The great phoenix did not have much strength left. When the people who had been draining him of qi stopped and dragged him out of his domain and into the clan’s main palace, he had not the strength to stop them. When he saw the frightened Huo Yulie, bound in chains, he could not do anything--even though he wanted so desperately to save the girl.
He felt great regret.
The phoenix had spent most of his life helping humanity, helping this clan, and for his help, the clan betrayed him.
Huǒ Huangdi had always been the jealous type even when he was young. He had been upset that other people like the sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sect far outstripped him in strength even though they were both from the same generation. The phoenix clan leader had done his best to outdo his rival, but it wasn’t long before he was completely outpaced.
And so, Huǒ Huangdi hatched this plan to become more powerful. He believed his current body was too weak. If his current body couldn’t get any stronger, then he would acquire a new body with the strength and abilities of a phoenix. His belief was extremely screwed up. However, the man was beyond listening to reason.
The disciples of the phoenix clan had dragged him into a sealing array, which glowed brightly the moment he entered. Then they dragged Huo Yulie who tried to put up a fight but clearly couldn’t into a the circle as well. As soon as they were both inside, a barrier sprang up around them. The chains on them disappeared, but neither was in a position to fight what was happening.
“What art thou doing?! Cease and desist this irrational behavior! Let us leave forthwith!” Huo Yulie shouted as she banged on the barrier over and over again.
“Prithee, child, forgive me. Tis mine fault that thou hast to suffer like this,” the phoenix said.
Huo Yulie turned back to the phoenix with unshed tears in her eyes. “I do not want this. Great phoenix, canst thou do something to help us escape from this place.”
“Would that I could,” the phoenix said with a sigh. “But mine strength has been drained. I have naught a drought of qi left to use. Stuck here are we. And here we shall remain until the ritual is complete.”
“No…”
Huo Yulie sank to her knees and wept openly. The phoenix wished he could help her, but at that moment, the glowing lines turned into chains that not wrapped around their bodies. He struggled out of habit, not because he believed he could win. The chains sank into his flesh and glowed a brilliant color. Then his body changed. It happened against his will, his feathers disappearing into his body as his limbs reshaped themselves into human ones.
Like all magical beasts above the Human Limit Realm, he had a human form, but he had never used it, preferring his phoenix form. It felt more natural. He felt more in tune with nature and his surroundings. Now, all of the sensations he enjoyed as a phoenix felt muted. Worse still, he was moving toward Huo Yulie against his will.
Similarly, Huo Yulie had stood up after the chains sank into her skin and she was removing her clothing. One article at a time, the clothing fell from her body and became a crumpled mess on the floor. Each movement was awkward and stiff as she fought to no avail against the controls.
Seeing her struggle made him decide to renew his own struggles. Even if it amounted to nothing, even if they were forced to commit this heinous act, he would not stop struggling. He would rather ignite his dantian and go up in flames than mate with this girl who he had seen as a daughter since the day she’d been born.
I would rather die!!!
Yet their struggles still amounted to nothing, and they were getting closer. It would not be long before they were coupling. The thought made him sick. This whole thing was twisted and would not even give Huo Huangdi what he wanted. That just made this all the worse. The man was doing this for nothing.
But then, just as he reached out to grab Huo Yulie, something happened.
“Cleaving the Heavens in A Single Strike!”
A beast descended from above. He bore a massive greatsword in his hands, which he swung down with so much force that it was a blur. Moments passed and nothing happened as the creature landed beside them. He was humanoid, but he had a body like that of a tiger. His muscular body was covered in pristine white fur and his hair was like a long mane that traveled down his back like a spiky wave.
A line soon appeared. It cut through not only the barrier but much of the city. The creature set his greatsword against his shoulder and the barrier, the city, and everything for several li was split. The formation that had held him captive was cut.
“NOOO!” Huo Huangdi shouted.
The phoenix felt the moment his strength and control returned to him. He leapt away from Huo Yulie and released a great cry as his body burst into flames. Once more, he became a phoenix.
He was surprised, however, when another cry went up, and not far from him appeared another phoenix. This one was even more powerful than him. He was majestic and exuded strength that was enviable. The phoenix locked eyes with him, then turned toward the members of the Phoenix Clan and, with a great screech, descended upon the group like an avenging beast.
“Come! Young one! Do not let those who would taint your flesh go free! Punish those who would abuse a phoenix!” The other magical beast said.
The words galvanized him. They inflamed his soul. With a great cry, he flew into the air and began burning those who had once worshipped him with phoenix fire.
***
Wu Jian turned back into a human once his work was done. He had destroyed the formation with his most powerful attack, putting everything he had into that one technique.
It had been enough.
Yánhuǒ Tiānzhǐ and the Xia Dynasty’s phoenix were dealing with Huo Huangdi and his clan. He went over to the still naked Huo Yulie, summoning a cloak from his storage ring, which he tossed over the girl.
“Um… What… Jian…?” Huo Yulie looked truly flabbergasted, like she could not believe he was there.”What art thou doing here?”
He smiled. “I’m here to save you and Shuchang.”
***
Huo Yulie almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing and seeing.
What felt like a lifetime ago now, her father and entire clan had betrayed her. She had learned that her only reason for existing was to become pregnant with the phoenix’s child so her father could stuff his soul inside of her unborn baby and be reborn with even greater power. Her father… no, she could not think of that man as her father anymore. She had in fact never truly considered him as such. She had only called him that because he had demanded it. The only person she really thought of as her father was the phoenix.
Regardless, that man had come into the phoenix’s domain, sealed away his powers, and tried to take her as well. The phoenix had used his last bit of qi to send her far away.
She remembered those days. She had been sent to some cave on the coast in the middle of nowhere with powerful magical beasts surrounding her. Huo Yulie had spent those days living in fear. Up to that point, she had always had the phoenix or her older brother by her side, and now, she had no one. Even though she did not struggle to survive, the loneliness had nearly consumed her. It had eventually become too much and she went to find a human settlement.
That had been her first mistake.
The Phoenix Clan found her. She had fought them. After the phoenix went through all that trouble to protect her, she could not allow his sacrifice to be in vain. For months, she had run and fought against the phoenix clan, managing to evade them sometimes, but at some point, they had captured her brother and threatened to kill him if she did not comply. She was left with no choice. She gave herself up. At that point, she had truly believed that there was no hope, that she would be forced to do the bidding of that vile man.
So when Wu Jian appeared before her, shattering the formation with power that she did not know anyone had, she could not help but feel shocked. She stared up at the man who had come to save her. He looked human once more. His long hair was messy and his face was kind. He had a sturdy body and smelled very good. It had been his scent that attracted her to him once, long ago when he first arrived in Heavenly Chengshi.
“Truly… I am saved?” she asked tentatively. She almost couldn’t believe it.
***
The look Huo Yulie gave him was heartbreaking. She had truly given up after the Phoenix Clan had captured her.
It had been a long time since Wu Jian had seen this woman, and while she looked ragged and worn down, she somehow seemed more beautiful than before. Not that he could properly appreciate it given the situation. It was more of a side note currently. At the moment, he was more concerned with reassuring her than he was with her appearance.
“Of course. I mean… look.”
Wu Jian gestured toward the massacre, for that’s all it could be called. The two phoenixes were displaying their true power. One of them was a peak Perfection Realm magical beast that was half a step into the Divine Realm, while the other was just a step lower. Even the strongest cultivator amongst the Phoenix Clan, Huo Huangdi himself, could not survive against this onslaught.
Oh, but the man was trying. He tried to blast Yánhuǒ Tiānzhǐ with his flames, but the great phoenix absorbed the fires like they were a part of him and launched an even greater flame that slammed into the man. He was sent rocketing to the ground and a great explosion went up. Several of his clansmen were caught in the blast and their bodies disintegrated.
“A second phoenix, and one with such destructive power,” Huo Yulie murmured.
“SISTER!”
At that moment, Shuchang rushed over to them. Huo Yulie looked up with new tears in her eyes as her brother came over and embraced her.
“Brother! I hearst thou had been captured! This unfilial sister apologizes! I hopest thou can forgive this one for not helping you sooner!”
“No! Don’t apologize! I’m sorry! I should have been there when they captured you! Like a fool, I rushed in and only made things worse! I heard… I heard that you surrendered yourself when they informed you that I had been kidnapped.”
Wu Jian stepped back as the pair hugged to give them some privacy. He looked at the battle again. Though he really shouldn’t call it that. Slaughter was more like it. Half of Huo Huangdi’s body was burnt. His muscles were visible underneath the bubbling layer of melting flesh. Even as he watched, the two phoenixes closed in. This time, they did not attack with fire but with claws. They tore into his flesh, ripping his body to shreds. Their attack was so swift the man could barely do a thing, and soon, he plummeted to the ground, striking it hard enough to leave a dent.
“Wu Jian,” Shuchang said, standing up and clapping him on the shoulder with a grin. “Am I glad to see you.”
Wu Jian smiled and clapped the man back. “I was not going to leave you to do this yourself. You should have waited for me though.”
“Well… you’re not wrong, but you know what they say. Some people can see the trees but not the leaves… something like that.” Shuchang rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway, I was too worried about my sister to focus on anything else. I couldn’t wait. Besides, it looks like everything turned out okay.”
Wu Jian gestured toward where three figures were emerging from a sea of flames. Two of them were in the shape of giant birds, but being dragged between them was a half-dead Huo Huangdi.