Eastern Divine Region, Flame God Realm.
The Flame God Realm had been a hot and blazing realm since time immemorial, with an extremely high density and activity of fire elements. The temperature was far beyond the endurance limit of an ordinary person, yet it was a paradise for heirs of fire-attributed bloodlines, fire-attributed profound beasts, and fire-attributed cultivators with their profound arts.
The Flame God Realm was formed upon an ancient fire vein that had existed there since the ancient Era of the Gods. In the central region of the flame vein, there was a vast sea of fire stretching across nearly fifty thousand kilometers, the Buried Divine Hell Prison!
The inhabitants of the Flame God Realm held the utmost reverence for the flame vein and the Buried Divine Hell Prison. Furthermore, they had never stopped exploring the Buried Divine Hell Prison throughout these countless years. Unfortunately, none of them had ever managed to reach the bottom of the Buried Divine Hell Prison….
The Buried Divine Hell Prison was so enormous that it could even be considered an ancient miracle.
The air of the Flame God Realm was hot and turbulent, as if one had entered a blazing furnace.
The sky was an incredibly deep crimson, like a piece of iron heated until it glowed red. It was unclear whether it appeared that way due to its proximity to the Buried Divine Hell Prison or if it was simply a characteristic of the Flame God Realm's sky....
At the exact center of the Flame God Realm stood the Imperial Flaming Palace, the official residence of the Flaming Imperial Family and the political and cultural heart of the entire realm.
The palace was colossal, built entirely from blazing red stones and crystallized lava that glowed constantly as though alive. Tall and pointed towers rose into the sky like frozen flames, while rivers of golden lava flowed through artificial channels around the structures, creating a breathtaking spectacle of light and heat. Bridges made of flaming crystal connected the various pavilions, and the air surrounding the entire palace shimmered due to the extreme heat.
In one of the palace's most secluded and luxurious inner courtyards, far from the eyes of servants and guards, two young women sat beneath the shade of an eternal flame tree whose crimson leaves never fell.
They were the Little Demon Empress and Feng Xue'er!
Over the past two years, neither of them had changed much in appearance. Feng Xue'er still possessed incomparable beauty, like a celestial fairy stepped out of an ancient painting. Her long silky black hair flowed gently down to her waist, while her crystal-blue eyes still carried the same innocence and gentleness as before.
However, there was something different now.
A faint sharpness had appeared in her gaze, replacing part of the naivety that once dominated her expression. The most noticeable change, however, was her aura. Her profound strength had become completely unfathomable, and she now carried a natural majesty capable of making others unconsciously hold their breath in her presence.
At that moment, Feng Xue'er truly resembled a genuine Divine Phoenix reincarnated into the mortal world.
The Little Demon Empress, on the other hand, had changed even more noticeably. Her body had matured astonishingly in just two years. Her figure, which had already possessed flawless delicacy before, now carried far more mature and captivating curves, especially around her chest, which had become much fuller, firmer, and perfectly rounded. She was dressed in her traditional red and gold imperial robes, exuding a noble and domineering aura worthy of a true sovereign.
The Little Demon Empress sat elegantly with her legs crossed, but her expression carried a faint trace of impatience and longing.
"It's already been two years…" she murmured while looking at the crimson-flamed sky above. Her voice remained as cold and lofty as ever, yet there was an almost imperceptible hint of dissatisfaction hidden within it. "That idiot is probably out there enjoying himself while we're stuck here…"
Feng Xue'er smiled softly upon hearing that.
"Husband is probably doing what needs to be done, Sister Caiyi." Her voice was gentle and calm. "Besides, didn't he already tell us it would take a few years before we could meet again?"
The Little Demon Empress let out a soft snort and looked away.
"This Empress does not need you reminding me of that every time I complain about our husband…"
Feng Xue'er did not seem bothered by her elder sister's words. However, her crystal-blue eyes now carried a faint glimmer of dissatisfaction that had not existed in the past. She let out a small sigh, almost like a delicate complaint, before speaking in a low and sincere voice:
"I miss him very much too, Sister Caiyi…"
Her expression, normally as gentle and pure as that of a celestial fairy, gained a rare slight frown.
"Even if he said he needed time… it's still unfair. If husband truly wanted to, he could come visit us at any moment. He possesses that absurd ability to freely traverse space… yet he prefers to leave us here waiting."
If Ren Zu had been present at that moment, he would probably have been shocked.
His sweet, gentle, and innocent Feng Xue'er, the woman who once seemed incapable even of complaining, was now displaying a small yet unmistakable emotional fierceness. It was obvious that living daily with the Little Demon Empress had greatly influenced her personality over those two years.
The Little Demon Empress immediately nodded, crossing her arms beneath her ample chest with obvious satisfaction.
"Exactly! Even you have started to notice it," she said coldly, though her tone carried approval. "That man truly has no shame whatsoever. He said it would take years before we reunited, yet with the shameless ability he has to travel through space however he pleases, he could easily show up from time to time! Does he think we can simply stay here waiting forever?"
Feng Xue'er lowered her gaze slightly and delicately bit her lower lip.
"Sometimes I think about that too… He always says he loves us, yet he keeps leaving us alone for so long." Her voice became even softer. "Even knowing it's for our own good and so we can grow stronger, I still miss him… I wish I could at least see him from time to time."
The Little Demon Empress immediately turned her face away, pretending indifference, although the tips of her ears had turned slightly red.
"Hmph… this Empress misses him too. But don't think I'll admit that so easily when that man appears." She narrowed her eyes. "If he keeps ignoring us like this, he can wait and see what happens when he returns."
The two exchanged glances before lightly smiling at each other, sharing a rare sense of mutual understanding. It was a scene that would probably leave Ren Zu extremely surprised… and perhaps a little worried.
The Little Demon Empress fell silent for a few seconds. Her fingers lightly tightened around her teacup, and a faint ripple of emotion passed through her cold eyes, a deep longing that she refused to display openly.
"…If I keep talking about him, I won't be able to control myself."
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to maintain her usual composure. Her heart was so full of yearning that she feared if she kept talking about Ren Zu, she would eventually lose her patience and overturn the entire God Realm searching for that man. Thus, she abruptly changed the subject.
"Leave that man aside for now...." she said calmly, as though the matter did not affect her. "How is the administration of the Divine Phoenix Sect going? Have you already grown accustomed to the responsibilities?"
Feng Xue'er blinked, noticing the sudden shift in her elder sister's tone, but she did not comment on it. A smile returned to her lips as she replied:
"It's going well, Sister Caiyi. At first, it was a little difficult to get used to making so many decisions and having so many people depending on me… but now I can already handle most things calmly...."
Two years ago, when they had been sent by their husband to the Flame God Realm, the two ended up separated during the first six months. During that period, they went through completely different experiences and faced countless challenges on their own.
For Feng Xue'er, however, it ultimately became an unexpected opportunity.
Thanks to the Divine Phoenix inheritance within her body, her existence quickly attracted the attention of the Divine Phoenix Sect of the Flame God Realm. One event led to another, and after awakening her bloodline power even further and proving her incomparable talent, Feng Xue'er ultimately came to be recognized as the new Divine Phoenix Leader.
Her current position within the Flame God Realm could be considered extraordinarily high. Not only because of her terrifying strength and monstrous potential, but also because her bloodline had reached a level of purity far surpassing that of previous generations. To many members of the Divine Phoenix Sect and those who possessed the bloodline of that Divine Beast, she was already seen almost as a true incarnation of the primordial Divine Phoenix ancestor.
The Little Demon Empress nodded lightly, clearly satisfied.
"If you need help with anything, just call me. You don't need to carry everything alone."
Feng Xue'er gently shook her head, politely refusing.
"That won't be necessary. Sister Caiyi already has much greater responsibilities." She smiled faintly. "After all, you are now the Queen of the Flame God Realm. Compared to what you manage, the affairs of the Divine Phoenix Sect are far simpler…"
Indeed, between the two of them, the one who had fulfilled the objective given by their husband in the most absurd way was precisely the Little Demon Empress.
During the six months in which they remained separated, she ended up achieving a position that no one in the Flame God Realm had ever imagined possible.
She became the Queen of the Flame God Realm.
The reason was relatively simple. Since time immemorial, the Flame God Realm had possessed an absolute rule: any individual capable of reaching the bottom of the Buried Divine Hell Prison would automatically earn the right to rule the entire realm.
The problem was that no one had ever succeeded.
Even after hundreds of thousands of years, no expert had been capable of completely traversing that infernal prison. As a consequence, the Flame God Realm had never possessed a truly unified sovereign, and internal disputes among the great factions were extremely common whenever important matters arose.
Until the appearance of the Little Demon Empress.
Against all expectations, she crossed the Buried Divine Hell Prison alone and reached the bottom of that forbidden place, breaking a record that had existed since the realm's creation.
From that moment onward, no one could question her legitimacy any longer.
The last year and a half merely served to completely consolidate her authority.
After ascending the throne, the Little Demon Empress officially established the Flaming Imperial Family, ushering in a new era for the Flame God Realm. With an iron hand and domineering methods, she suppressed all factions and forces that had previously lived in constant conflict over power.
The clans and sects that refused to accept her authority were mercilessly crushed, while those who bowed their heads became part of the new order under her command.
In merely a year and a half, she accomplished something the Flame God Realm had failed to achieve for hundreds of thousands of years: she completely unified the entire realm under a single government.
Her current reputation within the Flame God Realm could be described in just two words; absolute authority....
The Little Demon Empress let out a faint arrogant snort, raising her chin with obvious pride.
"Hmph, ruling a realm is nothing special. One simply needs to display absolute strength and govern with an iron fist, just as I did in the Illusory Demon Realm. If anyone dares to oppose me, they only need to be crushed. That resolves things far more quickly and efficiently."
Feng Xue'er could not help but laugh softly upon hearing her sister's domineering tone. Although the Little Demon Empress had always been proud, these two years living together had made it clear just how direct and ruthless she was in matters of governance.
"You truly haven't changed at all in that regard…" Feng Xue'er murmured affectionately.
The Little Demon Empress snorted once again, but the corner of her lips curled slightly upward, revealing a rare trace of satisfaction.
The two continued chatting peacefully beneath the eternal flame tree, the hot air surrounding them filled with a calm atmosphere....
_________________
(A/N: Want to read ahead of everyone else? Then come join Patreon!
If you enjoy following the story ahead of time, with higher quality and exclusive content, this is your chance.
Don't miss this opportunity — join Patreon and dive in before everyone else!
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon
Thank you so much for your support — you make all of this worthwhile.)