Chapter 3: Summoning order and prophecy.
A Quiet Farewell
As the final strains of music echoed through the grand hall, guests began to depart in silken streams of color. Lanterns flickered low, and a hush settled over the garden.
Fen Hao and Chu Lanyue stood at the edge of the courtyard, the scent of night-blooming flowers heavy in the air. A gentle breeze stirred Chu Lanyue's dark blue-black hair, glinting with moonlight.
"I suppose this is farewell… for now," she said, her golden eyes distant yet searching.
"Until we meet again," Fen Hao murmured, though his heart ached with an inexplicable heaviness.
For a moment, they lingered—two souls bound by a memory neither fully understood—before turning away, each swallowed by the shadows of their family retinues.
A Summons at Dawn
At dawn, the stillness of the Immortal Realm was shattered by the deep tolling of the Immortal King's Summons Bell—a sound that had not rung in decades.
Servants bustled through the Fen Family's residence, their voices hushed and urgent. Fen Hao rose from his meditation, tension coiling in his chest. His father, Fen Huang—stoic and watchful—entered his chamber, his jade-embroidered robes a silent testament to the power he now held as patriarch.
"The Immortal King has summoned the three great families," Fen Huang said gravely."We leave at once."
The Journey to the Immortal Palace
Banners of pale gold fluttered as the carriages of the Fen, Chu, and He Families wound through the marble streets of Gadarin.
Fen Hao rode alongside his father, his mind racing. In the Chu carriage, Chu Lanyue sat with icy composure, while her sister, Chu Nanyue, chattered nervously. In the He Family's cortege, He Lingtiyan, the heir of the He clan, looked out at the world with a calm, calculating gaze—his golden hair bound in a high knot, his robes shimmering like moonlight on water.
The Immortal King's Court
The Immortal Palace loomed at the heart of the realm, its towering gates carved from celestial stone, guarded by statues of ancient dragons. Only one immortal king had ever ruled at a time, and tradition held firm:
"The first to reach the Immortal King Realm shall become the Immortal King."
Inside the vast hall, marble pillars reached for a vaulted ceiling painted with scenes of ancient conquests. The courtiers and guards fell silent as the three families entered, each heir walking with measured steps: Fen Hao in white and green, Chu Lanyue in midnight blue, He Lingtiyan in silvery white.
At the dais, the current Immortal King—the Iron Sovereign—sat enthroned, clad in black-gold armor that gleamed beneath the banners of the realm. His iron-grey hair swept back from a face of unyielding calm.
A Dire Prophecy
"Thank you for coming," the Iron Sovereign intoned, his voice resonant as the bell that summoned them."I have gathered you here because a new prophecy has emerged—one that cannot be ignored."
A hush fell over the room. Fen Hao felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
"Our star-reader—Old Man Wuchen—saw it in the night sky," the king continued."A prophecy of devil invasion… of bloodlines mingled and realms torn asunder."
His voice dropped lower, weighty with ancient power, and the hall seemed to hold its breath as he recited:
"When the gate is shattered,
the devil s will come
the two phoenixes shall rise to the sky.
A black sword will cut the space,
and slay its enemy.
When phoenix and sword merge,
peace will rise again."
Speculation and Scorn
The final word of the prophecy seemed to echo in the vast hall. Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
The He Family Patriarch—a tall man with eyes as cold as glacier ice—stepped forward.
"It seems clear," he said, his voice calm but carrying an undercurrent of pride."The 'two phoenixes' in the prophecy must refer to the Chu Family's twin daughters. Their bloodline has always held the divine phoenix's spark."
Eyes turned to the Chu sisters—Chu Lanyue, poised and silent, and Chu Nanyue, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Then the He Family Patriarch's gaze swept to his own heir, He Lingtiyan.
"As for the 'black sword,' our He Family is descended from the once-immortal king, the Sword Sovereign himself. Our ancestral realm still guards the legacy he left behind—the Black Sword. Surely, the 'sword' in this prophecy points to our heir."
He Lingtiyan inclined his head modestly, though pride glinted in his eyes.
"So," he concluded, his lips curling in faint amusement,"what role is left for the Fen Family in all this?"
A ripple of laughter and mocking murmurs spread through the chamber. Courtiers and minor nobles exchanged smirks, their eyes flicking dismissively to Fen Hao and his father.
Fen Hao felt a flicker of heat in his chest—pride and anger mingling. But beside him, Fen Huang's expression remained impassive, his pale gold eyes glinting like tempered steel.
"Let them laugh," Fen Huang murmured softly, his hand tightening on his staff."The stars may yet choose a different path—one that none of them see."
A Dangerous Discussion
After the laughter faded, the family heads gathered in low-voiced discussion, their tones growing grave as they turned to the matter at hand—how to counter the devils' invasion.
Fen Huang stood silent at the edge of the circle. His heart beat heavily with a secret truth:
The devils in the prophecy… they are not the same devils as those spoken of in ancient scrolls. But I cannot reveal this. If I speak it aloud, the Fen Family would be branded traitors to the Immortal Realm itself.
While the elders argued and planned for the future, the heirs of the three great families sat around them, each silent and watchful.
For a long moment, the air was taut with unspoken words—until He Lingtiyan finally broke the tension with a lazy, amused drawl.
"So if the prophecy is true," he said, a sly smile curving his lips,"I am the sword… and you two are the phoenixes. I understand that part well enough. But what does 'merging' mean, I wonder? Are we meant to marry to fulfill the prophecy?"
His golden eyes flicked to the Chu sisters, lingering a moment too long on Chu Lanyue's serene face.
Fen Hao felt a surge of heat in his chest. Without thinking, he stepped forward and snapped:
"If you're that bored, why don't you leave and let the elders plan without your nonsense?"
He Lingtiyan's smile faded, irritation darkening his gaze. In the next heartbeat, he unleashed his nascent-level cultivation base, his domain flaring into existence—crushing, cold, and shimmering with killing intent.
The air in the hall grew sharp and electric. Courtiers and guards fell back in alarm, some clutching at their chests as the weight of He Lingtiyan's power pressed down.
Fen Hao's breath caught in his throat.
"So this is the power… of one chosen by the prophecy…""Am I truly destined to remain beneath him forever? No—NO! I will stand. I will not let any opportunity pass me by. My future will not be denied."
A surge of heat flooded his veins. His black hair shimmered, strands turning a shimmering, ghostly white, and his blue eyes bled into a deep, chilling red.
He Lingtiyan froze, his amusement vanishing in a heartbeat as he took a step back, a flicker of fear crossing his face.
But before he could act, Chu Lanyue stepped forward, her golden eyes cold as she blocked He Lingtiyan's strike with a flick of her sleeve.
At the same instant, Fen Huang moved, his celestial aura sweeping out to shield Fen Hao from harm. His eyes narrowed, fixing on his son's sudden transformation with grim understanding.
The Iron Sovereign's Rebuke
The Iron Sovereign rose from his throne, his iron-clad voice cutting through the air like a blade.
"Enough!"
The force of his words cracked through the tension, and the swirling domains of power dissolved in an instant.
"Is this how you intend to protect the living beings of this realm?" he thundered, his eyes sweeping across the assembled families."You shame your ancestors with your petty squabbles. In ancient times, when the Five Realms still stood united, we nearly fell to the devils' invasion. Now the Divine Realm is lost to us—if it even exists—and the Demon Realm was shattered by our own hands when they dared to conquer us. All that remains is the Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm."
He let out a slow breath, heavy with memory.
"Even as the Devil Realm waits to strike again… you would rather quarrel than stand together?"
His gaze fell to the heirs, each one cowed by his righteous fury.
"Discipline your children," he said coldly."Or there will be nothing left for them to inherit."
Silence fell over the hall, heavy as a funeral shroud.
After the Sovereign's Rebuke
The Iron Sovereign's words echoed in the vast hall, leaving an uneasy hush in their wake. Slowly, the three family patriarchs—the heads of Fen, Chu, and He—inclined their heads and stepped forward to bow deeply before the Immortal King.
"Your Majesty," Fen Huang said quietly, his voice calm but resolute,"We understand. We will not disappoint you again."
The Iron Sovereign's cold eyes softened, if only slightly, and he nodded once.
"Come. We will continue this discussion in the meeting chamber. There is much to plan if we are to stand against the devils."
With a sweep of his arm, he turned and led the family patriarchs away, their footsteps fading into the shadowed corridor that led to the inner sanctum of the Immortal Palace.
The Heirs Left Behind
Left behind in the grand main hall, the heirs of the three great families stood in uneasy silence.
The marble floor beneath them gleamed like frozen moonlight. Massive pillars loomed overhead, casting long shadows across the anxious young faces.
Fen Hao's pulse still raced from his transformation—his hair and eyes had returned to normal, but the echo of that power still pulsed in his veins. He swallowed hard, his mind replaying the moment over and over.
Chu Lanyue stood apart, her golden eyes shuttered, as if already lost in some distant thought. Her sister, Chu Nanyue, shifted awkwardly beside her, darting glances at Fen Hao and He Lingtiyan.
He Lingtiyan, meanwhile, seemed to have regained his composure. He smirked faintly at Fen Hao, though a flicker of wariness still lingered in his eyes.
The hush between them was thick, unspoken tensions crackling like summer lightning. None of them dared to speak first.
And so they waited—silent, wary, and bound by a prophecy none of them fully understood—while their fathers planned the war that would decide the fate of the realm
End of Chapter 3