I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

The [Metamorphosis: Scale Insect] card quickly flew up and fell into the balance window that suddenly appeared above the dark green tabletop. As the ritual unfolded, four blank squares appeared on the right side of the balance window, and dark patterns of ouroboros were wrapped around the four corners of the balance window.

That reveals the four elements required for the ceremony.

The ceremony begins!

—Who is in charge?

Li Lin raised the crowbar in his hand, which had become a torch. The cards symbolizing the ritual on the dark green table trembled slightly, and the card representing Li Lin himself flew up, sparking a dazzling flame on the dark green table before entering the first square of the balance window.

A blazing fire filled the first empty space.

[Current ceremony leader: Abraham Leigh!]

—What is the congratulatory message?

Li Lin paused for a moment, then slowly recited his exclusive secret technique.

"In the very beginning, a spark from a stone illuminated the darkness, and the monkeys and insects stared at each other in bewilderment."

If this were just a game, even the highest-level secret techniques, rare items, and influence might not be enough to secure Si Chen's personal involvement. But this is not a game, and Li Lin is certain that Si Chen's power is boundless!

He was certain that from the very first moment he came into this world, the otherworldly god had already set his sights on him.

【Exclusive Secret Technique: Fire in Stone】It flies up like a leaf blown by the wind and falls into the second square. As the secret card is perfectly embedded in it, a rose-colored flame ignites at the edge of the card.

A gentle flame filled the second empty space.

—What kind of magical power will be presented?

All the Influence cards floated up simultaneously, arrayed on the dark green table as if summoned, with two Tier 3 Influences at the top. One resembled a winged creature in the night, its edges edged with a grayish-white phantom resembling flapping wings; the other was like a raging fire piercing the long night, its edges crimson and streaked with sparks.

"Thank you for your help, Nian."

"Ah, leave it to me."

At that very instant, atop the tower of ruins, Nian Wei chuckled softly. He then extended his authority towards Li Lin.

This is the supreme authority in this world, proclaiming forging, fire, destruction, and transformation; the only forging fire on Terra since the fragmentation of the year. It is purely forging and refining, throwing all things into its furnace to balance destruction and change.

Nian Liang was destined to be favored by all the officials of the Casting Bureau, and now she was temporarily "lending" that favor to Li Lin.

When Li Lin raised his head, a dazzling crown appeared above him, and a majestic metallic sun emerged from behind him, radiating outwards in all directions.

The raging fire shattered this false world, and all those in Chernobog who were immersed in the illusion had their weak delusions burned away by the bursting flames.

Someone is telling them to stand up, walk forward, and not look back.

On the land of Terra, the power of the sole god of forging descended, illuminating all darkness.

And, towards a certain place, a distant call was sent out!

The influence of that third-order casting image transformed into a raging inferno that filled the third square. Li Lin couldn't even look directly at what it had become. If it weren't for the protection of Nian's authority, he would have been burned to ashes in the flames long ago.

The blazing white flames filled the third blank space.

What can I become?

Normally, unless it's for ascension, this blank doesn't need to be filled, because desire reveals a higher yearning. All extraordinary individuals who embark on this path are noticed by the beings above because of their desires.

There are those on Terra who have received the First Mark; they too have been watched over by beings of higher power—Talulah became Kosich's apostle, Scout served the Demon Lord in the Sarkaz court, but their beginnings were their end, their path of ascension ended there.

Because the world of Arknights cannot accommodate beings that are larger.

Above the ruined tower, beneath the dark clouds of natural disaster, Li Lin, holding a torch aloft, paused for a rare second: because this is not a game, the fourth blank must be filled.

He has no desires, so what will fill the fourth blank?

Then, under the astonished gazes of the two immortals, a chuckle suddenly emanated from Li Lin's chest, making him appear even more villainous than the black snake against the backdrop of swirling dark clouds.

In that instant, he softly uttered the full name of the Si Chen Bai Ri Zhu Furnace.

"I hereby beseech the god of the daytime furnace, the god of rebirth through fire..."

In that instant, a violent roar erupted from East Chernobog, which had already been razed to the ground; it was the enormous Xuanji Giant Soldier!

It abruptly broke free from Nian's control, plunging the burning giant sword into its own chest, with intense flames erupting from the dragon's feet.

Amidst Li Lin's joyful laughter, the majestic sun wheel surged upwards, paving a path of light. It brutally smashed through all obstacles in its path, burning away endless calamities, and burst into the darkness created by the clouds of natural disasters.

Rising towards natural disasters!

No, in this upside-down, false world, it seems to be falling into an endless abyss.

A higher level of forging unfolded on the Xuanji Giant Weapon. It lost the majestic and cold appearance of the dragon seed and gradually turned into a sphere decorated with gold and red, unlike its predecessor. However, it carried a magnificent spirit far superior to its predecessor and accelerated endlessly, accelerated, and accelerated again!

Until the very end, even Nian's gaze couldn't keep up with that terrifying speed.

Those are stars, and they are the sun.

Melting fragments kept peeling off the sun disc; they were molten slag thrown down by the powerful acceleration.

The roar spread from the clouds of natural disaster.

The swirling darkness was torn apart and pierced by the sun, easily breaking free from the shackles of the long night and calamity. The insignificant darkness before them was crushed into dust, and the shadows formed by countless Originium clusters vanished like bubbles.

And so, a straight chasm was torn open in the endless darkness.

"The End of the Unchanging God..."

At this moment, the second name of the revered monk echoed faintly in the air, and a red light like lava flashed in the leaden clouds. A blurry shadow flashed like lightning through the smoke screen. The power of destruction flowed between the flames and the pillar of dust. Crimson flames erupted into the sky like a spring, and then turned into scalding fire rain that fell. Words alone could not describe the magnificent beauty of this scene.

The firelight illuminated Li Lin's face atop the ruined tower, revealing his calm eyes and the corners of his mouth that were turned up in a smile.

His face appeared eerie and unpredictable in the flickering firelight, giving the illusion that he was happy about the scene.

Li Lin finally raised his head and looked at the sky above. Half of it was amber-colored flames, and the other half was golden-white radiance. The celestial disaster clouds disappeared without a trace amidst the violent tremors and scorching. Then, a flame lit up in the center of the metal sun disc, like a bright finger touching the calm surface of water.

Thousands of beams of light appeared in the air, illuminating half the sky. The brilliant, blazing pillars of fire meandered and stretched through Chernobog, like the aurora borealis falling to the ground.

Li Lin gazed at the sky, half flames and half radiance, a vague smile playing on his lips, and sighed.

On the control tower of the core city, Talulah heard a sigh: "Get ready, the assault is about to begin."

The dragon girl only had time to pull the safety valve before the world before her eyes was filled with endless flames.

At this moment, at the very top of the tower in the ruins of the false world, beyond the shattered mirrored sky, the burning sun is expanding at an alarming rate, and the nascent forms of stars are emerging from the remnants of the cataclysm.

"Using your own spear to attack your own shield..."

Li Lin grinned at Kosich, his smile revealing undisguised malice: "It will cause a massive explosion!"

Amid Kosiché's shocked and horrified expression, Li Lin revealed the complete name of the White-Day Forging Furnace.

"...God of Consumption and Rebirth, God who ends all night!"

We beseech the forge of daylight, the god of rebirth through fire, the god of ending immutability, the god of consumption and regeneration, the god of ending all night.

Inside the balance window suspended on the dark green tabletop, the last blank space was filled with endless flames.

The current ritual is a metamorphosis: molting into a scaled worm.

A celestial being has taken notice of you!

Li Lin didn't have time to check any more messages. He grabbed Nian's hand and slammed it hard on the dark green tabletop.

"return!"

The moment the ceremony was completed, a crisp cracking sound came from all directions, followed by a huge explosion from the base of the ruined tower, spreading upwards and completely engulfing Koschie, then burying everything in front of it.

Protected by some unknown force, West Chernoberg suddenly took off from the ground. A massive explosion propelled it across the ravaged land, over the pale ice fields, over frozen rivers and undulating mountains. It was lifted up by mushroom clouds and flew further south until it disappeared from sight.

Everyone was pressed to the ground by the immense wind, and could only watch in silence as the blazing sun rose slowly on the horizon and the clouds at the edge of the sun heralded destruction.

East Chernobog was completely wiped off the face of the earth by a massive explosion, but it was not a natural disaster that destroyed it.

......

At the foot of the snowy mountain of Shelag, a middle-aged woman who was picking herbs stared wide-eyed at the cracks that appeared in her palm and the flames that emerged. She couldn't even utter a word before she transformed into a human-shaped torch.

On the banks of the Victoria River, a fisherman fishing from his boat began to convulse. He stared blankly at the sky, and then he and his fishing boat turned into a fireball.

On the vast steppe of Kasimir, a herdsman was leading his horse back to his tent when his wife approached. As he saw the joy on her face turn to terror, the herdsman staggered forward two steps, collapsed in front of the tent, and became part of a continuous wildfire.

The Sargon royal court lived by following the water and pasture. On the edge of this oasis was a hot wasteland. The guards stood bored at the boundary between the wasteland and the oasis, like a group of statues, until one of the guards let out a painful wail and was burned to ashes by flames from the inside out in full view of everyone.

In the northern icy plains of Ursus, a long-abandoned village was engulfed by nameless flames, and long afterward, a sky full of snow covered the last traces.

All traces left by an immortal being in the world were quickly wiped away by flames.

Occasionally, someone would notice something amiss, but not because of the Black Serpent, the immortal being of the Moths, but because of the Year, the immortal being of the Castings.

As the ninth among the twelve-year-olds, and the only non-human being on the land of Terra who holds the power of forging and smelting, her existence is of vital importance to the eternal foundation of the Yan Kingdom, and even to the survival of the entire Terra civilization.

After the "Year" was fragmented, the Yan Kingdom specially established the Year Control Platform to monitor and control the whereabouts of the twelve Year Phases. In the previous few Jiazi, the disappearance of Jie had already pushed their nerves to the limit, and now the aura of the Year is gradually fading away.

It seems she is about to leave this world.

In the central altar, the token representing the year is gradually fading, and the text on it is becoming increasingly illegible: "Heaven has a great furnace, earth gives birth to... a hundred kinds of beasts... Strategies that last for a hundred generations can be destroyed in a single day, leaving the nation eroded and its artifacts rusted..."

At this moment, the door of the Si Sui Terrace was pushed open forcefully, and an old man with a white beard and hair strode in from outside. He came to the altar and then stood still as if deep in thought.

From an angle where no one could see, the head of all officials of the Great Yan Dynasty, the Grand Tutor who assisted the true dragon of the era, was already drenched in cold sweat.

After a long silence, he closed his eyes and let out a deep, resentful sigh.

"Faxing the imperial edict."

Whether they were generals clad in armor and armed with weapons, or civil officials in long robes and flowing sleeves, they all bowed their heads in fear and trembling.