A dragon of ten thousand fathoms, its veins awash with a sea of fire-blood, yet the Elder Vermillion Bird sought but a single drop, drawn from the engorged crest upon the dragon’s head.

This blood, the very essence of the dragon’s fiery soul, held a potency far exceeding that of any other ichor within its mighty form.

Such blood was, naturally, scarce, and when the Elder Vermillion Bird unleashed a mighty clap, it squeezed nearly every precious drop of dragonfire blood onto the incense stick, now alight.

The moment the ichor touched the burning wood, it vanished, absorbed into the very grain.

Within that place of separate boundaries, a lotus of nine colored flames floated in the sky, and upon it, Wang Lin sat in meditative repose. Behind him, the colossal Vermillion Bird of nine hues uttered a piercing cry, a cry of struggle, as if in the throes of rebirth. Light, boundless and brilliant, rippled across the land, engulfing the separate boundaries, while rings of fire, like a sea of roaring inferno, blazed around him.

Wang Lin’s gaze burned like twin suns. His fingers danced through mystic seals, and his left eye ignited with a blaze of nine colors, swirling within his pupil, spinning faster and faster until it became a vortex of pure, multi-hued fire.

“Nine into One, the Vermillion Bird’s Fourth Awakening!” Wang Lin’s mind was clear as crystal. He had already undergone the Vermillion Bird’s Awakening three times in his life, each time amplifying his mastery of flame beyond measure. But those previous awakenings paled in comparison to what was now unfolding. This fourth awakening was paramount to the Vermillion Bird lineage, the crucial transition from tangible flame to ethereal fire. Throughout the ages, those who had guided their Vermillion Bird through its fourth awakening were exceedingly rare, no more than five souls in all of history! The First, Second, Third, and Fourth Generation Vermillion Birds – and now Wang Lin! Even the fire-bird clan’s Third Step Ancestor, though his own flames hinted at ethereal fire, had never undergone a true Vermillion Bird Awakening. He was not a Vermillion Bird, so how could he awaken?

Even if he had birthed ethereal fire, it was but a twisted imitation compared to the authentic power of the Vermillion Bird. The path to this fourth awakening was fraught with untold trials, and the resulting mastery of ethereal fire could send shivers down the spines of even the most seasoned cultivators.

However, this fourth Vermillion Bird Awakening demanded a near-unthinkable amount of fiery power. Only with a surfeit of the very flames of creation could it hope to succeed. Wang Lin, seated upon the lotus, felt its nine-colored flames surging into his very core, igniting the vortex within his left eye, accelerating its spinning frenzy.

Simultaneously, the towering Vermillion Bird behind him cried out with increasing intensity, a sound that could cleave the heavens themselves, causing the very separate boundaries to tremble.

“Not enough! The fire-power is still not enough!” Wang Lin abruptly raised his head. His body erupted in flames, the nine-colored vortex within his left eye burst forth, enveloping him in a tempest of multi-hued fire. The tempest rose to the heavens, threatening to consume all existence.

Wang Lin’s Vermillion Bird’s Fourth Awakening hinged upon the karmic fire of his obsessions, fueled by the burning of his own cycle of reincarnation. Thus, the required fire-power was even greater. In that very instant, the sky of the separate boundaries flashed with a dark-red light, and with a thunderous roar, a rain of blood descended. Each drop was imbued with the fire-essence of a dragon, radiating a world-scorching heat. Their arrival infused Wang Lin with a surge of new fire.

The drops, before they could touch the earth, coalesced, forming a burning crimson sphere around Wang Lin.

The sphere pulsed with fire, and in a single, unified motion, it was absorbed by the nine-hued Vermillion Bird. Instantly, the flames around Wang Lin intensified, and the Vermillion Bird unleashed a sky-rending shriek.

The very air of the separate boundaries crackled with fire, becoming thicker, more potent in an instant.

The blood rain continued to fall, and Wang Lin’s fingers flew through the seals, maintaining the raging inferno. The nine-colored feathers of the Vermillion Bird began to burn in the deluge of blood, accompanied by its piercing cry.

“Still not enough…” Wang Lin’s eyes gleamed with intensity. He sensed that the fire-power necessary for his Vermillion Bird’s Fourth Awakening was not yet complete.

At that moment, the middle-aged man upon the barren mountain within the separate boundaries fixed his gaze upon the distant scene, his eyes filled with strange light. His hands moved through the seals, and the mark of fire upon his brow blazed into existence, floating before him.

The flame was ashen, almost non-existent.

The middle-aged man sighed softly. “He bears the aura of someone familiar, the aura of my impetuous Lu Yun… When I departed, I left the poor child to suffer…” His expression turned somber, and he reached out to grasp the ethereal flame, flinging it outwards.

Immediately, a wave of illusory fire surged within the separate boundaries, a fire that held no warmth, yet could incinerate all things. It pierced through the fabric of reality, rushing towards Wang Lin’s location.

In an instant, the overwhelming ethereal fire surrounded Wang Lin, rapidly merging with the struggling, nine-hued Vermillion Bird.

This middle-aged man was none other than Lu Yun’s master, the Fourth Generation Vermillion Bird. Having already undergone the Vermillion Bird’s Fourth Awakening, he had ascended to the realm of ethereal fire. With a wave of his hand, he offered his ethereal fire as aid. As it merged with Wang Lin’s nine-hued Vermillion Bird, the bird let out another soaring cry.

The flames surrounding Wang Lin exploded outwards, amplified many times over. Aided by the surge of fire, Wang Lin threw his head back and let out a long roar. His body blazed even brighter, and the nine-colored fire-tempest rotated with violent force, engulfing both Wang Lin and the Vermillion Bird. Within the swirling vortex, the nine colors began to blur, as if merging into chaos. In an instant, the crimson color within the nine hues imploded, vanishing completely! Then, the orange color shuddered and dissipated. The two depleted colors seemed to converge within what remained of the flames and fed the vortex.

The entire separate boundaries were submerged within this ocean of fire, burning fiercely.

Meanwhile, upon the Great Emperor Star, the dragon stared forlornly at the Elder Vermillion Bird. Every drop of dragonfire blood had been drained from the crest upon its head, leaving nothing behind.

The Elder Vermillion Bird glared at the dragon. “What are you looking at? Dragonfire blood is gone, so give me some regular dragon blood. You’re huge, losing a bit of blood won’t kill you!”

The dragon was about to unleash a roar of protest, but the Elder Vermillion Bird was faster. With a wave of its hands, it conjured an invisible force, sealing the dragon’s maw and stifling the roar within its massive body.

Using the contained force of the roar, the Elder Vermillion Bird swept its right hand across the dragon, instantly creating a hundred-foot gash from which blood poured forth like a waterfall.

“You’ve already given away all your dragonfire blood. If you give up now, it will have all been for nothing. If that kid can’t awaken, I can’t fulfill my promise.”

The dragon’s eyes were filled with even more sorrow. Upon hearing the Elder Vermillion Bird’s words, it simply closed its eyes and forced its own blood to flow. A roar reverberated within it.

“These Vermillion Birds are all lunatics! It was the First Generation Vermillion Bird who tricked me out of the Fire Domain when I was just a fledgling and started siphoning blood from me! When will this end? Now that this Second Generation Vermillion Bird has made a promise, I, old dragon, will just have to grit my teeth!”

A deluge of dragon blood poured into the incense stick, causing the separate boundaries to be drenched in a downpour, fueling the raging inferno. While this blood couldn’t compare to dragonfire blood, its sheer quantity meant that the fire-power needed for Wang Lin’s Fourth Awakening was immediately amplified.

The fire-tempest surrounding his body roared. After the crimson and orange colors had vanished, the yellow fire dissipated as well. Then, the eerie green ghost fire followed suit.

Upon the Great Emperor Star, the Elder Vermillion Bird’s eyes shone with an intense light. With gritted teeth, it used a hand seal at its brow and pointed a finger towards the burning incense. Ethereal fire materialized within its very body, rushing towards the separate boundaries along with its finger. “Little one, I’m giving you everything! Whether or not you successfully achieve the Fourth Awakening is in your hands!”

Within the separate boundaries, the ethereal fire of the Elder Vermillion Bird surged forth after the downpour of blood, blanketing the sky and merging madly with Wang Lin’s Vermillion Bird.

The surge of power caused the cyan, indigo, and violet flames within the tempest to implode and vanish. Now, the seven colors had merged, leaving only black and white to struggle. Within the tempest, Wang Lin’s eyes shone with otherworldly light. He raised his hands and flung them outwards, uttering a low voice, “The fire has reached its limit, there is nothing else to absorb. Since that is so, I will no longer assist. Black and white, I will forcibly merge with the Dao, MERGE!”

With Wang Lin’s bellow, the black and white fire-tempest shuddered. A strange power emanated from Wang Lin’s body, a power that could fuse all things. The moment it was released, the white color within the black and white hues vanished.

Only a black tempest remained. It continued to spin, but its color grew lighter and fainter. Moments later, as Wang Lin rose to his feet with a long howl, the black flame imploded. The nine colors converged into one in the moment of the final fire explosion, and Wang Lin’s Vermillion Bird emerged from the flame cyclone, shimmering with ethereal flames. Wang Lin’s fully formed Vermillion Bird then sounded with a sound that shook the stars. Vermillion Bird Fourth Awakening was complete.

“Fourth Awakening, changing tangible to ethereal fire!” Wang Lin abruptly rose, and the nine-colored lotus beneath his feet shattered, transforming into countless shards that flew towards the Vermillion Bird.