Divine Harem: My Sect of Heavenly Beauties

Shen Yu had to spend some time calming Ying Yue as her mind was still in a mess. Whatever state she had acquired due to the stimulation of her emotions had left some backlash.

He easily erased them and brought her back to prime condition. After patting her head once more, Shen Yu once again sat on his head seat.

He turned towards Xiao Lan and said:

"Tell us how he betrayed you, if that's okay with you."

Shaking her head, Xiao Lan replied:

"It's fine, Master. I have accepted it long ago, and even though I do want to make him suffer, it isn't to the point of blind revenge."

She smiled at Shen Yu and then turned to face the others.

"Every single one of you has changed me and made me realize how pathetic running after revenge is. I will have my revenge, but it's not something that drives me forward."

Shen Yu shook his head with a light smile on his face.

"I'm glad you were able to get through that stage. Letting go of revenge isn't an easy thing."

Xiao Lan nodded.

"As some of you might know, Phoenix are hard to kill, really hard. And I have the strongest bloodline with Ancestral Phoenix Flames. There was no way anyone could kill me easily, but there exists a weakness for us."

She touched her chest and continued.

"Our hearts produce mutated flames alongside the normal ones. However, the mutated flames are highly corrosive to us, or rather to the Phoenix from whom they were produced."

Song Junwan, who was taking notes on the sides, raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Is it like a reverse scale of dragons?"

Xiao Lan nodded.

"Yes. Our hearts never stop producing these mutated flames, and the longer they stay inside us, the earlier we will die. So, every Phoenix takes out their mutated flames occasionally and transfers them into something."

Clenching her fist, she said:

"I also did the same and transferred my mutated flames into a dagger personally made by one of the best Blacksmiths of the Divine Realm. Due to my bloodline, my mutated flames are by far stronger than anyone else's, so we needed something worthy enough."

She sighed.

"As even keeping the mutated flames close enough was dangerous, I had kept the dagger inside a special vault where other members of the Imperial Family kept their mutated flames. It was heavily guarded by top experts and Rune Formations. There was no way to get the mutated flames unless a whole faction decided to attack."

Clenching her fist, she continued as her eyes turned bright red.

"Nobody could enter that vault whenever they wished. One needed to have permission from at least Seven Elders and the Empress to enter it. It was a safe place, but I trusted my kins a little too much."

She sighed.

"I don't know what my sister or that man did with the Phoenix Clan, but... all of them betrayed me. Without my knowledge, my dagger was taken out of the Vault and given to that bastard."

Past memories flooded her mind as she remembered the very night she was murdered.

"It was our wedding day, the happiest day for me. And it became the day I still remember greatly. That bastard stabbed that dagger right through my chest, and I couldn't resist it. I could do nothing but lie on the ground and watch that man being intimate with my sister."

She closed her eyes as the voices of that day lingered in her mind.

"I still remember how those ungrateful bastards whom I have saved for centuries betrayed me as if it was nothing. I had given up everything for them, even put my life at risk for them, but all I received was mocking words and their disdain. Every single one of them spat on my corpse."

As those memories began to overwhelm her mind, she felt something warm and strong wrap around her. It soothed her mind and emotions, making her feel relaxed.

"Everything is going to be good. You won't have to face that ever again."

Shen Yu hugged Xiao Lan, caressing her back while whispering some sweet words of consolation. Sometimes, one needs nothing but words and warmth to calm down.

He knew it very well. So, he gave her the warmth and security she needed. The memories of the past could be very fatal and damaging. Having experienced it himself, he knew it well.

The ladies also gave some time to the two of them and stayed silent, but they also tried to highlight their presence by increasing their aura. They just wanted to show Xiao Lan that they were there for her, even if the worst came to them.

After some time, Xiao Lan had finally calmed down as she raised her head and smiled at Shen Yu.

"Thanks, Master."

She put her head back on his chest and continued.

"So where was I? Ah! Yes, so I was going to die back then. The mutated flames were spreading throughout my body, burning me from the inside out. Quite ironic for a Phoenix to die like this, huh."

She listened to the clear heartbeat of Shen Yu and said:

"My sister most likely wanted my position and the Ancestral Phoenix Flames that came with it. They are very precious and could only be inherited by the heirs of the throne. Unfortunately for her, she knew little about the Ancestral Flames aside from that they were very powerful."

She backed away slightly and raised her hand as pristine incandescent flames burst out from her fingertips. The temperature around them instantly increased, but instead of causing suffocation, it provided a warm embrace.

Even Shen Yu was surprised, sensing the immense power from within the Ancestral Phoenix Flames.

[These flames are really something. If I have to rank them among the most powerful things in my domain, they'll surely come in the top 10.]

'Damn! They're that powerful?'

Shen Yu was shocked.

[More like they have that potential. After all, these flames can evolve to have the Existence Erasure of my domain level. As my domain is easily an Omniverse, you can see how powerful they are.]

'No wonder her faction was one of the strongest in the Divine Realm.'

Xiao Lan smiled and said:

"These flames have been passed down in our clan for many generations. They have many uses, but the most useful thing about them is their healing ability. Let me show you!"

She extinguished the flames and, in a single swift strike, cut her four fingers. Then, she summoned her flames back as they burned brighter than before.

Under everyone's astonished gazes, her fingers began to regenerate, and in no time, she had her fingers back. It happened so fast that others didn't have much time to observe.

Xiao Lan played with her fingers and showed them to everyone.

"See? The flames are really helpful, right?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ning Xi looked at her hand with eyes full of fascination and asked:

"What's the limit?"

Xiao Lan shook her head.

"There is no limit. Even if I'm blasted into pieces, I can form my body again. I just need to will it."

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Ning Xi waved her hand and said:

"Nah! There has to be something in it. I don't believe such a bullshit power is without any limits."

Finally understanding what she meant, Xiao Lan replied:

"You mean a weakness? Of course, it has. Every time I use these flames to heal myself, it causes me a lot of pain depending on the degree of my wounds."

She sighed in exhaustion.

"Sadly, even after so many centuries, I still couldn't get used to the pain brought by the Ancestral Phoenix Flames. It's just too much."

Shen Yu smiled at them and said:

"It's because of the Ancestral Phoenix Flames. They're very special, and they make sure you suffer a lot if you want to use them. They attack the soul, not the body, and make sure you don't get used to it."

Looking at her hand, Xiao Lan sighed even more.

"So, it means I'll have to endure it for all eternity?"

Ning Xi slapped her back and grinned:

"What are you saying? That pain is nothing compared to what you have. You are practically immortal."

Xiao Lan shook her head.

"Not really. The Ancestral Phoenix Flames can only heal the body, so if someone attacks my soul, I'm done for."

Lan Ming nodded and asked:

"So, you used these flames to get out of your situation?"

Turning her head to face Lan Ming, Xiao Lan smiled.

"As always, you caught it. Yes, before dying, I used the Main Essence of the Ancestral Phoenix Flames to get reincarnated somewhere."

She raised her hand and said:

"And that's how I ended up here. I am really sorry for hiding this from you until now. I am ready for any punishment you might want to give me."

Shen Yu didn't say anything and simply rested his back on the seat, happy that Xiao Lan was finally opening up.