Divine Emperor of Death

The countless gazes that rained on Shirley didn't shake her one bit, but the gaze of the Fire Phoenix Mistress gave her a searing chill crawling up her spine.

However, Shirley quickly put on an indifferent expression behind her crimson veils while her eyes narrowed into a cold smile, acting as though she was just taken aback by the other party's beauty that matched hers in terms of bearing alone.

But in reality, she was quickly able to compose herself.

After all, she had seen with her own eyes how the Fire Phoenix Mistress had been brought back to life by her husband and later heard that she was swallowed by some spatial phenomenon along with her twin sister. Only after Davis reiterated his adventures from the Thirty-Fourth Fire Phoenix City to the easternmost branch of the Aurora Cloud Gate and recounted how he coincidentally met her and her twin sister there did she understand what finally happened.

At that time, not only she but her sisters were also shocked to hear this from his own mouth. Their doubts over the two divine phoenixes that Davis summoned to battle the Immortal King Vacuous Beast finally became unveiled to everyone.

The happenings and the significance of this issue became more clear to them, but they asked him no more other than what they needed to hear.

Shirley also didn't prod him over this issue and simply knew that if she kept living in the Aurora Cloud Gate, there would be a time when she would meet the Fire Phoenix Mistress Flamerose, but never did she expect it to be so soon.

Casting a look at the Everlasting Phoenix Alliance, her crimson brows narrowed, "Who wants to challenge me?"

At this moment, a black-robed man stepped forward from the group of phoenixes and calmly looked at her. Not only did he possess dark skin, but he was also wearing a sleeveless crimson robe that revealed golden patches over his shoulders that stretched to his back and extended into magnificent jet-black wings.

He was a fey from the Dark Phoenix Clan.

His golden eyes stared fixedly at Shirley, appearing taken aback by her sharp yet alluring crimson eyes.

However, his eyes didn't show any lust or disdain as he looked at Shirley. Instead, he cupped his hands and slightly bowed.

"So you are the rumored Fire Phoenix Inheritor. Yesterday, I was only ten minutes late, but you were in a hurry to leave. However, I don't blame you as your time is more precious than mine, according to the Fire Phoenix Clan."

"If they didn't say that part, what were you going to do?"

Shirley raised her brows, causing him to chuckle, his lips slightly tinged with a golden hue.

"I want to make it clear that I or my race have nothing to do with your issues as I was simply allocated some alliance funds to battle you. Personally, I would've wished you would fail in your endeavors so that my Dark Phoenix Clan could rise above the Fire Phoenix Clan, but since I was exiled out of the Dark Phoenix Clan just last year, that is also none of my concern."

"Get your priorities straight, senior brother. Do you want to offend me or not?"

Shirley couldn't help but smile behind her crimson veil. Who knew if he would be exiled or sent as a spy? She knew that she wasn't Davis nor Clara to be able to find out the truth or have an inkling of it with her intuition that she directly questioned his intent.

"No, I don't want to offend you. I just want to gain some wealth."

"Then we'll see how you battle and defeat me to gain that wealth."

Shirley flew towards the battle stage before the Dark Phoenix Fey followed her before they gained some appropriate distance to have a fair start. Most disciples wouldn't bother with it as some wanted to get into close range while some others would want to end the battle as soon as possible. Sometimes, the battle would start arbitrarily and trap the other opponent.

However, the Dark Phoenix Fey didn't do anything like that. He further introduced himself as Zamok while refusing to elaborate on his family name and cupped his hands again.

"I don't necessarily need to win as I have already been paid. The need to win comes from the fact that defeating you means I can obtain ten times the paid amount."

"Seems like I have quite the bounty on my head." Shirley remained standing like a statue without even circulating her energy, "Make your move."

"Young Inheritor Shirley, I know you're strong, but it seems that I must educate you on who I am since you take me for a minor character. Well, in your eyes, I may be a minor character eventually. However, I'm the character who failed to become the Young Master of the Dark Phoenix Clan. If you think you can beat me without even-"

Shirley ignored and turned her head and turned to look at Zamok's ranking. He was actually in the five hundred despite being a failed candidate to become a Young Master of the Dark Phoenix Clan. However, she couldn't understand one thing.

"How are your powers structured? Back in my lower plane-"

Shirley extrapolated how there was only the Young Master and Young Mistress position for the junior generation of power. However, she heard from Davis that Flamerose, or rather Mistress Zahara, had abandoned the position of Clan Mistress. Yet, this Dark Phoenix here was citing a Young Master position. Feeling perplexed, she tried asking this Dark Phoenix Fey that somehow liked to talk and then make his move as she said.

Meanwhile, learning Shirley's doubts, Zamok narrowed his eyes, but he couldn't sense any sneak attacks in preparation. After all, flame energy was something berserk and easy to discover. One could not easily hide it even if one tried to.

After a second or two, he nodded his head and moved his golden-tinged lips.

"The powers in the First Haven World have gone through internal struggles and upheavals many times, especially, the differences between humans, magical beasts, and feys more or less come up when there is an ongoing issue. Therefore, there are not two positions for the younger generation as it cuts short opportunities presented, nor are there six positions to accommodate all three races. Instead, there are only four positions to fill."

"The Clan Lord and the Clan Mistress statuses belong to the magical beasts alone. As for the Young Master and the Young Mistress status, they are fought between humans and feys. Each role has its own responsibility and calling, but they all fight for a similar end, the Patriarch and the Matriarch positions. Otherwise, they would just become Grand Elders."

"As for why the magical beasts get their own exclusive statuses and become the top ruling party, that's because it is from the retention of the purity of bloodline that the future of the power is secure. The power needs their blood to be able to function for a long period of time."

"Most magical beast powers adopt this kind of structure, including my Dark Phoenix Clan and your Fire Phoenix Clan. As for other powers with different hierarchies, there would be major differences. Nonetheless, even the human-centric and fey-centric powers agree with this kind of structure. After all, when an Emperor-Tier Beast appears, they would have no choice but to bow their heads."

Zamok gave a short explanation that not only made Shirley understand, but even the clueless disciples who were born in the Aurora Cloud Gate had their horizons widened.

"I see..."

Shirley nodded two times before she took out a crimson fan and stretched, revealing the image of a Fire Phoenix burning through the nine layers of clouds, "This is not my fighting style, but I'll amuse myself with it."

As she spoke, she suddenly waved her hand as her crimson sleeves danced. The air in front of her abruptly seared and surged into a reaping tide of scarlet flames as they shot towards Zamok with an incredible speed that the distance between them might as well not exist.

Zamok's eyes widened. He was about to say that she should not underestimate him directly but sensing her undulations that were growing stronger and stronger that they reached Level Six Immortal Stage in prowess so easily as far as he could sense, sweat couldn't help but appear on his forehead.

Fortunately, as he had already gathered his energy within the tip of his fingers, he made a few hand signs, quickly circulating the energy within those connections before he unleashed them at the incoming attack.

*Fsshh!~*

The approaching scarlet flames were suddenly hit by a dark, gaseous maw that enveloped the entirety of the attack and sought to corrode it within as sizzling sounds echoed.

However, one could see that these ghastly particles encroaching Shirley's Fire Phoenix scarlet flames weren't truly pure darkness but darkness flames!

Its sizzle was like the roar of a beast from the depths of the underworld as it sought to destroy Fire Phoenix Flames. Before long, it completely devoured the wave of scarlet flames as the battle arena became silent.