The throne hall of the Eastern Sea shimmered like a dream of pearls and sapphire, carved from living coral and draped with seashell curtains that chimed with the rolling tides. Rows of dragon soldiers stood on either side, their scaled armor gleaming beneath enchanted lanterns. Above them, a mural of the ancient Dragon Ancestors wound across the dome, as though the dragons of the past themselves looked down upon the gathering.
Upon the highest dais sat Long Yan, Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. His scaled fingers drummed idly against the arm of his throne, each tap releasing a pulse of dragon might that pressed against every soul present.
Before him stood Feng Jiu, her robes flowing like fire against the cold blue of the sea palace. By her side, half-hidden behind her mother's silhouette, stood Tie Ling, a girl with delicate features but eyes far steadier than her years.
Long Yan's expression darkened the instant his gaze fell upon them. "Phoenix Queen, what do you want?" His voice rolled like thunder, sharp and unpleasant. If not for the fact that she was Taiyi's disciple, he would have thrown her into the sea without a second thought.
Feng Jiu inclined her head ever so slightly—not in submission, but as one who carried herself with enough dignity to forgo needless bickering. "I came to introduce my daughter to you."
A stir rippled through the assembly. Daughter? The word spread like sparks among the dragon courtiers. Murmurs filled the hall until Tie Ling stepped forward. At once, silence fell.
She was beautiful, yes, but too frail in the eyes of dragons. Feng Jiu's hand immediately rose to tighten the protective shield of phoenix fire around her. Since returning from the mortal realm, Feng Jiu had fed her daughter with rare herbs, washed her marrow with divine waters, even tempered her bones with fragments of celestial jade. And still, without the Spring of Nourishment, her body would eventually collapse beneath the pressure of heaven.
Long Yan's lips curled into a mocking smile. "A mortal?" His contempt was palpable, and his court broke into whispers again.
But it was not a baseless insult. Mortals were the weakest of all beings, yet the Eastern Sea was their gateway. Those who wished to ascend had to pass through it. Gods who descended to the mortal realm were judged by it. This dual role had earned the sea the title Ruler of Mortals. Protectors, judges, executioners—they decided who crossed between realms.
That was the dragon clan's pride. And Feng Jiu now stood in their sacred hall, presenting a mortal-born child.
Feng Jiu's eyes gleamed faintly. "I once heard you received a Lotus of Embodiment and a Dao Fruit from the Heavenly King." Her voice was calm, but beneath it lay a trap.
The Dragon King froze for half a breath before laughing. "Rumors. Do not give them weight."
"Then allow my daughter to step into the Spring of Nourishment," Feng Jiu pressed.
"I am afraid not." Long Yan's smile sharpened, like a predator revealing its fangs. "She is a mortal. To break the law of heaven, you must present a decree from the Heavenly King himself."
At his words, Tie Ling's small fingers tightened around her mother's hand. Feng Jiu's aura rippled like an untamed flame, though she kept it bound within herself.
"Long Yan," she said softly, her voice carrying to every corner of the vast chamber, "it seems I have been too quiet. Too restrained. So much that even you have forgotten who I am."
Tie Ling's breath caught. She could feel it—the storm brewing in her mother's chest. In the mortal realm, her father was known for his fiery temper while her mother was calm as water. But here, before these dragons, it seemed reversed.
Long Yan smirked, sensing opportunity. He raised his voice, filling the chamber with his authority.
"Feng Jiu, you forget yourself. It is taboo for a god to couple with a mortal. Yet you did so, bore a child, and even brought her into heaven! Do you think the rules of your own master Taiyi were set for decoration? When this crime is revealed, not even he can shield you. The heavens will demand punishment."
The courtiers gasped. Dragons exchanged gleeful glances. Here was their chance to drag the Phoenix Queen down.
Long Yan's thoughts ran darker. If the Fire Realm was broken under this scandal, its famed beauties would scatter like prey before him. The thought alone sent waves of lust and greed across his mind.
"Think carefully," Feng Jiu warned, her voice low. "A loose tongue leads to destruction."
But Long Yan sneered, unmoved. "What will you do, Phoenix Queen? If you leave the girl here, and crawl with me to beg forgiveness of the Heavenly King, perhaps your master will plead on your behalf. Otherwise—"
The rest was swallowed by an explosion of fire.
Feng Jiu moved, faster than lightning. A crimson flash burned across the chamber, slamming into the Dragon King's chest. Long Yan's mighty form was hurled through the air, smashing against his own jade pillars. Pearls shattered, coral walls cracked, the ocean outside roared as if the sea itself had been struck.
Tie Ling stumbled back, shielded by her mother's energy. For the first time, she saw the full weight of Feng Jiu's fury unleashed.
The court erupted in chaos. Dragon generals leapt forward, their auras flaring as they tried to surround the Phoenix Queen. The ocean floor trembled as ancient dragon might surged through the palace.
Feng Jiu stood unmoving, her hair whipping around her like living fire, her gaze locked on Long Yan. "Mock my child again, and I will reduce this sea to ash."
Long Yan rose slowly, smoke curling from his body where phoenix flames still clung stubbornly to his scales. His eyes were bloodshot with rage, but beneath the fury… was fear.
Still, pride demanded defiance. He roared, his true form half-emerging—a massive dragon's shadow filling the hall, claws scraping against the very heavens. "Feng Jiu! You dare strike me in my own sea?"
The ocean responded to his fury, waves crashing against the crystal palace, water essence surging into the hall to extinguish her fire.
But Feng Jiu only raised her hand, crimson fire sweeping out in defiance, splitting the flood like dawn burning away night.
Between them, the mortal-born girl clung to her mother's robes, trembling yet unable to look away.
And in her small eyes, for the briefest instant, a glimmer of gold flickered.
The clash of Phoenix and Dragon was no longer just a battle of pride—it was a spark that could set the heavens themselves aflame.
---
The throne hall quaked, but the true fury was outside. As Long Yan roared, his voice rolled through the sea like a divine bell, summoning his legions. From every trench and coral gate, dragon soldiers surged, armored in black-scaled plates that glittered with ocean light. The Eastern Sea itself trembled as their presence gathered.
The generals stepped forth—five dragon princes, each clad in robes woven from sea essence, their auras crushing against the walls. Behind them, beastly sea lords, turtles the size of mountains, serpents that coiled endlessly, and swordfish spirits with spears sharper than steel, swarmed.
"Mother…" Tie Ling whispered, clutching Feng Jiu's hand tighter. Her young heart quaked at the sight. Never had she seen such overwhelming power, never had she felt the ocean itself press down on her lungs.
But Feng Jiu's hand was steady, her voice low and calm. "Do not be afraid. Fire is not drowned by water—it turns water into steam."
Her eyes lifted, scarlet flames spiraling like wings behind her.
The first general stepped forward, bowing to Long Yan. "Your Majesty, allow us to slay this arrogant phoenix!"
"Slay her?" Long Yan spat blood, scales across his chest burned black from Feng Jiu's earlier strike. "No. Cripple her, cage her, and bring me the girl. As for Feng Jiu—leave her alive. I will deliver her to the Heavenly King myself."
The generals roared in agreement, spreading out to surround Feng Jiu. Their dragon shadows coiled upward, filling the palace until the ocean above pressed against the dome as if it might collapse.
Feng Jiu's gaze turned icy. They dare lay hands on my daughter?
She spread her wings of fire. With a single beat, the temperature surged, and the ocean boiled. Steam burst through cracks in the palace dome, rising toward the heavens like pillars of flame.
The first dragon general struck, spear gleaming with tidal force. It crashed against Feng Jiu's fire barrier, scattering sparks across the hall. She raised her palm, and the general's weapon melted in his grip, glowing red-hot before shattering into molten shards.
A second general lunged with claws dripping venomous mist, but Feng Jiu twirled, her sleeve trailing embers that ignited the mist and seared his scales.
"Form the Five Oceans Array!" barked the eldest prince. At once, the generals formed a circle around her, weaving their power together. Waves of spiritual water condensed into a sphere, locking Feng Jiu and Tie Ling within.
The sea palace shook, dragon soldiers cheering as the sphere collapsed, intending to crush them flat.
But inside, Feng Jiu knelt, her arms wrapped protectively around Tie Ling. Her aura pulsed, the flames folding inward like a cocoon.
"Mother?" Tie Ling's small voice trembled.
"Watch closely," Feng Jiu whispered.
Then she released it.
Phoenix cries tore through the sea as her flames burst outward, piercing the water prison and ripping it apart from within. Generals screamed, their scales scorched as they were flung aside. The palace cracked, coral pillars shattered, and half the throne hall collapsed into the churning waves.
From afar, sea beasts trembled as the Eastern Sea itself seemed to ignite.
Feng Jiu rose amidst the chaos, Tie Ling shielded in her embrace, her aura towering like a blazing sun in the depths.
"Long Yan," she said, her voice ringing like a bell of judgment, "if you wish for war, then let all under heaven witness how easily the Phoenix burns the sea."
Long Yan staggered from the rubble of his throne, his dragon eyes gleaming with fury. His generals writhed in defeat, his palace lay in ruins, and still Feng Jiu stood untouchable.
"Enough!" he bellowed, his voice summoning storms across the Eastern Sea. His true form surged forth, scales glistening, a dragon hundreds of li long, blotting out the ocean's light.
The battle was only beginning.