Several hours after Wu Jian informed Huǒ Yulie about what happened while she was unconscious, Huǒ Shuchang and Huǒ Pànguó woke up, and the situation became awkward. They both learned that Huǒ Yulie had killed Shen Yunhai. After that, however, the pair refused to speak. Even after nearly a full day of rest to recuperate, the pair refused to say anything.

Wu Jian at first thought the pair had gone back to hating each other, but he realized eventually that this didn’t seem to be the case. Of course, there was still plenty of animosity and bad blood between them. That wouldn’t go away just because Huǒ Pànguó had decided to team up with them at the last moment. He had also been the one responsible for bringing Shen Yunhai into this realm. That wasn’t something so easily forgiven. However, the issue between these two seemed to be far less complicated.

These idiot brothers simply didn’t know how to make up.

Wu Jian had an older brother, so he understood where they were coming from. Years of conflict between them had led to a deep-seated resentment. They carried the emotional scars from past disagreements, which made it difficult for them to just forgive and forget. Huǒ Shuchang carried much more than his older brother in that regard. Huǒ Pànguó had been antagonizing his younger brother for years.

But they were also both filled with so much pride that he imagined they had trouble admitting they were wrong. Huǒ Pànguó was especially prideful. He reminded Wu Jian a lot of Wu Yong. Wu Jian’s older half-brother had also been a prideful person, and that pride had nearly gotten Wu Jian killed and Wu Yong crippled. They hadn’t even been able to truly make up yet because Wu Yong thought he was dead.

And of course, by this point in time, their antagonism toward each other had likely become a habit, and habits were hard to break.

It was later in the evening. They had all spent a day recuperating. Wu Jian had used up all of his chi, and while Huǒ Yulie had woken up, that didn’t mean she had recovered completely. Not only had she been forced into battle shortly after waking up, she also still had to deal with the side effects from her previous battle against the phoenix dragon.

He and Huǒ Yulie sat side by side as Huǒ Shuchang and Huǒ Pànguó spent their time also recuperating on opposite sides of the cavern. Youmei was sleeping beside him like the lazy cat that she was. Wu Jian had been watching them both. Huǒ Shuchang and Huǒ Pànguó would both glance at their brother, then look away as though pretending they didn’t care.

“Those two are so awkward,” he muttered to himself.

“Indeed they are,” Huǒ Yulie agreed. “I wonder if they have always been like this?”

“You don’t know?”

She shook her head. “Thou must comprehend, I have seldom left the Phoenix Sanctum, hence my knowledge of our familial ties is scant. I comprehend not why Huǒ Pànguó harbors enmity toward my brother and me. Neither do I fathom how our sire engages with our other kin.”

Well, Huǒ Yulie had been a bird trapped within a cage for the longest time. Her father only brought her out now to showcase her talents because it would increase his nation’s reputation. It made sense that she knew nothing of how her family got along.

With a sigh, Wu Jian stood up and walked over to Huǒ Shuchang.

“How long are you gonna keep side-eyeing your brother?” he asked as he sat down.

“Tch. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, shut up. I’ve been watching you this whole time. I get how hard it is to make up with your bully, but you need to man up and get this over with. It’ll be hard for us to travel with you two at each other’s throats.”

They had already decided to travel as a group. Huǒ Pànguó was extremely strong, so adding him as the fourth member of their party would increase their security. Besides, after what happened, Wu Jian wanted Huǒ Pànguó somewhere he could keep an eye on him.

“Ugh… I know you’re right. I know that. But it’s just…”

“You know… I also have an older brother.”

“I know.”

“When I was younger, he used to bully me for being weak and girly.”

“Can’t imagine why.”

“It got so bad that he almost killed me once.”

“Wait. What?”

“Grrr. Shut up! Are you going to keep interrupting me?”

“Sorry. Sorry. Continue.”

With a frustrated sigh, Wu Jian told Huǒ Shuchang about Wu Yong. He even included the conversation he’d had with the young man back in the White Tiger Sect ruins. Of course, he made sure to also emphasize how his brother thought he was dead and the regret he felt at not being able to mend their brotherly bond.

“Your situation is a lot like my own. That’s why I think you should make up before you regret it like we did.”

“Aaaaah… I can’t really deny you when you say it like that. Fine. Fine. I’ll make up with him now.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Good.”

Huǒ Shuchang got up and walked over to Huǒ Pànguó, who eyed him like a predator stalking prey. Wu Jian went back over to Huǒ Yulie and Youmei to watch the proceedings.

“So, like, listen…” Huǒ Shuchang began, rubbing the back of his neck. “I still hate your guts, but like, we’re family and shit, you know? So I think we should at least learn to tolerate each other. Look, what I’m trying to say is that if you apologize to me, I’ll consider forgetting everything that happened.”

“Apologize to you? For what? I’ve done nothing to apologize for,” Huǒ Pànguó said with a scoff.

“Nothing?! You tormented me all throughout my time as a boy, and you belittle me every chance you get!”

“All I did was speak the truth.”

“Why you…! Fine! Don’t apologize. It’s not like I need one from an asshole anyway.”

“You’re the one who asked for an apology in the first place!”

“Because you owe me one! Not because I care! Ass!”

“Stop calling me that!”

“Fuck you! I’ll call you whatever I damn well please!”

Wu Jian sighed and pressed a palm to his face as he listened to their argument. It was going to be much harder for these brothers to get along than he thought. It seemed he would have his work cut out for him.

***

They pushed on after everyone had recovered, trekking past the Inferno Ravine and reaching the innermost layer.

The inner layer of the Realm of Sacred Flames was a place of intensified danger and intrigue, where the environment became even more hostile and the challenges more formidable. Much of the terrain was marked by deep chasms and canyons filled with molten lava. Traversing this environment was extremely perilous, especially since this layer was filled with magical beasts at the Realization Realm. They swam through the lava and attacked as soon as they sensed someone nearby. Their party had almost been wiped out several times.

It wasn’t just chasms this layer possessed either, but also volcanic plateaus that rose above them. Each one was scorched and rugged, with jagged rocks and cliffs, offering a vantage point for cultivators to observe the realm’s dangers and navigate the treacherous terrain. Of course, these plateaus were also home to massive birds of prey.

They were known as lava rocs. These massive creatures were born from the roc, a legendary magical beast. Their plumage resembled molten lava, the flowing, fiery patterns and colors emitting a faint glow. Luminescent eyes with pupils like smoldering embers hid behind thick feathers that looked like eyebrows. Their beaks resembled cooled magma, though they turned molten orange whenever they were preparing an attack. A flaming crest sat upon their head. It would light up whenever they were excited or showing signs of aggression.

Their party had run afoul of several such creatures, and each time they needed to run. None of them were a match for these beasts.

And yet for all its dangers, this place was also filled with even greater rewards. Rare fire herbs could be found in abundance. These herbs possessed unique properties, such as the ability to enhance a cultivator’s fire-based techniques or provided resistance against fire-related ailments. Alchemists prized these herbs for their applications in alchemy pills. There were also powerful and beautiful gemstones and crystal formations that could be used both to enhance a person’s cultivation or be used to create powerful artifacts.

Huǒ Shuchang and Huǒ Pànguó spent an entire week cultivating inside a crystal cave that supposedly gathered the purest type of fire chi around. Neither Wu Jian nor Youmei could enter, the intense heat and fire chi making it impossible. They had only tried once and the chi had attempted to invade their bodies and burn them from the inside.

“I just realized we’ve been in here for a long time. Shouldn’t we have already been pulled back out?” he asked Huǒ Yulie, who was not cultivating like her brothers.

She shook her head. “Nay. In the parlance of the Realm of Sacred Flames, time's current doth take a different course. A twelvemonth spent within these bounds be but a single day beyond our confines.”

“So, wait. We’re going to spend a whole year in here?”

“Correct.”

“Why didn’t they say that?”

“Why? Tis common knowledge. Didst thee enter this realm without even knowing that?”

Wu Jian looked away. Apparently, he was the only one who hadn’t known how much time passed in this realm.

Huǒ Shuchang and Huǒ Pànguó eventually emerged from their cultivation. While the eldest brother hadn’t increased his cultivation much, the younger brother had reached the third subrealm. Wu Jian and Huǒ Yulie had been present when storm clouds gathered above the cavern. He wasn’t sure how that trial worked. Did Huǒ Shuchang even get hit with lightning? Whatever the case, his friend had become much stronger now than he was before.

They continued on, avoiding battles whenever they could, and eventually reached the core.

“This is… the core?”

“Verily. This, sirrah, is the outermost bulwark. To reach the very heart, we must needs rupture this obstacle.”

“… And just how are we going to do that?”

“I do not know.”

They had traveled through numerous dangers and reached the center of this realm, but what they found was a massive cyclone of pure red flames. The swirling fires circled around a single point like an everlasting tornado. If that was the only danger, perhaps Huǒ Yulie and her brothers could have used their fire immunity to slip past it… but that was not their only problem. Molten sand was also trapped within the tornado, and the intense speed made it powerful enough to tear their flesh from their bones.

“I might be able to use Nihility to slip past this,” Wu Jian mumbled softly. “But I don’t know how far I'll have to travel. I might run out of chi before I even reach the halfway point.”

“Youmei would travel through the shadows… but this place has no shadow,” Youmei said sadly.

Indeed, the molten flames from the tornado of fire had burned away all shadows, even the ones underneath their feet, which was why Youmei had to travel alongside them and not in his shadow like normal. All of her techniques required shadows to use. She was helpless without them.

“No one in recent history has penetrated this wall and reached the core,” Huǒ Pànguó added. “I heard father once tried, but even he was rebuffed.”

“So even the Phoenix Clan head could not go past here,” Wu Jian tilted his head in thought. He bit his lip, then sighed. “We won’t get anywhere if we just stand here. I’ll use Nihility to see how far I can go. I’ll come back and let you know if it will be possible to take you all with me.”

“Do be careful,” Huǒ Yulie said.

“I will.”

Wu Jian looked back at the swirling tornado of flames and molten debris, took a deep breath, then activated his technique.

[Nihility]

His body became semi-translucent as it was phased out of this world and into a separate one. It felt sort of like he was half in a dream and half-awake. He stuck his arm inside of the tornado. When nothing happened and no pain reached him, he took another deep breath and began walking through. It was time to see just how long he could keep this technique active with his current strength.