Side Story Volume: Divine Martial Continent
In the seventh year of the Flame Emperor Chronicle, one of the Flame Emperor’s three empresses, Xi Consort Chen Xi, ascended to the Emperor Realm. With a full Emperor and Sovereign now presiding over the Profound Heaven Continent, the land flourished more vibrantly than ever.
For sub-planes like the Profound Heaven Continent, the emergence of an emperor and sovereign prompted their laws and great daos to gradually evolve, eventually merging them into the Main World as an integral part.
Of course, this was no overnight feat—it demanded tens of thousands of years.
Xi Consort’s breakthrough sparked celebrations across the realm. Ninth-Order Holy Medicines on every major continent stirred in response to the Technique Refining Art, sprouting forth one after another.
The Radiant Heavenly Emperor Palace buzzed with revelry for seven days and nights, much like the Flame Emperor’s grand wedding long ago, before serenity slowly returned.
Within the Emperor Consort Palace, the indomitable Flame Emperor Yan Zhen lay tangled in bed with his beautiful master—none other than Xi Consort Chen Xi herself.
She had secluded herself for an entire year to reach the Emperor Realm, and Yan Zhen had ached with longing in her absence.
Now that success was hers, master and disciple refused to part even for a moment. They spent three full days and nights in the bedchamber, rising only for their intimate baths together.
Chen Xi’s silver-white tresses cascaded down as she lounged in diaphanous black nightclothes. Her generous G-cup bosom strained against the crossed fabric of her collar, a breathtaking sight.
She knelt in the bed’s center, her thighs serving as a soft pillow for her precious disciple’s head, delicately cleaning his ear with a crystal pick.
Yan Zhen savored the gentle tickle against the sensitive hairs of his ear canal, his eyes half-lidded in bliss, his face the picture of tranquil repose on the verge of sleep.
“Master, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”
“Planning a trip to the Divine Martial Continent?”
Yan Zhen murmured a soft affirmation. “Once Saint Lord Master and Evil Consort Master emerge from seclusion, we’ll talk it over. After we depart, I’ll leave the home in your care.”
“What nonsense is that? This Master will accompany you, of course.” Chen Xi blew tenderly on his ear. “This Master stayed behind once in our previous life. This time, Kalan and Evil Consort can mind the house instead.”
Well… Yan Zhen mulled it over and had to concede she had a point.
“I’ll run it by them, then.”
“Enough of that. Does this Master make you feel good, Zhen’er?”
“So good~ My ears are melting away.”
Ten days later, Evil Consort and Kalan Fairy emerged from seclusion one after the other. Yan Zhen summoned them to the Emperor Flame Palace to plan the journey to the Divine Martial Continent.
Evil Consort was adamant. “This Palace will not be left behind. The Divine Martial Continent holds immense significance for This Palace—This Palace must go!”
In their previous life, it was that very expedition where Evil Consort had slowly fallen for Yan Zhen. She had long yearned to retrace those cherished steps, one of her few treasured memories.
Kalan Fairy suggested, “Why don’t we three accompany you, Yan’er? We can leave Snake Consort, Purple Consort, and the others to hold the fort at home—no issues there.”
Cai Lian, Zi Xunyi, Qing Ling, and Long Ying had all entered the Pseudo-God Realm, ready at any moment to merge with their clan’s godheads and become true deities.
Beyond those four pseudo-gods, Yun Xiu and Yi Xian’er were Nine Star Great Saints, while Jiu Youyue, Rain Supreme, and the rest held Saint Realm cultivation ranging from One Star to Eight Star.
With such guardians in place, not even the Demon Domain Lord’s return could raise a ripple.
This time, unlike their previous life, the Demon Domain Lord hadn’t slipped away with a remnant soul. Yan Zhen had incinerated him to utter nothingness, leaving no way to send word back. No “new Demon Domain Lord” would trouble them anytime soon.
“Fair enough—that was my thinking too.” Yan Zhen grinned. “I’ll leave a strand of Exotic Fire in the Emperor Palace, just to be safe.”
“Settled, then.”
“Oh, and Masters—to enter the Divine Martial Continent, we must suppress our realms below the Emperor Realm. Otherwise, its Heavenly Mandate will reject us and bombard us with lightning without end.”
In their past life, Yan Zhen had overlooked that detail and endured thunderbolts the entire way.
Only later did he learn that emperors and deities visiting other planes had to restrain their power and limit their stay—or resort to self-decapitation, as the Demon Domain Lord had.
For a deity, self-decapitation merely severed the godhead, which could later be reclaimed.
For an emperor, it cut the vital link to the Heavenly Mandate, crippling any hope of further progress.
Even Emperor Realms varied in strength. Only by etching one’s mark upon the Heavenly Mandate and refining it utterly could one achieve true immortality with the cosmos.
As long as heaven and earth endured, the emperor would not perish!
“This Master understands. When do we leave?”
“This trip will take at least two years. I’d like to wait until they’ve all given birth.”
Two evenings later, the Radiant Heavenly Emperor Palace’s many consorts and princesses gathered at the Emperor Flame Palace for an intimate banquet.
Cai Lian, Sister Zi Ji, Yun Xiu, Yi Xian’er, Sister Ji Ya, Mentor Yuxuan, and Cousin Ruyu each arrived with their daughters in tow.
The Yu Family’s four stunning elders were also there, their bellies prominently swollen—Yu Lu’s the largest, Shui Bailan’s a close second. Their time was near.
Meng’er and Huangfu Wenqing showed early signs of pregnancy as well.
That left Qing Ling, Long Ying, Jiu Youyue, Rain Supreme, Mi Xue’er, Xiao Xinyan, Aunt Mu, Jin Tong, and Yu Nu still without—more effort required there.
As top-tier powerhouses, natural conception was no simple matter for them.
His three masters, however, insisted he was enough; children were unnecessary.
Yan Zhen felt a pang of regret, yet their devotion touched him deeply.
Lost in such thoughts, he heard Long Ying’s voice boom out: “Yan Zhen Zhen! I’ve got a child too!”
Her resounding tone drew every eye from the entering women. Yan Zhen’s gaze sparked with hope, only to freeze at the sight of her loli dragon girl form. “Don’t announce that in this shape—it’s downright terrifying.”
With that, he shifted her forcibly back to her big sis dragon girl guise, then probed her body. Sure enough, a potent aura of life pulsed within.
Yan Zhen sensed its subtle bloodline tie to himself, drawing an involuntary smile.
“You’re pregnant, alright. When did this happen? Why keep it from me?”
“I sensed it yesterday. Today, Sister Cai Lian and Sister Zi Ji confirmed it!” Big Sis Long Ying cradled her belly, beaming. “Soon, I’ll be a mother too.”
Long Ying nodded obediently.
“Qing’er-sister seems to have one too.”
What? Yan Zhen immediately turned to look at Qing Ling beside him. She lowered her head slightly, her pretty face flushing red as she said shyly, “It’s not entirely certain yet. I wanted to wait a couple more days before telling you, Lord Yan Zhen.”
Somewhat surprised, Yan Zhen turned to Cai Lian and Zi Ji. “Is that right?”
Both women smiled and nodded.
Yan Zhen promptly sent a strand of Origin Source to each of Long Ying and Qing Ling, nurturing the growth of their unborn children.
Once everyone had gathered, the banquet commenced. The hall’s sides brimmed with food and drink—help yourself to whatever you fancied, much like the dances and cocktail parties back on Earth. The only difference was that all the guests were family.
The little princesses romped about under the leadership of their ringleader, Yan Yan, while the consorts gossiped about domestic trifles and swapped notes on their cultivation.
Gazing upon this warm, harmonious scene, Yan Zhen finally felt that all his previous efforts had been worthwhile.
***
Side Story Volume: Five Ancient Sects
***
The banquet in the Emperor Flame Palace dragged on for seven full days. The little princesses only joined in on the first day before being shooed back to their chambers on the second—after all, the rest was grown-up time.
Yan Zhen paid extra attention to the concubines who hadn’t conceived yet, filling them to the brim until the wild revelry finally wound down.
After three more days of rest, Yan Zhen and his group finally set out. Their destination was the Divine Martial Continent. Besides Yan Zhen and his three beautiful masters, they also brought Rain Supreme—Yu Shishi.
Yu Shishi and Shui Tiannü from the Divine Martial Continent were both incarnations of the Main World’s Luoshen. Taking her along would let them attempt fusion ahead of schedule.
Unlike the Evil Consort’s secondary body, Luoshen’s incarnations could separate again after merging, all while skyrocketing in power. It was a genuine supreme secret art.
What’s more, Yu Shishi shared a link with Shui Tiannü. Rain Supreme’s origin source could pinpoint the Divine Martial Continent’s coordinates, sparing them the slow search of Yan Zhen’s previous life.
Even after attaining emperorship and recovering his past memories, the routes between planes remained fiendishly complex—twisted spaces, warped time flows. Memorizing them by brainpower alone was no easy feat. Coordinates and proper positioning were the way to go.
A colossal pillar of light erupted from the heart of the Radiant Heavenly Emperor Palace, spearing straight into the vault of the heavens and forming a massive dimensional gate.
Yan Zhen, Chen Xi, the Evil Consort, Jialan Fairy, and Yu Shishi hovered in the air. Amid the watchful eyes of countless powerhouses from the continent, they plunged into the light pillar and began their ascent.
“Father Emperor, goodbye! Hurry back soon~”
Yan Yan waved her little hand with all her might. Now over a decade old, the little princess had blossomed into a full-sized loli, her budding allure echoing her mother concubine’s breathtaking charm.
Yan Lingji might have seemed shy on the surface, but her eyes brimmed with the same fierce reluctance and worry.
Yan Zhen glanced back at his wives and daughters in the palace, offered a faint smile, and plunged decisively into the dimensional gate.
The instant they entered the dimensional passage, Yan Zhen summoned the Fire Refining Starry Sky, drawing himself and the four women inside. He took control, hurtling it forward at top speed.
The gulf between the nine sub-planes was beyond imagination. Only an Imperial Sovereign Powerhouse could cross it solo—and reaching the Main World was even tougher.
Such a long haul would be mind-numbingly dull if they just flew. Far better to duck into a Cave Heaven World and throw a party.
The Fire Refining Starry Sky had since been retooled into a dual-purpose Cave Heaven for fun and cultivation. Entertainment hubs dotted the altars and plazas, while the various Extreme Flame celestial bodies hosted dedicated training setups.
A new open-air palace now crowned one altar, divided into rooms for different pursuits. The five of them were currently in the wine pool chamber, lounging in a steaming hot spring while sipping drinks.
Yan Zhen wasn’t much of a drinker, but the milk wine his beautiful master had specially mixed was divine. One sip brought a gentle buzz, followed by an endless aftertaste of fragrant sweetness on his lips and tongue.
Alongside the milk wine, his Saint Lord master had whipped up milk cakes to pair with it.
The Evil Consort master contributed a refreshing platter of milk fruits to cut the richness.
Rain Supreme, without her own offering, could only kneel demurely in the water and tend to him.
Though not truly born of the Yu Family, she possessed their daughters’ signature gifts, serving Yan Zhen until he floated on clouds of bliss.
A sip of wine, a nibble of cake, a bite of fruit—and with beauties by his side, tending to him with exquisite care—it was pure, bone-melting ecstasy. Who could think of Divine Martial?
—So depraved, so debauched… but damn, I love it.
Truth be told, every ounce of Yan Zhen’s effort up to now had been for his beautiful masters.
“What’s the matter, Zhen’er? Staring at your master like that… Do you want this master to serve you alongside Little Yu’er?”
Yan Zhen hadn’t intended anything of the sort, but her words lit a spark, and he nodded eagerly.
“You and your spoiled ways~”
Chen Xi planted an indulgent kiss on her precious disciple before kneeling beside Yu Shishi. Together, they lavished him with the gentlest attentions.
Deeply touched, Yan Zhen gazed at them in a daze.
“Yan’er, over here~”
The Evil Consort, loath to be sidelined, cupped his face with a jade hand and claimed his lips.
Jialan Fairy, on his other side, breathed hotly into his ear and nipped at the lobe.
Yan Zhen drowned in the tide of his masters’ affections, words utterly superfluous.
「…」
Nearly half a month in the dimensional passage brought them within sight of the Divine Martial Continent’s planar crystal wall.
Yan Zhen stowed the Fire Refining Starry Sky and surged ahead, summoning his natal Exotic Fire. It rent a temporary portal in the wall, and he slipped through.
The four women trailed right behind, streaking down like meteors to land on the continent.
The Divine Martial Continent comprised God Continent, Martial Continent, and the overseas Three Thousand Continents.
God Continent belonged to the God Race. Martial Continent was Human Race domain. Overseas realms teemed with sea demons and sea beasts.
Their landing spot was smack in Martial Continent.
That landmass split into five regions, each ruled by one of five ancient sects: Nine Heavens Immortal Palace, War Extreme Sect, Sacred Flame Sect, Heavenly Dao Academy, and preeminent among them, Martial God Hall.
Shui Tiannü hailed from Heavenly Dao Academy. Yan Zhen had locked the coordinates via the origin link between her and Yu Shishi, landing them squarely in the academy’s turf—the northern reaches of Martial Continent!
Yan Zhen called up the System Interface. System-chan displayed a map of the Divine Martial Continent, letting him match landmarks and routes to his memories.
Boom!
As Yan Zhen and the others got their bearings from past-life recollections, thunderous lights boiled overhead. Terrifying tribulation clouds coalesced with alarming speed.
“Not good, Master!”
Yan Zhen alerted his beautiful master at once. Chen Xi nodded her understanding and, with her precious disciple, clamped their realms down to Nine Star Great Saint.
Their Imperial Sovereign auras faded, and the tribulation clouds gradually dispersed.
But the uproar hadn’t gone unnoticed by local heavyweights. High in the sky, a gigantic eye snapped open, sweeping the land with a gaze like a physical force.
A Nine Star Great Saint topped the pyramid in any sub-plane, though. Staying hidden was child’s play.
The eye scanned fruitlessly before shuttering shut.
“Was that Heavenly Dao Academy just now?” The Evil Consort frowned. “Why’d it reek of an evil god?”
Yan Zhen recalled, “He must have been corroded. I remember one of the vice deans at the Heavenly Dao Academy was tainted by the evil god’s power. He gradually lost control and went mad, forcing the dean to seal him away. In our previous life, when we visited the academy, that man broke free under the evil god’s summons, sparking massive chaos.”
“That must have been the guy.”
At the time, the Evil Consort had been suppressed by Yan Zhen within the Fire Refining Starry Sky, but she retained a vague impression of the incident. Afterward, Yan Zhen had entered and given her a rough account of events, even borrowing her power to dispel the lingering evil god aura from the others in the academy.
The Jialan Fairy nodded slightly. “We’ve arrived several years earlier than in our previous life this time. Perhaps we can avert some of the tragedies that shouldn’t have come to pass.”
Yan Zhen pondered for a moment. “Let’s head to the Heavenly Dao Academy first. We can scout the current situation and look for Shui Tiannü at the same time.”
Chen Xi smiled. “Zhen’er, do you think Shui Tiannü still retains any memories from our previous life?”
