Chapter 968: Heavenly Phoenix Feather

After leaving the cave dwelling, the Nine Phoenix King headed straight for the deepest part of Seven-Kill Hall.

From time to time, she stopped to activate the glass bead, adjusting their direction. After several turns, the Nine Phoenix King actually led them to the edge of the outer hall.

Seven-Kill Hall, like Ziwei Palace, was divided into inner and outer sections, but there was a difference.

The outer area of Ziwei Palace and the inner area where the heavenly mountain stood were connected only by certain barriers, as though the two were not truly the same space. Seven-Kill Hall, however, was a single entity.

It was only that the celestial barrier within the inner hall was too powerful to be disturbed by force. One could only wait until Seven-Kill Hall revealed itself, when the celestial barrier opened on its own and allowed entry. For this reason, cultivators referred to the two areas as the inner and outer halls.

"The Nine Phoenix King is not trying to break through the celestial barrier, is she?" Qin Sang stared at her in surprise.

He had never managed to find a chance to break free and had been dragged here against his will.

The Nine Phoenix King stood at the edge of the celestial barrier, silently gazing at the ever-present clouds. No one could tell what she intended.

Qin Sang recalled what she had said earlier. She claimed to possess a Heavenly Phoenix Feather, capable of opening a passage into Seven-Kill Hall without relying on the means of cultivators.

Does she truly have a way to break through the celestial barrier and slip inside?

The demon race’s methods were not inferior to those of the human race. Though these demonic beasts were not true direct descendants of the ancient divine beasts, only carrying a trace of divine bloodline which they cultivated to awaken, they still had chances to obtain supernatural abilities.

Especially a great demon like the Nine Phoenix King, who had already transformed. Perhaps she truly could accomplish what cultivators could not.

Qin Sang cared little about her intentions. Whatever treasures she took from the inner hall had nothing to do with him. In any case, those treasures were far beyond his reach. All he wanted was to send this calamity away as quickly as possible.

The Nine Phoenix King fixed her gaze deep into the celestial barrier. Strange light flickered in her pupils, and the glass bead in her hand trembled violently, the drop of golden blood within it surging restlessly.

The bead seemed to sense something, eager to break through the void. After a long moment, the Nine Phoenix King let out a deep breath, her eyes shining with undisguised delight.

After a brief pause, she produced several phoenix flags[1] and told Fairy Caiyi, "I will arrange these flags into an array. When I attempt to break the barrier, the array will help conceal the anomalies caused by the celestial barrier’s backlash. But I must focus on another matter. If the backlash grows too fierce, it may shake the flags. At that time, you must help me steady them. I will teach you how to control the flags. Until I succeed in breaking the barrier, you must keep the array steady at all costs, or else we may draw the attention of Spiritual Infant Realm cultivators."

With that, she flicked her palm. The phoenix flags shot outward, swelling in the wind until they became massive banners several zhang tall, each painted with a phoenix spreading its wings in flight, lifelike in every detail.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The banners pierced into the surrounding peaks.

The demons quickly moved to take their places. Qin Sang, without a word, leapt onto a mountain and settled beneath one of the banners.

Sweeping his gaze over the other demons, he realized the Nine Phoenix King truly intended to break the celestial barrier.

This might be my chance.

Meanwhile, Yuan Zhu and the others had also stationed themselves on the surrounding peaks.

"Manifest, divine phoenix!" the Nine Phoenix King shouted.

The phoenix flags quivered, and the painted birds came alive, releasing crisp cries. One after another, phoenix phantoms burst forth, circling above the demons.

"Condense!" At her second shout, the phantoms shattered.

Immediately, Qin Sang sensed a mysterious force enveloping the area. He looked around but saw no difference. The distant Sky Tower was still visible, but he knew the power of the phoenix flag array had been activated. Any cultivators looking in from outside would see only an illusion.

Qin Sang sat cross-legged beneath the banner. He already knew how to manipulate it, but he was troubled. Controlling the flag required great effort. If he used too much true essence, the Nine Phoenix King might notice.

He had always remained cautious. Even when traveling, he had relied on his Heavenly Demon Transformation wings rather than exposing himself, lest he be discovered.

The Nine Phoenix King adjusted her breath slightly, then put away the glass bead and brought out a wooden box.

Click.

The box opened slowly, revealing a long feather.

The feather was over a chi long, yet it was broken, withered like a dead flower, its brilliance gone, the shafts yellowed and lifeless. Even so, one could faintly imagine how dazzling and beautiful it must once have been.

Seeing the feather, Fairy Caiyi’s eyes filled with shock. The Nine Phoenix King, however, treated the feather with the utmost care.

After lifting the barrier on the wooden box, she gathered true essence into her palm and cautiously reached for it. Unexpectedly, ripples of force flashed across the feather, knocking her fingers back.

She frowned at the sting, then poured in even more true essence, yet she still could not seize it.

Whoosh!

In that instant, her body shone with multicolored light, and she revealed her true form.

Qin Sang was caught off guard by her appearance. Though she called herself a descendant of the Heavenly Phoenix, her true form was not the same as the phoenix recorded in ancient texts.

She was strikingly beautiful, her feathers shimmering with radiant colors, her form graceful yet small, with long tail feathers resembling those of a phoenix. But to Qin Sang’s eyes, she resembled a cuckoo bird with a phoenix’s tail more than a true phoenix.

Her aura as a great demon was undeniably enchanting, but compared to the Azure Luan carved by Granny Jing, she was far inferior, like a candle against the moon.

After all, Granny Jing had once witnessed the true bearing of a heavenly demon. Even a mere fraction of that vision was far beyond what the Nine Phoenix King could ever hope to emulate.

So this is the so-called descendant of the phoenix? It feels more like a vain attempt to glorify herself. If I were to meditate on such a form, I doubt I could ever succeed in cultivating the Heavenly Demon Body Refinement.

Qin Sang smirked inwardly.

Yuan Zhu and the others are likely even uglier in their true forms.

Clearly, cultivation was difficult not only for humans. The demon race was not any better With such thin divine beast bloodlines, calling them divine beast descendants was questionable at best. No wonder that despite their natural advantages, the demonic beasts had never produced a Divine Transformation Realm great demon. Otherwise, neither humans nor witches would dare to stir trouble in the Demonic Sea.

Fortunately for Qin Sang, the Nine Phoenix King could not hear his derision, or she would have swatted him dead with her wings.

Now in her true form, she beat her wings, surging waves of true essence into the feather. The feather trembled a few times before she finally subdued it, drawing it slowly out of the box.

Carrying the feather, she flew toward the celestial barrier and the clouds beyond. A clear cry rang out. She clutched the feather in her beak and soared upward.

Just before she flew out of the array’s range, she halted. Her bright, spirited eyes fixed on a certain point deep within the celestial barrier. True essence poured wildly from her body into the feather. Immediately, the feather began to release a strange ripple.

Qin Sang had never seen anything like it. Though the power did not seem strong, it filled him with inexplicable dread and fear.

1. These are flags that have phoenix patterns on them, a common appearance in ancient China. ☜