In the deepest reaches of the Allied Star Domains, lay scattered pockets of untamed wilderness, regions beyond the grasp of the sprawling Cultivation Alliance. No cultivator within that vast organization dared set foot within these forbidden lands, for to do so meant certain and utter annihilation. Even the Nirvana Shatterer, masters of immense power, trembled at their mention, never crossing the invisible boundaries.

Only those who had attained the realm of Shattered Nirvana possessed the courage, or perhaps the reckless folly, to venture within. Yet, even they tread with extreme caution, for a single misstep could lead to the obliteration of both body and soul.

Within the Cultivation Alliance, these places were whispered of as the Death Forbidden Zones! Any cultivator who had reached the second step of advancement knew of their existence, though few truly understood their origins and causes.

Tales abounded, but the full truth remained elusive.

One such forbidden place was consumed by ceaseless infernos, a sea of flame stretching across the heavens. The light flickered and danced, a mesmerizing yet terrifying sight. The unbearable heat and the occasional searing blasts of wind sent shivers down the spines of all who dared gaze upon the burning starfield.

It was an endless, fiery vista, forever etched in the minds of those who witnessed it, a crimson memory that even reincarnation could not erase.

This fire, however, was unlike the Sky-Burning Art of Emperor Qinglin. While that was a divine technique of unimaginable power, this raging sea of flame was a natural phenomenon! Legends claimed it existed even in the time of the Celestial Realm and perhaps even before, in the forgotten ages of antiquity.

None knew how long this fire had burned. Dynasties of cultivators rose and fell, the Celestial Realm crumbled in cataclysmic events, the distant eras of the Ancient and Primordial slipped into legend, yet the flames remained, eternal and unwavering.

No one could say what power, what cosmic law, allowed this inferno to burn without end, an eternal blaze that knew no beginning and would know no conclusion.

This perpetual conflagration had transformed the starfield into a world of fire.

Over countless eons, the ceaseless heat had consumed all planets and dust within the vast region, leaving only nine celestial bodies remaining. These orbs were arranged in a perfect circle, like beads on a string.

Only these nine stars, through some unknown resilience, had withstood the fiery purgatory. Yet, even they were scarred, their forms reduced to crescent moons by the relentless heat.

The flames surrounded the nine stars, as if constantly attempting to devour them, to turn them into ashes.

Upon the first of these stars, there were no oceans, for they had long since boiled away, leaving behind a cracked and desolate seabed.

No verdant life could be seen anywhere upon the planet. Even the plants that existed were a fiery red, possessing a haunting, deadly beauty.

To survive in such an environment was no simple feat.

Here, as on any cultivation star, spiritual energy permeated the atmosphere, but it was tainted with fire poison. Any mortal who inhaled it would instantly turn to blackened ash, bones and all.

Even cultivators could not withstand its effects for long. This region was known as the Land of the Vermillion Bird, and the nine stars were called the Vermillion Bird Sacred Stars, with the first star held in highest regard. On its southernmost point stood a towering, dark red statue that pierced the heavens! It was a likeness of the Vermillion Bird, wings spread wide, ready to take flight! Its tail fanned out like rising flames, dominating a ten-mile radius. If the tail was so immense, one could only imagine the size of the Vermillion Bird’s body! It occupied hundreds of miles, a colossal presence even amidst the burning stars. Its eyes were made entirely of fire, and every hour, a surge of crimson energy would coalesce from the heavens, forming two streams that flowed into the Vermillion Bird’s gaze.

The Vermillion Bird statue was not unique to this star. Identical statues existed on each of the other eight Vermillion Bird Sacred Stars, and these nine identical likenesses were the ultimate symbol of the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect. At the base of the statue, dozens of figures dressed in crimson robes sat in meditation, absorbing the surrounding flames.

The three strands of the Vermillion Bird’s tail each held an elder, their hands forming intricate seals, chanting strange and powerful words. With each incantation, the statue’s feathers pulsed with fire, which the disciples below absorbed.

This ritual was a daily practice for the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect, a way to harness the power of the flames through the statue. Farther back, hundreds more disciples sat in silent meditation, while beyond them, encircling the statue, were thousands upon thousands more.

As time passed, the flames of the Vermillion Bird statue began to fade, signaling the end of the day’s practice.

Those on the outermost periphery, who had absorbed the least fire energy, began to open their eyes. Gradually, more and more disciples ceased their meditation and returned to awareness.

Even the three elders on the Vermillion Bird’s tail stirred from their trance. One of the elders rose, gazing down at the dozens of Vermillion Bird disciples below, about to speak.

But in that instant, everything changed! The Vermillion Bird statue shuddered violently, and the flames, which had been dwindling, suddenly flared to life, exploding in an intense crimson light!

The flames surged higher and higher, and the three elders on the tail paled with alarm. They did not hesitate to flee, and one of them roared, “Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect disciples, retreat! Retreat at once!”
The two elders, with a sweep of their vast sleeves, unleashed a furious gale that tore across the ground, lifting dozens of disciples into the air. Startled and thrown off balance, they scrambled to retreat.

In an instant, the disciples of the Vermillion Bird Sect surrounding the sacred statue were swept back, as if a tide receding from the shore.

The flames of the Vermillion Bird statue surged higher, reaching into the heavens! A torrent of fire poured forth, forming a circular wave that expanded outwards with terrifying speed.

This was not an isolated event. On the other eight Vermillion Bird Stars, the same phenomenon occurred simultaneously. This sudden upheaval sent tremors through the hearts of most of the Vermillion Bird Sect, but some of the ancient ones, upon witnessing the transformation of the statue, began to tremble – not with fear, but with fervent excitement.

“The Vermillion Bird Awakening… the Vermillion Bird Awakening!!!” an ancient sage, his face etched with time and his hair as white as snow, cried out in laughter. His eyes, filled with the wisdom of ages, were fixed upon the sacred statue.

He was not alone. All who understood the significance of the Vermillion Bird Awakening were seized with a similar fervor. Though few in number on each of the nine Vermillion Bird Stars, they were beings of immense power and cultivation! As the first star erupted in change, far to the east, within a sea of crimson fire, the earth shattered with a deafening roar. A figure wreathed in purple and red emerged.

At the moment of its arrival, the surrounding flames coalesced, swirling about the figure in a dance of light and shadow. An aged, wrinkled face could barely be discerned. The elder stood transfixed, his gaze fixed on the celestial spectacle.

“The Vermillion Bird Awakening!” he whispered, tears of joy streaming down his face.

“It is truly the Vermillion Bird Awakening!!”

This scene was mirrored on the other eight Vermillion Bird Stars! The sacred statues unleashed a torrent of fire, which, instead of spreading outward, suddenly reversed its course. The flames, from every corner of the stars, surged back towards the statue, drawn by an unimaginable force.

From afar, the Vermillion Bird Stars resembled vast oceans of fire, with all their currents rushing towards a single point.

Then, the heavens themselves seemed to shift and churn. As the fire was drawn in, the Vermillion Bird statues erupted like volcanoes, spewing colossal pillars of crimson flame that pierced the sky! It was as if the entire planet’s fire was being channeled through the statues, solely to launch these columns into the cosmos. With a thunderous roar, the pillars broke through the clouds, the gales, and the searing heat, and burst forth into the burning starfield. At that very instant, eight more columns of flame erupted from the other stars, absorbing the surrounding inferno.

In a breathtaking moment, nine pillars of fire converged at the heart of the nine stars. And from this convergence came a cry – the cry of the Vermillion Bird! It echoed with a power and resonance far surpassing anything even Wang Lin had heard within the Sealed Realm, shaking the very fabric of the burning starfield. From the heart of the fire arose a Vermillion Bird of immense size, its form rivaling that of a cultivation star. It was as though this ancient being had slumbered for countless ages. As it manifested, the wild, untamed flames that pervaded this region trembled before it, sending shockwaves throughout the starfield, a terrifying display of power that even the Cultivation Alliance feared.

This was the Vermillion Bird Awakening! The first since the Vermillion Bird Sect fell to the might of the Cultivation Alliance!

To the Vermillion Bird Sect, the Vermillion Bird Awakening held profound meaning. It signified the emergence of a chosen one, a potential Vermillion Bird Saint Emperor. Only such a being could ignite the Awakening and summon the true spirit of the Vermillion Bird, unseen for millennia!

From the nine Vermillion Bird Stars, nine figures wreathed in crimson and purple soared forth. Each was a master of the Shattered Nirvana Realm, and they gathered to witness this momentous event. As they neared the colossal Vermillion Bird spirit, it emitted another piercing cry, its echoes rippling through the starfield, unleashing waves of fire that swept outward.

At the same time, the Vermillion Bird spirit spun with incredible speed, transforming into a vast sphere of fire. Within the swirling vortex of flames, a vision began to form, a distorted scene that coalesced to reveal a figure with long, flowing hair, marked with the sigil of the Vermillion Bird. Flames emanated from his being, making him appear as a Vermillion Bird in human form. It was Wang Lin!

Within the vision, beside Wang Lin, stood the Ancestor of the Xing Clan, her face gaunt, her empty eyes weeping black blood. Before her shimmered a manifestation of Qing Lin’s split soul, composed of crystalline light. As the vision solidified, the Xing Clan Ancestor turned, her empty sockets sending a chill through the hearts of the nine elders.

“That woman…”

“Ancestor Qiu Yao of the Rune Clan!!”

“The figure before her… could it be the Celestial Emperor Qing Lin from ages past?!”

The vision revealed others as well.

“Void Spirit! And Celestial Fortune is also there!”

“The Vermillion Bird Awakened is in such a dangerous place! As a prominent figure in the Alliance, Void Spirit will never allow our Vermillion Bird Sect to have a new Awakened!”

“But how did this one, whom I have never seen, gain the Vermillion Bird Sequence?”

As the nine elders gazed upon the fiery vision, a wave of immense spiritual power swept across the burning starfield, its strength so great that the flames themselves momentarily stilled!
“Doubt not the identity of this child! The Vermillion Bird Mark upon him, ’twas a gift from my own shard of being. Summon the full might of our clan! Seek out the True Spirit to guide your path! Spare no expense, brook no obstacle – bring him back safely to us!”

These words, imbued with divine will, swept over the nine. Their countenances transformed, radiating a fervent devotion.

“By order of the Sacred Emperor, it shall be done!” they roared in unison.

“My time dwindles,” the voice continued, laced with urgency. “The wounds of yesteryear fester, deepening with each passing moon. That this child awakens now is the hope of the Vermillion Bird Sect… I charge you, swear upon your very souls: his safety must be paramount! At any cost, preserve him!”

Meanwhile, within the Immortal Emperor’s grotto, as the shimmering Qinglin Dew manifested from crystalline light, a warmth surged through the Vermillion Bird Totem emblazoned upon Wang Lin’s flesh. Before he could decipher its meaning, a multitude of gazes descended upon him.

A flash of murderous intent flickered in Void Master’s eyes. In that instant, he recognized the shift in the totem adorning Wang Lin.

“The Vermillion Bird Sect… they have sensed his awakening!”