Chapter 10
Undefeated hovered in front of them.
Its sword intent hadn’t even been unleashed, yet it already made the Vermilion Birds flinch.
In the Heavenly Court, there were Heavenly Immortals and Human Immortals. Although there was no explicit distinction between their superiority, the Heavenly Immortals considered themselves a cut above, subtly looking down on the Human Immortals. When Ming Jian Su first ascended to the Immortal Realm, she was just an unremarkable little immortal. After registering with the Heavenly Mechanism Department, she was assigned menial tasks like cleaning and sweeping. Later, when conflicts arose between the Immortal and Demon Realms, she was sent to the battlefield because she had no backing and no valuable Cinnabar Jade to exempt her from duty. It was during that time that she made a name for herself with her swordsmanship, striking fear into the hearts of countless demons.
The Heavenly Emperor wanted to promote her, but all the important positions were already occupied by Heavenly Immortals. No one was willing to give up their seat. At that time, the position of East Abode Master was vacant, but there were countless contenders, and none of them wanted Ming Jian Su to take the lead. However, Ming Jian Su simply unsheathed Undefeated, silencing all those who doubted her. Even Chang Li, the South Fire Lord, commented, “She cannot be stopped.”
Ming Jian Su had fallen, but her reputation remained, and her sword had gained sentience. Who knew if she had left behind any secret techniques?
“Elder, yesterday the Heavenly Emperor decreed that we should avoid conflict with Dong’e Mountain.”
The Vermilion Bird Elder finally found a way out, but his expression remained stern. He glared at Feng Chiyue and said coldly, “Three days. If you don’t return him by then, I will have to report this to the Celestial Pivot Department.”
Three days? Was he implying that it would take her three days to repair “Understanding”? Feng Chiyue stared at the Vermilion Bird Elder, finding him utterly repulsive. “I’ll release him tomorrow,” she said impatiently. She didn’t linger in Danxue Mountain. Grabbing Zhu Huai Xuan, she turned and left.
Meanwhile, Zhu Wan had just found Feng Yao and rushed to the south of Kunlun, panting heavily. When she saw the sky ablaze, her face turned as pale as a ghost. It wasn’t until she saw Feng Chiyue walk out unharmed that she snapped out of her frozen state. In just three days, her heart had become a bucket constantly swinging between hope and despair. She didn’t understand before why her Master, who also ascended from the mortal realm, was so far ahead, beyond anyone’s reach. Now she understood. Her Master’s heart was stronger than anyone else’s.
Feng Yao was concerned about something else. Seeing Feng Chiyue, she hurriedly asked, “You set fire to Danxue Mountain?”
Feng Chiyue glanced at her. “Is there a problem with that?”
Feng Yao: “…” Danxue Mountain was their ancestral land! Didn’t this Phoenix have any respect for their ancestors? She couldn’t help but voice her thoughts.
Feng Chiyue laughed mockingly after hearing her words. “Let me ask you, how many years has it been since the Phoenix was driven out of their ancestral land?” When she said this, the gentleness on her face disappeared, replaced by a sharp, cold glint in her eyes. “A thousand years. You haven’t returned to your ancestral land for a thousand years, yet you still have the gall to claim it as yours? If you don’t have the ability to take back Danxue Mountain, don’t tell me what to do.”
Feng Yao’s breath hitched, and a chill ran down her spine.
Feng Chiyue continued coldly, “You call it ‘biding your time,’ but a thousand years have passed. Tell me, what has your ‘biding’ achieved? Are you still pinning your hopes on the Phoenix Sovereign, believing that she still has a chance, waiting for her to lead you out of this predicament?”
Feng Yao’s expression turned completely cold. She stared at Feng Chiyue and said, her voice icy, “You have no right to lecture us. What have you done for Phoenix Mountain? All you do is cause trouble for us.”
“No, I haven’t,” Feng Chiyue retorted, her expression changing rapidly. The coldness vanished, replaced by a carefree smile. “I cut ties with Phoenix Mountain long ago. Did I ask you to come? Should I be grateful to you?”
“Master Feng!” Zhu Wan exclaimed, frowning. She thought Feng Chiyue’s words were too much. Feng Yao came here with good intentions, yet not only did she not appreciate it, but she also had to rub salt in her wounds. Phoenix Mountain was already in a difficult position. She really felt that Feng Chiyue was hopeless. Besides her Master, who would put up with her? “Since you’ve already borrowed a Vermilion Bird, let’s return to Dong’e Mountain.”
“Yes, let’s go back.” Feng Chiyue smiled in response, not sparing Feng Yao another glance. She had enough materials to repair “Understanding,” and now she had the fire source as well. She could finally fall asleep listening to Ming Jian Su’s voice tonight. It didn’t matter if Ming Jian Su didn’t come back. All she needed was that familiar voice to lull her to sleep.
Back in Dong’e Mountain.
Chang Huai didn’t dare to wander around. She sat in place, fiddling with the black box. That Master was actually going to capture a Vermilion Bird. Was that even possible? Not to mention the numerous formations in Danxue Mountain, those Vermilion Birds were all fierce and powerful. Could she really succeed? If the East Abode Master was still around, she wouldn’t have to worry about such things. But now there was only Master Feng… She regretted it. She should have just said she needed phoenix fire. Just as she was feeling uneasy, Feng Chiyue and Zhu Wan returned.
Chang Huai set the black box aside and said obediently, “Master, Master Chu Yi came earlier.”
“Ignore her.” Feng Chiyue tossed Zhu Huai Xuan onto the ground, not in the mood to deal with Chu Yi. “Hurry up and fix it,” she urged Chang Huai.
Chang Huai: “…” She glanced at Zhu Huai Xuan on the ground cautiously and asked sincerely, “Young Master, may I borrow some fire?”
Zhu Huai Xuan was filled with resentment and anger. After hearing the conversation between Feng Chiyue and Zhu Wan, he already knew their purpose. They wanted him to activate his Vermilion Bird divine fire? Dream on! Zhu Huai Xuan raised his chin, ruffled his feathers, and ignored Chang Huai.
Chang Huai turned to look at Feng Chiyue. “Master?”
Feng Chiyue raised an eyebrow. “Can we use the Vermilion Bird’s inner core to activate the fire?” Without waiting for Chang Huai’s answer, she continued, “We can cut him open, take it out, keep him alive with medicine, and put it back when we’re done.”
Chang Huai’s face paled, and she tried to find a hint of a joke in Feng Chiyue’s expression. But the person in front of her looked as if she didn’t realize the cruelty of her words. She spoke casually, as if she was merely picking a flower or brushing away a speck of dust.
It was Zhu Huai Xuan who was truly afraid.
He wouldn’t die, but if he wanted to further his cultivation in the future, it would be impossible. Having his inner core removed was a cruel torture, and with Feng Chiyue’s arrogance and absurdity, she was definitely capable of doing it. When that happened, the Elder might not stand up for him. After all, the Elder had insisted that he couldn’t be taken away from Danxue Mountain. Weighing his options, Zhu Huai Xuan decided to swallow his pride. “What kind of fire do you need?” he relented.
Chang Huai breathed a sigh of relief. If the Vermilion Bird and Feng Chiyue clashed because of him, she, a small fry from the Dragon Cauldron Palace, would definitely be the first to be sacrificed. After all, she was also abducted in broad daylight, and yet, the Dragon Cauldron Palace acted as if nothing had happened, which was enough to show her insignificant status.
With Zhu Huai Xuan’s cooperation, repairing the black box became much easier.
She had ascended from the mortal realm and specialized in the art of refining tools. She believed that her skills were no worse than those Heavenly Immortals from the Dragon Cauldron Palace. She had thought that ascending would bring her fame and fortune, that immortals would flock to her for her treasures, and that she would enjoy endless blessings. But in the end, she was just working diligently day after day. In the mortal realm, as a master craftsman, she was at least admired. But now, all that was left was a sigh of “don’t mention past glories.” If she could still contact the mortal realm, she would definitely leave behind a message written in blood: “Don’t ascend. Life after ascension is worse than that of a pig or a dog.”
Seeing that Chang Huai and Zhu Huai Xuan were both working, Feng Chiyue smiled in satisfaction. Leaving Zhu Wan behind to supervise, she returned to her inner chambers to sleep.
With Undefeated around, she probably wouldn’t need to do things herself in the future, right? Even if it wasn’t exactly like having Ming Jian Su by her side, it was at least a quarter as good, wasn’t it?
—
Elsewhere.
Chu Yi stormed back to Qingjun Palace, fuming.
Not catching up to Feng Chiyue was already bad enough, but seeing those ridiculous rumors on the Chaos Mirror fueled her anger even further. As if that wasn’t enough, she had originally planned to wait for Feng Chiyue to return to Dong’e Mountain, but her mother summoned her back and asked if she was interested in marrying the East Sea Dragon Princess. She had only glanced at Ying Cunxin once and didn’t even remember what she looked like! And those immortals on the Chaos Mirror dared to gossip about her!
Just as Chu Yi was about to vent her anger, a soft chime sounded from the Chaos Mirror. She channeled her energy into it and saw a request to exchange name seals. On the Chaos Mirror, if immortals wanted to contact each other privately, they could exchange name seals. Who would send her a random request? Chu Yi frowned and looked closely. The name seal clearly read “Ying Cunxin.”
A glint flashed in her eyes. Chu Yi accepted Ying Cunxin’s request and immediately sent her an invitation to the “Ethereal Spirit Realm.” The Ethereal Spirit Realm was a part of the Chaos Mirror. By channeling one’s energy into it, they could manifest an illusion of themselves and engage in combat. This method wouldn’t harm their real bodies, so immortals would often enter the Ethereal Spirit Realm to hone their skills. However, Chu Yi rarely entered it because she believed that knowing her own limitations and knowing that there was no real danger made it difficult to push herself to her full potential. The only true test was on the battlefield. As for the Ethereal Spirit Realm, it was just a game for her amusement.
Since Ying Cunxin wanted to be her Dao companion, she should at least have some skills.
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