The air in Divine Phoenix City evidently carried a trace of scorching heat. It wasn't because the air here was hotter than in the Imperial Demon City of the Illusory Demon Realm; rather, an extremely large number of profound practitioners trained in profound arts of the fire attribute, especially with the Divine Phoenix Sect leading in Phoenix City, where the main grounds of the Divine Phoenix Sect were located. And also because this was within Divine Phoenix City, which allowed the air here to be filled with an excessive amount of blazing aura.
The size of Divine Phoenix City was enough to be twenty times larger than the imperial city of a small nation. Even so, the level of population density within the city limits remained exceptionally shocking. The most shocking part was that all those millions of people—sect disciples, imperial guards, merchants, children, elders, even the strongest experts in the city—were kneeling. Heads pressed to the ground, bodies trembling, sweat mixed with tears and blood dripping from nostrils and ears.
In the exact center of the sky, above the Imperial Palace, floated a dark figure.
Long black hair rippled with the gentle breeze, black robes that seemed to absorb the sunlight, eyes as black as a starless night. A faint dark-purple aura emanated from his body, like poison dissolved in the air. And yet, that thin, almost imperceptible aura pressed down on the entire city as though the very weight of the heavens had been folded over it. No one could move. Not a finger. Not a breath without pain.
Floating a few meters beside him was the General of the Divine Phoenix Empire: Feng Huawei.
The man who commanded thousands of soldiers, the veteran who had crushed entire armies of the Blue Wind Nation with a single gesture of his flaming spear, was now completely submissive. His teeth were clenched so tightly that blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. His eyes, normally blazing with pride, were filled with humiliation, helpless fury, and a fear so profound that he didn't even dare make a move against the "Demon Emperor" at his side.
Speaking of the Demon Emperor in question, he was, of course, Ren Zu, who observed the Imperial Palace with complete indifference.
His plans were unfolding exactly as he had foreseen. The profound formation he had planted in the crystal mine on the outskirts of Floating Cloud City had been precisely adjusted to the level of a Ruler. The rumors he had deliberately spread, starting from the moment he entered the mine and "mined" the so-called Divine Crystals of the Purple Veins, had also fulfilled their role perfectly. If he had wanted, he could have done everything silently and gone completely unnoticed, but he chose the opposite path.
Those rumors served to drastically accelerate the movements of the Divine Phoenix Empire, which took the bait almost immediately. In addition to the profound barrier, the fake Divine Crystals of the Purple Veins he left behind were the perfect bait, positioned exactly on the hook to attract his true target. In this way, he gained a legitimate reason to act against the Divine Phoenix Empire, since they had stolen something that belonged to him, and he could use it to his advantage in the negotiation he planned with the Emperor at that very moment.
Even so, that was merely the surface. His preparations went far beyond that. He had left one disciple from the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region alive and teleported him directly to an area where he had sensed the presence of people from the Divine Phoenix Empire. With the entire Profound Sky Continent within the reach of his spiritual sense and his absolute mastery over space, accomplishing this was trivial.
The words of that disciple, combined with the countless other rumors Ren Zu had made sure to spread through various means, helped solidify a terrifying identity: that of the "Demon Emperor." All of this, despite the fact that, in practice, he had only done enough to receive credit for the destruction of two Sacred Grounds.
And so the real question remained.
What, exactly, did he want from the Divine Phoenix Empire?
The only thing he truly wanted was to turn them all into his slaves and, in doing so, have them assume the position of a Sacred Ground. Alongside the Frozen Cloud Asgard, for which he already had very clear plans, only these two forces would answer directly to him. In this way, he would have the entire Profound Sky Continent completely in his hands, with all others submitted to the continent he himself ruled.
In other words, he was simply thinking like a true Emperor would when desiring to expand his territory.
As for the Azure Cloud Continent, he also had plans for that place, but only for later. He hadn't stolen all those resources purely out of greed, though he admitted the idea had only occurred to him recently.
Before departing for the Realm of the Gods, he intended to become the Absolute Ruler of the Blue Polar Star, ensuring there would be no problems in his absence. Thinking about it, he would still need to make various preparations before leaving this world—something that would probably take another year or two. Naturally, he would take his wives with him, as they were the most important people to him. Even so, he could not ignore the responsibility he had toward his subjects. After all, a good emperor always thinks of the well-being of those he governs.
But setting that aside, his eyes landed on the Imperial Palace, noticing movement immediately after the Emperor's response to his previous words.
Feng Hengkong finally emerged from the Imperial Palace, floating slowly through the empty air. Every inch he ascended seemed to cost him a fraction of his soul. His fiery-red robe trembled as though it were alive and terrified, the embroidered flames flickering weakly, almost extinguishing. His face—that face which for more than a century had been synonymous with absolute authority—was pale, his starry eyes now dilated with a terror he struggled to contain.
He stopped exactly twenty meters from Ren Zu, at the same height, but the difference between them was like that between a mountain and an abyss. His eyes met those of the "Demon Emperor," those bottomless black pits, and for an instant, the entire world seemed to pause.
"…Who are you?" Feng Hengkong's voice came out hoarse but firm. "And what do you want from the Divine Phoenix Empire?"
Ren Zu tilted his head slightly, a faint smile curving his lips.
"The Divine Phoenix Empire has offended me."
His voice was calm, almost gentle, but it carried the weight of a final sentence.
With a casual gesture of his left hand, as though directing a servant to speak, Ren Zu pointed to Feng Huawei beside him.
The supreme general, the man who commanded entire legions with a single command, trembled violently. His already bloodied teeth ground even louder. Tears of blood streamed from his eyes as he fought against the absolute pressure holding him suspended. Then, as though an invisible rope pulled him downward, his body dropped abruptly and collided with the air in front of Feng Hengkong. He fell to his knees in the void, his red armor clanging against nothing, and bowed his head until his forehead nearly touched the invisible ground.
"Your Majesty…!" His voice came out broken, humiliated, almost unrecognizable.
"The Divine Crystals of the Purple Veins… those we found in the mine near Floating Cloud City… belong to the Lord. To the Demon Emperor." He swallowed hard, blood dripping from his mouth. "We… we tried to take them. We tried to steal them. We offended His Excellency by coveting something that rightfully belonged to him. It was… an unforgivable mistake."
Feng Hengkong furrowed his brows so hard that the veins on his forehead bulged. His pupils dilated until they nearly swallowed his irises. His heart now felt as though it were being engulfed by an eternal ice cave. He recognized the name. He recognized the description. And above all, he recognized the absolute terror that name carried…
The Demon Emperor.
The destroyer of Sacred Grounds.
Was this the end for them…?
They had offended precisely this "monster"!?
Ren Zu observed the reaction with the same absolute indifference, as though watching an insect struggle in a web.
"That is why I am here, Feng Hengkong." He continued, his voice still calm, almost conversational. "Your life, the life of your family, the lives of all the millions of souls in this city and throughout your empire… are in my hands at this very moment. I could erase you all with a single thought. But I have not yet done so."
He paused, letting the words hang like suspended blades.
"So tell me: what can you offer to appease my anger?"
Feng Hengkong took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling with difficulty. Before he could respond, Ren Zu raised his right hand in a simple, almost lazy gesture.
"But before you start negotiating, or acting arrogant, or trying to bargain with pride… by now you must already know what happened to the two Sacred Grounds, correct?"
Without waiting for a reply, Ren Zu pointed his index finger toward the distant horizon.
And then…
A silent, terrifying explosion.
An entire mountain range, a chain of mountains stretching thousands of kilometers, simply… vanished. It was sliced off, the upper part of the cut reduced to dust in an instant. An invisible shockwave swept the horizon, and when the dust settled, what remained was a perfectly smooth plain.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Feng Hengkong felt his blood freeze in his veins. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Feng Huawei, still kneeling, merely trembled more violently, his wide eyes fixed on the empty horizon.
Ren Zu lowered his hand casually, as though nothing had happened.
"Now you understand."
His black eyes met Feng Hengkong's once again.
"You have exactly one chance to convince me that this empire is worth sparing."
He smiled again—that same faint, cold, inevitable smile.
"Speak, Feng Hengkong. What do you offer… to buy the lives of all of you?"
Feng Hengkong took a deep breath, his eyes involuntarily shifting to the horizon where, moments before, a mountain range had existed. Now, nothing remained but a smooth, steaming plain, as though the world itself had been erased by a distracted gesture. That casual motion… that simple pointing of a finger… was this the power of a practitioner in the Divine Profound Realm? How terrifying!
They were truly against the wall.
What to do…? Fight? Don't be foolish! There was no possibility of even matching the enemy. If it had been a Sacred Ground, perhaps he could still consider that option instead of surrendering, but this time the opponent was someone from the Divine Profound Realm. A being capable of erasing a Sacred Ground with absolute casualness. What, after all, could he offer to someone with power enough to destroy entire nations with a single thought?
He swallowed hard, his throat dry.
His voice came out low, hesitant, almost a whisper laden with humiliation:
"Your… Your Excellency… The treasury of the Divine Phoenix Empire… is at your disposal. Take whatever you want. Take everything. Just… spare my people."
Ren Zu shook his head slowly, the movement minimal, almost imperceptible, but laden with absolute contempt.
"No."
His voice was calm, as though refusing a trivial offer of tea.
"Do you think everything you possess is worth the price of trying to steal fifty kilograms of Divine Crystals of the Purple Veins that belonged to me? Your treasures aren't even worth a gram of dust from those crystals."
Before Feng Hengkong could respond, Ren Zu raised his right hand again, effortlessly, without preparation, as though swatting away a fly.
Instantly, the sky above Divine Phoenix City darkened.
A massive palm of golden flames materialized, vast as the firmament itself!
It hovered over the entire city, covering kilometers upon kilometers, blocking the sun, turning day into a flaming twilight. The flames were not ordinary; they were pure, intense, hot as the core of the sun. The air began to distort, heat rising in visible waves. The city's buildings started to melt like wax, dripping in liquid streams. Muffled screams rose from millions of throats; the weakest, those with low cultivation, felt their skin burn and bubble instantly, flesh dissolving as they screamed in agony. Even the strongest experts in the city, those at the peak of the Emperor Profound Realm, groaned under the unbearable heat, sweat evaporating before it could touch the ground.
Ren Zu observed everything with absolute indifference.
"I felt no sincerity in your offer, Feng Hengkong." His voice cut through the roar of the flames, clear and cold: "If the thieves who dared steal from me cannot be useful… then they do not need to exist."
He paused, his black eyes fixed on the trembling emperor.
"Don't even think of fleeing. The entire territory has been sealed by my spatial profound formation. No one leaves. No one enters. Everyone here… will die. Without exception."
Feng Hengkong felt the world collapse.
His eyes widened in pure despair. Sweat poured down his face like rain, mixing with the blood dripping from his bitten lips. His fists trembled violently, nails digging into his palms until they tore the flesh.
"No…!" The word escaped as a hoarse cry, almost inaudible beneath the crackling flames. "Please… Your Excellency… I… I will do anything!"
His entire body shook. He fell to his knees in the air, his imperial posture completely crumbling.
"I swear by my lineage… by my soul… by the phoenix blood that flows in my veins! I submit! The entire Empire submits! We will be your slaves… your subjects… we will do whatever you command! Just… spare us! Spare my family… my children… my daughter…!"
The golden flames hovered even lower, the heat now unbearable even for him. His skin began to crack, smoke rising from the edges of his robe. Feng Huawei, still kneeling beside Ren Zu, merely wept silently, tears of blood streaming down his face.
Ren Zu observed the kneeling emperor, the faint smile still on his lips.
He did not reply immediately.
He merely watched, as though evaluating whether the submission was genuine… or merely the final death throes of a cornered animal.
The silence, broken only by the roar of the flames and the agonized screams below, stretched on for long seconds.
It was then that something ignited hope in Feng Hengkong.
A long, extremely resonant call came from a distant place, and it made his entire body tremble… This was no ordinary call—it was the call of the Phoenix! The Phoenix's call was so prestigious and noble that it instantly made the phoenix blood in his body boil, and a desire to revere grew from within his heart and soul.
At the same time, he could vaguely see the golden color that appeared in the distant sky not too far from there— that place…?
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