Unsealing Emptiness

Chapter 445: Celestial Phoenix.

"...You must pay for this!" shouted Hestian as he unleashed all his aura.

He and Ryujin attacked Ember simultaneously, sending a tremor throughout the city and beyond!

The Transcendents near them could only bear the pressure while gritting their teeth.

But while others were taking cover, Rai kept in mind Ember’s instructions. He dashed behind the nearest Transcendent, his hands sharpened and he thrust them directly inside the unfortunate man before tearing him apart from the inside out!

The now-dead man’s blood smeared Rai’s smiling face, painting an ugly picture of what seemed like a bloodthirsty beast.

Since Ember had already thinned down the numbers from The Alliance, Rai went after the City Lord’s men.

This bloody scene quickly diverted the attention of the Transcendents from the Sages to their matters at hand. At once, they too collided with all of their force.

Rai had just set his eyes on another unfortunate soul when the City Lord’s son intervened, "No you don’t!"

The City Lord’s son was also at the peak of the Transcendent Realm, so he was the only person present here who had any chance of holding off Rai. He brought down his sword swiftly in an attempt to sever Rai’s torso.

But while both were at the peak of the Transcendent Realm, Rai was evidently more experienced. The attack that others couldn’t even see was easily dodged by him.

Smiling, he faced the heir of the Ryujin family, "I don’t know about your talent, but you sure do have guts." His ear-to-ear smile glorified the canines of a wild dog dripping with saliva.

The next moment, they vanished from their place and clashed several meters away!

Each time their attacks met, it caused tremors, but that amounted to nothing to the shockwaves generated by the clash of three Sages.

The city was being destroyed and if it continued any longer, there wouldn’t be any Phoenix City left to fight for!

The citizens of Phoenix City who had gotten used to their peaceful lives now watched with horror as the fate of their lives rested on luck.

And it was at this moment when abruptly, a wave of terror swept over everyone’s heart.

*Screee!*

A mind-numbing screech emanated from the center of Phoenix City, halting all activities.

From the center of the city, at the City Lord’s Hall, a shadow began to grow.

It was the Celestial Phoenix!

At once, the Sages retracted their aura. The Transcendents followed right after, with Rai putting in extra effort to calm his beating heart.

Silence prevailed over Phoenix City as its true overlord was awakened.

But the stillness didn’t last long as the weather began to change. As if mirroring the rage of the Celestial Phoenix, dark clouds shrouded over and lightning crackled everywhere.

Those who dared to look up in the sky were met with a dreary sight of death staring into their very soul.

The Celestial Phoenix, devoid of the conventional radiance associated with its mythic name, instead radiated an eerie, shadowy brilliance. It had a sinister elegance that defied expectations.

The black feathers, imbued with an otherworldly luster, seemed to absorb the ambient light, creating an aura of darkness that intensified the foreboding atmosphere. From its beak, jagged bolts of black lightning emanated occasionally.

As it surveyed the city with eyes aflame and a baleful intensity, the air itself seemed to warp and distort in response to the celestial creature’s presence, as if the very fabric of this Realm was straining to contain the immense power within.

...

When Ember had started wreaking havoc at the headquarters of The Alliance, Ozul too had appeared right after the appearance of everyone else.

He was followed by the trio who stood with him miles away from the fight, but still within a dangerous range.

Ozul was spectating the battle with keen eyes, focusing only on the Sages. Yet, his eyes couldn’t follow their movement no matter how hard he tried.

Only by sensing the presence of their dense Spiritual Essence traces could he even make a guess of their location before they quickly moved!

His breath quickened as he realized the gap between him and them. It quickly became clear to him that he wouldn’t be able to kill a Sage even in their sleep. And so, getting his hands on another Mind’s Eye wasn’t a plausible option anytime soon.

He was contemplating his future when he realized that the scope of the battle was expanding quickly. They had to move further back, or they would be caught up in the skirmish. Only he could bear the attacks of the Transcendents.

Thinking of the slender black cat balancing herself gracefully without moving a muscle atop his right shoulder, ’Well, maybe you can too.’

It was just as they were slowly moving back did the deafening screeching of the Celestial Phoenix reverberated throughout the city.

As his gaze fell onto the majestic sight of this creature with such a unique elemental affinity, he couldn’t help but find it a little familiar.

Interestingly, the Celestial Phoenix breathed dark flames. But what sucked him in was the fact that the Phoenix also wasn’t using the system of Spiritual Essence designed by this Realm!

He and Jinx were the only two beings he had found in this Realm who didn’t have any Spiritual Essence traces. He had long forgotten the possibility that there could be someone else who didn’t follow the norm.

And yet, one of the strongest beings of this Realm also didn’t exude any Spiritual Essence!

’Maybe it’s hiding it? No, I should still be able to feel it then. There is another energy surrounding her...’ Several thoughts ran across his mind until he noticed the presence of that peculiar energy. ’It’s as if a higher form of this Spiritual Essence...’

Since the Celestial Phoenix was so strong, his senses were distorted around its presence.

"That’s the second time..." he muttered unconsciously, but the trio didn’t pay him any mind. They were too absorbed by the sight of this massive creature.

Ozul realized that it was the second time in his entire lifetime that someone was able to evade his senses! Old Gu was the first person whom he could never read, and this Phoenix gave him a similar feeling.

’Does that mean... he is as strong as this Celestial Phoenix?’ The thought made him realize just how much he may have underestimated that old man.

He was brought out of his thoughts as the Celestial Phoenix hovered above the part of the city destroyed by the fight. It stared down specifically at the Sages as they felt chills all over. Even though the Ryujin was titled the ’Phoenix Lord’, even he felt apprehension in its presence.

And then the Phoenix spoke, a feminine voice reached their ears, "This is my home!"

Though the voice flowed in an echo, it was still soothing to hear for everyone in Phoenix City.

Yet, the strongest cultivators of the city didn’t have the luxury to bask in the surreal feeling as a pressure descended on their bodies, thrusting all three on the ground at once!

"Consider my surprise when the only three Sages I have ever allowed to settle down in my territory show me such disrespect. Explain yourselves!"

Her voice, as calming as it was, only made everyone nervous.

Ozul watched with keen eyes as Hestian grabbed the opportunity to speak first.

He gathered himself and with cupped hands, he took one step forward before starting, "We are at complete fault. Nothing can excuse disturbing your slumber, but we couldn’t sit still when our innocent people died under this vile woman’s tyranny. Please show your mercy and do us justice!"

Ryujin realized it was his cue to speak as he also cupped his hands and started ranting, "I can confirm this, Your Majesty!

I stayed quiet when my people began to disappear so as to not cause you displeasure, but not only did she have my men assassinated, but just now, she even destroyed The Alliance! If we let her be, she would’ve only destroyed more."

"She deserves death, Your Majesty. Please bring us justice!" Hestian hurriedly chimed in again, urging the Phoenix to take action immediately. Since he didn’t have many interactions with the Celestial Phoenix, he didn’t think she would be so calm despite her displeasure.

"Silence!" The Phoenix’s voice thundered, "I will decide who deserves death!"

She then eyed Ember, "It has been a while since we last met. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Ember smirked as she stepped forward with cupped hands as well.

The Alliance Leader, Hestian, felt something twist in his heart. Things weren’t going his way, and he knew there wasn’t anything he could do now.

Beside him, Ryujin felt even more threatened. The Phoenix only chose him as the City Lord after Ember’s cultivation fell. If it wasn’t for that, he wouldn’t have become the City Lord. But now that Ember had returned, he could only pray the Phoenix wouldn’t change her mind about him.

"Your Majesty, how would I have dared meet you with my cultivation sealed? I was simply not worthy," Ember started.

Having inched closer to take a better look at the Celestial Phoenix, Ozul could hear the conversations. He was genuinely surprised that even Ember could resort to such blatant flattery.

But it only made sense since it was before one of the strongest beings living in this Realm.

The Celestial Phoenix hummed and responded, "Now explain yourself."

"Your Majesty, believe me when I say this. It’s all because of the Alliance Leader!" Ember suddenly pointed directly at Hestian, who could only grit his teeth in response, unable to retort as he was under intense pressure.