Lingyang's Western Region.
A divine tree that towered to the heavens stood between sky and earth. Its entire form seemed cast from gold, wreathed in blazing solar true fire, its gnarled branches thick and sturdy.
Perched on every branch were three-legged golden crows of all sizes. The golden radiance enveloping them rivaled the suns above; at a glance, there were well over a thousand.
The temperature between heaven and earth was terrifyingly high, hot enough to melt gold and iron. If the void all around weren't inscribed with sealing arrays, the entire Lingyang Realm would have been reduced to scorched earth.
At the crown of the tree, atop its golden leaves, stood a golden palace stretching dozens of miles in every direction. It was magnificent and grand, wreathed in divine light.
An array shrouded the palace, shutting out the scorching heat and making it as temperate as any ordinary place. Shi Lan sat in the guest seat. More than a dozen figures were gathered in the hall besides her. Their auras varied, but even the weakest was a Demon Emperor who had stepped into the Void Realm.
They were all high-ranking members of the Golden Crow Clan. Seated at the head of the hall was a middle-aged man with a dignified face, clad in golden robes. His short golden hair lent him a fierce, martial air.
Apart from the plain sun hanging in the sky, he was the one who called the shots in the Golden Crow Clan. His name was Chi Jue, and he had only recently entered the Great Sage realm of the Other Shore.
Shi Lan had originally planned to return directly to the heartlands of the Divine Race and find somewhere to cultivate in seclusion. Halfway there, she happened to encounter Chi Jue, who was looking