As the aged Sacred Emperor Suzaku uttered his final decree, Wang Lin, poised to enter the Burning Starfield from afar, felt a tremor jolt through his very being. He snapped his head up, his face immediately betraying his alarm.

Bound by their shared bloodline as Sacred Emperors of Suzaku, and their mastery of the Nine Transformations Divine Power, a unique conduit for telepathic communication existed between them. Wang Lin hesitated not a moment. Drawing upon the Speed Talisman etched upon his flesh, he surged forward, a comet of starlight erupting within the void, hurtling towards the fiery expanse.

His speed was a marvel, a blur against the cosmic tapestry. Scarcely having pierced the threshold of the Burning Starfield, he strode forward, enacting the art of Space Contraction, vanishing without a trace.

In a blink, but a mere ten paces from the white stone where the dying Emperor lay, a ripple distorted the air. From its shimmering depths, Wang Lin emerged, his gaze instantly drawn to the old Emperor’s bloodied and vacant eyes.

A chilling aura of decay emanated from the aged Emperor, a tangible miasma. Even without employing his spiritual sense, Wang Lin could perceive the ravenous specter of death, eager to claim the ancient soul before him.

“Venerable Ancestor…” Grief etched itself upon Wang Lin’s face as he stepped onto the stone. He opened his mouth, wanting to offer words of comfort, of hope, yet the sight before him choked the words in his throat, leaving him speechless.

The Sacred Emperor raised his head, his eyes, now weeping a viscous black ichor, seemed to flicker with a fading light.

“Your senior brother, Clear Water, resides within the headquarters of the Alliance of the Cultivators. Years ago, he was directly involved in the activation of the Alliance’s Grand Array… He is not dead… but… he is mad! The headquarters of the Alliance, for countless years, has concealed a secret of cosmic proportions. When Xuan Zhongzi and his party first ventured to the Immortal Realm of Rain, they not only claimed the majority of its ancient inheritance, but they also unearthed objects of immense mystery, which they have been studying for eons…”

“Even the Kunxu Realm remains ignorant of this affair. These arcane artifacts are of such grave import, they threaten the very foundation of the Four Great Immortal Realms! Wang Lin, hasten to the aid of the Sacred Emperor Azure Dragon, and deliver this jade slip immediately to the Kunxu Realm. This matter is beyond reckoning! Your cultivation is insufficient; do not allow yourself to be entangled!” The old Emperor, teetering on the precipice of oblivion, spoke with a ragged breath, the effort visibly draining his remaining strength.

With a final surge of will, he raised his withered hand, tapping his own forehead. Instantly, his nascent soul, his Yuan Shen, shimmered forth, detaching from its mortal coil. He gazed at Wang Lin with an expression of serene affection.

“Wang Lin, fare thee well. I can aid thee no more…” As he spoke, his Yuan Shen began to emit a gentle light, which, in a heartbeat, intensified into a blinding radiance that pierced outward for ten thousand leagues.

In the blink of an eye, the light reached its zenith. Wang Lin’s vision blurred, and when clarity returned, he saw the old Emperor’s Yuan Shen transforming into a radiant, crystalline dust that slowly dissipated. In that final dissolution, Wang Lin saw a glimpse of weary acceptance, a profound sense of liberation upon the Emperor’s spectral face.

From the spot where his soul vanished, two objects appeared: a crimson jade slip, and a crystal roughly the size of an infant’s fist. Within the crystal, the purest of Immortal Qi swirled, gently radiating outwards.

Wang Lin stood in solemn silence, his grief deepening. He stared at the place where the Emperor’s soul had departed, and after an age, he sighed, turning his gaze to the Emperor’s abandoned husk.

Bereft of its animating spirit, the body ignited with ethereal flame, transforming into a burning statue, a perfect effigy of the old Emperor in his final pose.

His right hand remained forever pressed to his brow, frozen in a perpetual farewell.

Wang Lin retreated several paces, then knelt upon the stone, bowing his head thrice before the burning statue. Wang Lin, who bowed to neither heaven nor earth, offered this Sacred Emperor Suzaku this three-fold tribute! At the instant of the Emperor’s passing, nearly every elder of the Sacred Sect Suzaku felt a pang of profound sorrow in their hearts. Silently, they emerged from their planets, knelt in unison towards the Emperor’s burning form, and shed silent tears.

“Farewell, Sacred Emperor. May your journey be peaceful…”

“May your spirit, from the heavens, watch over the Sacred Sect Suzaku…”

Gradually, the grief spread beyond the elders, engulfing all members of the Sacred Sect. They knew, with a certainty that pierced to the bone, that the old Emperor was gone.

One by one, they knelt, tears streaming down their faces…

“Farewell, Sacred Emperor…” The heartfelt words echoed from planet to planet, growing ever louder.

Even the Suzaku statues that adorned the Sect’s main stars emitted mournful cries…

A spectral Suzaku, ancient and weary, emerged from the Emperor’s burning statue, soaring ever higher, until it vanished into the star-strewn sky, fading into nothingness.

The Sacred Emperor Suzaku, who had once dominated the cosmos, who had steered the Four Sacred Sects through treacherous waters after the death of the Sacred Emperor White Tiger, the betrayal of the Sacred Emperor Black Tortoise, and the disappearance of the Sacred Emperor Azure Dragon, had at last returned to the Great Void.

At that moment, the elders of the Sacred Sects Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise all felt the weight of this loss. Silently, they turned towards the Sacred Sect Suzaku, and knelt in unison. And with them, the members of their respective Sects followed suit.

A wave of sorrow washed over the Eastern Alliance Domain…

Past glories had faded, carried away by the winds of time. A relentless pursuit remained, a nostalgic reflection of the past, lingering in the hearts of all Sect members, an eternal memory.

With the death of the Sacred Emperor Suzaku, Luo Tian recalled all cultivators within the Alliance Domain. Led by Yan Leizi and others, including the last descendant of a long forgotten, ancient cultivating family from Luo Tian, they began their advance towards Suzaku Star. A formation of Thunder Immortal Palaces moved with them, radiating an oppressive aura.

Not only they, but also the Corpse Yin Sect mobilized virtually every member, heading directly to Suzaku Star! Their lengthy procession was accompanied by countless coffins, resembling a funeral procession.

The movements of these two forces did not go unnoticed by the other powers within the Alliance. Combining this with the intelligence gleaned from the jade slip, the various Alliance factions convened in secret. Soon, they too began to dispatch their own forces! A tempest of events was gathering within the Alliance Domain, an oppressive darkness presaging the dawn of a storm.

Meanwhile, within the Four Sacred Sects in the eastern part of the Alliance Domain, some of the elders led their clansmen towards Suzaku Star, masking their true intentions. Almost simultaneously with the arrival of these various forces upon Suzaku Star, the Sacred Sect Suzaku gathered thirty-five Nirvana Shattering elders from the other three Sects. They sat cross-legged, forming an array, their faces etched with solemn concentration.

They sat in a circular formation. Beneath each was an array pattern, and at the very center was an empty circular array, thirty-five feet in diameter. But thirty-five branching patterns extended outwards from it, connecting to the arrays beneath each elder.

Outside of these thirty-five, were countless members of the Four Sacred Sects, densely packed – no fewer than ten thousand! They were all seated, their array connected to that of the thirty-five elders.

These members were awaiting orders. As soon as they received the signal, they would unleash the energy within their bodies, channeling it into the formation below them, and activating the Grand Array! At that moment, Wang Lin was traversing the void. After a time, a vortex of flame appeared before him, writhing like a fiery serpent, the furious roars of Xu Liguo echoing from within.

“Xu Liguo!” Wang Lin halted outside the fiery storm, calling out in a low voice! At the sound of Wang Lin’s voice, Xu Liguo’s roars ceased. Simultaneously, the flames before Wang Lin parted, revealing a vast crevice. Through the gap, Xu Liguo’s disheveled form could be clearly seen.

Upon hearing Wang Lin’s voice, Xu Liguo paused, an obsequious expression forming before he suppressed it, replaced by a simmering rage.

“You son-of-a-dog! You finally remember your Grandfather Xu! I’m going to settle the score with you today!” In the past few years, constantly threatened by danger, Xu Liguo had been forced to comprehend the Ancient Sword Intent. His cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, allowing him to stand against ordinary Nirvana Scrying cultivators.

Fueled by fury, he surged forth, transforming into a colossal sword of heavenly might, hundreds of feet long. The form was that of a celestial blade, imbued with a hint of Ancient Dao.

As he rushed forward, the flames retreated before him, allowing the great sword that was Xu Liguo to emerge through the fissure, closing in on Wang Lin.

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with cold light. He didn’t even glance at the approaching sword. He simply raised his right hand, and the cosmic energy roared, converging before him. With a wave of his hand, the energy slammed into the great sword.

A cacophony of explosions erupted, and the great sword faltered. Xu Liguo retreated in shock, but he refused to yield. He roared, his form shifted, and this time he transformed into nine great swords, interweaving into a sword array. A torrential sword intent surged forth as they charged towards Wang Lin once again.

Wang Lin nodded slightly. This was the Xu Liguo he wanted. His form flickered, entering the heart of the sword array. Raising his right hand, he reached out and casually grabbed the blade of one of the great swords.

With a firm grip, he squeezed, causing the other eight swords to shatter into pieces. The sword intent did not dissipate, but instead transformed into eight colossal skulls, lunging towards Wang Lin, mouths agape.

“Interesting!” Wang Lin’s right eye flashed with lightning. In an instant, a tempest of lightning erupted from his body, sweeping outwards in all directions, like a thousand silver serpents writhing in the air. The eight skulls cried out in agony before bursting apart.

Clutching the great sword in his hand, Wang Lin exerted a bit of force. A series of groans echoed from the blade, and Xu Liguo’s panicked voice cried out.

“Master! Master! Little Xu was wrong, it wasn’t intentional! It’s just that I haven’t seen my tall, mighty, handsome, intelligent, brave, extraordinary, unparalleled, unique, without peer, brilliant, divine, dashing, elegant, loved by all, admired by flowers, talented, erudite, with heaven-reaching cultivation, venerable Master for so many years. Little Xu misses you dearly… It’s been so long, Master! I thought you’d abandoned me! Master, please be gentle, gentle…” Timid by nature, Xu Liguo was now terrified beyond words. He poured out every word that came to his mind in his panic. Wang Lin was momentarily stunned.

Xu Liguo felt the approach of death once more. Wang Lin’s hand was like the heavens, poised to reap his life. With just a bit more force, it would crush the soul that was hidden within the sword.