"Crack."
A crisp, snapping sound.
Lin Qingyue brought the knife down, splitting the massive, round watermelon in two.
The crimson flesh and emerald green rind looked so surreal against the charred ruins.
A burst of icy, crisp sweetness exploded, instantly dispelling the stifling heat in the air.
Then, as if performing a magic trick, she produced a portable blender, ice cubes, and four crystal-clear glass cups.
"Bzzz..."
The blender's hum sounded incredibly melodious at that moment, miraculously soothing everyone's frayed nerves.
Lin Qingyue unhurriedly poured the crimson melon juice into the cups and added a few glistening ice cubes.
Clink.
The ice cubes struck the glass walls with a clear chime.
A fine, cold mist rapidly condensed on the outside of the cups.
"Here, cool down."
She handed one of the glasses to Lin Xiyue.
At that moment, Lin Xiyue's reason was being overwhelmed by the wrath imposed by the Rule, leaving her mind filled with pure destructive desire.
But as the chilled watermelon juice drew near, the cold from the glass touched her skin.
A shiver of icy coolness, like a faint electric current, instantly coursed through her entire body.
The sweet fragrance of the melon also forced its way into her nostrils, irresistibly triggering her most primal desires.
The [ Survival Instinct ] rule was precisely triggered once again.
The body's craving for comfort was fighting a fierce battle against the negative emotion stemming from the [ Seven Sins ].
The body was far more honest than reason.
The burning sensation in her throat, aroused by anger, screamed for that icy moisture!
The blood-red hue in Lin Xiyue's eyes churned and struggled violently, but it was ultimately no match for her body's most primal instinct.
She snatched the glass and drained it in one gulp.
"Gulp! Gulp!"
The icy juice rushed down her burning throat and settled in her stomach. The nameless fire that had been roasting her heart and lungs was actually extinguished by this stream of sweet, cold liquid.
[ System Notification: You have enjoyed a refreshing drink. Physical comfort has greatly increased, successfully suppressing the erosion of the "Wrath" emotion. ]
"Hah—"
Lin Xiyue exhaled a long, cool breath and handed the empty glass back to Lin Qingyue, her eyes completely clear again.
She looked at the charred rock she had just kicked to pieces, a trace of lingering fear crossing her face as the tips of her ears turned slightly red.
"Sis... I just now..."
"It's nothing."
Lin Qingyue handed a glass to Su Wan and Xia Lian each, then picked up one herself and took a leisurely sip.
"It's just the Rule's influence, you'll get used to it."
She shook the ice cubes in her glass, her tone relaxed.
"It seems that in this godforsaken place, we have to keep our 'minds and bodies pleased' at all times."
An internal conflict on the verge of erupting was just resolved by a glass of chilled watermelon juice in a way that was both absurd and incredibly reasonable.
Su Wan and Xia Lian held their glasses, their eyes filled with the same unspoken question as they looked at Lin Qingyue.
"How does your brain even work?"
With the crisis averted, the group continued to explore deeper into the ruins.
The scale of this hall far exceeded their imagination, with collapsed pillars and charred walls scattered everywhere.
The aura that incited anger, though suppressed by the [ Vermilion Bird Fire Feather ] and the chilled watermelon juice, still clung to them like a shadow, stubbornly lingering in the air.
About ten minutes later, a relatively intact stone wall appeared ahead.
The ash on the wall fell away with the vibration of their footsteps, revealing a massive ancient mural beneath with colors that remained vivid.
The mural depicted the life epic of a divine bird.
In the first scene, the divine bird, the Vermilion Bird, stretched its neck and cried out. A hundred birds came to pay homage to the phoenix, and a thousand rays of light converged on its body, sacred and magnificent.
In the second scene, it spat out Divine Fire, incinerating the countless evil spirits in the world. Wherever its wings passed, the entire sky turned crimson, its majesty overwhelming the world.
In the third scene, the style shifted, no longer depicting conquest and slaughter.
The Vermilion Bird restrained its Divine Might, using the gentlest flames to burn away the barrenness and transform barren stones into fertile soil.
A group of adorably naive Pandaren followed behind it, sowing seeds in a picture of peaceful harmony.
In the fourth scene, the Vermilion Bird embodied a merciful mother.
It lowered its noble head, its body radiating a gentle glow of life that healed the myriad beings who came to pray.
A small rabbit could even restfully rub its head against its burning wings.
In the fifth scene, the Vermilion Bird's life reached its end.
It immolated itself upon a parasol tree, transforming into a Fire of Nirvana, both tragic and solemn.
Up to this point, everything fit the image of a perfect guardian deity.
However, the mural did not end.
A new chick rose from the flames, the fire of guarding the world burning in its eyes, repeating the achievements of its previous life.
Once.
And again.
The mural continued to unfurl, and the art style began to show a subtle shift.
The Vermilion Bird was still incinerating evil spirits, but those spirits were like unburnable wild grass, sprouting one batch after another without end.
It was still helping the Pandaren farm, but the once harmonious joy gradually turned into mechanical repetition.
The creatures coming to seek healing were endless, and the Vermilion Bird in the painting bowed its head, its posture betraying an indescribable weariness.
The Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix had dwindled to mere noise and annoyance.
The ritual of Nirvana rebirth played out over and over again.
The first time was tragic. The second time, it was serene. The third... it was numb.
Eventually, the roaring Fire of Nirvana felt more like the relief of punching out at the end of a shift.
Finally, they reached the last scene.
The art style shifted abruptly, sending a jolt of fear through them.
This time, the Fire of Nirvana was no longer brilliant; only a small, flickering flame remained.
A chick struggled to open its eyes within the fire.
In those eyes, there was no joy of rebirth, no hope of guarding the world.
There was nothing.
Only the extreme weariness of one who had grown sick of life itself after being tortured by Eternal Reincarnation a thousand times over.
And an indelible sorrow and despair.
It seemed to shoulder the weight of the entire world, each beat of its wings filled with endless agony.
This eerie scene hung like a massive boulder, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
Why?
Why would a Divine Beast that symbolized immortality and rebirth express such emotions?
Was Nirvana not a gift for it, but an endless curse?
Just as everyone was reeling from the mural's impact, a faint yet piercingly powerful cry drifted slowly from the deepest part of the ruins.
That sound was filled with the same agony and despair seen in the painting.
[ Ding! ]
[ Trial of the Heavenly Gods mission progress has been updated! ]
[ Phase One: Soothe the endless wrath of the Vermilion Bird's Remnant Soul. ]
The appearance of the mission prompt confirmed their suspicions.
Deep within the ruins, the Remnant Soul of the Vermilion Bird did indeed exist.
And the source of that power inducing "Wrath" was none other than it.
"Soothe... its wrath?"
Lin Xiyue muttered to herself, her brows furrowed, "This sounds much harder than just beating it up."
"Non-violent non-cooperation."
Lin Qingyue reminded her softly, her voice calm.
"This is the first rule of the Dungeon. Violence may kill an enemy, but it cannot make it submit. The mission requirement is to 'soothe,' not 'eliminate,' which itself speaks volumes."
She drank the last sip of melon juice from her cup.
"Let's go."
"Go see what the source of such suffering for a God truly is."