Confronting the seal on the Phoenix Clan Ancestral Hall, Qin Sang unleashed six divine birds without hesitation.
A streak of crimson fire streaked across the sky. Its blinding glare pierced through the watery mist, turning the heavens above the spirit island a fiery red and tinting the surrounding waters until they resembled molten lava.
With the Huang King's sudden departure, the Phoenix clan fell into disarray. Held down with ease by Qin Sang's incarnation, they were scrambling in confusion when they suddenly sensed the eruption of energy from the ancestral hall, filling them all with dread.
As the divine birds tore through the air, Qin Sang retreated simultaneously.
The instant the roaring flames engulfed the Phoenix Clan Ancestral Hall, the entire Phoenix clan ancestral land—and even the water-forest where the Phoenix clan nested—shook violently. Countless demon birds were startled into the air, wheeling about in dense, dark flocks like headless flies.
Beholding the skyward blaze erupting from the forbidden grounds, they shrieked in terror.
Hovering in midair, Qin Sang looked down at the sea of fire enveloping the ancestral hall. His eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of surprise crossing his expression.
The power of unleashing six birds together had been proven time and again. Yet to his surprise, as the glare dimmed slightly, the Phoenix Clan Ancestral Hall remained standing, refusing to collapse amid the raging inferno!
Creaks and groans echoed from the ancestral hall as it teetered precariously.
Yet the barrier of light formed by the seal endured!
Though covered in cracks visible to the naked eye, the barrier had not shattered on the spot. Furthermore, a strange energy was steadily seeping out from within the ancestral hall.
As this energy merged into the barrier, the cracks gradually knit back together.
The usually invincible Sun God Birds had actually failed to blast through the seal!
With Qin Sang's keen perception, he naturally recognized that this energy stemmed from the remnant plume. What had resisted the Sun God Birds was not the ancient hall's restrictions alone, but the combined might of the restrictions and the remnant plume.
In the legends of the Demon Sea's Phoenix clan, this remnant plume was an ancient Heavenly Phoenix True Feather, a supreme heirloom of the clan.
Back then, when the various races of the Demon Sea had schemed to infiltrate the Canglang Ocean and enter the Hall of Seven Kills to steal the dragon corpse, the plan had been spearheaded by the Phoenix clan and the Flood Dragon clan.
The previous Flood Dragon King had not hesitated to place himself in peril. He had expended immense effort in persuasion and promised tremendous gains before convincing the Phoenix clan to part with the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather, entrusting it to the Nine Phoenix King, whose bloodline was most attuned to it.
As an ancient Heavenly Phoenix True Feather, its power was naturally immense.
The Phoenix Clan Ancestral Hall was where the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather was enshrined, and it relied entirely upon the feather to sustain its impregnable seal.
The Demon Sea's Phoenix clan claimed descent from the Heavenly Phoenix, yet the vast majority of their members could never gain the feather's recognition. Once away from the ancestral hall, only descendants whose bloodlines were most closely aligned with the feather could barely exert a fraction of its might. Even then, the restrictions were severe, making it unsuited for open warfare.
Otherwise, the Phoenix clan could have thrown the human race into utter disarray merely by bringing out the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather.
The Witch Clan of the Canglang Ocean had declined, and the human race had only risen for several thousand years. When it came to ancestral heritage, neither could match the demon races of the Demon Sea. That was precisely why the demon races had dared to invade the Canglang Ocean so unscrupulously.
Even if defeated, they could simply retreat to their ancestral lands and hold firm; neither humans nor witches could do anything to them.
Allowing the Nine Phoenix King to take the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather into another domain naturally brought fears of losing the clan's treasure.
In truth, the previous Flood Dragon King had indeed fallen in the Hall of Seven Kills. Had the top powerhouses of the human and witch races not risked their lives to seal the Demon Monarch, the Nine Phoenix King and the other demons outside Yitian Peak would never have survived either.
However, the Huang King had held another objective.
Back then, the demons of the Demon Sea had already begun to suspect that the distance between the Demon Sea and the Canglang Ocean was not as insurmountable as believed. The Demon Sea had once produced Deity Transformation stage powerhouses who knew a boundary existed around the sea, allowing passage out but forbidding entry.
The connection between the Canglang Ocean and the Demon Sea had opened only after the Hall of Seven Kills was discovered.
The demons surmised that the Hall of Seven Kills was the key, and that the Canglang Ocean was not necessarily the only way in.
Aside from seeking the dragon corpse, the Flood Dragon King's party had another mission: to use the Heavenly Phoenix Plume to uncover secrets within the Hall of Seven Kills and locate an exit leading toward the Demon Sea.
The Flood Dragon King had been drawn into the battle against the Demon Monarch and met an untimely demise. Thereafter, the Nine Phoenix King dared not pursue the dragon corpse any further. She had gone into hiding, secretly exploring the Hall of Seven Kills.
Before she could find an exit, the Hall of Seven Kills had ascended, connecting the two domains and fulfilling her mission in its own way.
Though Qin Sang did not know the full story, he had witnessed the Nine Phoenix King using this plume to breach the immortal restrictions in the Inner Hall. He had estimated its might as high as possible, yet he had still somewhat underestimated it.
The stronger the seal, the higher the grade of the remnant feather!
Watching the cracks on the seal mend at a visible rate as the Nanming Primordial Fire was held at bay without touching the ancient hall, Qin Sang silently channeled his cultivation art. A surging tide of true essence flooded into the Sun God Tree. Six more newly materialized divine birds soared into the air and plunged headlong into the sea of fire!
*Boom! Boom!*
Layers of fire surged high, turning the spirit island into a burning inferno.
Amid the roaring flames, a barely perceptible cracking sound rang out. Qin Sang's expression shifted, and his figure vanished instantly.
At the same moment, a tear ripped open across the gloomy sky, revealing twinkling sword stars within. The Huang King materialized before the rift and burst through in a flash.
The moment she laid eyes on the ruined rubble at the center of the fiery sea and saw Qin Sang standing amid the debris of the ancient hall, her eyes nearly tore from rage, and she let out an anguished wail.
Qin Sang was looking down at an object in his right hand.
It was a long plume over a foot in length, marked with signs of a fracture. It shimmered with the exact same spiritual light as the seal's barrier, though the glow was steadily fading away, eventually losing all color and turning a withered yellow. Even so, the magnificent patterns that originally adorned it were still discernible.
Even with its light faded, Qin Sang did not dare touch it directly, keeping it wrapped in his true essence.
Fortunately, the plume's power was not as violent as the Vermilion Bird True Feather and did not require other treasures to suppress it.
He raised his head to see the Huang King breaking out of the formation, surprise stirring in his heart.
Though he had not focused his full attention on the Huang King earlier, she was merely at the late Form Transformation stage. Normally, it would have been impossible for her to break out of the Seven Mansions Partition Sword Array so quickly.
Sensing the spiritual aura emanating from her, Qin Sang understood.
Near the ancestral hall, she could borrow the seal to link with the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather, gaining divine abilities far surpassing her realm.
Now that the hall was destroyed and the feather in Qin Sang's hands, her aura plummeted rapidly.
*The demon races of the Demon Sea truly possess profound inheritances!* Qin Sang marveled inwardly.
Had he not remained vigilant and destroyed the ancestral hall with thunderous speed, subduing the Huang King after she deployed the feather would have been no easy feat.
With a flick of thought, Qin Sang formed a sword incantation.
The dark starry void behind the Huang King abruptly vanished. In the next instant, his sword soul clones surrounded her, seven dazzling sword lights crisscrossing above her head. A single thought from Qin Sang would bring them crashing down!
"This poor Daoist has no wish to slaughter needlessly. I urge Fellow Daoist to think twice."
Qin Sang gave her a profound look, his tone carrying deep implication.
The Huang King's supple body stiffened. She could feel how sharp and terrifying the sword intent locking onto her was. Deprived of the ancestral hall's protection, her abilities were not enough to harm him or reclaim the feather; even fleeing was an impossibility.
This was the Phoenix clan's ancestral land.
With the ancestral hall destroyed, she possessed no means to counter him.
If he went on a rampage, the consequences would be unthinkable.
She glared furiously at Qin Sang. The brocade sleeve of her right arm quivered slightly, as though concealing some trump card she was sorely tempted to use. But when she saw the Sun God Tree hovering beside him, fear flickered deep in her eyes, and reason ultimately prevailed.
Clenching her fists so tightly her knuckles whitened, she nearly ground her teeth to dust as she forced out, "I have never seen you before!"
A Deity Transformation cultivator could hardly have sprung from a crack in a rock.
"This poor Daoist is not from the Canglang Ocean; of course you would not recognize me," Qin Sang replied nonchalantly, his attention still lingering on the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather.
The Huang King's pupils shrank.
It was true, then: the invisible boundary had been protecting them.
Only a few centuries after the boundary vanished, a Deity Transformation cultivator from an outer domain had already arrived. Could the humans of the outer domains truly be so powerful?
"Since Daoist comes from an outer domain, you should have no grievances with our demon races. Do you truly intend to meddle in the feud between our two domains, helping humans slaughter demons? Are you not afraid of the infamy of using your superior might to bully the weak once word spreads?"
Her challenge sounded so feeble; even she knew she was merely bluffing, and an icy chill settled in her heart.
"Who said we have no grievances?"
Qin Sang offered a faint smile and waved the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather. "Though this poor Daoist hails from an outer domain, this is not my first time here. Long ago, when my cultivation was still modest, the Nine Phoenix King under your command chased me through the Hall of Seven Kills wielding this very feather. My killing her and taking the plume today settles that old debt, but I have no desire to invite further trouble."
Hearing this, the Huang King was thrown into doubt and disbelief. Upon her return, the Nine Phoenix King had reported her experiences in the Hall of Seven Kills, mentioning she had chased a cultivator and nearly gotten swept into Yitian Peak.
*But that person had only been a Golden Core cultivator back then!*
The Nine Phoenix King was dead, leaving no way to verify it, nor did the truth matter anymore.
Now that the feather had fallen into his hands, there was no chance he would give it back willingly. That he had not slaughtered his way through the ancestral land was already the best outcome in an unfortunate situation.
Still, she dared not trust his words entirely.
Her chest rose and fell as she suppressed her fury, forcing herself to stay calm. "In that case, Daoist will not help the humans slaughter my race or interfere in the conflict between the two domains?"
"Not quite," Qin Sang shook his head. "The other purpose of my visit concerns precisely that, though not in the way you imagine. As long as you know your place, I will cause no further slaughter. You likely cannot make the decision alone; I need you to lead the way so we may visit the Flood Dragon King together."
Pausing, Qin Sang glanced outside the spirit island. "You had better tell your clansmen to stop, or my external incarnation will no longer be able to show restraint."
With the Huang King trapped by his true body, Qin Sang's incarnation and the demonic soul were sweeping through the ranks outside unopposed.
Having an enemy breach their ancestral land left the Phoenix clan's demon kings with no retreat. Each fought desperately with savage fury.
The Huang King's expression shifted before she let out a long sigh and uttered a clear cry. Instantly, the chaos outside ground to a halt.
...
West of the Phoenix clan ancestral land.
Across the calm sea, a flying vessel cut through the waves.
The incarnation stood at the prow, steering the ship personally. The Huang King stood nearby, her expression icy cold.
As they advanced, Qin Sang could sense demons spying on them from the vicinity. The deeper they went into the Demon Sea, the more demons appeared, with flood dragons dominating the numbers later on.
Qin Sang had learned that there were three supreme clans among the demons of the Demon Sea: the Flood Dragon clan, the Phoenix clan, and the Golden Toad clan. Convincing these three would secure the overall situation.
He proceeded toward the Flood Dragon clan out in the open, unconcerned about any ambush ahead.
The sea stretched out boundless and empty.
After traveling an unknown distance...
Waves suddenly surged ahead. The waters parted to both sides directly in front of the vessel, rising high like mountains of water. Dark silhouettes breached the surface from the seabed.
The newcomers were divided into two columns: one of golden flood dragons and one of black flood dragons. Leading them were two horned demon kings in human form.
Qin Sang's true body appeared at the prow at some point, recognizing them as the Flood Dragon King's personal guards, though the king himself was nowhere to be seen.
The two columns of guards halted ahead after breaking the surface. The two demon kings bowed deeply to Qin Sang from afar, then raised their hands toward each other. Two streams of water converged between them, forming a water mirror that revealed an imposing man in a dragon robe and golden crown—the Flood Dragon King himself.
The two parties looked at each other across the water mirror. The Flood Dragon King glanced at the expressionless Huang King and cupped his hands in greeting.
"By the etiquette of the human race, should this king address Daoist as Master or True Monarch? Forgive my discourtesy in not coming out to welcome you!"
His voice rumbled like thunder.
Qin Sang smiled faintly and cut straight to the point, calling out, "Titles are mere trifles; use whichever you please, Flood Dragon King. You surely already know my wish; what do you say?"
"The True Monarch demands that my race withdraw our troops with a single word. How does this king know it is not a stalling tactic?"
Qin Sang chuckled. "If this poor Daoist harbored malice toward the Demon Sea, why would I need stalling tactics? Had I struck suddenly on the battlefield, how many of you could have escaped? Or must I tear down each of your clans' ancestral halls one by one before you are willing to listen to my mediation?"
By the final sentence, Qin Sang's tone turned chillingly cold.
Fury blazed in the eyes of the flood dragon guards, yet none dared voice their anger.
The Flood Dragon King fell silent for a long moment. "The message True Monarch sent earlier seemed to leave something unsaid."
Qin Sang glanced at the flood dragons flanking the water mirror. "The matter is of great import and not meant for outside ears. Can your clan's water mirror technique transmit voice privately?"
"He is this king's cousin, and his lips are sealed tight. Transmit your voice to him, and he will relay it to me via secret technique," the Flood Dragon King said, gesturing to the demon king on the right of the water mirror.
Qin Sang nodded, his lips moving silently.
Moments later, that demon king's face filled with shock. Not daring to delay, he hurriedly relayed the message to the Flood Dragon King in the ancestral land through a secret technique.
Within the water mirror, the Flood Dragon King sprang to his feet.
He wanted desperately to press whether it was true, but reason told him that this True Monarch had traveled thousands of li and had no reason to deceive them.
"This poor Daoist can swear a karma oath," Qin Sang added after a pause. "This is a calamity none of the cultivators in this realm can escape. I hope to obtain your full cooperation. Once it is resolved, you may fight however you please; this poor Daoist will not interfere in the slightest."
The Flood Dragon King paced back and forth, glanced at the Huang King, and said, "This king must contact the kings of the other clans to discuss this together before making a decision."
"This poor Daoist shall wait for you here."
Qin Sang retreated inside the vessel.
The water mirror dissipated, leaving the flood dragon guards waiting silently in place. Without Qin Sang's command, the Huang King did not dare leave the vessel either.
Peace returned to the sea.
Night fell.
Inside the cabin.
Qin Sang sat cross-legged, the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather resting on his knees and the Sun God Tree placed before him.
Along the journey, he had already discerned that the energy within the feather was indeed a type of demon fire—one that could tentatively be called Phoenix True Fire!
Qin Sang channeled the Fire Seed Golden Lotus toward the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather, attempting to draw out a wisp of demon fire with a secret technique and compare it to the Nanming Primordial Fire within the Sun God Tree.
"A failure!"
The firelight dimmed, and a soft sigh escaped him.
Yet there was no disappointment on Qin Sang's face. He could feel that when he circulated the technique, a subtle ripple had stirred within the feather; refining it would at least be easier than the Nanming Primordial Fire.
Just as he was lost in thought, a voice suddenly rang in his ear, crisp and clear like that of a seven- or eight-year-old girl, though her words were far from pleasant:
"You are going to die."
Qin Sang's face transformed abruptly. His gaze snapped like sharp swords toward the Sun God Tree!
Chapter 1737