The forest was on fire. Han Sen ran through the smoke, his [God-Speed Flicker] making him look like a ghost. He had to be careful. Every time he stepped near a burning tree, his Health Points flickered. The heat alone was draining his life.
[Warning: Environmental Damage Detected.]
[HP: 9/10... 8/10...]
He quickly opened his skill menu. He needed to survive the heat. He found a passive skill he had ignored earlier: [Basic Resistance].
[Ding! You have spent 50,000 Skill Points. Basic Resistance has evolved into: Elemental Immunity (Lv. Max).]
The heat suddenly vanished. He could stand in the middle of a volcano and feel like he was in a cool breeze. His HP stabilized at 8.
He reached the center of the crash site. A massive crater sat in the middle of the woods. In the center lay the Phoenix. Her feathers were usually bright orange, but now they were stained with black blood.
The Phoenix was huge, the size of a small house. She saw Han Sen approaching and let out a weak, warning hiss. Even while dying, she was terrifying.
Han Sen looked at her with his [Eye of Truth].
[Celestial Vermillion Phoenix: Level 180 (Calamity Grade)]
[Status: Dying, Mana Core Fractured]
"I'm not here to hurt you," Han Sen said, raising his empty hands. "I saw you falling."
The Phoenix tilted her head. She saw his Level. To her, he was smaller than an ant. But she also saw the strange, golden energy of his maxed-out skills. She looked at the white egg tucked under her broken wing.
A deep, thunderous boom echoed from the sky. The Abyssal Gold-Maned Lion was descending. It didn't fly with wings. It walked on shadows. On its back sat a man in golden armor.
[Identity: Elder Zhao of the Heavenly Beast Sect]
[Level: 95]
"The Heavenly Beast Sect," Han Sen whispered. He had heard of them. They were a powerful group that captured legendary beasts and turned them into slaves.
Elder Zhao laughed from the back of the Lion. "Give it up, Phoenix! Your fire is out. Give me the Nirvana Egg, and I might let your soul enter the cycle of reincarnation!"
The Phoenix looked at Han Sen, then at the egg. She made a choice. She used her beak to gently push the white egg toward Han Sen.
A telepathic voice rang in Han Sen's mind. It was soft and full of sorrow. "Take him. Protect the last of my blood. I will hold the shadow back."
[New Quest: The Phoenix's Legacy]
[Objective: Protect the Nirvana Egg.]
[Reward: Unknown.]
"I'll do it," Han Sen promised. He grabbed the egg. It was heavy and warm.
The Phoenix stood up one last time. Her body began to glow with a blinding, white light. She wasn't healing herself. She was preparing to self-destruct.
"Curse you!" Elder Zhao screamed, sensing the danger. "Lion, get us out of here!"
Han Sen didn't wait. He used [God-Speed Flicker] and [Void Concealment], a stealth skill he had just maxed out with 100,000 points. He became a shadow within a shadow.
BOOM!
The Phoenix exploded in a wave of holy fire. The blast leveled the entire forest for miles. The Gold-Maned Lion roared in pain as the fire scorched its fur.
Han Sen was tossed through the air by the shockwave, but his [Elemental Immunity] and [Void Concealment] kept him from turning into ash. He hit the ground miles away and kept running.
He didn't stop until he reached a hidden cave near the base of the mountains. His heart was pounding against his ribs. He was a Level 1 human who had just robbed a Level 95 Elder and a Calamity Beast.
He sat down in the dark cave and looked at the egg. It pulsed with a soft, rhythmically golden light, like a heartbeat.
"You and me against the world, little guy," Han Sen said, leaning against the cold stone wall.
He was exhausted, but he knew this was just the beginning. The Heavenly Beast Sect would come looking for their prize. They thought a Level 1 trash was dead in the fire.
They were going to be very surprised.