Chapter 352: The Holy Emperor’s Palace

This was a passage constructed of flames, with red light flickering. Shihou and Huo Ling'er stepped in immediately and rushed underground.

Hot magma surged continuously. The massive palace was enveloped in a hazy mist, with red symbols flashing, resembling the central heavenly palace of an ancient divine realm.

Shihou, of course, squinted and scrutinized the scene. This truly was a magnificent divine palace, though he wasn't sure if he could obtain great fortune inside.

Huo Ling'er, even more excited, had her fair face full of joy. She jumped and shouted with excitement. In ancient times, any fire clan member who achieved great success would often rely on this place to soar to the heavens.

"Fatty, be composed and calm, don’t make a fuss," Shihou reminded her. In fact, he was just as restless inside.

Huo Ling'er, unusually, didn't grind her teeth this time. Her lively eyes, bright red lips, and pearly white teeth combined to create a captivating look. She smiled and said, "What incredible luck! I might become an empress because of this."

"Hey, wake up, it's not even dark yet. Don’t dream too soon," Shihou said, waving his hand in front of her eyes.

"Chomp."

Huo Ling'er bit down on his hand. The mischievous child nearly burned his hand with the hot red burn, and now it was injured. With a cry of pain, he said, "Let go, or I'll crush all your teeth."

"I’m just trying to see if I’m dreaming," Huo Ling'er said with a smile. In the past, every fire clan member who entered this Holy Emperor’s Palace and survived either became a peerless powerhouse or the Fire Emperor. Rarely did anyone leave empty-handed.

"Then you should bite your own hand," Shihou said, dissatisfied. He was injured all over and winced with every movement.

"It’s too painful to bite myself. Hearing you scream means it’s probably not fake," Huo Ling'er said with satisfaction. She pushed his arm away and began to examine the grand palace.

Shihou, without further delay, also began to carefully observe, preparing to break in.

They flew forward on their treasure artifact. They were deep underground, surrounded by boundless red magma with no end in sight. The grand palace was at the center of this red sea, floating and majestic, with swirling symbols filling the sky.

However, to their astonishment, no matter how they flew, they couldn’t get closer. They always remained at a certain distance and couldn't land in front of the grand palace.

"What’s going on?" Shihou wondered. He pondered seriously, realizing there was a large spatial formation covering the entire underground area, shrouding the magma sea and preventing them from breaking through.

"I heard from my father that only those with great fortune can approach the Holy Emperor's Palace," Huo Ling'er said, her expression turning serious.

"How does one have great fortune?" Shihou asked.

Huo Ling'er frowned and said, "Naturally, it means gaining the palace’s recognition. It’s said that the Sunfish will appear, surfacing to build a golden bridge that can carry the destined ones directly to the palace."

When Shihou heard this, his face fell. He bit his tongue repeatedly; there was no way to gain their recognition. The Sunfish hated him, so how could they build a golden bridge for him?

In this ancestral land, if he claimed to have eaten the second-most Sunfish, no one would dare say they were first. He had been catching these extraordinary creatures recently, and the fish had long despised him.

Rather than gaining the palace’s recognition, it was more about gaining the Sunfish’s approval. He felt that these fish were likely related to guarding the palace.

"How about we try to attract a few fish and see if we can lure them to build the bridge?" Shihou said, feeling helpless. He never expected this kind of twist in the plot. He still had some bait and scattered it around. Soon enough, he saw golden sparks.

Shihou hid and prepared to let Huo Ling'er go forward to negotiate while he remained unseen. However, when the fish arrived, they quickly devoured the fragrant bait and then sent the strongest runes to attack his hiding spot.

With a loud boom, the magma roiled, the red haze surged, and thunder rumbled, almost causing the underground to collapse. The scene was extremely grand and imposing.

"Trying to rely on us to enter the Holy Emperor’s Palace? Don’t dream," the Sunfish’s powerful spiritual wave said as they left.

Afterward, the Sunfish connected and piled up in the distant magma to build a golden bridge leading to the Holy Emperor’s Palace. It was brilliantly radiant and imposing.

This was clearly a deliberate provocation, intended to make Shihou envious. Angrily, he said, "I’ll eat all of you sooner or later."

The golden light flashed as the Sunfish dispersed, sinking into the magma while emitting complex spiritual waves, mocking him.

"How infuriating. I didn’t expect it would end up being ruined by these Sunfish. Is there no other way?" Shihou asked.

Huo Ling'er sighed. Previous predecessors almost all crossed the golden bridge, which the Fire Emperor had shared as a secret. She didn’t expect that entering with Shihou would make him so unlikable.

"There is another method—constructing a rainbow bridge ourselves to reach the other side. But it’s very difficult. It’s said that even kings and princes rarely grasp it," Huo Ling'er said with a worried frown.

"How will we know if we don’t try? If we can’t gain recognition, we have to rely on our own strength to force our way through," Shihou said with determination.

In this void, there were some runes flashing with mysterious light. Upon closer inspection, they appeared like large stars, radiating extraordinary waves.

The so-called rainbow bridge required cultivators to connect these stars and build a seven-colored divine bridge to reach the Holy Emperor’s Palace.

Otherwise, with the space laws here being so astonishing, even if you flew for a hundred years, you wouldn’t reach your destination.

Understanding this, Shihou sat cross-legged on the treasure artifact, suspended in the void, and began to ponder silently.

In the end, he formed hand seals, continuously evolving. The runes inside him changed, and golden Taoist bells flew out, resonating with the stars in the void.

The sky and earth were filled with Taoist bells, emitting a thunderous roar, resonating with the stars.

Then, his divine light transformed again, turning into small cauldrons emitting an ancient aura. Various lights flew out, and the densely packed small cauldrons also resonated with the stars.

"Wow, it’s really possible to succeed. You’ve already constructed a two-colored divine bridge," Huo Ling'er said in astonishment.

Shihou remained calm and didn’t speak, but he had already understood the true meaning. The divine light transformation he had realized during the transformation into spirit realm, such as the cauldron and furnace, had become key to constructing the divine bridge here.

He then recalled his conversation with the Fire Emperor, who had mentioned that this was a problem to consider when becoming a deity. Realizing it in the transformation into spirit realm was almost a miracle.

Typically, even those in the inscription realm would find it difficult to comprehend. Only a very few kings in higher realms could understand, and they were as rare as phoenix feathers.

"From ancient times to the present, it seems only the Holy Emperor could construct such a seven-colored divine bridge in their youth. And you can do it even younger," Huo Ling'er said with wide eyes.

This was a method of ancient great beings.

"I am unparalleled in the ancient and modern world, revered both in heaven and earth," Shihou said, as the runes flashed and the rainbow bridge was completed.

In this void, some large stars floated and shone brilliantly. Shihou stepped onto the bridge, moving with the grace of a dragon and the might of a tiger.

Huo Ling'er followed closely. Though she criticized him, she was deeply impressed and, after assessing in her heart, found that this person was indeed an extraordinarily rare talent.

A golden light appeared in the magma, with tens of thousands of Sunfish surfacing, densely packed and emitting intense golden symbols. They were astonished and looked at the rainbow bridge.

"This guy is impressive; he will be formidable in the future. Don’t provoke him," said one of the rare golden Sunfish, leading the others to follow but not taking any action.

The journey was smooth. The rainbow bridge extended to the other side, transforming the chasm into a thoroughfare. After taking several dozen steps, the seemingly unreachable distance was shortened, and they arrived directly in front of the grand heavenly palace.

Mist swirled around, red symbols flickered, and the grand palace was situated at the center of the magma sea, floating and extraordinarily mysterious.

Shihou and Huo Ling'er climbed the steps, treading on ancient stairs. Below was an endless sea of red liquid, with an alarming temperature. A pair of massive stone doors were closed, blocking their way.

To their surprise, with a gentle push, the great doors opened wide, revealing that there were no barriers in place. They could easily step inside.

Shihou had expected it would take more effort, but it turned out to be so easy. Inside, the mist was dense, resembling a fairyland, and the grandeur was immense, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"Be careful, don’t step inside," Huo Ling'er said with a serious expression, her slender, well-shaped figure partially obscured. She stood in front of Shihou, earnestly warning him of the dangers here.

Without a doubt, such secrets were only known by those who had truly entered. These were passed down by the Fire Emperor.

The door seemed ordinary, but stepping through it could mean life or death. For past Fire Clan ancestors, this was the most terrifying place of burial.

Many who were thought to have great fortune died within this door.

"This place will ignite a real flame. If your bloodline power is insufficient, you will be reduced to ashes," Huo Ling'er said solemnly, her tone more serious than ever. She was also somewhat distressed because she didn’t know whether she would live or die after stepping through.

Shihou listened and pondered before saying, "You should go through. I think your father dotes on you so much because he sees your extraordinary qualities."

"I thought you would offer some comforting words, but instead, you directly push me in. It’s a step between life and death. You really are something," Huo Ling'er said indignantly.

She glanced back, her snow-white face illuminated by a fiery glow in her eyes. She took one last look at Shihou and then stepped forward without looking back.

With a whoosh, flames erupted fiercely at the entrance, engulfing her beautiful figure in blazing fire. At the same time, symbols filled the palace.

After a moment, the true fire extinguished, revealing a pure white figure—Huo Ling'er was unharmed. Her fluttering clothes were burned to ashes, but she herself was intact. On her forehead was a red mark, resembling a small vermillion bird, glowing with a radiant light.

She was overjoyed and excited, saying, "I passed through this holy gate. My bloodline power can awaken here!"

Shihou sighed. The Holy Emperor’s Palace was indeed prepared for the Fire Clan. He had guessed that although they were human, they also had Vermillion Bird blood, with Huo Ling'er being a standout among them. Her exceptional constitution and traits made her highly valued by the Fire Emperor, leading her here for baptism and awakening.

This was also why some ancient Fire Nation ancestors could rise rapidly.

At this moment, Huo Ling'er was immensely happy. She knew that awakening here would make her extraordinary and that she would surely soar to great heights in the future.

She danced like a spirit, oblivious to the fact that her clothes had been burned to ashes. Her flawless, slender figure was fully visible—white and crystal-clear, as if carved from ivory.

Huo Ling'er's long hair fluttered, her large, sparkling eyes, delicate nose, pearly teeth, sensual red lips, and swan-like white neck, combined with her slender, curvaceous, and alluring body, presented an unparalleled temptation.

"Little devil, are your eyes on fire?" Huo Ling'er asked, glancing sideways at him.

"They're about to," Shihou replied.

"What kind of look is that? How do you look at people?" Huo Ling'er complained, still too excited to fully realize her situation.

"Looking at a beautiful fatty is truly enjoyable," Shihou murmured, his eyes wide and unblinking, gleaming like a wolf's.

"I succeeded!" Huo Ling'er smiled, her ivory body dazzling and blinding.

"Come on, to celebrate that you’ve taken that crucial step, let’s have a warm hug to mark the occasion," Shihou said with a smile.