Chapter 31:The Bloodstones Awakening

Chapter 31: The Bloodstone's Awakening

The Bloodstone's Warning

The crimson glow of the Phoenix Bloodstone pulsed steadily in Ruoyan's palm, warmth spreading through her veins. The relic, once dormant for centuries, now recognized her as its master.

Yet, an ominous whisper echoed from its core.

"Time runs short."

Ruoyan inhaled sharply, gripping the stone tighter.

"What did you see in the trial?" Lin Feiyan's voice was quiet but firm.

She hesitated, the image of her own fiery death still burning in her mind. The cycle of Phoenix Heirs had always ended the same way—sacrifice, flames, and oblivion.

But she had also seen something new.

A shadowed figure, watching from the edges of her fate. Someone else was pulling the strings.

"I saw my death," she admitted, her voice steady. "But I also saw a traitor. Someone hiding in the darkness, manipulating this cycle."

Lin Feiyan's gaze darkened. "Could it be the Star Lord?"

She shook her head. "I don't know yet. But the Bloodstone holds memories from the past. If I can unlock them, we'll know the truth."

Without another word, she sat cross-legged and poured her spiritual energy into the Bloodstone.

The world around her faded, replaced by a swirling vision of the past.

The Forgotten Battle

Ruoyan found herself standing on the ruins of an ancient battlefield. The sky was painted in crimson and gold as two figures clashed in the air—

One was a Phoenix Heir, flames cascading around her. The other…

Ruoyan's breath caught.

It was Jing Zeyan.

Her fiancé.

But this was centuries ago.

He looked exactly the same, his cold eyes filled with something unreadable as he cut down the Phoenix Heir before him.

Blood splattered the ground as the woman fell, her body dissolving into embers.

Ruoyan's heart pounded. Jing Zeyan was involved in this cycle from the beginning.

The vision blurred, revealing flashes of other battles—other Phoenix Heirs falling at the hands of powerful figures hidden in the shadows.

And then, she saw it.

A third figure, cloaked in abyssal energy, watching the battlefield. They raised a hand, and the Abyss surged forward, consuming the fallen Heirs.

Ruoyan's mind reeled.

There wasn't just one traitor.

There were many.

And they had been orchestrating this for centuries.

Awakening the Bloodstone's Power

Ruoyan's eyes snapped open, sweat beading on her forehead.

"What did you see?" Lin Feiyan demanded.

She took a shaky breath. "This cycle isn't just about sacrifice. Someone has been eliminating Phoenix Heirs before they can break free. And Jing Zeyan—he was part of it."

Lin Feiyan's grip on his sword tightened. "Then he's more dangerous than we thought."

Before Ruoyan could respond, the Phoenix Bloodstone flared with power, sending a wave of energy across the ruins.

The carvings on the walls shifted, revealing hidden text.

Ruoyan traced the inscriptions, heart pounding.

"The Phoenix is not meant to die."

"The sacrifice is a lie."

"Break the cycle, and the world will change."

She staggered back.

Everything she had been taught was a deception.

The Phoenix Heirs never had to die. They had been tricked.

Lin Feiyan stepped closer. "Then that means—"

A sudden blast of black energy erupted from the entrance.

Someone was here.

The Abyssal Lord's Arrival

Ruoyan barely had time to react before the air turned heavy with killing intent.

A figure emerged from the darkness, draped in obsidian robes, their face hidden beneath a hood. The air crackled with abyssal energy.

Lin Feiyan stepped in front of Ruoyan, sword raised. "Who are you?"

A low chuckle filled the chamber.

"You have seen too much."

Ruoyan narrowed her eyes. "So, you're one of them."

The figure tilted their head. "That depends. Do you consider those who seek balance as enemies?"

She clenched her fists. "Balance? You mean keeping the cycle of slaughter alive?"

A pause. Then, the Abyssal Lord chuckled.

"Ah. So you finally understand."

With a wave of their hand, black tendrils of abyssal energy lashed out.

Ruoyan countered instantly, unleashing golden flames, clashing against the darkness. The chamber trembled from the force of their attacks.

Lin Feiyan struck with lightning speed, his blade slicing toward the intruder's throat.

The Abyssal Lord deflected it with ease.

"You are not ready," they murmured.

Then, without warning, they vanished into the shadows, leaving only a single whisper behind—

"Find the other relics before we do. Or you will never leave this world alive."

A New Mission

Silence stretched in the aftermath. Ruoyan exhaled slowly, the Bloodstone still glowing faintly in her grip.

Lin Feiyan turned to her. "What now?"

She stared at the inscription on the wall.

"Break the cycle, and the world will change."

Her heart burned with renewed determination.

"We find the other relics," she said. "Before they do."

Lin Feiyan nodded. "And if the traitor is closer than we think?"

Ruoyan's expression hardened.

"Then we end them before they end us."

As they stepped out of the ruins, a distant crack of thunder rumbled across the sky.

The world had just shifted.

And war was coming.

The Secrets of the Relics

A Fractured Prophecy

As Feng Ruoyan and Lin Feiyan stepped out of the ancient ruins, the sky overhead rumbled ominously. Dark clouds swirled, as if the heavens themselves sensed the shift in fate.

Ruoyan glanced down at the Phoenix Bloodstone in her grip. The relic, now fully awakened, pulsed with warmth—but it was incomplete.

"Find the other relics before we do."

The Abyssal Lord's words echoed in her mind.

She took a deep breath. "We need to find the remaining Phoenix Relics before the Abyssal Lords."

Lin Feiyan nodded. "Do you have any idea where to start?"

Ruoyan hesitated. The memories inside the Bloodstone were still fragmented, but one vision stood out—a hidden temple buried beneath the Starfallen Abyss.

"I saw a temple. It holds another relic," she said. "But… it's in the Starfallen Abyss."

Lin Feiyan's expression darkened. "That place is a graveyard. No one enters without paying a price."

Ruoyan clenched her fists. "Then we'll pay it. Because if we don't get there first, the world will fall into their hands."

A gust of wind carried a whisper through the air.

"The Phoenix must not fall."

Ruoyan turned sharply. A cloaked figure stood atop a nearby rock, half-hidden in the shadows.

"Who's there?" Lin Feiyan demanded, drawing his sword.

The figure did not move, but their voice was low and filled with an eerie calm.

"You walk a dangerous path, Phoenix Heir."

Ruoyan narrowed her eyes. "And who are you to warn me?"

The figure chuckled. "A friend. For now."

Before she could respond, the figure disappeared into mist, leaving behind a single object:

A golden feather, pulsing with ancient energy.

Ruoyan picked it up, feeling its warmth seep into her palm.

Lin Feiyan frowned. "This energy… it's celestial."

Ruoyan's heart pounded.

A hidden ally was watching her. But why?

Journey to the Starfallen Abyss

Three days later, Ruoyan and Lin Feiyan stood at the edge of the Starfallen Abyss.

The chasm stretched endlessly, jagged cliffs rising like broken teeth. The air was thick with an oppressive energy, and eerie whispers curled around them.

"No one has returned from here in centuries," Lin Feiyan murmured.

Ruoyan stepped forward, gripping the Phoenix Bloodstone. "Then let's be the first."

With a deep breath, she activated her flames, creating a protective barrier of golden fire. Lin Feiyan followed, his sword humming with spiritual energy.

Together, they descended into the abyss.

The deeper they went, the colder it became.

Ruoyan shivered as shadows slithered across the walls, watching them.

Then—

A howl split the silence.

From the darkness, Abyssal Beasts emerged—grotesque creatures with shifting forms, their eyes glowing with malevolent hunger.

Lin Feiyan's sword flashed as he struck first, slicing through the nearest beast. The creature shrieked but did not die. Instead, it reformed, tendrils of darkness knitting its wounds back together.

"They regenerate!" he called.

Ruoyan gritted her teeth. "Then we burn them completely."

She unleashed her flames, golden fire engulfing the creatures. Their screams echoed through the chasm as they were reduced to ashes.

But more kept coming.

Lin Feiyan fought beside her, his blade cutting through the endless tide.

Just as Ruoyan prepared another attack, a deep rumbling shook the ground.

A massive stone door rose from the abyssal depths. Carved into its surface was a single phrase:

"The Phoenix's Trial."

Ruoyan stepped forward. The door recognized her presence and began to open.

She turned to Lin Feiyan. "This is it."

With a nod, they stepped inside.

The Temple of the Phoenix

Inside, the air was thick with ancient energy. Golden flames flickered along the walls, illuminating an altar at the center.

Upon it rested a second relic—the Phoenix Crown.

Ruoyan's breath caught.

Before she could move, a barrier of black flames erupted around the altar.

And from the darkness, a familiar figure emerged.

Jing Zeyan.

Ruoyan's blood ran cold. "You."

Her former fiancé stood there, clad in obsidian robes, his expression unreadable. "You shouldn't have come here, Ruoyan."

Lin Feiyan tensed. "So you're working with the Abyssal Lords."

Jing Zeyan smiled—but it wasn't warm. It was mocking.

"You misunderstand." His voice was smooth. "I am not their ally. Nor am I your enemy."

Ruoyan's fingers curled into fists. "Then what are you?"

He tilted his head. "A witness to fate."

Before she could question him further, the barrier around the altar flared, sending waves of heat through the chamber.

Jing Zeyan stepped forward. "If you want the Phoenix Crown, Ruoyan… prove yourself."

The flames rose higher, and the ground trembled.

Ruoyan had no choice.

She stepped into the fire.

The Trial of the Phoenix

The world blurred as Ruoyan was pulled into the trial.

She found herself standing in a burning city, screams echoing all around.

Before her, a younger version of herself knelt on the ground, bleeding.

And standing over her—her past self's executioners.

Her former best friend. Her former fiancé. The figures who had betrayed her.

This was her final test.

Ruoyan took a deep breath.

"This is not real. But the pain is."

The vision twisted, the flames turning black.

Her enemies laughed, taunting her.

Ruoyan clenched her fists.

"This time, I won't fall."

Her golden flames erupted, cutting through the illusions. The figures screamed as they were consumed.

The vision shattered.

When Ruoyan opened her eyes, she was back in the temple—holding the Phoenix Crown in her hands.

The barrier had disappeared.

Jing Zeyan watched her, his expression unreadable. "You passed."

Ruoyan exhaled. "What is this relic's power?"

Jing Zeyan's gaze darkened. "It reveals the truth."

Ruoyan frowned. "The truth about what?"

He stepped closer. "About everything."

She tightened her grip on the crown.

"Then I'll use it to find out who the real traitor is."

Jing Zeyan smirked.

"I wonder… will you be ready for the answer?"

A Choice of Fate

Ruoyan and Lin Feiyan left the temple in silence.

She held the Phoenix Crown close, feeling its warmth pulse against her fingers.

Lin Feiyan finally spoke. "Do you believe him?"

Ruoyan hesitated. "No. But I believe the relics."

She placed the crown upon her head.

Immediately, a wave of knowledge crashed into her.

Visions of the past—secrets hidden for centuries—flooded her mind.

And when she finally gasped for breath…

She knew the truth.

She knew who the real traitor was.