The middle-aged man lowered his gaze to the little boy, the chilling vacancy in his eyes instantly softening. He reached out to stroke the boy's head and said, "Xiao Mi, why are you pleading for this person? I endured all sorts of torment in that Blazing Domain. If I hadn't been the artifact spirit born from the Origin of Fire's Void Artifact, I might have been suppressed by those bastards. Even so, had it been 3,000 years later, I would have been devoured by the other artifact spirit."

He slightly raised his head to look into the distance, his gaze turning somewhat cold. "I manufactured a façade to mislead the Sovereign of the Blazing God Empire, making him let down his guard, which allowed me to break out of the Blazing Domain. This plan was meticulous. Back then, I secretly tore open the spatial barrier of the Ancient World, sending out one one-hundred-millionth sliver of formless brainwaves into the Origin God Star, hoping to steal the Fire Inheritance Imprint. Obtaining this imprint would be enough to replenish some of my energy, giving me greater confidence to fight that artificial artifact spirit. Furthermore, I could acquire the Blazing God Mysterious Canon. With that, once I broke free from the Blazing Domain, no one could stop me!"

"But!"

His eyes suddenly filled with murderous intent. "This entire plan was ruined by that damned ant named Ye Chen! If I hadn't kept a contingency plan, I would have fallen into a state of eternal damnation!"

"Fortunately," a trace of aloof arrogance flickered in his icy eyes, "though that wicked plan failed, I devoured the artificial artifact spirit, greatly increasing my strength. I no longer need the amplification of the Blazing God Mysterious Canon to completely defeat that Sovereign. Now I control the Blazing God Mysterious Canon—this secret canon that no one has ever cultivated to the third level in millions of years. It seems tailor-made for me; I reached the third level effortlessly. This single manual amplifies my power tenfold!"

"And!" He clenched his fist. "As long as I wish, I can open a spatial channel at any time and summon the Ancient Blazing God Progenitor to reign here. Of course, the Blazing God Progenitor summoned would only be a soulless shell, but its strength would make even those so-called Ten Hall Masters in the entire Ancient World seem like mere ants!"

The little boy fell silent for a moment, then said, "Father, Big Brother Ye Chen absolutely didn't intend to ruin your plan. Back then, when I was helpless and bullied in the Empire's Supreme Genius Hall, it was he who stepped forward. Since then, no one has dared to bully me. Moreover, he even gave me peak Deity-level manuals to cultivate."

He slowly lowered his head, and under the middle-aged man's stunned gaze, he slowly knelt down! As far as his eyes could see, the entire world was just the small patch of ground before him. His voice, though somewhat low, was firm and powerful: "Big Brother Ye Chen and I became sworn brothers. I will never betray his kindness in this life. If Father intends to kill him, please kill Haier first!!"

The middle-aged man paused, his brow furrowed. He looked at his son, who appeared weak on the surface but was incredibly stubborn and persistent at heart. After a long while, he finally let out a slow sigh. "Fine. But for your sake, I will spare him this once. If I ever encounter him again, don't blame me for being merciless!"

The little boy shuddered and suddenly looked up, biting his lower lip as he stared at his father's cold face, as if making a firm decision. "Father, give him three chances!"

The middle-aged man’s brow twitched slightly, and he glanced at his son. Facing the boy's clear, dark eyes, he could never muster any true anger. He could only shake his head. "Then three times. No more than that."

Yet, he secretly thought, Time is on my side. As long as he remains in this world, let alone three times, even thirty times, he will eventually die by my hand. For now, I’ll just let him breathe a little longer.

Hearing his father agree, the little boy's eyes immediately lit up with joy. "Thank you, Father! Father, you are the best!"

The middle-aged man let out a light chuckle, affectionately stroking his son's little head. Through countless ages, his only tether was this youngest son. As long as he saw his son safe, nothing else mattered. Precisely because of this, after escaping the Blazing Domain, he was slightly relieved to see his little son had not suffered abuse or death at the hands of the Blazing God Empire, which is why he hadn't turned the empire upside down.

Across the vast wilderness, the Demon God Palace soared onward. After two cosmic instantaneous teleportations, the Palace arrived near the border of the Blazing God Empire. Just then, Zixiang suddenly spoke, "Master, the radar has detected a communication signal attempting to connect with us."

Ye Chen frowned. After the previous battles, many communication signals had attempted to establish contact, leveraging the Sky Net system above the Blazing God Empire, but the content was always threats or pleas for surrender. However, ever since the Demon God Palace directly destroyed several giant cities, those armies understood the Palace’s resolve, and communication signals ceased. He hadn't expected another one now.

He pondered for a moment. "Let's see."

"En!" Zixiang tapped a control, opening the virtual communication window. A semi-transparent screen materialized before Ye Chen, like a virtual projection. On this projection, the figure of a little boy appeared.

"Big Brother Ye Chen!" the little boy exclaimed with delight.

Seeing the boy, Ye Chen’s eyes brightened, and he smiled. "Miki, why is it you? How did you get access to the Blazing God Empire's Sky Net system? Given the Empire's attitude toward you, you shouldn't have such high clearance, right?"

This little boy was naturally Xiao Miqi, whom Ye Chen had befriended in the Supreme Genius Hall back then. He shook his head, his expression rather solemn. "Big Brother Ye Chen, you must leave the Empire quickly. The current Blazing God Empire is not what it was before."

"Hmm?" Ye Chen frowned, sensing something amiss, and immediately asked, "What happened?"

Xiao Miqi sighed slightly. "To be honest, the current Blazing God Empire is ruled by my father. I told you before that my father was trapped by the Empire in a mysterious place, and I was going to rescue him. The reason you are wanted is that when you inherited the Fire Imprint and obtained the Blazing God Mysterious Canon, you killed someone who stood in your way—that person was a wisp of thought incarnation of my father, hidden in that ruin for many years. He was almost successful, but your appearance ruined it, so my father hates you to the bone."

Ye Chen froze, recalling when he obtained the Fire Imprint. At that time, he was only a cultivator with a few thousand levels of physique, yet in that ruin of the Fire Civilization, he encountered a black-armored mechanical man who was at the Ghost God Realm. It was only when he provoked the power of thunder that he managed to destroy that black-armored man.

He hadn't expected this person to be an incarnation of Xiao Miqi's father's thought!

He frowned. "Why was your father imprisoned by the Empire, and how did he become the Sovereign of the Blazing God Empire now? Also, was the original Sovereign of the Blazing God Empire killed?"

After saying this, Ye Chen suddenly became aware of something. He frowned, glancing with profound meaning at the nearby hatch, his eyes flickering briefly. After a moment, he turned back to face Xiao Miqi on the screen.

Xiao Miqi explained bitterly, "My father was originally the artifact spirit of the Origin of Fire's Void Artifact of the Blazing God Empire, always submitting to the Sovereigns of the Blazing God Empire. However, the current Sovereign wanted to use my father to explore the inner regions of the Ancient World Peak, where an Ancient World Ruined City was rumored to have emerged, containing a Void Artifact! But that place was incredibly dangerous, so my father naturally refused. As the Origin Artifact Spirit, he has existed since the Great Sage War, spanning countless epochs, possessing wisdom far exceeding the current Sovereign of the Blazing God Empire."

"However, the Sovereign was unwilling to give up, always wanting to venture into that Ancient World Ruined City. If he could obtain another Void Artifact, he could rule the entire Ancient World!!"

Xiao Miqi’s voice grew somewhat agitated, then his eyes dimmed with a sigh. "As a result, my father and the Sovereign of the Blazing God Empire fell out. This Sovereign is also a decisive killer; he acted without hesitation, tricking my father into the Blazing Domain for incineration and secretly manufacturing another infant-stage artifact spirit by gathering numerous God Emperor experts within the Empire!"

"That artificial artifact spirit was originally at the peak Dao Artifact level. If it could devour my father, it could control the Origin Void Artifact. Thus, a protracted war began. Eighty years ago, my father escaped from the Blazing Domain, capturing the ministers of the Blazing God Empire and the Blazing God Sovereign himself, imprisoning them in the Blazing Domain. With their current strength, they should be fine for now."

Ye Chen’s brow furrowed. A thought flashed in his mind, and he quickly asked, "Was the King of the Heavenly Sorcery Vassal State, the Heavenly Sorcery King, also captured by your father?"

Xiao Miqi tilted his head in thought for a moment and nodded. "I think there was such a person."

Ye Chen's face changed, his expression turning grim. An uncontrollable rage surged within him, but he forcefully suppressed it. With his current strength, saving the Heavenly Sorcery King was impossible. Even the Sovereign of the Blazing God Empire was imprisoned—how terrifying must Xiao Miqi's father be? Moreover, being the spirit of a Void Artifact, he naturally possessed the ability to control it.

Seeing Ye Chen remain silent, Xiao Miqi couldn't help but become anxious. "Big Brother Ye Chen, leave the Blazing God Empire quickly, don't ever come back! My father promised me he would spare your life three times so you could leave as far away as possible! I've already opened a passage for you; they won't dare stop you. Go quickly!"

Ye Chen stared at Xiao Miqi, then said slowly and powerfully, "I will never forget these three life-saving favors!"

Xiao Miqi paused, then scratched his head. "Big Brother Ye Chen, we are good friends. You helped me a lot back then. I once heard a saying: 'A drop of kindness received should be repaid with a gushing spring!'"

Ye Chen couldn't help but chuckle softly. "It's been so many years, why are you still so tall and haven't grown much?"

Miki's face flushed red, and he stammered, unable to speak. After a long while, he looked up, his eyes shining brightly at Ye Chen. "Big Brother Ye Chen, we will always be friends!"

Ye Chen nodded, reached into his robe, and pulled out a red stone. This stone looked ordinary but possessed a faint magnetic field attraction, as if, even from a great distance, one could sense a faint call from a place countless miles away.

"You still keep it," Xiao Miqi’s eyes lit up.

Ye Chen smiled. "You gave it to me; of course, I keep it."

Xiao Miqi's expression turned somewhat excited and moved. He reached up to wipe his eyes, then looked solemnly at Ye Chen. "Big Brother Ye Chen, take care! I will come find you in the future."

Ye Chen nodded. "You too."

The two looked at each other; everything was understood without words. Then Xiao Miqi shut off the communicator. Ye Chen stared at the screen, his brow tightly knit, pondering for a long time before letting out a soft sigh, his voice carrying an indescribable emotion. He rubbed his temples, then leaned back on the sofa, his tone indifferent. "Come out, little ghost behind the door."

Monthly tickets and recommendation votes were both close today; recommendation votes were short by over 90, and monthly tickets were short by a few. It’s a bit regrettable, but everyone worked hard. Today’s chapter is over 3,300 characters long, so I’m adding 300 characters as compensation, cough, cough.

Still asking for recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Everyone, erupt! Old Gu will erupt along with you!!