In that selfsame hour, within the celestial sphere of the Alliance, a weathered sage dwelling in the mystic Kunxu Realm, who had sensed Wang Lin’s presence, bore a complex expression. With a shake of his head, he stepped forth, casting a glance back upon the Kunxu Saintess, Mu Bingmei, her face a mask of frigid beauty.

“Your ninth incarnation was shattered by fate’s cruel hand. Since this trial has arrived, why do you persist in evasion?” The flawlessly beautiful woman, ever aloof, offered only a silent bow of her head.

“That ninth self was reborn through him; no matter how you flee, you must confront him. When you rescued that girl, Zhou Ru, I knew your heart was stirred by the ninth reflection of yourself…” The elder sighed inwardly, his gaze ascending to the heavens.

“Remember, you are Mu Bingmei, the Saintess of Kunxu, not Liu Mei, daughter of a mortal from the Vermillion Bird Star! Upon your shoulders rests the burden of restoring our Kunxu Realm and the responsibility of opposing the invaders from beyond. The time to breach the barriers between realms is nigh…”

“He is no ordinary mortal…” Before the elder could finish, the impassive woman raised her face, a face capable of inspiring devotion and sacrifice, and spoke serenely.

“Are you still ensnared by this delusion?” The elder’s brow furrowed.

“I merely state a fact. He is not a common man.” Her voice remained calm, yet carried a note of undeniable weight.

“Very well. Even if he is not, even if he has somehow managed to send his mind here, even if his cultivation might one day reach the pinnacle of the Second Step – the Nirvana Shatterer – what does it matter?” The elder’s expression dripped with disdain.

“In the end, he is but a cultivator!”

Unbeknownst to the elder, this seemingly insignificant cultivator was under the protection of the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect, who would expend all their power to protect the Awakened One. Little did he know that this tiny cultivator possessed the blood of an ancient god – a lineage not inherited, but forged anew from the ashes of Wang Lin’s broken form, guided by the memories of Tusi and the ancient god’s techniques.

Nor did he know this tiny cultivator bore a mark of defiance against fate itself…

“Once, you were merely a cultivator as well,” the beautiful woman countered, her eyes meeting the elder’s.

A wry smile touched the elder’s lips, and for a moment, he found himself without words.

“Fear not. The duties of the Kunxu Saintess I shall not shirk. However, my personal affairs are beyond your interference, beyond your right. My path with him is mine alone, and no other may tread it.” Her voice was as unyielding as a sword’s edge, brooking no argument.

The elder sighed, abandoning the topic. He turned his gaze towards the sky, saying, “An old friend’s vessel has been seized. I must go. Will you join me?”

After a moment of pensive silence, a tempest of emotion playing across her face, the Saintess steeled her resolve and nodded. “I will.”

Within the seventh level of Emperor Celestial Jing’s dominion, all the molten rock coalesced into a fiery dragon. It lifted its massive head, fixing its gaze upon those below, and a palpable pressure descended.

From the dragon’s nostrils, two streams of scorching air billowed forth, and its immense horns pulsed with an intense, incandescent heat.

Its serpentine form coiled around the chamber, lending the dragon an aura of peerless dominance.

With eyes blazing with fury, it swept its gaze across the assembled figures. First, it fell upon Wang Lin, detecting a faint echo of familiarity, the essence of Huo Wu, emanating from his frail form.

Wang Lin’s heart skipped a beat under the dragon’s scrutiny, but he stood his ground. As the dragon’s attention shifted to Void Celestial and the Ancient Fiend and Demon, Wang Lin retreated. The dragon roared, and the seventh level of the Emperor’s dwelling erupted into a sea of fire. Amidst the inferno, the Ancient Fiend Bailuo’s eyes glinted. He abandoned his flight, whirling around to unleash a torrent of fiendish energy in the form of a ghastly green head, aiming to devour the Ancient Demon from behind.

Void Celestial chanted an incantation, summoning a swirling vortex of sand around himself, forming a protective barrier ten yards in diameter to repel the flames. However, his power was insufficient to hold back the fire for long; the sandy tempest hissed and cracked under the assault, crumbling rapidly.

The Ancient Demon Taji, his face a study in frigid malevolence, stepped forward, his eyes glinting with a savage light. “Why cease your flight? A mere wisp of the fire dragon spirit, entrusted to guard this domain, dares to challenge its master!” He cackled hoarsely.

With a swift hand gesture towards the heavens, the Ancient Demon intoned, “Witness now the sorceries of Emperor Qing Lin! Fiendish Incineration!”

In that instant, a black, demonic fire erupted from the Ancient Demon’s being, sweeping across the seventh level with devastating force.

The very sky was consumed by the demonic blaze, transforming into an obsidian abyss. The inferno was not only capable of burning all in its path, but it also infused its victims with a corrupting fiendishness, shattering their very souls.

The fiery dragon roared in defiance, scattering its own flames in a desperate attempt to counter the demonic tide. The seventh level shuddered and groaned. In the midst of the turmoil, the dragon charged towards the Ancient Demon.

The Ancient Demon sneered. He lowered his hand from the sky, his finger pointed at the dragon’s onrushing form. At that moment, the demonic fire rained down like a storm of hellish meteors, engulfing the dragon.

The sky trembled, the earth quaked. The unending torrent of demonic fire shrouded the dragon, transforming it into a grotesque entity of black flames.

Its pained roars and anguished cries echoed through the chamber. In a last, desperate act, it lunged at the Ancient Demon, but before it could reach him, the Ancient Demon slammed his hand forward, a wave of invisible force arresting the dragon’s advance a mere ten yards away.

No matter how it struggled or roared, the dragon could not break free. Ancient Fiend Bailuo gasped at the sight.

“You can wield Qing Lin’s sorcery, and even unleash the hidden power within his very body!” Bailuo’s eyes widened in horror. He understood the implications – the Ancient Demon had achieved a perfect fusion of mind and body with Qing Lin.

Without hesitation, a bitter resignation seizing his heart, Ancient Fiend Bailuo abandoned all thought of attack. He knew that even with the combined might of all within the chamber, they could not undo the possession of Qing Lin.

“I endured countless eons, battling Qing Lin within this very vessel, all for the sake of his memories, his cultivation, and above all else, for this body!” The Ancient Demon tightened his grip on the dragon, advancing as he spoke, his laughter ringing with triumph.

“Ancient Fiend, you and I were bitter foes beyond these realms. Now, you are but an ant beneath my feet. Once I have fully assimilated Qing Lin’s essence, I shall possess this vessel he spent countless years forging, a body capable of shattering all rules, a vessel unbound by any restraint!

With this body, I can follow in the footsteps of my ancient ancestors, ascending to the true Nine-Star realm of the Ancient Fiend. Once I reach that height, I, Taji, shall enter the ancestral ruins and obtain the power of the Ancient Ones!”

The Ancient Demon’s exultant laughter reverberated through the chamber. The dragon, struggling with every ounce of its being, was forced back with each step the Ancient Demon took. With a flick of his wrist, the dragon was flung aside.

“Qing Lin’s sorcery – Fiendish Incineration of Heaven and Ocean!” Taji’s eyes erupted in demonic flame. The ground of the seventh level roiled as a palpable miasma of demonic energy manifested, forming an inky, abyssal sea!

Turbulent waves crashed, engulfing Wang Lin, who watched with mounting alarm. Not only him, but even Void Celestial was caught within the demonic depths. So was the Ancient Fiend Bailuo.

The fire dragon, too, was engulfed by the sea, its eyes wide with terror.

As the Ancient Demon spoke the words “Incineration of Heaven and Ocean,” the sea of fiendishness began to boil, releasing plumes of demonic vapor, charged with unimaginable heat.

This sorcery sought to vaporize the very oceans, reducing them to nothing, leaving no escape for those caught within.

Having briefly contended with the Ancient Demon, Wang Lin realized that the demon was growing stronger with each passing moment. This sorcery, for instance, would have been beyond his reach in the ninth level, but here, he could unleash the Emperor Celestial’s power.

The thought of the countless other sorceries Qing Lin had mastered sent a chill down Wang Lin’s spine. Trapped within the sea of fiendishness, he felt the burning, corrosive waters closing in, the infernal heat consuming him.

Just as the waters threatened to engulf and incinerate him, Void Celestial’s face twisted in a desperate grimace. With a roar of defiance, he struck his own forehead, shattering his physical form!

The explosion unleashed a wave of force, pushing back the sea of fiendishness and creating a temporary pocket, even disrupting the rain of demonic fire from above.

In that instant, as his body crumbled, Void Celestial’s spirit erupted forth.