A tremor ran through the very foundations of the Cultivation Alliance, as though the earth itself recoiled. Yet one figure alone remained unperturbed, approaching the Alliance’s outer bastion with icy resolve. A flash of crimson, the mark of the Transcendent Realm, ignited within his gaze, and he stepped across the threshold – gone.

As the lingering echoes of the waning night faded, and Wang Lin found himself once more upon the cursed soil of the Demon Spirit Land, a cataclysmic force ripped through the eighteenth level of his soul-prison, the Hell Sealing Mark. Where once only void resided, now three souls were violently thrust into existence: the remnants of Voidsky, the violet and yellow spirit-avatars of Heaven’s Chosen. These two fractured echoes of Heaven’s Chosen, trapped within that deepest level, began a strange and unholy merging.

Wang Lin’s face was ashen, yet his posture remained unbroken, a testament to indomitable will. None dared underestimate him, not after he had felled three foes and left a fourth a mere echo of his former self. Such power, wielded by mortal hands, was unheard of.

“Wang Lin,” he spat, his voice rasping, a bestial snarl contorting his pallid features as he fixed his gaze upon Heaven’s Chosen and his surviving simulacra. The bloodied sword still pierced his chest, caught within the flesh, crimson staining his garments like a ghastly banner.

Heaven’s Chosen had fought with desperate ferocity, but Wang Lin had answered with a fury born of desperation. To fall short was to die! Though the power of the waning night was potent, this battle had pushed Wang Lin to the very precipice. Though the night’s energy remained, his very spirit was withered. Yet, in this moment of utter exhaustion, the force that resonated in Wang Lin’s tone could cow even Heaven’s Chosen.

Silence descended, heavy and expectant. Then, a piercing cry echoed from above, a sound that resonated with ancient power, the call of the Vermillion Bird.

As the cry intensified, the Vermillion Bird tattoo upon Wang Lin’s flesh stirred, wrenched free from his control. The image broke free from its earthly anchor, soared into the sky, a living manifestation of potent magic.

The spectral bird, radiant white, lifted its proud head, its cry a challenge to the fiery heavens. The two calls intertwined, resonating across the battlefield, yet within the white bird’s song, a note of exultation rang clear.

The spectral Vermillion Bird danced around Wang Lin, and as its cries echoed the heavens, the shattered sky of the Demon Spirit Land began to blaze, choked with a crimson inferno that engulfed the heavens in a sea of fire!

From within that seething inferno, an immense Vermillion Bird’s head emerged, vast and terrible. It dwarfed the world below, its fiery mane consuming the horizon.

As the great beast fully revealed itself, an overwhelming pressure descended, shaking even the most seasoned warriors from their reverie. Elder Floating Dream gasped, while Situ Nan’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even Celestial Envoy trembled before this otherworldly power. Heaven’s Chosen face darkened, a hint of bitterness twisting his expression.

The Vermillion Bird’s piercing gaze swept across the battlefield, settling at last upon Wang Lin. It opened its beak and let out another deafening cry, then plunged from the fiery heavens. As it moved further, the sky turned into a sea of fire, and clouds raged in the sky.

At long last, the Vermillion Bird fully emerged from the inferno, the sky-consuming flames coalescing into its radiant plumage, trailing behind it in plumes of fiery glory.

As the magnificent Vermillion Bird flew around the battlefield, its body finally revealed for all to see, many realized that the sky-filling sea of fire was a part of its glorious body!

The great bird swooped down with a roar, as the wind howled, it came directly for Wang Lin. Wang Lin frowned, yet a sense of profound understanding bloomed within him. A connection, warm and familiar, flowed from his own Vermillion Bird.

In an instant, the celestial Vermillion Bird drew near, initially intent on imbuing itself in Wang Lin’s brow. But at the very last moment, it changed course. The immense spirit-beast transformed into a torrent of fire, crashing into the wound on Wang Lin’s chest.

Flames erupted from Wang Lin’s body, drawn by an unseen force. He was lifted gently into the air, engulfed in an inferno that did not consume, but ennobled. His own Vermillion Bird returned, becoming one with his flesh once more. Then, a suit of crimson armor, exquisite in its design, materialized around Wang Lin, a white Vermillion Bird emblazoned upon its breast.

This was indeed a sight to behold. Even the blood sword in his chest began to shrink, at the end it disappeared into his body without a trace.

His white hair flowed majestically, a perfect complement to the white Vermillion Bird on his chest, and he had a slight expression of confusion. All of a sudden, he felt uncertain.

Yet within him, an unimaginable force of fire surged, a sensation of transcendence. All the fire in the world, he felt, lay within his grasp, to command as he saw fit! Like the Primordial Lightning Dragon, he could wield dominion over all fire under the heavens!

The fiery Vermillion Bird led a group of nearly a hundred people out from the shadows. Each of the figures in front emanated a powerful pressure. The six figures in front of the group had white hair, showing a tremendous cultivation. They are the Broken Nirvana!

Behind these six elders, the Vermillion Bird Saint Sect Clan members followed. The light focused on Wang Lin, the six elders revealed excitement and shock at seeing him!

The excitement stemmed from their relief at finding him safe after a long journey, undertaken at all costs to protect their awakened kin.

But there was shock and fear also. Despite being apart from the battlefield, the Laws of Waning Night had enveloped them as well. They had personally experienced the Waning Night’s frightening power!

The Vermillion Saint Sect Clansmen had respect and admiration for Wang Lin, they knew that their future Holy Emperor was right in front of their eyes!

“Protect the Vermillion Bird Awakened!” One of the six elders, whose robe was embroidered with seven Vermillion Birds, cried out. The six elders then rushed to Wang Lin. The Vermillion Saint Sect Clansmen followed with murderous intent!