“I face a crisis of life and death! I would rather gamble on weathering the first tribulation of the Celestial Five Ails than be boiled alive here!” With these words, Voidspirit’s soul essence erupted forth, his arms outstretched, his eyes blazing with a fierce resolve.

As he spread his arms, beyond the Demonspirit Land where the Immortal Emperor’s cave abode lay, in the boundless star-strewn void, near where the Vermillion Bird True Spirit and the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect resided, five stars suddenly blazed with an unearthly light.

This light cascaded across the cosmos, reaching every corner of the Alliance Star Domain. All could behold five new stars in the heavens, regardless of day or night. Then, one of these stars abruptly flared, eclipsing the other four in a blinding burst of incandescence. In the apex of its brilliance, it seemed to tear itself from the firmament, plummeting towards the Void.

Amidst the stars, the old sage of Kunshee and the fair maiden halted their journey, their gazes drawn skyward. The sage, his countenance serene, murmured, “Someone courts the first tribulation of the Celestial Five Ails. The brightest star descends with a speed surpassing all mortal limitations. It nears the Vermillion Bird’s haven with impossible swiftness.” A thunderous echo reverberated through the void as the searing starlight diffused, vanishing within a speck of dust in that very location.

Piercing through the dust, it entered the Demonspirit Land, stirring the demonic aura within. The starlight crashed through the earth, cleaving through six layers until it reached the seventh, a realm consumed by a sea of hellfire, and struck Voidspirit’s soul essence.

In that instant, Voidspirit’s cultivation soared, yet his face twisted in agony, a tortured scream escaping his lips. Seizing the power of the approaching celestial tribulation, Voidspirit plunged upward, tearing through the sky-scorching flames, towards escape.

His soul essence, bathed in the celestial light, was rapidly fading. For a Shattering Nirvana cultivator, the first tribulation of the Celestial Five Ails was only the beginning.

The ancient demon Taga reached out to seize Voidspirit from afar, but hesitated and lowered his arm.

“To undergo the first tribulation in a weakened state… if he survives, he might yet become a useful scattered demon under my banner…”

Meanwhile, trapped within the demonic sea, Bello, Wang Lin, and the Fire Dragon teetered on the brink of oblivion. The Immortal Emperor’s arcane arts, coupled with the ancient demon’s demonic energy, had amplified the “Sky-Scorching, Sea-Boiling” technique to terrifying levels.

The sea shrunk dramatically, its temperature rising to unbearable extremes. Even Wang Lin’s Vermillion Bird and Ancient God physique felt the searing pain. He struggled with all his might, but could not break free of the boiling prison.

The demonic sky-fire now plunged into the sea, intensifying the “Sky-Scorching, Sea-Boiling” technique to its zenith.

Desperation filled Wang Lin’s eyes as waves of heat assaulted his body, threatening to cook him alive. His flesh felt leaden and weak. In this desperate moment, a bitter realization dawned upon him. He, who rarely miscalculated, was now forced to admit his error.

Had he departed with Hu Juan, perhaps they wouldn’t be in this predicament. But even then, they could not have escaped for long. Eventually, they would have been cornered by the terrifying ancient demon Taga.

Whether he stayed or fled, the outcome would have been the same. Throughout his life, Wang Lin had faced countless perils – the Blood Ancestor, the Yao Family’s relentless pursuit, the trials within the Ancient God’s domain during his Core Formation. Each crisis had failed to break him. This time, Wang Lin was determined to stand firm, but reality was unyielding.

Yet, this was not enough to shatter his Dao Heart, to make him yield. Determination blazed in Wang Lin’s eyes. He still had the Sky-defying Bead! He still had the Source!

At this moment, the demon sea had nearly vanished, leaving only a swirling vortex of demonic fire, intent on incinerating all within.

The Fire Dragon looked wan and diminished, its body shrinking. Even it could not endure much longer in this inferno.

Bello’s demonic aura surged wildly, but to no avail.

The ancient demon’s maniacal laughter echoed as he gazed upon the demonic fire. Upon his shoulder sat a diminutive figure – the black-clad man’s soul essence, shrunken and cross-legged.

A dragon of flame coiled around the black-clad soul essence, which stared greedily at the Fire Dragon within the inferno.

“This Fire Spirit Dragon was forged by Green Progenitor and is fiercely loyal. Its wisdom is sufficient to discern that I am not Green Progenitor. Luo Kun, as the disciple of the Grand Lord, you may devour this Fire Dragon!” Taga declared calmly, plucking the black-clad soul essence from his shoulder and flinging it forward.

The black-clad soul essence instantly transformed into a dragon of flame, howling as it surged into the demonic fire, greed burning in its eyes, and rushed towards the weakened Fire Dragon.

“Many thanks, Ancient Demon Lord!” joyous thoughts flooded from the black-clad soul essence. It was about to strike the Fire Dragon when, with a sudden jerk of its head, the Fire Dragon’s eyes flared with unyielding pride. A mighty roar erupted from its throat, transforming into sonic booms that reverberated within the demonic fire, momentarily disrupting its flow.

The flame dragon formed from the black-clad soul essence recoiled slightly, but its greed only intensified!

It could afford to be patient. With the ancient demon Taga’s aid, it knew the Fire Dragon would not last much longer.

Its greedy gaze lingered on Wang Lin, who struggled within, a strange light gleaming in its eyes.

“And his Vermillion Bird… it shall be mine as well!”

But in that instant, something happened that startled the black-clad soul essence. With a defiant roar, the Fire Dragon suddenly shifted its massive form, shrinking rapidly until it was a mere ten zhang in length, and lunged towards Wang Lin.

Its draconic eyes held a resolute death wish!

It would rather die than be devoured. If death was inevitable, it would choose this man, from whom it could still sense a trace of kinship!

This action took the black-clad soul essence completely by surprise. Before it could react, the Fire Dragon had already hurtled forward, reaching Wang Lin in the blink of an eye.

As Wang Lin opened his eyes in astonishment, the Fire Dragon unleashed one final roar before plunging into Wang Lin’s brow. A torrent of fiery power coursed through Wang Lin’s brow into his soul essence. The Vermillion Bird tattoo on his body, previously weakened, instantly awakened as if infused with new life, taking form and echoing with a Vermillion Bird’s cry!

The Fire Spirit Dragon’s fire essence, though different from the Vermillion Bird Flame, shared the same origin – the fire of heaven and earth. As the Fire Dragon plunged into Wang Lin’s brow, it triggered an explosive surge of fire essence within his body. The fusion of these two different flames gave rise to an unforeseen metamorphosis!

Like parched earth welcoming the rain, like a dying candle replenished with oil, Wang Lin’s body trembled. A force seemed to erupt within him. He suddenly rose, taking a single step that gave him the power to move within the demonic fire. His eyes blazed with towering flames, forming a firestorm that roared around him, reaching into the heavens.

Within the storm, the Vermillion Bird circled alongside a phantom image of the Fire Dragon, driving the storm to its peak. It churned and devoured the surrounding sky-scorching demonic fire.

As the storm furiously absorbed the fire, it formed a gargantuan vortex, emitting a terrifying suction. This all unfolded in an instant, leaving even the ancient demon Taga momentarily stunned.

The black-clad soul essence, now consumed by disbelief and terror, abandoned all thoughts of devouring and retreated hastily. But it was too close to the vortex and was immediately drawn in.

The ancient demon frowned and reached out to seize the black-clad soul essence, but in that instant, the ancient demon Bello’s eyes flashed with a demonic light.

He had given up all hope, but Wang Lin’s absorption of the Fire Dragon had triggered a fire metamorphosis within him. He saw clearly that within the vortex storm, a white flame seed was rapidly condensing within Wang Lin’s body.

“A Source Fire Seed!” Bello gasped at the sight, even with his status as an ancient demon. His despairing heart suddenly saw a chance to escape.

“One last push, and he can fully condense the fire seed. Once the fire seed is formed, he will command all fire in the heavens. Though the demonic fire has a will of its own, Taga’s soul-snatching is not yet perfect. There is still a chance!”

Thoughts raced through Bello’s mind. As the ancient demon Taga reached out to retrieve the black-clad soul essence, Bello gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet. The seven demonic stars in his right eye spun rapidly, and one imploded in an instant!

Ancient Demon Shattering Star!

The collapse of a demonic star instantly released a massive force into Bello’s body. He finally broke free of the sea, though he could not escape the demonic fire or break free altogether, but could now cast his spell.

His right eye flashed again, and another demonic star imploded with a thunderous sound. With two demonic stars shattered, the ancient demon Bello’s body swelled. Taking a single step, he appeared before the black-clad soul essence that the ancient demon sought to reclaim. He lunged forward, transforming into a demonic whirlwind that crashed into the ancient demon Taga’s reaching hand.