The Heavenly Phoenix Plume

After leaving the cave dwelling, Nine Phoenix King headed straight toward the deepest reaches of the Hall of Seven Kills. Every so often, she paused to channel the glazed bead and adjust their direction. After several twists and turns, Nine Phoenix King actually brought them to the edge of the Outer Hall. The Hall of Seven Kills was divided into inner and outer halls, though its layout differed from that of Ziwei Palace. Ziwei Palace's outer region and the interior where the Heavenly Mountain lay were merely connected by certain restrictions, as if inside and outside did not share the same space. The Hall of Seven Kills, on the other hand, was an integrated whole. It was only that the immortal restriction guarding the Inner Hall was exceedingly formidable, impossible to shake by mortal effort. Cultivators could only wait for the Hall of Seven Kills to emerge on its own before the immortal restriction would open and allow entry. Precisely because of this, the realms inside and outside the immortal restriction were dubbed the Inner Hall and Outer Hall by immortal cultivators. "Nine Phoenix King isn't trying to force her way into the immortal restriction, is she?" Qin Sang looked at her in surprise. He had never found an opportune moment to slip away, swept along with the group all the way here. Nine Phoenix King stood at the boundary of the immortal restriction, silently gazing into the pervasive mist and clouds, her intentions impossible to divine. Qin Sang recalled what Nine Phoenix King had said earlier: that she possessed a Heavenly Phoenix plume, which would allow her to shatter the void and enter the Hall of Seven Kills without relying on the passageway opened by human cultivators. Could it be that she had a way to breach the immortal restriction and sneak inside? The demon race's methods were by no means inferior to the humans'. Though these demon beasts were not true direct scions of ancient divine beasts, carrying only a faint wisp of divine beast bloodline within them, awakening the bloodline's power through cultivation still gave them the chance to obtain certain divine abilities. This was especially true for a Transformation stage great demon like Nine Phoenix King. Perhaps she truly could accomplish what human cultivators could not. Qin Sang cared nothing for Nine Phoenix King's intentions. Whatever treasures she took from the Inner Hall had nothing to do with him; they were not things he could covet anyway. He only wished he could see the back of this jinx as quickly as possible. Nine Phoenix King stared intently into the depths of the immortal restriction, a strange light gleaming in her eyes. The glazed bead in her hand trembled incessantly, the droplet of golden blood within churning with violent ripples. The precious bead seemed to sense something, eager to tear through the void and take flight. After a long while, Nine Phoenix King exhaled a long breath, a rich look of surprise and delight surfacing in the depths of her eyes. After musing briefly, Nine Phoenix King produced a set of Phoenix Banners and said to Caiyi Xianzi, "I will deploy these Phoenix Banners all around to form a grand formation. When I attempt to break the restriction, I will use the formation to conceal any anomalies caused by its backlash. However, I must focus entirely on another task. If the restriction's backlash proves too fierce, it may strike the Phoenix Banners. When that time comes, I will need you all to help me stabilize them. I will teach you how to control the banners. Before I succeed in breaching the immortal restriction, you must maintain the Phoenix Banner array at all costs, lest you draw the attention of Nascent Soul cultivators." With that, Nine Phoenix King gave a gentle toss of her palm. The Phoenix Banners scattered in all directions, swelling on the wind into massive banners several zhang tall. Each iridescent silk flag was emblazoned with a soaring phoenix, vibrant and lifelike. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... The banners planted themselves firmly into the surrounding mountain peaks. The other demons sprang into action as well. Qin Sang silently swept up to a peak and landed beneath one of the banners. His gaze swept over the demons. He had not expected Nine Phoenix King to genuinely attempt cracking the immortal formation, musing that this might be an opportunity. Meanwhile, Yuan Zhu and the other demons took up positions on the surrounding peaks. "Divine Phoenix, manifest!" Nine Phoenix King shouted. The Phoenix Banners shuddered in unison, and the phoenixes depicted upon them sprang to life, giving voice to crisp phoenix cries. Immediately afterward, phantom phoenixes flew out from the banners one by one, wheeling above the demons. "Congeal!" With another sharp cry, the phantom phoenixes overhead shattered on cue. Right after, Qin Sang felt a strange, inexplicable power settle over the surroundings. He glanced around. Everything looked no different from before, and Heaven Tower remained clearly visible in the distance, yet he understood that the Phoenix Banner array's power had already been triggered; any cultivators looking in from outside would see only an illusion. Qin Sang sat cross-legged beneath his Phoenix Banner. He already knew how to operate the banner, but what concerned him was that manipulating it was exceedingly difficult; if he drew heavily on his true essence, Nine Phoenix King might notice him. He had kept a very low profile all along, relying solely on the wings of his Heavenly Demon Transformation when traveling earlier for fear of being exposed. Afterward, Nine Phoenix King regulated her breath for a brief moment, put away the glazed bead, and brought out a wooden casket. Click! The wooden casket opened slowly, revealing a long plume inside! The feather was well over a foot long and had been broken. Like a withered blossom, it had completely lost its luster, yellowed, parched, and devoid of vitality. One could vaguely tell that the plume must once have been extraordinarily magnificent, adorned with breathtaking patterns. At the sight of the plume, a look of profound shock flashed in Caiyi Xianzi's eyes. Facing this withered plume, Nine Phoenix King moved with utmost caution. She undid the restrictions on the casket, surging true essence through her palm as she cautiously reached for the plume. Unexpectedly, a tremor rippled across the feather, flicking her fingers away. Wincing from the pain, Nine Phoenix King's expression shifted slightly. She poured in more true essence, yet she still could not bring the plume under control. Swish! Five-colored spiritual light flashed across Nine Phoenix King's body, and she revealed her true form. Seeing Nine Phoenix King's true form, Qin Sang could not help but feel somewhat surprised. Nine Phoenix King claimed to be a descendant of the Heavenly Phoenix, yet her true form differed markedly from the phoenixes recorded in ancient texts. Her posture was extraordinarily graceful, her plumage five-colored, radiating an intoxicating halo of light. Her body was not large—in fact, it could even be described as petite—while her long tail feathers bore a strong resemblance to a phoenix's. Yet in truth, Nine Phoenix King looked more like a phoenix-tailed cuckoo than a true phoenix. The presence of a Transformation stage great demon went without saying, brimming with beauty. But compared to the qingluan carved by Granny Jing, she was markedly inferior, like candlelight compared to the bright moon. After all, Granny Jing had witnessed the true charm of a Heavenly Demon; even capturing a tenth or two of it was something Nine Phoenix King could never hope to rival. So this is a so-called phoenix descendant? Feels like she's just putting on airs. If I tried visualizing a phoenix like this, I probably wouldn't even be able to cultivate the Heavenly Demon Form Refining... Qin Sang mused silently, criticizing her in his heart. Those fellows like Yuan Zhu probably have even uglier true forms. It seemed that human cultivation was not the only difficult path; these demons were not faring much better. With such a dilute trace of divine beast bloodline, whether they could even be considered descendants of divine beasts was open to debate. No wonder that despite having such an innate bloodline heritage, no Deity Transformation stage great demons had emerged among the demon beasts. Otherwise, the humans and Shamans would never have dared run rampant in the Demon Sea. Nine Phoenix King had no idea Qin Sang was belittling her in his mind; had she known, she would undoubtedly have struck him dead with a single slap of her wing. Having revealed her true form, Nine Phoenix King flapped her wings, her true essence surging violently as it swirled toward the long plume. The plume quivered several times before Nine Phoenix King suppressed it, causing it to float slowly out of the wooden casket. Carrying the plume, Nine Phoenix King flew before the immortal restriction, facing the clouds and mist. A clear cry rang out. Nine Phoenix King clamped the plume in her beak and soared high into the air. Only when she had nearly reached the outer bounds of the Phoenix Banners did she pull up. Her lively, exceptionally spirited eyes gazed fixedly at a certain spot within the immortal restriction, and the true essence inside her poured out wildly, flooding entirely into the plume. Immediately following, a bizarre ripple emanated from the feather. It was a ripple unlike anything Qin Sang had ever witnessed. Though it was not yet strong, it stirred an inexplicable wave of palpitations and dread in his heart.