Long Xi hadn't moved, but the cup in her hand had turned to dust. The air around her vibrated with suppressed draconic might. "You claim my daughter is dead?"
Jian Kun maintained his sorrowful expression, though inwardly he rejoiced. The Dragon Queen was rising to the bait! "The Temporal Palace's destruction was... catastrophic. Even a Dragon God would have struggled to survive."
Nantian Fengyu shot to her feet. "I've had enough of this!" She pointed at Jian Kun. "You—"
A sudden commotion outside interrupted her. The doors burst open, revealing a pale-faced Jian Feng. "Brother! It's—"
Before he could finish, a familiar voice cut through the tension.
"Spreading lies again, Jian Kun?"
Lan Huiqian stood in the doorway, her silver robes pristine, her gaze sharp as a blade. Behind her, Zhang Zifeng observed silently, her veil fluttering.
Jian Kun's teacup slipped from his fingers.
Lan Huiqian stepped forward, her voice icy. "Long Qingxuan isn't dead. She was taken by the Abyssal Ghost Knight—something you would know, since you made a deal with him."
The color drained from Jian Kun's face.
Zhang Zifeng sighed. "I warned you not to overplay your hand."
Long Xi rose slowly, her draconic aura filling the room. "Explain. Now."
Jian Kun's mind raced. His perfect plan—ruined! How was Lan Huiqian awake? How did she know—
A meaty slap echoed through the teahouse as Nantian Fengyu's palm connected with Jian Kun's face, sending him crashing through a table. "That's for lying about my junior brother!"
Yue Chuntao clapped excitedly. "Nice hit! Can I try next~?"
As Jian Kun struggled to rise, blood trickling from his mouth, Long Xi turned to Lan Huiqian. "Where is my daughter?"
Lan Huiqian bowed slightly. "The Abyssal Ghost Knight took her, along with Senior Yun's other companions. But Senior Yun has already gone after them."
Jian Kun, still sprawled amidst broken porcelain, watched helplessly as his schemes unraveled. His last thought before unconsciousness took him was simple:
Yun Lintian... will kill me for this.
Nantian Fengyu's eyes burned with crimson flames as her Divine Phoenix aura erupted, filling the teahouse with scorching heat. The wooden beams groaned as the temperature skyrocketed.
"You dare frame my junior brother?" Her voice dripped with lethal intent.
Jian Kun wiped blood from his lips, his expression twisting. He knew there was no talking his way out now—it was fight or die.
With a vicious snarl, he slammed his palm onto the floor.
A crimson formation lit up beneath their feet, its intricate patterns pulsing with sinister energy. The walls trembled as restrictive power surged through the room.
Zhang Zifeng closed her eyes and sighed. "I pleaded with Yun Lintian to spare you... But it seems fate cannot be changed."
Lan Huiqian moved like lightning—but not toward Jian Kun. Her hand shot out and seized Jian Feng by the throat, lifting him off the ground.
"Brother...!" Jian Feng choked, his face turning purple.
Jian Kun's eyes bulged. "You—!"
Lan Huiqian's grip tightened. "Call off the formation. Now."
For a brief moment, hesitation flickered across Jian Kun's face. Then it vanished, replaced by cold ruthlessness.
"His life is worthless," Jian Kun spat.
Jian Feng's face twisted in horror. "Elder Brother... you—"
Lan Huiqian snapped Jian Feng's neck without hesitation, discarding the lifeless body like trash.
Jian Kun didn't even flinch. Instead, he turned his fury toward Zhang Zifeng.
"This is your fault!" he roared. "If you'd just stepped down and given me the Pavilion Master position, none of this would've happened!"
His mask of civility had shattered completely, revealing the rabid ambition beneath.
Nantian Fengyu scoffed. "Pathetic."
Crimson flames erupted from her body as she lunged. Jian Kun barely raised his arms in time—
The teahouse exploded outward as their collision sent shockwaves rippling through the Celestial Pavilion.
Jian Kun staggered back, his robes scorched. He coughed blood but grinned manically. "Did you really think I'd face you all alone?"
From the shadows, dozens of black-clad figures emerged—elite guards loyal only to him.
Zhang Zifeng's veil fluttered as she surveyed the traitors. "So this is your final move?"
Jian Kun wiped his mouth. "The Celestial Pavilion will be mine today—starting with your head!"
Seeing this, Long Xi and the others wanted to make a move.
"Leave this to me," Nantian Fengyu said with a lazy stretch of her arms, cracking her knuckles. "I need to loosen up anyway."
Behind her, the massive form of the Divine Phoenix materialized, its crimson flames illuminating the entire courtyard. A piercing screech echoed through the Celestial City as her aura exploded outward.
Jian Kun's eyes widened. "You—"
Before he could finish, Nantian Fengyu moved.
She blurred forward, her fist wreathed in phoenix flames as she smashed into the first guard. The man didn't even have time to scream before his body was reduced to ashes.
The remaining guards hesitated—but Nantian Fengyu didn't give them time to think.
She flickered between them like a blazing comet, each strike leaving nothing but scorch marks where cultivators once stood.
Lan Huiqian and Zhang Zifeng, both True Gods themselves, watched in stunned silence.
Zhang Zifeng muttered under her breath, "First the Dragon God, now the Divine Phoenix's inheritor... Just what kind of background does Yun Lintian have?"
Jian Kun's face twisted in fury and fear. His elite guards—cultivators who had trained for centuries—were being wiped out like ants.
"Damn it!" He roared, slamming his hands together.
The entire Celestial City trembled as a massive formation lit up beneath them. The sky darkened as destructive energy gathered above.
Lan Huiqian's expression darkened. "He's activated the Celestial Annihilation Formation! He's going to destroy the entire city!"
Jian Kun laughed maniacally. "If I can't have the Celestial Pavilion, then no one will!"
But Zhang Zifeng remained eerily calm.
Nantian Fengyu, standing amidst the burning wreckage of Jian Kun's forces, tilted her head. "Oh? A suicide move?" She smirked. "How boring."
Jian Kun's laughter died as he saw her lack of fear. "You—"
The Divine Phoenix behind Nantian Fengyu spread its wings, and in an instant, the crimson flames surged upward like an inverted waterfall, clashing directly with the descending formation's power.
The two forces collided—
And the formation's energy shattered.
Jian Kun stumbled back, blood trickling from his nose. "Impossible! That formation was designed to—"
"To kill True Gods?" Nantian Fengyu interrupted, dusting off her robes. "Please. My flames burn even concepts."
Jian Kun's face paled.
Zhang Zifeng finally spoke, her voice icy. "Jian Kun. You've betrayed the Celestial Pavilion, conspired with the Abyssal Ghost Knight, and now attempted mass murder. There is only one punishment for this."
Jian Kun's eyes darted around wildly, searching for an escape. But there was none.
Long Xi stepped forward, her draconic aura pressing down on him. "Where is the Abyssal Ghost Knight?"