Night had not yet fallen.
But the battlefield outside Ashenfall City already looked like dusk.
Demon banners stretched across the plains like a dark ocean.
Five hundred thousand demons.
An army large enough to swallow kingdoms.
War drums thundered through the air like distant earthquakes.
Each beat echoed through the bones of the defenders on the wall.
Fear was beginning to spread.
But the demons were not the only ones preparing.
The Princess on the Tower
At the highest tower of the Proud Family compound within Ashenfall stood Zhao Lianhua.
Her crimson robes moved gently in the wind.
Flames danced faintly around her body like living spirits.
Below her, the Proud Family cultivators waited silently.
Hundreds of elite flame cultivators.
Yet even among them—
She stood like the sun among candles.
One elder spoke carefully.
"Princess… the demon army has begun its advance formations."
Zhao Lianhua did not turn.
Her gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
"I know."
The elder hesitated.
"The Beast Queen has requested that all sect forces prepare for the first clash."
Finally, Zhao Lianhua moved.
She turned slowly.
Her eyes burned like molten gold.
"I did not come here to prepare."
She stepped forward.
"I came here to burn demons."
The Demon Vanguard Advances
Outside the city walls, the first wave of the Third Demon Tide had begun moving.
Thirty thousand demons marched ahead of the main army.
Corrupted beasts roared.
Massive bone-armored ogres dragged siege engines across the dirt.
Flying demons circled above like vultures waiting for death.
Leading them—
Three Demon Generals.
Each radiating terrifying pressure.
Their orders were simple.
Test the city defenses.
Break morale.
Spill blood.
The demon army surged forward.
On the Wall
Han Yueqing watched the approaching army.
His sword vibrated slightly in his hand.
"Thirty thousand."
He grinned.
"Finally something interesting."
Lin Tianren stood beside him.
His Dragon Heart Core pulsed calmly.
But his eyes were focused elsewhere.
Not the demons.
The sky.
Because he could feel it.
The air temperature was rising.
The Sky Ignites
Suddenly—
A pillar of crimson fire exploded upward from within the city.
It shot into the sky like a volcanic eruption.
Every soldier on the wall turned.
Even the demons paused.
Flames spiraled upward until they reached the clouds.
Then—
They spread.
Like wings.
Like a burning sun rising above the battlefield.
Han laughed softly.
"There she goes."
The Royal Princess Descends
From within the burning sky, Zhao Lianhua stepped forward.
Not falling.
Walking.
Each step left a trail of fire beneath her feet.
Her hair floated like living flame.
Her eyes shone with royal authority.
She stopped above the battlefield, hovering high above the approaching demon vanguard.
One of the Demon Generals looked up and sneered.
"A human girl?"
Another general growled.
"She dares challenge the demon army alone?"
Zhao Lianhua's voice descended like a decree.
"You are mistaken."
Her aura exploded outward.
"I am not alone."
She raised one hand.
The flames around her expanded rapidly.
"I carry the authority of the Proud Royal Flame Bloodline."
The sky trembled.
Royal Flame Domain
A massive circular formation ignited across the sky.
Flame symbols appeared like ancient runes.
The air itself began to burn.
Then Zhao Lianhua spoke three words.
"Royal Flame Domain."
The world changed.
A colossal sphere of crimson fire expanded across the battlefield.
Hundreds of meters wide.
Then thousands.
The temperature surged violently.
Within seconds—
The entire demon vanguard was trapped inside a blazing inferno.
Hell for Demons
The flames were not ordinary fire.
They carried royal bloodline authority.
Demon soldiers screamed as their armor melted.
Corrupted beasts collapsed as their flesh burned from the inside.
Flying demons fell from the sky like burning meteors.
The flames did not simply burn.
They hunted.
Every demon inside the domain felt the same thing.
Judgment.
One Demon General roared.
"Break the domain!"
He slammed his weapon into the ground.
A shockwave erupted.
But the flames did not disperse.
They only intensified.
Zhao Lianhua's eyes were cold.
"You think demon strength can challenge royal fire?"
She closed her hand slightly.
The flames tightened.
Compressing inward like a collapsing star.
Thousands of demons burned instantly.
Ash filled the air like black snow.
The Demon Generals Resist
But the three Demon Generals were not weak.
They unleashed their full power.
Dark demonic energy erupted violently.
One general transformed into a massive horned beast.
Another summoned a storm of shadow blades.
The third unleashed poisonous mist across the domain.
The battlefield shook.
But Zhao Lianhua did not retreat.
Her flames grew brighter.
"You came to slaughter humans."
Her voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Then burn."
She thrust her hand downward.
The Falling Sun
A massive sphere of condensed fire formed above the domain.
It looked like a miniature sun.
The heat distorted the sky itself.
Even the cultivators on the wall felt the terrifying temperature.
Han Yueqing whistled.
"That woman is insane."
Lin Tianren remained silent.
But his eyes were sharp.
He could feel the truth.
This was not just power.
This was royal authority.
Zhao Lianhua released the attack.
"Royal Sunfall."
The fire sphere crashed into the demon vanguard.
The explosion was blinding.
Flames devoured everything within the domain.
The shockwave rolled across the battlefield like a hurricane.
Aftermath
When the firestorm finally faded—
The plains were silent.
Where thirty thousand demons once stood…
There was only blackened earth.
Ash.
And three figures barely standing.
The Demon Generals.
Burned.
Wounded.
But alive.
Their eyes filled with rage.
Above them—
Zhao Lianhua floated calmly in the air.
Flames still dancing around her like a royal crown.
One general roared.
"You arrogant human!"
He launched himself into the sky.
"Die!"
But before he reached her—
A sword flash appeared.
Han Yueqing stepped forward from the wall.
His blade hummed like thunder.
"Sorry."
He smiled casually.
"That fight looks fun."
On the Battlefield
Far away, on the demon command ridge—
Demon Commander Var'Khal watched the burning plains.
His expression remained calm.
But his violet eyes gleamed with interest.
"Royal Flame Domain."
He spoke quietly.
"So the princess of the Proud Family has arrived."
Behind him, a Demon General asked carefully.
"Commander… should we send reinforcements?"
Var'Khal shook his head.
"No."
He looked toward the city walls.
Toward Lin Tianren.
Then back to Zhao Lianhua.
"Let them show their strength."
His smile was cold.
"The stronger the resistance…"
"…the more satisfying the collapse."
On the Wall
Lin Tianren watched the battlefield silently.
The flames slowly faded.
But the war had only begun.
Behind the destroyed vanguard—
The main demon army continued moving.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Endless.
The Beast Queen stepped beside him.
"The Third Wave has started."
Lin nodded slowly.
His Dragon Heart Core pulsed calmly.
The sky above the battlefield still glowed red from Zhao Lianhua's flames.
But beyond it—
Darkness gathered.
The real war…
Was only beginning.