Ch. 1370 - Vermilion Bird Saint Sovereign

“The Heavenly Court?” The woman frowned slightly, then gave a cold snort. “No wonder they dared to act so brazenly. So, they’ve found themselves a new patron.”

“But don’t worry. The passage to the Inferno Crucible Heaven must remain in the hands of our Radiant Court. We’ll reclaim it at any cost. Even if the Heavenly Court interferes, so be it. We’ll stand against them if we must.”

“That’s good enough,” Xu Zimo said with a smile, rising to his feet. “Judging by the time, it should be about right. Come on, let’s pay the Huo Heavenly Clan a visit.”

The three of them had been staying in the inn, and to the Huo Heavenly Clan, their whereabouts were no secret. Their identities weren’t exactly hidden, either.

When Violet Mist Saint Sovereign rescued the woman, the Huo Heavenly Clan didn’t seem overly concerned. After all, the Five-Elements God-Lotus had already been sealed, no one could leave through the Lotus Pathway.

The group stepped out of the inn.

The woman suddenly turned her gaze toward the direction of the Huo Heavenly Clan, her expression tightening.

A powerful aura surged from afar, one that seemed to bear the weight of heaven itself, shaking the world with each step.

As the figure approached, a vast river of spirit energy flowed behind him, arching upward into the sky and pressing down on the surrounding heavens and earth.

“That’s one of the Huo Heavenly Clan’s ancestors, the Vermilion Bird Saint Sovereign,” the woman said. “It’s said that he once obtained the bloodline of the Vermilion Bird itself. He’s naturally attuned to fire. Be careful.”

“What do you think?” Xu Zimo asked Violet Mist Saint Sovereign.

“He’s just an Eternal Overlord. Watch me cut him down,” Violet Mist Saint Sovereign replied boldly.

His Sage Monarch realm had stabilized completely. Slaying an Eternal Overlord was not beyond his power.

Of course, once one reached the level of Saint Sovereign, even a single minor realm of difference could mean a vast gap in strength.

“Where is the Inferno Crucible Envoy?” the Vermilion Bird Saint Sovereign’s voice boomed as he arrived, his fiery eyes blazing like twin suns.

His voice rippled across the entire Lotus Pathway, awakening sleeping residents.

People gathered and whispered in alarm, the night was destined to be sleepless. All eyes turned toward the inn.

A radiant glow shot into the sky, piercing the darkness.

The brilliance spread across the land, illuminating everything below.

A vast holy pressure rose to meet the Vermilion Bird Saint Sovereign’s might head-on.

“Which Daoist has arrived? Please, come forth and meet me,” the Saint Sovereign said gravely, feeling the strength emanating from his unseen opponent.

Violet Mist Saint Sovereign stepped into the air, smiling faintly. “Tonight, I’m breaking into your Huo Heavenly Clan. You’d best prepare yourselves... to die.”

“So it’s you,” the Vermilion Bird Saint Sovereign sneered. “The Heavenly Court’s been hunting for you in vain, and here you are delivering yourself to my doorstep. Surrender now, and I might put in a good word for you with them. Otherwise, you’ll suffer the consequences.”

“I heard your Huo Heavenly Clan once served the Radiant Court. When did you become the Heavenly Court’s lapdogs?” Violet Mist Saint Sovereign shot back.

“A wise bird chooses the tallest tree,” the Saint Sovereign replied coolly. “The Radiant Court’s tree is too small, it can’t shelter us anymore. Water flows to higher ground. It’s only natural. What’s there to criticize?”

“In that case,” Violet Mist Saint Sovereign said, “allow me to enlighten you.”

The purple glow surrounding him flared into a blazing violet sun.

In the darkness, it burned like a beacon, casting waves of purple light across the world.

As Violet Mist Saint Sovereign strode forward through the sky, a rainbow-colored road unfurled beneath his feet.

His aura surged, vast as the sea, overwhelming as a purgatory inferno.

The Vermilion Bird Saint Sovereign refused to back down. The flames of the Vermilion Bird blazed wildly around him, scorching the heavens and burning through the eight directions.

He stood like a god born from a sea of fire.

“Let’s go,” Xu Zimo said calmly. “We’re heading to the Huo Heavenly Clan.”

Moonlight Fairy and the woman followed closely behind.

As for the battle between Violet Mist Saint Sovereign and the Vermilion Bird Saint Sovereign, they paid it no mind.

The Huo Heavenly Clan was already on full alert.

At the gates stood not the two guards from before, but two ancient elders, stooped with age yet radiating immense power.

The aura that flowed from them was suffocating.

“The Two Elders of Heavenly Fire,” the woman murmured, her face tightening.

They had both been among those who had besieged her earlier.

“My anger lies with Huo Tianxiong alone,” she said coldly. “When the Radiant Court learns of this, none of you will escape its wrath. Turn back now, and I’ll see that the Huo Heavenly Clan as a whole isn’t implicated. Don’t let one man drag your entire clan to ruin.”

“Envoy,” one of the elders said, shaking his head, “we know well what we’ve done over the years. There’s no turning back for us.”

“In the past, when envoys like you came, we could smooth things over with a few bribes. But you, you wouldn’t bend, and now you’ve forced our hand. Once the bow is drawn, there’s no taking back the arrow.”

“Moonlight,” Xu Zimo said, “hold them off. I’ll take her inside.”

The woman was the only one who could contact the Radiant Court, and Xu Zimo had to keep her safe.

He didn’t fear the Huo Heavenly Clan, but if the Heavenly Court intervened as well, dealing with both forces at once would be troublesome. Better to drag the Radiant Court into the chaos, after all, the murkier the water, the better for him.

“Don’t worry,” Moonlight Fairy nodded.

The two elders were strong, but she was confident she could hold them off for a while.

The long moon hung high, cold as ice.

Moonlight Fairy soared into the air, her power freezing the land beneath her feet.

An icebound city rose around her as she clashed with the two elders in the sky.

Xu Zimo and the woman exchanged a glance, then quietly advanced into the Huo Heavenly Clan’s grounds.

The estate stretched endlessly before them, grand halls and towers standing tall like ancient citadels.

Even though it was the middle of the night, floating suns of fire hung in the skies, illuminating the entire compound in a flickering orange glow.

Yet the place felt eerily silent, lifeless, as though the clan itself were holding its breath.

“You know where the passage is, right?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Of course,” the woman replied. “When I descended from the Inferno Crucible Heaven, I came through that very passage. But they’ll have fortified it heavily. The moment we approach, we’ll walk straight into their trap. Just the two of us, are you sure you want to go?”

“Are you afraid?” Xu Zimo smiled.

“It’s not fear,” she said, shaking her head. “But fighting without purpose is meaningless.”

“Come with me,” Xu Zimo said. “I’ll see to it that your message reaches the passage. But if the Radiant Court doesn’t have the courage to respond, then we may both be in trouble tonight.”

“Don’t worry,” the woman said with absolute certainty. “They’ll come.”

The two continued toward the passage.

After about ten minutes, the air around them grew heavy, the atmosphere thick with killing intent.

Xu Zimo suddenly halted.

“What is it?” the woman asked.

“There’s a formation ahead,” Xu Zimo said. “Stay close to me. Don’t move on your own.”

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