Into the Heart of Darkness
Your Author
Hola pookies 😸
The Phoenix Sect was on high alert.
Lan Yi stood at the center of the courtyard, his gaze hard and focused as he scanned the area for any signs of the growing darkness. The night was eerily quiet, with no breeze to carry the familiar scent of pine trees or the soft hum of insects. Everything felt suffocating, as though the very air itself held its breath, waiting for the inevitable.
Ruo Chen approached quietly, his expression grim. His icy aura was more pronounced than usual, the coldness a reflection of the storm raging inside him.
Ruo Chen (ML)
The shadows are getting closer.
( he said, his voice low.)
And I don’t think they’re going to wait for us to make a move.
Lan Yi (MC)
(Lan Yi nodded, his flames flickering at his fingertips.)
We need to strike first.
Ruo Chen (ML)
(Ruo Chen eyed him carefully.)
You’re still thinking about the figure in the temple, aren’t you?
Lan Yi didn't answer immediately, his mind caught on the shadowy figure’s words: You cannot escape yours, descendant. It had haunted him ever since the moment the crystal shattered. The voice had been familiar in a way that unsettled him, as though it had known more about his past than he did.
Lan Yi (MC)
We need to find out who or what is behind all this.
(Lan Yi said finally.)
The relic, the shadows—it’s all connected, and I have a feeling it has something to do with the origins of the Phoenix Flame itself.
Ruo Chen (ML)
(Ruo Chen’s gaze softened, though he remained vigilant.)
I’ll stand by you, no matter what. But be careful. The deeper you dig, the more you risk revealing something you may not want to know.
Lan Yi looked at him, the flickering flame in his eyes momentarily meeting Ruo Chen’s icy ones. A silent understanding passed between them, something unspoken but palpable.
Lan Yi (MC)
I know.
(replied softly.)
---
The Heart of the Phoenix
The sect elders gathered in the war room, a heavy silence hanging over them. The remnants of the relic sat in the center of the table, still pulsing with a faint dark energy. Xiao Rui had spent hours trying to analyze it, but each time he approached, his talismans became unstable, the dark energy resisting any attempt to neutralize it.
Elder Qiu
This is worse than we thought.
(Elder Qiu murmured, his face pale.)
The figure we saw in the temple wasn’t just a shadow. It was the embodiment of the Black Phoenix—its true essence.
Lan Yi felt a chill creep down his spine at the mention of the Black Phoenix. He had heard legends of its power—how it had once been a guardian of balance, a force of nature in its own right. But over time, its heart had turned cold, corrupted by its own immense power, until it became nothing more than a destructive force, consumed by darkness.
Lan Yi (MC)
If the Black Phoenix truly exists.
(Lan Yi said, his voice steady but laced with an edge of urgency.)
..then everything we've been protecting—the Flame, the sect, everything—is at risk.
Xiao Rui
(Xiao Rui spoke up from where he stood near the window, staring out into the growing darkness of the night.)
I’ve been studying the ancient texts. They mention a ritual—one that can either purify or corrupt the Phoenix Flame. But it requires the soul of a Phoenix to be fully activated.
Lan Yi (MC)
(Lan Yi's heart skipped a beat.)
My soul...?
Xiao Rui
(Xiao Rui nodded grimly.)
It’s the only way to either destroy the Black Phoenix or become its vessel. And if you become the vessel—
( He trailed off, his face pale.)
Ruo Chen (ML)
(Ruo Chen stepped forward, his voice cold and decisive.)
That won’t happen. We’ll make sure of it.
Lan Yi didn’t respond right away. The weight of the situation pressed down on him. He had always known that the Phoenix Flame held more than just power—it was a responsibility. But now, it felt as though the burden was no longer just his. It was something far larger, something that could destroy them all if they weren’t careful.
Lan Yi (MC)
We can’t just wait for the Black Phoenix to come to us.
(Lan Yi said finally.)
We need to find where it’s hiding, its core, and destroy it before it’s too late.
Elder Qiu
We have to move fast.
(Elder Qiu warned.)
The shadow cultists have already begun their ritual. Time is running out.
---
A Forbidden Path
Lan Yi, Ruo Chen, and Xiao Rui set out before dawn, following the trail the shadow cultists had left behind. The further they went into the wilderness, the darker the land became, as though the shadows themselves were thickening. The trees twisted unnaturally, their branches reaching out like skeletal hands.
Lan Yi could feel the pull of the Phoenix Flame within him, growing stronger the deeper they ventured. It wasn’t just the dark energy of the Black Phoenix—it was something else, something familiar.
As they reached the edge of an ancient, ruined temple, Lan Yi’s heart clenched in recognition. This was no ordinary temple. The markings on the stones were unmistakable, signs of an ancient order that had once protected the Phoenix Flame from falling into the wrong hands.
Lan Yi (MC)
This is it.
(Lan Yi whispered, his voice thick with emotion.)
The heart of the Phoenix.
But as they entered, they were met with an unexpected sight. At the center of the temple stood a figure, cloaked in shadow, their hands raised toward the sky. The air hummed with power, the faint sound of chanting echoing through the ruins.
Shadow
You’re too late.
(the figure said, their voice cold and mocking.)
The Black Phoenix has already begun its ascent. And soon, the Phoenix Flame will be mine.
Ruo Chen (ML)
(Lan Yi stepped forward, his flames igniting, but Ruo Chen held him back.)
This is a trap. Don’t fall for it.
But before they could react, the figure’s hands dropped, and the ground shook violently. A crack appeared in the temple floor, and from it emerged a vortex of darkness, swirling with an eerie, unnatural force.
Lan Yi’s flames flickered, struggling against the overwhelming darkness. The Black Phoenix had risen, and its power was far beyond anything they had faced before.
Lan Yi (MC)
We need to stop it now!
(Lan Yi shouted.)
But as he stepped forward, a sudden realization hit him like a blow to the chest—the dark figure wasn’t just trying to awaken the Black Phoenix. They were trying to bind it to him. To make him its vessel.
And in that moment, the shadows closed in around them, trapping them in the heart of the Phoenix’s curse.
Your Author
A cliffhanger 😆
Your Author
Do you want me to update the next chapter today 😁
Your Author
If so ..say yes
Your Author
Bie bie pookies 😺
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