The world smelled like sulfur and ash.
Lin Yue stood before the ruined outpost at the edge of the eastern Exclusion Zone, embers rising like fireflies against the twilight sky. What used to be a mountain patrol station was now charred rubble. A commission had come through the guildhall that morning — urgent: "Missing guards. Possible mutated beasts. Investigate and secure." Standard pay. High danger.
The guild had answered.
But Lin Yue, ever cautious, had brought more than muscle.
"Formation set," whispered Xu Lian, his keen eyes scanning the crumbled structure. His hands flickered with spiritual symbols, placing talismans at the perimeter. "No traces of recent qi. It's cold. Whatever hit this place, it happened fast."
Lian Rou crouched beside a shattered totem pole, her red robes flapping in the heated wind. The phoenix sigil on her shoulder shimmered faintly, the ring on her hand pulsing with the same rhythm as her heartbeat — and Lin Yue's. "Something burrowed underneath," she said, pressing her palm to the cracked earth. "The energy residue is... corrupted."
Lin Yue's gaze narrowed. "The Ashen Fangs," he thought grimly.
He had sensed them moving — their mercenaries infiltrating border towns, stealing relics, capturing cultivators. This commission wasn't a coincidence. It was bait.
And he was walking straight into the wolf's jaw.
Guild Status Screen – Lin Yue (Phoenix Core)
Realm: Foundation Ascendant (Early)
Title: Guildmaster of Nirvana Phoenix
Bloodline: True Nirvana Phoenix (Partial Awakening)
Unique Skill: [Ash Rebirth], [Celestial Bloodline Transfer], [Phoenix Domain: Ashfall Sky]
Harem Bonded: 3 / ?
Guild Members: 12 (Active), 3 (Provisional)
Faction Enemies: Ashen Fangs Mercenary Group (Confirmed Kill Orders Issued)
"Movement," barked Jian Mu, the brawny twin-axe cultivator, who served as one of the Guild's Elite Blades. "North sector. Something fast."
Before Lin Yue could reply, the earth split.
A geyser of black mud exploded skyward. From it rose a hulking figure — a beast twisted by spiritual corruption. Its body was a malformed hybrid: part bear, part serpent, part steel. Chunks of armor were embedded into its flesh, and talismans of black fog clung to its ribs like parasites.
"Mutated war-beast," Lian Rou whispered. "Ashen Fangs experiment."
Its roar was like a thunderclap.
Lin Yue raised a hand. "Formation Bravo. Don't let it breach the outer seal."
Xu Lian triggered the containment circle — an array of phoenix glyphs and mirrored qi fields that shimmered into place. Jian Mu dove forward, his axes coated in red-gold qi as he engaged the beast head-on, buying time.
"Phoenix Talon!" Lian Rou shouted, launching a spinning flame crescent from her spear. It sliced one of the beast's serpentine arms clean off. Black ichor sprayed in a noxious arc.
The beast retaliated — whipping a barbed tail toward her — but Lin Yue appeared in its path, his palm outstretched. "Ash Rebirth: Flame Collapse!"
A sphere of condensed phoenix fire detonated from his hand, searing the beast's torso and forcing it backward into the array's net.
The team worked like gears in a machine.
Coordinated. Swift. Merciless.
And yet—
A second figure emerged from the shadows.
Clapping.
She was tall, with flowing black robes laced in crimson thread. Her face was covered by a porcelain half-mask. But Lin Yue recognized her.
"...Yin Xiulan," he said.
The Ashen Fangs' Third Commander. A cultivator with a Ghost Lotus Core. Infamous for experiments on spiritual beasts and live cultivators.
"I was hoping you'd come," she said, her voice sweet, almost amused. "We wanted to test your little phoenix guild."
Lian Rou's expression darkened. "You've been using the commissions to bait Yue-ge."
"Of course. And it worked."
Xiulan raised her fan. The corrupted war-beast screamed again — but this time, it detonated, flooding the valley in toxic black mist. Lin Yue shouted a command—
"Phoenix Dome!"
The team shielded themselves just in time. Flame burst from their rings, forming a protective phoenix barrier.
The poison was held at bay.
But Xiulan was gone.
Scene Break: Side Story – Ming Yushu: Shadow Beneath the Moonlight
Somewhere in the western district of Green Pearl University, a cloaked figure knelt under a moonlit rooftop, brushing away the last of the blood on her blade.
Ming Yushu's infiltration into the Ashen Fangs' university branch was progressing faster than anticipated.
"Third Captain Yin Xiulan has left the base," she whispered into her spiritual transmission bead. "Mission window opened. Target: Internal Ledger of Recruits and Experiment Records."
Behind her, two masked cultivators lay unconscious. One breathed shallowly. The other had stopped.
Yushu's eyes flickered. No witnesses.
Visual Map: Mission Zones Activated (Commission Board)
North Exclusion Zone – [Active]
Status: Infiltration detected
Mission: Ongoing enemy suppression
Western Campus Outskirts – [Covert]
Status: Infiltration mission by Ming Yushu
Goal: Locate corruption node and destroy it
Ravine of Cinder Flames – [Locked]
Status: Requires Rank B+ and 3 bonded guild units
Frost Hollow Ridge – [Available]
Status: Minor mutated beast sightings
Difficulty: Low-Mid
Back at the smoldering ruins, Lin Yue sat under a broken stone arch, healing Lian Rou's arm. She hadn't told him how badly the tail swipe had hurt her, but he saw through it.
"You're reckless when I'm in danger," he said quietly.
"I'm not." She met his gaze. "I'm just not going to let you fight alone anymore."
A pause.
He didn't reply. Instead, he leaned forward and brushed a strand of blood-matted hair from her face.
"You've grown stronger."
She smiled faintly. "I have to. I'm yours."
That simple phrase — spoken not in submission, but in shared purpose — ignited something ancient in Lin Yue's bloodline.
A sudden pulse.
The Phoenix Soul deep inside him stirred.
A new glyph appeared on Lian Rou's ring.
[BOND RANK: 2 – Synchronized Flame Heart]
Guild Bond Update – Lian Rou
Realm: Core Formation (Mid)
Bond Perk Activated: Shared Flame Reservoir (+10% Flame Qi Efficiency when near Lin Yue)
Special Skill Unlocked:Twin Ash Spiral: Requires Lin Yue Co-casting
"Get some rest," Lin Yue murmured. "We'll strike back soon."
Lian Rou nodded. But her hand lingered on his. "Next time... we go in together. No more half-measures."
Lin Yue looked toward the fading smoke on the horizon. His eyes reflected fire.
"Agreed."
Next Chapter Preview: Chapter 12 – Trial of the Phoenix Gate
Lin Yue gathers the core squad to storm the first Ashen Fangs compound. Ming Yushu's betrayal plan begins. A new member joins the guild... with a cursed soul flame.