Lu Zhaozhao felt as if a fierce battle was raging within her body, with raging flames on one side and icy, bone-chilling ice and snow on the other. The flames raged within her, bringing endless heat and stinging pain, as if to burn her to ashes; while the ice and snow mercilessly eroded her body, making her feel chilled to the bone and unable to move.
The two forces of fire and ice were locked in a fierce struggle, each vying for territory. One moment she felt as if she were in a raging inferno, the next as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. Tormented by this duality, Lu Zhaozhao felt herself becoming increasingly delirious. She craved the warmth and power of the flames, yet feared being consumed by them; she longed to escape the shackles of the ice and snow, yet dreaded losing consciousness in the cold. This experience of being torn between fire and ice was excruciating, as if she were in hell.
She didn't know how long this torment lasted. Lu Zhaozhao felt as if she were a small boat on a river, drifting with the current to an open space. Gradually, the impact on her body lessened, and was replaced by the absolute dominance of the dominant force.
She felt as if she were in a frozen world, the wind biting and piercing to the bone. Snowflakes fell like blades, each one carrying a frigid temperature, instantly melting on her skin and taking away her warmth. Lu Zhaozhao tried to move, but her fingers were so stiff she couldn't bend them; every attempt to move was accompanied by sharp pain. Her teeth chattered from the cold, and she felt as if she were being swallowed by endless cold, her body as if it were about to freeze into an ice sculpture.
At this moment, the previous raging fire seemed like a distant memory to her. The cold made her forget the scorching heat. She longed for a bit of warmth and even wanted to be forged by the heavenly fire again, but all around her was endless cold and loneliness.
Her consciousness gradually blurred, and it seemed as if another force was taking over her body, while she was being constantly pushed out of it.
"That's good," Lu Zhaozhao thought. "Maybe this way, I can go back."
Breathing gradually became long and even, and the world seemed to quiet down in that instant.
Suddenly, the hand at his waist clenched into a fist and pulled up the clothes on his body that appeared to be burnt and torn.
His eyes opened immediately.
Black, endless darkness.
This was Lu Zhaozhao's first feeling after opening her eyes.
Everything was pitch black. She tried to move her fingers, but she couldn't see them at all in the darkness. For a moment, she wondered if she had been tortured into going blind.
After struggling to her feet, she reached out and groped her way forward. There were no obstacles along the way. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she should keep moving forward.
During the brief moment she was unconscious, she genuinely considered giving up because the pain was unbearable. The alternating sensations of ice and fire left her physically and mentally exhausted, and the pain that had accumulated during her previous cultivation surged into her mind all at once. In that instant, she felt despair from the inside out.
But just before deciding to give up, resentment broke through despair.
Yes, it wasn't some kind of unwavering character, nor some kind of constraint, but simply a sense of unwillingness to accept defeat—the pride of Lu Zhaozhao.
Before transmigrating into the book, she was a student at one of the country's top universities. She came from a prestigious family; her grandfather was a decorated official, and her parents had built their own business empire. As the only child of such a family, Lu Zhaozhao received a ruthless, predatory upbringing from the moment she was born.
Win or die!
The survival of the fittest principle had been instilled in her since childhood. Of course, she knew that losing in a society governed by the rule of law wouldn't result in death, but a life of failure was more unacceptable to her than death.
There's nothing she can't get if she wants it; no matter what it is, she'll do everything in her power to snatch it!
Therefore, she couldn't allow herself to die so miserably in this corner of the world. Since she was already here, she might as well make the best of it. She'd transmigrated into a book, and she was determined to turn this world upside down!
A ruthless glint flashed in Lu Zhaozhao's eyes as she looked up again. Although she couldn't see anything now, she still stubbornly moved forward in one direction.
After walking for about an hour, a faint light appeared ahead.
"Looks like my eyes are okay." Lu Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief and ran towards the light.
The road was narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, but once you emerged from the dark tunnel, the view suddenly opened up.
The land is flat and open, with lush forests and tall bamboos, making it a rare and beautiful place. In the middle stands a pavilion, carved with countless birds, all facing the same direction.
Lu Zhaozhao looked in that direction and saw a crimson-gold figure at the end, none other than Jiu Feng, who had caused a bloodbath outside.
The distance between them was neither too far nor too close, allowing Lu Zhaozhao to see just the details of it grooming itself.
It begins preening from its neck and chest down to its tail, then back again. Next, it preens its back feathers, using its serrated beak to smooth its wing and tail feathers. Finally, it uses its comb-like metatarsus to preen the feathers on its head.
Neat, beautiful, and meticulous, Lu Zhaozhao sighed inwardly, truly a feast for the eyes.
Nine Phoenix seemed unconcerned about the unexpected intruder. Its back feathers curled slightly, and it spread its wings and shook them, looking quite content.
Lu Zhaozhao approached step by step, each step cautious, as if afraid it might suddenly attack. But until she was right in front of it, this never happened.
After Jiufeng finished preening its feathers, it looked at her, or rather, at her hair. Lu Zhaozhao raised her hand and touched her hair with some confusion. The only accessory she had was a hairpin given to her by Abbess Jingwen.
She pulled the hairpin out, and Jiufeng's eyes followed her movement.
Lu Zhaozhao hesitated for a moment, then decisively stretched out her hand, opened it, placed the hairpin in her palm, and presented it to Jiufeng.
Jiufeng stared at it for a moment, tilted her head, and then made no further move.
The two faced off for a long time. Just when Lu Zhaozhao thought it would not make any more moves, the phoenix suddenly spread its wings, startling her.
But Jiufeng had no intention of attacking her; instead, she flapped her luminous wings and flew into the air in the next moment.
It hovered in the air, making a pleasant sound, while behind it came the sound of the pavilion shaking and cracking.
The moment Lu Zhaozhao turned around, the birds carved on the stone burst through the stone wall, transforming into colorful wings, and flew towards the nine phoenixes in the sky.
They flew in from all directions, some soaring high in the sky, some weaving among the treetops, and some leaping on the ground. But soon, they spontaneously formed a procession, surrounding the Nine Phoenixes and creating a magnificent circular formation. Some bowed in respect, some spread their wings and sang, and some danced gracefully, together offering a grand worship ceremony to the Nine Phoenixes.
The sky was like a colorful painting, breathtakingly beautiful.
Lu Zhaozhao looked up, her eyes filled with undisguised amazement.
But soon, the circling birds blurred in her eyes. As her eyelids closed, Lu Zhaozhao was still glad that she had managed to get out, so as not to miss this magnificent sight.
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