Bael roared in desperation, his legs pumping as fast as they could carry him. But the ancient fiend, Taga, was gaining, its speed relentless. Escape seemed impossible. In a final, desperate act, Bael’s third demonic star within his right eye imploded in a cataclysmic burst. Propelled by the shattered star’s power, he plunged headlong into the sixth level of the Immortal Emperor’s Grotto. A surge of demonic light erupted, instantly locking onto two figures fleeing ahead – a pair of women.

With a sickening lurch, he closed the distance, his demonic claws extending, aimed directly at the woman clad in rose-colored silks.

Her face paled, blood draining away. Yet, there was no panic in her eyes. As the ancient demon’s grasp reached for her, a snowflake sigil upon her brow blazed with ethereal light. A howling wind arose, and a swirling vortex of ice crystals materialized, encasing her in a frigid shield.

The demon’s claws slammed against the crystalline storm, each strike met with a resounding crack. Bael’s hand was violently thrown back, while the pink-robed woman coughed up blood, staining the snow-flurry crimson. She was flung backwards by the impact.

Bael grunted in surprise. Without hesitation, his hand swept out again, this time with lightning speed, seizing the village woman, a beauty despite her simple attire, by the crown of her head.

Her strength, only recently returned and still marred by lingering injuries, was no match for the ancient demon’s power. The moment Bael’s grip tightened, demonic energy flooded her, sealing her meridians, rendering her helpless.

Just then, Taga strode into view. Bael had no time to consider. Grasping the village woman tightly, his demonic eyes flashed. Retreating, he used his left hand to weave a rapid sequence of arcane gestures, each touch imbuing her with a sliver of demonic essence.

Almost instantly, the woman’s body convulsed. The blue veins beneath her skin writhed and swelled, forming a monstrous, interwoven rune.

As Taga lunged forward, Bael hurled the village woman towards him. His demonic eyes burned with an unholy light, and he roared, “Demonic Spirit Transformation!”

At his words, the woman’s veins burst in a crimson shower. Her body disintegrated into a cloud of gore, her very essence snuffed out. But in the final moment of her destruction, a rune manifested, emanating a ravenous hunger. It devoured everything – the exploded flesh, the shattered remains of her soul, leaving nothing but a wisp of tainted energy.

Having consumed all, the rune blazed with demonic light and streaked towards the fifth level.

The transformation had clearly drained Bael. The remaining four demonic stars in his right eye seemed to dim. Yet, he did not flee. Instead, he whirled around, a madness kindling in his gaze, staring directly at the approaching Taga.

“I’ll make it count! I must buy the spirit time to escape!”

The Demonic Spirit Transformation was a last resort for the ancient demons. No demon would use it unless facing utter annihilation. The ritual had one grave flaw: it required a vessel of opposing gender to succeed.

Even if successful, it would strip away most of the demon’s power, leaving only a remnant of their consciousness. Bael, forced to the brink and seeing the two women, had been left with no choice but to unleash this forbidden art.

Now, his eyes burned with a crazed fervor. The demonic stars within his right eye spun with increasing speed, shattering in succession: one, two, three, four. All four stars imploded in a blinding instant!

The destruction of the stars caused Bael’s body to swell, ballooning grotesquely. Madness blazed in his eyes as he roared, “Taga! Even if I can’t kill you, I’ll ensure your usurpation is never truly complete! This is all your doing!”

With a final, guttural bellow, Bael surged forward. As he moved, his body blurred, splitting into two, then four, then eight…

In a heartbeat, the chamber was filled with countless images of Bael, all hurtling towards the ancient fiend. A deafening roar erupted as the ancient demon chose self-destruction!

Better to die than let you succeed!

Explosions reverberated through the chamber as each of Bael’s manifestations collapsed, creating a chaotic shockwave. The entire seventh level began to crumble!

Despair etched itself on the face of the pink-robed woman. But she had no time to dwell. As the ancient demon engaged the fiend, she raced toward the sixth level. Before she had gone far, she felt the force of the blast behind her.

Far below, in the first level, Wang Lin stood. The echo of the Vermillion Bird’s cry reverberated around him, a tangible heat radiating outwards. His eyes were fixed on the opening below, the abyss that connected all the levels of the Immortal Emperor’s Grotto. His hands moved ceaselessly, arcane seals appearing and scattering downwards.

Each seal that landed caused further fragments to break away from the walls of the gaping chasm. Wang Wei and Hu Juan burst from the depths, immediately understanding his intent. Without a word, they joined him, adding their own powers to the unfolding ritual.

The ground beneath them began to tremble, as if the very foundations of the Demon Spirit Land were shifting. An earthquake shuddered through the realm.

Situ Nan erupted from the pit, his curses echoing,

“Damn this accursed place! Once I’m free of this poison, I’m locking myself away!”

He spotted Wang Lin and understood. He moved quickly and began to assault the ground with the full weight of his power.

The tremors intensified, threatening to collapse the entire Grotto. Figures began to emerge from the second level: Da Tou, the Three Dust Masters, Lei Ji, the two disciples of the village woman, and even the enigmatic Fu Chen Zi.

They froze upon seeing Wang Lin, their eyes widening in shock. They scattered, seeking refuge. Fu Chen Zi, understanding the basics of Wang Lin’s plan, began to understand, but failed to comprehend the horror beneath them.

As the tremors reached a fever pitch, Wang Lin’s eyes glowed with otherworldly light. His hands wove a final sequence of signs, and he unleashed a thunderous roar. The colossal Vermillion Bird erupted from his back and plunged into the abyss. Countless flames swirled around it, engulfing it in a tempest of fire as it dove into the darkness. Wang Lin, his eyes bloodshot, summoned the power of the boundless sea. He launched his attack after the Vermillion Bird, also hurtling downwards.

Hu Juan and Situ Nan followed suit, unleashing their strongest techniques into the chasm.

In that instant, a bone-chilling wave emanated from the pit. The pink-robed woman, encased in a blizzard of ice, struggled to escape. As the onslaught of attacks descended, she spun her glacial shield and barely avoided complete destruction.

The Vermillion Bird impacted the tunnel that ran through the Immortal Emperor’s Grotto. A deafening roar filled the air as the Grotto began to crumble from the second level upwards. The following storm of spells hastened its collapse.

The sounds of destruction echoed through the heavens. The ground buckled and sunk, sealing all exits, burying everything within a vortex of magic.

Muffled roars rumbled from below. The Ancient Fiend raged.

After casting his spells, Wang Lin weaved more seals. Hu Juan and Wang Wei also rushed to deploy a vast web of spells and protections.

Beneath the collapsed earth, muffled roars grew more savage. The earth shook more fiercely as if something was trying to rip free.

“Too late!” Wang Lin bit back as he slapped his bag. Qing Yi’s body appeared, her face pale. Wang Lin did not have time to worry about Wang Wei and Hu Juan’s feelings as he struck Qing Yi’s back. This palm was not meant to injure her, but to drain her blood to its non-lethal limit!

Qing Yi spat out mouthfuls of blood. Wang Lin waved his hand and turned the blood into mist to coat the land.

More power erupted from his palm and continued to cover the forbidden ground with the fresh blood of Qing Yi.

Suddenly, thunderous noises erupted from below. An overwhelming demonic aura erupted and shattered the broken earth. In the aura, the Ancient Fiend, Taga, slowly rose.

The erupting aura came in contact with the spells above and melted like snow.

Floating behind Taga were four people! Sky Deserter, Sky Wanderer, Sky Void, and the humanoid who had come from the Ancient God’s head in the Burial Immortal Pond!

The humanoid’s hair swayed softly as it obediently floated behind Taga, like Taga was its master! Wang Lin realized something. He had never linked the humanoid to the Ancient Demon, but now, he realized something was wrong!