Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 53: Chapter 53 — Sacred Ground

Chapter 53 — Sacred Ground

The moment Victor’s bloodline began greedily absorbing the energy of the Spirit Pond, something changed.

The clear blue water trembled.

At first, the disturbance was almost impossible to notice. A faint ripple spread across the surface of the pond, disappearing against the shoreline before another appeared. Then the Spiritual Energy surrounding the water began to shift. The invisible currents that had flowed peacefully through the clearing for who knew how many years suddenly changed direction, rushing toward the unconscious young man floating near the edge of the pond.

And miles away, someone noticed.

Inside a small wooden hut hidden deep within the forest, an old man sat cross-legged on the floor. The interior was simple and dimly lit, with animal skins spread across the ground and strange symbols carved into the wooden walls. Bundles of dried plants hung from the ceiling, and the faint scent of smoke filled the air.

The old man had been cultivating.

He wore simple tribal clothing, leaving much of his weathered upper body exposed. Ancient tattoos covered his arms and stretched across his chest, their faded markings resembling symbols that had survived from another age. A long gray beard fell toward his waist, and despite his advanced age, his body remained solid and powerful.

Then his eyes opened.

For several seconds, the old man didn’t move.

His head slowly turned toward the distance.

The Spiritual Energy of the forest had changed.

A terrible expression appeared on his face.

The sacred pond.

The old man rose to his feet.

Then he disappeared.

A moment later, his figure appeared thousands of feet above the forest.

The trees stretched endlessly beneath him, their massive canopies forming a green ocean that extended toward the horizon. The old man stood in the air as though the sky itself had become solid beneath his feet.

Then he moved.

His body shot forward.

The air exploded behind him.

He crossed through the sky at a speed that would have made a fighter jet seem slow, leaving nothing but a violent disturbance in his wake. The forest blurred beneath him as he traveled toward the sacred grounds.

Only moments later, he arrived.

The old man stopped above the clearing.

His eyes immediately fell upon the pond.

Then his expression darkened.

Near the edge of the water, a young man lay unconscious, his body partially submerged beneath the clear blue surface. Beside him stood a small black bird with red markings running across its feathers.

The old man’s face became livid.

His voice descended over the clearing.

"Wake up."

Spiritual Energy carried his voice.

Victor’s eyes snapped open.

Pain immediately returned to his body as consciousness rushed back into his mind. His muscles felt heavy, and every part of him ached from the transformation he had endured. For several seconds, he couldn’t remember where he was.

Then his vision cleared.

Victor looked upward.

And froze.

A man was standing in the air.

His mind struggled to process what he was seeing. The old man hovered above the Spirit Pond, his clothes and beard moving gently in the wind while his eyes burned with unmistakable fury.

"How dare you intrude upon the sacred grounds?"

This time, Victor felt the power behind the words.

His ears exploded with pain.

Blood ran down the side of his face.

The pressure contained within that single voice made his body tremble. He had faced the panther before. He had felt the terrifying pressure of a Beast Soldier and understood exactly how powerless he had been against it.

But compared to the man floating above him...

The panther felt insignificant.

Victor’s expression changed.

What kind of monster is this?

The old man’s eyes remained fixed on him.

"You will die for your transgressions."

Victor’s body tensed.

The old man raised one hand.

The next moment, Spiritual Energy gathered above the clearing.

Victor felt something enormous forming before he could even see it.

Then a giant hand descended from the sky.

Before he could activate any technique, the enormous spiritual hand closed around him and the bird.

Victor felt himself lifted into the air.

Then the pressure began increasing.

His bones groaned.

His newly strengthened body resisted instinctively, muscles tightening as his constitution reacted to the danger, but the difference between them was simply too great. It was like a Rank Seven cultivator attempting to fight the heavens themselves.

He couldn’t even struggle.

The old man’s eyes remained cold as he looked at him.

Then the world disappeared beneath him.

The enormous spiritual hand carried Victor and the bird through the air at terrifying speed. Wind roared past them as the forest became a green blur below, but Victor could barely focus on anything. His body remained trapped within the crushing grip of Spiritual Energy.

A few moments later, the forest began opening.

Victor’s eyes widened.

A village appeared below.

It was hidden within a large clearing surrounded by the towering trees of the forest. Dozens of wooden buildings stood scattered throughout the area, built from thick logs and dark timber. Smoke rose slowly from stone chimneys, drifting above the rooftops before disappearing among the branches overhead.

The village didn’t resemble any settlement Victor had imagined finding in this world.

Totem poles stood near several of the larger buildings, carved with strange beasts and creatures Victor didn’t recognize. Wooden fences surrounded parts of the village, while animal hides hung outside homes and workshops. Several large fires burned in open stone pits, their smoke mixing with the scent of cooked meat and burning wood.

People moved through the settlement.

Then they noticed what was happening.

Heads turned upward.

Conversations stopped.

Victor saw men and women standing between the wooden buildings, their attention fixed on the old man descending from the sky. Some carried weapons. Others simply watched silently.

Then their eyes moved toward Victor.

The old man descended into the middle of the village.

The enormous spiritual hand threw them to the ground.

The impact knocked the air from his lungs as his body slammed into the packed earth. Victor coughed out a mouthful of blood.

For several seconds, he remained on the ground, trying to force air back into his lungs.

Victor slowly raised his head.

The village surrounded him.

People were watching.

A few moments later, several men rushed forward.

They appeared to be in their thirties, their bodies muscular and hardened by years of living within the forest. Ancient tattoos covered some of their arms, and each carried a weapon at their side. More importantly, Victor could feel the Spiritual Energy coming from them.

His expression darkened.

They were strong.

Victor tried to push himself up.

One of the men immediately forced him back down.

Another grabbed his arm.

Victor instinctively struggled.

But the difference in strength was obvious.

Even these men were powerful enough to crush him like an ant.

The bird was nearby, though it struggled far more violently than Victor did. Its wings beat against the ground as one of the men held it down, the tiny flame at its tail flickering rapidly.

Victor looked toward the old man.

He was standing a short distance away.

Victor remained pinned to the ground as the old man’s cold eyes settled on him.

At that moment, he understood something very clearly.

His problems had just become much worse.

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