The moon hung high over Yuan City, its pale glow casting long shadows across the tiled rooftops. The city above slumbered peacefully, unaware that beneath its cobbled streets, the underground world pulsed with life.
In a dim corner of the underground market, whispers stopped as a figure appeared—her upper face hidden behind a crimson red mask, a flowing black cloak billowing behind her. The emblem of a red feather dangled from her belt like a silent threat.
Red Phoenix had returned.
Merchants quieted their chatter. Assassins, thieves, and rogue cultivators stepped aside, letting her pass with a mixture of fear and reverence.
Alice walked calmly to the information broker's stall. The man behind the counter—a rotund cultivator with a scar across his cheek—nodded once and slid a folded slip of parchment her way without a word.
She unfolded it.
Target: Lord Shen Rui
Cultivation: 9th Stage of Qi Condensation Realm
Location: Jade Manor, Noble Quarter
Details: Noble merchant and hidden cultivator. Trafficking rare beast cores and forbidden pills. Recently involved in disappearances of young rogue cultivators.
Reward: 5,000 Tier 1 Spirit Stones
Bonus: Tier 2 Fire-Step Movement Technique scroll
Alice's crimson lips curved slightly beneath her mask. "Accepted," she said coldly, folding the parchment and slipping it into her cloak.
The broker trembled. "He's well-guarded… walls reinforced with Formation Runes, and a peak Qi Condensation realm bodyguard from the Shen Clan."
She didn't respond.
She simply turned and vanished into the crowd like smoke in the wind.
---
Hours later, Jade Manor glowed in the distance—gold lanterns swinging from its eaves, guards patrolling the high walls, and the entire compound wrapped in the aura of wealth and secrecy.
From the rooftop of a nearby building, Alice crouched in silence.
She had observed the patrol patterns. Counted the guards. Sensed the weak points in the runic formations.
She moved.
Shadow to shadow. Step to breath.
One guard passed. Another paused—but by the time he turned his head, she was gone.
Near the east wall, Alice placed a talisman etched with darkness runes. It shimmered silently, blurring the senses of any nearby cultivator. With one leap, she was over the wall.
Inside the manor, her steps were silent, her presence concealed.
The manor was lavish. But what caught her attention wasn't the decor—it was the faint traces of blood Qi in the air, and the muffled sobbing coming from a locked storage room beneath the main hall.
Her eyes narrowed.
She didn't need further confirmation.
Lord Shen Rui had sealed his fate the moment he touched innocent lives.
---
She found him in the inner chamber, sipping wine from a golden cup, a Tier 2 beast core spinning slowly in the air before him.
His cultivation was strong—9th level of Qi Condensation, and close to breaking through. But he never felt the presence behind him until a whisper of killing intent grazed his neck.
He stood, flaring his Qi. "Who dares—?!"
The red mask appeared in the mirror before him.
Then came the dagger—black metal with a crimson glint, flashing through the air like a falling star.
Lord Shen blocked the first strike with his sleeve infused with Qi. He countered with a flame technique, hurling a fireball that lit up the chamber.
Alice twisted mid-air, her cloak catching the light. Her dagger struck again—this time from the side. Lord Shen grunted as blood sprayed from his ribs.
"You—Red Phoenix?" he gasped.
Alice said nothing.
He roared and unleashed a final desperate strike—but Alice had already vanished behind him. One clean slash across his throat, and it was done.
The noble's body slumped silently to the floor, the beast core dropping beside him.
On the wall behind him, painted with a Talisman Brush, was the unmistakable symbol:
A lone red feather.
Below it, in bold crimson—Red Phoenix.
---
Alice disappeared into the night, her cloak billowing, her mask still cold and silent.
She had struck down a monster hiding in silk robes.
But in Yuan City, the name Red Phoenix would burn brighter than ever.
And the true storm… was only just beginning.