"Will this be alright?"
"Don't worry. The sorceress won't harm her. Trust me." Looking at the girl walking towards the ruler of flames, Jiang Feng reassured Zhao Yulin as her own eyes glinted with malice. "She can't."
Jiang Feng, the mother of Chen Yi, sent her to the front to face the queen of flames, who welcomed the girl with open arms. Such behavior from a monster—a monarch—was something that left everyone present flabbergasted as they watched the exchange.
Thud... thud...
The sounds of light footsteps were picked up by Zhang Xiaohou, who turned around in alert to find the brown-haired boy he had been desperate to reunite with.
"Brother Fan!" he exclaimed, lunging at Mo Fan and tightening his grip around him. In the surroundings, Ye Xinxia, Lingling, Zhao Manyan, and the other hunters who had tagged along with Zhao Yulin also turned in alarm, but they lowered their guard upon seeing the human figure.
"Shh, shh." Mo Fan quickly covered Zhang Xiaohou's mouth and gestured for him to stay quiet. The guards lost interest in Mo Fan as they refocused on the monarch ahead while the rest of the group moved toward him.
"Brother..." Xinxia cried as Mo Fan hugged her tightly. Her eyes glistened with tears as the man who had raised and protected her finally returned.
"Shh... let's get out of here first." Everyone was confused by how hurried Mo Fan was, offering no explanation as he led them silently away, putting distance between themselves, the bandaged woman, and Zhao Yulin.
"Lingling, tell Damon you're all clear," Mo Fan said, to which Lingling complied. Damon had already informed her of the plan, and Mo Fan was now escorting them to safety.
From afar, far away from danger, Mo Fan and the others observed the scene—the fiery sorceress, a monarch-level creature, welcoming Chen Yi to her abode.
It was an unusual sight, but Mo Fan understood why it was happening.
"I-I..." Chen Yi stood frozen before the excited fiery sorceress, stammering as she struggled to find words in front of the flaming figure.
Yi~
The fiery sorceress let out a cry of joy, raising her hands as if to hug the girl, but stopped midway. Looking down at her flaming, inhuman hands, realization struck her. She hesitated and turned away, facing her back to Chen Yi.
The sight stunned Chen Yi. Her hands trembled as she gripped the cursed tool her mother had given her. The task was simple, yet looking at the harmless figure of the fiery sorceress, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Hesitation rose in her heart as she stopped midway, uncertain if she had the resolve to attack the creature before her.
The hesitation did not go unnoticed by the bandaged woman, who subtly activated her psychic powers. A hidden wave of energy crashed into Chen Yi's mind.
The hesitation vanished, her eyes going blank as all emotion drained away—replaced by a burning urge to kill.
'Kill her and your mother will be proud.'
'Kill her for your mother.'
'KILL HER!'
Anger consumed her mind. Her grip on the weapon tightened as she raised it, ready to strike the fiery sorceress through the heart.
But just as she thrust forward, something grabbed her wrist.
The grip was unyielding—like steel. Chen Yi looked up and met the calm blue eyes of the man who had stopped her from committing a sin she would regret for the rest of her life.
Damon's eyes didn't linger on Chen Yi. His gaze shifted directly toward the bandaged woman as he hurled his dagger.
With a speed that even elite warrior-class monsters couldn't evade, the flaming dagger pierced through the demoness's stomach before she could react.
The blade expanded, revealing a burning claymore as blue flames erupted, scorching her insides.
"Mother!" Chen Yi screamed at the top of her lungs as the weapon struck the woman she had called her parent.
Damon released her arm as she ran forward toward the demoness, who writhed in agony under the consuming flames.
"Agh!" the demoness screamed, the searing fire devouring her from within. Zhao Yulin, reacting instinctively, tried to summon an advanced earth-element spell to attack Damon in a frenzy—but before he could finish, Mo Fan appeared behind him using Shadow Step and knocked him unconscious. Damon immediately sealed Zhao Yulin's soul.
The guards in the area had already been quietly taken care of by Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, and Zhang Xiaohou, following Mo Fan's precise instructions.
The demoness couldn't even launch a single counterattack as Damon sealed her soul as well, controlling his flames to keep her alive—forcing her to experience a pain far worse than what she had inflicted on others.
Time passed before the situation finally settled. Through Ye Xinxia's psychic element, the fiery sorceress clarified everything. Zhao Yulin shed silent tears as he recalled the past—realizing he had sheltered a demoness instead of his true wife. Without hesitation, he cast the demoness into the lava pit, watching her burn.
Chen Yi cried herself to sleep, unable to accept that her life had been a cruel lie—a manipulation by the demoness. She couldn't even embrace the real mother who now looked at her with such tender affection.
The family of three spent their time together, communicating and trying to make up for the lost decade.
Nanyu, a minor character who had once helped Mo Fan, appeared again—lost near the valley and visibly annoyed as Zhao Manyan and Mo Fan teased her relentlessly.
Understanding the situation, she contacted the military, abandoning the pursuit of the Fire Calamity Fruit. Under her report, the military began regulating entry into the Northern Burning Valley, ensuring no one disturbed the fiery sorceress in her final moments.
The real Jiang Feng survived and reunited with her family after many years. She lived on longer, determined to leave no regrets behind, while Mo Fan and his group continued their treasure-hunting journey through the valley, monopolizing its resources alongside the military.
***
A/N:
Another tragic death avoided.. so what now? What would happen to flamebelle? Will Mo Fan get it like the original? Or will it be given to the daughter Chen Yi? Or will the luck of our protagonist shine getting the mythicls creature for himself? And would it just be end with that?..