Phoenix's Requiem

The elders of Kongming Academy stood arrayed in front of the all-seeing mirror on the roof of Kongming Academy, observing the changes in the scenery within. The sea of clouds gradually turned into a whirlpool, one which grew larger and larger, forming a portal within.

“How many people will be able to return this time?”

“No one knows. But with Li Mo around, I’m sure there’ll be at least a few survivors.”

“Right, right. With him around, we should have at least one student returning from each college.”

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough.”

The elders quietly chatted with each other as the first and second elders stared fervently at the mirror.

“They’re out!” one elder exclaimed. The first students to step out were the Lin sisters. What surprised the gathered elders was that they were carrying a wheelchair, on which a middle-aged man was sitting.

Directly behind them were Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo.

When the first elder saw the two of them, his severe mien finally lightened.

“Li Mo, you’re back! Thank goodness.” The first elder stepped forward, smiling as he saw that his students all seemed to be alright.

“And this is...?”

“This is my uncle,” Yun Ruoyan explained. “From the Lin family.”

“Lin Tianming greets the first elder of the Kongming Academy.” With the Lin sisters’ help, Lin Tianming stood up and cupped his fists toward the first elder.

“Lin Tianming... the eldest son of the Lin family?!” The first elder occasionally frequented the capital, so he knew a little about the Lin family’s affairs. Given Yun Ruoyan’s close connection with the Lins, he had even specifically investigated them, and he was naturally aware of the fact that the two young masters of the Lin family had gone missing many years ago.

When he suddenly encountered Lin Tianming—coming back from the otherworld, no less!—it was no surprise that he would be shocked.

“First Elder, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you about the specifics later,” Li Mo explained.

“You’ve just returned from the otherworld, and you must be tired. Have a good night’s rest first,” the first elder instructed Yun Ruoyan kindly. When Li Mo pulled Yun Ruoyan out of the portal, he had seen her bulging belly. She and Li Mo had been a couple even before entering the otherworld, and it wasn’t unexpected that she would be pregnant now.

Empress Xue Tong will surely be happy to learn that her line won’t end with Li Mo.

“Are there no other students returning?”

“The three students who’ve returned are all from the southern college... what about the other colleges?”

The other colleges’ elders all turned to Li Mo.

“Li Mo, where are the students of the northern college?” the second elder called out.

“Where are our students?”

“Why are the only students that have returned from the southern college?”

“Li Mo, where’s Zhuo Yifeng? Why hasn’t he returned with you?” the sixth elder asked. He knew that Zhuo Yifeng was familiar with Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan, so he had been very hopeful that Zhuo Yifeng would be able to return safely with their help.

The first elder turned to his peers. “Elders, as you’re all aware, the otherworld is fraught with danger. You should all have been prepared to not see your students return.”

“I’m aware of that, First Elder, but isn’t it strange that the only students that have returned are from the southern college? Doesn’t Li Mo owe us an explanation?”

The elders wouldn’t have been as surprised or concerned if none of the students had returned, or if only Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan had made it out. However, to have all the returning students be from the southern college...

The second elder stepped forward and blocked Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan, the expression on his face making it clear that he wouldn’t budge until Li Mo provided a reasonable explanation.

“And if I don’t?” Losing his patience at the second elder’s antics, Li Mo pulled Yun Ruoyan around the second elder and continued walking forward. fre𝑒𝘸𝚎𝚋n૦ѵℯl.c𝒐𝘮

“Oh? Looks like I need to teach you a lesson about respecting your elders!” the second elder clawed at Li Mo, who released his grip on Yun Ruoyan and retaliated with a palm strike. Spiritual energy thrummed through the air, spreading out around the two of them.

In the past, Li Mo wouldn’t have dared to receive the attack directly, but his cultivation was now on par—and likely even slightly more advanced—than that of the second elder.

Just then, the demonic dragon forefather’s voice sounded in Yun Ruoyan’s head.

“Little girl, I felt the all-seeing mirror just now.”

After recovering his memories and fighting against the silver dragon elder, the demonic dragon forefather had resumed its identity as the Feilai blade spirit and returned to Yun Ruoyan’s body. He had been sleeping for the last six months, and had only woken up after sensing a familiar aura.

“We just came out of the all-seeing mirror,” Qiuqiu chirped.

“What? From the all-seeing mirror?!” He suddenly emerged from Yun Ruoyan’s silver bracelet along with the Feilai Blade, then stopped in front of the all-seeing mirror. The other elders were all looking at the duel between Li Mo and the second elder; except for Yun Ruoyan, no one had yet noticed the sudden appearance of the demonic dragon forefather.

When Yun Ruoyan saw the demonic dragon forefather reaching out for the mirror, she cried out, “Stop!”

But it was too late—the demonic dragon forefather was already holding the mirror in his hands.

Only as a bolt of lightning descended did the elders notice that a blade spirit seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, one who was foolish enough to try to grab the all-seeing mirror.

“Drop it, quick!” Yun Ruoyan hurried toward the blade spirit. However, Li Mo stepped forward and stopped her. The lightning strike had interrupted his duel with the second elder, and they were both looking at the blade spirit.

Li Mo called out, “There’s a seal placed on the mirror. If you move it, you’ll invoke a strong protective array safeguarding it, so put it down!”

“Where did this blade spirit come from?” The other elders all seemed shocked, but no one stepped forward. They were all waiting for the protective array around the mirror to activate.

However, the demonic dragon forefather ignored everyone’s words. Despite the thunder and lightning, his face was calm and indifferent. As he manipulated his fingers, a tiny spark of glowing spiritual energy appeared by his fingertips, which he directed toward the surface of the mirror.

The thunder and lightning slowly started to dissipate, then vanished entirely.

That the demonic dragon forefather could neutralize such a strong defense with as little effort as waving his hand shocked everyone, even Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo, who were familiar with what the demonic dragon forefather could do.

“It’s been quite some time since I’ve last seen the all-seeing mirror,” the demonic dragon forefather murmured, caressing its surface as though he were looking at an old friend.

“Elder, no matter who you might be, please put down the all-seeing mirror. This is a treasure of Kongming Academy,” the first elder said, finally stepping forward. He bowed deeply to the blade spirit, then turned to Yun Ruoyan.

The first elder clearly remembered that the Feilai Blade belonged to Yun Ruoyan. He was the one who had sealed it when Yun Ruoyan first entered the academy. The blade spirit had exchanged blows with the first elder then, but with his memories forgotten and his cultivation in disuse, he was no match for the first elder. Now, however, the strength that the blade spirit exuded was sufficient to shock everyone gathered.

“When did the all-seeing mirror become your possession?” The demonic dragon forefather arched an eyebrow at the first elder. Given his strength, just this glance alone was sufficient to make the elders wary.

The demonic dragon forefather began reciting the history of the all-seeing mirror, initially the property of the demonic dragon clan. It had vanished a millennium ago, and the demonic dragon forefather had only managed to discover its whereabouts with the help of the demonic spirit. Subsequently, it was during the search for the mirror that he had fallen into the demonic spirit and the silver dragon elder’s trap.

The all-seeing mirror had been in the silver dragon elder’s possession, and the silver dragon elder had used all three mirror-type artifacts—the all-seeing mirror, heaven-scrying mirror, and heaven-transcending mirror—to destroy the demonic dragon forefather’s draconic form.

“During my resistance, the three mirrors were all severely damaged. The heaven-scrying mirror was destroyed in its entirety, whereas the other two were scattered amidst the many realms. I hadn’t expected to be able to see it again,” the demonic dragon forefather continued. “This protective array was a safeguard that the mirror originally possessed, and it’s been waiting for its owner ever since.”

The demonic dragon forefather emphasized this last sentence for the gathered elders. Although they thought of the all-seeing mirror as a treasured possession of Kongming Academy, the demonic dragon elder’s might made his claim to the mirror significant.

“Little girl, I thought I’d have to construct a teleportation array to head to the Jiyuan continent, but there’s no need for that now. We’ll be able to get there easily with the help of the all-seeing mirror.” Before Yun Ruoyan could respond, the demonic dragon descendant had already kept the mirror in his robes.