Stars dotted the sky as the cold wind ushered in the night.
Wang Zhaojun scrambled out in a panic, leaping over the wall, and took a look at the folding fan that the maidens had torn to shreds. She couldn't help feeling a pang of heartache—she had spent five hundred Spirit Stones on that.
By the time she returned to her quarters, it was already late into the night. A light drizzle suddenly began to fall, pattering softly against the windowsill. She pulled the window shut and went to bed to rest.Peach Blossom Wu.
Xiaobai stood gazing blankly at the grand gates of the Immortal Wuling estate for a long time, but Wang Zhaojun still hadn't returned. A sour, aggrieved feeling welled up in the bottom of his heart.
Gongsun Li took all of this in. She picked up a white fox-fur cloak and draped it over Xiaobai's shoulders. "Xiaobai, it's getting dark. Time to go back and sleep."
"Sister A-Li, does Big Sister not want me anymore? Is that why she isn't coming back?" Xiaobai's mouth quivered, tears swirling in his eyes.
"Don't let your imagination run wild. Sister Zhaojun will be back." Gongsun Li didn't know how to comfort him. Why was this little fellow so prone to crying?
"Stop crying, little crybaby."
Xiaobai tilted his head and wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. Those bright eyes gleamed with a clear, translucent light as he stubbornly raised his chin. "I am not crying! The wind and sand are just too big!"
Gongsun Li looked at his fluffy little head and had the urge to pinch his cheeks, but he skillfully dodged out of the way.
"Stingy."
Seeing Gongsun Li describe him that way, Xiaobai couldn't help arguing, "I only let Big Sister touch my head. I only like her, and she likes me too."
Gongsun Li shot Xiaobai an exasperated glare. "Sister Zhaojun likes you best? Have you forgotten when you were soaking in the hot pot? If Immortal Wuling hadn't shown up in the nick of time, not even your bones would be left by now."
"The person Sister Zhaojun likes is the proud son of heaven, the Young Lord of the Dragon Clan. He is graceful and peerless, completely unmatched. You're just a little brat who doesn't know anything. There's simply no comparison."
"Hmph! What's so great about a dragon? What makes you say Big Sister doesn't like me?" Xiaobai turned away with a haughty, petulant pout.
Gongsun Li shrugged to signal she had no intention of arguing with him. That Sister Zhaojun liked Han Xin was something the entire Heavenly Realm knew.
That night.
As far as the eye could see across the towering mountain ranges, it was a river of blood with corpses floating for thousands of miles.
Over a thousand members of the Demon Clan had been slaughtered by a woman in a blue dress. Every inch of land was stained crimson with blood, and severed limbs and remains lay scattered everywhere.
"I advise you to obediently hand over the Phoenix Order. Otherwise, I will kill your daughter!"
The Demon Lord stared with a piercing gaze at that peerlessly elegant figure.
The woman looked at her daughter captured in the Demon Lord's grasp, and then glanced at the subordinates who had lived and died by her side.
"I cannot escape your clutches today. Can you allow me a moment to speak alone with my daughter?" Standing suspended in mid-air in her blue dress, she maintained a calm expression even while surrounded by tens of thousands of demons.
"Something as important as the Phoenix Order is actually in the hands of a woman! Now that death is at your doorstep, you still have the nerve to negotiate with us!" The speaker was a general of the Demon Clan.
His tone dripped with contempt and disdain as he drew the sword at his waist. The long blade surged with majestic momentum, kicking up countless shards of rubble from the ground wherever it passed.
Finally, the blade came to rest against the young girl's slender neck, and the girl gazed at the woman in blue with fearful, pretty eyes.
"You're courting death!" The woman in blue narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly. With a gentle flick of her hand, a sharp blade spun rapidly, piercing straight into his heart with absolute precision.
Those around them gasped sharply. That man was, after all, a seasoned Demon Clan general who had fought in all directions, yet she had taken his life with effortless ease. This completely exceeded their expectations!
"A private conversation isn't out of the question, but if you dare play any tricks, I won't mind killing your daughter right now." The Demon Lord reached out and gripped the young girl's neck, threatening her in a cold voice.
The woman in blue turned around, a white veil masking the lower half of her face. The alluring and enchanting Phoenix mark between her brows grew even more dazzling in the moonlight.
The woman in blue cast a faint glance at the Demon Lord, then took the girl by the hand and walked over to the edge of the cliff.
The Phoenix Order held a mighty power that surpassed the Six Realms. Its possessor could attain supreme authority and command all beasts in the world. If one inherited the divine power of the ancient Phoenix contained within it, their cultivation speed would advance by leaps and bounds—how could that fail to stir people's hearts?
The woman in blue embraced the girl, gently stroking her hair as she said softly, "Good child, I'm sorry. Mother failed to protect you and let you suffer."
The girl obediently hugged her mother, not a shred of fear in the depths of her eyes, and said, "Mother, are we going to die?"
"Even if everyone in the Six Realms dies, Mother will not let you die." The woman in blue pressed her lips together, a flash of inner conflict crossing her eyes.
Fugitive though it was, it was cleverly caught by the girl. "Mother, is there something important you want to tell me?"
"After Mother dies, the Phoenix Order will be given to you. Originally, Mother did not want you to step into these chaotic struggles, but I have no other choice."
"Mother knows that many of our Phoenix clan members cannot escape. They once shared life and death with Mother, so Mother must stay behind and face whatever comes with them. As for you, you must live on well."
A flicker of suspicion crossed the girl's eyes, but then she saw her mother place a golden token into her hand.
"Mother is passing all her lifetime cultivation to you. This Phoenix Order contains supreme divine power; you can inherit it once your cultivation is strong enough. There is an array beneath the cliff that will protect you. In a moment, Mother will push you down. You must live well, and do not try to avenge Mother."
"Mother's greatest wish is for you to live a happy and joyful life." The woman smiled helplessly; in the end, she would not be able to accompany her as she grew up.
The girl fought back her tears, refusing to let them fall. "Mother, I..."
The woman raised a hand to silence her, a breathtaking smile curving the corners of her lips. "Remember, we of the Phoenix clan bleed without shedding tears—we cannot let others look down on us. Give me your hand."
The girl wasn't one to let emotion cloud her judgment either. She grasped her mother's warm hand and could feel a continuous stream of divine power surging wildly into her body. Unable to fully bear it, thin beads of sweat broke out on her temples.
Seeing this, the woman realized her power was too overpowering for the girl's young body to handle, so she began channeling Spiritual Power directly into her crown chakra.
"Remember, the Phoenix Order must not be easily exposed to others. Everyone in the Six Realms is greedy, lest it bring down a fatal disaster upon you."
The woman suddenly pulled off her veil, smiled at her, and said, "Look at Mother's face one last time. This is the last time."
"Your Lordship! Look!" A Demon Clan soldier pointed in the girl's direction.
"Damn it! How dare you pull tricks right under my nose!" An earth-shattering aura erupted from the Demon Lord's entire body.
The woman put her veil back on. The wind gently stirred the fabric, making her peerless features appear hazy, mysterious, and half-hidden.
Enraged, the Demon Lord gathered a surge of energy and directly struck out toward that direction. Using her own body to shield the girl—having lost her cultivation—the woman directly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"Catch them!"
A trace of bright red stained the corner of the woman's mouth, yet a faint smile surfaced. She raised her hand and pushed the girl off the bottomless cliff, while she herself destroyed her own primordial spirit.
Wang Zhaojun suddenly jolted awake from her dream, staring blankly at everything around her, her facial expression revealing just how terrified she was at that moment.
She sat up on the bed, burying her face in her hands and hiding her head in her knees. Why did she always dream of this scene, as if it had truly happened?