Chapter 23
The faint sword intent echoed within the narrow crevice. Ming Jian Su stared at the sword, which was clearly a treasure, her mind racing.
Undefeated was with Feng Chiyue.
She needed a sword, and heaven had delivered one to her. As expected, the heavens favored her.
A sword without an owner was hers for the taking. However, she needed to replace the phoenix feathers. Feng Chiyue would definitely be unhappy seeing them. But they were so beautiful. Feng Chiyue had never been willing to give her any of her feathers. How could she convince her to willingly offer some to decorate the sword?
Lost in thought, Ming Jian Su continued forward. She didn’t care which demon the skeleton belonged to. With a single palm strike, she shattered the remains into dust and flicked her sleeve to disperse the particles. The sword remained firmly embedded in the ground, its sword intent growing stronger.
The sword’s spirit had weakened over the centuries, but even a sliver of it remained. Anyone who wanted to subdue it would have to put in some effort. Ming Jian Su cultivated the sword path. In the past, she had only had Undefeated, but now, seeing this sword, she suddenly felt like having another one wouldn’t be a bad thing. She circled the sword twice, then finally reached out to draw it.
The moment she touched the hilt, sharp sword intent erupted, and a buzzing sword hum filled the air. The ground trembled, and rocks tumbled down, sealing off the narrow passage she had come from. Ming Jian Su paid no attention. She was focused on the sword, testing its strength. The instant she grasped the hilt, she knew.
The sword’s name was Eternal Calamity. Its owner was Suxin Jianzhu, known for slaying the previous Demon Sovereign, Ming Ji.
Why wasn’t Suxin Jianzhu’s sword called “Suxin”? The thought crossed her mind but quickly vanished.
Ming Jian Su didn’t dwell on it. She gazed at the sword, its history filled with glory. Good, it was hers now.
Back in Dong’e Mountain, Undefeated, resting on its ornate sword rack, suddenly leaped into the air, buzzing angrily.
Feng Chiyue, half asleep, casually flicked a pine nut at the sword and mumbled, “What’s all the noise about?” Undefeated, sensing the approaching projectile, tried to dodge, but the pine nut split into several pieces, blocking its path. With a soft thud, the nut disintegrated into powder upon contact with the blade. Undefeated trembled and flew to Feng Chiyue’s side, poking the bed with its tip. But Feng Chiyue ignored it.
Undefeated: “…” Still sleeping! Its owner had found a new love!
The next day.
Feng Chiyue arrived at the Celestial Feather Hall.
As usual, she placed Undefeated on the head table and found a sunny spot to settle down, continuing her entertainment on the Chaos Mirror.
Undefeated was filled with resentment but didn’t dare disobey Feng Chiyue. Its owner had found a new love. If it didn’t work hard, wouldn’t the newcomer steal its place? What if its owner abandoned it? Where would it find another skilled sword cultivator?
While Feng Chiyue slept soundly, Bi Feng, the Junior Minister of the Celestial Feather Ministry, spent the night deep in thought. He had spent an entire day as a “stamping fairy,” and it had brought him nothing but trouble. He couldn’t let Feng Chiyue push him around like this again. He no longer feared the sword intent in the documents. His clan had given him a “Sword Devouring Jade.” As long as the sword intent didn’t exceed the jade’s absorption limit, it would absorb it all.
In his quarters, Bi Feng carefully took out the Sword Devouring Jade. He now had the confidence to oppose Feng Chiyue. He would reject everything she approved. He picked up the topmost document and scanned through it, his expression changing abruptly. The application was from a Phoenix named Feng Bu Liu. According to the old rules of the Heavenly Court, the waiting period for selection was three years. However, the Phoenixes had been deliberately suppressed, and it had already been five years. He should have become an attendant long ago. Bi Feng had assumed Feng Chiyue would approve the application, but a large cross marked the document, rejecting it outright.
How did Feng Chiyue, or rather, Undefeated, review these documents? Was it based on mood? He couldn’t understand, but it didn’t stop him from feeling pleased. He slammed the Minister’s seal down and immediately sent an attendant to deliver the document to Phoenix Mountain. He had a brilliant idea. He couldn’t deal with Feng Chiyue, so he would let the Phoenixes handle her. Now that she was the Minister, did the Phoenixes think their chance to rise again had come? How unfortunate. A Phoenix raised outside their ranks would never be one of them.
In Phoenix Mountain.
Although they hadn’t seen any preferential treatment from Feng Chiyue, the Phoenixes still harbored a faint hope. They didn’t expect to be favored, but at least they could be treated fairly, right? After the East Abode Master’s death, they had sent a considerable amount of Cinnabar Jade and treasures to Dong’e Mountain.
Feng Bu Liu was one such hopeful Phoenix.
He was capable and talented, considered one of the best in his clan. However, he had been waiting in the Heavenly Court for five years, still a mere candidate, not even an attendant.
“Senior Brother, Senior Brother, the document is here!” A fluffy little Phoenix, carrying the document in its beak, flew in so hastily that it tumbled on the ground. It flapped its wings, got back on its feet, and crashed into Feng Bu Liu’s arms.
Feng Bu Liu’s face lit up. “Did it pass?” he murmured. In the past, the Celestial Feather Ministry wouldn’t even respond to him. They would just hold onto his application, neither approving nor rejecting it. He had inquired several times, but the answers he received were always vague and dismissive. Now that the document had finally arrived, he didn’t think too much about it, assuming his long wait was finally over.
But when he eagerly opened the document, he was struck by a bolt from the blue. The joy on his face vanished, replaced by a deathly pallor. His hand trembled violently. After a long silence, he let out a strangled cry, as if he had been dealt a heavy blow.
“Junior Brother?” Feng Yao happened to be passing by. She looked at the devastated Feng Bu Liu, her eyes filled with concern.
“F-Feng Chiyue… she… she rejected my application!” Feng Bu Liu’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice filled with resentment. “Is she even a Phoenix?”
Although Feng Yao also thought Feng Chiyue was a good-for-nothing, she still tried to defend her. “Most of the officials in the Celestial Feather Ministry are from Danxue Mountain. I heard that even the Minister’s seal is in Bi Feng’s possession. She might be the Minister, but she’s alone and outnumbered. She can’t withstand the pressure from those villains from Danxue Mountain.”
Feng Bu Liu disagreed. He chuckled coldly. “Wasn’t she alone and outnumbered when she attacked the Supreme Palace? And when she targeted the other gate emissaries? But she didn’t back down. I think she’s just holding a grudge, angry that we drove her out of Phoenix Mountain.” He paused, then said, his voice tight with anger, “I can’t let this go! I’m going to confront her and demand an explanation!”
Feng Yao frowned, worried that he would do something rash. “I’ll go with you,” she said quickly.
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