Only a handful in the empire even knew the chamber existed.
And fewer still had ever stepped inside.
A vault of obsidian and spiritglass, hidden beneath the eastern wing of the capital's palace, it was reserved for one kind of visitor:
Those who shouldn't exist… but did.
Tonight, the chamber opened for her.
The Black Phoenix
She arrived unescorted.
No guards.
No entourage.
No fanfare.
Just presence — so heavy it made even the cultivator-etched walls hum with tension.
Her robes were black silk, feather-threaded, trailing like the shadows of wings. Her hair, long and unbound, shimmered faintly red at the ends, as if dipped in cooling embers. Her face was veiled — but her voice…
Her voice was flame given shape.
"I request an audience," she said, tone calm but absolute.
The imperial steward trembled.
"With whom?"
A smile touched her unseen lips.
"As if you don't already know."
Hei Long Entered Alone
Dressed in plain black.
No insignia.
No blade.
