"Awake, awake!"
The Flame Demon had become exceedingly well-behaved. Its long, dry, tedious life in the Ironblood Cage trial grounds had made it forget the dangers posed by higher-level beings outside.
Yet now, with the arrival of this unknown and powerful lifeform, the Flame Demon's long-buried memories were once again stirred awake.
Glug, glug, glug.
The bubbling crimson magma gradually settled. The Flame Demon took out several high-grade fire crystals and respectfully placed them before Green.
"Great being, this is my tribute of submission. Please be sure to accept it."
Green naturally gathered up the tribute. Over all these years in the Dimensional Esophagus, he had long grown accustomed to receiving offerings from lesser beings who submitted to him.
"Tell me where there is a large brood nest nearby. I mean a truly large brood nest—one that even you would not dare provoke."
After storing the fire crystals in the Dimension Gap amid the Flame Demon's pained expression, Green asked in a low voice.
"You jest. How could there possibly be anything here that I would not dare provoke? Unless its flesh is not delicious enough, the great Utemuzi can go wherever he wishes in these Ironblood Cage trial grounds..."
The Flame Demon was only halfway through boasting when it froze. Sensing Green's increasingly unfriendly expression, it hurriedly pointed in two directions. "I remember that over there, atop a giant Cloud-Piercing Tree, a Firebird King was driven away by a Golden Insect Mother. A hundred years ago, that same Firebird King tried to seize my volcano and was driven off by me as well. And over there, I heard that a group of Corruptors sealed a very powerful Golden Insect Mother. I do not know whether that is true or not."
Green grunted, then vanished before the Flame Demon could