The Pagoda’s Final Secret

Xiao Lian and Ji Ren stood before the towering golden doors at the heart of the Celestial Pagoda. The air was heavy, thick with centuries of sealed energy, pressing against their chests like an invisible force. The pagoda had tested them, broken them, and reshaped them. And now, at its core, the truth awaited.

Ji Ren wiped the blood from his brow. Though exhaustion weighed on his body, his sharp eyes remained steady. "Are you ready?" he asked, his voice rough yet calm.

Xiao Lian didn't answer right away. Something inside her stirred—a whisper, an instinct, a feeling that whatever lay beyond this door was more than just a final test. It was something old, something that called to her as if it had been waiting for this very moment.

Her fingers trembled as she reached for the handle. Then, with a deep breath, she pushed the doors open.

The Forgotten Truth

A burst of golden light swallowed them whole.

When the glow faded, they were no longer in the pagoda.

Instead, they stood inside a vast ruined hall, a place grand beyond words, yet ravaged by time and war. Faded banners, torn and dust-covered, still clung to massive pillars. The ground beneath them bore scars of battle, deep cracks, burned symbols, and remnants of forgotten power.

The air hummed with an eerie silence.

Ji Ren tightened his grip on his sword. "What is this place?"

Xiao Lian couldn't answer. She knew this place. It wasn't just familiar. It was hers.

At the center of the hall stood a massive crystal, its core pulsing with golden-red energy. It radiated a strange warmth, like a heartbeat trapped within stone.

Then, for the first time since entering the pagoda, SIS spoke, its tone uncharacteristically cautious.

"Warning: This structure contains high-level memory imprints. Approach with caution."

Xiao Lian stepped forward, drawn to the crystal as though something deep inside her recognized it.

The moment her fingers brushed against the smooth surface, The past consumed her.

Memories of the Fallen Phoenix

Flashes of another life, another self, rushed through her mind.

She saw herself—but not as Xiao Lian.

She was someone else. Someone powerful.

Draped in crimson and gold robes, she stood at the heart of this very hall, warriors kneeling before her. Their eyes burned with loyalty, their voices echoing her name—a name lost to time.

She had been the leader of the Crimson Feather Sect.

They had discovered something forbidden. A power that defied fate, something that even the heavens had feared.

And because of that They came for her.

Celestial warriors, clad in silver and white, descended from the skies like divine executioners.

Flames engulfed the sect. Screams filled the air.

She fought. She raged. She refused to fall.

But in the end, She was betrayed.

A shadow moved behind her. A familiar presence. A trusted figure.

Then—a blade.

Cold steel pierced her back, cutting through flesh, through soul, through everything she was.

She collapsed onto the bloodstained floor.

Her warriors fell around her.

Her home burned.

And her name,cher very existence,was erased from history.

The Vision Ends

The moment the memory faded, Xiao Lian gasped and stumbled back, her pulse hammering against her ribs.

The truth had been buried for centuries, locked away beyond mortal reach. But now, there was no denying it.

The Crimson Feather Sect hadn't been destroyed by war.

It had been erased.

By a celestial faction that had feared its power.

By a betrayer who had stood at her side.

And now, even after all this time. They were still watching her.

Ji Ren caught her before she collapsed. "What did you see?" His voice was unusually soft, tinged with concern.

She opened her mouth to answer—But before she could, a deep, amused voice echoed through the ruins.

"So, you've finally remembered, little phoenix."

Xiao Lian's blood ran cold.

The one who had orchestrated her death— Was still alive And they had been waiting for her.