Chapter 111

As Han Luo spoke, he waved his hand decisively.
"Water, come."

Without warning, the sound of rushing water thundered overhead. A massive waterfall, over a hundred meters wide, came crashing down from the sky and landed in front of Han Luo, completely shielding him. The fiery meteors that rained down fizzled out on impact, like matchsticks doused in a tank of water—snuffed out with a hiss.

The Scarlet Phoenix immediately looked up—and panicked.

What the hell?!

Countless waterfalls poured from the heavens like a flood from broken dams, roaring toward her with terrifying force. She flapped her wings frantically, weaving between the falling torrents, attempting to dodge them as she lunged toward Han Luo.

"Sky-Locking Chains!" Han Luo whispered.

In an instant, golden chains burst from the void and coiled around the flying phoenix, binding her midair with ruthless precision.

"Break!" the Scarlet Phoenix screamed, her red feathers erupting into flames as she struggled fiercely against the chains. Her divine phoenix fire surged in intensity as she tried to burn her way out.

But it was useless.

"Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!" she shrieked, her tone equal parts rage and disbelief. She couldn't understand how, in her own domain, she was being utterly suppressed by an outsider. The only explanation that made sense was that Han Luo was somehow fusing with her host, gaining authority here.

"No point in yelling. Even if you scream until your throat bursts, I’m not letting you go."
Han Luo slowly raised his palm.

"Thunder, descend."

Boom!

Dark clouds blanketed the sky. In the blink of an eye, a silver bolt of lightning crashed down, slamming into the phoenix’s bound body.

"Aaaaahhh!"
She screamed in agony, her voice sharp enough to pierce ears.

"Oho? Looks like you’re enjoying that," Han Luo teased.

"Enjoy your damn uncle!" she spat, cursing venomously.

"Tsk. Such foul language… Slap her."
Han Luo raised his hand again, summoning gusts of wind that turned into phantom palms. They smacked the phoenix across the face with loud, satisfying pah-pah-pah sounds.

"Skreeee!!"
The Scarlet Phoenix screeched in rage, her flames erupting even more violently. In the next instant, her phoenix fire surged to a new level and incinerated the golden chains binding her.

"Today, I will—"

"Thousand-Year Ice Prison."

Han Luo didn’t let her finish her dramatic line. He cast again, and in the blink of an eye, the searing world turned into a snowstorm. The temperature plummeted, and icy wind howled.

A massive glacial prison formed, locking the phoenix inside with only her head sticking out. Her beak chattered, and she drooled from the cold.

"Who… who are you?!" she croaked, shivering. "How can you possibly wield so many divine arts? How can you possess such overwhelming power?!"

She could feel it now—an endless, unfathomable pressure radiating from Han Luo. It was like staring into an abyss. She had no idea what terrifying move might emerge from the fog next.

"Scarlet Phoenix, you’re a legendary divine beast. Can you not spew such cliché villain lines? It makes me look bad," Han Luo replied.

"Then die!" the phoenix howled.

Her form began to grow. She swelled larger, wings spreading, body expanding, her strength rising exponentially. With a loud BOOM, the glacial prison shattered.

She had unleashed her Heavenly Form.

Her monstrous body blotted out the sky. One wing spanned the North Sea, the other stretched toward the South Pole. Her burning tail lashed the Northern lands, while her enormous head filled the heavens.

"This is my world!" her voice thundered like a god's decree.
"Here, I am god! I am immortal! What can you do against me?"

Han Luo simply smiled.
"I love a challenge."

"Mountain, come."

From beyond the void, he summoned a towering mountain. It slammed down, suppressing the colossal phoenix beneath its weight.

But the Scarlet Phoenix wasn’t so easily crushed. She lifted the mountain on her back and opened her beak, preparing to spew divine fire.

Han Luo raised his hand again.

"More mountains."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three more mountains smashed down on her. The ground shook. The void cracked. The phoenix screamed as she was pinned under them all.

"This is impossible! How can you defeat me in my own world?!"

"Your world?!" Han Luo repeated, astonished, then scoffed.
"Fluffy chicken, this world isn’t yours—it belongs to Chi Xiao. You’re just her inner demon, a tiny, pathetic part of her."

"No! I am Chi Xiao! We grew up together! Every bad thing we’ve ever done, we did together! You don’t understand anything!"

She flailed wildly in denial, her voice shrill and deranged.

"Fire Vines."

Han Luo gestured again. Crimson vines burst from the ground and wrapped tightly around the phoenix, pinning her down. Each leaf resembled a mouth, gnawing hungrily at her flames.

As the fire vines devoured her divine flame, her strength rapidly diminished. The great phoenix slumped, lifeless.

Eventually, the phoenix's body dissipated, transforming into a palm-sized crimson spear—a miniature version of Chi Xiao’s signature weapon.

When Han Luo took the weapon into his hand, he felt a chilling sensation. The spear, though forged of fire, carried a sharp, eerie coldness.

So her resentment still lingers…

"You chose her. Trust that one day, she’ll stand atop the world and reach the heights you once dreamed of. Now… go."

Han Luo summoned a glowing orb of milky-white light, enveloping the spear. As he watched, a wisp of black smoke emerged, forming a shadowy image of the Scarlet Phoenix.

"You are exceptional," she said. "In all my years, I’ve never seen such talent. But if you think you can purify me—you're still too weak."

With that, she vanished into the orb, splitting into countless tiny red shadows that etched themselves into the spear's shaft. The weapon now glowed with both searing heat and cold precision.

Han Luo touched his nose, a little embarrassed.
Did I just get looked down on…?

Whatever.

He wasn’t strong enough to fully purify the Scarlet Phoenix. But it didn’t matter. As Chi Xiao grew stronger, she would eventually absorb this power and make it her own. When that day came, this former demon would become a nourishing source of strength.

With the threat gone, Han Luo floated down to the now-sleeping girl.

"Celestial big brother!"

Chi Xiao—returned to her child form—looked up at him joyfully.

Han Luo smiled and gently handed her the spear.

"This is for you."

As she gripped it, the entire dreamscape began to fade.

"Big brother, don’t go! Big brother, don’t go!" her voice echoed across the dissolving world. She reached out, trying to hold on to him.

Reality.

Inside the sealed chamber, Chi Xiao stirred and murmured softly:
"Big brother, don’t go… don’t go…"

She slowly opened her eyes, dazed and weak from the ordeal. She moved to sit up—and froze.

To her horror, she realized she was resting in Han Luo’s arms… and she wasn’t wearing anything.