As Wang Lin’s right hand extended, a command issued forth that struck the Eighteenth Layer Hell Sealing Talisman. Crimson light erupted, blood-red radiance bathing the cavern, staining the verdant blossoms a macabre hue.

From the fourteenth layer of the talisman, a vermillion mist billowed. Within, the Blood Ancestor, his visage a mask of bloodlust, locked his gaze upon Wang Lin. Yet, his eyes soon recognized the presence of Yao Xixue. He slowly turned, his ferocious expression softening into a tender gaze.

Yao Xixue stood pale and transfixed, witnessing the scene unfold.

“Blood Ancestor,” Wang Lin declared, “I once pledged to grant you a reunion with your daughter. This day, I have fulfilled that promise.” With a wave of his hand, the crimson mist enshrouding the Blood Ancestor dissipated, the bonds that controlled him broken.

The Blood Ancestor’s spirit, a pulsating scarlet, solidified into a corporeal form. He beheld his daughter, his eyes brimming with emotion.

“The past is severed here,” Wang Lin continued, his voice resonating with cold detachment. “Yao Xixue schemed against me, imprisoning me for centuries. You, Blood Ancestor, sought my life, suffering the consequences. I deem this debt settled. Yao Xixue sought vengeance, lost her memories, and became a Wind Demon’s puppet. I have saved her once, thus ending this cycle.

“From this moment forth, no thread shall bind you father and daughter to Wang Lin. This karma is broken. Should you persist, I shall obliterate you both, condemning your souls to oblivion, forever denied rebirth!”

With a flick of his sleeve, Wang Lin turned and strode into the depths of the cave.

“The fourteenth layer of the Sealing Talisman shall no longer hold you, Blood Ancestor. I grant you freedom to spend your days with your daughter. This is the Immortal Emperor’s Demesne within the Land of the Demon Spirit. Seek a haven and await its ultimate unveiling, then depart from this place.”

Yao Xixue’s gaze lingered on Wang Lin’s retreating figure, shrouded in a mist of confusion. Memories eluded her grasp, and she felt a reluctance to reclaim them. A voice echoed within her mind, a constant whisper reminding her that the past was done, like yesterday’s wind turned to today’s dust, returning to whence it came. She recognized the voice as her own, a final echo from her former self.

The Blood Ancestor turned his gaze upon Wang Lin’s receding form, his expression complex. With the dissolution of the binding seal, his sanity had returned. Though but a spirit, his ancient power would allow him to endure and seek a path to restoration.

The silhouette of Wang Lin fading into the distance held no trace of the hatred that once consumed him.

The Blood Ancestor understood that Wang Lin could have extinguished their existence with a mere thought. Yet, he had spared them, granting freedom to the father and a new beginning to the daughter.

He sighed, the weight of past grievances paling in comparison to the relief of his daughter’s survival. Though her memories were lost, he realized it might be a blessing in disguise.

His heart felt ancient, his sole purpose now to safeguard Yao Xixue’s well-being, letting the past rest undisturbed.

He regarded Yao Xixue with newfound tenderness and beckoned, “Come, child. Let us depart.”

The amnesiac Yao Xixue, guided by an innate blood tie, walked beside her father. As they walked, she whispered softly, “…Father, was what he said true?”

“Whether true or false matters little now. We are severed from him forever. Let us not dwell on it. He is not one we can trifle with…” The Blood Ancestor cast a final glance at Wang Lin, a flicker of awe in his eyes.

“He is no longer the insignificant being I once dismissed. In these centuries, he has risen to heights I could scarcely imagine…”

Wang Lin’s face remained impassive as he walked onward. Perhaps the consequences of his actions regarding Yao Xixue were incomprehensible to others, but as long as he believed in the path he walked, these events would shape his destiny.

Step by step, Wang Lin ventured deeper into the cave. A profound aura slowly coalesced within him, building with each stride. Soon, this energy surged forth, threatening to consume the very heavens.

Beneath this overwhelming power, Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with newfound clarity.

Having resolved the matter of Yao Xixue, his Dao Heart reached its peak. With this surge of power, Wang Lin could sense that his cultivation, which had long been stagnant, was on the cusp of a breakthrough, like frozen rivers melting in the spring thaw.

Far off, Yao Xixue and the Blood Ancestor vanished within a concealed chamber, awaiting the full awakening of the Immortal Emperor’s Demesne. Wang Lin was now alone.

All that remained was the devastation left by the collapsing Burial Immortal Pool, with wisps of frigid air rising from its depths.

Surveying the scene, Wang Lin’s gaze settled upon the distant horizon. This was but the outer reaches of the Demesne. Beyond, he glimpsed the distant silhouettes of pavilions and structures arrayed in an irregular pattern. At the furthest point, he could see a looming grand hall shrouded in black mist.

After brief contemplation, Wang Lin retrieved a jade tablet, carved from enchanted jade, from his pouch. This was the tablet he had found long ago in the Land of the Demon Spirit, detailing the creation of Immortal Guardians and the incantations for the Immobilization Spell. He recalled that it also contained a map.

Though the map seemed unfamiliar, he had a sudden sense of recognition, a subtle familiarity with the landscape surrounding him.

Unsheathing the tablet, Wang Lin submerged his consciousness within. His expression shifted, for the map revealed itself to be a depiction of the Immortal Emperor’s Demesne itself.

Wang Lin carefully studied the map. Without hesitation, he stepped back and ventured to the edge of the vast crater left by the Burial Immortal Pool, peering into the inky darkness.

“A perfect hiding place!” Wang Lin said quietly. He stepped into the crater, but instead of sinking, he gently descended tens of feet. With a wave of his hand, he released several great swords that whizzed across the pit wall, carving out a hidden chamber. He stepped into it and sat down, his legs crossed.

He took a deep breath and created layer upon layer of restrictions around the mouth of the cave. After he was finished, Wang Lin reached into his bag and pulled out a single silver light that morphed into an elegant woman.

The woman looked at Wang Lin but said nothing. She went to the mouth of the cave and sat there, her legs crossed, guarding him.

Wang Lin appraised the silver-clad female corpse. Since absorbing the poisonous flowers, he felt a change within the corpse, though he couldn’t say exactly what it was.

He let his spiritual energy flow into her and saw the seals that he put there were untouched. Even the hidden restrictions were unmoved. After that, he sat down and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

“My cultivation is about to change. I need to focus so that I don’t miss the opportunity. This is a dangerous place and I must ensure my survival,” he said to himself.

Wang Lin closed his eyes. As he began to cultivate, the spiritual energy within him began to circulate rapidly. A subtle heat radiated from his body, staying close, never venturing past a foot.

With the breakthrough related to Yao Xixue, Wang Lin’s spiritual energy was unhindered. The stagnant mid-stage Nirvana Scryer cultivation reached its limit, teetering on the edge of ascension.

Three days passed with Wang Lin unmoving, his spiritual energy accelerating to an unending flow.

During these days, the silver-armored woman silently guarded Wang Lin, her eyes occasionally resting on his form. Her expression was one of confusion, but this look quickly disappeared.

On the fourth day, Wang Lin opened his eyes. After a moment of silence, he reached into his bag and took out several yuan spirits of those he had killed. Without hesitation, he swallowed them.

“The spiritual energy here is insufficient, this is the only way to break through,” he said.

While Wang Lin’s cultivation was on the verge of a breakthrough from the mid-stage of the Nirvana Scryer, an event that shook the very foundation of the Alliance of the Stars was taking place in the outer region of the Immortal Emperor’s Cave.

In the dark void of space, a red light began to spread, looking like a great fire was consuming the sky, trying to turn the universe to nothing.

As the light got closer and closer, it began to turn to fire that was blinding to see. Looking out across the void of space, one could see a raging inferno swallowing everything. Its speed was unimaginable.

At the head of this fire was a massive Vermillion Bird with wings spanning thousands of miles, proud in the space. Its whole body was composed of flames, and even before it arrived, one could feel its unimaginable heat filling the void. Any cultivator that saw it was immediately shaken. The more knowledgeable cultivators that saw the Vermillion Bird could only think of one name! “Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect!”