Chapter One: The Hall of the God of War

“Have you heard? Something happened on the Outer Domain Battlefield this time—many people died. I doubt that with Ma Liang’s level of strength, he’d ever make it back alive.”

“It’s better if he’s dead. Elder Fang is no ordinary person—she’s the only elder in our Temple of Martial Gods who has reached the demigod stage.”

At this, the woman in white lowered her voice. “If Elder Fang wished, the entire Temple of Martial Gods could be hers. Unfortunately, she accepted that useless Ma Liang as her disciple.”

Another young woman in white picked up the conversation. “Times have changed. That useless Ma Liang might have made it into the Outer Domain Battlefield, but there’s no way he’ll make it out alive. When that happens, Elder Fang will surely choose a new disciple, and that’s when our opportunity will come.”

No sooner had the two finished speaking than a voice called out from the courtyard, “Senior brothers and sisters are about to return from the Outer Domain Battlefield. Master wants us to go and greet them!”

As soon as the words fell, the two white-clad women who had been gossiping stood up immediately and hurried outside.

“Let’s go quickly. Elder Fang rarely comes out—we almost never get to see her. Today, our seniors are returning from the battlefield, so such a big event will certainly bring her out. We must make sure she remembers our faces.”

The other nodded smugly. “Indeed, especially since with Ma Liang gone, our chance has arrived.”

At that moment, a stunning woman with a graceful figure walked up behind the two. Seeing her, they exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Everyone gathered around the teleportation array, waiting for it to activate.

The Flameburn Nation, a level-three cultivation country, lay in the southern region of Vermilion Bird Star, bordering the Sea of Demonic Cultivation. But precisely because of this proximity, there were few sects within its borders—only four: the Temple of Martial Gods, the Evil Mo Sect, the Luo River Sect, and the Corpse Shade Sect.

Of these, the Temple of Martial Gods was the foremost in the Flameburn Nation. They boasted six Nascent Soul stage experts and, more importantly, one demigod-level master—Fang Zhiyi.

Thanks to this, the Temple of Martial Gods had dominated the nation for years. Naturally, they were unwilling to let anything from the Outer Domain Battlefield slip through their fingers, so they went to great lengths to acquire the lone qualification token.

In truth, the competition for the battlefield should never have been so fierce, but thanks to Teng Huayuan’s destruction of the token, only one remained to be fought over.

However, the one who entered the battlefield this time was merely an early Core Formation elder, Huo Hongfei.

As anticipation reached its peak, the teleportation array suddenly flared to life, a blinding, dazzling brilliance forcing everyone to squint.

Soon, three figures began to materialize within the light, their forms growing clearer with each passing moment.

Upon seeing this, Huo Hongfei’s face darkened with concern. As an elder of the Temple of Martial Gods, he naturally hoped all his disciples would return safely.

But word had already come that this session of the Outer Domain Battlefield was highly unstable and could collapse at any moment. Huo Hongfei had prepared himself for the possibility that few, if any, would return—but only three?

Still, three surviving was better than none. Composing himself, Huo Hongfei looked the trio over. Despite the dangers of the battlefield, there were also many opportunities—those who survived often returned with great gains.

Just then, a clear, ethereal voice, as crisp as ice shattering jade, rang out, making everyone present shudder involuntarily.

“My disciple hasn’t returned?”

All knew the owner of this voice. Instantly, everyone bowed in respect—even Huo Hongfei was no exception. “Elder Fang.”

Though he was also an elder, Huo Hongfei bowed and scraped before Fang Zhiyi without complaint. In the world of cultivation, strength was everything; the strong ruled over the weak.

Fang Zhiyi cast him a cold, indifferent glance. She was usually not one to concern herself with such trivial matters, much less appear in person.

But she had heard of the mishap on the battlefield this time. As for the others, she cared little for their fate; life and death meant little to her. It was only that her disciple’s cooking was truly delicious—since Ma Liang had left, she’d found her meals bland and tasteless.

Huo Hongfei, anxious to avoid blame, watched Fang Zhiyi’s face out of the corner of his eye, ready to flatter her the moment her expression soured.

“Elder Fang, the battlefield was unstable this time. With Ma Liang’s abilities, his chances of survival are slim, so I—”

At that moment, Zhou Zihong spoke hesitantly, “Elders, Ma Liang is behind us. He should return shortly. You needn’t worry, Elder Fang.”

“Ma Liang isn’t dead?” A beautiful, mature woman standing in the middle exclaimed in disbelief.

Zhou Zihong frowned at her. “Don’t worry, junior sister. Over these years in the battlefield, Ma Liang has grown a great deal. He certainly won’t trouble you anymore.”

Yet the beautiful woman looked as if she’d seen a ghost, muttering under her breath, “Impossible… How could Ma Liang still be alive…”

Of all those present, Fang Zhiyi was by far the strongest. At her level, she could hear a whisper from a mile away and see in all directions. No matter how softly the woman spoke, Fang Zhiyi heard every word.

She didn’t particularly care about her disciple Ma Liang, but that didn’t mean she would tolerate anyone slandering him in front of her.

Fang Zhiyi stood with long hair billowing, cold as snow. Her figure was slender, her skin pale as porcelain—so flawless she seemed untouchable, a beauty from whom eyes could not stray. Around her, all fell silent as her black hair and white dress danced gracefully in the wind.

Even a single, indifferent glance from her—devoid of any emotion—chilled the beautiful woman to the bone. In a flash, the woman darted behind the tall man beside her.

Yang Xiong, who had returned from the battlefield with Zhou Zihong, rolled his eyes. “Junior sister Xu Si, you can rest assured. Ma Liang has improved greatly during this expedition—he won’t bother you again.”

Xu Si snorted. “As if. Someone like him…”

Before the crowd could say more, another flare of light erupted from the teleportation array.

A thin, frail figure emerged, sending a wave of icy energy into the hearts of all present—a chill that seemed to penetrate the soul and consciousness, making all instinctively wary.

Even Huo Hongfei couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath, his eyes narrowing in shock.

Only Fang Zhiyi’s expression remained serene and indifferent. Her gaze lingered on Ma Liang for a moment, then she turned calmly and departed.