Chapter 121: The Crown Prince

“Rumble, rumble.” From a large teleportation array near Ji Hao, a vast convoy slowly emerged.

On the enormous wagons, mountains of refined gold, flawless jade, and all manner of rare treasures had been neatly stacked. Great numbers of sturdy-looking warriors clad in leather armor stood guard on either side, long spears and halberds in hand, all of them scrutinizing Ji Hao curiously from head to toe.

Compared with the divine guards surrounding him, Ji Hao could only be described as petite and frail. Even the shortest of these divine guards stood over four meters tall, and the shafts of their long halberds were as thick as Ji Hao’s thighs.

Ten such towering divine guards had surrounded Ji Hao, their halberds pressed tightly against him. No matter how one looked at it, the scene resembled a pack of evil dragons bullying a helpless lamb.

Not only the convoy’s guards, but everyone in the square who had noticed the disturbance was now looking over with schadenfreude.

Yet despite their curiosity, the flow of people in the square remained orderly. No one shouted or caused the slightest commotion. Everyone silently entered and left the teleportation arrays, and not a single person came over to watch the spectacle.

Recalling the old man’s words, Ji Hao immediately understood just how strict the “rules” of the Zhurong Divine Kingdom were.

Slowly raising both hands, Ji Hao displayed Man Man’s token and said in a deep voice, “I didn’t break in here recklessly. I came to find Man Man.”

After a pause, Ji Hao stared at the old man, whose expression had suddenly become extraordinarily strange, and enunciated each word. “Her full name should be Zhurong Man Man, if I’m not mistaken.”

The token in Ji Hao’s hand flashed with red light, and a wave of scorching heat surged outward.

The old man, who had worn an imposing expression only moments before, abruptly became all smiles. With a trace of obsequiousness, he bowed deeply to Ji Hao.

“So you are Young Lady Man Man’s friend. It was all a misunderstanding just now. May I ask what brings you here, honored sir? Is there anything we can do to assist you?”

The ten divine guards withdrew their halberds in perfect unison, bowed to Ji Hao, and then marched away in orderly formation. Throughout the entire process, they did not utter a single word. Their precision and uniformity made them seem almost mechanical.

Several men dressed in crimson robes like the old man came forward, their faces wreathed in smiles as they tried to ingratiate themselves with Ji Hao. Ji Hao still did not understand the significance of the token in his hand, but these officials of the Zhurong Divine Kingdom certainly did.

The token in Ji Hao’s hand was a life-saving token bestowed by the Fire God Zhurong upon his own children. Each token contained a drop of Zhurong’s original blood essence. By using the corresponding incantation and hand seals, one could unleash all kinds of formidable powers.

Within the Zhurong Divine Kingdom, such tokens were known as Fire God Tokens. They represented the absolute will of the Fire God Zhurong. Anyone who opposed one of these tokens would meet a truly miserable end.

Of course, apart from the supreme authority of the Fire God Token, Man Man’s own reputation was enough to make even the lowest officials of the Zhurong Divine Kingdom bow and scrape before her. Who did not know that the greatest menace in the entire Zhurong Divine Kingdom, the person who caused everyone the greatest headache, was Man Man?

“I’m looking for Man Man. Take me to her.”

Ji Hao tucked the token into the leather pouch at his waist.

“Yes, yes, we obey your command.”

The men hurriedly bowed to Ji Hao. Then the old man straightened, waved toward the sky, and a fire dragon a hundred zhang long descended with a swish of its tail. Flames surged across its entire body.

The fire dragon landed lightly on the ground. Its scarlet eyes, each as large as a water vat, gazed deeply at Ji Hao before it let out a low, resonant growl.

Ji Hao widened his eyes, astonished and delighted at once, his emotions thrown into complete confusion as he stared at the fire dragon.

A dragon. A totemic beast that held a special place in Ji Hao’s memories. It was no longer a legend or an image in a picture. A genuine five-clawed divine dragon now stood silently before him.

Antlers like those of a deer, the body of a serpent, talons like an eagle’s, and whiskers like those of a carp. Mysterious runes flickered from time to time across its thick scales. Behind its enormous head, a mass of flames streamed wildly like long, disheveled hair. It was a true dragon, a mighty creature radiating terrifying majesty.

Ji Hao extended a hand. After hesitating for a moment, he forcefully patted the divine dragon on the forehead.

With a hiss, a wisp of smoke rose from Ji Hao’s palm. The scales on the dragon’s forehead were scorching beyond belief, a hundred times hotter than red-hot iron. Even though Ji Hao had activated the power of his Golden Crow bloodline and was protected by secret arts, a thick layer of skin on his palm was burned away instantly.

Ji Hao gave an awkward laugh. Beside him, the old man, the divine guards, and the officials all stiffened.

Only after a long while did Ji Hao murmur in wonder, “I never imagined it would be this hot. How can you ride on him?”

After another lengthy silence, one of the divine guards who had leaped down from the dragon’s back finally said hoarsely, “Honored sir, when we ride the fire dragon, he deliberately restrains the flames along his back. Apart from the section where we sit, however, the heat throughout the rest of his body remains undiminished.”

The old man gave a dry chuckle. “Honored sir, would you like some ointment for your hand? We have specially prepared salves for treating all kinds of burns. I guarantee they will not leave even the slightest scar.”

An hour later, Ji Hao, his face covered in black soot, was riding on the dragon’s back. His hands were coated in richly fragrant medicinal ointment, and accompanied by the old man and several officials, he flew swiftly toward the palace that belonged to Man Man.

The fire dragon flew incredibly fast, even faster than the fire crows. Yet the journey from the enormous square to Man Man’s palace still took most of half a day. They had flown at least several hundred thousand li.

Throughout the territory of the Zhurong Divine Kingdom, volcanoes boiled everywhere, and lava flooded the land in all directions.

Yet between the volcanoes and rivers of magma, countless exotic flowers and plants that thrived in extreme heat grew luxuriantly. Green shade and blossoms covered the land. At a glance, seas of fire, forests, and flowers complemented one another, creating a succession of strange and breathtaking landscapes.

Man Man was the youngest daughter of the Fire God Zhurong, and his most beloved child. Thus, in the core region of the Zhurong Divine Kingdom, she possessed an entire territory spanning tens of thousands of li. Scattered throughout its vast mountains and forests were several thousand palaces of various sizes, along with thousands of exquisitely beautiful gardens and parks—all of them her private property.

Apart from these palaces and gardens, Man Man also commanded an elite army of divine guards, who guarded her territory day and night without rest.

Along the way, the old man, Yingzhu, explained the details of Man Man’s domain. At last, Ji Hao saw in the distance a huge palace suspended above the erupting lava at the summit of a gigantic volcano. The palace covered an area of nearly a hundred li.

Before the palace stood a blazing archway. On a plaque above it, three enormous and crooked characters had been written in an indescribably ugly hand:

Man Man Palace!

Ji Hao stared blankly at the plaque. Had Man Man written it herself? The handwriting was so ugly that he could scarcely find words to describe it.

Just as he was inwardly mocking Man Man’s calligraphy, a streak of fire shot in from the side. It quickly overtook the fire dragon carrying Ji Hao and the others, then blocked their path.

Riding atop a massive fire phoenix was a red-haired young man with a handsome, jade-like face. He sat in a scarlet-gold throne, holding a wine cup, and looked at Ji Hao with a smiling expression.

“Oh? Man Man has a guest?”

“Little fellow, I’m Man Man’s seventh brother, Zhurong Tianming!”

He lifted his chin slightly, a trace of arrogance in his voice.

“You may also call me the Crown Prince of Destiny.”