Where Wang Lin stood, the mountain peaks had vanished. Only a handful of bestial souls, wreathed in iridescent light, floated in the air, mercilessly consumed by a sea of fire. The rainbow glow surrounding them flickered, threatening to shatter at any moment.

The outer warding array collapsed under the fire’s onslaught, transforming into countless burning, formless fragments that swirled outwards. Even the endless mists that perpetually veiled the ring of mountains were rent asunder by the fire’s thunderous expansion, banished utterly. For the first time in countless years, no mist shrouded the Seven-Colored Realm.

Within the dissipating mists, the Inscribers sat cross-legged, suspended in the air, battling the encroaching flames. Further away, in the valleys beyond the mountain range, the land had become a fiery hell the instant the fire swept across the heavens.

The deafening crackle and roar of the conflagration filled the air as valleys crumbled and collapsed, turning into burning rubble scattered in all directions.

In one such valley, an old woman in azure robes stood pale as death, her face devoid of color. Her heart pounded in her chest as she frantically wove hand seals, casting barrier after barrier to hold back the all-consuming fire.

Beyond the valley lay the outermost fringes of the Seven-Colored Realm, a haven for ferocious beasts. In recent days, Chen Tianjun had been traversing this dangerous land, risking life and limb to cautiously seek out essence crystals amongst the savage creatures.

Though he possessed the spirit beast taming arts of the Beast Sect, extracting crystals from these numerous Rank Twelve beasts was like snatching teeth from a tiger’s jaws, with several near-death experiences along the way. At this moment, he burst from within a mist-formed beast, his heart pounding, and fled into the distance. Behind him, a roar erupted from the dissipating mist, and a gale-force wind howled in pursuit.

But in that very instant, the distant horizon was suddenly engulfed in a blinding white. The rainbow light in the sky vanished, replaced by an unimaginable heatwave that rolled forth like a cataclysm.

The beast pursuing Chen Tianjun faltered, abandoning its hunt without hesitation and retreating back into the mist.

In a heartbeat, the white sea of fire washed over the land, the heatwave swallowing the outermost reaches of the Seven-Colored Realm. Yet, around Chen Tianjun, the heat seemed to bend, the fire holding back.

He stood there, transfixed, his entire body soaked in sweat. He could feel the immense heat within the fire, a heat that would surely consume him if he lingered too long.

And within that fire, he sensed Wang Lin’s presence.

The flames continued to spread, enveloping the outer fringes of the Seven-Colored Realm completely. The beasts roared from within the mists, and some charged out into the fire, howling, seemingly unafraid of the searing heat. Several serpentine fire-beasts twisted through the flames with ease, seemingly scorning the inferno. As the fire consumed the Realm, the third awakening of the Vermilion Bird began! Where Wang Lin sat, his Ancient God flesh cracked and dried, as if every drop of moisture had been instantly drained. The fissures in his skin spread like the lines of extreme age, a horrifying sight to behold.

Around his body, the flames raged at their fiercest, an endless heat radiating from within, churning the heavens into a massive, swirling vortex of fire that spun slowly above him.

A pained cry echoed from deep within his body, as the white Vermilion Bird struggled, as if this third awakening was a trial, a peril, for the very creature itself!

Wang Lin’s mind was blank. He felt as though he had become the Vermilion Bird. The fire seed within its heart released an endless torrent of heat, but the more it expelled, the more heat arose, threatening to consume him utterly!

If the heat was expelled too slowly, he felt as if he would be burned to ashes.

It was an endless, vicious cycle. The more heat he released, the more it generated, and the Vermilion Bird cried out in agony, a sound of desperate struggle and impending doom.

This was unlike the previous awakenings. This third awakening was proving impossibly difficult! The heat emanating from him threatened to engulf his very soul, a fate Wang Lin had never foreseen.

As the inner heat continued to increase, the rate of dissipation could not keep up with the fiery congealing within him. The burning sensation increased, and the fissures on his skin spread, threatening to shatter him.

Suddenly, he threw open his eyes and roared towards the heavens, attempting to release the heat with his howl. A wave of searing energy gushed from his mouth, his seven orifices, even his very pores struggling under the agonizing heat.

“Vermilion Bird…Awakening…Vermilion Bird…” Wang Lin’s mind was fading, his instincts driving him to release the inner fire, but this was merely a temporary solution, a slow poison. He was certain to die if this continued. His eyes turned bloodshot, filled with a desperate light. “Either be consumed by the flames, or be reborn in them!” Wang Lin’s character was forged of resilience and determination, coupled with a defiant spirit. The fiercer the flames, the greater his desire to overcome them!

“If releasing the flames is no solution, then I shall contain them! I shall see what this fire can do!” Wang Lin laughed in pain, his expression growing wild. He sealed every pore, closed his orifices, and completely shut off his body, allowing the inner fire to rage unchecked, refusing to release even the slightest wisp!

Such a reckless, suicidal courage seemed simple, but few in this world could truly muster it.

As Wang Lin sealed himself, the fire within him surged to a terrifying level. Sealed within, the high temperatures hammered his body. In an instant, he thought he would shatter, but Wang Lin held on, unyielding.

Time passed. The inner heat grew unbearable, his body turning a ghastly white-red hue. The surrounding space began to crack and crumble. And then, the flames within Wang Lin reached their apex, detonating within his core!

An unimaginable wave of heat erupted, incinerating Wang Lin’s body. His form was now hidden by a raging fire, slowly shifting from white to…blue!

The instant the blue flames appeared, they swept outwards, engulfing the world in a heat far exceeding that of the white fire!

The heavens became blue as the fire spread, consuming everything in its path, creating a hellish blue inferno!

On the fringes of the Seven-Colored Realm, where beasts roamed, the white flames were instantly replaced by an eerie blue glow. All fire, every last ember, was now blue!

Those beasts that had previously disregarded the flames, even those that had radiated their own pressure within the inferno, now shrieked in terror, retreating as mist, desperately trying to resist.

The serpentile fire-beasts, which had previously scorned the heat, howled in unison and retreated into mist. One, slower than the others, was instantly enveloped in blue fire. A terrible shriek echoed from within the flames, and the serpent died, its soul consumed by the fire, becoming one with its essence!

A flame capable of incinerating a beast equivalent to a late-stage Nirvana Shatterer was a rare and terrible thing.

Under the onslaught of blue fire, more caves in the valleys collapsed, barriers proving fragile and worthless against the inferno!

The entire Realm was ablaze, the blue flames roaring towards the heavens! Deep within the Seven-Colored Realm, an old man in white rushed towards Wang Lin, his speed incredible. But as he neared, his expression twisted in horror.

Before him, blue light filled the sky as blue flames rushed towards him like a tidal wave. The old man’s face paled as he frantically wove hand seals and summoned magical treasures, barely surviving the fire’s onslaught. The sweat on his brow and the terror in his eyes revealed his fear.

“What…what fire is this?!” He was a learned scholar, his knowledge vast, but he had never seen a blue flame like this. It could threaten a Nirvana Cleanser and incinerate their flesh and soul! This kind of flame was unbelievable!

From the source of the blue fire, a sound of a Vermilion Bird echoed, a sound of rebirth!

The blue fire sea became agitated!

A blue Vermilion Bird appeared from the flame and with it the resurrection of one!