## A Plea from the Scribe

Hark! Lend thy favor to this humble chronicle! Grant it your moon-favored tokens, your whispered endorsements, your precious inscriptions, and let it find a place within your cherished collections. Bestow upon it the light of your gaze!

The ninth moon dawns, a fresh beginning! Push forth the pages with your valued votes!

**Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Royal Summons!**

The Official Royal Court broadcasts on Channel 3943! We seek minstrels, storytellers of the airwaves, and masters of dramatic oratory!

We seek those skilled in rhythm and rhyme, those adept at leading discourse, those who craft tales. Novices, fear not! Guidance shall be provided!

(Scrolls of Continuing Tales may be found at tieba.baidu/p/)

**Royal Decree!**

Activation sigils for the Immortal Renegade Online Game shall be dispensed betwixt the third and fourth days of the moon, ending at half past the noontide hour.

***

Within the grand hall, beneath the gilded arches, the middle-aged man, adorned in the Nine Dragon Emperor’s Raiment, extended a grasping hand. Instantly, a vortex materialized in the air above, swirling with unnatural speed. A spectral glow emanated from its depths, a darkness hinting at realms unknown.

A chilling wind echoed through the hall as the vortex spun. Slowly, two indistinct figures emerged, seized by the Emperor in his powerful grip. They were the Madman and the silver-clad maiden, both lost to slumber!

Ignoring the maiden, the Emperor focused his attention on the Madman. A furrow creased his brow as he stepped forward. As he advanced, the Madman’s form rose unnaturally, floating before the Emperor, whose hand pressed upon his chest.

A wave of celestial energy, vast and untamed, surged into the Madman. In that instant, a series of deafening booms reverberated through the hall, like thunder echoing from the heavens.

This boundless power roared through the Madman’s body, shattering blockages and awakening dormant ancestral power. Yet, the Madman remained unconscious, undisturbed.

“Alas…” The Emperor’s brow furrowed deeper. With a flourish of his sleeve, a colossal solar phantom materialized behind him. Its radiant light encompassed the hall and bled outwards, bathing the very land. Even from afar, one could see a golden sun burning brightly in the sky above the palace, scattering its light across the realm.

“Daofei, awaken!” The Emperor pressed his hand once more upon the Madman’s chest. A golden stream of celestial power surged into him, aiming directly for his mind. In a blink, it shattered blockages within his head, clearing away the accumulated stagnancy of countless years.

“Brother…” In that instant, the Madman’s face flushed with color. His eyes flew open, and he cried out in joyous recognition before spewing forth a mouthful of blood and succumbing once more to darkness.

The Emperor’s brow slowly relaxed as the solar phantom faded into oblivion.

“Escort Prince Daofei to his chambers for rest… and take the maiden with him.” His voice, heavy with authority, echoed through the hall. Immediately, strands of golden mist coalesced into two maidens, who bowed before the Emperor and then gently supported the unconscious Madman and the silver-clad maiden, escorting them from the hall.

“Daofei has been lost for years. What transpired to inflict such grievous wounds, and to diminish his ancestral power… He shall tell me when he awakens.” The Emperor settled upon his dragon throne, his expression lost in thought. Slowly, he closed his eyes.

***

We shall speak no further of the Madman for now, and instead return to Wang Lin, secluded within a mountain peak. In a grotto hewn by his own power, he sat in meditation, his hands weaving arcane gestures, surrounded by a sea of raging fire. This inferno swirled around him, faintly forming the shape of a magnificent Vermilion Bird, amplifying the flame’s intensity.

The Heaven-Shunning Coffin, which Wang Lin had carried since his arrival in the Immortal Astral Continent, now rested within a space he had carved within his very being. As he wove his hand signs, the flames contorted, transforming into seven shimmering fire drakes that plunged towards his left eye.

In an instant, they were absorbed, leaving behind a fiery mark that flickered brightly within the lightless grotto.

“My own source of flame has solidified, stronger even than it was within the Realm of the Caves. Yet, here in the Immortal Astral Continent, it clashes with the earth fire of this Heavenly Bull Continent.”

“One must dominate the other… Otherwise, facing common foes will present little challenge, but should I encounter another with mastery over fire, they would see through my facade. The difference in my flame source and the local earth fire works against me!” Wang Lin had resided in this land for over a month, and he was beginning to understand its intricacies.

Back in the Realm of the Caves, his flame had been absolute. He could control all fires, like an emperor upon his throne. Replenishment had been effortless, achieved with a mere breath.

But here, things were different. He, and his flame, were both outsiders. Replenishing his power was difficult.

In casual conflicts, this might prove no impediment. But against a truly powerful foe, it could prove fatal! While at the Azure Dragon Sect, he had seemed casual as he drew the essence of the earth fire vein, but it had been no easy task.

He could have left the Sect without attempting such a feat, but he had sought to test the degree of this land’s rejection.

The resistance had been formidable. Only through his will had he managed to draw the essence from the vein. Once beyond the Sect, the fire had rebelled, forcing Wang Lin to suppress it before it ultimately dissolved into the earth.

“The rejection here is strong. If the flames of the Immortal Astral Continent reject me, then I shall not seek their acceptance. I shall dominate and assimilate them, and use them to fortify my own strength!” A cold light flashed in Wang Lin’s eyes. He closed them and plunged his soul into his left eye, transforming into a whip of flame that shot forth from within.

The Vermilion Bird, now embodying Wang Lin’s spirit, vanished into the ground in a flash, disappearing into the depths of the earth.
Across the scorched expanse of Tianniu Province, a web of subterranean fire veins pulsed with infernal heat. Beneath each jagged peak, rivers of molten fury roared and churned. The moment Wang Lin’s spirit form descended into the earth’s embrace, a wave of unbearable heat washed over him, a searing torment to any lesser soul. But to Wang Lin, now a blazing Vermillion Bird, it was merely a challenge. He plunged deeper, his own inferno pushing back against the earth’s fiery breath.

Here, in the spirit realm below, the world was remade. Earth and stone vanished, replaced by an endless expanse of dancing flames, a world sculpted from fire itself. As he delved further, a primordial roar echoed through the depths, a sound inaudible to mortal ears, yet painfully clear to the spirit. With that roar, the oppressive heat intensified, threatening to melt the strongest enchantments and consume the very essence of existence.

A cold light ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes. This was no mere threat, but a challenge, a clash of titans – the raw, untamed fire of the earth against the ancient, celestial flame within him. In response, the Vermillion Bird unleashed a piercing cry, a sound born of celestial power, a sword of fire cleaving through the molten darkness towards the source of the roar.

He plunged deeper, covering vast distances with impossible speed, until he reached the heart of the inferno. There, coiled upon itself, a dragon of pure fire, tens of thousands of feet in length, pulsed with crimson light and untamed rage. Its massive eyes, burning with ancient fury, locked onto Wang Lin’s Vermillion Bird. Another earth-shattering roar ripped through the caverns, a challenge to the avian invader. Dragon and Bird, face to face, their cries echoing in the suffocating heat, poised to begin a fiery dance of dominance.

This was the vision granted to the spirit. Should mortal eyes gaze upon this scene, they would see a vast, serpentine vein of crimson ore, stretching beyond sight, radiating unbearable heat, hidden deep within the earth. This was the physical form of the roaring dragon, the living essence of the fire vein itself. Similarly, the Vermillion Bird would appear merely as a unique pocket of alien flame, a stark contrast to the surrounding inferno. Here, only one word held true dominion: Fire. All others, flame, inferno, were mere echoes, pale imitations of its pure, unyielding power. Fire was absolute, unyielding, destined to consume or be consumed.

With a deafening roar, the fire dragon uncoiled, unleashing a torrent of searing flame, an ocean of molten fury aimed to engulf the Vermillion Bird. It opened its maw, a gaping abyss of endless heat, ready to devour its challenger whole.

Wang Lin, in the form of the Vermillion Bird, showed no fear. This was merely a fragment of the earth’s fire, unworthy of his retreat. With another piercing cry, the Bird surged forward, diving directly into the dragon’s open mouth.

“Let all fire beneath the heavens bend to my will, obey Wang Lin as its master! Even the flames of the Immortal Astral Continent shall heed my command!” Wang Lin’s spiritual power, imbued with the overbearing force of fire, echoed through the subterranean depths.

The fire dragon, now a vessel for the invading Vermillion Bird, convulsed in agony. Waves of heat erupted from its body, slowly coalescing into a spectral image of the Bird, its eyes closed, its form immense, engulfing the dragon entirely. As the spectral Bird solidified, it began to drain the dragon’s fiery essence, growing stronger with each passing moment. The dragon’s roars weakened, its struggles grew more desperate.

Above, on the surface, the ten thousand mountains surrounding Wang Lin’s hidden cave trembled violently. The earth roared, rent open by vast fissures, spewing forth jets of molten fire that consumed everything in their path.

But the cataclysm was short-lived. Within the span of an incense stick, the erupting flames subsided, retracting into the earth. Deep below, the dragon’s struggles ceased. The spectral Vermillion Bird, now fully formed, its crimson eyes gleaming with cold power, enveloped the defeated creature entirely.

“To consume the soul of a fire vein! My own fire essence has grown immeasurably!” The Vermillion Bird dissolved into a wave of heat, rushing upward, back to the surface, entering the hidden cave, and finally, merging into Wang Lin’s left eye. Wang Lin gasped, his spirit returned to his body, and opened his eyes.

“This… this is a rare boon indeed!” Wang Lin lowered his gaze, his eyes burning with an otherworldly light.

Fifth day now! Past today will break the record!