The Celestial Phoenix Has Too Much Lust-Chapter 36: Never wound a Phoenix’s pride

On a shelf of honorary achievements, suspended by golden chains in a vast, luxurious room, Ni Ni Layan sat high above. She was perched on that very shelf in a meditative pose, holding a cup of tea in one hand.

Her eyes were closed in a state of solemn dignity.

In her other hand, a chain of fire extended, reaching down to the neck of a man sitting like a statue, trembling slightly. His eyes bore the marks of swelling and bruises.

His clothes, which were supposed to be Earth-grade—among the most precious of possessions—were scorched.

The burnt fabric revealed the seared skin on his slightly sunken chest, while his back bore a linear burn, as if he had been lashed with a whip of molten volcanic lava.

The Elder of the Xuan family...

Elder Wen Yuan. A man whose power reached immense heights across the entire Jian Province—the Peak of the Golden Core Realm.

With his Earth-grade artifacts and talismans, his total combat power was a mere half-step away from the Nascent Soul Realm.

Yet there was Ni Ni Layan, with total serenity on her face, placing a chain of her legendary blue fire—a fusion of the Phoenix’s Yang and the Yin energy from her new meridians—around the neck of one of the Xuan family’s top elders... as if he were nothing more than a dog in her eyes.

"It’s good..."

The Elder gasped in terror.

"The tea is truly delicious..."

No one from the Xuan family, nor anyone who knew Elder Yuan, would ever believe that he was currently being treated like a disobedient dog.

The Elder had always been a man of dignity and power... as expected of the Fifth Elder of the Xuan family.

"My Lady, I beg of you... This old man has guests arriving soon. Do you have no respect for your elders?"

Ni Ni Layan set her teacup down beside her and sighed at the old man’s words. She tilted her head slightly, letting her white hair fall like waterfalls of pure, silken milk. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"I’m almost moved to tears, truly. You know, I actually felt pity for you... but you won’t let me show mercy because you constantly refuse to tell me what you know about Morse."

The Elder was on the verge of tears. He couldn’t call for help, and he had no idea why she was interrogating him about the Patriarch now. Among the elders, she was known to be always by his side—they were practically lovers.

She wanted information about the Patriarch, yet every time he tried to tell her what he knew, she tortured him even more.

"My Lady, do you hold a grudge against this Master? I am truly a man of honor! I know nothing of embezzlement or the crimes being committed... but I can snitch on those who do!"

Ni Ni Layan paused, mentally planning to tell Morse later that he was being robbed.

"I asked if there was anything extremely strange in his past..."

The Elder swallowed hard.

"No! He never made a promise to any girl before, I swear to you! He was chaste and pure!"

The poor man wished Morse had dated someone, just to get this lunatic out of his face.

"It seems your mind has decayed with age."

It had been incredibly irritating for Ni Ni Layan from the very start. She had entered in a perfectly peaceful manner, even offering a simple greeting, but he had abruptly interpreted it as a threat and launched an attack.

Of course, he wasn’t facing just any opponent; he was facing the Phoenix herself. To her and her vast experience, he was nothing more than a child.

As for why she had done this to him... it was because he had attempted to use an Earth-grade artifact to restrain her. The artifact happened to be a collar.

Ni Ni Layan had felt insulted and retaliated with everything she had. The rule was simple: Never wound a Phoenix’s pride.

Even the boldest warriors wouldn’t dare offend her. Had he not been an Elder of the Xuan family, she would have ended him then and there. And after discovering his corruption, she was beginning to reconsider.

As for Elder Yuan, he was utterly shell-shocked. A girl who appeared to be in her early twenties possessed such overwhelming power. Not only that, but she was only at the Early Stage of the Golden Core Realm—a talent that defied all logic and scale.

At first, he thought she was sent by Morse to interrogate him about his corruption. But then, she started asking him the strangest questions.

"What are Morse’s weird hobbies? For example... destroying the Secret Realms of Demon Kings?"

He had no idea that she suspected Morse was some kind of Supreme Entity.

Elder Yuan clicked his tongue sharply. He had been hiding a death pill under his tongue, ready to swallow it instantly if she began asking serious questions. He could easily bite down and end it all.

He knew things about people whose names he dared not even utter. If she decided to use a Soul-Searching technique, his mind would be obliterated instantly, leading to his death.

Therefore, he had to remain calm—and die if necessary.

"I will ask you one last question..."

Ni Ni Layan decided that this interrogation was becoming pointless, so she moved to her final inquiry.

"Have you ever heard of a novel called... ’Lustful Nights of the Heavenly Phoenix’?"

The Elder was bewildered. He had never heard that name before. He couldn’t believe that all this time, he was being subjected to such bizarre questions. His suspicions were now almost confirmed: she was just an obsessed lover looking for evidence of her partner’s betrayal.

He had lost his artifacts—all of them destroyed—and had been beaten, tortured, and scorched because of a "child." But the best part was that he could finally be free.

"Yes, of course! It’s an incredibly lewd novel. In it, the heroine is... shared by everyone. Only the biggest perverts read such filth. I never imagined Morse would read it; it is truly scandalous!"

The man grinned broadly. He thought that with this move, he would redirect her fury back toward Morse. He was determined to get his revenge for what Morse’s "lover" had done to him... let Morse taste a bit of this agony!

At that moment, the temperature in the room skyrocketed to an unimaginable level. Elder Yuan felt a heat behind him that defied measurement. In that instant, the Phoenix’s wrath—a rage capable of obliterating everything in its path—had reached its peak.

She was hearing the most vile insult of her entire life. She had been called "weak" before, and the person responsible met a truly gruesome end... but to be told she was the heroine of a pornographic novel? That was enough to send him to hell a thousand times over just to cool her anger.

Even though Morse had called her a lustful woman before, he was somehow "exempt" in her eyes. What a contradictory Phoenix she was!

Just as Ni Ni Layan was about to begin her torture of the Elder, she sensed a formidable presence approaching the room at breakneck speed. Instantly, with impossible reflexes, she dodged a soaring arrow that had pierced through the room, aimed directly at her.

Her pupils contracted, transforming into the sharp, predatory eyes of a hawk as she swept the area.

"Caw—!!!"

A sound erupted from her, echoing like a thunderous Heavenly Fire Punishment. It was the cry of the Phoenix, unleashed to manifest its divine majesty.

Suddenly, in the center of the room, a man appeared. His face was riddled with holes, completely devoid of hair, and dominated by a massive, gaping hole in the center—one you could see right through. He was featureless, a blank void of a face, dressed entirely in black.

This mysterious man was a master of the Nascent Soul Realm.

Ni Ni Layan’s lips curled into a smile. She looked at him as if she were staring at mere prey... The Predatory Phoenix had returned.

"Sir, save me! I beg you!"

The Elder tried to scramble toward the man, desperate to cling to him. But the stranger kicked him away with cold indifference, sending him flying until he slammed into the wall. The man scanned the room, his gaze locking onto a specific painting hanging on the wall.

In a bizarre, supernatural movement, his hand suddenly detached from his body. It flew through the air, piercing through the painting and the wall behind it, and retracted holding a glowing chest. The floating hand then returned to its socket as if nothing had happened. He remained completely indifferent.

Ni Ni Layan couldn’t believe it... Was he actually mocking her right now?

The moment she decided to strike, she realized she was already surrounded by dozens of auras from the Nascent Soul Realm, all lying in wait, anticipating her every move.

"Hahaha... Do you really think this is scary? Do you actually dare to threaten me? Me?! Hahahaha!"

Bzzzzzzzt!

Flash!

The Phoenix’s eyes ignited with a brilliance she thought would never shine again. Her immortal heart and every fiber of her being surged with life once more.