Beneath the heavy veil of night, the starlight was dim, with only a few wisps of moonlight stubbornly piercing the clouds to drape the ancient mountain forest in a layer of silver gauze.
Zhong Yun, Shen Yao, and Elder Li sat in a circle inside a mountain cave. Before them stood an archaic bronze tripod with a blazing fire burning underneath, casting flickering shadows across their faces.
Inside the bronze tripod, the crimson Phoenix Blood emitted a faint warmth, floating quietly alongside two other treasures that radiated strange lights, waiting for the purification ritual to begin.
Chapter 32