The Phoenix Courtyard brimmed with a silent intensity.
Though victory had been achieved at Oakcliff, Lin Yue felt it. A pressure not from without, but within. They had been seen. Measured. Marked.
In the flame-lit war room, a projected map of their territory shimmered midair. From the Vermilion Hills to the southern Spine River, five blinking zones indicated active commissions.
[Mission Map – East Flame Zone]
Oakcliff Border (Beast Tide Quarantine) – Cleared
Vermilion Hills Caravan Path – Active Escort
Black Veil Hollow – Spiritual Fog Investigation
Cinderrock Mines – Rogue Miner Conflict
Cradle Grove – Forbidden Spirit Artifact Fluctuation
[Guild Mission Board – Updated]
New Available Mission:
Mission: Investigate Black Veil Hollow
Rank: C+
Objective: Identify source of spiritual fog linked to corrupted formations
Danger Level: Unknown (possible ambush)
Reward: 1500 Spirit Coins + 1 Formation Blueprint + Regional Insight Access
Lin Yue tapped the hollow's icon. "This is our next move. The Ashen Fangs didn't retreat without a plan. And this location…" He narrowed his eyes. "...is within their area of influence."
"Are we sure we want to bait them?" Wen Qingxue asked softly, arms crossed. "Zhan Long already marked you."
"I'm not baiting them," Lin Yue said. "I'm hunting them."
Lian Rou's voice rang firm: "We're with you."
Shi Yuyan and Yun'er both nodded.
Luo Yanyue grinned lazily. "Let the fangless wolves come."
Training & Growth
Status Update – Lin Yue
Cultivation: Mid-Stage Spirit Core
Flame Trait: Phoenix Nirvana Embers
New Skill: Phoenix Pulse Cage (Restrains and burns enemies within a sealed field)
Passive: Shared Flame Bond (Harem members gain temporary stat boost when Lin Yue is wounded)
Shi Yuyan
Weapon: Flame Dragon Blade
Specialty: Close Combat, Fire-Burst Steps
New Progress: Inner Fire Resonance (Enables her to sync with Lin Yue in combat)
Lian Rou
Whip Skill Upgraded: Crimson Constrictor Dance
Secondary Path: Spirit Healing via Bloodline Channeling
Trait: Can now calm injured beast spirits, useful for recruitment
That evening, Lin Yue assigned roles.
"Yuyan, Yun'er—you'll protect the courtyard. Qingxue, Rou, Yanyue—you're with me to Black Veil."
"Understood," they echoed.
But as the group departed, none of them noticed the cold shadow moving near the mountain ridge—watching with burning violet eyes.
Scene Transition – Hidden Stronghold of the Ashen Fangs
Deep within the southern caverns known as Dagger Maw, the Ashen Fangs gathered under dim green flames.
Their new leader, Zhan Long, sat shirtless, his left shoulder still scarred. His eyes were pure venom.
He spoke to his top commanders, each bearing a crimson fang emblem burned into their chest.
Ashen Fangs – Elite Members & Status
[Zhan Long] – Ashen Fangs Leader
Cultivation: Peak Spirit Core Realm
Core Skill: Venom Flame Art (Combines poison and fire in corrosive bursts)
Weapon: Dual Blades, Soul-Bound
Trait: Regenerates while burning enemy spirit Qi
Personality: Vengeful, Calculated, Sadistic
Target: Lin Yue (Marked for Elimination)
[Ming Yushu] – Phantom Fang
Cultivation: Late Spirit Root Realm
Specialty: Illusion and Spirit Tracking
Skill: Spirit Mirage Step (Creates up to 5 clones, each semi-real)
Relationship: Loyal to Zhan Long since childhood
Hidden Emotion: Obsession with proving herself better than Lin Yue's harem
Status: Infiltrating Cradle Grove under disguise
[Wei Tong] – Feral Fang
Cultivation: Mid Spirit Core
Weapon: Iron Claw Gauntlets
Trait: Grows stronger when wounded; berserker-type
Known For: Killing his own squad to "purge weakness"
Status: Assigned to ambush Lin Yue at Black Veil
[Gao Fen] – Poison Architect
Cultivation: Early Spirit Core
Specialty: Trap Formation + Alchemy
Skills: Acid Rain Array, Toxic Bloom Seed
Current Activity: Seeding toxic arrays in Black Veil Hollow
Goal: Cripple Nirvana Phoenix morale via slow poisoning
Zhan Long slammed a dagger into the map table. "Let Lin Yue step into the Hollow. By the time he senses the fog's corruption… he'll be buried with it."
Ming Yushu smiled faintly. "And if he survives?"
"Then he'll watch his precious girls fall—one by one."
Scene Shift – Black Veil Hollow
The forest was silent.
Not dead—silent.
No wind. No beasts. Not even insects dared breathe here.
Lin Yue led the team deeper in. Lian Rou flared her aura to probe the thick fog, but it only hissed and swallowed it.
"We're being watched," Yanyue murmured, forming illusion counter-fields.
Wen Qingxue closed her eyes, sensing frost fluctuations in the air.
"Poison formation ahead. Subtle but active."
"Yanyue, cloak us."
"Already done," she whispered.
They vanished behind layers of shifting leaves and mirrored terrain.
But just as they stepped into the poisoned glade, Wei Tong struck.
Battle Commences
"DIE, PRETTY TOYS!"
The berserker Fang leapt from the shadows, claw gauntlets ablaze with corrupt Qi.
Lian Rou's whip snapped at his midsection—but it rebounded against his hardened flesh.
"Too slow!"
Wen Qingxue formed a frost barrier just in time, but it cracked on impact.
Lin Yue's Phoenix Pulse Cage activated—sealing the clearing in golden flame.
Wei Tong roared in rage. "YOU THINK THAT CAN HOLD ME?!"
He pounded at the cage—but it reacted, feeding on his chaos energy.
Meanwhile, Yanyue's illusions surrounded him with ten phantom Lin Yues.
Wei Tong screamed. "WHICH ONE IS REAL?!"
The real Lin Yue answered with a spear through the back.
[Mission Complete: Poison Fog Source Identified]
Sub-Mission: Intercept Wei Tong – Success
Loot: Poison Claw Gauntlets + Core Fragment
Fog Field Dismantled: 30%
As the fog lifted slightly, Lin Yue's gaze locked on a blackened array stone buried under twisted roots.
"Someone else is still here."
Side Story – "Mirrors of the Flame" (Perspective: Shi Yun'er)
Back at the Phoenix Courtyard, Shi Yun'er wandered into the Flame Library.
She wasn't as strong as her sister. Not as fierce as Rou. Not as elegant as Qingxue.
But she was fast. Curious. And quietly, incredibly smart.
As she dusted the older shelves, one book glowed faintly—The Song of Twin Phoenixes.
Opening it triggered a spiritual projection: Two phoenixes, one red and one white, circling each other above a divided continent.
Suddenly, the white phoenix whispered:
"One day… you too will soar, little one."
The warmth lingered in her heart.
She didn't know yet—but this was the first echo of a hidden bloodline awakening that would shake the future.
Closing Scene
As the team prepared to retreat from the Hollow, Lin Yue glanced back.
Smoke rose behind them, and his flame ring hummed—warning of incoming formation shifts.
He didn't know it yet, but Gao Fen had already planted the next trap…
And Ming Yushu was watching, smiling, wearing the face of an innocent girl in a nearby town.
To be Continue...