“All of you seem eager to spit on his memory,” Lei Jin said cautiously. “But what if this is just the beginning? The sky… it’s unnatural. The tribulation’s power should be fading, not growing.”

  Elder Hua looked approvingly at him. “Indeed. Young Master was… exceptional. The heavens do not toy with such power lightly. Keep your arrogance in check, for we may yet be shown the true reason for this storm.”

  A few disciples bristled at Elder Hua’s warning, but many were too consumed with their own dark thoughts to care. The storm above only intensified, the lightning growing sharper, streaking closer to the ground. It almost seemed as if the heavens were preparing for something far greater.

  “But… what if he really is coming back? Is that even possible?” the female disciple’s voice held a hint of fear as she looked up, her face pale.

  Fen Yan let out a derisive laugh. “Impossible. He’s dead. Ashes, Mei. And no amount of Black Phoenix legend will bring him back. Once the heavens judge, there’s no coming back.”

  Yet, as they spoke, a strange energy began to pulse from the scorched ground. At first, it was faint—no more than a ripple through the air, a hum of power whispering through the silence. But it grew, the sound deepening into a beat, a rhythm like the pulse of a heart. It seemed to resonate with the dark clouds, almost as if the storm itself were answering its call.

  Dub-dub! Dub-dub! Dub-dub!

  A hush fell over the crowd as all eyes turned to the source of the energy. Some looked on in horror, while others stepped back, fear creeping into their expressions. Elder Hua’s face grew pale, but her eyes remained sharp, sensing the true depth of what was about to unfold.

  “Could it be… that that he is still alive?” she whispered reverently.

  The disciples’ expressions turned to panic. The thought of Tian’s return, of his power growing even beyond their reckoning, was more than most could handle.

  “No… it can’t be. He was destroyed—reduced to ashes!” Fen Yan stammered, his disbelief cracking through his voice. “How could he possibly return from that?”

  “If he… he returns…” Liu backed away, trembling, “will he be the same? Or… will he come back as s—something else entirely?”

  The lightning crackled, and a dark flame sparked to life in the center of the scorched ground. It was tiny at first, barely a flicker, but it grew steadily, a black fire that devoured the air around it. And from within that flame, a figure began to take shape, a presence rising from the ashes.

  The disciples and elders watched, speechless, as the flame pulsed, its heat cold and otherworldly, yet alive and filled with energy. Tian’s presence was unmistakable.

  Rumble!

  The storm above intensified, and the sky turned darker than ever, the heavens brimming with fury as the final transformation took root. Tian’s awakening had begun, and those who had just cast judgment upon him could only stand frozen, their doubts and curses silenced by the very power they had scorned.

  Rumble!

  The storm above was unrelenting, seething with energy that pulsed across the horizon, the dark clouds rumbling with a vengeance beyond anything the Sect had ever witnessed. What should have been the end—the scattering of tribulation clouds and silence after Tian’s fall—was now a gathering storm, as if the heavens themselves refused to relent until all was laid to ruin.

  “One flower, one world…” a soft voice traveled throughout the sect, “everything is… but a grain of dust in the palm of fate…”

  The disciples stood frozen, a mixture of terror and awe stamped across their faces. They watched as the black flames sparked and wove together in the center of the ashes, where Tian had fallen. The embers flared and crackled, taking on a shape, and moving with a sentient energy that defied reason. In the heart of that fire, a form began to emerge—a form that sent chills down the spines of even the most experienced Elders.

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  The female Core disciple, Mei, gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “What… what is that? It… it’s impossible!”

  “He’s… he’s coming back,” Elder Hua murmured, unable to tear her eyes away from the spectacle. She felt an ancient fear stir within her, one that only those steeped in the knowledge of old legends could comprehend.

  The flames continued to rise, their intensity waxing as a blackened feathered form took shape—a magnificent, towering bird with wings spanning wider than any beast of this realm, each feather outlined in fire. It was a phoenix, its outline rippling with unnatural energy, as though it was reforming from the depths of an ancient memory, of a myth come alive.

  Fen Yan took a step back, his eyes wide with terror. “No… the B—black Phoenix… it can’t be true. Legends say it was a creature that defied even the gods.”

  The flames crackled louder, reaching the heavens as if challenging the storm itself. Each pulse of energy was met by the crackling of lightning above, the storm twisting in response, as though the heavens were searching for a way to stamp out this impossible rebirth. But the flames did not falter; they fed on the wrath of the sky, drawing strength from the fury meant to destroy them.

  “A phoenix is born from its ashes,” Elder Wang muttered, his voice trembling. “But this… this is no ordinary phoenix. This is the Black Phoenix, the one that defies death itself.”

  Murmurs of fear and awe rippled through the crowd, and even the most seasoned Elders felt their hearts beat faster, each of them questioning their place in the face of such power.

  Yingsha whispered, “Is it… is it even Young Master anymore? Or has he become something beyond human?”

  Before any of the elders could answer, the black flames flared, as though Tian’s essence had heard and answered the question himself. The outline of the phoenix began to shift, condensing and refining, as each feather and talon grew sharper, more defined. The temperature surrounding the area plummeted, then rose again, flickering between extremes as the very essence of the Black Phoenix settled into balance—a creature that defied both heat and cold, embodying both death and rebirth.

  Liu, took a hesitant step back, his face pale. “What is the purpose of this transformation? Does he intend to challenge the laws of the heavens?”

  “He’s breaking the natural order,” Elder Hua said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes gleamed with a strange mixture of reverence and terror. “This… is the legend of the Black Phoenix live before us, a power that was sealed in legend, so formidable that even the heavens sought to erase it from existence.”

  From within the blazing figure, a heartbeat sounded, echoing across the sect grounds. The energy was suffocating, pressing down on the crowd like a crushing weight. Those gathered felt the pulse resonate within them, its rhythm compelling them to watch in silence. In that heartbeat, there was a rage that felt ancient, a wrath that seemed to have waited lifetimes to be unleashed.

  Dub-dub!

  The disciples stood transfixed, each wondering, fearing, and hoping—yet not one of them could look away as the flames condensed further until they formed a fully reborn figure. There he stood, Tian, his human form restored, yet altered in ways that left no question about the power he now wielded. His eyes, once a deep, smoldering black, now blazed with the endless fire of the Black Phoenix, an intense glow that seemed to peer into the very souls of those who watched.

  The storm roared louder as if the heavens themselves were responding, a final challenge against the being who dared to rise from the ashes. The clouds swirled, forming a massive vortex, and the red lightning grew darker, more potent, as it gathered in a single, terrifying bolt, aimed directly at Tian.

  “Young Master!” Elder Wang called, his voice tinged with desperation. “Turn back now! This is madness!”

  But Tian’s gaze remained fixed on the heavens, his expression unreadable, yet resolute. He raised his hand slowly, the black flames swirling around him as if he intended to meet the heavens’ wrath head-on. Around him, the aura of the Black Phoenix rippled, both hot and cold, alive with a power that seemed to be drawn from the very cosmos.

  Mei trembled. “Is he… does he truly mean to defy the heavens?”

  Elder Hua closed her eyes, a look of pained respect crossing her face. “The Black Phoenix was said to be a creature of rebellion, one that would never kneel, never bow—even to the gods themselves. Young Master is not just defying them but rewriting his fate.”

  The disciples looked on, their earlier envy and malice vanishing, replaced by a terrified admiration. The might Tian wielded was unlike anything they had imagined. They could feel it—a power that belonged to no mortal, no spirit, but something far more profound, something destined to endure beyond death.

  “Young Master, stop!” Elder Wang cried, his voice shaking. “Please, don’t… the heavens won’t allow it. You’ll bring ruin to us all!”

  But Tian simply looked up, his form now fully enveloped in the flames, which pulsed in sync with the thunderous sky. His figure shone against the storm, the reborn Black Phoenix, a myth brought to life.

  He opened his mouth, his voice echoing with the weight of ancient power. “If the Heavens wish to stop me, then I will slay the Heavens. I was born from their wrath, and I will be the end of it.”