A vast and mighty force surged through the sky, flying swiftly toward the Sacred Flame Imperial Palace.

Flying at the very forefront were Feng Tianxiang and over a dozen Elders.

Sacred Flame Imperial Palace.

"Report!"

A disciple stumbled into the grand hall of Lin Shuwang's resting quarters, his face pale with panic.

"What is it? Why the panic?"

Lin Shuwang looked at him, her eyes flashing with displeasure.

"Reporting to the Palace Master! Under Feng Tianxiang's command, the great army of God Phoenix Valley is pressing upon our borders."

"The entire Sacred Flame Imperial Palace is surrounded!"

The moment the disciple finished speaking, he collapsed onto the floor of the grand hall.

"They dare go this far?!"

"Assemble all disciples of the Sacred Flame Imperial Palace. Follow me to break their lines!"

Clusters of flames danced within Lin Shuwang's eyes.

She had never expected Feng Tianxiang to actually launch a full-scale assault. It seemed they intended to swallow the Sacred Flame Imperial Palace by force.

Lin Shuwang had weathered countless crises.

Yet this felt like the most perilous of them all. From top to bottom, God Phoenix Valley had mobilized over a hundred thousand disciples, surrounding the Imperial Palace so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

Right now, Feng Tianxiang was standing before the palace gates with his Elders, shouting provocations.

Although the sect-protecting grand formation had been activated, how long could it possibly hold?

Sooner or later, Feng Tianxiang would lead his hundred thousand disciples and forcibly shatter their defenses.

To say she felt no panic would be a lie, but she maintained a firm grip on her composure.

She would not cower like a turtle in its shell. Leading the cultivators of the Sacred Flame Imperial Palace, she flew directly outside the halls to confront them.

In truth, her greatest worry at this moment was Chu Chen. Why had Feng Tianxiang marched his army here, yet Chu Chen was nowhere to be seen? Could his plan have failed?

If Chu Chen had truly met with disaster, she would not live on alone.

"Feng Tianxiang, how audacious of you to attack my Sacred Flame Imperial Palace."

Clad in snow-white robes, Lin Shuwang stared coldly at him.

"Haha, Shuwang, we are a match made by heaven and earth."

"As long as we join in union, our descendants will become Peerless powerhouses."

"I truly do not understand why you have always rejected me!"

Even now, Feng Tianxiang's obsession with marrying her remained.

"Cease your delusions. I feel nothing for you. My heart already belongs to another."

Lin Shuwang glared at him, her voice devoid of emotion.

Her devastatingly beautiful face was cast in a chilling frost, its coldness seemingly enough to freeze the vast plaza before the palace.

"As long as you obediently marry me, I will halt this attack immediately. Your disciples will be spared."

"If you refuse, then do not blame me for being ruthless!"

Feng Tianxiang stared back with an equally cold expression.

Yet underneath that coldness, her peerless beauty still thoroughly enthralled him.

"Stop your delusions!"

"I will absolutely never marry you."

Lin Shuwang replied coldly.

Seeing her unyielding indifference, the killing intent in Feng Tianxiang's eyes deepened into madness.

"Hmph, since you refuse to appreciate my favor, I will show no mercy."

"I will slaughter every last soul in the Sacred Flame Imperial Palace, and then I will take you."

Discarding any further words, Feng Tianxiang waved his hand. The God Phoenix Valley disciples behind him surged forward like a suicidal tide.

The dozen Elders joined the charge.

Feng Tianxiang's gaze remained locked solely on Lin Shuwang. Among all the experts of the Sacred Flame Imperial Palace, only she was worthy to clash with him.

The Sacred Flame Imperial Palace and God Phoenix Valley collided in a brutal slaughter.

Instantly, torrents of spiritual power and brilliant light clashed across the sky.

Waves of blade energy and sword Qi shattered the air with deafening roars.

Meanwhile, within the Falling Phoenix Slope secret realm, Chu Chen stared at the colossal phantom of the divine bird.

Was this the so-called Divine Phoenix Treasure Art?

Numerous doubts flickered in his mind.

"What if I devour it?"

Chu Chen murmured to himself.

Such a magnificent phantom would not appear here without reason.

His mind made up, Chu Chen did not hesitate.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

His spiritual power surged with a crackling hiss, forming a massive vortex that forcibly dragged the divine bird phantom into its depths.

Outside the light barrier, Ma Xiuyue and Feng Qing'er stared in stunned silence.

Neither could fathom what Chu Chen was attempting.

It appeared to be nothing more than an illusory projection. Why would he absorb such a thing?

It defied all logic.

After the phantom was swallowed, nothing happened at first.

But slowly, a profound reaction began to stir.

Chu Chen felt countless images exploding within his mind.

The enormous divine bird expanded in his consciousness, its presence overwhelming.

He gradually grasped the essence of the Divine Phoenix Treasure Art.

By the time the visions settled, the complete and flawless Divine Phoenix Treasure Art had been entirely inscribed into his soul.

A rare thrill of triumph gripped him.

It seemed everything was finally drawing to a close.

"Haha, I have obtained the Divine Phoenix Treasure Art."

Chu Chen said with a satisfied expression.

Feng Qing'er ran over, throwing her arms around him in pure joy.

"I am so happy for you! You truly are a person of destiny to obtain the Divine Phoenix Treasure Art."

Her happiness for him was utterly genuine.

"Alright, alright, but could you loosen your grip?"

Chu Chen felt a trace of awkwardness.

Hearing this, Feng Qing'er reluctantly let him go.

She had desperately wanted to hold onto him just a little longer.

"Fine, you two be lovey-dovey here. I'll go scout the area."

Ma Xiuyue quickly turned and left. Seeing her depart, Feng Qing'er's cheeks flushed crimson.

"Actually, I..."

Before she could confess her feelings once more, Chu Chen interrupted her.

"Obtaining this Divine Phoenix Treasure Art was no easy feat."

"You have followed me through all of this. I will share the complete art with you. How much you can comprehend will depend on your own fortune."

Stepping forward, Chu Chen lightly tapped a finger against her forehead.

Instantly, a torrent of purple light poured into Feng Qing'er's mind.

A flood of profound truths and ancient knowledge rushed through her senses.

"Marvelous. It is truly marvelous."

She trembled with excitement as she perceived the complete Divine Phoenix Treasure Art.

"Wu Qi... actually, I've been hiding something from you."

A single tear suddenly hung from Feng Qing'er's eyelashes.

This abrupt shift in emotion caught Chu Chen entirely off guard.

"What is wrong?"

"Why the tears?"

He frowned, utterly bewildered.

"I sense that the God Phoenix Valley has been almost completely emptied."

Right at that moment, Lord Tun's voice echoed within Chu Chen's sea of consciousness.

The entire God Phoenix Valley was empty?

What did that mean? A cold sense of foreboding washed over Chu Chen.

The only ones who had entered the Falling Phoenix Slope secret realm were just over a hundred true disciples and fifty elite inner disciples.

By all logic, God Phoenix Valley still housed nearly a hundred thousand outer disciples, along with the rest of the inner disciples.

How could the valley possibly be empty?

"Actually... I know your name isn't Wu Qi. You are Chu Chen!"

"Lin Shuwang's husband."

As her voice cracked, tears streamed down Feng Qing'er's face, the truth finally laid bare.

She knew, with absolute certainty, that she could never have him. And that realization left nothing but a hollow, agonizing despair.