Chapter 62
Tu Shan Liusu hadn’t lied about knowing Suxin Jianzhu in her previous life. She had first met her when she was still the Holy Maiden of Qingqiu, a carefree wandering immortal. Compared to those officials who spent their days buried in paperwork, she naturally preferred discussing the Dao with fellow wandering immortals. Introduced by a friend, she had engaged in several philosophical debates with Suxin and had even almost been poisoned by her elixirs. However, it wasn’t until four hundred years into the Heavenly Emperor’s reign that they had become truly acquainted.
That year, Suxin Jianzhu had emerged from seclusion and come to the Demon Realm, seeking a bargain.
By then, Tu Shan Liusu had already fallen into demonhood for nearly a hundred years. She had risen from an insignificant demon fox to become a general under Ming Ji. Reaching such a position in just a hundred years was impressive. She had been planning to take a break before aiming for a higher position, but then Suxin arrived, asking if she wanted to join forces and kill Ming Ji.
Tu Shan Liusu was tempted, but she didn’t answer directly. “What if I refuse?” she asked.
Suxin’s reply had been cold and straightforward: “I’ll kill you first.”
Tu Shan Liusu wasn’t intimidated. She had long harbored the ambition to replace Ming Ji. After all, the one she wanted to take revenge on held a high position, favored by the Heavenly Dao. At Suxin’s request, she had taken her to the Cold Prison, where the Phoenix Sovereign was imprisoned, but Suxin had only glanced from afar, saying nothing.
Killing Ming Ji wasn’t their ultimate goal.
Suxin hadn’t revealed her deep-seated hatred, but Tu Shan Liusu had seen the resentment and loathing towards the Immortal Realm in her eyes.
After Ming Ji’s death, Tu Shan Liusu, with Suxin’s help, had suppressed the rebellious demon generals and ascended to the throne. Suxin had finally gone to that place, taking the Phoenix Sovereign with her. Tu Shan Liusu hadn’t asked where they were going. She only remembered that, some time later, Suxin had returned to the Demon Abyss.
That had been the last time she had seen Suxin in that lifetime.
Suxin had left the Selfless Sword and the Endless Sword Case with her, explaining that her Dao body was incomplete, her karmic ties to the Immortal Realm still lingering. She needed to descend to the mortal world and seek completion.
She had said she would return. And she had. The Endless Sword Case was about to be reunited with its master.
Thinking about Chang Li’s efforts to retrieve the Endless Sword Case from Ming Ji’s tomb, Tu Shan Liusu wanted to laugh.
She ignored the stunned demons and, transforming into a wisp of smoke, headed towards the Cold Prison. Although she knew that Ming Jian Su and Feng Chiyue were incredibly powerful, she still had to see it for herself to be at ease.
The Heavenly Emperor had truly gone mad, using Heavenly Soldiers to destroy a Minor Realm. It seemed that the Mandate of Heaven would no longer favor him.
Upon arriving at the Cold Prison, she saw seven altars standing amidst the phoenix fire, flames swirling in the wind like angry dragons. The officials seated on the altars, their expressions impassive, were tossing orbs of destructive energy into the vortex. She glared at them, her eyes filled with malice, but before she could act, a series of sharp sword hymns pierced the air. Countless sword beams erupted from the vortex, slashing towards the altars.
Terror filled the officials’ eyes. Their expressions froze as the sword beams severed their heads. Their bodies collapsed into pools of blood, instantly incinerated by the phoenix fire, the splattered blood evaporating before it could even drip. The sharp sword beams were like executioner’s blades, merciless. The overwhelming sword intent lingered, its chilling aura sweeping across the area. Alarm bells rang in her head. She met Ming Jian Su’s gaze as she emerged from the vortex and, transforming into smoke, vanished.
Those eyes were cold and indifferent, wielding a sword that eradicated everything with an air of righteousness.
Tu Shan Liusu had been told that the Selfless Sword was now in Ming Jian Su’s possession, but the person before her seemed unfamiliar.
Had her good Junior Sister tricked her?
Ming Jian Su held Feng Chiyue’s hand. As she turned her head, the coldness in her eyes, like a harsh winter wind, instantly softened, replaced by the warmth of a spring breeze.
“I heard the sword hymn,” she said softly, her heart skipping a beat. She sensed a faint call from somewhere in the Demon Abyss, a pull from the depths of her soul. Her heart stirred, but she disliked this feeling and forcefully suppressed it. She turned to Feng Chiyue. “Shall we return to Dong’e Mountain?” she asked.
The Heavenly Emperor would soon learn that the immortals he had sent were dead, but what did it matter? They could blame it on the demons. After all, he wouldn’t dare to tell the other immortals that he had ordered the destruction of a Minor Realm. He might be the Heavenly Emperor, but his authority was crumbling.
Feng Chiyue shook her head. Her eyes flickered, and she smiled. “We’ve come all this way. Shouldn’t we take something back with us?”
There were treasures in the Demon Abyss, but it was dominated by turbid energy. The treasures nurtured here weren’t suitable for immortals. Cinnabar Jade, however, was universally accepted. Ming Jian Su thought for a moment. “Alright,” she agreed, prioritizing her junior sister’s wishes. “I sensed a treasure being born somewhere. Shall we investigate?”
“We won’t start a war between gods and demons, will we?” Feng Chiyue asked.
“I don’t think so,” she replied, remembering her brief encounter with Tu Shan Liusu. There hadn’t been any malice in her eyes, only a complex emotion she couldn’t decipher.
At the Hall of Heroes.
Not only the hall but also Ming Ji’s tomb had been shattered in the fierce battle. Crimson sword beams, like Vermilion Birds spreading their wings, swept through the endless waves of demon soldiers.
Since the end of the war between gods and demons a thousand years ago, Chang Li had rarely faced large numbers of demon soldiers directly. This scene brought back memories she had tried to forget. Fifty years was a short time, but it had also felt like an eternity. On that brutal battlefield, a meat grinder of souls, she had witnessed countless deaths, watched as her comrades’ cultivation was destroyed, their souls clinging to existence, or worse, completely obliterated.
That war had been instigated by the Heavenly Emperor, but he had also been the first to want it to end.
While the Phoenix Sovereign had been strategizing, her mind focused on conquering the Demon Abyss, people’s hearts had already changed.
She had truly believed that sacrificing one life for peace was a worthy cause. She had expected the Phoenix Sovereign to willingly accept her fate.
But why had the Phoenix Sovereign unleashed such carnage? She had initially felt a flicker of guilt, a touch of pity, but those emotions had vanished when that bloody internal conflict had erupted among the Five Phoenixes and Three Feathered Birds in Danxue Mountain.
Under the influence of the Virtuous Sound, very few feathered immortals with ordinary cultivation levels could resist. Who would have thought that the last gift the Phoenix Sovereign would leave them was a massacre? In that short time, more feathered immortals had died than during the entire fifty years of war.
The Phoenix, Chongming, and Azure Dragon lineages’ hesitation, their guilt and remorse, hadn’t earned the Phoenix Sovereign’s mercy.
Her comrades had perished, and the few who remained had betrayed her.
Chang Li thought about this absently as her Vermilion Bird manifestation soared behind her, its wings covering the sky.
A halberd, imbued with demonic energy, lunged towards her, but she simply raised a finger and flicked it. A loud bang echoed through the air, and the demon general was flung back, crashing into the ground, creating a large crater.
Yu Gao, beside her, was ecstatic, his eyes bloodshot, his body trembling with excitement.
He wondered how things were progressing at the Cold Prison. If they succeeded there and obtained the artifact here, he would surely earn the Heavenly Emperor’s favor.
“Fallen Phoenix, Fallen Phoenix…” he chanted, his gaze fixed on the exposed coffin, enveloped in a mysterious aura.
Chang Li glanced at him, her eyes bloodshot, her voice low and cold. “Shut up,” she said.
He fell silent, his throat constricted as if by an invisible hand under her chilling gaze. After a moment, he recovered and glared at her angrily, a flicker of resentment in his eyes. He turned abruptly, summoning his sword, and attacked the nearest demon.
Chang Li stared at the coffin. “Fallen Phoenix,” she said slowly. “But where is the phoenix?” A stream of fire erupted from her Vermilion Bird manifestation, crashing towards the coffin. But just as it was about to make contact, a sudden change occurred! Before the flames could reach it, the coffin burst open from within, and amidst the blinding light, a black and white intertwined radiance shot upwards, followed by a powerful, world-rending sword energy that streaked towards her like lightning.
Her eye twitched. Sensing the overwhelming killing intent, she had no time to defend herself. She moved with lightning speed, grabbing Yu Gao, who was standing beside her, and, spinning, used him as a shield against the attack! A look of surprise flashed across his face as he was struck head-on. It was just a small wound at first, but before blood could even flow, it tore outwards, ripping him to shreds in an instant. He didn’t even have time to react. His soul escaped his shattered body, and Chang Li, seizing the opportunity while the other officials were stunned, flicked her finger, sending a beam of light that obliterated it.
They had been too close. Most of the sword energy had struck Yu Gao, but a small portion had grazed her arm, leaving a deep gash, exposing bone. She immediately expelled the residual sword energy, but the wound still widened. Such domineering sword energy… was this truly “Fallen Phoenix,” crafted by Ming Ji? A metallic taste filled her mouth, but she swallowed the blood that surged up, her gaze fixed on the artifact hovering before them, her right hand behind her back, ready to attack.
The artifact was a seven-foot long, sword-case-like object, its material unknown, a mysterious energy flowing across its surface. A Taiji symbol adorned its top, and below it, lines formed the image of a phoenix undergoing Nirvana!
Her eyes turned cold. She formed hand seals, her fingers clenching like a claw, reaching for the sword case. The moment her magic power touched it, the Taiji symbol spun, and sword intent surged outwards! She wasn’t afraid. As the world-rending sword energy shattered her protective spells, her left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing a nearby official and using him as a shield.
“How heartless,” a soft voice said, cutting through the clash of swords, the howling wind, and the crumbling rocks.
Chang Li quickly retreated, pushing the official away. She saw a pale hand, as white as snow, gently resting on the sword case, its aura fierce and menacing.
The violent sword energy that had threatened to destroy everything instantly subsided, swirling gently around her jade-like fingers.
Silence fell upon the shattered tomb.
“Ming Jian Su,” she said coldly. If she was here, what had happened to the new Minor Realm? The Heavenly Emperor’s plan had most likely failed!
Ming Jian Su smiled faintly. “Fellow Daoist Chang Li,” she said, but her eyes were cold as ice. Chang Li had also been among those who had cornered the Phoenix Sovereign. She slung the sword case over her shoulder. Undefeated, Eternal Sword, and Three Feet Above Heaven returned to it, but the killing intent lingered, a chilling aura surrounding her.
“It’s Chang Li,” Feng Chiyue said, approaching at a leisurely pace, her gaze fixed on Chang Li, a hint of challenge in her eyes. “Danxue Mountain is on the verge of collapse, and yet you, the Vermilion Bird Lord, are here robbing graves in someone else’s territory. Don’t tell me that Danxue Mountain’s wealth was built on grave robbing? Are you resorting to such despicable acts to support your juniors?”
A wave of anger and resentment surged within Chang Li. She had distanced herself from Danxue Mountain to avoid the past, but the Vermilion Birds, Bifang, and the others were still under her protection. Ming Jian Su and Feng Chiyue had taken advantage of her absence to push Danxue Mountain to such a state. How could she not seek revenge? Her blood surged, and she finally coughed up the blood that had been building in her throat due to her injuries. She straightened her spine, her eyes blazing with fury, her Vermilion Bird manifestation mirroring her anger.
Feng Chiyue’s gaze was fixed on Ming Jian Su. She turned to look at the person carrying the sword case, the past and the present merging in her mind. “I really don’t like Vermilion Birds,” she said softly, a smile playing on her lips.
“It doesn’t matter,” Ming Jian Su said. “Anyone you dislike will disappear from this world.” From the moment she had appeared, she hadn’t concealed her killing intent towards Chang Li. She had already killed so many. What was one more? Did she still care about the Heavenly Dao? That arrogant Heavenly Dao was the very thing she intended to shatter.
“Thank you for retrieving the sword case for me,” she said, her gaze sweeping across the debris. She smiled slowly. “My swords like it.” Ming Ji couldn’t have crafted such a sword case. Judging from Eternal Sword and the others’ reactions, it was likely another one of Suxin Jianzhu’s creations. But why was Undefeated acting as if it had returned to its happy home?
Chang Li had no intention of prolonging the fight.
The Cold Prison likely held no answers, and that “Fallen Phoenix” artifact didn’t exist. The item that had supposedly belonged to the demons was now in Ming Jian Su’s hands. There was no point in staying here. Moreover, Ming Jian Su’s killing intent was clear.
“The perimeter is heavily guarded, East Abode Master,” she said calmly, suppressing her anger. “Even if you’re eager to spar with me, you’ll have to find a better place back in the Heavenly Court.”
“Spar?” Ming Jian Su raised an eyebrow, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. She laughed. “Chang Li, I’m here to kill you!”
Her sword flashed.
The moment she attacked, Feng Chiyue retreated, summoning a flying carpet and setting up a tea table and fruit platter. She watched with amusement.
Chang Li’s face hardened. “Ming Jian Su, are you insane?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“Insane? I’ve finally come to my senses!” Ming Jian Su’s smile vanished, replaced by a burning hatred that threatened to consume her. Why should the Phoenix Sovereign pay for the Heavenly Emperor’s debts? Why should their peace be bought with her sacrifice? All the feathered lineages had benefited from her, taking her kindness for granted. Why? She hadn’t been there back then, but now, she would seek justice. Debts had to be repaid.
When Ming Jian Su had first ascended to the Immortal Realm, Chang Li had already secured her position as the South Vermilion Lord, a general under the Heavenly Emperor.
She hadn’t paid much attention to Ming Jian Su, just like she had treated Bai Guchan, maintaining a polite distance.
But Ming Jian Su had drawn her sword against Danxue Mountain, and now she was drawing it against her.
Why? What reason did she have? Where did that deep-seated hatred come from?
Was it for Feng Chiyue? But what was Feng Chiyue’s motive? She was a phoenix, but an outcast. She opposed Danxue Mountain and mocked Phoenix Mountain with sharp words. She felt no innate sense of belonging or affection for any feathered lineage.
Suddenly, a chilling thought crossed Chang Li’s mind. She turned to look at Feng Chiyue, who was watching the fight with amusement. She didn’t resemble the person in her memories at all. That person had been aloof and imposing, her gaze as cold as ice and snow. She had rarely smiled.
Chang Li rarely dwelled on that person’s appearance, but now, she realized that her memories were fading.
As their gazes met, she was caught in a pair of eyes devoid of emotion, and all sound around her vanished, leaving only a terrifying silence.
A sharp pain snapped her out of her trance. She touched her cheek, wiping away the blood.
Ming Jian Su’s voice was calm, laced with arrogance and mockery. “It seems you’re very confident in your abilities, Fellow Daoist, not even needing to focus during a life-or-death battle.”
Chang Li didn’t answer. Her Vermilion Bird manifestation let out a mournful cry, flames falling from its body and extinguishing, as if they had touched ice.
Apart from the deep gash on her cheek, she was unharmed. But her manifestation was fading, pleading for her help. Ming Jian Su’s sword beams ignored her physical body, focusing solely on her manifestation.
She was willing to expend even more power just because Feng Chiyue had said, “I don’t like it.”
Chang Li chuckled. “So that’s how it is,” she said. “I was wondering who it was. It’s her. She’s back.” Her eyes glowed crimson, and her Vermilion Bird manifestation, with a mournful cry, merged with her body. Her aura surged, and she was enveloped in flames.
Ming Jian Su’s eyes turned even colder. She knew who Chang Li was referring to, but she was unworthy of uttering that name! She activated the Heavenly Dao Sword Technique, locking down time and space, her sword force becoming even more fierce and powerful, countless sword beams shooting forward like meteors.
Chang Li was still searching for an escape route.
Unquenchable flames swirled around her. She glanced at Feng Chiyue, who was watching with amusement.
“Why aren’t you fighting yourself?” she asked. “Don’t you feel any remorse for slaughtering so many of your comrades that day?”
From her words, Ming Jian Su knew that she still hadn’t acknowledged her own wrongdoing, blaming everything on the Phoenix Sovereign.
What a shameless traitor. The Heavenly Emperor was the true culprit, wasn’t he?
“Shut up!” Ming Jian Su snapped.
Chang Li, her body covered in blood, chuckled slowly, but the deep gash on her face made her appear grotesque. “Even those of the same lineage cannot be trusted, let alone those of different kinds. How can you be sure that she won’t abandon you in the end?” Her tone was laced with pure malice.
Ming Jian Su frowned.
Feng Chiyue looked up at Chang Li. A thousand years was enough to change everything, or perhaps she had never truly seen her clearly. She propped her chin on her hand and didn’t respond. She glanced at the fruit platter, selected the least appealing one, and tossed it towards Chang Li.
It was just an ordinary fruit. Under the pressure of her magic power, it should have been crushed, but it wasn’t.
It shot forward with incredible speed, a green blur.
Chang Li couldn’t react in time. The fruit landed precisely in her mouth, exploding into a pale green liquid that trickled down her chin.
Feng Chiyue tilted her head and looked at her. “My Elder Sister told you to shut up. Didn’t you hear her?”
The fruit hadn’t caused as much damage as Ming Jian Su’s sword, but its impact on Chang Li was far greater.
It was just a fruit. What if it had been something else? Would she have been powerless to stop it, forced to face death in despair? The Phoenix Sovereign had been incredibly powerful. How much stronger had she become after Nirvana? Chang Li opened her mouth, but she found that she couldn’t speak. Terror gripped her heart. Her throat felt constricted. She tried to force out a sound, but it only brought a sharp pain, as if she had been stabbed.
She looked up at Ming Jian Su.
The smile had vanished from Ming Jian Su’s face, replaced by an icy, almost bone-chilling, coldness.
The bloodlust in her sword intensified, its aura menacing, threatening to destroy everything.
Chang Li finally understood her true purpose.
She wanted to laugh, but her body trembled, and she couldn’t make a sound.
How audacious, how insane! Ming Jian Su actually wanted to overthrow Heaven!
Was it for revenge, or did she have her own ambitions?
Chang Li couldn’t ask, and she had no time to think.
Ming Jian Su attacked again.
She still hadn’t used her two killing moves, “Heaven’s Edge Unbound” and “Heaven and Earth Reunited.”
The smile on Feng Chiyue’s lips faded slightly.
She calmly packed up the fruit platter and tea table.
As she put everything away in her Qiankun bag, a sharp crack echoed through the air.
The Vermilion Bird fire surrounding Chang Li extinguished. Feng Chiyue, with her sharp eyes, instantly saw that her manifestation had been completely destroyed.
As for Chang Li herself, she was pinned to the remnants of Ming Ji’s coffin by a sword.
But she wasn’t dead.
Ming Jian Su’s bloodlust hadn’t abated. After eliminating the officials, she turned to the huddled demons and called out, “Tu Shan Liusu.”
Tu Shan Liusu was indeed present.
She had been watching the battle unfold, her mind calculating how much compensation she could demand from the Immortal Realm.
Hearing Ming Jian Su’s voice, she appeared but didn’t approach rashly. Ming Jian Su might have obtained the sword case, but her eyes revealed that she hadn’t recovered her past.
Ming Jian Su’s blue and white Daoist robes were spotless, free of any bloodstains.
She walked towards Feng Chiyue, took a handkerchief from her, and slowly wiped her sword-wielding hand.
Her voice, clear and cold, rang out in the wind.
“There are no prisoners in the Cold Prison, Fellow Daoist Tu Shan. Don’t you find it empty, inappropriate?”
Death? That was too merciful.
From this day forward, Chang Li would be imprisoned in the Cold Prison.
For every immortal from Danxue Mountain she killed, she would weave their death into an illusion, forcing Chang Li to relive it.
Didn’t she want peace? Didn’t she want the Vermilion Bird lineage to prosper?
She would learn that what she desired would never be realized!
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