Chapter 18: The Phoenix's Trial – Ashes of the Past

I. The Fire That Chooses

Luo Ying stood before the Crimson Phoenix's door, her hands trembling. The carved flames seemed to lick at her fingertips, the stone radiating a heat that made her Vermilion Bird bloodline sing. Behind her, the harem watched in silence—Xiao Chen's demon-arm twitching, Mei Ling's new green-eyed gaze unreadable, Leng Xueyi's frost coiled like a living shield.

Elder Hong's voice was uncharacteristically gentle:

"This trial does not test courage, girl. It asks: What will you let burn?"

With a deep breath, Luo Ying stepped through—into the heart of her mother's execution pyre.

II. The Princess' AgonyThe Memory Reforged

The trial plunged Luo Ying into a perfect recreation of her darkest day:

The Imperial Courtyard, packed with nobles in feathered masks

Her mother, the Consort of Autumn Rain, kneeling in chains

Emperor Zhu Yan, his face half-twisted into a Fiend's maw, raising the Flame of Purgation

"For the crime of shielding Fiend-blooded children," the Emperor boomed, "you are sentenced to ascension."

Young Luo Ying, hidden by servants, watched as her mother smiled through the flames—then locked eyes with her and mouthed two words:

"Remember. Rise."

The Trial's Crux

The spectral Phoenix appeared, its golden flames forming words:

"TO GAIN TRUE FLIGHT, YOU MUST BECOME THE SPARK."

A blade of crystallized fire materialized before her:

Strike down the memory, and gain the power to incinerate Fiends

Embrace the flames, and inherit her mother's will

Luo Ying reached into the fire.

III. The Harem's DesperationXiao Chen's Corruption Crisis

Through the trial door's flickering haze, the others saw:

Luo Ying's body crumbling to ash

Her phoenix screaming as its feathers blackened

Xiao Chen slammed his demon-arm against the door, but Elder Hong's staff blocked him:

"Interfere, and she dies for real."

Mei Ling's Venomous Insight

The poison mistress plunged a needle into her own neck, using her Nostos Venom to link minds with Luo Ying's fading consciousness:

"Idiot princess!" she screamed psychically. "Your mom didn't die—she transformed! Now wake up!"

Leng Xueyi's Frost Sacrifice

Seeing no other option, Leng Xueyi did the unthinkable—she pierced her own frostbrand with a shard of Winter's Embrace, sending a wave of healing ice through the trial door.

Cost: Her hair turned permanently white, and her frost serpent lost a fang.

IV. The Phoenix Reborn

Luo Ying awakened not on the pyre, but in a star-filled void, cradled by a woman made of golden fire—her mother's true form, a Phoenix Incarnate.

"The Vermilion Bird bloodline was never ours," her mother whispered. "We stole it from the Fiends. That's why Father hunts us."

The revelation rewrote Luo Ying's very blood:

Vermilion Bird → True Phoenix (SS-rank)

New Ability: "Rekindling" - Can resurrect recent dead (1x per lunar cycle)

Physical Change: Her hair gained flame patterns, her eyes now literal burning coals

When she emerged from the trial, her first act was to press a burning hand to Leng Xueyi's brand, healing the self-inflicted wound.

"No more sacrifices," Luo Ying vowed. "Not for me."

V. Consort Lian's RevelationThe Veil Removed

That night, the mysterious consort finally unveiled her face—revealing skin etched with Fiend-runes identical to Xiao Chen's demon-arm.

Her Truth:

She's not Lin Ya's sister—she's Xiao Chen's aunt, the last survivor of his royal Fiend-bloodline clan.

The Black Tortoise Citadel is their family's ancestral prison, built to contain the First Sovereign's corruption.

The Emperor married her to study her blood, breeding Fiend-resistant warriors (like Mei Ling).

The Blood Moon Countdown

The Celestial Tortoise projected an urgent vision:

The Emperor had moved the ritual forward again—just 36 hours remained.

Shadowmaster Ku was leading a coup with the remaining Shadow Guard.

The veiled children Consort Lian saved were all Fiend-blooded, hiding in a secret mountain temple.

VI. The Chapter's ClimaxElder Hong's Final Lesson

The old archivist collapsed the trial temple into a portable scroll, then dropped to his knees before Xiao Chen:

"The true First Trial begins now—leading when all seems lost."

The Harem's Resolve

As dawn broke, the group finalized their plan:

Luo Ying & Mei Ling would infiltrate the Fiend-blooded children's hideout to recruit allies.

Leng Xueyi & Shā would sabotage the capital's defensive arrays.

Xiao Chen, Consort Lian, and Elder Hong would storm the Black Tortoise Citadel.

The Heavenly Demon's Warning

As they parted ways, the Heavenly Demon's voice echoed in Xiao Chen's skull:

"THE CITADEL HOLDS MY CHAINS. FREE ME... OR WATCH THEM DIE."

The chapter ended with:

Luo Ying's phoenix lighting the mountain path

Mei Ling humming a lullaby to calm her new venom's side effects

Xiao Chen staring at his demon-arm, now pulsing in sync with the rising Blood Moon

Chapter 18 End