When Ningyan opened his eyes again, he found himself back within the crystal space.

The enormous purple crystal hovered before him, pulsing softly with radiant light. Gentle streams of blue essence flowed around it, absorbed slowly into its surface.

Ningyan sat cross-legged before it, his violet eyes reflecting the shifting glow as he tilted his head.

He felt calmer now. Because he knew Jun Haoxuan was stabilizing the crystal from outside.

Then suddenly, a hand rested against his shoulder.

Ningyan’s heart skipped violently.

He turned sharply only for his eyes to widen at the sight of Jun Haoxuan standing beside him.

"You..."

Before he could even finish speaking, Haoxuan pulled him into an embrace.

Ningyan melted into it instantly.

"Are you feeling better?" Jun Haoxuan asked quietly, one hand caressing Ningyan’s back.

Ningyan lowered his gaze, fingers curling around Haoxuan’s sleeve.

"The pain is less," he admitted softly.

But that did not mean the emotions inside him had disappeared.

The fear. The grief. The paranoia.

None of it was gone.

"A little," he murmured.

Jun Haoxuan hummed softly but did not release him immediately. Instead, his gaze slowly lifted toward the hovering crystal.

His golden reptilian eyes narrowed sharply.

Something was wrong.

At the edge of the crystal, a faint reddish-black aura seeped out slowly like smoke leaking through a crack.

But the moment it noticed Haoxuan observing it, it vanished. Instantly.

Jun Haoxuan’s expression darkened.

Was there something hidden inside this space Something that had remained concealed all this time?

"Is there anything strange about the crystal?" Haoxuan asked suddenly as they slowly pulled apart. "Anything you can feel?"

Ningyan looked at the crystal carefully and shook his head. "Not really... but..."

His brows furrowed faintly. "My nightmares always begin after I touch it."

Jun Haoxuan’s gaze sharpened again at those words.

"Is something wrong?" Ningyan asked immediately.

Haoxuan looked back at him at once, his expression softening. "No."

But somehow, that answer only made Ningyan feel worse.

A heavy silence settled between them.

Then, "I am going to Fire City."

Jun Haoxuan’s eyes widened. "No. You can’t, A-Yan."

Ningyan sighed tiredly. "I can’t stay still anymore. Wuhen and Rong Yue are searching while I remain here drowning in my own thoughts."

His fingers tightened slowly. "Staying trapped in my misery is making me paranoid."

His voice lowered. "I need to find her myself."

Jun Haoxuan looked visibly unconvinced.

Ningyan noticed immediately and sighed again. "I know I haven’t been well these past few days..."

He raised both arms as though trying to prove he was fine. "I feel better now."

Jun Haoxuan stared at him silently, still looking entirely unconvinced.

Ningyan’s shoulders slowly dropped in defeat. "I need to—"

"I understand." Haoxuan cupped his face gently, cutting him off. His thumb brushed beneath Ningyan’s eyes. "But you are not in a good state, A-Yan. The crystal has been unstable for days."

His voice lowered carefully. "That means it requires more time to stabilize."

"Fine," Ningyan breathed out softly. "I suppose I need to be stable if I want to save my own daughter."

His brows furrowed faintly as he took a step back.

Jun Haoxuan sighed helplessly. "That is not what I meant, A-Yan."

"You do not have to mean anything." Ningyan frowned as his body dissolved into countless strands of twinkling purple light.

Jun Haoxuan watched the glow scatter through the crystal space before letting out another quiet sigh. His gaze slowly lifted back to the hovering crystal.

For a long moment, he simply stared at it.

Then he walked closer again, narrowing his eyes carefully as he tried to sense that strange energy from earlier.

But there was nothing.

No demonic aura. Nothing abnormal.

Jun Haoxuan’s brows slowly knitted together.

"I cannot sense any demonic energy..." he muttered quietly. "Then what was that earlier?"

Silence answered him.

After a moment, he finally stepped back. And vanished from the crystal space.

The next instant, he reappeared within Lan Meishan’s chamber.

Ningyan was already seated on the bed now, Su Miao and Su Ruo clinging tightly to him as though afraid he would disappear again.

The moment the children saw him awake and calmer, the worry on their little faces eased greatly.

Ningyan lifted his gaze toward Jun Haoxuan. And Haoxuan understood immediately.

Ningyan still wanted to go to Fire City. He wanted to confirm Wuhen’s message himself.

But unknown to Ningyan, Rong Yue had already relayed Old Beast Gu’s warning to them all.

The phoenixes wanted Ningyan.

Everything happening now. The demon tools, Han Yunyi, Su Mian, all of it seemed connected to drawing him in.

And even though the plan was already affecting Ningyan deeply, they had all silently agreed on one thing: Keep him away from the phoenixes until Su Mian was safely returned.

So far, they were barely succeeding.

"Father..." Su Miao buried his face against Ningyan’s chest. "Are we going to see Mian soon?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Beside them, Su Ruo still had her tiny hand pressed against Ningyan’s chest, checking his condition seriously as if she were a physician.

Ningyan’s expression shook.

For a brief moment, he did not know how to answer. His gaze instinctively shifted toward Jun Haoxuan before he finally sighed softly and ruffled Su Miao’s hair.

"She will return home soon," he whispered and lowered his head and kissed Su Miao’s forehead gently before pressing another kiss to Su Ruo’s cheek. "I will make sure of it."

Jun Haoxuan forced a faint smile and quietly turned and left the chamber.

Outside, he immediately spotted Lan Meishan speaking to one of the serpent officials, his expression calm yet unusually severe.

Jun Haoxuan approached them. "What is happening?"

Lan Meishan dismissed the official immediately.

The official bowed deeply before retreating down the corridor.

Then Meishan turned toward Haoxuan at once. "Is Ningyan awake?"

Jun Haoxuan nodded. "He is awake... but I do not think we can stop him from joining the search much longer."

"That was expected." Lan Meishan’s emerald eyes darkened. "Rong Yue and Wuhen sent word that the phoenixes may have returned to the original phoenix domain. The land where the phoenix clan thrived before the chaos centuries ago."

Jun Haoxuan’s expression sharpened immediately.

Because it made sense. Far too much sense.

If the phoenixes truly intended to gather again, then this was no longer simply about Su Mian.

This was becoming something much larger.

Jun Haoxuan looked at Meishan carefully. "So... A war?" he asked quietly.

Lan Meishan held his gaze for a long moment and slowly nodded. "A war."