"Phoenix queen, being the disciple of Taiyi doesn't mean you can do anything you want. Besides, this is the demon realm, not your fire realm. Be careful how you tread—or I might end up making you stay here forever."
Demon King Yang Jian's words were heavy, each syllable echoing across the vast hall of black stone. His towering figure radiated an oppressive aura, horns glimmering faintly as shadows rippled like waves behind him.
But Feng Jiu only narrowed her eyes, crimson flames dancing in her pupils. Her long scarlet robes rustled as if stirred by an unseen wind.
"Who do you think you are, daring to mention my master before me?" Her voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Don't force me to start a massacre in this place. I am not merciful like my master—my temper burns hotter than any flame under heaven. Push my bottom line, and you will burn."
She turned, fixing her gaze on the trembling woman beside her. "Feng Xin, the bond between a god and a demon is forbidden. Such a union is a curse upon both worlds. You would taint our clan's name, reduce us to ridicule among gods and mortals alike. I will not allow it. You have two choices—come with me willingly… or die."
The air shifted. Flames rippled outward from Feng Jiu, cracking the stone floor beneath her feet. The hall shook. Even the shadows flinched.
The demon kings who had gathered to watch were stunned by her audacity. One whispered, "This woman dares…" but his voice trailed off when Yang Jian's aura burst forth in response.
"Feng Jiu! Do not mistake my courtesy for weakness. I called you phoenix queen out of respect for your master—but if you press me further, I will end you with my own hands!" His two horns glowed as black qi surged into the sky, condensing into the shape of a vast dragon behind him.
Yet Feng Jiu did not retreat. Instead, she smiled coldly, her flames flickering brighter.
"I am in need of a mount. Perhaps you should kneel. But even if I accepted you, Demon King, you are not worthy."
Her words struck like thunder. Yang Jian froze—then his dragon shadow shattered into smoke. The killing intent around him dispersed as though crushed beneath an invisible weight.
Before he could retort, Feng Xin's soft, trembling voice broke the tension.
"Sister… stop. I will go with you."
Silence followed. Feng Jiu's flames dimmed, her lips curving into a smile as she waved her hand.
"You could have said so earlier."
The three vanished in an instant, leaving behind the stench of scorched stone and unsettled silence.
The demon kings stood motionless for a long while before one roared in fury, slamming his fist into the obsidian wall.
"This bird is too arrogant! To trespass our realm, demand one of ours, threaten us openly—and leave unscathed!"
"Enough," Yang Jian muttered darkly. His eyes glowed with suppressed rage. "We must endure. To wage war with the fire realm now would be courting destruction. With her standing in that realm, our clans would suffer immeasurable losses."
Another demon king sneered. "Then what do you propose?"
Yang Jian's horns dimmed as his voice sank into a cold whisper. "The phoenix queen revealed her flaw. She is ruthless—even towards her kin. Had Feng Xin resisted, Feng Jiu would have slain her without hesitation. Her heartless dao makes her terrifying—but her sister is also her weakness. If we are to break her, we must draw her out of the fire realm… and use the one person she spares."
Murmurs of dark agreement filled the hall.
---
Back in the fire realm, Feng Jiu appeared in the palace with her sister. The flames of teleportation faded, leaving them standing before a heavy gate carved with phoenix runes. Without a word, Feng Jiu led Feng Xin downward, into the palace dungeons.
The cells below were carved of burning-red stone, each exuding a heat capable of melting steel. Chains forged from celestial ore rattled faintly.
"Dear sister, make yourself comfortable in this place," Feng Jiu said softly as she patted Feng Xin's shoulder.
Before Feng Xin could react, her aura collapsed. Her immortal spirit was sealed, her dantian shattered. She stumbled, gasping, reduced to nothing more than a fragile mortal.
"You… you destroyed my cultivation…" Feng Xin whispered, her voice trembling as her eyes filled with hatred. "Feng Jiu, you are crueler than the demons! Why don't you kill me outright? Do it! Kill me!"
But Feng Jiu only turned away, her expression calm, detached.
"Be thankful I spared your life. I would gladly kill you, but Mother made me swear never to stain my hands with your blood. Consider this mercy."
"Mercy?!" Feng Xin spat, tears burning her cheeks. "You sealed me like a beast in a cage. You are worse than any demon! I swear, one day I will kill you with my own hands!"
A faint smile touched Feng Jiu's lips. "Then I'll be waiting. But until then… get used to this cell. When this dungeon is no longer enough for you, the guards will escort you lower, where even your screams will be devoured by silence."
Feng Xin shuddered violently. This was no longer the sister she knew.
"Feng Jiu… when did you become like this? Where is the sister who used to smile at me, who shielded me when I was weak? When did you turn so cold? Why… why did you become a monster?"
For a brief moment, Feng Jiu's shoulders trembled. Her back seemed fragile, almost human.
Then her voice came, scornful and sharp.
"She died. You killed her. You, and everyone who betrayed me. You forged this monster. So why ask now, if you are afraid of the thing you created?"
Her words sank like knives. Feng Xin's mind reeled with memories—the little sister who once chased butterflies, who laughed beneath the peach trees, who clung to her hand with innocent trust. That sister was gone, buried beneath cruelty.
"If you teach a monkey to steal bananas, will you expect it to pluck mangoes? You shaped me into this. Congratulate yourself for being a good teacher, sister."
Her eyes glowed faintly as she stepped closer, voice cold as frost.
"We phoenixes are born with the potential to become gods. But the limit of most is celestial godhood. Do you know why Taiyi chose me among thousands? Because we share the same dao. Only the heartless dao can carry us to heights where even ancestral gods may tremble. You thought you were destroying me… but you tempered me instead."
Her form flickered, then vanished, leaving her sister shivering in silence.
---
High above, in the phoenix palace, Feng Jiu staggered slightly. A burning pain surged through her veins.
"Your lifespan wanes. Forcefully cultivating the heartless dao left a wound in your heart. Even with such power, you will die soon."
The voice came from within. Before her eyes, a blazing fire phoenix manifested, wings unfurling, its cry shaking the chamber.
Feng Jiu smiled faintly. "You are only my martial form. Why insist on devouring me?"
The phoenix's eyes burned with inevitability. "Because I am you, and you are me. We were always meant to merge. Only through rebirth can we exist as one."
"Not yet." Feng Jiu's gaze softened, as if staring beyond the horizon. "I promised to wait for him. When his trial ends, I will merge with you. Until then, you must wait."
The phoenix narrowed its blazing eyes. "I will wait. But your body cannot. Every time you wield your strength, your life burns faster. Soon, even the heartless dao will not save you."
"Extending my life until he returns is not that hard, is it?" Feng Jiu mocked, though a trace of weariness colored her smile.
The phoenix's cry was like thunder. "Foolish girl. Not even he can escape destiny. His trial will kill him—his fate is already sealed. What use is waiting?"
"What happens after we merge?" Feng Jiu asked quietly.
The phoenix folded its wings, eyes glowing with a single word.
"Rebirth."
With that, it vanished into her phoenix mark, leaving Feng Jiu alone—her breath shallow, her gaze lingering on the horizon where destiny and doom intertwined.