A heavy mood settled upon Wang Lin, the specter of the old Tea Emperor stirring memories of his journey through the land of the Chosen. He sighed inwardly, a silent acknowledgment of the weight he carried.

As Wang Lin advanced, the celestial spheres of the Vermillion Bird Sect erupted in a symphony of motion. Countless cultivators soared into the heavens, their voices joining in a thunderous chorus, “Hail, Sacred Emperor!” The echoes reverberated across the cosmos, carrying the weight of generations of suppressed longing and fervent expectation.

With each step, Wang Lin drew more disciples into his wake. The younger generation, their eyes shining with reverence, trailed behind him, their numbers swelling into a formidable host.

“Master!” A voice, raw with emotion, cut through the din. Wang Lin paused, turning to see Lei Ji and Bighead hurtling towards him like twin comets.

A smile touched his lips as he nodded to the pair. The procession continued, and a wild, joyous laugh reverberated through the stars. Situ Nan, his form radiating health, strode forth and embraced Wang Lin in a bear hug, exclaiming, “Well met, lad! You’ve finally emerged!”

Wang Lin’s smile deepened. Situ Nan’s wounds had healed completely, his cultivation refined, and even the insidious poison that plagued him had been subdued.

Following close behind was the silver-clad woman, and Fu Fengzi. The woman, silent as a wraith, fell in step behind Wang Lin. Fu Fengzi, his face etched with respect, could not hide the genuine happiness that shone in his eyes.

Finally, Wang Lin arrived at the Vermillion Bird Sect’s last principal star. Behind him stretched a sea of faces, a celestial tide of his people.

“Sacred Emperor!”

“Sacred Emperor!”

The cry thundered across the heavens, drowning out all other sound.

This final star was also home to Ren Tao. Hearing the joyous shouts of the crowd, his face darkened, his eyes fixed on Wang Lin with a venomous glare.

Beside him, Liao Yun scoffed, casting a disdainful glance at Ren Tao. He launched himself into the air, bowing deeply towards Wang Lin, who was surrounded by countless disciples. “Liao Yun greets the Sacred Emperor!” His voice was filled with fervent devotion. Of all present, those who had journeyed with Wang Lin to the Demon Spirit Land knew best his power and his worth.

Feng Shan hesitated, then followed suit, joining Liao Yun in respectful greeting.

The vast majority of the star’s inhabitants followed their example, their faces alight with joy as they welcomed Wang Lin.

The shadow of Ren Tao, flanked by a few elderly figures and a smattering of loyalists, stood in stark contrast to the jubilant crowd. Their silence spoke volumes.

“Wang Lin, I challenge you!” Ren Tao cried out, his voice cracking with desperation. He had to act. If Wang Lin continued unopposed, his hope of becoming Sacred Emperor would be forever extinguished.

Among the Vermillion Bird Sect, the Sacred Emperor was law. Any who defied him became enemies of the entire clan. But an ancient tradition existed, a law that gave Ren Tao the courage to issue his challenge.

Silence fell across the starfield, and thousands of eyes turned to Ren Tao.

Among those present were the Elders of the Vermillion Bird Sect, sworn to ensure Wang Lin’s smooth ascension to Sacred Emperor and to silence any dissent. The old Sacred Emperor’s decree was absolute.

Sweat beaded on Ren Tao’s brow under the intense scrutiny. He hardened his gaze, fixing it on Wang Lin. “Wang Lin, do you dare accept my challenge? If you refuse, you are unworthy to be Sacred Emperor!”

Three elders, loyal to Ren Tao, stepped forward, positioning themselves around him and glaring balefully at the clan elders within the throng of onlookers.

“Ren Tao, you are insolent! And you three – do you defy the old Sacred Emperor’s decree?” A towering elder stepped from the crowd. This was Elder Zhou, once a Nirvanic Shatterer in the Demon Spirit Land.

“Elder Zhou, by the ancient laws of the Vermillion Bird Sect, every member has the right to challenge the Sacred Emperor on the day of his succession, is that not so?”

“Ignorant fools!” Elder Zhou’s eyes glinted with mockery, but he retreated, holding his tongue.

Throughout the multitude of cultivators, those who had witnessed the Demon Spirit Land exchanged knowing glances of pity and scorn directed toward Ren Tao.

Their gazes unnerved Ren Tao. For three years, he had heard tales of Wang Lin’s exploits, but he dismissed them as fantastical.

He focused on Wang Lin, noting his cultivation, a mere Nirvana Scryer. The rumors, he was sure, were false. He opened his mouth to speak, but

Wang Lin’s eyes, cold and piercing, turned to him.

Ren Tao’s body shuddered, an inexplicable chill seizing his heart.

“A challenge to me means certain death. Do you still desire it?” Wang Lin spoke with chilling calm. The words sent shivers down the spines of all who had witnessed his power in the Demon Spirit Land.

They could never forget the darkness-rending power, the echoes of ancient strength that could shatter the very heavens!

Ren Tao’s heart pounded in his chest. An ominous premonition washed over him, but he had gone too far. He glared at Wang Lin, whose cultivation was, indeed, that of a Nirvana Scryer. His face contorted with fury. “I accept!”

Wang Lin nodded. While his avatar was separated from his body, he had access to abilities like scattering soldiers, so even as he was, he could dispatch every Quiet Nirvana cultivator, and even fight against Fragmentation Nirvana cultivators! Indeed, as he stood there, whether or not he had his body made little to no difference.

And if asked, with the powerful physical body he had, Wang Lin’s fighting endurance could exceed all expectations!
Little did Wang Lin suspect, as he stood ready to unleash the forbidden art of Cursed Night—a spell reserved for moments of direst need—that whispers of its power had already swept across the Alliance Star System like a tempest. Tales of its devastating might, passed down by the scattered remnants of the fallen Cultivation Alliance in the Demon Spirit Land, had transformed Wang Lin into a figure of legend.

For with Cursed Night, Void Wanderer had fallen, and of the Sky’s Chosen’s three celestial avatars, two were obliterated and the last grievously wounded. Such feats elevated Wang Lin to the ranks of the mightiest cultivators in existence.

“Regardless, you are of the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect,” Wang Lin declared, a chilling pronouncement. “I shall grant you a pyre worthy of your lineage!” As he spoke, Wang Lin raised his right hand, and from behind him, a spectral entity shimmered into existence.

“Nine Transformations of Xuan!” The assembled members of the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect gasped as one, a wave of awe and fervent excitement washing over them. All eyes now bore into Wang Lin with an intensity that threatened to scorch him.

For the Nine Transformations of Xuan was a divine skill, a sacred technique known only to the Holy Emperors of ages past!

Even Ren Tao paled visibly, his features twisting with resentment and a desperate defiance. With a guttural roar, he wove intricate hand seals, and the flames that wreathed him surged forth in a torrent of heat, coalescing into a crude, flickering suit of armor.

Wang Lin’s gaze was glacial, his movements precise. He gestured, and the ethereal form behind him flowed into his right arm, imbuing it with celestial energy. With a swift motion, Wang Lin’s hand struck Ren Tao, the power behind it felt through the air itself.

“Embers to Embers!”

The chilling words resonated, carrying with them the authority of one who commanded the very essence of fire. In that moment, every flame in existence answered to Wang Lin’s will. The fire protecting Ren Tao shuddered, then twisted violently inward, threatening to consume its master. In desperation, Ren Tao focused his flames to protect himself from Wang Lin’s control and blasted forward, lancing towards Wang Lin like a fiery arrow, hoping to use his speed to take Wang Lin by surprise and break free of this dangerous moment.

Ren Tao’s mind reeled, for never had he imagined that Wang Lin could so easily manipulate his own flames. He knew this was his last chance; if he could not cripple or slay Wang Lin with a single strike, he would surely be engulfed by the vengeful fire behind him.

“One strike,” he thought, “is all it will take to end this man!”

Wang Lin remained unperturbed. With another hand seal, he pointed again at Ren Tao. In that instant, the Nine Transformations of Xuan manifested within Wang Lin for the first time in its true, unrestrained glory. His entire right arm blazed with unbearable heat.

“Unleash the Fire of Three Lifetimes!”

As Wang Lin uttered the words, his finger piercing the void, Ren Tao faltered mid-charge, a torrent of blood erupting from his lips. A thunderous boom echoed from within his very core, throwing him backward in disarray. His eyes widened with horror, but also confusion.

Before he could regain his balance, another cataclysmic explosion ripped through him, turning his body into a bloody ruin. His flesh tore apart under the relentless force, and in a final, desperate act, Ren Tao’s spirit fled its shattered vessel. Even in flight, it remained bewildered, unable to comprehend how a single gesture could unravel his physical being.

But as his spirit clawed towards freedom, a devastating surge of energy consumed him. A chaotic fusion of fire and lightning erupted within his ethereal form, annihilating it in a blinding flash. Ren Tao’s essence ceased to be.

The entire sequence unfolded in the blink of an eye. To the onlookers, it seemed as though Wang Lin had merely extended two fingers, and Ren Tao was utterly extinguished.

Throughout the ordeal, Wang Lin remained serene, his expression unchanged. The Nine Transformations of Xuan had not disappointed him. It was indeed worthy of its reputation as the forbidden art of the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect’s Holy Emperors.

“Perhaps it is the fusion with lightning that grants it such formidable power, far exceeding my initial expectations,” Wang Lin mused.

His gaze swept across the three ancient figures who had stood beside Ren Tao—one a master of the Shattered Nirvana stage, the others at the peak of the Cleansed Nirvana.

“Do you three also seek to challenge me?” Wang Lin’s right eye blazed with white flame as he fixed his gaze upon the elders, an implicit threat hung heavy in the air.