Chapter 3Phoenix Unwritten

Sera looked at them with pure scorn.

“Little Sister, you truly are a master manipulator. A few crocodile tears, and you have men siding with you.

“What? Run out of logical arguments, so you resort to fear-mongering?”

Willow’s face flushed crimson, a mix of anger and distress.

“I’m not! I’m telling the truth!”

Sera sneered. “The truth?

“The Maelstrom is held by the human Grand Formation, not the Phoenix God. Her role is marginal.

“Besides, I am the formation genius. They will be begging me to suppress the darkness later.”

The intrusive text reinforced her words.

[Exactly! The False Saintess is so manipulative, only begging for sympathy!]

[Who needs the Phoenix God to suppress the Maelstrom? The human formation is enough!]

[Our Girl Boss is so powerful. She’ll surpass the Phoenix God eventually!]

A few different comments flickered through the chaotic text.

[Hold on, didn't the Phoenix God still play a role?]

[The MC’s grand formation uses the Phoenix God’s life-blood essence.]

[Yeah, she uses the little Phoenix to make the mother obey, drawing her blood every time she needs to set up a seal.]

[The Phoenix God is so pitiful. She thinks she’s protecting her daughter, not realizing her daughter’s soul has been extinguished by then…]

[Shut up, you bleeding-heart saint! Get out of here!]

[The title is literally Dark Empress MC. Why are you looking for morality?]

[Our Girl Boss's skill at manipulating people is genius!]

[This is the true law of survival in the Ascended Realm!]

Willow tried to speak again, but Sera ignored her completely.

Sera looked down at my daughter and commanded with cold authority: “Come here.”

Phoebe, weak as she was, managed a tiny, defiant voice. “No!”

Sera’s expression darkened. “It seems you wish to experience the Soul-Rending Brand again.”

I saw my daughter tightly shut her eyes.

“Kill me if you dare. My mother will avenge me!”

The intrusive text exploded.

[This Phoenix is ungrateful and arrogant!]

[Such insolence! The Girl Boss is offering her a path to Ascend, and she’s hoping her mother will kill her master!]

[Wait until the Girl Boss uses the Brand to teach her a lesson. She needs to know who the master is!]

A vicious spark ignited in Sera’s eyes. “You choose disrespect!”

As she spoke, black-violet lightning began to condense on her fingertip.

Just as the lightning was about to strike, my Avatar succeeded in breaking the Citadel’s outer defense.

A heaven-shattering cry of a Phoenix suddenly echoed across the mountains.

A curtain of blazing crimson-gold True Fire enveloped Willow and the little Phoenix, deflecting the Soul-Rending Brand.

Phoebe heard the cry, her eyes snapping open. She screamed with a mixture of terror and overwhelming relief: “Mama!”