Feng Hengkong felt the air catch in his throat when he saw Ren Zu's gaze fixed on Xue'er—no longer with absolute indifference, but with an interest that, though subtle, was palpable. He swallowed hard, blood still running from the corners of his mouth, and seized the opportunity before it vanished.
"Your Excellency…" His voice came out hoarse, yet laden with desperate reverence. "This is my daughter… Feng Xue'er. Forgive the excessive protectiveness my Royal Father and my Grandfather have toward her—ever since she was a child, she has been deeply loved by us for being the Heir of the Divine Phoenix Spirit…"
He gently pushed Xue'er forward—not with force, but with the trembling of one who offers the most precious thing of his very soul. His eyes silently pleaded for the man before him to recognize her worth, whether through her beauty or her potential, and to spare her. He could not bear to see her die before his eyes…
Ren Zu did not respond immediately. He only nodded—an almost imperceptible gesture, but one that made Feng Hengkong's heart race. The interest in those black eyes was clear now: it was not lust, nor pity, but a kind of appreciation…? As if he were looking at a rare jewel that, until then, he had not expected to find in a place like that…
Feng Xue'er did not mind being lightly pushed forward by her father. Her eyes turned toward the "Immortal" before her—someone who, the more she looked, the more he resembled the snow she had always longed to see. It was impossible not to steal more than one glance in his direction. When she was introduced to him, a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks, betraying her shyness. She did not know what to say in that moment; the words simply refused to come out of her throat. She wanted to ask why someone like him was attacking the Divine Phoenix Empire—her father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and brothers who were important to her were all there! He had to have a reason for it, right? Since he did not seem like a bad person…
His earlier words also eased the tension in her grandfather and great-grandfather. They seemed less determined to attack—good…
She did not want to lose them. Not now. Not after she had already lost… Big Brother Yun Che…
The memory came like an icy blade. Her Big Brother—the man she loved with all the innocence of her pure heart, who protected her, who promised to always be by her side—had been killed in the Primordial Profound Ark! She had not even had time to properly cry for him. And now, awakening amid chaos, seeing her family threatened with extinction, tears began to form in her beautiful blue eyes. They trembled at the edges of her eyelids, heavy, ready to fall. Her chest ached with a deep, silent sorrow she could not express in words. She wanted to hug her father, her grandfathers—she wanted to cry until there was nothing left… but she could not now…
Ren Zu cast her a brief glance, catching the unfallen tears, the sadness that wrapped around her face like a soft mist. Then he shifted his eyes back to Feng Hengkong. With a simple snap of his fingers—a dry, almost casual sound—Feng Huawei was teleported away, dropping to his knees in the central square of Divine Phoenix City, able to move and sigh in relief at that moment.
Then, he raised his right hand, palm facing downward. Luminous particles were born in his palm—tiny golden stars, shining like fragments of the night sky captured in liquid gold. They multiplied instantly, spreading like a gentle, silent snowfall over the entire Divine Phoenix City. Millions of particles descended, touching wounds, burns, cracks in skin, broken bones, damaged organs—and healing everything in an instant!
Cries of pain turned into sighs of relief. Melted skin regenerated. Dried blood vanished. Even hidden injuries from years past—old battle scars, chronic illnesses, cultivation damage—were healed as if they had never existed.
Feng Hengkong, who was also enveloped by those golden star particles, felt his entire body renew itself: the pain in his muscles, the exhaustion in his soul, the internal wounds he had carried for decades… everything vanished. He blinked, stunned, touching his own face as if he could not believe it.
As the golden stars continued to fall, Ren Zu spoke in the same calm, indifferent voice as before:
"I am not a completely bad person. I am very good to those who stand by my side. I destroyed two Sacred Grounds, and the position of one of them will be assumed by Asgard's Frozen Cloud. My idea is to elevate this empire to the position of another Sacred Ground, under my authority… but first we need to conduct some negotiations. If they do not please me… then yes, you would need to worry."
The words struck the three men like lightning.
Feng Hengkong stood slack-jawed, eyes wide. Feng Tianwei blinked in disbelief. Feng Zukui clenched his fists, but for the first time in centuries, there was a deep shock in his eyes.
The history of the Divine Phoenix Empire was intimately tied to the Divine Phoenix Sect, and with the death of the Phoenix Spirit three years earlier, the empire had lost its most important supporter. Without the Phoenix Spirit, they could not restrain the greed of the Sacred Grounds. The Phoenix Spirit had bequeathed all of its bloodline and spirit to Feng Xue'er before dying. The problem was that her power would not fully mature for a hundred years, and during that period, the Divine Phoenix Empire needed to ensure its growth and security.
That was what had led them to attack the Blue Wind Empire in search of the Purple Vein Divine Crystals—which, ironically, ended up bringing this calamity, since they had provoked the "Demon Emperor" who had destroyed two Sacred Grounds. But now he was offering them protection, and even the position of one of the places he had destroyed!? For what purpose…
While the three harbored these doubts in their hearts, Feng Xue'er did not listen to the words with full attention. Her eyes were fixed on the golden stars descending toward her. So beautiful! Each particle shone with a warm, gentle light, as if they were tiny sun flames contained in gold. They touched her skin, and the warmth was comforting—it did not burn, did not hurt. It was like a soft embrace of light. The sorrow in her heart, heavy as lead, seemed to ease a little, covered by that unexpected gentleness.
Without thinking, she extended the palm of her right hand, trying to catch one of the particles floating before her. The golden star settled on her skin like a warm snowflake. It was living warmth, comforting, spreading through her fingers and rising up her arm, easing the tightness in her chest.
She blinked, fascinated, her eyes shining with a mixture of tears and childlike wonder.
Feng Hengkong, eyes fixed on Ren Zu, opened his mouth to say something, but did not know what to say. Confusion, fear, and a fragile hope mixed in his chest like uncontrolled flames. He took a deep breath and spoke, his voice coming out hoarse:
"Your Excellency… what… what do you mean by all this? Elevate our empire to a Sacred Ground… under your authority? We… we would be your subordinates?"
Ren Zu did not answer immediately. He watched the last golden particles dissipate into the air like shooting stars dying at dawn, then slowly lowered his right hand. A light sigh escaped his lips—the first sound that carried something beyond absolute indifference.
"My true name is Yun Ren Zu…" he said, his voice calm and clear, as if stating a trivial fact. "I am the Demon Emperor of the Illusory Demon Realm, one of the three great continents of this world, alongside the Profound Heaven Continent and the Azure Cloud Continent."
The words fell like stones into a still lake. Feng Hengkong felt his blood turn cold again. Yun Ren Zu. The name echoed in his mind like distant thunder. The Illusory Demon Realm… And that man… was its emperor? The destroyer of two Sacred Grounds was not some random stranger. He was a sovereign of an entire other continent!
Feng Zukui and Feng Tianwei exchanged glances, surprise reflected in each other's expressions.
Ren Zu continued, without changing his tone:
"My idea is to expand my influence into the Profound Heaven Continent. You… the Divine Phoenix Empire will be the first to benefit from that."
He paused, his black eyes sweeping over the group—Feng Hengkong, Feng Tianwei, Feng Zukui—and finally lingering a little longer on Feng Xue'er, who seemed lost at that moment now that she knew no one was in danger; she was probably focused on her grief…
"In exchange for not being destroyed today, all of you will become my subordinates. Directly subordinate to me. The Divine Phoenix Empire will assume the position of one of the Sacred Grounds I destroyed. But… all of this will come with one condition: absolute loyalty. You will obey my orders…"
The silence that followed was absolute.
Feng Hengkong blinked, stunned. He opened and closed his mouth several times, as if the words had been ripped from his throat. Subordinates? A Sacred Ground? Absolute loyalty? Was it humiliation… or salvation? He looked at Xue'er's grandfathers—Feng Tianwei stood rigid, fists clenched. Feng Zukui, for the first time in his long life, seemed genuinely speechless, eyes fixed on Ren Zu as if trying to decipher whether this was a trap or a real offer.
There was no choice. Even if it was a trap, they could not do much about it.
He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling with difficulty, and lowered his head in a deep bow—deeper than he had ever bowed before any other living being.
"Your Excellency… Yun Ren Zu…" His voice came out trembling but firm. "We accept. The Divine Phoenix Empire… the Divine Phoenix Sect… submits to your sovereignty. We will be your subordinates. Loyal. Absolutely loyal. We will assume the position of a Sacred Ground under your authority. We will do as you command. Without hesitation. Without betrayal."
Feng Tianwei and Feng Zukui froze. The Grand Master opened his mouth to protest, but the words died in his throat. Feng Zukui clenched his fists so tightly the veins bulged in his forearms, but even he did not dare speak.
What could they do?
All they could do was swallow their pride and submit.
That was the fate of the weak in this world!
But Feng Hengkong did not stop there.
He slowly raised his face, eyes gleaming with desperate determination—the determination of a father who would do anything to protect what he loved most.
"And to formalize this alliance… to seal our absolute loyalty… I offer my daughter, Feng Xue'er's hand in marriage to you."
The air seemed to stop moving.
Feng Tianwei took a step forward.
"Hengkong! What are you saying?! Have you gone mad?! Xue'er is the heir to the Phoenix's true bloodline! She carries the Phoenix God's legacy! You can't just… sell her like a political bargaining piece!"
Feng Zukui, for the first time in centuries, lost his composure, but unlike his hot-blooded son, he only sighed.
On the other hand, Feng Xue'er felt the world spin. Marriage? To him? The man who had threatened to destroy everything she loved… but who had also healed everyone with a gentle gesture?
Unconsciously, her mind returned to Yun Che, her Big Brother. Remembering his last words—and she had not even had time to properly cry for him. Now, faced with this proposal… she felt a tightness in her chest that was not only sorrow. It was confusion. It was fear. It was the sensation that something was wrong…
She opened her mouth to speak, to say no, that it was not right, that her heart still belonged to Big Brother Yun, even if he never returned. But the words did not come. They remained lodged in her throat, suffocated by reality: her family was backed into a corner. If she refused… if she resisted… everyone would die. The father who had raised her with so much love, the grandfathers who had protected her, the brothers still living in the city… all would vanish.
She lowered her eyes, long lashes trembling.
Ren Zu, in turn, raised an eyebrow—subtle, almost imperceptible, but laden with an inner irony only he understood.
As he had always desired, he was the "villain" in that moment: the man who came, threatened to destroy everything, healed everyone to gain trust, and now received the hand of the purest beauty on the continent in marriage. It was as if fate were writing a cheap novel, where the dead protagonist, Yun Che, would presumably return to kill him, save the girl, and marry her. He almost sneered inwardly.
What a ridiculous cliché.
But outwardly, he maintained absolute composure. He showed neither surprise nor satisfaction. He only agreed with a slight nod.
"I accept…" he said simply.
Then he floated toward Feng Xue'er, slowly, casually, as though the space between them did not exist. He stopped one meter from her, close enough for her to sense the faint scent that emanated from him.
He tilted his head slightly, and a faint, minimal, almost gentle smile curved his perfect lips.
"Is this alright with you, Feng Xue'er?"
That smile… was as if the entire world had stopped.
Feng Xue'er felt her heart pound so hard she thought it would leap out of her mouth. His smile was dangerous, yes, but also beautiful—so beautiful it dissolved any sorrow, any doubt, any pain. It was as if the black and white of the world had fused into soft, warm shades of gray. His black eyes, deep as starry abysses, stared at her with an intensity that made her forget to breathe. The blush on her cheeks deepened, spreading all the way to her ears. She blinked, confused, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"He… he's smiling at me…?"
In that moment, under the weight of that smile, she seemed… distant. As if his warmth could heal even the scars of the soul.
She swallowed hard.
"I… I accept," she whispered, her voice trembling but sincere. "If it saves my family… if it protects everyone… I accept."
Feng Hengkong felt his legs weaken, a mixture of emotions flooding his heart: relief, shame, gratitude.
Feng Tianwei and Feng Zukui remained motionless, shocked beyond words.
And Ren Zu… only nodded again, the smile disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
"Then it's decided. Now let's go somewhere better so we can finish discussing our 'formal alliance'…"
__________________
(A/N: Did you enjoy the chapter? Then you should know that over on my Patreon you can read up to 18 chapters ahead for just 5USD! And yes—for that price, you also get full access to all of my content. That's right: cheaper than a snack… and with way more drama, action, and guaranteed emotional damage.
The link is right below. See you there!
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon
Thank you so much for your support — you make all of this worthwhile.)