Essence of the Path of Devotion, Verse Fifteen:
When you walk into the center of someone else's game, never assume you are the pawn. The real move is discovering where the board itself can be overturned.
The moment Jiang Muchen stepped into the blazing white fissure, the world flipped.
The scorching heat outside the rift vanished instantly.
In its place came a suffocating stillness.
For a heartbeat, he felt weightless—as if falling through an endless shaft of fire. Streams of crimson light rushed past him like molten rivers, twisting into ancient runic patterns before dissolving into darkness.
Then—
Thud.
His boots touched solid ground.
Jiang Muchen opened his eyes.
He was standing inside a colossal hall.
The floor was forged from dark-red stone that looked like cooled magma. Every slab was etched with dense runes glowing faintly like embers buried beneath ash. Massive pillars rose hundreds of feet into the darkness above, each carved with spiraling dragons of flame.
At the center of the hall burned a suspended sphere of fire the size of a carriage wheel.
It floated silently, rotating slowly, casting waves of orange light across the chamber.
This was not ordinary fire.
This was earthfire essence.
Behind him, another figure landed heavily.
Li Yan.
He staggered for a moment before steadying himself, the pair of poison-fire daggers already in his hands.
"So this… is the inside of the Flame Emperor's Palace…" he murmured.
Even his normally hoarse voice carried a hint of awe.
Jiang Muchen did not answer.
His gaze had already fallen on the Earthfire Compass in his hand.
The flame-shaped needle spun violently at first—then slowly stabilized, pointing deeper into the palace.
Toward a long corridor behind the central hall.
"The array core is that way," Jiang Muchen said quietly.
Li Yan nodded once.
"Move fast. We don't have long."
They crossed the hall cautiously.
The moment Jiang Muchen stepped onto the inner ring of runes surrounding the floating fire sphere—
Buzz.
A tremor ran through the entire palace.
The runes on the floor flared brighter.
Li Yan instantly froze.
"You triggered something."
Jiang Muchen's eyes narrowed.
"No."
His voice remained calm.
"The array is reacting to the earthfire surge. The weakening phase has begun."
Right on schedule.
Exactly as the notebook described.
Deep underground, the main earthfire vein had begun its nightly eruption. For this brief window, the Flame Refining Grand Array protecting the palace was weakened to less than thirty percent of its normal power.
Without this moment, even a Golden Core cultivator would struggle to enter alive.
They continued forward.
The corridor stretched hundreds of meters ahead.
On both sides stood rows of bronze statues—armored warriors holding halberds and flame shields. Their eyes were carved from blood-red crystals that reflected the flickering light like living pupils.
Li Yan's voice dropped.
"Puppet guardians."
Jiang Muchen nodded.
Ancient Flame Guard Puppets.
Normally they would activate the moment intruders entered the corridor.
But tonight—
Nothing happened.
The statues remained motionless.
Because the array controlling them was temporarily weakened.
Still, Jiang Muchen did not relax.
He knew the real danger lay ahead.
After walking for nearly half a mile, the corridor suddenly opened into a vast circular chamber.
The Array Hall.
At the center rose a stone altar ten meters high.
And embedded in the altar's peak—
A single object.
It glowed with deep crimson light like a burning star.
A rectangular token the size of a palm.
Its surface was engraved with ancient flame runes that twisted like living serpents.
The Flame Emperor Token.
Li Yan sucked in a sharp breath.
"That… that's it?"
Jiang Muchen stared silently.
His heartbeat quickened despite himself.
Even from a distance, he could feel the terrifying power inside the token.
This was not a mere artifact.
It was a control core forged from condensed earthfire essence.
Whoever refined it would control most of the palace's defensive systems.
And more importantly—
The Flame Emperor inheritance pathways.
Which meant one thing.
Whoever held this token could decide who lived and who died inside the palace.
"Go," Li Yan whispered.
"I'll watch the entrance."
Jiang Muchen nodded.
He began climbing the stone altar.
Each step triggered faint flashes of runes beneath his feet.
The pressure grew heavier with every meter.
By the time he reached halfway up, sweat already soaked his back.
The array suppression had begun.
Even weakened, the Flame Refining Array still exerted enormous pressure.
For high-level cultivators, the suppression was devastating.
But Jiang Muchen's cultivation was only Qi Refining Fourth Layer.
The array treated him almost like a harmless insect.
By the time he reached the altar's peak—
The pressure stabilized.
He stood directly before the token.
Up close, the Flame Emperor Token looked even more terrifying.
The metal surface pulsed slowly like a beating heart.
Heat radiated from it in waves.
Jiang Muchen took a slow breath.
Then—
He bit his fingertip.
A drop of bright red blood welled up.
Without hesitation, he pressed it onto the token.
The moment the blood touched its surface—
BOOM.
The entire palace trembled.
A pillar of crimson light erupted from the altar, shooting straight toward the unseen ceiling.
Jiang Muchen's consciousness was instantly dragged into a blazing vortex.
Inside the storm of fire, a voice echoed through his mind.
Ancient.
Majestic.
Terrifying.
"Who dares claim the authority of the Flame Emperor?"
Flames roared around him like a sea.
Jiang Muchen's spirit stood alone in the inferno.
His expression remained calm.
"Jiang Muchen," he said.
The voice thundered again.
"Cultivation: Qi Refining. Bloodline: Mortal."
"Explain why you deserve this authority."
For a moment, Jiang Muchen almost laughed.
Three thousand years had passed.
And the palace's spirit guardian still believed this was some sort of trial.
But Jiang Muchen already knew the truth.
From the notebook.
The so-called "trial" was nothing more than a recognition protocol.
All it required was enough willpower to endure the spiritual pressure.
He closed his eyes.
Then he spoke slowly.
"I don't deserve it."
The flames paused.
The voice seemed surprised.
Jiang Muchen continued calmly.
"But I am the only one here who can use it correctly."
Silence.
Then—
The flames surged violently.
The spiritual pressure intensified.
A test of will.
Jiang Muchen did not resist.
He simply stood there.
Unmoving.
Steady as stone.
Seconds passed.
Then—
The voice spoke again.
Softly this time.
"Recognition accepted."
The inferno collapsed.
Jiang Muchen's eyes snapped open.
The Flame Emperor Token had already fallen into his palm.
It was warm.
Almost alive.
At that exact moment—
A furious shout echoed from the corridor entrance.
"Jiang Muchen! Hurry!"
Li Yan's voice.
Followed by the sound of clashing metal.
And another voice.
Cold.
Sharp.
Filled with killing intent.
"Interesting."
Chen Xuanfeng.
"Looks like you really did take the token."
Jiang Muchen slowly turned around.
At the base of the altar stood Chen Xuanfeng.
Behind him—
Six inner-sect disciples.
And Li Yan, kneeling on one knee, blood dripping from his shoulder.
Chen Xuanfeng smiled faintly.
"Hand it over."
His eyes burned with greed.
"The Flame Emperor Token belongs to me."
Jiang Muchen looked down at the token in his hand.
Then he looked back at Chen Xuanfeng.
And slowly—
He smiled.
[Devotion Scripture · Verse Fifteen]
When someone believes you've just handed them victory… that's usually the moment the real game begins.