As the Star Lord of the Blazing Fire Star, Chi Huo's cultivation had reached the third level of the Void King Realm, placing him at virtually the pinnacle of the entire Star Field. Advancing any further held little meaning, so for the past five hundred years he had indulged himself in pleasure — fine wines, beautiful women, and every luxury imaginable.
The concubine he had taken today was only at the first level of the Return Void Realm, but her beauty was breathtaking — a face and figure that could bring a kingdom to its knees.
Martial artists were seldom bound by rigid etiquette. In the grand hall, both Chi Huo and his bride were dressed in matching crimson robes, seated side by side. Guests from every direction celebrated freely, stepping forward to offer toasts and lavish gifts, their words dripping with flattery and sycophancy. Chi Huo laughed heartily at each one, his booming voice shaking the hall like thunder.
The bride sat motionless, a faint smile gracing her features, radiating poise and dignity. Many of the women in the audience whispered behind their hands, their words laced with envy and jealousy, convinced that this common sparrow had seized the chance to become a phoenix.
When a Void King Realm second-level cultivator stepped forward to offer a toast, Chi Huo raised his cup — then suddenly looked up into the distance, his gaze piercing through the void itself. A grave expression settled over his face.
The great hall fell silent in an instant. Every eye fixed upon him.
Chi Huo set down his cup and called out in a clear, resonant voice: "Which friend has graced us with their presence? Chi Huo regrets not having welcomed you sooner. I humbly invite our honored guest to step inside for a word."
The moment those words left his lips, the entire assembly was stunned.
Never had they seen Lord Chi Huo so courteous. His cultivation stood at the absolute peak, and he was the Star Lord of the Blazing Fire Star — a man who held dominion over the life and death of billions of martial artists across the entire planet. Even fellow Void King Realm third-level cultivators had to lower themselves before him.
Who could possibly warrant such solemn respect from Lord Chi Huo? Who had the standing for this?
Before anyone could make sense of it, a stranger's voice reached their ears, impossibly calm: "Very well."
A bizarre feeling crept over the hall. Though the speaker remained unseen, that reply was almost insolent — breathtakingly presumptuous, as if the man had no concept of the gap between heaven and earth. To address the Star Lord of the Blazing Fire Star with such casual disregard for even the barest minimum of respect…
The festive atmosphere in the grand hall cooled in an instant, and strange expressions flickered across every face.
Yang Kai moved like lightning, streaking across three thousand li of the mountain of flames, his target the towering Blazing Fire Palace ahead.
From below, a voice suddenly cried out: "My lord, please — could you carry me along for the ride?"
Yang Kai looked down and saw a figure standing on a slab of black stone, surrounded by churning magma. The searing heat was enough to scorch flesh, and the environment was viciously hostile.
The man's cultivation was only at the second level of the Return Void Realm. He was young — perhaps twenty-seven or twenty-eight by appearance — with a square-jawed face. His clothes were in tatters, and the journey to this place had clearly taken a brutal toll. Exposed skin bore the marks of magma burns, and the protective aura he maintained over his body was dim and unstable, on the verge of collapse at any moment.
The three thousand li of flames surrounding Chi Huo's domain were not a place the uninitiated could simply wander into. A Return Void Realm second-level cultivator without guidance would inevitably meet their end here.
Yet the man had not retreated. Wretched as he looked, his eyes burned with unwavering determination — as though even if Yang Kai refused, he would charge into that Blazing Fire Palace on his own, and if he perished here, he would have no regrets.
"You called out to me?" Yang Kai halted and glanced down at him.
"I beg you, my lord, to carry me along. Cui Mengyuan would be eternally grateful!" The young man bowed deeply. Despite his dust-covered, bedraggled appearance, his manners were impeccable — clearly the product of an excellent upbringing.
"Why should I carry you?" Yang Kai grinned. "What's in it for me?"
Cui Mengyuan shook his head. "Apart from my own life, I have nothing to offer."
Yang Kai curled his lip. "Your life isn't worth much in my eyes."
A shadow passed over Cui Mengyuan's gaze. He let out a soft sigh, gave up the request, and launched himself upward to fly out on his own — only for the churning magma around him to transform into living things in that very instant, coiling into serpents of flame that lunged toward him with bared fangs.
Cui Mengyuan's heart sank like a stone. He knew death was certain. Rather than struggle, he simply looked toward the Blazing Fire Palace one last time, his expression full of longing.
The searing heat vanished abruptly. The pain he had expected never came. Cui Mengyuan blinked in confusion and realized he had been rescued — the fire serpents that had rushed toward him had dissolved back into magma and fallen away.
He looked up at Yang Kai with gratitude. "Thank you, my lord."
"Forget it. Fate has brought us together today — I'll take you along, even if it's at a loss!" Yang Kai grinned, seized Cui Mengyuan by the collar, and lifted him like a chick. In an instant they were hurtling forward at tremendous speed, the landscape on every side blurring as it rushed past.
In the blink of an eye, they had reached the summit of the mountain of flames.
Yang Kai set him down. Cui Mengyuan was still dazed, and was about to speak his thanks once more when he saw Yang Kai striding toward the Blazing Fire Palace. Gritting his teeth, he hurried to follow close behind.
The palace doors stood wide open, revealing an interior of golden splendor and extravagant opulence.
As Yang Kai stepped inside, pairs of eyes fixed on him from every direction — appraising, tinged with cold hostility.
At the far end sat a massive, red-haired, red-bearded man like an iron tower, draped in brilliant crimson robes, looking like a flame that could burn the world to ash.
His scarlet eyes blazed like twin lanterns, flickering with a terrifying light.
Cui Mengyuan slipped out from behind Yang Kai, his expression complex as he gazed at the bride beside Chi Huo. His lips trembled, murmuring a single, quiet word.
The voice was soft, but it could not escape Yang Kai's ears.
The bride's delicate body shuddered as well, though she quickly lowered her gaze and recovered her composure.
Chi Huo and Yang Kai locked eyes — one pressing forward with overwhelming force, the other serene and unfathomable. An invisible clash of power seemed to ripple through the hall, and in a single heartbeat the atmosphere plunged to its most suffocating peak.