Located in the central plains of Phoenix Cry stood a glorious empire housing millions of citizens where cultivators and regular humans walked the streets side by side. Its towering architecture and sprawling markets all bore the proud crest of the Vermillion Bird, etched in polished stone and golden filigree. On the lush outskirts of the cities lay a great number of prestigious sects, established for promising talent to study the Dao and cultivate into legendary warriors. Cultivators could frequently be seen soaring gracefully across the horizon on magical treasures or riding through the bustling streets atop magnificent, spirit-beast mounts. In the heart of the capital stood a majestic palace displaying centuries of glory and the unyielding might of the royal families. Above its towering spires blazed the glory of the Phoenix in all its mysterious might—clearly an ancient altar where the celestial Phoenix of this empire spoke directly with its devoted worshipers. Its eternal flames radiated through the lands, causing even the surrounding skies of the palace to glow a brilliant tinge of gold from its glorious might.
The grand halls of the Phoenix Cry palace vibrated with the hurried footsteps of a young woman. Her vibrant blue hair, tinged with red at the tips, trailed behind her as she burst into the throne room. Guards stationed along the path merely glanced her way, accustomed to Xue Mor's frequent visits to her father.
But this time was different.
As she stepped into the council chamber, the air was heavy with tension. The emperor, her father, sat upon his throne adorned with the crest of the Phoenix. His expression, usually warm in her presence, was dark with anger. Surrounding him were the empire's top officials, their faces etched with concern.
"Did I anger you, Father?" Xue Mor asked hesitantly, her excitement faltering.
Before the emperor could respond, a gruff elder spoke, his voice dripping with thinly veiled irritation. "Besides disrupting a council of this magnitude, you barge in as if the imperial court were a village courtyard, Princess. Respect for the throne seems to wane with youth."
"Enough, Minister Vane," the emperor interrupted, his gaze sharp enough to silence the elder instantly. His stern eyes softened just a fraction as he turned back to his daughter. "You should have sensed the spiritual weight of this gathering before crossing the threshold, Xue Mor. However, if you were so eager to interrupt, it must be of consequence. Speak. What is it?"
"I have broken through, Father," she declared, a note of hard-won pride carrying through her voice.
The emperor's expression shifted, his rigid posture giving way to sudden, genuine delight. "Ahead of your peers by two full years. To touch this realm at your age... your cultivation speed surpasses even my own youth."
The room immediately stirred with murmurs of astonishment among the ministers. Cultivation speeds of such magnitude were the stuff of ancient legend, bending the very laws of spiritual progression.
The emperor offered a brief, proud smile, raising a hand to quiet the chamber. "We shall celebrate this milestone properly after this session concludes. Now, we return to pressing business." He turned back to his high council. "It is decided, then. The Azure Dragon Clan and the Ancient White Tiger Clan will be dismantled before the Great Calamity fully descends upon us."
Xue Mor's heart plummeted, the joy of her breakthrough instantly turning to ice. She knew these proud bloodlines inside and out. The Azure Dragon Clan, sheltered beneath the spiritual mantle of the celestial Soaring Dragon, produced fierce warriors like Raikai—her childhood companion and a master of storm and lightning cultivation. The Ancient White Tiger Clan, blessed by the Three-Eyed White Tiger, commanded peerless precision and gravitational dominance, traits embodied by her friend Shinryu. These clans were more than strategic neighbors; they were kindred spirits forged in the same crucible of survival.
Stepping forward, her voice trembled with urgent disbelief. "Father, these clans are bonded by histories older than our current dynasty. This will not be a mere campaign; it will be a slaughter that bleeds the realm dry. And for what? They have not committed any offense against the throne!"
Minister Vane scoffed, stepping into the light of the braziers. "You are too young and sheltered by your cultivation cave to feel it, Princess, but we all sense the shifting winds—the Call of the Great Reset. Our very Death Arms grow restless in our scabbards, vibrating with the coming storm. Disasters multiply across the borders. We cannot afford untamed threats idling within our core territories. Those two clans occupy strategic chokepoints. Should they unite with external forces during the chaos, they could strike at our heartland and cripple the empire from within."
Desperate, Xue Mor looked up at the throne, pleading silently for understanding in her father's eyes.
The emperor exhaled slowly, a heavy sigh that carried the weight of a thousand crowns. "I know you hold those clans dear, Xue Mor. I even permitted you to foster those bonds over the years, hoping against hope that your generation might bridge our worlds permanently. But the spiritual tides have turned, and we are completely out of time."
"Let me try to reason with them, Father," she urged, stepping closer, her hands clenched in desperation. "Give me a chance to bring them to the negotiating table."
"Diplomacy has failed for decades, child," the emperor replied, his voice hardening like cooling magma. "The calamity is already upon our doorstep. We cannot risk their formidable power falling into enemy hands or being leveraged against us. Our scouts report that Shin Rai's dragon soared directly over our sovereign airspace toward the Western mountains to parley with the Ancients. That secret summit spells grave danger for us all. My empire will not fall under my reign. If they will not submit to the crown's protection, they will burn."
His final words shattered the image of the gentle, indulgent father she had always cherished. This was the true face of the emperor—an absolute ruler whose cold will shaped and severed nations alike.
Seeing the despair threatening to overwhelm her, another, more moderate elder offered a cautious suggestion, stroking his beard. "Perhaps... we do not need to drive them straight to total annihilation. We can redirect their martial might outward. Issue an imperial decree sending their vanguard to our volatile northern borders, forcing them to bleed against our true enemies instead of our own walls. In exchange, we promise their rising generation a secured future among the elite Death Knights, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our own Phoenix heirs. The youth are still untouched by the dark resonance of the calamity's call. They deserve a chance to grow, and it gives us leverage."
Xue Mor instantly seized the lifeline. "Father, allow me to present this ultimatum to them. Let me carry the imperial seal."
The emperor studied his daughter's fierce, unyielding eyes for a long moment, weighing the risks before giving a weary, solemn nod. "You leave for their territories immediately. One month, Xue Mor. That is all the time they have left before the imperial banners march."
As the council meeting was formally adjourned, the emperor vanished into the swirling pillar of sacred flames behind his throne without another word. Xue Mor remained standing alone in the vast, cooling hall, her heart impossibly heavy. She had been granted a fragile chance, but she knew the brutal truth better than anyone: failure meant the absolute extinction of the two clans she loved most.