The comet remained silent, only relentlessly unleashing heavenly tribulations.

The twentieth heaven is the Crimson Brightness and the Yang Heaven.

This is the realm guarded by the Fire Department. The crimson clouds are like fire, and the clouds in the sky are like raging flames. The air is filled with a fire spirit energy so dense that it is almost impossible to dissolve. Every breath feels like swallowing a wisp of fire.

The Fire Department is one of the four departments in the Heavenly Court, in charge of all matters related to "fire" within and outside the Three Realms.

From the hearth fires of the mortal realm to the divine flames of the heavens, from the inner fires of living beings to the calamities of heaven and earth, all are under its jurisdiction.

In addition, the Fire Department also oversees the good and evil deeds of humankind, is in charge of the Heavenly Court's fire punishments, and the Heavenly Court's armory is also under its supervision.

Luo Xuan, the Heavenly Venerable of Fire, was already a renowned "Immortal of Flames" in the primordial world before the Investiture of the Gods. He cultivated on Fire Dragon Island for countless years and was later bestowed the title of Southern Three Qi Fire Virtue Star Lord.

Song Yi had little to do with him; in fact, their relationship was quite bad.

The reason was that the immortal servants of the Qingtianjian had suffered heavy casualties, so Song Yi decisively withdrew all the immortal servants sent by the Plague Department and the Fire Department.

This move was tantamount to publicly humiliating the Fire Department.

Although Luo Xuan did not make a move, the feud between the two was now established.

Chiming and Yangtian are different from the other heavens. Under the sky, there are large areas of fire trees, each more than a hundred feet tall. Their branches and leaves are not ordinary green, but burn like flames. From a distance, the entire heavenly region seems to be burning an inextinguishable sea of ​​fire.

This wood is called Nine Suns Crimson Wood. It was transformed from a broken branch of the Fusang Divine Tree by the ancient Demon Emperor, and contains a trace of true solar fire.

Back when the Ten Golden Crows had not yet fallen, this tree was planted in their palace gardens as decoration and amusement.

The Lich Wars erupted, the Heavenly Court shattered, Emperor Jun and Taiyi perished, and only one of the Ten Golden Crows survived.

In that catastrophe, countless rare and precious materials were reduced to ashes, but the Nine Yang Crimson Wood miraculously survived, enduring countless years without decaying, and has continued to thrive to this day.

The forest of red ebony is home to countless fire spirits, including fire crows, fire horses, fire dragons, and fire dragons, all radiating a blazing and powerful aura.

The Fusang Divine Tree is a supreme innate spiritual root, born from the Sun Star, echoing the innate Laurel Tree.

These fire beasts were born from the Nine Suns Crimson Crow Forest, and their bloodline is also imbued with a trace of the spiritual essence of the Fusang Divine Tree, making them extraordinary.

When the Fire Department was first established, it brought these fire beasts under its command, which is an important reason why it ranks among the top four departments.

After the eight thousand laborers entered Chiming and Yangtian, they soon became parched and restless, with an unnamed fire surging in their chests, making them irritable. Fights and quarrels among the demons were frequent.

Song Yi understood that this was all due to the influence of the Nine Yang Crimson Wood.

This wood was transformed from the Fusang Divine Tree, and it naturally carries the oppressive power of the true fire of the sun.

Ordinary beings, even if they only get close, will feel their internal organs burning, their senses confused, and their inner demons arising. If their cultivation is slightly weaker, their souls may even be burned away by this invisible fire, causing them to go mad and die on the spot.

Song Yi immediately summoned a magical artifact.

It was a flower the size of a lotus pedestal, its petals golden as if cast gold, each exuding a cool yet rich fragrance.

The moment the flowers appeared, it was like a cool breeze blowing across the scorching desert, instantly cooling the sweltering air within a radius of dozens of miles.

The demons immediately felt refreshed, as if a sweet spring had washed over their limbs and bones, and their previous anxiety melted away like spring snow.

This is the "Innate Laurel Flower," harvested from one of the largest flowers of the laurel tree. It is specifically used to counteract fire poison and calm the mind, warding off evil spirits.

The soil in Chiming and Yangtian is extremely dry and hard as iron, making it much more difficult to dig than in other heavens. When you dig with a shovel, your arms go numb from the vibrations, and you can't dig much even after a whole day.

When planning the river channel, Song Yi deliberately ordered the route to avoid the Jiuyang Red Crow Forest as much as possible.

Suddenly, several streaks of fire shot through the air from ahead.

"You jinx!"

Several deities clad in fiery red robes stood in mid-air, surrounded by flames, exuding an aura of majesty.

"So it's the four star lords: Wing, Room, Tail, and Beak!" Song Yi smiled and flew forward, bowing in greeting.

These four star lords all belong to the Dipper Department and are in charge of the constellations of the Fire Department.

Previously, Song Yi had personally gone to the Vermilion Bird Palace to ask the Winged Fire Serpent for a wisp of the essence of the innate Vermilion Bird divine fire. In return, he sent many clever warriors, fairy maidens, heavenly soldiers, and fairy children to the Vermilion Bird Palace, Azure Dragon Palace, Black Tortoise Palace, and White Tiger Palace, showing great courtesy. Therefore, the two sides had some relationship.

"Where are the four star lords going?" Song Yi asked.

Tailfire Tiger shook his head and sighed: "There's been some unusual activity at the Undying Mountain. Fire Virtue Star Lord ordered us to go and investigate."

Song Yi was slightly taken aback: "The Phoenix Clan is eternally stationed at the Undying Mountain, how could something have gone wrong?"

During the early calamity of the Dragon and Han dynasties, the three races of dragon, phoenix, and qilin vied for supremacy in the primordial world, committing heinous crimes and causing immense suffering to all living beings.

After the calamity, the three clans, in order to repay their boundless karma, made a solemn vow under the witness of Heaven.

Led by Yuanfeng, the Phoenix Clan made a grand vow: to forever guard the immortal volcano in the south, suppressing the raging magma and fire poison beneath the earth, and forever eradicating its scourge upon the wilderness and the devastation it caused to living beings.

From then on, the Phoenix Clan went into seclusion, using the power of their bloodline to eliminate the calamities of fire in the world, protect the order of the fire element, accumulate merit, and gradually eliminate their karmic burdens.

This town has stood for countless years.

After the Dragon and Han dynasties, there was the Great Calamity of the Witch and Demon, followed by the Great Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods. Immortals and gods perished, the Heavenly Court changed hands, and the world was overturned several times.

The Phoenix Clan has always guarded that immortal volcano, never leaving it for even a moment.

"We are not entirely sure either." Tailfire Tiger shook his head. "But we dare not neglect the Star Lord's order. Let's go and investigate first."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the four star lords bid farewell to the mortal realm and headed towards the uncivilized lands south of the Southern Continent.

Song Yi watched them leave, feeling vaguely uneasy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He could only suppress his thoughts and continue supervising the work.

Seven more years passed.

In seven years, only one-third of the river channel has been excavated, which is far too slow compared to the progress of the other heavens.

Eight thousand laborers worked day and night to break through the hard red soil, but the progress was still worrying.

That day, a commotion suddenly arose ahead.

A demon, while digging, stumbled upon a giant egg.

The egg was the size of a millstone, its entire body a deep crimson like blood jade. The eggshell was covered with flame-like patterns, and as the patterns flowed, they emitted a heart-palpitating heat.

The demons gathered around, whispering amongst themselves.

"Snap!"

A faint cracking sound was heard, and the eggshell cracked open on its own.

Crimson light burst forth from the gaps, dazzling and brilliant.

As the egg white flows, a silver "yolk" is revealed at the very core, shimmering and shining brightly, all its brilliance originating from it.

Immediately afterwards, a faint dragon's roar echoed across the land.

Song Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he saw a golden light rise from the shattered egg. It was a phantom of a ferocious fire dragon, exuding an extremely strong life force.