For these young geniuses, seeing the Flame God today had already established him as a lifelong goal to pursue—to become a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch, to rank among the Epoch Quasi-Monarchs, to stand proudly at the pinnacle of Quasi-Monarchs, and to enjoy the attention of all.
As for many of the women, their hearts fluttered, including some female Quasi-Monarchs. Even though these female Quasi-Monarchs basically had descendants who were countless generations removed, they still yearned for a dazzling figure like the Flame God. They could only sigh silently in their hearts, regretting that they were no longer young and could not have met the Flame God in their youth.
As for Ye Chen beside the Flame God—he was completely ignored!
Although Ye Chen was now famous throughout the Primordial Path, and even a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch like the Flame God was merely a flickering flame compared to him, trying to compete with the sun and moon, few had truly seen Ye Chen's appearance. Moreover, with Ye Chen intentionally concealing his aura, even some Ancient Monarchs might not detect that he was a Quasi-Monarch. This led to the fact that among the many Quasi-Monarchs present, very few knew he was the Battle Saint King who had recently ranked first on the Epoch Quasi-Monarch List.
Consequently, many people thought he was just a servant brought by the Flame God. Even if he wasn't a servant, he was at most a disciple or a rising star. Given the status of these dignified Quasi-Monarchs, even if he were the Flame God's disciple, they would not lower themselves to address a young genius who wasn't even a Quasi-Monarch as a brother.
This also resulted in Ye Chen's side being completely deserted, in stark contrast to the Flame God's immense popularity.
The Flame God, surrounded like stars around the moon, was long accustomed to the various gazes within the Zui Baxian Hall. However, he also sensed the different looks people gave him and Ye Chen, feeling a hint of awkwardness. Only he knew that compared to Ye Chen, he was inferior in every way.
"Brother Ye, should I introduce you?" the Flame God transmitted via Spiritual Sense.
Ye Chen lightly shook his head. "No need. Let things take their natural course. It's quite good this way."
In the Zui Baxian Hall, the massive hall provided a Great Dao altar table for every Quasi-Monarch who arrived, allowing them to sit cross-legged on Great Dao meditation cushions. Within the hall, the Great Dao manifested like mist, resembling a fairyland—exquisitely beautiful and extraordinarily sacred.
The Great Dao altar tables were centered around the middle of the hall. There were ten in total, arranged in two rows, essentially representing the most powerful group of Quasi-Monarchs attending this gathering.
The Flame God, a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch, naturally had the qualification to occupy one of them.
Among the left and right rows, the Flame God originally wanted Ye Chen to take the first seat on the left, but Ye Chen shook his head at him, stepped down, and walked to a relatively ordinary Great Dao altar table, leisurely sitting down.
Many Quasi-Monarchs frowned, but out of respect for the Flame God, they didn't say anything.
"Lord Flame God, please take a seat!"
Many Quasi-Monarchs smiled and invited the Flame God to sit on the first seat on the left in the central area.
The Flame God frowned slightly, glanced at Ye Chen, then shook his head and gave up. He went directly to Ye Chen's side and sat down, drawing everyone's attention.
This immediately caused an uproar.
No one quite understood why the Flame God wouldn't even sit at one of the central ten altar tables but chose to sit at an ordinary Great Dao altar table, especially following Ye Chen.
This made many people frown, feeling that this Ye Chen who appeared with the Flame God was rather unusual.
Exquisite and beautiful women from the Charm Clan danced gracefully, a feast for the eyes.
However, the hearts of the several hundred Quasi-Monarchs were not on this. They had come this time to gather and strengthen their relationships with each other.
Silently, thirteen people appeared. Four of them transformed into Quasi-Monarchs, each taking a Great Dao altar table. The remaining nine manifested Divine King auras, following beside them.
Regarding their unfamiliarity, the other Quasi-Monarchs merely smiled slightly and nodded in acknowledgment. After all, the Flame Emperor Domain had only been established for two years—too short a time—so naturally, many Quasi-Monarchs had never met. This gathering was also for that purpose.
Although they clinked cups and drank with the other Quasi-Monarchs, it was clear that these four Quasi-Monarchs, along with the other nine, were secretly monitoring Ye Chen.
Their target this time was precisely Ye Chen!
"What do you think? Should we act immediately and kill the Battle Saint King?"
"Don't act rashly. Don't forget, although the Battle Saint King is still a Quasi-Monarch, as an Eternal Quasi-Monarch, he has the ability to defeat or even kill a first-level Sovereign."
"There are so many Quasi-Monarchs here. Once we act, it will be very troublesome."
"The starry sky within the Drunken Immortal Tower is unusual. There are also Ancient Monarchs here. If we act, we must have absolute certainty; otherwise, we cannot act."
"Wait for the right opportunity!"
...
Numerous Spiritual Senses communicated secretly in the shadows. Even the many Quasi-Monarchs present found it difficult to detect these Spiritual Sense fluctuations.
Ye Chen looked thoughtfully at these thirteen people. Although their auras were those of Quasi-Monarchs and Divine Kings—even in his perception—for some reason, he always felt that these thirteen people seemed somewhat different. This came from his own intuition, which was extremely sharp, capable of detecting anomalies that others might miss.
Moreover, he vaguely sensed some Spiritual Sense fluctuations. However, when his Spiritual Sense searched over, the traces had already vanished without a trace.
These thirteen people were not simple.
Ye Chen became somewhat vigilant in his heart.
At this moment, his side suddenly became much livelier because several Quasi-Monarchs personally stepped forward, holding starry blue-silver forged wine cups, to toast the Flame God with flattering words.
"Lord Flame God, it's been several meetings since we last parted. You have already become a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch. Congratulations!"
"The first time I met Lord Flame God was ten thousand years ago, when you were only at the peak of the Divine King realm. Now, in just ten thousand years, you are a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch. I must say, Lord Flame God's talent is peerless, rare throughout the ages!"
"Lord Flame God, having received the teachings of His Majesty the Flame Emperor, has become a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch. Truly enviable!"
...
The Flame God nodded with an aloof yet majestic demeanor. He could be enthusiastic towards Ye Chen, but towards other Quasi-Monarchs, given his status and position, he maintained his majesty, much like how some Quasi-Monarchs acted towards Divine Kings and Great Powers.
Nevertheless, he still clinked cups and drank with the many Quasi-Monarchs. After all, they were Quasi-Monarchs of the Flame Emperor Domain, and they would meet quite frequently in the future.
As for Ye Chen at the adjacent Great Dao altar table, still no Quasi-Monarch went to toast him.
Ye Chen was also happy to enjoy the peace and quiet, savoring the fine wine of the Zui Baxian Hall. It could indeed be called fine wine, containing the essence of the Great Dao—a rare enlightenment brew even for Divine Kings.
Lifting his head, he also appreciated the graceful dancing, which was quite different from the Flame God being surrounded like stars around the moon beside him.
"Zi Qing, you all leave first. I'll bring you to meet Lord Flame God later," a Quasi-Monarch spoke up, addressing an exceptionally beautiful woman who had followed him.
The other young geniuses were also instructed by their elders to leave first.
Even Quasi-Monarchs found it difficult to approach the Flame God, showing that this occasion was temporarily unsuitable for bringing rising stars to see the world.
These few young geniuses who had followed also saw the Flame God surrounded by many Quasi-Monarchs. Unable to approach, they followed their elders' instructions and came to Ye Chen's side.
Among them, the leading woman was exceptionally beautiful, with a cold and aloof temperament like a fairy from the Ninth Heaven, untouched by worldly smoke.
Dressed in purple, graceful and elegant, complemented by the brilliant light surrounding her, she appeared peerless and captivating. Even among the many Quasi-Monarchs, she was impossible to ignore, attracting the attention of many in the Zui Baxian Hall, especially the young geniuses.
The purple-clad woman smiled slightly at Ye Chen, like a hundred flowers blooming, instantly stunningly beautiful. She said, "Fellow Daoist, would you mind if this humble maiden comes to sit here?"
(Note: The author's note at the end indicates a delay in the noon update due to being on a high-speed train and still writing. The remaining two chapters for the day will not be missed.)