The secret chamber deep beneath the Cloud-Peak Pavilion was bathed in a sweltering, golden twilight. The air here was heavy, almost viscous, saturated with the overflow of pure Yang energy radiating from the three fist-sized fruits resting on a jade platter in the center of the room. The Golden-Flame Essence Fruits did not merely sit there; they hummed with a low, resonant vibration that seemed to synchronize with the heartbeat of anyone who looked at them.
Wang Jian sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, his expression solemn. Around him, arranged in a circle according to the Five Elements orientation, sat his family—his army. Yue Lingshan, Liu Ruyan, Chen Ying, and Mu Lianhua.
"The time has come," Wang Jian said, his voice cutting through the heavy silence. "This is not merely a meal. This is a metamorphosis. The energy contained within these fruits is the essence of a divine beast's rebirth. It will burn. It will try to reject your mortal bodies. You must conquer it."
