The capital city of the Divine Phoenix Empire was alive with celebration. Lanterns floated above rooftops, laughter echoed through the streets, and fireworks painted the night sky in hues of crimson and gold. It was the Emperor's birthday — or rather, the celebration of the new "Emperor," a puppet installed by the council after the mysterious disappearance of the true ruler.
But deep beneath the glimmering marble halls of the imperial palace, shadows whispered. In a hidden chamber sealed for over a century, a figure stirred.
Vermillion eyes snapped open.
Lu Tian, the once-revered Immortal Emperor, slowly rose from the jade coffin. His body radiated a cold aura, not from death, but from fury held dormant. His second life had begun.
He remembered everything: the betrayal, the poison in his wine, the tears in his daughter's eyes as the council dragged her away.
His fingers clenched. The time for vengeance had come.
---
Meanwhile, above ground, rumors spread like wildfire. The imperial court buzzed with the news of a "ghost" sighted in the Royal Tombs. Generals dismissed it as drunken superstition, but whispers reached the ears of the Ninth Princess, Feng Yueru.
She stood on the balcony, her crimson robes billowing in the evening breeze, eyes sharp as blades.
"Could it be... him?" she whispered.
She had heard the legends. That the Immortal Emperor, her father, would one day return. But hope was a dangerous thing in the capital — and deadly if spoken aloud.
---
Back in the underground chamber, Lu Tian moved silently through secret tunnels known only to emperors. Ancient mechanisms opened at his touch. He emerged behind the Grand Library, shrouded in darkness.
His once-immortal body was recovering — slowly. His cultivation had been sealed, but he could feel the threads of energy returning.
He needed allies. He needed power. And above all, he needed the truth.
For if someone had dared assassinate an Immortal Emperor once — they would try again.
But this time, he would not fall.
---
That night, a masked figure appeared in the slums of the outer district. He spoke to beggars and old soldiers, to wandering cultivators and forgotten assassins. The name "The Immortal Blade" began surfacing among tavern tales.
Some said he was a myth. Others swore they saw his sword slice through a dozen guards without touching the ground.
But none knew his face. None knew his past.
Only one man did: the Grand Marshal who once betrayed Lu Tian in exchange for power. Now fat, content, and draped in silk, he laughed when his spies spoke of the rumors.
"Let ghosts haunt the fools. I killed the Emperor with my own hands," he scoffed.
But when he returned to his chambers that night, the scent of blood greeted him.
On his bed lay a single object:
A jade token — the Emperor's seal, split clean in half.
And carved on the wall in blood-red script:
"I Remember."
---
In the palace, Feng Yueru clutched a letter left on her pillow.
"Daughter, your heart still shines brighter than the Phoenix Flame. Wait for me. The dawn shall rise on blood."
Her hands trembled. She looked up, determination burning.
If her father had truly returned... the empire would never be the same.
---
Far away, on a misty mountain peak, a cloaked cultivator opened his eyes. The wind carried whispers from the capital.
"The Emperor walks again..."
The cultivator smiled. "So the old monster lives. Time to finish what we started."
---
To be continued...
End of chapter 26