With a deafening roar, the Ancient Daemon Bellow, his form flickering with weakness, belched forth a torrent of demonic essence. Yet, his desperate gambit had succeeded! The black-robed figure’s nascent soul, hitherto enslaved, was wrenched free from the Ancient Devil’s control.

Seized by panic, the escaped soul attempted to flee once more. But from within the swirling vortex where Wang Lin resided, a hand shot forth with blinding speed. It seized the black-robed soul in a vise-like grip. The soul struggled, but in an instant, a raging inferno erupted from Wang Lin’s hand, engulfing it in a sea of inescapable flames. With a single, forceful tug, Wang Lin dragged the shrieking soul into the heart of the vortex.

Within the swirling chaos, Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with a murderous intent. Without hesitation, he devoured the black-robed soul whole!

The moment of consumption was marked by another earth-shattering boom, echoing from the depths of Wang Lin’s being. He had absorbed the Fire Dragon, devoured the black-robed figure’s Flame Dragon, and merged with the Vermilion Bird. These three infernos of the Heavens had coalesced within him, elevating his fire essence to unimaginable heights. Deep within his dantian, amidst the swirling maelstrom of power, a seed of fire, no larger than a fingernail, began to materialize!

As this fire seed bloomed into existence, the demonic flames that infested the Seventh Layer of the Immortal Emperor’s cavernous dwelling shuddered to a halt. Then, as one, they surged toward the vortex containing Wang Lin, merging into its fiery depths.

The demonic fire, the Fire Dragon, and the Flame Dragon – three distinct flames forged with the Vermilion Bird. Led by Vermillion Bird, they underwent a momentous transformation. A seed of fire was born, but more significant, after merging with all this burning fury and gaining such a celestial boon, Wang Lin’s Vermilion Bird revealed signs of a *second* awakening!

Within the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect, the number of awakenings a member experienced determined the apex of their cultivation and was the crucial key to becoming the Vermilion Bird Sacred Emperor!

Throughout the Sacred Sect’s long history, if all those marked by the Vermilion Bird only experienced a single awakening, they would engage in fierce combat for the throne. The victor would become Emperor, while the vanquished would be relegated to the position of Elder.

Yet, if even a single individual achieved two awakenings, no struggle was necessary. The title of Vermilion Bird Sacred Emperor would inevitably be bestowed upon them!

As for three awakenings…such a thing had never been recorded in the history of the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect.

The vortex surrounding Wang Lin now ascended toward the heavens, a pillar of fire supporting the sky. In its relentless hunger, a vortex of flames, previously unfathomable, erupted from the volcano on the Seventh Layer. As it burst forth, the volcano’s surface cracked and crumbled, the mountain collapsing into a storm of debris.

As it crumbled, the immense storm of flames ascended to pierce the very heavens and collided with the ceiling above, creating a wave of heat that struck with the force of a physical blow, collapsing the barrier between the Seventh and Sixth Layers in a deafening explosion!

The realm of the Sixth Layer was exposed, and within its grand hall, the pink-robed woman and the simple villager felt the tremors shaking the earth. Looking up in dismay, they saw that the land of the Sixth Layer was beginning to crumble, collapsing downwards. Buildings and structures crumbled like sandcastles, and countless formations shattered into fragments.

This scene was akin to the end of the world!

But the fury of the storm of flames did not diminish. Onward it roared, blasting through the Fifth Layer. The whole level disintegrated as it crumbled, awakened Wang Ze and Hu Juan, who did not hesitate to followed after it.

With the power of breaking through the Fifth Layer, the raging storm of flames roared forth yet again!

The Fourth Layer… shattered! Si Tu Nan stared at the destruction in awe and gasped, before chasing after the flames without thinking!

The Third Layer… shattered!

The Second Layer… shattered!

Finally, in the First Layer of the Immortal Emperor’s cavern, the surging fire subsided and shrank into a vortex, vanishing inside of a silhouette.

Wang Lin’s eyes were no longer glowing with flames, but a formless fire swirled around his body. To onlookers, the space around Wang Lin distorted, and the light refused to pass through it.

His hair had also completely changed, as snow-white hair fluttered in the wind, Wang Lin breathed out and clenched his fists. Behind him, a Vermilion Bird materialized in the air. Its form wasn’t red like before, but white as snow.

But any person who gazed upon this Vermilion Bird would have immediately felt its terrifying heat.

The white Vermilion Bird circled around Wang Lin, its expression one of such pride that all other creatures of the universe would lose their right to stand and dare not look at it, as it circled Wang Lin. The Vermilion Bird released a cry that pierced the heavens!

The Vermilion Bird’s second awakening!

At that moment, the very heavens trembled. Void Wanderer, who was desperately holding on in a corner of the destroyed Fourth Layer, struggled to survive the first stage of the Five Decrees of Heaven and Man!

“Once I have succeeded, not only will my wounds be healed, but my strength will be increased tenfold! Killing Wang Lin will be as easy as crushing an ant!” Just as he was focusing on trying to reach a breakthrough, he was shocked by the second Vermilion Bird cry. Void Wanderer looked at the scene in disbelief. The first awakening could still be tolerated, but this second awakening had never been expected! He knew that the significance between the first and second awakening was like the difference between earth and the heavens!

If the first awakening would allow the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect to protect him with all their strength, then the second awakening would make them go crazy for him. It wouldn’t be simple protection, but risking everything for him!

The Xiu Alliance would have been concerned with a first awakening, but now, this second awakening would make even them feel shock! What’s more, Void Wanderer knew that there wasn’t much time between the first and second awakenings. It was almost negligible!

Thinking about all that had happened and how Wang Lin had been the reason for his current state, the fact that Wang Lin had reached his second awakening, Void Wanderer spat out a mouthful of essence. His mind was immediately thrown into chaos, and the energy in his body went berserk. His attempt to go through the first stage of the Five Decrees of Heaven and Man showed signs of failure!

This stage was mysterious and unpredictable. Even a flicker of one’s heart could ruin the entire attempt. Once failed, the result was guaranteed destruction!

At the very moment the Vermilion Bird awakened for the second time, outside the dust-covered Land of the Spirit Demon in the Outer Realm, the ancient Vermilion Bird beast gave out a cry. In that moment, the members of the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect all widened their eyes. The six Nirvana Shatterer elders sucked in a cold breath!

“Second… Second awakening!!!”

“To awaken a second time in such a short time!!!”

“The hope of my Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect is about to arrive! If he can live, my Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect will rise again!”

Even deeper into the Star Domain was the burning region that contained the Vermilion Bird Sacred Sect. The ancient Sacred Emperor that had lived for countless years and sat on a white stone suddenly opened his eyes.

“Second… Awakening…” His breath couldn’t help but become ragged. After pondering for a long time, he tried to stand up, but in the end, his old body was unable to stand up.

“My time is running out… It is worth it to use the last of it for a disciple with a second awakening…” The old man sighed and closed his eyes.

However, just as he closed his eyes, an unimaginable fire force erupted from his body. Even the entire burning region began to tremble, and explosions echoed, as if the region would collapse. Then, the old man’s body slowly floated up.

The appearance of this nascent soul wasn’t old; it was that of a middle-aged man. He lowered his head to look at his body and sighed.

“It has been a long time since this old man’s nascent soul has left his body…” As he shook his head, he took a step forward, and a vortex appeared in the sea of flames before him. He stepped into the vortex and disappeared.

Back at the Immortal Emperor’s cavern, the Ancient Devil Taji gazed at the vortex of flames with a solemn expression for the first time. He didn’t care about the Vermilion Bird awakening, but he did feel a trace of unknown horror from Wang Lin!

“A royal Ancient God is fusing with the Vermilion Bird… This is not the main point. The point is, at the moment I tried to stop him, I felt a shock in my mind… What else does he have…”

At this moment, the Ancient Demon Bellow also seized the chance while Wang Lin’s Vermilion Bird was awakening to break free from the cage of demon flames. He had no heart to continue fighting with the Ancient Devil and wanted to escape this place.

“Leave this place and quickly return to outside the realm. I can’t fight this Taji!” Bellow bitterly pondered. His losses this time were great: half of his demon body had been devoured, and he had suffered heavy injuries to escape the demon flames. He turned into a ray of light and charged toward the exit.

The Ancient Devil Taji’s eyes flickered. He must not allow the Ancient Demon to escape! He gave up on Wang Lin and charged straight for the Ancient Demon!

As time passed, his control over the body grew more and more flexible, and the power he could unleash grew larger. His speed was now several times faster than before as he quickly closed the distance between him and the Ancient Demon Bellow!