Chapter 7: The Phoenix and the Seal
Age: 7 Years
Seven years. That's how long it had been since I was born.
In those seven years, the Ye Clan had changed.
My father, Ye Tian, who had been stuck at the early Saint Realm for a decade, had suddenly broken through three minor realms in a row. He was now a peak Saint, knocking on the door of the Emperor Realm.
My mother, Lady Elena, had not only recovered her youth but found her water-attribute cultivation purifying into something closer to Divine Ice.
They thought it was luck. They thought the Heavens were blessing them.
They didn't realize it was me.
My soul was so dense, so potent, that simply breathing the same air as me was like consuming high-grade spirit pills 24/7. I was a walking, talking nuclear reactor of divine energy, and my parents were the primary beneficiaries.
But today, the focus wasn't on me.
I stood in the courtyard, looking at the delivery room. The sky was turning a terrifying shade of crimson.
'Ria,' I thought, my eyes narrowing. 'The energy fluctuation… it's erratic.'
"It's massive," Ria whispered, her voice tense. "Rudra, your sister isn't just a genius. The readings are off the charts. She is the Primordial Phoenix. Her soul is resonating with the Fire Laws of the entire Multiverse. If she is born without restraint, her first cry will burn this planet to ash."
'Not on my watch.'
A scream of exertion echoed from the room.
BOOM!
The roof of the delivery room didn't collapse; it incinerated.
A pillar of red fire shot up into the sky. It didn't stop at the clouds. It pierced the atmosphere, turning the stars red.
The temperature in the clan estate skyrocketed. Trees burst into flames. The water in the ponds evaporated instantly.
"What is happening?!" Ye Tian shouted, shielding his face from the heat. "My daughter! Is she… is she burning?"
"She isn't burning," I said, my voice cutting through the roar of the flames. "She is the fire."
I didn't wait for permission. I stepped forward.
"Rudra! Stop! It's too hot!" my father yelled, trying to grab me.
I ignored him. I walked through the wall of fire surrounding the room. The flames licked at my skin but parted respectfully. They recognized the aura of the Dragon Sovereign.
Inside, the midwives were unconscious on the floor, overcome by the heat. My mother was shielded by a cocoon of blue light—her own upgraded cultivation protecting her instinctively.
Floating above the bed was a baby.
She wasn't crying. She was wrapped in wings of pure, translucent fire. Behind her, the phantom of a Nine-Colored Phoenix shrieked, a sound that threatened to tear reality apart.
'She is the Peak,' I realized, looking at the phantom. 'Just like me. A being destined to rule the Multiverse. A Primordial Phoenix.'
But then, I felt it. The gaze from above.
The Order of Providence. The Arbiters. They were waking up. This energy signature was too big to hide. If this continued for ten more seconds, they would delete this entire solar system to kill her.
"Rudra! They see her!" Ria shouted. "You have to seal it! Now!"
I moved faster than light.
I jumped onto the bed and reached out, grabbing the floating baby's tiny ankle.
"Sorry, little sister," I whispered. "You are too bright for this dark world. I need to dim your light, just for a little while."
I closed my eyes. I tapped into the deepest reserves of my 10th Life Soul.
'Technique: Monarch's Nine-Lock Seal.'
I didn't use Qi. I used Authority.
Behind me, the phantom of the Void Dragon appeared. It opened its massive jaws and bit down on the Phoenix Phantom.
HISSSSSS!
The Phoenix struggled, indignant at being suppressed.
"Behave," I commanded, my voice layered with the power of the Beast God. "I am your brother. I am protecting you. Sleep."
The "ragon Phantom swallowed the fire. The massive pillar of light in the sky vanished instantly, sucked back into the baby's chest.
I pressed my thumb against her forehead, leaving an invisible seal.
* Seal of Appearance: Hides her wings and divine eyes.
* Seal of Aura: Lowers her visible talent from "Multiverse Breaker" to "Peerless Genius (SSS)".
* Seal of Fate: Blocks the Arbiters' divination tools from tracking her.
The heat vanished. The fires in the courtyard died out.
The baby fell gently into my arms. The fire wings faded, leaving a normal, chubby, pink baby girl with a tuft of red hair.
She blinked open her eyes. They were a brilliant, starry amber.
She looked at me. She didn't cry. She recognized the energy that had just suppressed her. She giggled and grabbed my nose.
"Ba!"
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Safe," I whispered.
The door burst open (or rather, the charred remains of the door frame). Ye Tian rushed in, his face covered in soot.
"Rudra! Elena! The baby!"
He stopped. He saw me standing there, holding the baby, surrounded by unconscious midwives and a smiling mother.
"She… She is okay?" Ye Tian gasped.
"She is perfect," I said, handing the bundle to him. "She just has a bit of a fiery temper."
Ye Tian held her, his hands trembling. He looked at the devastation around the room. "The heat… The pillar of fire… That was…"
"A Divine Body," I lied smoothly. "She has the Nine-Yang Fire Body. An SSS-Rank physique. She will be a great cultivator, Father."
"SSS-Rank…" Ye Tian swallowed hard. He looked at me (S-Rank Dragon) and then at her (SSS-Rank Fire). "Two… I have two of them."
He looked like he might faint from happiness.
I walked over to the window and looked up at the sky. The red hue was fading, but I could feel the lingering scan of the Order of Providence. They were confused. They had seen a flare, but it vanished before they could pinpoint the coordinates.
They would be investigating soon.
I looked back at Anya, who was now sleeping in my father's arms.
'You and me against the world, kid,' I thought. 'I will slaughter the heavens before I let them touch a hair on your head.'
"You're soft," Ria teased in my mind.
'Shut up. I'm just investing in a future ally.'
"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."