Evan braved the blazing flames, stepping down into a chamber ringed with fire. Here, he was greeted by a stunning sight: countless phantoms of Ancient Fire Phoenixes swirling around him.
“Empress Myra is just cruel—this many?” Evan grumbled to himself. He remembered how one phantom was already enough to torment him; seeing twelve here made his head ache.
The Fire Phoenix phantoms quickly sensed Evan’s aura and surged toward him in a frenzied swarm.
Facing twelve phantoms, Evan had no choice but to cloak himself in Ice-fire Sacred Flame. Instantly, a shield of ice and fire formed around him.
Fortunately, these phantoms only breathed fire. Evan focused on enduring the trial, aiming for the exit across the chamber. His whole body was wrapped in Ice-fire Sacred Flame—the strongest he’d ever conjured. The twelve phantoms’ flames relentlessly melted his barrier.
His energy drained at a terrifying rate. At this pace, Evan realized he’d be dead in just a few breaths. He wanted to use Flash Step, but the space was too compressed—he could only walk.
So Evan pushed himself to move faster. As he neared the exit, his body faltered—scorched in places, wracked with pain. The flames invaded his flesh, ravaging him from within.
Heaven-Cold qi and Sacred Flame surged at full force. Sacred Flame hunted the invading fire, devouring it, while Heaven-Cold qi patched up the damage—a desperate chase inside his body.
With his last breath, Evan staggered to the far side. The Fire Phoenix phantoms retreated, fading into the flames.
Watching them disappear, Evan muttered, “Damn, that was close.”
He realized that without Ice-fire Sacred Flame, Sacred Flame, and Heaven-Cold qi, he would’ve died here for sure.
All three were indispensable. Evan counted himself lucky, lying on the ground to recover. Only when he could move freely did he continue onward.
The path sloped downward. Evan muttered, “Strange. Empress Myra’s never been here—how does she know there’s a Fire Phoenix egg? Who is she, really?”
Evan had always been curious about Empress Myra’s true identity.
But now wasn’t the time to ponder. He pressed on, soon seeing the path ahead bathed in flickering firelight.
Ahead, Evan spotted a shimmering barrier. Inside, a stone platform held a palm-sized egg, pulsing with a heartbeat-like thrum.
“That’s the Fire Phoenix egg?” Evan wondered aloud. He walked up to the barrier and tried to enter, but it blocked him. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t get through, so he examined the stone walls and found them covered in intricate carvings.
The carvings depicted thirteen incarnations. Evan guessed these were all forms of the Ancient Fire Phoenix. In front of them was a massive, lifelike Fire Phoenix.
“Is that the true body of the Fire Phoenix?” Evan muttered, staring at the mural.
After inspecting the mural, Evan studied the barrier, wondering how to get inside. He frowned, murmuring, “How am I supposed to get in?”