The moment the crimson blood spilled, a spectral flame, alien to this world, erupted forth. It roared through the heavens, engulfing all in a scarlet haze. At last, this otherworldly fire coalesced in the southern sky, taking the form of a Vermilion Bird, its cry echoing with ancient nobility, its gaze piercing the mortals below.

Beside the middle-aged man, the elders of the Azure Dragon Sect exchanged glances. The foremost among them, his robes embroidered with nine azure dragons, inhaled deeply. With a guttural roar, he clenched his hands in a mystic seal upon his chest, unleashing a torrent of raw power. His face contorted in pain as the fabric over his chest seemed to dissolve, revealing skin upon which azure light pulsed. From within him, an artifact emerged: a fragment of verdant wood.

The instant the Azure Wood appeared, dragon roars echoed across the firmament. Within the boundless expanse of the starry heavens, countless Azure Dragons, each tens of thousands of feet long, materialized. Their celestial forms filled the sky, their earth-shattering roars reverberating with cosmic force. The air crackled with potent energy, stirring the mundane world below. In the eastern sky, the dragons converged, forming a single, colossal Azure Dragon. Coiled and immense, its merciless draconian eyes swept across the assembled throng.

Similarly, the seven elders of the White Tiger Sect, guardians of the West, settled into a meditative posture, forming a living array. As they cast their incantations, golden light erupted from their crown chakras. Seven fragments of rusted gold ascended, merging into an irregular mass. As the fragments fused, the heavens themselves trembled.

A thunderous tiger’s roar tore through the air, its deafening boom rattling souls, followed by a wave of chilling bloodlust that washed over all present. Weaker spirits teetered on the brink of madness. Emerging from the roar was a White Tiger of immense scale, its form a tapestry of savage power. It floated in the air, its eyes burning with a crimson light. With a swift motion, it positioned itself in the western sky.

Finally, it was the turn of the Black Tortoise Sect to present their sacred relic. The sect had been decimated by a long-ago betrayal and further weakened by the onslaught of the Cultivator Alliance. The once-proud family now stood diminished in numbers. The three elders of the Black Tortoise Sect, the last of their line, invoked their legacy. The lead elder closed his eyes, summoning forth a churning vortex of water that swept over the sky. The water solidified and gave form to a Black Tortoise, ancient and vast.

With a mournful cry, the Tortoise pushed the celestial waters away and slowly moved itself into the northern sky. This Tortoise was less substantial than the other three.

The Four Sacred Beasts had returned. The Azure Dragon in the East, the White Tiger in the West, the Vermilion Bird in the South, and the Black Tortoise in the North, bound the heavens.

Heavenly Fortune’s face darkened as he regarded the Four Sacred Beasts. Beside him, the Ancient Demon Taga glared at the celestial guardians with cold dread.

Vermilion Bird Sovereign waved his hand, releasing the blood from his hand toward his sacred beast. As the blood dripped into the Vermilion Bird, it shrieked, and its flames burned brighter. The beast dashed to the land below, charging toward Heavenly Fortune and Taga.

As if on cue, the other beasts were released. Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise, all thrashed at the sky and earth below, tearing and destroying all that they could. The collision threatened to wipe out all life.

Heavenly Fortune was ready. He moved his hand into the incantation position. With a shout, he declared, “Heavenly Fortune, Seven-Colored Tiger Spirit!”

As the name was spoken, seven different colors appeared. Then, from that light, came another tiger, big as the White Tiger. The Heavenly Fortune tiger roared and charged to fight the beast of the west.

“Heavenly Fortune, Seven-Colored Dragon Spirit!”

“Heavenly Fortune, Seven-Colored Tortoise Spirit!”

The last two beasts were created with the same burst of color. They, too, attacked and defended as their counterparts descended.

Heavenly Fortune raced into the sky with his spells, now, with one thought.

The ancient demon, Taga, stared at the four beasts with fear in his eyes. Something about these beasts was stirring a very old memory. It was not Qinglin’s memory but his own.

Taga raised a hand and roared, “Sun, Moon, Star! Three Burials of Heaven!”

Immediately, an enormous star field appeared in the sky. The sudden lights raced toward the four sacred beasts.

Moonlight followed the stars. There seemed to be no beginning to the light, it simply arrived.

Then, from the boundless outer reaches of space, an infinity of stars and light converged into a single point. The more that converged, the bigger the point grew. It soon grew to thousands of feet in size and glowed so brightly that a mortal would go blind.

This sphere of light, like a sun, sped toward the land.

Heavenly Fortune raced into the sky, as well.

The Vermillion Bird Sect shook.
The Vermillion Bird Holy Emperor spoke, his voice betraying no emotion. “Behold! The ancient artifact of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect holds but three seals, yet these three alone are enough to ensure our Four Holy Sects endure for eternity!”

His words were directed towards Wang Lin, who lay weakened beyond measure, yet with gritted teeth, he forced his gaze upward.

“Azure Dragon of the East, embodying the wood essence of Jia and Yi! White Tiger of the West, wielding the metal power of Geng and Xin! Vermillion Bird of the South, burning with the fire of Bing and Ding! Black Tortoise of the North, commanding the water of Ren and Gui! The Vermillion Bird Sect’s Heaven-Earth-Spirit seals… begin with the Fire of Bing!” The Holy Emperor’s right hand formed a sacred gesture, and with a steady motion, he thrust it forth, uttering calmly, “Bing Spirit!”

As if echoing his pronouncement, similar words reverberated from within the other three Holy Sects.

“Jia Spirit!” “Geng Spirit!” “Ren Spirit!”

Upon these incantations, the sky erupted with the earth-shattering roars of the Four Sacred Beasts. In that instant, they were transmuted into magnificent instruments of divine power! The Azure Dragon became a celestial spear of verdant jade. The White Tiger, a broadsword of gleaming gold. The Vermillion Bird, a crimson longsword of burning fire. And the Black Tortoise, a gargantuan axe of obsidian darkness!

The four weapons, born of the Sacred Beasts, plunged earthward. The Dragon Spirit of Tian Yunzi’s Seven-Colored Trinity was instantly pierced by the jade spear, collapsing into nothingness. The remaining two spirits suffered the same fate, unable to withstand the raw power of the Four Sacred Artifacts’ first seal. They dissolved into tempestuous winds that scattered into the void.

The starlight emanating from the ancient demon Taji faltered and shattered beneath the relentless assault, the echoes of its destruction ringing through the heavens. Even the pale moonlight offered only fleeting resistance before succumbing to the overwhelming force.

The Four Sacred Weapons hurtled toward their targets, ancient demon Taji and Tian Yunzi. But then, the heavens above blazed with blinding light as the thousand-foot sun, summoned from the depths of the star-sea by the ancient demon’s Forbidden Sun Burial Art, descended.

This incandescent sphere pierced through the shattered veil of the Demon Spirit Lands, engulfing the entire realm in searing light. Though the ancient demon’s control of Qing Lin’s magic was flawed, the power unleashed was still formidable.

As the blinding radiance spread, it intertwined with the might of the Four Sacred Weapons. In that fateful moment, the weapons unleashed a furious surge of power, colliding with the radiant onslaught.

Thunder rent the sky, and the Vermillion Bird Holy Emperor, his eyes gleaming with cold intent, formed another sacred gesture, his voice a low growl, “By my will as Vermillion Bird Holy Emperor, the Ancient Sacred Artifacts… unite in Ding Earth!”

Simultaneously, the wielders of the other three Sacred Sects bellowed, their voices resonant with ancient power.

“Yi Earth!” “Xin Earth!” “Gui Earth!”

At the apex of their united incantations, the four Sacred Weapons flashed with blinding light, their individual essences coalescing within the crimson longsword formed by the Vermillion Bird. The blade swelled to an impossible size, cleaving the very fabric of existence. Behind it, spectral images of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise manifested, lending their power to the cataclysmic weapon.

The crimson blade descended, aimed squarely at the ancient demon. Even as it pressed down by mere feet, the Demon Spirit Lands shuddered with a cataclysmic roar, the very earth beneath them collapsing into a vast, desolate basin.

The ancient demon Taji’s crimson eyes blazed with defiance, yet failed to conceal the creeping tendrils of fear that gripped his ancient heart.

This spectacle sent shivers down the spines of the assembled alliance cultivators, their eyes wide with awe and terror. Some had heard tales of the Four Holy Sects’ ancient Sacred Artifacts, whispers that spoke of their earth-shattering power, a force even the Kun Xu realm held in deep respect.

Now, witnessing it firsthand, their minds reeled, and the once-forgotten might of the Four Holy Sects was etched once more into their consciousness, never to be erased.

Mu Bingmei, her gaze fixed upon the celestial quartet, knitted her brow in concern. Casting a glance at the ailing Wang Lin, her expression softened with complex emotions, and she averted her attention from the unfolding drama of the Sacred Artifacts.

The ancient elder from the Kun Xu realm, his eyes narrowed with a hint of trepidation, observed the scene with a critical eye. He knew the Four Sacred Artifacts were not without flaw, a subtle imperfection lying within the Black Tortoise Artifact.

“The true Black Tortoise Artifact,” he murmured to himself, “remains with the Alliance of Cultivators… in the hands of the Black Tortoise Holy Emperor of old…” His eyes gleamed with a sudden realization.