Meanwhile in the fire realm, silence filled the Phoenix Palace. A faint fragrance of burning sandalwood lingered in the air, mingling with the sound of Feng Jiu's brush as it glided across the scroll. The Queen of the Fire Realm sat in her crimson robes, her expression calm but her aura heavy with authority.
"Have you visited the god of fate?" Feng Jiu asked without lifting her eyes.
A ripple of shadows stirred in the hall, and a woman in black robes appeared, bowing low. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Oh?" Feng Jiu's hand paused mid-stroke. She finally looked up, her phoenix eyes sharp. "And what did you find?"
The god of fate was an existence shrouded in mystery. Mortals believed fate held no sway over gods, but that was a comforting lie. Even divine beings could not sever themselves from the unseen threads. Only one in history—Emperor Taiyi—had ever cut himself free. And even that freedom had come at a price too heavy to measure.
The woman in black hesitated, her voice low and cautious. "His Majesty's fate star burns brightly… but only for a while."
Feng Jiu's brows rose, her grip on the brush tightening. "Oh?"
There was a silence, heavy and suffocating. After a breath, her expression softened back into composure. "So, he will return next month?"
"Yes," the woman replied. "However…" She faltered, her throat tightening.
"Speak," Feng Jiu ordered, her voice like ice.
"His Majesty's trial is… meant to be very tragic. I fear your spirit will return within half a month, long before him."
Feng Jiu set down her brush. The words should have struck her heart, but her face betrayed nothing. "That is of no concern. Tell me—how are the other realms behaving?"
The woman straightened. "The flower realm remains secure, but unrest brews in the demon realm. The north sea stirs with unusual activity. Only the fire realm and the flower realm are safe, as no one can break their barriers unless a half-divine being personally takes action. As for the heavenly realm… it is stable for now. But once they confirm His Majesty undergoes tribulation in the mortal realm, they will act. They've already colluded with certain princes. And in the outer battlefield…" She hesitated again. "…the celestial soldiers are on the verge of collapse. They can hold for perhaps a few thousand years, but if His Majesty does not return by then, the six realms, eight deserts, and three seas will all fall into chaos."
"I see." Feng Jiu leaned back in her chair, her voice light, almost careless. "You are dismissed."
The woman blinked. "Your Majesty…"
"Don't worry." A faint smile tugged at Feng Jiu's lips, though her eyes remained cold. "If the skies were to fall, there will always be old fools with one foot in the grave to hold them up. I am not interested in being a hero."
The woman bowed, ready to leave, when Feng Jiu's voice stopped her.
"Wait."
She froze.
"How is she?"
The air grew colder. The woman in black lowered her eyes. "She has given up on escape. She devotes herself to martial arts and cultivation. She prepares for one final showdown with you."
Feng Jiu's lips curved faintly, though her tone dripped with disdain. "Is that so? She still dares to dream? If not for the fact that—…" She cut herself off, waving her hand sharply. "You are excused."
The shadow vanished. Alone again, Feng Jiu's mask of calm cracked for the briefest of moments. A strand of her hair slid over her shoulder, glimmering pale—white, not black. She caught sight of it, her gaze hardening. Her lifespan was waning. Even if she merged with the phoenix spirit, it would grant her only reincarnation, not salvation.
But she had no regrets. Her plans were in motion. All she needed was for Taiyi to return. This time, they would fight to the death—on a battlefield that would decide the fate of all realms.
With a flicker of light, she vanished from the fire realm and appeared in the heavenly skies. Stars glittered above, vast and eternal, reminding her of days long past. A wave of nostalgia stirred in her chest.
"You've come," a voice said.
She turned. A middle-aged man stood before her, clad in celestial armor, his aura steady and commanding. His eyes still carried the same mischievous glint from youth.
"Yes, senior brother," Feng Jiu replied.
The little fox—once Taiyi's adopted disciple, now commander of the celestial army—smiled faintly. "I knew you would. Master said you would return here one day."
"Senior brother, I only came on a whim. I missed this place, so I came to see if it had changed," Feng Jiu said calmly.
The little fox chuckled. "Master often brought us here, you know. He said this place would be our refuge when the time came. Few know this, but the Purple Palace is his natal artifact—refined from his very heart. If he ever failed… the palace would be his last resort."
Feng Jiu's eyes narrowed. "Why tell me this?"
He shrugged with a mischievous grin. "No reason. I'm bored. Since you're here, why not stir up some chaos in the outer battlefield? Or… are you afraid?"
Her cold expression softened into the faintest smile. "You never change. Do not think you can goad me. But fine—same wager as always. If you win, I'll call you senior brother for ten thousand years. If you lose, you'll call me senior sister."
"Done." The little fox grinned and disappeared in a flash of light.
"You're cheating," Feng Jiu muttered, before leaping after him.
The void of the outer battlefield split open as the two descended like streaks of fire and lightning. Without hesitation, Feng Jiu cleaved a celestial god in half, her flames scorching the void. The little fox followed, laughing as he tore through another.
They didn't waste time on lesser beings. Their blades and flames targeted high gods and above, wreaking havoc. Ancestral gods were dispatched to intercept, but they soon realized why these two were once called Taiyi's true disciples. Feng Jiu incinerated an ancestral god with her phoenix fire, while the little fox struck another down, blood staining the cosmos.
Their retreat was as sudden as their attack—two streaks vanishing into the void, leaving chaos in their wake.
Though reckless, their actions had lifted the crushing weight on the celestial soldiers. The battlefield, for once, breathed again.