Chapter 567: East vs. Imperial House

Open the second trial!

As the cold voice fell, the hall rippled with strange energy, and in the next instant, three gates of flame appeared before them.

When these three gates, forged from pure flame, solidified in the hall, an entirely different, intense aura instantly spread, enveloping Lin Chen and the other sixteen.

One green, one golden, one black.

The left gate, woven from emerald flame, radiated a vibrant, thriving life force. Merely by glancing at it, Lin Chen felt his soul become profoundly at ease.

This green flame gate seemed to contain the purest essence of life itself, compelling one to step inside and be nourished by it.

After several breaths, Lin Chen finally tore his gaze from the left green flame gate and turned it toward the golden gate in the center.

The moment he looked, his soul trembled—a weighty, invisible pressure, heavier than mountains, crashed upon him. The golden light was blinding but not scorching; instead, it carried an undeniable sacredness and grandeur.

The entire golden gate stood like a sun monarch—facing it felt like confronting a supreme existence, stirring an innate, soul-deep sense of insignificance, compelling one to kneel and worship.

Thud!

From nearby came a sound. Lin Chen’s spirit jolted back to clarity; he turned his gaze to the right, where a middle-aged man now knelt on the ground.

Seeing the man on his knees, Lin Chen understood—he, like himself, had looked upon the second golden gate and failed to withstand its pressure, his body betraying him into kneeling.

The others’ bodies were also trembling, clearly struggling against the urge to kneel.

Lin Chen turned his gaze to the third, black flame gate. Compared to the other two, this black gate appeared ancient and plain, silently devouring the surrounding light and sound; within it lay a bottomless void, as if even spiritual sense might be sucked in—like the gate’s other side was an endless abyss.

“Prince Consort, choose the green gate.”

As Lin Chen pondered, Zhuang Qiang’s voice whispered into his ear.

“Do you know the origin of these three gates?”

“The first green gate is a medicinal field. When the Wan Huozong founder established the Holy Flame Hall, he came to my flower clan and gathered many spirit herb seeds, then used the unique life force of primordial flame to nurture them.”

Zhuang Qiang did not hide it—her goal this time was the first green gate.

She sought a specific spirit herb, one long extinct in the outside world; according to the elders, the only possible place it might still exist was the Holy Flame Hall.

Hearing Zhuang Qiang’s words, Lin Chen was surprised—most primordial flames did indeed nurture abundant life, tied to their inherent nature.

Aside from a few rare primordial flames, most that could give rise to life required absorbing sufficient earth vein energy; for medicinal herbs, earth vein energy was the very life force they needed.

If this green gate was indeed the medicinal field planted by the Wan Huozong founder, then after tens of thousands of years, the rank of the herbs within would be unimaginably high.

Any single herb, taken outside, would be priceless.

“What about the other two gates?”

“The second gate should contain the founder’s legacy. As for the third gate… my sister and I do not know. But before we came, our clan elders warned us: never step into the black gate.”

Lin Chen understood—the Wan Huozong founder was generous; he would not let any warrior enter empty-handed.

Even if one failed to claim the legacy, one could still enter the green gate to obtain its herbs. In the entire Yan Emperor’s realm, such a generous cultivator was rare.

“You said earlier that having you two enter the second trial would help me—how?”

Lin Chen had not forgotten the woman’s earlier words meant to coax him into acting; otherwise, that single “Prince Consort” alone would not have moved him.

For Jiang Shijie’s sake, he could protect one person’s key—but both wanted it? That was greed. Had she not added those final words, he would not have helped the other woman at all.

“May I ask, Prince Consort, is your goal the Wan Huozong founder’s legacy?”

“Yes.”

Facing Zhuang Qiang’s question, Lin Chen did not hesitate—he admitted it. Having come this far, denying it would be hypocrisy.

“Then please, Prince Consort, do not enter the golden gate yet. Wait until my sister and I emerge from the green gate before you enter the golden one.”

“Why?”

“To receive the Wan Huozong founder’s legacy, there will surely be further trials. Behind the green gate grows a spirit herb that, when consumed, greatly enhances a cultivator’s compatibility with primordial flame—whether for absorbing or controlling it, the effect is extraordinary.”

Zhuang Qiang spoke slowly; her earlier words had been deliberate.

Though none knew how the Wan Huozong founder chose his successor, it certainly wouldn’t be as simple as the first trial. The founder was the supreme master of primordial flame control in the entire Yan Emperor’s realm; any test for his successor would inevitably involve absorption or manipulation of primordial flame.

“I cannot enter the green gate first, then the golden one?”

“Prince Consort, each person may enter only one gate. You cannot enter a second.”

Lin Chen understood—if so, these two women were indeed useful to him.

As Lin Chen and Zhuang Qiang exchanged whispers, the others in the hall also began acting. Meng Bing scanned the crowd and spoke slowly: “Regarding the Holy Flame Hall, the founder left only one record: these three gates. The green gate contains medicinal herbs, but after so many years, whether those herbs still exist remains uncertain.”

Tens of thousands of years have passed—whether these herbs even have such a long growth cycle is doubtful; they may have long since withered.

Faces around the hall showed deep thought, yet no one asked Meng Bing further questions. At this point, all were rivals; any insight one had, one kept silent—lest one alert an opponent.