4049-chapter-66
Chapter 66
“The Phoenix Clan has lived here ever since they migrated from the god realm sixty thousand years ago. The place with the densest spiritual energy in this world is the ancient Wutong Forest.”
A day later, a streak of spiritual light flashed across the sky above Wutong Feng Island.
Moments later, Qing Yi was leading Bai Shuo through the Wutong Forest.
Bai Shuo looked around at the towering Wutong trees, secretly clicking her tongue.
No wonder the Phoenix Clan is the most powerful in the Three Realms—just the spiritual energy of these Wutong trees is more abundant than the entire Piaomiao Island.
No wonder the beings of the Immortal Realm are fighting for a good master, eager to join a prestigious sect.
Bai Shuo quietly rolled her eyes at Qing Yi.
“Ah Zhao spent years tirelessly cultivating to become an immprtal lord just to have the qualification to enter Wutong Phoenix Island. Yet this little Taoist, not only did he directly fly into the ancient forest of Wutong Feng Island without anyone stopping him, but he didn’t even need to enter through the mountain gate. People really can make you feel frustrated.”
“If you can’t find a suitable sect, I will speak to His Majesty and request that you stay here and cultivate…” Qing Yi said.
“Stay on Phoenix Island?”
Bai Shuo, who was distracted by the scenery, rolled her eyes.
The little Taoist from Daze Mountain really had a big mouth.
Bai Shuo placed a hand on Qing Yi’s shoulder, seriously warning him, “Ah Yi, we’ve shared our lives. Don’t brag too much. Do you think the Phoenix Emperor is someone you can just see whenever you want? She’s the only one in the Lower Three Realms who…”
Before Bai Shuo could finish, a streak of spiritual light flashed, and a young boy in ancient clothes stood behind them, wearing a phoenix feather crown and bowing respectfully to Qing Yi.
Who is that? What did he say? Bai Shuo froze for a moment, then quickly turned to look at the little Taoist.
“Qing Yi? Supreme Immortal Lord? The First Disciple of Daze Mountain?” Bai Shuo asked, her voice dry.
“It’s me.”
Qing Yi nodded at Bai Shuo with a smile.
Bai Shuo almost choked, hurriedly retracting her hand and straightening her posture, carefully adjusting the Little Taoist’s clothes, lowering her head in respect.
“Greetings, Supreme Lord. I am Bai Shuo, a humble immortal, paying respects to the Lord.”
Qing Yi, the Chief Disciple of Daze Mountain, was no ordinary figure like Bei Chen and Nan Wan.
His ancestral master was Donghua, the first immortal to be granted god status in sixty thousand years, the Phoenix Emperor Feng Yin, born defying the heavens, was his martial aunt, and even Jinyao, of the Heavenly Palace, was merely his peer.
Although he was a disciple of Daze Mountain, his status in the Immortal Clan was comparable to that of the Immortal Lords in the Heavenly Palace.
What had she just said? Boasting? Oh no, what a disaster!
Bai Shuo could hardly suppress her panic.
Seeing Bai Shuo’s changing expression, Qing Yi couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head before turning to the boy in the forest.
“Wushuang, it’s been a long time. Is the Junior master here?”
“Her Majesty has gone on a journey. Before she left, she specifically left a message for the Lord, saying that it would be some time before you could play chess together again. She hopes you practice well and not slack off,” the boy said in a voice mimicking the Phoenix Emperor’s tone.
He continued, “The Elder knows you have entered Phoenix Island, so he asked me to invite you to the main hall to meet Immortal Lord Jinyao. This is…?”
Qing Yi nodded, seeing the boy’s gaze shift to Bai Shuo, and immediately said, “This is Immortal Bai Shuo. She saved my life, so treat her with respect.”
“Yes, sir.”
The boy quickly nodded.
Qing Yi turned to Bai Shuo, “I’ll visit the main hall first. Please follow Wushuang to rest.”
“Yes, yes, Lord. Take care,” Bai Shuo eagerly replied, not daring to raise her head.
Qing Yi smiled helplessly and vanished in a flash of spiritual light.
“Immortal Bai Shuo? Immortal Bai Shuo?!” The boy called out a few times in a clear voice.
Bai Shuo snapped back to reality and found that, without realizing it, she had already reached a secluded little pavilion.
“Jiuhua Pavilion?” Bai Shuo looked around.
The pavilion was at the southernmost part of the island, quiet and lonely, not at all like a place for Daze Mountain’s chief disciple.
“This pavilion is closest to the ancient forest. The Lord Yuanqi often stayed here when he was younger, and later Qing Yi, the Supreme Lord, also stayed here when he came to the island,” the boy explained.
Yuanqi, the son of an ancient true god? The God of Chaos?!
Bai Shuo’s heart shook, and suddenly the unremarkable pavilion seemed both mysterious and grand.
She started sniffing around, wishing she could absorb more of the chaotic spiritual energy to extend her life for a few centuries.
A pair of eyes stared at her intensely from behind.
Bai Shuo snapped out of it, realizing the boy was watching her intently.
She awkwardly scratched her head and smiled sheepishly.
“Wushuang, right? I’ll just rest here. You can go ahead with your tasks.”
“Yes.” The young boy nodded, about to turn and leave when he was suddenly stopped.
Bai Shuo poked her head out and asked, “By the way, little master, I wanted to ask you something. Do you know where Piaomiao and Haoyue are staying?”
Since Bai Shuo was brought by Qing Yi, Wushuang didn’t hide anything and pointed to the easternmost part of the island.
“The Piaomiao Sect is at Songhe Pavillion in the far east of the island. As for Haoyue Palace…”
The boy pointed to the left.
“The Palace Master of Haoyue Palace prefers peace and quiet, so he stay in the nearby Xiaoyao Pavilion.”
Bai Shuo glanced to the left and saw a secluded pavilion partially hidden beneath towering ancient trees, with its pointed roof just barely visible.
She shivered, coughing as she almost choked.
“Immortal Bai Shuo?”
“It’s nothing, nothing.”
Bai Shuo’s face turned red, and she waved her hand at Wushuang.
“I caught a bit of wind and got a slight cold. I’ll rest now, don’t mind me, little Immortal Wushuang, you carry on with your tasks.”
With that, she quickly slipped into Jiuhua Pavilion.
Can immortals catch colds? Wushuang scratched his head, confused, and walked away.
A while later, Bai Shuo pushed open the large door of Jiuhua Pavilion, then sneaked her way through the courtyard, carefully making her way to the next pavilion.
“A divine phenomenon appeared in the Yuanling Marsh?”
In the main hall of Wutong Island, Jinyao’s expression changed as he looked at Qing Yi in surprise.
Qing Yi nodded.
“A few days ago, my master observed the stars at night and saw that the moon and stars seemed to flicker in the sky above Yuanling Swamp.”
“What? Moon and stars? Could that be…?”
“The main star of the Moon and Star Goddess?”
Feng Xian, who had been standing nearby, spoke, also looking shocked.
“How is that possible? Goddess Yue Mi perished six thousand years ago in the world-annihilating formation. How could her main star reappear in the Lower Three Realms?”
Since the demon god destroyed the world six thousand years ago and the death of the Goddess Yue Mi in the world-annihilating formation, there had been no deity in charge of the stars.
All the stars in the world were now formed from chaotic energy.
“That star energy was fleeting, and my master couldn’t confirm it. That’s why he sent me to investigate Yuanling Swamp.”
“What did you find in the marsh?” Jinyao quickly asked.
Qing Yi shook his head.
“I only reached the edge of the swamp when I encountered a strange tree spirit. The spiritual energy of the tree spirit was extremely high, and I wasn’t its match. That’s why I came to Wutong Feng Island to seek the Immortal’s advice and the Elder’s help to go back to Yuanling Swamp.”
Jinyao’s expression hardened.
“Does the lord have doubts?”
“I worried that this divine phenomenon might be a trap set by evil forces,” Feng Xian explained, recounting the events of the Wutong Martial Banquet in the Yi city.
The Yuanling Swamp had long been shrouded in dark energy, and it was a mysterious and dangerous place.
This time, someone may have set a trap to deliberately lead the Immortal Clan there.
Qing Yi was shocked.
“Someone dares to sacrifice an entire Yi race? Reversing the divine formation—could their goal be to kill the Palace Master of Haoyue?”
“Not only that, if they succeed, many young members of the Immortal Clan will also die with them,” Feng Xian said in a deep voice.
“This person has ill intentions, and they are likely trying to stir up chaos in the Three Realms.”
“Since the Phoenix Emperor ascended to godhood, it has been centuries since anyone has achieved godhood. The Ancient God Realm is closed, the Lower Realm’s spiritual energy is thin, and the Dao is fading while demons grow stronger. For years, evil forces have been rampant, and both the Immortal and Demon clans have been fighting over various blessed lands,” Feng Xian continued.
Although Jinyao had chosen Chong Zhao as the victor of the Wutong Martial Banquet, the Demon Clan still had to negotiate for the blessed lands between the two realms, and this was the reason.
“Fortunately, this time in the Martial Banquet, our Immortal Clan has produced a young talent with extraordinary potential…”
“Is the Immortal you’re referring to the Chong Zhao from Piaomiao? I heard he has only been cultivating for three years, yet he has already reached the level of Immortal Lord.”
“Indeed.”
Jinyao nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face.
“This young man is of pure and steady character, and his talent is rare, appearing only once in a thousand years. I intend to take him under my wing and personally guide his spiritual cultivation.”
Qing Yi was surprised, not expecting Jinyao to value this Piaomiao disciple so highly.
He couldn’t help but laugh.
“To be valued so highly by the Lord, I must say, I’m curious about this Chong Zhao.”
“Don’t be in a hurry. In two days, during the Grand Assembly of the two clans, I’ll introduce him to you personally,” Jinyao smiled and said.
“The appearance of the moon and stars is tied to Goddess Yue Mi, and it’s a matter of great importance. After the grand feast, I will go with you to Yuanling Swamp to verify the authenticity of the divine phenomenon. There’s also another matter. A few months ago, you reported to the Heavenly Palace that an immortal assassinated the Ziwei Star in the human emperor’s city. Have you discovered who that immortal was?”
Qing Yi paused, and Bai Shuo’s face flashed before his eyes. He shook his head.
“There are still no leads.”
“The chaos in the Three Realms is beginning to take shape, and we must quickly find this person to avoid further turmoil in our Immortal Clan.”
“Yes, Lord.”
The door creaked as it was pushed open, and Fan Yue, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them.
A little boy in plain clothes stood in front of him, holding a plate of roast chicken.
Fan Yue furrowed his brow.
“The Flame Demon Lord instructed…” Before Fan Yue could speak, the little boy had already blankly spoken.
“Out.”
Fan Yue coldly interrupted, though he still gave the Phoenix Clan boy some face.
“Yes.”
The boy quickly turned and walked away, and as the wind blew, a thin paper figure slipped out from under his sleeve.
Fan Yue froze for a moment, narrowing his eyes.
Outside the corridor, a cool breeze blew by, and the little boy shivered.
His eyes cleared as he looked at the roast chicken in his hand and the pavillion behind him.
When he realized what he had just done, his eyes widened, and he quickly ran off with the chicken in his arms.
Under the tree, Bai Shuo wiped her nose, covered in ash, and pouted.
“Big demon, you’re not eating, but you’ve got to let my Mumu eat, right?”
She sighed for a moment, then rolled up her sleeves and rushed back into the kitchen.
She quickly boiled water and made tea.
Half a fragrant incense later, the servant girl in plain clothes entered the grand hall with the tea.
This time, Fan Yue was half-reclined on the couch, silent.
The scent of tea filled the air, and when he looked up, the servant girl had already quietly set the tea cups, with her head lowered, only the back of her smooth head visible.
He was used to seeing her wild and unruly demeanor; this subdued, obedient posture was indeed rare.
A few flower petals floated in the tea, and the aura of Yaochi water wafted through the air.
He had brewed this same spiritual tea countless times in the dilapidated cottage in Nanhai City, each time eagerly presenting it to her, just to see her smile or hear her praise.
He had sold smiles on the street to gather spiritual pearls for her, while she, without a second glance, had spent lavishly for a few nonexistent portraits.
He had painstakingly gathered spiritual energy for her, only for her to turn around and risk her life in the Yi city for Chong Zhao.
If she hadn’t almost died, she might have made him, a demigod, play the role of a locust tree spirit for the rest of his life.
And she still dared to come to Phoenix Island?
“Do you think you’re that fox? Do you have nine lives?”
Fan Yue, who appeared to be lost in thought, suddenly grabbed the servant girl’s chin with his cold hand and lowered his gaze.
In an instant, his hand froze.
“Big demon, hehe~”
The paper servant girl, with bright red lips and white teeth, exaggeratedly stuck out her tongue, playfully pulling a face and laughing three times.
In an instant, she vanished into dust in Fan Yue’s hand.
The hands of the Master of Haoyue Palace stretched into the air, clenched into fists inch by inch.
“Bai! Shuo!”
In the empty hall, these two words seemed to freeze into ice!