“This corpse… This corpse is merely a phantom born of the Holy Emperor’s divine imprint. I have not beheld the true remains, and thus cannot render a judgment,” the alluring sorceress declared, choosing her words with care. She suppressed the turmoil within her heart, yet the image of the corpse from within the jade scroll lingered, stirring a deep and unsettling fascination.

“Indeed?” King Lin replied, his gaze sweeping over her. He gently blew upon the steaming tea before him, his voice calm. “Then let us abandon the matter. I held no great hopes for this corpse, its nature known or unknown is of little consequence.”

The sorceress’s face shifted, and she quickly inquired, “Did the jade scroll the Holy Emperor bestowed upon Lie Yunzi contain the same?”

“Precisely,” King Lin responded casually, taking a sip of his tea.

The enchanting sorceress deliberated for a long moment, then raised her eyes to meet King Lin’s. A glimmer of reverence shone within them. “This matter exceeds my judgment. Grant me seven days, Holy Emperor, and within that time, I shall deliver your answer!”

King Lin offered a faint smile, setting down his cup. “Fear not, Lady Li. This corpse was a chance discovery, one I cannot retrieve. Hence, I sought your expertise to identify it.”

The sorceress, whose cunning was well-honed, had begun to regain her composure. She understood that King Lin’s offering of the jade scroll was far from simple, undoubtedly holding deeper intent.

Furthermore, it was evident that King Lin had prepared the scroll beforehand, offering it first to Lie Yunzi, and then to herself! After a moment’s reflection, she said cautiously, “I fear I shall be unable to attend the Holy Emperor’s ascension ceremony. I must take my leave.”

King Lin did not attempt to detain her, allowing Li Yingzhi to depart from the grand hall, transforming into a streak of vibrant light that streaked into the heavens.

King Lin’s gaze followed the sorceress’s vanishing form. His face remained serene. The bait had been cast; it remained to be seen whether the powers of Luo Tian and the Corpse Yin Sect would take it.

“They shall bite, they must!” King Lin turned to face Mo Zhi, a smile slowly forming on his lips. He rose to his feet, his full armor and cloak instantly vanishing, revealing him in pristine white robes. He clasped his fist towards Mo Zhi, a laugh in his voice, “Brother Mo, after all these years, your spirit remains as bright as ever!”

Mo Zhi rose in kind, clasping his fist in return. A touch of wistfulness colored his expression. “It has been nearly a millennium, I believe.”

King Lin’s eyes echoed with remembrance. He sighed softly. “Brother Mo, our reunion today is a stroke of fate. We must engage in another discourse. I still hold the enlightenment of that rain-swept night dear in my heart.”

Mo Zhi nodded with a smile. Together, the two walked out of the grand hall.

Beside the volcanic crater on the main star of the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect, where King Lin had meditated for days, the void rippled, and King Lin stepped through, Mo Zhi following closely behind.

Gazing at the plumes of dark smoke rising from the crater’s depths, King Lin sat beside it. With a flick of his hand upon his storage pouch, two wine bottles materialized. He tossed one to Mo Zhi, took a swig from his own, and exhaled deeply. ” ‘Life is the rain, born from the heavens and dying on the earth, with its journey between the two.’ I recall those words with perfect clarity.”

Mo Zhi accepted the wine bottle and sat nearby. Hearing King Lin’s words, his face also grew wistful. “In my days as a member of the Alliance of Cultivators, I was assigned to the Vermilion Bird Star at the explicit request of my master.

On that rainy night, I sought to clear my mind, and walked abroad, only to encounter you, Brother King.

You were on the edge of life and death then, Brother King, and even without my aid, you would eventually have come to that understanding.” King Lin shook his head. Sometimes, one simply understood, while at others, one could struggle endlessly, unable to pierce the veil of ignorance.

“Our second meeting was within the Vermilion Bird Tomb. I had intended for you to become the master of the Vermilion Bird Star, but I underestimated the scope of your ambition.” Mo Zhi spoke with sincerity, raising the wine bottle to his lips.

“And now, at our third meeting, I find you ascended as the Holy Emperor of the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect! I am sincerely overjoyed.”

The two shared wine and reminisced, the memories of a millennium flowing swiftly by in laughter and remembrance, as if they had returned to that ancient temple on a rain-swept night.

“Brother King’s grasp of the essence of life and death is complete. The shifts in your essence now are beyond my ability to perceive. But my master once said that all essences in this world are linked to the heart. The movements of the heart often shape the changes in one’s essence.

Perhaps these words might be of some aid to you.”

As their discourse continued, time slipped away. In the early morning hours, Mo Zhi bid farewell. He would not remain for King Lin’s ascension ceremony, but rather, he departed with four jade scrolls and a charge from King Lin, headed to the stars beyond.

The secrets contained within those four jade scrolls were enough to send tremors throughout the entire Alliance Starfield. Mo Zhi would deliver them to his master, and to the three remaining Alliance powers, with all haste.

As for their own state of Outcloud, Mo Zhi had found clarity from King Lin’s subtle hints and speculations, and would certainly prevent his master from involving himself.

Having seen Mo Zhi off, others arrived over the next few days to offer their congratulations, but King Lin no longer received them in person. In the blink of an eye, the day of the ascension ceremony arrived.

On this day, the entire Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect basked in festivity. Elders and clansmen from the other three Sacred Sects arrived to witness the coronation of the new Holy Emperor.

The ceremony, though elaborate, was steeped in tradition, and its completion spanned the entire day.

The representatives from the other Sects gradually departed, and the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect slowly returned to its usual tranquility. The vast majority of clansmen dedicated themselves to cultivation, while the elders, now aware of the mission to rescue the Azure Dragon Holy Emperor, all entered seclusion to maintain their peak condition.

The rescue of the Azure Dragon Holy Emperor was of utmost importance! Yet at this moment, King Lin stood at the edge of the fiery starfield that housed the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect. Before him floated a disembodied spirit.

The spirit took the form of a middle-aged man, his gaze upon King Lin filled with kindness and satisfaction.
“You have done well. In the years I lingered in this world, though you may not have been the most gifted of our clan, you are the one who brings me the most satisfaction. I entrust the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect to you with a light heart.”

King Lin remained silent, offering no reply.
“Alas, time dwindles like the last ember in a dying fire. Had I but another age, another cycle of the celestial calendar, I could impart the full measure of my knowledge. Alas…” The elder man, his face etched with the wisdom of ages and the sorrow of parting, shook his head and sighed. He turned his gaze upon Wang Lin, and spoke in hushed tones, “I journey to the Alliance Citadel, a journey from which I fear I shall not return. Yet, the Rain Realm Celestial Crystal, I shall obtain it, even if it demands my very essence!”

“Nine-tenths of my nascent soul shall depart, seeking to absorb the scattered fragments of my former self. Within my mortal vessel, a tenth remains. Should I succeed in claiming the Crystal, I shall, through ancient spirit magic, convey it to that fragment dwelling within my dormant body.”

“Once the Crystal is yours, consider the Azure Dragon Saint Emperor. Aid him if you can, but if it proves too perilous, your own survival must be paramount.” The elder spoke as if delivering a final testament, each word measured and deliberate.

“Within my flesh lies the Whitefire Stone, which shall preserve it from decay for three millennia. It holds the essence of the fire arts I cultivated throughout my life. Every century, you must return to my resting place, to meditate and draw upon its power. This shall greatly aid your cultivation. But heed this warning! Should the hand of fate deliver a crisis of life and death, cast aside any reverence for my departed soul. Unleash the Nine Transformations upon my vessel, and ignite it, to grant you, or the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect, a chance to weather the storm.”

He cast a lingering gaze upon the burning starfields, and then at the far-flung cultivator stars of the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect, his expression a mixture of sorrow and undying affection.

“Wang Lin, I must depart… I shall also endeavor to uncover news of your esteemed brother, Qing Shui…” His gaze upon Wang Lin softened with paternal affection. He raised his right hand, placing it gently upon Wang Lin’s crown. “To burden you with such a precarious legacy… do not bear him ill will…” He looked deeply into Wang Lin’s eyes one last time before turning and walking into the distance. His figure, though aged, moved with a strange grace, bearing the weight of countless millennia but now carrying a sense of liberation.

“I am Lu Yun, born in the ancient Era of Qi Cultivation. From my youth, I served as a humble apothecary’s apprentice beside the Fourth Holy Emperor. He, in his boundless benevolence, imparted to me the arts of cultivation. By the age of one thousand, three hundred and seventy-two years, I had achieved some measure of mastery, and served him closely, witnessing the zenith of the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect…”

“At two thousand, nine hundred and forty-five years, I rose to become an Elder of the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect.”

“Four thousand, seven hundred and sixty years brought the first tribulation of celestial decay, yet I became one of the Grand Elders of the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect.”

“Six thousand, two hundred and fifteen years saw me granted the Vermilion Bird Mark. My first awakening, battling other awakened, earned me renown! By seven thousand, nine hundred and twelve years, with the aid of the Fourth Holy Emperor, I achieved the second awakening of the Vermilion Bird. From that day forth, I became a trusted confidant of the Holy Emperor and a Young Lord of the Vermilion Bird! At the age of one hundred and one thousand, four hundred and sixty-three, the Rune Clan descended from beyond the realms, disrupting the balance of heaven and earth. The Vermilion Bird Holy Sect, in alliance with the Immortal Realms, waged war upon the runes. In the aftermath, the Fourth Holy Emperor, along with the other three Holy Emperors, journeyed beyond the realms, vanishing from our sight. Before his departure, he named me as the Fifth Holy Emperor! At that very moment, with his assistance, I had barely weathered the second tribulation of celestial decay.”

“It was then that I came to know a startling secret concerning our Four Holy Sects! We were not native to this realm, but arrived here in ages past. I learned that the first Holy Emperors and the ancestors of the Four Holy Sects originated on a humble cultivation star, in a time when the Ancient Immortal Domain still stood, before the Great Immortal Realms had been sundered into four.”

“That star, to speak plainly, is the wellspring of the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect and the other three, the path leading back to our true home…”

“This star remains firmly within the grasp of the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect. The other three sects have never opposed this, for few know the truth. From the time of the First Holy Emperor, this has been the most carefully guarded secret within our Four Holy Sects, unknown even to the Immortal Emperor Qing Lin.”

“Moreover, when the Four Holy Emperors claimed the Kun Xu Starfield, they created many stars similar to our origin, obscuring the true path. Thus, almost none could discern which was the true ancestral home. Beyond that, the First Holy Emperors cast layers of concealment spells, ensuring that our homeworld would never be fully revealed.”

“Centuries passed. A strange anomaly arose in the Immortal Realm. For a fleeting moment, the entire cosmos, all living beings, were plunged into a state of bewilderment, as if severed from all perception, adrift in chaos…”