The door opened, and Luo Li laid bare her heart, telling him everything.
The Luo God Clan's past and present, its current predicament, and the trials the clan had faced.
"Luo Li, has your clan never considered asking His Excellency the Flame Emperor for help?"
Mu Chen asked the question that had been buried in his heart for a long time.
The Flame Emperor had a deep connection with the Luo God Clan.
Back then, Flame Emperor Xiao Yan had broken through from a Lower Plane, only to face the challenge of having his power assimilated by spiritual energy.
(Whether it was the battle qi of the Dou Qi Continent or the Origin Energy of the Heavenly Profound Continent, both were relatively low-grade compared to the spiritual energy of the Great Thousand World, and their essence was inferior.
Once a prodigy from a Lower Plane entered the Great Thousand World's main plane, the vast amount of spiritual energy filling the heavens and earth would inevitably enter their body and assimilate their power.
But out of instinct to protect themselves, peak experts' battle qi or Origin Energy would inevitably retaliate, clashing with the spiritual energy entering them from the outside and turning their bodies into a battlefield.
There were no shortage of unlucky people who exploded and died during the process of spiritual energy assimilation.
This process, known as spiritual energy assimilation, was a perilous ordeal that struck fear into the hearts of countless prodigies from Lower Planes.)
By chance, Luo Tianshen discovered him while patrolling the territory and stepped in to help.
After escaping his predicament, the Flame Emperor hurried off to save his two wives, who were both in mortal danger.
Without Luo Tianshen's help, the Flame Emperor might well have lost his loved ones.
In the few short decades that followed, the Flame Emperor first went alone to debate the Dao with the Fire Spirit Clan, then fought Fire Spirit Ancestor, a Heavenly Sovereign, and won the clan's sacred flame, which had been passed down for nearly a million years.
He founded the Endless Fire Domain, personally raising it to the ranks of the Great Thousand World's three holy lands of alchemy, with countless experts under his command and Spirit Alchemy Grandmasters gathered within.
As soon as his power was established, he repelled an invasion by the Mohe Ancient Clan, forcing Mohe Tian, who had only just inherited the position of clan leader, to use the clan's ancestral treasure before he could flee back to his clan in a sorry state.
Not long after reaching Saint Grade, he clashed with the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor, the strongest expert beneath the Heavenly Evil God among the Evil Clan from Beyond. Using the Emperor Flame, forged from myriad flames, he met the Saint Demon Flame head-on and walked away unscathed.
Only then did Luo Tianshen realize that in just a few short decades, the boy from a Lower Plane who had wandered into the Luo God Clan's territory had grown to such heights.
A dual Saint Grade expert, he was known alongside the Master of the Martial Border as one of the Twin Stars of the Lower Planes and the Great Thousand Twin Heroes. He was one of the Saint Grade giants with the greatest promise of reaching the supreme realm and claiming the heavens.
"It's not that none of the clan elders ever brought it up. They wanted Grandfather to ask the Flame Emperor for help."
"But Grandfather is simply too stubborn. No one can talk him around."
"He's always believed that what he did back then was nothing more than a small favor. We shouldn't use it to demand repayment, much less go out of our way to curry favor with a Saint Grade giant who guards the borders of the Great Thousand World and has won countless battle honors."
"When the Flame Emperor was down on his luck, we didn't trouble him. Now that he's thriving, we shouldn't curry favor with him either."
Luo Li thought of her grandfather. Her usually cool face was filled with pride.
That was her grandfather, the mighty pillar holding up the Luo God Clan!
That had been far more than a small favor, Mu Chen thought.
Though he didn't know which of the Flame Emperor's wives had been in danger that day,
whether it was Xiao Xun'er or Medusa Cailin, both were the Flame Emperor's beloved wives, whom he could never bear to lose. Nothing could take their place.
That stubborn old man, Luo Tianshen, had done the Flame Emperor an enormous favor.
"How can personal pride and shame matter more than the rise and fall of an entire clan?"
"If my clan were in danger and a powerful person happened to be able to help, I'd gladly accept it, even if they didn't just bully and insult me, but called me a pig or a dog. I'd do so willingly, from the bottom of my heart."
"Besides, everyone in the Great Thousand World knows that the Flame Emperor has always valued loyalty and affection."
"If your clan goes to ask him for help, that lord wouldn't refuse you even a single word."
"Luo Li, I shouldn't be the one saying this, but our elders are stubborn. We juniors have fewer burdens. We can be flexible and go around His Excellency Luo Tianshen."
"You could send a private letter to the Endless Fire Domain."
Mu Chen offered her a suggestion, finding another way forward.
At present, he was short on strength, and his father Mu Feng's influence was limited to a corner of the Hundred Spirit Continent. He couldn't project his power onto other continents. Even if he wanted to help, he had neither the ability nor the means.
The only one who could help the Luo God Clan escape its predicament was the Flame Emperor.
"Go around Grandfather and ask the Endless Fire Domain for help in my name?"
Luo Li's eyes lit up. This path seemed extremely feasible.
Why did she cultivate so furiously every day?
Wasn't it so she could take up the burden from her aging grandfather and shoulder the responsibility of protecting her clan? If it could save the Luo God Clan, what did a little writing matter?
The silver-haired girl made up her mind. As soon as she returned to her clan, she would get to work.
Later, after the Spirit Road Selection ended, Luo Li returned to her clan and sent a letter to the Endless Fire Domain in the Extreme North under her identity as the Luo God Clan's only Imperial Princess. The Endless Fire Domain responded, just as expected.
The Flame Emperor was detained by other matters and couldn't appear in person. It seemed he was in seclusion, studying an Emperor Grade pill formula. So the Mistress Xun Er, who managed the Endless Fire Domain, received the letter in his place.
She immediately sent Luo Tianshen, whose birthday was approaching, a birthday invitation in her husband's name.
The Mistress of the Endless Fire Domain clearly wanted to help the Luo God Clan stabilize its position first. She would leave the rest for her husband to handle once he emerged from seclusion, so the Flame Emperor could repay the Luo God Clan's kindness himself.
Sure enough, as soon as the Flame Emperor's invitation arrived, the other three Great God Clans—which had been plotting to join forces and carve up the Luo God Clan's territory—fell silent, despite having been itching to make a move in the Lesser Western Heaven Realm.
They held back their impulses, retracted their claws, and continued to lie in wait for the right moment.
Over the next decade or so, with the Flame Emperor's invitation and his own remaining prestige, Luo Tianshen finally stabilized the Luo God Clan's precarious situation, and the clan's people gradually settled down.
Though there were still occasional clashes along the borders with the three Great God Clans, there were no more major battles.
Perhaps the pent-up gloom in her heart had finally been released. Much of the chill around Luo Li faded, and she seemed far more cheerful, a smile slowly appearing on her face.
Seeing the girl change, Mu Chen was happy too. He reached out his long hand to her and invited her, "Luo Li, let's conquer the Spirit Road together."
"Whether it's the Spirit Road or the Great Thousand World, you can leave your back to me."
"**** or swords, spears, and a rain of blades, I'll take it all for you."
"Past, present, and future, Mu Chen will always be Luo Li's strongest support."
The boy's voice was low and strong, sincere and unwavering.
Luo Li sat gracefully beside the Hundred Spirits Youth, resting her delicate hand against her chin as she listened quietly to her companion speak as if making a vow, her gaze gentle.
Her silver hair streamed in the wind like a waterfall, making her look like a spirit of the wind.
"All right. I promise."
"From this day on, you'll have my back."
Before the boy could finish speaking, Luo Li eagerly slipped her jade-white hand into his broad palm and gently clasped it.
Mu Chen's breathing quickened slightly.
Those few sweet words, as intoxicating as poison, struck his heart like a battering ram, leaving him hopelessly ensnared.
The boy laced his fingers with hers and held her smooth, soft hand tightly. Silently, he murmured in his heart:
"Likewise. My back, my weakness."
P.S. This chapter is meant to patch a plot hole in the original.
Anyone who has read Battle Through the Heavens knows that the Flame Emperor Xiao Yan's character is all about repaying even a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.
When you feed me a meal while I'm down on my luck, I'll grant you a heaven-shattering fortune once I'm successful.
He might even help someone weather the calamity of their entire clan being wiped out, all for the sake of loyalty.
In The Great Ruler, Luo Tianshen helped Xiao Yan speed up the completion of his spiritual energy assimilation, saving his loved ones from danger in time and preventing a tragedy. That was an enormous favor.
But in The Great Ruler, Luo Li's father, Luo Tianhe, had just died, and her grandfather, Luo Tianshen, was gravely injured. The Luo God Clan was in dire straits. The Flame Emperor sent Luo Tianshen a birthday invitation, scaring off the enemies lurking in the shadows and stabilizing the situation.
Personally, I feel that while this was no small help, it was rather strange and didn't fit the Flame Emperor's character.
Someone did you such an enormous favor back then. Even if you didn't repay them tenfold, surely you could at least return the favor in kind?
Since you already knew the Luo God Clan's situation and had stepped in to help, why stop one step short after going ninety-nine steps? Even if you couldn't come in person, why not send pills to help Luo Tianshen cure his poison? Or send one of your Heavenly Sovereigns to beat up the Earth Sovereigns of the three Great God Clans? Any one of those approaches could have completely resolved the Luo God Clan's crisis.
Sending only an invitation was too little, and the whole thing dragged on halfheartedly. It really didn't feel like something the Flame Emperor would do.
So I patched it here: the Flame Emperor himself was in seclusion and couldn't come, while the Mistress was in charge of the Endless Fire Domain.
As the Mistress, Xiao Xun'er had enormous resources at her disposal. She could certainly have helped the Luo God Clan resolve the crisis once and for all, but she considered her husband's pride and first sent the invitation in his name to stabilize the situation.
Once the Flame Emperor appeared, he could repay the kindness himself.
Before you continue