Chapter 250: I Am Getting Stronger
By the time Ningyan arrived at the Hidden Phoenix Clan, dawn had barely broken.
The sacred land stretched beneath endless clouds, mountains draped in silver mist, waterfalls pouring like ribbons of glass, ancient trees blooming with spirit flowers untouched by mortal seasons. Pure spiritual energy flowed through the land like breath itself, making the entire realm feel alive.
It was beautiful. Peaceful. A place untouched by war.
And yet Ningyan’s chest felt heavy.
In his beast form, he cut across the skies as a vast white phoenix cloaked in dim violet radiance, though the blackish-red demonic glow beneath it bled through like corruption staining moonlight.
He descended straight toward the palace.
The moment his talons touched the sacred grounds, his form shifted.
White robes unfurled around him, his long silver-white hair whipping in the mountain wind.
He did not take the stairs.
He stormed forward.
Inside the palace hall, the stationed guards immediately dropped to their knees. "Your Greatness!"
Ningyan barely spared them a glance.
At the far end of the hall, Shi Zekai and Guo Manyu were already approaching, their expressions mixed with surprise and unease.
"Your Greatness, you are here," Guo Manyu said, a rare warmth appearing on her face.
Shi Zekai lowered himself into a respectful bow. "We were not expecting you. May I ask what—"
He never finished.
A blast of blackish-red spiritual force exploded from Ningyan’s palm.
It struck Shi Zekai full-force.
The impact sent him flying across the hall before he crashed violently into the marble floor. Blood spilled from his lips instantly.
Guo Manyu froze.
The guards trembled.
Ningyan stood there, his eyes drowned in crimson-black and pure rage.
"You dared attack the Snow Leopards without my knowledge?" His voice thundered through the hall.
Shi Zekai struggled to breathe, his chest heaving as blood dripped from his mouth. "Y-Your Greatness—"
"The war will come." Ningyan stepped forward, each footstep cracking the polished floor beneath him.
His demonic aura spread like dark smoke, suffocating the entire hall. "And when it does, we will have our victory."
His voice dropped lower, colder. "But that war happens on my terms."
He took another step. "We are rebuilding."
Another. "We are restoring what was lost."
Another. "I will not have mindless slaughter before our foundations are secured."
By the last word, Ningyan vanished and appeared directly before Shi Zekai. His presence crashed down like a mountain.
Shi Zekai’s pupils shrank.
Ningyan looked down at him, expression dark and unreadable. "You will never act without informing me again."
His voice was almost calm now.
Then, his lips curled into a dark, terrible smile. His pupils dilated, swallowed whole by black-red.
"No..." His voice softened. "Perhaps I should make an example of you."
Shi Zekai stiffened.
Ningyan crouched slightly, staring at him. "So everyone remembers what happens when they act behind my back."
His smile deepened. "Perhaps you. Perhaps Xie Zhenting."
At the mention of that name, his gaze sharpened. "Did he put you up to this?"
Shi Zekai’s face paled.
"Did he tell you to attack them?"
Before Shi Zekai could answer, "Your Greatness!"
Guo Manyu rushed forward and dropped to her knees, her forehead slamming against the floor. "Please, show mercy!"
Ningyan’s gaze flickered toward her.
Her voice trembled. "He only wished to help our cause. Months ago, the Snow Leopards attacked our own first. We could not tell you..."
She hesitated. Her fingers clenched.
"You were consumed with the children. Please your greatness... we wouldn’t do anything to harm our kin. Our only hatred is on every other beast."
Silence.
The black-red aura around Ningyan flickered. His eyes remained fixed on Shi Zekai.
But something in Guo Manyu’s words struck him.
Ningyan could not tell anymore who was truly standing with him and who was moving pieces behind his back.
That uncertainty made his blood run colder than his rage ever could.
"I doubt my time spent with the children should have stopped any of you from telling me something as simple as the fact that the Snow Leopards attacked first." He turned, robes sweeping sharply behind him, and looked down at Guo Manyu kneeling on the ground. "Or that you intended vengeance because of your hatred."
Shi Zekai, still collapsed in blood, immediately lowered his head until it nearly touched the floor.
The pressure in the hall thickened.
Ningyan’s crimson-black eyes narrowed. "You two will return to the Beast Realm at once."
Neither dared argue.
"Yes, Your Greatness." Their voices overlapped.
Ningyan gave them one last cold glance before storming out of the palace hall.
The moment his presence disappeared, Shi Zekai’s body collapsed fully against the marble floor.
His breathing was ragged, uneven, blood staining his robes.
He stared blankly at the painted ceilings above, his chest rising sharply.
Guo Manyu slowly rose to her feet, her brows tightly furrowed. Her expression was grim. "Why did Xie Zhenting not inform us he was coming?"
No answer came.
Shi Zekai had already shut his eyes. His consciousness slipped away.
^°^
Meanwhile, Ningyan returned to his chambers.
The attendants hurried around him, preparing clean robes, hot food, and wine, their movements swift and careful.
But Ningyan ignored all of it. He stepped into the bathing chamber alone.
Steam coiled heavily around the jade pools, warm water glowing faintly with spiritual light.
Standing before the still water, Ningyan lowered his gaze. His fingers reached for his neck.
Black veins.
They crawled like ink beneath pale skin, stretching upward from his collarbone, slithering along his throat and disappearing behind his ear.
His jaw tightened.
His reflection in the water trembled with the unsteadiness of his breathing.
His fingertips brushed the surface watching the ripples spread.
Then he shut his eyes.
The next moment, he stood within the crystal space. Darkness stretched infinitely around him and before him floated the Demon Crystal pulsing like a living heart.
Ningyan stared at it for a long while with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"I wonder if he followed me." His voice echoed strangely in the void.
His brows furrowed.
He looked away. "I left. Why would I want him to follow?"
His lips pressed together. "It is not like Yan Wuhen could enter this place. Could he?"
But the thought lingered. Annoyingly.
"Enough..." He stepped closer to the crystal and placed his palm against its cold surface. "Focus."
Instantly, BOOM.
A monstrous wave of black-red demonic energy exploded outward.
It swallowed the entire space but Ningyan’s body absorbed it greedily like a starving abyss devouring light.
His body shuddered.
A deep groan escaped his throat as he staggered backward.
A perfect mixture of pain, power and ecstasy.
His breathing turned ragged and slowly, a dark satisfied smile spread across his lips. "I am getting stronger."
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the bathing chamber.
Water dripped from his skin. Steam curled around him.
He stepped out of the pool and pulled on fresh robes, his movements calm and composed now as though nothing had happened.
The attendants immediately gathered.
"Your Greatness," one asked softly, "are you feeling better? You seemed deeply angered earlier."
Another servant quickly added, "I am glad Your Greatness put Shi Zekai in his place."
That opened the flood. Soon they were all speaking, whispering. Criticizing Shi Zekai. Praising Ningyan, trying to lighten his mood.
Ningyan listened silently but his lips curved faintly. Not because of them. But because the noise drowned out his thoughts.
Especially thoughts of a certain fox.
He ate. Drank. And when he was finished, he rose. "I am going out."
The attendants froze.
Ningyan adjusted his sleeves. "Keep watch on Shi Zekai and Guo Manyu."
They immediately bowed. "Yes, Your Greatness."
Without another word, Ningyan stepped out of the palace.
In a burst of pale fire, his body shifted.
A magnificent white phoenix soared into the sky, violet flames flickering beneath feathers tainted by black-red corruption.
He flew higher. Past the sacred mountains. Past falling snow. Past the clouds. Toward the ancient volcanic peaks.
The closer he drew, the colder the air became. Snow began to fall harder.
The world turned white.
At the foot of the volcano, Ningyan landed. His human form returned. Wind tearing through his white hair.
Without hesitation, a black-red portal opened beneath his feet. Its light pulsed like blood.
Ningyan stepped into it and vanished into the heart of the volcano. Back to where he had first awakened.