After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

The moment the man in military uniform finished speaking, a dazzling crimson flame suddenly leaped up from beneath his feet, instantly engulfing his entire body, as if to drag him into an abyss woven from flames.

When the flames subsided, the man in military uniform still stood as before, except for a gleaming crimson mark between his brows.

The mark shimmered with brilliant golden light, leaping as if alive, its brightness flickering in response to the words spoken by the creature deep within the cave.

"The oath has been made. I will take my reward when you perish or when your wish is fulfilled."

Inside the cave, a clear and melodious cry suddenly rang out, and a streak of vermilion light pierced the darkness, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, and landed lightly on the man's shoulder.

It was a small bird enveloped in blazing flames, its feathers as brilliant as the sunset, shining brightly.

The flames on its body did not cause the man any harm; on the contrary, they echoed the mark between his eyebrows.

Accompanied by the cry of the flamingo, the scene, like morning mist evaporated by the rising sun, slowly faded before Huo Yu's eyes, and everything quickly returned to nothingness, as if it had never existed.

The next instant, Huo Yu found himself in the midst of a smoke-filled battlefield.

Flames of war raged, war drums thundered, and deafening shouts of battle seemed to tear the sky apart and soar to the heavens.

This is not a fantastical battlefield where cultivators use heaven and earth as a chessboard to manipulate events, but rather a place where mortals wage war with swords and spears, and engage in close combat.

The smoke was as black as ink, obscuring the sky. The sunlight struggled to penetrate the thick smoke, casting dappled and dim light and shadow.

On this land stained with blood, life is as fragile as a candle in the wind.

The roars of the soldiers, the neighing of the warhorses, and the clash of weapons intertwined to form a tragic and stirring battle song that echoed across this land of death.

On the battlefield, one side was clad in uniform, gleaming armor and wielded exquisitely crafted weapons, exuding an imposing and powerful aura, like the sun at its zenith.

On the other side, the situation appeared chaotic, with a variety of armor styles, only the striking red scarf on their right arm holding them together.

On the towering city wall behind the battlefield, a Taoist priest with long eyebrows stood in mid-air, like an immortal descending to earth.

He gazed down at the battlefield below, stained with blood and filled with the deafening sounds of battle, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Despite feeling reluctant, the long-browed Taoist resolutely raised his whisk and gently waved it.

In an instant, countless soldiers wearing red scarves seemed to be struck by an invisible force. Their bodies trembled violently, and they collapsed, their life force quietly extinguished.

The previously deadlocked battle situation changed dramatically in an instant, and the scales of victory tipped in favor of the other side.

At this critical moment of life and death, a dazzling red light shot out from the center of the battlefield, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky.

As the red light drew closer, the long-browed Taoist examined it closely and recognized what was contained within it, revealing a hint of disdain:

"A mere trick! A demon at the Foundation Establishment stage dares to interfere in human conflicts? How presumptuous!"

Before the long-browed Taoist could finish speaking, a fiery spirit bird appeared, enveloped in red light. With a gentle flap of its wings, it stirred up waves of heat and shot straight at the Taoist like an arrow.

At the same time, the Flame Spirit Bird spewed out a series of blazing, dazzling flame-colored spiritual lights, carrying destructive fire-attribute spiritual power, shooting towards the Long-Browed Taoist like a meteor shower.

The long-browed Taoist snorted coldly, and with a gentle wave of his whisk, a breeze swept over him, dissolving the fireballs one by one. Then, with a backhand flick, three sharp wind blades slashed through the air and roared out.

The Flame Spirit Bird seemed unafraid of the Taoist's attack. With a flap of its wings, an immense heat wave instantly transformed into five winding, coiling fire dragons, surrounding the long-browed Taoist and attempting to engulf him in a sea of ​​fire.

The long-browed Taoist priest had a solemn expression. He quickly patted his storage bag, and an ancient purple bell instantly appeared above his head, emitting clear and melodious chimes. It was as if an invisible barrier kept the five fire dragons several feet away, unable to get any closer.

At the same time, the long-browed Taoist quickly formed a hand seal with his left hand and suddenly swung his whisk in his right hand. A dazzling golden light, like lightning, struck the fire spirit bird with overwhelming force.

At this critical moment, a silver light streaked across the sky, heading straight for the long-browed Taoist's back.

Without even raising his eyelids, the long-browed Taoist waved his whisk lightly, and the silver light suddenly flew back along its original path, instantly striking the ant that attempted to ambush the cultivator with its mortal body.

However, this momentary lapse in concentration caused the previously unleashed golden light attack to slow down slightly, and it was this fleeting opening that allowed the Flame Spirit Bird to seize the opportunity.

The Flame Spirit Bird let out a mournful and tragic cry that echoed throughout the entire battlefield. With a sudden flap of its wings, it transformed into a dazzling red streak of light, not only shattering the golden light but also piercing through the Taoist's dantian with lightning speed.

A look of disbelief flashed across the eyes of the long-browed Taoist. His Dao foundation was damaged, and his life force was rapidly fading away. His body fell slumped from mid-air and landed on the city wall.

The opposing cultivators had already fallen, and the battle situation reversed once again in an instant.

Seizing the opportune moment when the enemy's morale was low, the Red Turban Army launched a counterattack with all their might, and the heavy siege equipment crashed open the tightly closed city gates.

The outcome is decided.

Amidst the cheers and shouts of the soldiers, the red streak that turned the tide of battle was now quietly hovering above the city wall.

Beneath it lay the warrior who had fired the decisive arrow during the fierce battle between the Flame Spirit Bird and the Long-Browed Taoist, but now his own arrow had pierced his chest.

This man in military uniform was the one who made a vow with the mysterious being in the cave during the first illusion.

However, the man in this illusion was much more mature than before, clearly indicating that several years had passed since then.

If a second cultivator were here at this moment, they would see that on the corpse of the man in military uniform, streams of red gas were continuously flowing into the body of the Flame Spirit Bird.

As these red gases continued to merge, the Flame Spirit Bird's cultivation level soared like a whirlwind, rising from the Foundation Establishment stage all the way to the Golden Core stage, and finally breaking through the shackles of the Nascent Soul stage.

Only Huo Yu, who stood silently in the center of the battlefield like air, witnessed this scene.

"I am neither a cultivator of this world nor a Foundation Establishment demon."

Suddenly, a man in red appeared silently beside Huo Yu.

Huo Yu remained calm. This place was an illusion constructed by others, and the only one who could appear here at will was the master of the illusion—the Vermilion Bird.

More accurately, it is a wisp of the Vermilion Bird's will remaining in the world.