestial essence. A surge of divine energy washed outwards, forming a shimmering barrier around him. He thrust his palms forward, unleashing a torrent of ethereal threads, like silken willows, aimed at the encroaching behemoth.

But in that instant, a glint of cruel cunning flashed in the eyes of the crimson warrior. One of the seven blood-red swords orbiting him broke formation, streaking toward the Celestial Child with blinding speed. As it flew, the blade dissolved into a crimson mist, which solidified into a perfect replica of the red-clad attacker – a formidable doppelganger!

The spectral twin seized seven tendrils of crimson energy and lunged towards the Celestial Child, initiating a furious exchange of arcane blows. The clash of power echoed throughout the starry expanse, a maelstrom of celestial energies locked in a stalemate.

“A doppelganger forged from early Insight Nirvana! His true self…mid-stage!” Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed, assessing the foe. He watched as the stony juggernaut bore down on Reggie, who retreated with a frightened whimper. A shadow flickered behind Wang Lin, and the hulking Tasan strode forth, his mighty fist arcing towards the enemy.

The red-clad warrior remained unfazed. Another of his crimson blades materialized a second phantasm, wreathed in seven tendrils of crimson power, that hurtled towards the advancing giant.

Wang Lin, seated upon Reggie’s back, raised his hand. The heavens crackled to life, unleashing an untamed tempest of lightning. A deafening symphony of thunder rolled across the cosmos as countless bolts coalesced, forming a cage of electric fire that encompassed the entire region.

The red-clad warrior halted his advance, his stony mount suspended a hundred paces from Wang Lin. A chilling smile played upon his lips. “The Azure Thunder Immortal of Luo Tian, they call you. Indeed, the title is well-earned!”

With a flick of his wrist, the remaining five blood-red blades scattered, each radiating outwards like points of a pentacle. As they dispersed, they too shattered into crimson mist, birthing five more spectral copies, each wreathed in seven whirling blades of sanguine energy.

In the blink of an eye, the quintuplets, along with their thirty-five crimson swords, encircled the red-clad warrior in a formidable barrier fifty paces wide. The raging storm of lightning crashed against the wall of blades, only to be drawn into a mesmerizing dance around their perimeter, none daring to penetrate the protected zone.

The thunderous cacophony continued unabated, yet the red-clad warrior remained serene, a mocking smile gracing his lips as he gazed upon Wang Lin. His defenses held, impervious to the tempestuous assault.

“Is this the extent of your might?” he sneered, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “If your powers end here, then today, you will not escape my grasp!”

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with icy resolve. A swirling vortex materialized between his brows, and from its depths, the primordial spirit of the Ancient Thunder Dragon erupted forth, unleashing a primal roar that shook the very fabric of existence!

**Hoooraaaawwwwlllll!!!**