The ancient one, muttering for what seemed an age, fixed a lamentable gaze upon Wang Lin, shaking his head with palpable disappointment.

“The sundering of primordial yang…not only does it bar him from mastering my arcane arts, but even the ascent to the Realm of Ephemeral Flames shall prove far more arduous than for those with untainted essence. Alas, a pity!” The elder sighed, his eyes lingering longingly on the meditating Wang Lin. Yet, as he watched, his eyes widened, a soft exclamation escaping his lips.

“Something stirs… within this lad’s very core… what is this…?” The ancient’s eyes snapped open, his frame rising as he strode towards Wang Lin, a flicker of disbelief and burgeoning excitement upon his visage. He extended a hand, pressing his palm against Wang Lin’s crown.

The touch wrought no harm, yet a strange power surged forth, coursing through Wang Lin’s veins before erupting outwards.

The elder retracted his hand, his gaze unwavering, locked upon the crown of Wang Lin’s head.

Suddenly, a formless fire erupted from Wang Lin’s crown, an incandescent bloom that threatened to engulf the heavens. A heat beyond description radiated outward, a searing wave that clawed at existence itself. Then, with impossible speed, the ethereal blaze constricted, shrinking into a mere spark, yet within that tiny ember pulsed a suffocating pressure, a nascent power that screamed of potential. This was Wang Lin’s Origin of Flame, a sight the ancient greeted without surprise, as if its arrival were long foreseen.

No sooner had the flames subsided than another eruption of light burst from Wang Lin’s spirit, a blinding radiance accompanied by the thunderous crackle of celestial storms. A bolt of pure lightning, birthed from within, coalesced into a runic brand, attended by nine ethereal, lesser arcs. The very air crackled with power, the heavens themselves seeming to recoil. This brand pulsed with an essence of unimaginable potency – Wang Lin’s second Origin, the Essence of Thunder.

“Well, now! The Origin of Flame, I might have anticipated, given the Vermillion Bird’s repeated awakenings. But the Origin of Thunder… I divined its presence, yet to witness it manifest…truly astonishing! It has already reached the point where it could tear open the very gates of emptiness! How has he cultivated such power? Did he swallow an ancient Thunder Dragon whole?” The elder gasped, his eyes wide.

But before the echo of his words could fade, another light erupted from Wang Lin’s crown, and the ancient one’s eyes went wide.

“That’s it, that is what I just saw… Within this small frame….” Light swirled about Wang Lin’s crown, and a stream of black and white rushed from it, creating a thunderous boom. At that instant a phantom river appeared in the sky! It was the Yellow Springs, formed from the cycle of life and death! As the river flowed, its end connecting with its beginning, a strong aura of life and death filled the heavens!

This was Wang Lin’s third Origin, formed from his comprehension of Life and Death. The elder’s face was filled with incomparable excitement, and a look of joy appeared in his eyes, a joy he hadn’t felt in tens of thousands of years.

He opened his eyes wide and cried, “Good, good, good, he has a third Origin! I didn’t see it closely before, truly an unexpected surprise! I…”

Before he could finish, he was startled. From Wang Lin’s crown, a phantom Yin Yang Diagram flew out.

The diagram contained karma within it. After its appearance, it was as if it could tear apart the heavens and earth, and the earth and sky almost became chaotic. An aura of the cycle of karma began to spread out.

Fortunately, there were no other cultivators around, or they would immediately be caught up in the Karma and be trapped within their own Inner Demons, from which it would be hard to escape! At that time, all the karma from this life would become the seed for destruction. An explosion would occur in an instant, causing them to lose both their body and soul.

“There’s still more!!” The elder was completely stunned, and his face was filled with shock.

“Four Origins… How… How has this kid trained? To have four Origins… This is too…” The elder was shocked, and his pupils contracted once more, and his face was dazed. His words stopped, as light flickered on Wang Lin’s crown again.

This light was strange to the extreme. It looked like it existed but it also didn’t exist. It was between true and false as it rapidly flickered, and there were images that were between reality and illusion. People couldn’t tell what they were looking at.

Staring at the five different Origins floating above Wang Lin’s crown, the elder swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He couldn’t speak for a long time until the five Origins returned to Wang Lin’s body. Only then did he take a deep breath.

“There’s nothing more? Good, that’s good.” The ancient looked at Wang Lin like he was looking at a monster.

“Five Origins… Five Origins… This kid is even more monstrous than the 4th generation Vermillion Bird!! How can a monster like this exist in this world!!” Although the ancient said this, the excitement in his eyes was already indescribable.

The moon grew stronger, and the gentle breeze caused the vegetation around the lake to rustle. Gradually, the night passed, and in the distance, a rising sun slowly raised its head, dispelling the darkness and the chill of the night.

After sitting in meditation all night, the fire power within Wang Lin’s body had increased significantly, but there was still a membrane separating him from the 4th Vermillion Bird Awakening. He was unable to break through.

The Grand Empyrean’s Elder selection was about to begin on this early morning.

It wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky that the dragon blood power that Wang Lin had swallowed slowly disappeared, and Wang Lin’s face returned to normal. He opened his eyes.

He exhaled a mouthful of dark, black gas. When the gas landed before him, a cracking sound appeared, and the ground was scorched and then cracked open.

The moment he opened his eyes, Wang Lin saw the elder before him. After remaining silent for a long time, he stood up and respectfully bowed. “Junior Wang Lin greets… 4th generation Ancestor…” The elder’s gaze toward Wang Lin contained a hint of strangeness. He coughed to hide his strangeness and smiled. “I’m not the 4th generation Vermillion Bird.”

Wang Lin was startled. He looked up at the elder and his heart trembled. “You… You’re… the 1st generation Vermillion Bird?”

The elder laughed and shook his head. “I’m not the 1st generation Vermillion Bird; I’m the 2nd! The amount of time here is long, and many things are complicated. The 4th generation Vermillion Bird is also here, and you’re the second clansmen I’ve seen after him.”

“You’re the Emperor?” Wang Lin was silent for a moment before hesitantly asking.

“Like you, I’m a Grand Empyrean!” The elder smiled, and after seeing Wang Lin’s pondering expression, he explained, “Me and the 4th generation little fellow are Grand Empyreans! As for the Fallen Emperor, that’s a name given to him by outsiders. In our Vermillion Bird Saint Clan, he has only one name, and that is 1st generation Vermillion Bird Ancestor, one of the four strongest generals under the Ancient Celestial Emperor!”

Wang Lin’s heart trembled, and he suddenly raised his head.

“As for the specific matters regarding my Vermillion Bird Saint Clan, you’ll know after you complete the trial.” The elder smiled.

“This trial is necessary and it will be a great fortune for you to transform the essence of the false flame. However, it is very difficult, so you don’t have to feel too much pressure.” The elder stood up and looked to the northwest. After pondering a bit, he spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction,

“Why didn’t you accept Si Mozi’s challenge? Is my Vermillion Bird Clan afraid of him! After your trial, fight without holding back. I’ll take responsibility for everything! The ones invited here will not be able to cause any trouble. The Grand Empyrean’s Elder selection is just child’s play. This time, they invited many 3rd step cultivators to let Chao Zhou know that a new Grand Empyrean has appeared in this Fallen Land! You’re a member of my Vermillion Bird clan, and regardless of whether you’re from the inner or outer realms, this will not change! If you leave, I can’t protect you, but in our home, I want to see who dares to hurt you! Remember, the Vermillion Bird’s actions are to be overbearing and protect those close to us! Be so overbearing that no one can resist, only then can you gain a foothold in this chaotic world! Only then will those who dare to move against you be fearful when you go out. So, instead of hiding, it’s better to establish your might! Si Mozi will be the person you use to establish your might! So what if he is a 3rd step cultivator! You can establish your might with him!”

The elder’s words were extremely overbearing, and Wang Lin nodded after a moment of silence, and a cold light flashed through his eyes.

Seeing Wang Lin’s expression, the elder was very satisfied. His gaze fell on the lake, and after pondering a bit, he said, “You can drink that bottle of Dragon Spirit Blood Wine during your trial. Also, you can’t cultivate my divine abilities, but since we’ve met, I’ll teach you something… How about this, I’ll teach you a secret art of my clan!”

When the elder spoke of the secret art, his expression was very strange.

“Since you’re a member of my clan, there is no harm in telling you. The Vermillion Bird clan has never had a secret art. The so-called secret art was something the Ancestor snatched from the Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger clans back when he could still move. After taking them back, he called them secret arts. Among the three clans, the Black Tortoise has the greatest strength. I looked at your body before and found that you somehow became an Ancient God. If you use the power of the Ancient God to cast it, its power will naturally be greater! This isn’t a divine ability, but a way to use strength! Watch closely!” The elder came to the lake and, while looking at the surface, lifted his right hand and waved. When his palm landed, the lake trembled, and there was a dent, but as soon as the dent formed, the elder’s right hand landed on the surface.