The Black Cloud Clan's trap was set in the ruins of the Silent Archives, a crumbling labyrinth buried beneath Iron Ridge City. Mei Ling, ever the eager historian, had convinced Li Wei the archives held a relic that could "unlock the valley's secrets." Xiao Mei eyed the dusty corridors skeptically. "This place reeks of death. Let's leave before the ceiling collapses."
Li Wei ran his fingers over a mural depicting a phoenix engulfed in flames. "This isn't just a relic site. It's a tomb."
As they reached the central chamber, the ground trembled. Black Cloud cultivators emerged from hidden passages, led by Jin Rou. Mei Ling paled. "I—I didn't know! They threatened my family!"
Li Wei sighed. "Next time, negotiate better threats."
Jin Rou smirked. "Hand over the sword, boy. Or your friends die first."
Before Li Wei could respond, Luo Feng stormed in, flanked by a wizened elder radiating Core Formation aura. "You think humiliation goes unanswered? Elder Kun will grind your bones to dust!"
Elder Kun attacked, his palm strike shaking the chamber. Li Wei dodged, but the shockwave sent Xiao Mei crashing into a pillar.
"Pathetic," the phoenix sword hissed in his mind. "Let me in. Let me burn."
Li Wei resisted, but as Elder Kun's fist closed around his throat, desperation overruled caution. Fine. Do it.
The sword erupted in crimson flames. Li Wei's veins lit like molten iron, his cultivation forcibly surging to the 9th Stage of Qi Gathering. He moved faster, struck harder—but the power was unstable, erratic.
Elder Kun: "What demonic art is this?!"
Li Wei: "A borrowed spark. But even sparks can ignite wildfires."
Using Zhao Tian's knowledge of Vein-Sealing Strikes, Li Wei targeted the elder's unstable meridians. Elder Kun faltered, his Core Formation power flickering. A well-placed kick to his diaphragm sent him sprawling.
The fight ended, but the sword's flames didn't fade. They consumed Li Wei's Qi, threatening to burn him alive. Xiao Mei grabbed his arm, her hands blistering. "Snap out of it!"
"KILL THEM ALL," the sword roared.
With a gasp, Li Wei plunged the blade into the ground, severing the connection. The flames died, leaving him trembling and drained.
Jin Rou, though battered, laughed. "You can't control that power, can you? It'll devour you before we do."
Mei Ling, guilt-ridden, revealed a scroll hidden in the archives: a map to the Emberheart Forge, where the phoenix sword was forged. "The answers you seek are there. Let me atone by guiding you."
Xiao Mei glared. "One wrong move, and I'll feed you to the sword."
That night, Li Wei dreamt of Zhao Tian standing at the Emberheart Forge, the sword screaming as it was quenched in his blood. "Every flame demands a sacrifice," the memory warned. "What will you burn?"
Li Wei's victory came at a cost. The phoenix sword's awakening proved he could challenge stronger foes—but each use risked his soul. As they left for the Emberheart Forge, Jin Rou's words lingered: "You're not the first to wield that blade… and its last owner went mad."