Chapter 964: The Nine Phoenix King

The two demons exchanged a glance, swiftly forming hand seals before casting the last spiritual items into the gray mist above the altar.

"Begin!" Gu Heng barked the order, his voice strained.

Everyone knew their role. Each pressed a palm onto the altar, pouring in true essence. Qin Sang disguised his input with demonic qi, managing not to give himself away.

Whether it was their combined efforts or the effect of the final offerings, the engraved patterns of celestial beasts on the white jade altar suddenly lit with dazzling radiance.

The altar grew ever brighter, illuminating every corner of the stone hall. At the same time, the gray mist churned violently. The altar let out a deafening hum, and a beam of light shot upward, slamming against the stone ceiling in the blink of an eye.

The backlash sent the demons flying. Groans rang out as they scrambled to the entrance of the hall to avoid the surging force, faces filled with shock.

No wonder the demon king had instructed them to set up the array in such a place. The force of this array was terrifying. Without the ancient barrier to suppress it, the beam would have pierced straight into the heavens, visible across the entire Seven-Kill Hall, certainly drawing immortal cultivators down upon them.

The ancient barrier above the ceiling flared to life, intercepting the beam. Two mighty forces clashed yet the barrier held, pinning the beam down.

The light did not fade. Instead, it grew more brilliant, its power mounting, shaking the entire cave dwelling. And still, none of them could discern what this array was for.

Just then, Fairy Caiyi let out a soft gasp. Her beautiful eyes sharpened, fixing on the altar with a trace of doubt.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The next moment, the gray mist split apart beneath the column of light. A streak of silver appeared, like a door opening, and a graceful figure stepped through, moving forward with poise.

The demons froze in shock. None of them had imagined that activating the array would summon forth a person from the mist. This was nothing like a teleportation array.

Qin Sang’s heart sank, an ominous premonition gripping him. As the figure emerged, the altar stilled, the beam withdrew, and the figure’s features became clear. It was a noble-looking woman dressed in palace attire.

"Ninth Aunt?" Fairy Caiyi’s composure shattered. She cried out in disbelief, her face filled with astonishment.[1]

"Ninth Aunt... It’s her, the Nine Phoenix King?"

"That’s impossible! How could she appear here?"

"Could it be..."

The demons, realizing who she was, erupted in commotion.

This woman was none other than the Nine Phoenix King of the Phoenix Clan in the Demonic Sea, a Transformation Realm great demon. No one could have imagined that the Nine Phoenix King, who ought to be in the Demonic Sea, would suddenly emerge in Seven-Kill Hall.

Their ability to infiltrate the Canglang Sea had rested on two factors. First, the

Bloodburning Technique

that allowed them to prematurely assume human form. Second, their cultivation remained low enough that cultivators would never suspect Demonic Core Realm beasts capable of such transformation. Thus, precautions had been lax.

But a true transformed great demon was another matter entirely. The two races guarded against them with utmost vigilance. Any Spiritual Infant cultivator who passed through a teleportation array faced strict inspection. No matter how well concealed, a great demon could never slip into Canglang Sea by that means.

Hearing their murmurs, Qin Sang silently cursed. Handling a few fake-transformed demons had already been perilous. He had thought to slip away once the mission ended, but now, a true transformed great demon had appeared.

He grumbled inwardly.

Where are the Spiritual Infant experts of the human race and witch race, of the righteous and devilish paths? A Transformation Realm great demon had infiltrated, and Canglang Sea was beginning to look like a sieve.

Inside the Corpse Puppet Pouch, Bai nearly spat blood with rage.

"A calamity seen once in a thousand years!" He longed to leap out and curse Qin Sang to his face, but did not dare stir a finger. His frustration was immense.

"Greetings to the Nine Phoenix King!" The demons hurried forward to bow. Qin Sang blended in among them, not daring to lag.

"Rise," the Nine Phoenix King said casually, her eyes falling on Fairy Caiyi. A tender smile softened her face. "Caiyi, what is it? Are you not pleased to see your ninth aunt?"

"How could that be?" Fairy Caiyi instantly reverted to a bashful girl, shaking her head like a rattle-drum. "I simply never thought I would see you again, let alone here! This array... Is it a teleportation array that brought you from your cave dwelling?"

The Nine Phoenix King gave a wry smile. "If only it were that simple. I have been just outside Seven-Kill Hall, waiting for you to activate the array. This array draws upon the Heavenly Phoenix Feather I carry, breaking space itself to bring me here. Of course, had immortal cultivators not first opened a breach in the celestial array outside, even with the feather, I could not have broken through."

"The Heavenly Phoenix Feather? Ninth Aunt, you brought that too?" Fairy Caiyi’s gasp betrayed her loss of composure.

The others exchanged curious looks. Though they did not know what it was, from Fairy Caiyi’s reaction it was surely a treasure of the Phoenix Clan, perhaps even a feather of an ancient Heavenly Phoenix itself.

"Wait, Ninth Aunt, how were you outside the Seven-Kill Hall? How did you reach Canglang Sea? Did we find a teleportation array that leads here?" Realization struck Caiyi, her face alight with excitement.

Gu Heng, silent until now, suddenly narrowed his gaze. "Senior Nine Phoenix King, is Father also outside Seven-Kill Hall?"

The others clamored with questions. One demon, eyes gleaming with reckless zeal, cried, "Senior, do you intend to wipe out all the immortal cultivators in Seven-Kill Hall? I would gladly lend my strength!"

The Nine Phoenix King said grimly, "This matter is long to tell. There is no teleportation array, nor did I cross the storm belt. If such a passage to Canglang Sea existed, would we have tolerated immortal cultivators rampaging through the Demonic Sea, slaughtering our kin without answer?"

Hatred colored her tone. "This time, I came alone. To send me here, the Jiao King and others paid a heavy price. I myself suffered grievous wounds, nearly losing my life. Only because I carried many treasures was I able to survive, hiding on a desolate island for decades to recover."

"The holy war... Could it be..." The demons’ faces lit with realization.

Qin Sang, too, suddenly understood. Decades ago, chaos had erupted in the Demonic Sea when the demons launched a fierce assault on Tianwu Island. The situation grew so dire the witch race nearly shut the teleportation array and abandoned the island altogether.

Soon after, the demons besieged Desolate Island of the humans. The humans suffered heavy losses before finally forcing the demons to retreat.

So the true purpose of that war had been to smuggle the Nine Phoenix King into Canglang Sea? But how?

Qin Sang had never expected to overhear such a secret.

Why has she come? Entering has been near impossible; leaving will be harder still. Even if she is powerful, with only a few fake-transformed Demonic Core Realm demons at her side, what storm can she truly raise? What's the point? Seven-Kill Hall! Could it be that the demon race’s long-laid plans all center upon this place?

Qin Sang’s heart stirred.

1. It is common in Chinese culture to address their aunt with the order of their seniority. For example, the eldest sister of one's mother will be addressed as "First Aunt" or "Eldest Aunt". ☜