'The Realm-Burning Phoenix.'
To the people of the current era, that name means nothing, but to Xiao, those words were more than enough to shake his heart to the core. The Realm-Burning Phoenix was the successor to the Shrine of Fire of a certain myth present in the fourth heaven, an unprecedented talent whose origin remains unknown.
She emerged within the shrine as the daughter of an important cultivator, and from there, her talents bloomed. She even surpassed the 13th step of the Phoenix within her trial. Her pure fire and bloodline brought jealousy to all, as her flames were strong enough to burn even the laws of the world.
However, none of that meant anything to Xiao. In his mind, a memory resurfaced—a memory of death and massacre. The world was surrounded by death and turned deep red, from the sky to the ground. Countless bodies, reaching into the millions, covered the earth, forming hills of unimaginable scale.
The sight was enough to chill one's heart. The blood had turned to mist, floating in the atmosphere, creating a gruesome scene. The bodies on the ground varied in age and gender, with horror in their eyes as they perished from slashes and burns. The mere sight of it would make anyone sick.
Amidst this chaos, a young man of 25 stood with calm, cold eyes, devoid of any emotion. Only indifference and madness filled his gaze as he absorbed the bloodlust and unwilling spirits of the dead.
This young man had black hair and black eyes that shone with a reddish tint. He stood there, unaffected, utilizing the death around him to grow stronger. It was then that a chuckle broke the silence. The young man's eyes widened in surprise as he turned toward the source of the sound.
Amidst the chaos, a woman approached him. She had bright scarlet hair with hints of yellow, flowing down her back. Her eyes burned with flames, displaying vibrant orange and yellow colors.
A flame mark adorned her forehead, appearing to be a part of her. Her face radiated exquisite beauty, capable of stirring love and desire within anyone who laid eyes upon her. Her body possessed perfect proportions, tempting men with a single touch. She was an alluring beauty that evoked the desire in all who beheld her.
Even the black-haired young man, with his indifference, felt his heart beat faster, but he quickly regained control. Observing this, the scarlet-haired beauty smiled and addressed him.
"Oh... You look fun!"
With that, the memory shattered, and Xiao's gaze turned to Yun Yurou with complex emotions. In his previous life, he had encountered Yurou. Xiao, whose heart had been closed off, a broken machine merely existing, had almost opened his heart to her. No, it would be more accurate that she had taken away his heart that he never knew he had anymore He, who had never shown interest in love, had almost been captivated by her, no who was he kidding she had his heart the day she died in his arms.
It's funny, right? After all, he couldn't accept trust or love. He had to once again lose something for him to understand how stupid he was being. He fell in love because she ended up dying... protecting him. That had been the last time Xiao shed a tear in his first life when he had finally lost everything that day.
True to his case, he felt nothing when he massacred millions, believing he had no tears left. But that day, he became broken, on that day he cried his truly last tears.
In his first life, Xiao gained notoriety that spread far and wide. He defied the natural laws of talent through slaughter, which piqued the interest of others. However, the situation worsened as his massacres spiraled out of control, his schemes and manipulation creating chaos and death wherever he went, no power and organization was safe from his clutches of control.
The powers could handle a reckless idiot but Xiao wasn't one, he chose his target, kept a low profile, and started a war among the greats, his scheming mind causing millions of losses in life and back then Yurou had come to end his life.
Why? Well, She had learned of his deeds while traveling through the Second Heaven and set out to kill him. However, things took an unexpected turn. Instead of killing him, Yurou started following him, preventing him from taking more lives.
No matter how hard Xiao tried, he was much weaker than Yurou, and every attempt to kill her failed. She clung to him like a leech, obstructing him from claiming even a single life. Not only that, she secretly protected him from other hunters. Xiao learned of this only at the moment of his death.
She laughed, made jokes, and teased him as she stayed by his side without end. This went on for about 3 years, as she never left his side. Slowly but surely, she became an integral part of his life. However, just as he planned to open his heart to her, she left his side to protect him.
Like his mother, who died protecting him, she too died the same way. An extraordinary talent like her sacrificed herself for him, a worthless existence. Xiao learned from the book "Heavenly Opposers" that she risked her cultivation, position, and everything else just to spend a year with him.
Back then, the Shrine of Fire of that myth trembled in rage, worlds burned as Xiao was hunted down, and he once again became the enemy of the world. Xiao's heart burned with the desire for power, and his massacres reached unprecedented levels, even earning him the curse of the heavens, though on the inside Xiao wanted to die, to get rid of his life but he couldn't.
First, his mother dies protecting him, and later, Yurou, how could he take his own life then? How could he spit on their sacrifices?
…
"Hey, Xiao, why don't you try smiling? Like this," said the scarlet-haired beauty, as she stretched her cheeks into a smile.
"Hey, Xiao, what will you do when you achieve what you want?" she asked, sitting on a tree bark, swinging her smooth white legs.
"Hey, Xiao, try this. It's so tasty. Why don't you try it?" the young woman offered, extending her food towards him.
"Hey, Xiao, what type of girl do you like?" the beauty asked, rubbing her legs against the ground while playing with her hair, her gaze averted.
"Xiao, I'm sorry, but I love you..." said the scarlet-haired beauty, lying in the arms of the black-haired man. There was an absence where her heart should be, and her beautiful flame-like eyes reflected unwillingness and pain, knowing what the man would go through after her death.
….
Soon, all of Xiao's visions faded as he returned to the present. He took a deep breath, attempting to regain control of his emotions. His eyes were slightly red, and his emotions were in disarray, but he continued to take deep breaths to steady himself. Eventually, he regained composure and opened his eyes, which now held an unprecedented amount of gentleness as they rested upon Yun Yurou. His lips curled into a smile.
"Yes, I do know about the Realm-Burning Phoenix."