The Flame Shrine!

In the dense forest, Tang Fei walked ahead, carrying a rabbit. Little Fatty and Phoenix chatted as they walked, appearing to get along very well.

Phoenix actually preferred Little Fatty more because he was simple, genuine, and seemed kind and approachable.

Tang Fei had more schemes than a hornet's nest; who knew if anything he said was true? Phoenix always felt on edge when she was with him, afraid she'd fall into one of his traps if she wasn't careful.

Tang Fei, the master of digging pits!

Tang Fei didn't care what they were talking about; he was in a great mood, walking with a proud, swaggering gait.

He hadn't planned to hunt today, but by chance, he'd caught a rabbit.

What importance did women hold compared to a rabbit?

This rabbit was big and fat with a plump hindquarters. Even with an extra mouth to feed at home, it would be enough for them to eat heartily for three days.

Moreover, Phoenix had a tiny appetite, while Little Fatty ate more in one meal than she did in a day.

The old man always called Little Fatty a glutton, but was he really a barrel?

He was a vat!

They passed through Hate Mountain and were about to enter the human settlement area when they accidentally ran into a group of men dressed in robes and wearing hats.

The Flame Shrine!

When the apocalypse arrived and darkness descended, a group of opportunists seized the moment, claiming to ignite the torch and seek the light to save the world.

Whether they saved anyone was unimportant; the organization's membership and influence grew steadily.

As elite humans migrated to New Star, and laws and police vanished, leaving survival order in disarray, the Flame Shrine took it upon themselves to be responsible for "punishment" and "education" in the old lands.

Of course, these responsibilities were self-imposed.

To a certain extent, they held the power of life and death over ordinary refugees.

The Flame Shrine had a strict hierarchy, with robe colors indicating rank and flame emblems serving as their flag and symbol.

Ordinary members wore grey robes with grey flames embroidered on their chests. Above them were black, white, red, and gold robes. Each rank had different clothing colors and correspondingly different colored flames embroidered on their chests.

Grey robes were for ordinary members, the apostles of the god. Black robes were for third-rank Divine Envoys, white robes for second-rank Divine Envoys, red robes for first-rank Divine Envoys, and gold robes were for the Flame God.

Most of these people wore grey robes, the lowest-ranking members of the Flame Shrine. The man leading them wore a black robe, the leader of these grey-robed individuals and the leader of the Flame Shrine in this area.

It was too late to hide; it would only attract more suspicion and unwarranted disaster.

Therefore, Tang Fei stopped, waiting for the group to pass first.

However, the black-robed leader stopped, his gaze sweeping over Tang Fei with a dark intensity before landing on Phoenix, who was a step behind him. His eyes instantly lit up with a dazzling brilliance.

It was as if there was a sun before him, igniting all the light contained within his pupils.

Seeing the change in his eyes, Tang Fei knew the situation was bad. Even he thought Phoenix's fair and tender appearance was incredibly beautiful; in the eyes of these vulgar men, she was probably seen as a celestial being!

Furthermore, Phoenix wore a form-fitting black uniform that was starkly different from the local refugees. She was tall with long legs, elegant and sexy, looking like a proud little swan that had landed in a field of drab pheasants. Such a woman naturally drew everyone's attention and was very eye-catching.

Wasn't this why Tang Fei had carried her back?

If her physique were like Little Fatty's, Tang Fei would have had to consider the necessity of saving her.

It had nothing to do with her character, but mainly because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to carry her!

Tang Fei didn't move, and neither did the people from the Flame Shrine. Tang Fei didn't speak, and neither did the people from the Flame Shrine.

The atmosphere became tense.

After a long while, the black-robed man, growing impatient, pointed at Phoenix and asked, "Who is she?"

"Her?" Tang Fei looked around, deliberately lowering his voice and adopting a cautious demeanor, as if sharing a secret he absolutely couldn't reveal. He whispered, "She's a distinguished guest from New Star. Her entire family came by spaceship..."

Tang Fei didn't dare say she was related to him, because if he did, the Flame Shrine members would immediately try to snatch her away.

Some names could be discounted by half, while others could be discounted to the bone.

They wouldn't show any respect to a young hunter, nor would they care about your dignity. In the old lands, true jungle law prevailed; the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, was an irrefutable truth.

There was no need for pretense or concealment.

It so happened that important figures from New Star often came down to explore, searching for ancient ruins, secret texts, or spiritual salvation.

They couldn't ascertain the other party's true identity, so they dared not act rashly.

"Is that so?" The black-robed man scrutinized Phoenix carefully before asking, "Where are her family members?"

"That's difficult for me to say," Tang Fei said with a troubled expression, looking at the black-robed man. "As Lord Divine Envoy knows, most of these distinguished guests from New Star have their own private matters to attend to. My elders are acting as guides. Because the journey is quite dangerous, they left this young lady with us and entrusted us with her care."

The black-robed man hesitated. He could discern the information conveyed in Tang Fei's words.

First, this woman was a distinguished guest from New Star, and her identity was extremely significant.

Second, their entire family had come by spaceship, meaning they were numerous and possessed advanced weaponry and equipment, making them not to be trifled with lightly.

Third, the boy's elders had taken the distinguished guest on an important mission. Although they were just children, their adults could return at any moment, so it would be best not to harbor any ill intentions.

A sinister smile flickered across the black-robed man's lips as he said, "Has this distinguished guest from New Star registered with our Shrine?"

"Did we register?" Tang Fei looked at Phoenix, asking uncertainly.

"We should have. These matters are handled by the butler; I'm not entirely sure," Phoenix replied, shaking her head.

She knew she was in danger. The moment the man in the black robe saw her, she knew exactly what he was thinking.

She also understood that if things weren't handled properly, the consequences would be dire.

She understood Tang Fei's intentions and was happy to play along with his act.

After all, he was protecting her.

Thinking of this, Phoenix felt a warmth spread through her heart.

"Did you report it?" the man in the black robe sneered. "I'm in charge of the Hate Mountain settlement. Whether distinguished guests arrive or not... others might not know, but I certainly do."

"She trespassed into our shrine's protected area. What is her intention? What is her motive? Our shrine must investigate this matter thoroughly."

"That's right, let her come with us. Who knows, they might be those damned Predators."

"They've arrived on our territory but haven't even greeted our shrine. Do they have any respect for us at the Flame Shrine?"

"Take her away, take her away. We'll sort everything out at the shrine."

The men in gray robes understood their leader's thoughts and began shouting, demanding to take Phoenix away.

Some, eager to please, even rushed forward to grab her, but Tang Fei blocked them with his body.

"Divine Envoy, Divine Envoy..." Tang Fei looked at the man in the black robe, knowing the decision rested with him. "We're not Predators. We're just three children, how could we be Predators?"

"Are there no children among the Predators? They're far more vicious when they attack."

"Exactly. Even if they're not Predators, they could be their informants, spies, sneaking into our human settlement to gather information, waiting for their people to come and raid us."

"Take them!" The man in the black robe waved his hand and shouted, "Why are you wasting words with him? If they dare to obstruct us again, take them back to feed the gods."

Tang Fei and Little Fatty's faces showed fear.

To "feed the gods" meant to be chopped into pieces and thrown into cages to be fed to the shrine's Divine Pets.

A group of men in gray robes moved to seize Phoenix. Her eyes narrowed, and she was about to strike.

Tang Fei suddenly charged towards the men in gray, like a furious little wolf, roaring, "Don't touch her! Get lost, all of you, get lost!"

"Don't touch her. She can't go with you." Little Fatty followed closely, rushing forward.

Crack! Crack!

The group began to assault them with fists and kicks.

Tang Fei quickly fell to the ground. After resisting for a while, Little Fatty finally reacted and, also covered in wounds, collapsed.

And so, amidst Phoenix's curses, she was taken into the dense forest of Hate Mountain by the people of the Flame Shrine.

(ps: Thanks to Bai Xiu Ben Xiu for becoming our leader, the Grand Commander of the Hainan Guard, and a good brother of over ten years.)