The air turned heavier — the sky a dull crimson.
Even before the cultivators could see him, they felt him.
Yu Zhenlong, Spirit Authority Enforcer, stepped onto the campus grounds like a general returning from war. His robes were dyed in the patterns of the Spirit Suppression Committee — black threads woven with binding sigils and sealing chains. On his back, a massive steel rod glowed with suppressive energy.
[Warning: Suppression Artifact Detected – "Ninefold Heaven Seal"]
[Host Compatibility Countermeasure: 34%]
[Battle Predicted Outcome: DEFENSIVE RESPONSE RECOMMENDED]
But Lin Yue didn't move.
He stood with his hands behind his back, flanked by Wen Qingxue and Lian Rou in their Phoenix uniforms, with Luo Yanyue emerging gracefully from the flame garden behind them.
Zhenlong's footsteps stopped ten paces away.
His eyes, dark and hard, scanned the scene. His gaze fell first on the flame-bond sigils floating above each woman.
"I knew the rumors weren't exaggerated," he said. "You really are forming a spiritual harem."
Lian Rou stepped forward. "This is a guild."
Zhenlong ignored her.
"Lin Yue," he continued. "Under Regulation 7-Alpha of Spirit Control Law, any unauthorized transfer of divine bloodline constitutes a direct threat to national cultivation order. You are hereby ordered to dissolve your guild, revoke all bonds, and surrender for examination."
"And if I don't?" Lin Yue asked.
Zhenlong didn't answer.
Instead, he lifted his rod — and the ground shook.
Dozens of seal fragments shot out in all directions. They formed an array meant to bind movement, cut spiritual force, and rupture domain fields.
Wen Qingxue's breath frosted. "He's activating a full domain seal."
"Let him try," Lin Yue said calmly.
[Guild Defense Formation: Active – Phoenix Veil Array]
[Boosting All Member Resistances by 25%]
[Shared Flame Ignition: Enabled]
The runes on the ground responded.
The Phoenix Crest on their robes glowed as the guild ring on their fingers pulsed with heat. The uniform wasn't just for identity — it was a conduit of power.
Luo Yanyue placed her flute to her lips, playing a single vibrating note.
The sound wave shattered a portion of Zhenlong's seal instantly.
He raised an eyebrow. "Charm cultivator?"
"You must be new here," she said sweetly, "We're a package deal."
He attacked.
Battle Erupts: Authority vs. Flame
Zhenlong's rod slammed the earth — activating the Heaven-Seal Hammer Domain. Binding energy wrapped around the sky like a cage, suppressing the flow of spiritual energy.
But Lin Yue was already in motion.
With a flick of his hand, Phoenix fire erupted from beneath him, spiraling into a crimson-dragon-shaped flame that burst upward, breaking the first binding layer.
Wen Qingxue darted forward like a blizzard, her frost-spirit blade slicing the binding chains before they could touch Lin Yue.
Lian Rou ignited a flaming whip, wrapping it around the steel rod Zhenlong wielded, dragging it downward.
He grunted.
"You rely on teamwork?" he sneered.
Lin Yue appeared above him in midair, a fiery spear forming in his palm.
"No," he said. "I lead them."
BOOM!
The flaming spear smashed into Zhenlong's domain, creating a hole in the spiritual field that caused the air to tremble. Luo Yanyue followed with a charm-sound burst that cracked the earth open beneath the enforcer's feet.
Zhenlong roared — releasing full power.
Ninefold Heaven Seal: True Activation – Soul Lock Formation.
For a moment, everyone stopped moving.
Time… slowed.
Their breathing became heavy. Their vision blurred. The world seemed to sink in chains.
Even Lin Yue's fire dimmed slightly.
But then…
[Emergency Protocol Triggered – Flamebond Chain Activated]
[Shared Resistance Transfer – Initiated]
[Unity Flame Synchronization: Level 1 Achieved]
The three women's rings glowed.
Their combined will surged into Lin Yue.
He roared, eyes glowing like twin suns, and unleashed a spiraling phoenix, golden wings larger than buildings, that burned through the soul lock seal entirely.
Zhenlong was knocked backward, coughing blood.
He landed on one knee.
"I underestimated you…" he muttered.
Lin Yue walked toward him, not to kill, but to speak.
"This is not a cult. Not a violation. We are free cultivators. You suppress freedom because you fear evolution."
Zhenlong raised his head, pain lacing his features. "The world isn't ready for gods reborn in the flesh."
"And I'm not waiting for its permission."
The flames receded.
The Spirit Authority fell back, defeated — and for now, the world would whisper of the Guild of Nirvana Phoenix not as rebels…
…but as legends in the making.
Post-Battle Bonding – Quiet After the Fire
Inside the guild's courtyard, the group sat around a low spiritual flame. Tea brewed over a lotus flame. Lian Rou rubbed her shoulder while Wen Qingxue leaned against a frozen stone pillar, silent.
Luo Yanyue was humming softly, her head on Lin Yue's lap.
"I knew you were strong," she whispered, "but I didn't expect that."
"I didn't expect you to sacrifice your charm barrier to strengthen me," he replied.
Yanyue smirked. "Guess I'm more than just lips and hips."
Qingxue looked at Lin Yue.
"You stood up to the Authority."
"I didn't do it alone."
Rou nodded. "Still… people will come for us now."
"I know," he said, looking up at the Phoenix sigil above.
"But we'll burn brighter."
And somewhere deep within the spiritual flame core… the fourth petal on the Nirvana Flame bloomed.
[Guild Growth Milestone Achieved – Level 1 Rank Up]
[New Feature Unlocked: Phoenix Trial Room – Solo Training Space]
[Flamebond Limit Expanded – Max Members: 10]
[Potential Candidates Nearby: 2]
The flame never stops growing.
And Lin Yue — the waste reborn — now held the power to challenge heaven itself.
Side Story: The Night Yanyue Slept Without Fear
One Day Before the Authority's Arrival
Luo Yanyue sat at the edge of the spirit pond, knees tucked under her arms.
Her robes glowed faintly from the bonding process, and her hair floated like ink in water.
But her smile… was small. Vulnerable.
"I've never… had a bed I could trust," she whispered into the night.
She didn't know Lin Yue stood behind her.
"I slept with weapons under my pillow. I dreamed of men trying to take me. I dreamed of… having to smile even when I was broken."
Lin Yue didn't say a word.
He just placed a small spirit flame on her palm — one that looked like a lotus.
She stared at it.
"Your fire is warm," she murmured. "And it doesn't hurt."
"It never will," he replied.
That night, for the first time in years, Luo Yanyue slept with her eyes closed.
And dreamed… of flying.
To be Continued.....