After following Hong Li for roughly half an incense stick's time, the crimson jade steps beneath his feet gradually leveled out, and a hall appeared before him, not particularly grand but exceptionally solemn.
Unlike the main hall, this building had no gilded glazed tiles. It was built entirely of dark crimson fire-patterned stone, with two small yet ferocious fire crow statues flanking its entrance, each holding an everlasting, dusky red flame in its beak.
There were no unnecessary furnishings inside, only a row of five Black Stone chairs at the far end, their backs carved with different flame totems. Dark-patterned tiles covered the floor, every groove carrying a faint current of fire laws. Stepping onto them, one felt a heavy, concentrated pressure surge upward through the soles.
The hall was dimly lit, with only nine fire crystal lamps hanging from the ceiling casting a warm red glow. As their flames danced, the shadows within stretched and shrank, lending the stillness an eerie quality.
Clearly, this was not the core of the Fire God Hall, but it was still a branch with considerable power.
Qin He could not yet tell exactly how its divisions were organized.
"Give me the dossier. Wait here while I go in and announce you."
Hong Li stopped, his tone as cold as ever. Without waiting for Qin He to answer, he took the dossier and strode into the hall. The doors moved without any wind, slowly closing and shutting out every sound from within.
Standing outside, Qin He quietly activated the Source-Birth Law through his fingertips, suppressing his aura a little further while sweeping his surroundings with the periphery of his divine sense.
A Saint Tier guard stood on either side of the entrance, their auras weightier than those of the guards at the Teleportation Array.