Chapter One Hundred
Back then, by the Silent Serene Lake, she had seen Wu Xi’s face on the ancient phoenix tree that nurtured the Fox race. At that time, Ayin, the Water Condensation Beast, felt an inexplicable familiarity with Wu Xi, which was not without reason.
The Fire Phoenix and the phoenix tree were inherently destined neighbors, relying on each other for survival and growing up in companionship.
However, Senior Wu Xi did not reside permanently by the Silent Serene Lake of the Fox race. Why would he return to Wutong Phoenix Island? Although Feng Yin had experienced much over the years, her curiosity remained undiminished. Seeing her Master Sovereign, who would remain unperturbed even if the sky fell and the earth split, showing an unusual expression, her gossip-loving heart ignited. She took two steps closer to the Ancestral Phoenix Tree, eavesdropping from behind.
"Your Majesty Feng Ran?" Wu Xi looked at Feng Ran, his voice slightly fluctuating, clear and pleasant, far from the aged tone he had by the Silent Serene Lake.
"Senior Wu Xi." Feng Ran leaped down from the tree, landing before Wu Xi. In that moment, the complexity and melancholy in her eyes vanished entirely. When their gazes met, she was already calm and composed.
Wu Xi’s gaze swept over Feng Ran’s face. Seventy thousand years of time and waiting turned bitter in the face of Feng Ran’s address of "senior."
The Fire Phoenix undergoes Nirvana Rebirth across lifetimes, inheriting appearance, memories, and Divine Power, but emotions fade like passing clouds, as if reborn anew.
Feng Ran possessed Feng Yan’s memories, but she was Feng Ran. The Feng Yan of the past had long vanished into the world, like every generation of the Phoenix Sovereign.
Wu Xi waited for seventy thousand years, but what he ultimately welcomed back was not Feng Yan.
"Seventy thousand years have passed. The Elders also feel that they were too harsh back then, forcing you to leave the Phoenix Clan and wander until now. With the past now severed, why not return to Phoenix Island?" Feng Ran glanced at the Ancestral Phoenix Tree behind her. "Senior Wu Wen has also been waiting for your return."
The Ancestral Phoenix Tree was twin-born, with Wu Wen as the elder brother and Wu Xi as the younger. However, sixty thousand years ago, when the Three Realms faced the Chaos Tribulation, the Phoenix Clan was not spared. Wu Wen willingly transformed into a tree forever, nurturing the Phoenix Clan, never again attaining divinity.
"He has his own destiny." Wu Xi shook his head and looked at Feng Ran. "And you..." He concealed the nostalgia in his eyes and smiled. "You have also found your destiny. I heard that the Phoenix Sovereign is about to ascend to godhood and enter the Divine Realm. I fear there will be no chance to meet again in the future, so I returned to Phoenix Island to see you, to sever the ties of seventy thousand years ago."
Seeing the relief in his eyes, Feng Ran sighed with relief, feeling a wave of emotion.
Back then, Wu Xi and Feng Yan were a celebrated pair in the Divine Realm. If not for that divine-demon war, where Feng Yan died protecting Wu Xi, Senior Wu Xi would not have committed the unforgivable mistake that led to his exile and wandering across the Three Realms.
"Returning to the island today, aside from seeing Your Majesty, I have one more matter to inform you of."
"Oh? What is it?"
Wu Xi suddenly looked up, his gaze directed toward Feng Yin’s hiding spot behind the Ancestral Phoenix Tree. Feng Yin was startled and quickly ducked further. Being caught eavesdropping would be a disgrace to her dignity as the Phoenix Sovereign.
At that moment, Feng Ran took two steps toward the tree, blocking Wu Xi’s probing gaze. "Senior Wu Xi."
Wu Xi withdrew his gaze. "A thousand years ago, while recuperating by the Silent Serene Lake of the Fox race, I once encountered a few young friends."
Hearing Wu Xi’s voice, Feng Yin’s ears perked up, and she leaned out to look at Wu Xi and Feng Ran. However, when Wu Xi spoke again, no sound was heard—clearly, he did not want outsiders to listen and used a sound-transmission technique to converse with Feng Ran.A moment later, Feng Yin heard her Master Sovereign's slightly surprised voice: "Is what you say true, Elder?"
Wu Xi nodded, bowing his head toward Feng Ran. "My past is settled, and my future is severed. Today I have disturbed the Phoenix Sovereign. I shall take my leave now."
Wu Xi turned to leave, but Feng Ran, unable to bear it, called out to him, "Elder Wu Xi!"
Wu Xi halted his steps.
"The Phoenix Clan's only remaining habitat is this Phoenix Island. Are you truly unwilling to stay?" With Wu Xi's temperament, if he left today, he would likely never return to Phoenix Tree Island until the end of his lifespan.
"Feng Yan's soul has scattered across the Nine Heavens. There is no need for me to return. Without her, Wutong Phoenix Island is nothing but an empty longing to me. Since that delusion is lost, it is better to depart."
Wu Xi did not look back again. He stepped into the air and departed, his long robe and black hair as ethereal and graceful as when he had arrived.
A sigh escaped Feng Ran as she lowered her gaze, lamenting the distant memory of the previous Phoenix Sovereign.
"Finished watching the spectacle? Come out now!"
After a while, a lazy reprimand rang out, stopping the little Phoenix Sovereign who had finished watching the excitement and was about to slip away.
Feng Yin rubbed her nose and stepped out from behind the Ancestral Phoenix Tree, offering Feng Ran an ingratiating smile. "Master Sovereign, you knew I was here?"
Feng Ran shot her a glare. "What, now that you've become a Demigod, your wings have hardened, and you no longer hold your Master Sovereign in regard? You even dare to eavesdrop on me?"
"Master Sovereign, how could you say such a thing? How would I dare disrespect you?" Feng Yin hurriedly pleaded for forgiveness. "I just happened to be strolling here and didn't expect to run into Elder Wu Xi returning to Phoenix Island to see you..."
"Elder Wu Xi?" Feng Ran raised an eyebrow, her gaze toward Feng Yin filled with interest. "You address him quite familiarly. Do you know him?"
Feng Yin's expression froze. "How could I? I've only just awakened. I was just following your lead in addressing him." She deftly changed the subject, asking curiously, "Master Sovereign, what connection does Elder Wu Xi have with our Phoenix Island? What exactly happened back then? And why did the Elders expel Elder Wu Xi?"
Feng Yin had been very curious when she saw Wu Xi by the Tranquil Lake a thousand years ago. Now that she had the chance, she naturally wanted to ask.
Seeing her inquiry, Feng Ran did not hide it from her and began recounting this secret of the Phoenix Clan.
"The Ancestral Phoenix Tree of the Phoenix Clan was born as twins, and Elder Wu Xi is one of them. A hundred thousand years ago, he cultivated to godhood and took human form. Over time, he developed feelings for the previous Phoenix Sovereign, Feng Yan, and they became divine partners. Seventy thousand years ago, during the great war between gods and demons in the Mortal Realm, the Phoenix Clan, as ancient divine beasts, took the lead in descending to the Mortal Realm to join the battle. Unfortunately, in that war, Feng Yan sacrificed herself to save Wu Xi, her Primordial Spirit completely scattered, leaving only one soul and one spirit to return to the Phoenix Clan to complete her Nirvana Rebirth." Feng Ran's voice paused. "As you know, a Fire Phoenix undergoes three Nirvana Rebirths in its lifetime: the first upon birth, the second upon ascending to godhood, and the third upon death. After the third Nirvana Rebirth, the Fire Phoenix returns to nothingness until a new Fire Phoenix egg is born at the site of the Nirvana, descending anew and ascending to godhood to become the new Phoenix Sovereign. Each Phoenix Sovereign, upon ascending to godhood, inherits the memories and Divine Power of the previous Phoenix Sovereign to ensure the Phoenix Clan's eternal existence in the Three Realms. Wu Xi also knew the secret of the Fire Phoenix's inheritance. He understood that once Feng Yan completed her Nirvana Rebirth and departed, even if the new Phoenix Sovereign possessed the same memories and appearance as Feng Yan, she would no longer be his divine partner, Feng Yan."Feng Yin listened with rapt attention. Seeing Feng Ran suddenly fall silent, she felt a bit unsatisfied and quickly asked, "The Fire Phoenix's Nirvana Rebirth is a tradition of the Phoenix Clan. Did Senior Wuxi do something?"
Feng Ran nodded and sighed, "Yes, he prevented Feng Yan from undergoing Nirvana Rebirth, deceived the Elders of the Phoenix Clan, secretly descended to the Mortal Realm with Feng Yan's dissipating soul, forcibly locked that soul into a mortal body using his own Divine Power, erased Feng Yan's memories as the Phoenix Sovereign, and hid her in the human world to accompany him."
"What?" Feng Yin's face showed astonishment. No wonder Wuxi, as the Ancestral Phoenix Tree, who had contributed greatly to the Phoenix Clan, was still exiled by the Elders. By preventing Feng Yan's Nirvana Rebirth, the Fire Phoenix lineage would inevitably be severed, leaving the Phoenix Clan without a sovereign from then on. It was no surprise that the Elders, who regarded the clan's heritage as their very life, would not accept this.
"Master Sovereign, what happened next?" Since Feng Ran had descended into the world, it meant that Feng Yan had ultimately completed her Nirvana Rebirth. However, there must have been some twists and turns along the way.
"For the next hundred years, no new Phoenix Sovereign descended. The Elders of the Phoenix Clan sensed something amiss and finally discovered what Wuxi had done. Enraged, they began searching for traces of Wuxi and Feng Yan's soul. This search lasted five hundred years. After all, Wuxi was the Ancestral Phoenix Tree, with Divine Power nearly on par with the Phoenix Sovereign. How could the Phoenix Clan Elders contend with him? The clan was unable to retrieve Feng Yan's soul. Over five hundred years, the two sides fought in hundreds of battles, finally alerting the Ancient True God of the Divine Realm. Upon hearing of this, the Ancient True God descended to the Mortal Realm, awakened Feng Yan's memories, and allowed her to choose: to remain forever by Wuxi's side as a mere soul, or to willingly undergo Nirvana Rebirth and return to nothingness."
"Master Sovereign, the Phoenix Sovereign... chose Nirvana Rebirth, didn't she?"
Feng Ran nodded. "Feng Yan was, after all, the sovereign of the Phoenix Clan. Though she could not bear to part with Wuxi, she would never abandon her duty to protect her clan. If she did not undergo Nirvana Rebirth, a new sovereign would never descend. In the end, she chose to leave the human world, return to the Phoenix Clan, complete her Nirvana Rebirth, and let her soul return to the Three Realms. After Feng Yan's Nirvana Rebirth, Senior Wuxi was exiled by the Elders and never returned."
"Then why has he come back today..."
"Perhaps just to fulfill a longing of his own. Even knowing that the reborn one is not Feng Yan, he still wanted to see the person who inherited the memories of his beloved."
Feng Ran gazed in the direction where Wuxi had departed. "Fortunately, the fate of the Fire Phoenix lineage inheriting memories and power ended with Feng Yan."
Feng Yin was taken aback. "Master Sovereign, do you mean that future new sovereigns no longer need to undergo Nirvana Rebirth? They won't inherit the memories and Divine Power of their predecessors?"
"You are now the Phoenix Sovereign. Did you inherit my memories and Divine Power?" Feng Ran raised an eyebrow. "Have you never wondered why you were born against fate, breaking the Phoenix Clan's destiny?"
Feng Yin shook her head.
"Perhaps it is the blessing of the Ancestral God." Feng Ran patted her shoulder, sighed, and headed toward the Phoenix Hall.
She had inherited Feng Yan's memories, so she knew the final wish the previous Phoenix Sovereign had made to the heavens at the moment of her death.
"Ancestral God above, protect my Fire Phoenix lineage, generation after generation, thriving endlessly. I pray that the fate of one's death giving rise to another ends with me."
This was the final wish of the Phoenix Sovereign who, seventy thousand years ago, gave up her beloved. Seventy thousand years later, Feng Yin's descent finally broke the fate of the Fire Phoenix lineage.Watching Feng Ran's desolate retreating figure, Feng Yin did not press further. Those regrets and stories buried in the passage of time, much like her own memories from a thousand years ago, were better left to fade away.
Before she could fully emerge from this melancholy recollection, a sudden "thud" sounded beside her. A small bundle landed heavily at her feet, accompanied by a cold, indifferent snort.
She looked down and saw a round, soft, and chubby little child, along with a pair of eyes as dark as ink.
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