Upon the crimson-forged breastplate, the stark white sigil of the Vermillion Bird blazed. Paired with the snow-streaked locks escaping his disheveled topknot, Wang Lin exuded an aura of unsettling power. Though the essence of the Vermillion Bird now coursed within him, a scorching fire that threatened to consume, it could not mask the pallor that clung to his face.

“Sun rises on a dying night…” The forbidden art was potent, indeed. Yet, for Wang Lin, its primal rules remained but fleetingly grasped. Such a burdensome invocation had wrought terrible consequences.

This execution had been a summit of arcane power: a confluence of nascent law, the Vermillion Bird’s true flame, Wang Lin’s second awakening, and a desperate, life-or-death riposte. To attempt it again was beyond him, and even if he could, its fury would surely be diminished.

His nascent soul remained weakened, and the vile blow from the Gray-Robed Sky-Fate Child – a bloodied blade of pure malice – lingered still. Though invisible upon his skin, within his body, it pierced like a shard of ice through his very essence, cleaving his spirit.

Each breath now brought a searing agony to his chest, further draining the color from his cheeks.

Only Wang Lin’s heritage as an Ancient God, a lineage of astonishing resilience, prevented his immediate demise. Yet, even with the regenerative might of a Five-Star deity, he could not quell the festering wounds. The blade of blood thrummed with an unholy, frigid energy – the core of slaughter, the wellspring of destruction.

The pain did not break him. He suppressed even a whimper, his gaze fixed beyond the encircling ranks of the Vermillion Bird Clan, upon Sky-Fate Child and the Ancient Demon, Taga.

The inner fire of the Vermillion Bird offered no warmth, only the chilling sensation of being trapped in a frozen wasteland, as weakness and exhaustion claimed him.

“We are the vanguard of the Vermillion Bird Clan, sent to guide your path,” the elder cried, bowing deeply. “The full might of our clan shall soon arrive, and we will ensure your safety!”

“Vermillion Bird Clan…” Wang Lin acknowledged, nodding. The simple gesture sent a lance of pain through his chest, but he bore it. Whatever their motives, they had come, and he would remember the debt.

Yet, even within their protective circle, Wang Lin felt no solace. The Ancient Demon, Taga, watched from above, his eyes burning with an unnerving light.

Hua Fei, Situ Nan, Wang Wei, Hu Juan, and others swiftly joined the Vermillion Bird Clan, creating a clear divide between them and the Ancient Demon and Sky-Fate Child.

“Those who were meant to arrive…they are almost here,” Taga hissed, licking his lips, his crimson gaze locked on Wang Lin. He must die!

The Ancient Demon had previously dismissed Wang Lin as irrelevant, the mere blood of an Ancient God hardly comparing to the promise of the ancient inheritance within the ruined city.

But now, Wang Lin’s astonishing transformation and the devastating art he had unleashed had instilled a newfound respect, bordering on fear. Taga sensed, with growing unease, that Wang Lin’s very existence was somehow intertwined with Qing Shuang’s machinations. To leave him alive was to risk everything.

“This Wang Lin has repeatedly thwarted my plans, becoming an anomaly within this Immortal Emperor’s cave,” Sky-Fate Child declared, his voice echoing through the air. “Eliminate the anomaly, and Qing Shuang’s calculations will collapse!”

With a bloodthirsty grin, Taga roared and lunged forward. The humanoid abomination followed close behind. Sky-Fate Child weaved arcane signs, and the remaining six aspects detached from his person, scattering into the surrounding landscape.

He raised his right hand towards the sky, and his robes billowed despite there being no wind. Black and white lights danced across his body. Sky-Fate Child crossed his legs, and mouthed the words of an ancient incantation, only the faintest echo of the archaic syllables could be heard.

In the heavens, black and white intertwined into an unholy chaos, a swirling void from which a voice, ancient and mournful, began to emerge. Though indistinct, it resonated within each soul present, triggering a primal fear, a sense of facing one’s own doom. A wave of crushing pressure descended, the ground itself trembling under its weight.

The tremors reached a crescendo, cracks spiderwebbing across the earth, until within a hundred miles, they converged and splintered into countless pieces.

In a single instant, the edges of this land shattered, and the hundred-mile circle of earth rose into the sky with a deafening roar, becoming a colossal pillar thrusting into the heart of the black and white chaos.

Wang Lin’s face grew grim, the earth still shaking faintly beneath him. A miasma of black and white shrouded the edges of the shattered land, impenetrable to sight and spirit alike.

The Ancient Demon, Taga, charged forward with incredible speed, and the six old men of Vermillion Bird Clan exchanged grim glances, and then darted towards the incoming threat.

With a cold laugh, Taga swung his heavy blade. The firestorm faltered and split apart with a booming crack, torn asunder.

The aspects of Sky-Fate Child drew near, and Wang Wei and Hu Juan engaged them with grim resolve. Hua Fei sighed and joined them, circling around them.

Nearly a hundred members of the Vermillion Bird Clan, spurred by some signal, immediately sat cross-legged, weaving seals. Flickers of fire ignited above each of their heads, before their spirits flew out of them.

An intense heat filled the space, and the crowd watched in disbelief as those nearly hundred souls merged together!

Souls were the result of a cultivator’s life, and they were inherently impossible to combine. The act of doing so would immediately result in a collapse.

The countless souls quickly converged, merging into a large fire giant. It roared and started charging towards Taga. Wang Lin’s eyes sharpened, and an internal curiosity towards the Vermillion Bird Clan came to him.

Six Immortals and a giant fire monster stood against Taga, while Wang Wei, Hu Juan, and Hua Fei confronted the clones of Sky-Fate Child.

Wang Lin sat on the ground, and swallowed some pills, as the pain inside of him threatened to consume him.

Sky-Fate Child suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Wang Lin. He aimed his right hand into the sky, causing the black and white to roar. An headless beast came out of the chaos.

It had a strong body, with a red spear and a black armor, and it was filled with a sense of ruthlessness. It quickly charged towards Wang Lin and pierced him with its spear.

Wang Lin was at his limits, but it would not be easy to kill him. He shot out his blue shield, to block the strike.

BOOM! The spear of red clashed against the blue shield, pushing it back a few inches.

The headless beast took a step back, and its black armor flashed with a light, before it charged forward once again.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wang Lin spat out an item.

The Eighteen Levels of Hell Sealing Immortal Seal!

Without a hesitation, Wang Lin threw the stamp forwards. As soon as he did that, a thousand stars of light spread outwards from his hand, lighting up his face as he shouted, “Scatter beans, become soldiers!”

The stamp roared as countless souls began to flood outwards, and they rushed towards the stars of light, becoming solid.

Even more terrifying, the soul of Void Child stepped forward from the Eightteenth Level. His eyes were wild, and he roared like a beast as he dashed towards the headless beast!