I Am the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor You Speak Of

"I really do have some issues with my cultivation. I've been stuck at a certain realm for quite a long time and have been unable to break through." The Seventh Elder nodded. "So you've hit a bottleneck. That's quite common. I have medicinal pills that can help you break through it." "It's not a bottleneck. Someone walked ahead of me on the path, so I cannot break through." The Seventh Elder nodded in understanding. It seemed this newcomer practiced a special cultivation technique. Such special techniques had been very common during the Great Qian and Great Yu eras. Their main feature was that cultivators farther along in their progress would absorb those who cultivated the technique after them—a winner-takes-all scenario. By the Great Xia era, because such techniques were excessively cruel and cultivators had no shortage of alternative methods, people no longer practiced them. "How about switching sects and starting over from scratch?" "That probably won't work. If I cultivate from scratch, I can't guarantee I'll reach my current realm again." "Is that so? Well, if all else fails, just tell me who's walking ahead of you, and I'll make them start over!" Jiang Lianyi looked a little concerned. "But that person is very strong." "Are they in the Tribulation Transcendence stage?" "No, not that." Hearing that the person was not in the Tribulation Transcendence stage, the Seventh Elder felt relieved. He thumped his chest and guaranteed, "As long as they aren't in the Tribulation Transcendence stage, I can beat them however I please." Which of the Nine Sons of the Dao Seeking Sect wasn't renowned for combat prowess? "This is no place to talk. Let's enter the city first," the Grand Elder said. Speaking of such matters at the city gates was inappropriate. Even if they used a spell to muffle the sound, it wasn't foolproof. What if a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator passed by and overheard? The Demon Clan Alliance had prepared quite thoroughly. They had arranged lodging for every faction, and for one of the Five Great Immortal Sects like the Dao Seeking Sect, an entire floor of an inn had been reserved. The interior of Demon City was even more bustling, packed with countless cultivators of every stripe. Apart from the native cultivators of the Demon Domain, there were cultivators with piscine features who hailed from the Sea Race of the East Sea; monks with gleaming bald heads and plain robes from the Golden Buddhist Kingdom; and heavily furred rogue cultivators from the Far North... Jiang Lianyi's gaze lingered briefly on the monks from the Buddhist Kingdom. Lu Yang suddenly remembered that Buddhism had been made up by the Five Ancient Celestials; back in ancient times, there had been no Buddhist cultivators at all. Lu Yang sent a voice transmission to Jiang Lianyi, explaining the current state of Buddhism. His own knowledge was limited, so he could only give a rough overview. "I see. To think the story concocted back then would become so widespread throughout the cultivation world." Jiang Lianyi was slightly surprised. When the Four Ancient Celestials were making up the story, she had been sitting right beside them, occasionally chiming in with a few ideas. Counted that way, she could be considered one of Buddhism's founders. Lu Yang spread his hands. "After all, so much time has passed. The ancient stories have all turned into legends, making it hard to tell fact from fiction." Well, it couldn't really be called fiction either—it had just undergone a series of artistic embellishments and selective retellings of ancient events. By the time they reached the inn, the Seventh Elder was still boasting nonstop. After all, it wasn't every day he met a newcomer to the Heavenly Court Cult; he was determined to indulge his desire to act as an exemplary mentor. "I'm not bragging, but in today's cultivation world, my alchemy skills can be ranked number one. If you have any need for medicinal pills, just come to me." Unwilling to let Old Seven steal the spotlight, the Fifth Elder spoke up as well. "My artifact crafting skills are truly unmatched. Calling myself number one in the cultivation world wouldn't be an exaggeration either. Seeing as you're a newcomer to our cult, if you ever lack a magic treasure, I'll forge one for you!" A faint smile curled the corners of Jiang Lianyi's lips. The Fifth Elder's words reminded her of an old acquaintance. "An artifact master? What a coincidence. I also know an artifact master who claimed to be the greatest in the cultivation world." The Fifth Elder raised an eyebrow. "So arrogant? Once I run into him in the future, I'll definitely let him know who the true number one artifact master is." "By the way, I haven't asked yet—what's your name?" "Jiang Lianyi." "That name sounds familiar," the Third Elder muttered, scratching his head. As a Confucian cultivator, the Fourth Elder was well-read and knowledgeable. "It's the same name as the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor." As a veteran of the Heavenly Court Cult, the Seventh Elder put on an air of worldliness and praised, "That's a fine name. According to the theory of karmic fortune, sharing a name with the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor allows you to be graced by her destiny, which will be of immense help to your cultivation. Breaking through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage in the future isn't out of the question." Jiang Lianyi hesitated for a moment. Remembering how Sister Immortal and Senior Brother Lu Yang had both sworn along the way that the people of the Dao Seeking Sect were utterly trustworthy, she pulled back her hood, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful face. "The Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor?!" The Grand Elder's eyes flew wide. He shuddered, unable to control his voice, and cried out as he stumbled backward three steps. In his youth, he had secretly sneaked into the Phoenix Clan's ancient tombs to explore, and he had seen the statue of the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor. The reason Third Senior Sister could come and go through the various ancient tombs as she pleased was largely thanks to the experience and maps passed down by the Grand Elder. The Seventh Elder turned his head toward the Grand Elder in annoyance. "I already know she shares a name with the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor." "She is the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor! I've seen her statue in the Phoenix Clan!" The Seventh Elder burst into laughter, thoroughly dismissive. "Boss, you sure are funny..." Immediately after, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor with a thud, fainting from fright. What had he just said? Telling the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor to come to him if she had issues with her cultivation? A few seconds later, the Seventh Elder woke up, his face still full of disbelief. Suspecting he was dreaming, he even slapped himself twice across the cheeks. "Are you the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor reincarnated to cultivate anew?" the Grand Elder asked gingerly, barely daring to breathe. Li Haoran's existence had made him familiar with the concept of reincarnation. "I've never heard of any reincarnation to cultivate anew. I am the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor you speak of. I had been sleeping in a secret realm until a few days ago, when Senior Brother Lu Yang awakened me, allowing me to undergo rebirth through fire and return to the mortal world." The Grand Elder drew in a sharp breath. The Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor! A mythical figure! Just where had Lu Yang dug up such a colossal figure? And he had even swindled her into the Heavenly Court Cult! You're far more capable than your master! Ninth Brother goes out every day swindling and deceiving, yet even his con artistry doesn't hold a candle to yours. When we get back, I'll make Ninth Brother take you as his master! "Wait a moment, what did you just call Lu Yang?" Lu Yang hurried to interject, cutting off the discussion. "Nothing, nothing, Senior Lianyi just had a slip of the tongue." The Seventh Elder looked at Jiang Lianyi, trembling all over. So that bottleneck you mentioned earlier... was a half-immortal bottleneck?! "The person you mentioned earlier who walked ahead of you, preventing your breakthrough... who is that?" "Immortal Kirin. By modern phrasing, perhaps known as the Demon Celestial." Seventh Elder: "..." Didn't I just say that as long as they weren't in the Tribulation Transcendence stage, I could beat them however I pleased? The Fifth Elder looked no better than the Seventh Elder. He had uttered plenty of bold words just moments ago too. "You also mentioned earlier that you knew someone who claimed to be the greatest artifact master... who would that be?" "Immortal Ying Tian." The Fifth Elder nearly choked on his own breath. The Third Elder and Fourth Elder remained silent, immensely relieved that they hadn't chimed in earlier. "Then what is your position in the Heavenly Court?" "One of the Heavenly Court's Four Imperials, the Great Emperor of Southern Nirvana." All five elders sucked in a cold breath together. They had planned on broadening their horizons by attending the founding ceremony of the Demon Empire, but they had never imagined their horizons would be broadened quite this early.