Wang Lin drifted amidst the star-strewn void, a sea of infernal flames raging around him. The searing heat rippled outwards, coalescing into howling gales that echoed across the desolate expanse, enveloping the entirety of the Vermilion Bird Sanctum.

Upon his right arm, only seven crimson flame sigils remained. A nascent bloom of fire, like a defiant sun, unfurled around his form, its potent essence swiftly burrowing into Wang Lin’s very being.

Within the depths of his body, this unimaginable inferno raged like a tempest. Thunderous booms, like the clash of celestial hammers, reverberated through his core, an incessant symphony that echoed across the burning starfield, audible to all who bore witness.

Excruciating pain, akin to his very essence being rent asunder, consumed him. His body was as a vessel, forced to contain ninefold the measure of its capacity. The agony, therefore, was beyond mortal comprehension.

The Vermilion Bird Nine Transformations: a perilous technique that demanded the simultaneous eruption of nine lifetimes’ worth of arcane power. Compressing them into an ever-tightening knot, it forced the cultivator to breach the threshold of the First Transformation. The agonizing torment writhed across Wang Lin’s face, contorting it with straining sinews. Even the mere burden of two lifetimes’ power threatened to shatter his meridians.

But surrender was not an option. With teeth gritted, and sweat cascading down his brow, he raised his trembling left hand, once more touching a flame sigil upon his right arm.

The seventh sigil ignited, blossoming anew into a fiery flower. As it did, the thunder within Wang Lin reached a deafening crescendo, its reverberations blasting outwards with ever-greater fury.

A crimson mist erupted from every pore upon his skin, encircling him in a fleeting shroud. But the blood was instantly consumed by the surrounding flames, dissolving into a wisp of vapor.

Three lifetimes of arcane power now coursed through his veins, intensifying the feeling of imminent implosion. A tremor seized Wang Lin’s form, and a roar of defiance tore from his throat, hurled towards the heavens.

“HAARGH!!”

A scarlet aura blazed around him, solidifying into the form of crimson armor, encasing him in its protective embrace.

The moment the armor materialized, the immeasurable energies within Wang Lin surged towards it, like floodwaters finding an outlet. The armor pulsed with an ever-deepening crimson light.

Nearby, perched upon a weathered stone, the Vermilion Bird Sovereign watched with unwavering intensity. His face was a mask of anticipation and anxiety, his right hand already raised in readiness. Though the failure to achieve the First Transformation would bring disappointment, this twice-awakened scion of the clan was of greater import.

“I have been too hasty,” he murmured, his gaze piercing. “His constitution is… ordinary. To force him thus risks shattering him… alas.” He resolved to intervene the instant Wang Lin faltered.

The advent of the Vermilion Bird armor offered a measure of respite from the torment within. Wang Lin drew a ragged breath, his left hand rising once more to touch his right arm. The sixth fiery bloom unfurled, unleashing a surge of energy that bordered on the berserk.

“Since I am doomed to endure such torment, I might as well…” A madness ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes. He did not pause after the sixth sigil. He touched three more in rapid succession! The fifth sigil, the fourth, the third! Four sigils ignited in a single, audacious burst, releasing four lifetimes of raw power that shook the very heavens and echoed across the burning starfield.

Even the Vermilion Bird Sovereign recoiled at this reckless display, his pupils shrinking in disbelief. This Wang Lin possessed a core of savage defiance.

“A millennium of cultivation, culminating in this moment, this second Vermilion Bird awakening… it is no accident. His inherent ferocity and defiance are inextricably bound to it!”

Four lifetimes of power, added to the energies already churning within Wang Lin and the armor, brought the total to seven. With a guttural cry, Wang Lin spat forth a mouthful of blood. He thrust his right hand to his brow, focusing his will! A spectral white Vermilion Bird erupted from his crown, filling the air with an ancient cry. The arcane power within Wang Lin surged into the spectral creature, causing it to swell to an immense size, a wing eclipsing the very heavens.

This Vermilion Bird, once captured by Tian Yunzi, would never be allowed to be taken by him! As the apparition manifested, Wang Lin, his body screaming in protest, slammed his left hand upon one of the last two remaining flame sigils on his right arm. In that instant, the sigil dissolved into another lifetime’s worth of raw power, which surged into Wang Lin. It felt as if his entire being, from the marrow of his bones to the outer layers of his skin, was aflame, as if he were trapped in a celestial furnace, being slowly refined.

Unbeknownst to Wang Lin, throughout the burning starfield, members of the Vermilion Bird clan had gathered, their minds linked in a silent vigil, witnessing the ascension of their new Sovereign. Familiar faces watched with bated breath.

Upon a distant peak, Lei Ji and Da Tou abandoned their healing efforts, their gazes fixed upon the heavens. They could sense Wang Lin, a phoenix consumed by the fires of tribulation, undergoing a rebirth. “Master…”

Amidst a swirling sandstorm in a desolate desert, the winds began to subside. Fu Fengzi stared up at the sky, his voice a hushed murmur. “Such potent arcane energy… Could it be? Has he completed his three years of seclusion?”

On another cultivation star, Situ Nan ceased his breathing exercises, his eyes gleaming as he watched the heavens. Beside him, a Vermilion Bird clan elder did not urge him to continue, but instead watched the unfolding spectacle with anticipation and excitement.

Even his aged soul felt the stirring of profound emotions.

Upon Situ Nan’s cultivation star, two familiar individuals were also present. One was located in the star’s northwest region, amidst a field of vibrant flowers.

Flowers capable of surviving such oppressive heat were rare, but they were not nonexistent. Amidst the predominantly crimson landscape, a lone woman sat in a meditative posture.
The woman was not the Flower Consort, but the Silver-Clad Maiden herself. Raising her gaze to the cerulean expanse, a strange light flickered within her eyes. Three years had passed, and fragments of memory, like shards of a forgotten dream, began to resurface – memories of another soul upon this forsaken cultivation star.

That other soul dwelt within a desolate wasteland of withered marshlands. Stripped to the waist, his bare flesh writhed with countless runes, and around him lay the carcasses of fearsome beasts, creatures adapted to the infernal heat. Each bore a grisly mark: the skin of their third eye, meticulously excised. This was Tasan!

He bit his forefinger, about to inscribe upon a beast hide, when suddenly, he paused, head lifting. “Master… is about to emerge…?” he breathed, his voice a hushed reverence.

Elsewhere, upon a distant cultivation star nestled near the burning starfield’s edge, atop the highest mountain peak, stood a black stone effigy. Its likeness was none other than Wang Lin. At the statue’s base, a youth sat in silent vigil. For a thousand sunrises and sunsets, he had remained motionless, a steadfast guardian. Now, he lifted his head, a thrill coursing through him as he heard echoes of a roaring tempest, a sound like thunder itself. “Grandmaster…” he whispered, his heart ablaze with anticipation. He was Thirteen!

Within a city belonging to the Vermillion Bird Sect, situated on the very cultivation star of the Soul Refining Sect, an aging figure sat upon the city walls, a flask clutched in his trembling hand. He drank deeply, his face etched with bitterness. For three long years, his days had been a monotonous cycle of sorrow and regret. The thunderous sky, the crimson heavens, drew his gaze upward for but a moment before he slumped once more, seeking solace in the liquor.

“Second brother, third brother… I have failed you,” he rasped, tears streaming down his weathered cheeks as he drained the flask. “Ling’er, fetch me more wine!” he called, tossing the empty vessel towards the city below. Behind him, a maiden of exceeding beauty bit her lip. Ever since the Vermillion Bird Sect had brought her to this place, Master Dust, as he was known, had been consumed by this grief. Her heart ached for him as she turned away in silence. “Forgive me… second brother, third brother…” his anguished lament lingered in her ears.

Still deeper within the burning starfield, another soul toiled in a place of searing heat. A swirling, invisible vortex shielded him, the flames dancing around its perimeter. “Great Devil Wang Lin, you thousand-cursed fiend! What did I ever do to you? Why did you abandon me here to suffer the tortures of this fiery hell?!”

“Master Wang, I beg you, have mercy on poor Xu! This torment is unbearable!”

“Malevolent Star Wang, if you push your grandfather Xu too far, I swear I’ll tear you apart!” The pitiful pleas and desperate curses echoed ceaselessly throughout the three years, punctuated by agonizing screams that drove any Vermillion Bird Sect disciple to detour far around the area, lest they be driven mad by the cacophony.

At the heart of the swirling inferno, sat a man, his body engulfed in flames. He fought constantly, summoning every ounce of his power to keep the consuming fire at bay. This was none other than Xu Liguo. Though his appearance was wretched, a fierce light burned within his eyes, brighter than ever before. Forced to the brink by the relentless flames, he had no choice but to delve into the ancient Sword Intent inheritance he had acquired. Only thus could he hope to survive.

With a sweeping gesture, Xu Liguo unleashed a blade of energy, momentarily dissipating the flames before him. At the same moment, a torrent of curses erupted from his lips, a ritual honed to perfection over three long years. “Wang Lin, you brat! When your grandfather Xu gets out of here, I’ll make you pay dearly!” Even as the words left his mouth, a tremor ran through him. He whirled around, his eyes wide with terror. “***! That soul-reaping Wang Lin, is he about to emerge?! Great heavens, keep him locked away! But… if he doesn’t emerge, how will I escape? He must come out, he must!”

Within the heart of the starfield, where flames danced in a chaotic ballet, Wang Lin roared in agony. He had unleashed the power contained within the second, and near-final, of the Flame Totems. Waves of unbearable force ripped through him, yet he refused to yield. Clad in crimson armor, his white hair whipping around him, a colossal alabaster Vermillion Bird spiraled behind him, absorbing the chaotic energy that threatened to consume him. Despite its efforts, the power of eight lifetimes was simply too much.

The tearing pain intensified, yet it did not break him. Instead, it fueled his rebellious spirit. With a defiant laugh that bordered on madness, he threw back his head and roared, his face a mask of savage determination. “A mere Ninth Profound Transformation! I, Wang Lin, will succeed!” With that oath, his left hand slammed down upon the final Flame Totem etched upon his right arm. In that instant, the power of the ninth lifetime erupted within him.

He was engulfed in a sphere of fire, the heat so intense that even he could barely endure it. His very flesh began to char and blister.

“You have reached your limit… I know, you have given your all,” the Vermillion Bird Saint Emperor sighed. His hand rose, poised to intervene. He knew that this reckless attempt to force the Ninth Profound Transformation would be Wang Lin’s undoing. The power of the previous eight lifetimes was already a struggle to control. This final surge would surely incinerate him, body and soul.

But even as the Saint Emperor moved to halt Wang Lin’s desperate gamble, Wang Lin spun around, ignoring the flames that consumed him. Locking his gaze upon the Vermillion Bird Saint Emperor, his voice a ragged rasp that cut through the inferno, he declared, “I… have not reached my limit!”

“You…” The Saint Emperor stared into Wang Lin’s eyes – eyes filled with a near-insane determination, a refusal to surrender, a defiance that dared to challenge the heavens themselves.

It was the same unyielding spirit as the primordial, banished to the nine depths by the Heavenly Dao. Though countless ages had passed, the rebellious roar still echoed, forever defiant!

In that single, earth-shattering moment, the Vermillion Bird Saint Emperor understood. This Wang Lin’s path… was the path of defiance! “Defying to cultivate, defying to attain, defying… fate!”
The inferno that consumed him could not break Wang Lin’s spirit. With a desperate surge of will, he raised his right hand and touched his brow. His nascent soul, the culmination of his being, instantly hurtled towards that very point, ripping a vortex into existence upon his forehead. From this swirling abyss, the soul of the Primordial Thunder Dragon erupted in a blaze of celestial energy.

A roar tore from the dragon-soul, a sound that shattered the heavens! The very fabric of reality trembled as the dragon invoked its ancient dominion over thunder. In that instant, the burning starfield was saturated with the raw essence of天雷 (Tiān Léi, Heavenly Thunder). Arcing tendrils of lightning, like celestial serpents, clawed and writhed across the void.

Every cultivator within that fiery domain felt the oppressive weight of Tiān Léi descending. A deafening thunder, the true voice of the heavens, drowned out all other sounds, reduced to a primordial bellow.

Countless bolts of lightning materialized, each a living strand of silver fire, converging upon Wang Lin from every corner of the starfield. The sheer density of this electrical storm blinded all who witnessed it, the sky choked by a cataclysm of light.

From above, the burning starfield appeared consumed by an endless sea of lightning. Wave upon wave of pure, untamed energy surged towards Wang Lin, coalescing around him in a maelstrom of power.

It was a雷電風暴 (léi diàn fēng bào, lightning storm) of unimaginable magnitude, engulfing the entire starfield. At its heart, Wang Lin’s flesh continued to burn, yet the celestial fire of the Tiān Léi was drawn into him, plunging him into a crucible of lightning and flame.

In that moment, the White Vermillion that had shadowed him, a silent guardian, surged forward, dissolving into his very being. It manifested as a vibrant tattoo upon his armor, its ancient power flooding his veins.

The residual energy gathered within his armor, meticulously absorbed over time, reversed its course, surging back into Wang Lin. He was now a vessel for the cumulative power of nine lifetimes, the essence of his being compressed through eight seals over three long years! Wang Lin became a living inferno, a vortex of raging fire spiraling outward from his form. The very flames of the burning starfield, ancient and eternal, stirred and responded to him, drawn to him like moths to a dying star, converging alongside the tempest of Tiān Léi.

The movement of the eternal flames, a spectacle unseen since the dawn of time, sent shockwaves throughout the starfield. Flame and lightning danced in a chaotic ballet, crimson and silver intertwined in a breathtaking display of raw power. In the eastern reaches of the Alliance starfield, this fiery domain, encompassing nearly a third of its territory, erupted, unleashing waves of incandescent energy that pierced the surrounding cosmos.

Within the Azure Dragon Sanctuary, a swarm of colossal mosquito-like beasts buzzed between towering trees. Leading them was a purple monstrosity, larger than a small mountain, who halted mid-flight, its multifaceted eyes fixed on the distant Vermillion Bird Sanctuary. A cold, reptilian intelligence sparked with sudden fervor.

It was not alone. Nearly every member of the Azure Dragon clan sensed the awakening within the Vermillion Bird Sanctuary. At the heart of the Azure Dragon domain, atop a verdant planet, three ancient elders sat in meditation at the crown of a colossal tree.

Their eyes snapped open in unison.

“The Vermillion Bird’s new sovereign is about to be born!” The three exchanged glances, a flicker of joy in their ancient eyes. They leaped from the colossal tree, heading to the Vermillion Bird Sanctuary.

A similar surge of energy rippled through the Black Tortoise Sanctuary. Within a sprawling swamp, a monstrous frog, scores of feet in length, lazily perched, its tongue flicking out to snatch unsuspecting creatures that strayed too close.

In an instant, its sluggish eyes snapped open, and a storm of electricity crackled across its skin, turning the surrounding hundred feet into a lightning-scorched hellscape. It raised its head, its gaze mirroring the excitement of the mosquito-beast, fixed on the Vermillion Bird Sanctuary.

Simultaneously, several elders of the Black Tortoise clan launched themselves into the sky, their destination the same.

“The birth of a new Vermillion Bird sovereign is a momentous occasion for all four sanctuaries!” The elders streaked through the void, leaving trails of starlight in their wake.

In the White Tiger Sanctuary, several figures also emerged, smiles of excitement etched on their faces as they ascended into the cosmos.

The Vermillion Bird Sanctuary itself was a maelstrom of activity. Countless clansmen spilled from their homeworlds, a teeming mass spread across the starfield. Most were caught in the throes of excitement, but a few wore expressions of uncertainty and veiled resentment.

Among them were the three chosen to be raised as potential sovereigns. These two men and one woman were paragons of their kind, blessed with striking appearances and cultivations hovering between the thresholds of Void Glimpse and Void Nirvana.

One man, Ren Tao, appearing to be around forty, had already reached the initial stage of Void Nirvana! Four elders stood behind him, their faces clouded with disapproval as they watched the sky.

Ren Tao’s expression was a mask of controlled fury. He could feel the fiery energies within the starfield rapidly converging at a single point deep within its heart.

“The Nine Xuan Transformations… what does it matter! Liao Yun, Feng Shan, have you made your decisions?” The two other aspirants, silent until now, remained unmoved.

“Senior Brother Ren, I fought in the demonic spirit war three years ago… I will not provoke this Wang Lin!” Liao Yun raised his head, his gaze unwavering, his words sharp and resolute. There was even a hint of disdain in his voice when he looked at Ren Tao, a subtle mockery of his perceived arrogance.

Liao Yun, a man of high ambition and exceptional talent, held a position second only to Ren Tao in the Vermillion Bird Sanctuary. Regarding Wang Lin, he had once felt a burning envy. But the events of the demonic spirit war three years prior still haunted him, filling him with a chilling dread.
For Wang Lin, his defiance had crumbled into abject fear. Over the last three years, gleaned from whispers and tales from the ever-opportunistic Big Head, that fear blossomed into a fervent reverence. Ren Tao’s ambition, in his eyes, was but a mantis challenging a chariot, a fool’s errand. Feng Shan, the sole woman amongst the trio, remained silent for a moment, then bowed her head in agreement. “If he achieves the Nine Transformations, Feng Shan will hail him as the Holy Emperor. If he falters, I shall submit to the will of my elder brother.”

A shadow of ire flickered in Ren Tao’s eyes. He was about to retort, but at that instant, the flames of the cosmos intensified with a roar that echoed like the bellow of a titan. They surged, intertwined with crackling lightning, accelerating with a velocity that defied understanding. Deep within this starfield, the inferno coalesced, relentlessly pouring into Wang Lin’s being, accompanied by a maelstrom of thunder. He alone commanded the fire-sea of this realm, the celestial lightning at his whim. Nearby, the Vermillion Bird Holy Emperor watched, his face etched with rare elation, his gaze upon Wang Lin brimming with pride.

As the boundless fire engulfed him, Wang Lin closed his eyes. He raised his right hand, and with a touch, pressed it against his chest. “Seal One!”

A cataclysmic tremor reverberated as the touch landed, accelerating the gathering of the surrounding flames. Behind Wang Lin, a spectral figure began to materialize, mirroring his form perfectly, yet composed entirely of ethereal fire.

The very instant this fiery phantom took shape, the burning sea of stars seemed to bow in fealty, a unified descent of roaring flame. Wang Lin’s hand did not falter; he swiftly struck his own body again and again.

“Seal Two!” “Seal Three!” … Almost instantaneously, Wang Lin repeated the action nine times. With each touch, the flames surged inward with renewed ferocity. The phantom behind him solidified, its form becoming ever clearer. Finally, Wang Lin uttered a resonant incantation: “Nine Seals to Transcendence, First Transformation!”

The phantom behind him solidified completely, revealing itself as another Wang Lin, a being of pure flame, the incarnate spirit of the First Transformation. It stepped forward and merged into Wang Lin’s form, instantly fusing with the seed of fire within his primordial soul. Miraculously, within Wang Lin’s soul, a second soul was born. Time seemed to stretch into eternity. Wang Lin opened his eyes, and an incandescent light erupted, shaking the very foundations of the heavens. The surrounding flames danced in frenzied celebration, as if to greet their master. Within that gaze resided the essence of both celestial fire and earth-shattering thunder, perfectly interwoven, inseparable. “Holy Emperor!”

“Holy Emperor!!” The instinctive connection between kindred spirits, the soul-stirring recognition of a new Holy Emperor, compelled the Vermillion Bird Clan to erupt in ecstatic cries. Only Ren Tao remained, suppressing a surge of inexplicable fear, his face now a mask of grim resolve.

At this moment, throughout the entire Star Alliance, the disparate factions of Luo Tian, the Corpse Yin Sect, and countless scattered powers were roused.