"Seen enough?"
A commanding and powerful voice of a female was heard as Xiao kept looking at his surroundings. It was then that Xiao realized that right now he was in a vast hall that seemed to have no end. Humongous pillars that seemed to pierce through the sky were around him, and on each of these pillars, there were several drawings.
Each of the drawings and designs was interesting and beautiful, and each of them depicted pictures of phoenixes. All of them seemed to represent a story and tales of the mighty past. A profound meaning seemed to be etched into each of them, meanings that the current Xiao was unable to decipher.
Having seen enough, Xiao raised his head, and what he saw caused his eyes to widen. There, in front of him, was a single throne high above him, and a woman sat on the throne, seemingly looking down at him. The woman wore a red dress that hid her figure, but it couldn't completely hide her exquisite body.
She had red hair with several patches of yellow. Her eyes were a mixture of red and yellow, and her face was the epitome of beauty. Xiao could vow that her beauty was among the best he had seen. Her aura was that of an absolute ruler, looking down at all. Her whole aura was domineering, forcing others to move at her will.
Her eyes seemed to hold powers and mysterious depths far above what Xiao could perceive. Surrounding her floated several other figures, each of them beautiful and handsome in their own way. All of them floated a step below her, showing their respect and fear toward the woman. But that was not the reason for Xiao's surprise.
It was due to how the woman looked. She looked just like the future Yun Yurou... that's right, she looked just like Yurou! Of course, her beauty was higher than the Yurou he knew, and that was only because her cultivation level was far above the Yun Yurou that Xiao knew. As a person's cultivation reaches a higher level, so does their appearance become much more refined.
Of course, this does not mean that just anybody will look like a supreme beauty, but everybody who cultivates is indeed much more beautiful, and the ones who reach the absolute top even more so.
"Humph, what's a filthy human doing here?"
Hearing the voice dripping with disdain, Xiao broke out of his daze as he looked at an extremely handsome man looking down at him. Xiao's eyes narrowed as he noticed that all those who were floating above him had a look of disdain or minor dislike for him, while some were mostly unconcerned.
"Oh~~ someone's a bit grumpy. Why, Grandpa, are you jealous that I will be more handsome than you when I grow up?"
Xiao spoke with a mischievous smile, causing the atmosphere to freeze as all those who were looking down at him now looked at him with utmost shock. They had never seen a human so relaxed and calm under them! Any and all humans would tremble with fear as they gazed upon them, but Xiao was speaking to them as if they were on the same level!
"Oh? You sure got quite the tongue, boy."
The man now looked at Xiao with a bit of interest and anger in his eyes. He wasn't too much affected by the child's words. He, who had reached his cultivation level, already had tough mental strength. Meanwhile, Xiao smiled as he heard the man's words. Xiao puffed his chest forward as he held Yun Yurou in his arms and spoke.
"Of course, look at me! One look and you can see that I will be more handsome than you! It's only natural for the heavens to be jealous of my looks."
Xiao's face was filled with sadness, seemingly feeling sad for being born so handsome. Meanwhile, the phoenixes floating above him were all flabbergasted as they looked at Xiao. They had never in their life met someone who kept spewing nonsense like Xiao. But even then, they couldn't disagree with Xiao. After all, he truly does look extremely pleasing at such a young age...
"Puff."
And within this, a small chuckle was released from the mouth of the woman who was sitting on the throne. She used her hands to cover her chuckles as she laughed for a bit. Her beautiful flaming eyes focused on Xiao. Previously, her eyes were only interested in Yun Yurou, who was in Xiao's arms. While Xiao's existence was completely forgotten by her, now a hint of intrigue sparked in her eyes as her divine senses flooded Xiao.
Xiao didn't reject it as he completely accepted the scanning of the woman whose face represented a pain of the past. Soon, several seconds ticked by as the woman's eyes started to furrow before a serious expression took her face. Seeing it, all the phoenixes that floated beside her trembled.
"What are you?"
The woman spoke. Her voice was so soothing that Xiao went into a daze, and his heart started beating faster. All of his resistance seemed to fade as his mouth opened to speak. But before he did, something within him screamed out, and his daze broke. Xiao didn't hesitate as he bit his lip, causing him to bleed.
The pain shook his mind as he finally got his bearings back. His eyes narrowed as the vigilance within his eyes increased. Seeing Xiao regain his bearing so fast, all of the phoenixes' eyes widened in disbelief. Even the woman on the throne had a hint of surprise. Right now, she didn't do anything. It was just that her natural voice had the power to bring out such profoundness that Xiao naturally fell under her rhythm.
And Xiao understood that too! That's why his vigilance increased. The only way to stop this was to be extremely powerful, and the current Xiao didn't have the power for it. A smirk lit upon the face of the woman on the throne as she spoke.
"You are certainly an intriguing human. I have seen things within you that are quite interesting. I would surely look into you, but first..."
As she spoke, her eyes traveled to Yun Yurou, who was in his arms. Just as he blinked, Yun Yurou disappeared from his arms and appeared in the arms of the woman on the throne. Xiao's eyes narrowed at this, but he didn't do anything. He knew fairly well that the current him couldn't do anything, and he did the only thing he could: he waited.
Yun Yurou floated before the woman on the throne. Her furrowed face seemed to have gained some life as she neared the woman on the throne, and soon she was within her arms. The woman raised her arms as a blazing flame that burned the space and the world started to wrap around Yun Yurou and drilled deep into Yun Yurou's body.
A minute later, the woman on the throne lifted Yun Yurou as she gave her to her subordinate.
"Take her to the highest level of the furnace and make sure that she's given the best treatment possible. And afterward, give her the phoenix's blaze."
Hearing the last part of the woman's words, her subordinates almost fell to the ground. The phoenix blaze was not something just anybody could take. But the others said nothing as they watched Yun Yurou being taken away.
"Will she be okay?"
Xiao asked the woman on the throne, who looked down at him and spoke.
"Yes, she will live. But now, why don't you tell me who you are and where did you find this girl?"
Xiao remained silent as he contemplated the answer. But as he tried to say who and where he was from, he could not speak! It was as if there was some sort of restriction that stopped him from speaking the truth. Just like that, seconds ticked by as the silence in the room increased, suffocating Xiao.