The Last Immortal

Chapter One Hundred and Twelve

In the Hall of Imperial Cosmos, after the fine wines and celestial brews were consumed and the pleasantries exchanged, the assembled High Immortals regarded Feng Yin, whose demeanor was dignified and whose Divine Power was extraordinary, with even greater reverence. Though the Phoenix Sovereign was young, few in the Immortal Realm could match her insight and authority. The Celestial Emperor was truly fortunate to have such an accomplished disciple; even after her future Ascension to the Divine Realm, the Phoenix Clan could maintain its prosperity and glory for tens of thousands of years more.

As the cups emptied and the conversation wound down, the welcoming banquet prepared by Venerable Yu Feng for the Phoenix Sovereign smoothly drew to a close. Yu Feng intentionally had the Immortal Attendants lead the Sect Leaders and Jing Lei’s group away first, then remained with Feng Yin to carefully inspect the Hall of Imperial Cosmos.

The Hall of Imperial Cosmos had been resealed after the battle between Lanfeng and that mysterious Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, and the lingering aura of Immortal Power from the great battle a thousand years ago still remained.

Feng Yin probed the area with her Divine Power and frowned. With a casual wave of her hand, the dust beneath a tree in the rear courtyard of the hall was disturbed, and a string of prayer beads materialized in the air.

The beads moved in response to the Divine Power and landed in Feng Yin’s hand.

Yu Feng looked at the beads in her hand, his expression grave. “This string of prayer beads carries the Demonic Power of the Fox race.”

Lanfeng had died at the hands of a Nine-Tailed Fox Demon back then, so it seemed these beads were left behind by that fox demon during the fight. At the time, they had hastily pursued the fox demon’s trail to Great Marsh Mountain and failed to conduct a thorough search in the Hall of Imperial Cosmos, thus missing this crucial piece of evidence.

Feng Yin examined the sandalwood prayer beads in her hand carefully, her eyes darkening. She had seen an identical string of beads on A Jiu’s wrist before; A Jiu had said they were a gift from his aunt, Chang Qin.

The Nine-Tailed Fox Demon who killed High Lord Lanfeng in the Hall of Imperial Cosmos a thousand years ago was truly Chang Qin, the tribal chief of the Fox race who was rumored to have passed away. But how could she still be alive when her Demon Core had been shattered? Not only alive, but capable of killing Lanfeng, the foremost expert of the Heavenly Palace?

Seeing Feng Yin’s solemn expression, Yu Feng asked, “Does Your Majesty have a lead?”

Feng Yin nodded and slowly recounted her meeting and conversation with Hong Yi, concealing nothing from Yu Feng.

Her greatest crime a thousand years ago, for which she was forced to her death, was colluding with the Demon Tribe to harm immortals. Only by proving that Hong Yi was not the one who colluded with the Demon Tribe could the truth be revealed to the world.

After hearing her account, Yu Feng was also astonished. “Your Majesty means that tribal chief Chang Qin is still alive?”

After Chang Qin’s incident, although no one had seen her body, her Demon Core had been brought back to the Fox race by Sen Yu. Without a Demon Core, a member of the Demon Tribe could absolutely not survive, so after Lanfeng was assassinated, no one had suspected Chang Qin.

Seeing Feng Yin nod, Yu Feng said with a serious expression, “This is too strange. How could tribal chief Chang Qin survive without her Demon Core, and how could she kill High Venerable Lanfeng? Back then, in the Mirror of Observation, I saw the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon who fought High Lord Lanfeng. Her Magical Power was profound and unfathomable, likely already at the level of a deity. Even more bizarrely, although she wielded the Nirvana Wheel, her techniques were not entirely similar to Chang Qin’s.” Yu Feng glanced at the beads in Feng Yin’s hand. “But if it wasn’t Chang Qin, how could there be her personal Fox race prayer beads in the Hall of Imperial Cosmos? Besides her and Hong Yi, who else could wield the Nirvana Wheel, which had already recognized its master?”

Feng Yin shook her head. “There are many puzzling aspects to this matter, which I have yet to understand.” She looked up at the Hall of Imperial Cosmos and suddenly said, “But there is one thing I would like to ask the High Venerable.”

“What is it?”

“Regarding the seal in the Hall of Imperial Cosmos—back then, was High Venerable Lanfeng the only one who could undo it?”

“Yes. At that time, High Venerable Lanfeng was acting in charge of the Heavenly Palace, and the Celestial Emperor taught the method to unlock the Hall of Imperial Cosmos’s seal to him alone.”"In that case, how did the nine-tailed fox get in?" Feng Yin raised an eyebrow.

Yu Feng was taken aback, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

"Also, that day was the wedding day of High Venerable Lan Feng. On such an important occasion, why would he go alone to the Hall of Imperial Cosmos and open the seal here?"

"Your Majesty means...?"

"The Mirror of Observation only shows High Venerable Lan Feng fighting the nine-tailed fox. It doesn’t reveal how he went to the Hall of Imperial Cosmos or whether he was alone, correct?"

Yu Feng nodded, his expression turning serious as he grasped the implication hidden in Feng Yin’s words.

"Your Majesty suspects someone sealed High Venerable Lan Feng’s memories?"

Feng Yin nodded. "I suspect someone arranged to meet High Venerable Lan Feng at the Hall of Imperial Cosmos. While Lan Feng was opening the seal, that person secretly released the nine-tailed fox inside. After killing High Venerable Lan Feng, the nine-tailed fox deliberately sealed his other memories, leaving only the memory of their battle, and directed the immortals of the Heavenly Palace toward A Jiu in Great Marsh Mountain."

"But when we arrived, aside from High Venerable Lan Feng, there was no one else in the Hall of Imperial Cosmos."

"That person likely took advantage of the chaos during the fight to slip back to the Wuji Hall and blend in among the guests."

Yu Feng frowned. "Whoever that person is, they must have been someone High Venerable Lan Feng deeply trusted, and it’s highly likely they were the one colluding with the Demon Tribe."

Otherwise, why would Lan Feng have gone alone to the Hall of Imperial Cosmos on his wedding day at that person’s invitation? Putting Lan Feng in a fatal situation clearly mirrored the method used in the assassination of the Demon Emperor.

Who could have made Lan Feng leave the Lingyu Hall alone and unguardedly break the seal of the Hall of Imperial Cosmos?

Both fell into deep thought. After a long while, Feng Yin said, "High Venerable, I would like to request that you secretly investigate the Immortal Attendants on duty at Lingyu Hall and Xiuyang Hall on the day of High Venerable Lan Feng’s wedding. There might be some clues."

Yu Feng nodded. "Even if Your Majesty hadn’t mentioned it, I intended to investigate further. At the time, the incident was sudden, compounded by the disaster at Great Marsh Mountain, so many details were overlooked."

"I appreciate your efforts." Having settled their discussion, Feng Yin and Yu Feng walked toward the exit of the Hall of Imperial Cosmos.

Just as they reached the hall’s entrance, Feng Huan and Jing Zhu, who had been waiting outside, approached together.

"Your Majesty," Feng Huan called out to Feng Yin, looking somewhat troubled. As the two were wondering why, Jing Zhu’s voice sounded.

"Phoenix Sovereign, High Venerable, would you prefer to exit through the side door?"

"Why?" Yu Feng asked, puzzled.

"Venerable Hua Shu is leading a group of ladies to admire the flowers at the Liuxian Pond outside the hall," Jing Zhu replied. "Venerable Hua Shu also came to the hall entrance earlier asking about Your Majesty and the High Venerable. Seeing that you were discussing important matters, I had an Immortal Attendant inform Venerable Hua Shu that the banquet had long ended and that you and the High Venerable had already returned to your palaces."

Upon hearing this, Yu Feng was immediately dumbfounded. Even though Hua Shu was a High Venerable of the Heavenly Palace, her status could not compare to that of the Phoenix Sovereign. Moreover, back when the Phoenix Sovereign was still Ayin, she had suffered the punishment of six Heavenly Thunder bolts because of Hua Shu. It was likely that Feng Yin still harbored some resentment toward Hua Shu deep down. His own blockheaded Immortal General’s explanation had undoubtedly offended the Phoenix Sovereign.

"What?" Sure enough, Feng Yin raised an eyebrow, laughing in anger. "Are you suggesting that this Sovereign should hide from Hua Shu? I wasn’t aware that the High Venerable of your Heavenly Palace holds such weight that even I must retreat three paces to avoid her."Jing Zhu looked up at Feng Yin and blinked pleadingly. "Your Majesty, those ladies were chattering away like hundreds of ducks. Both Feng Huan and I were overwhelmed by the noise. I was afraid they would disturb you, so I had you leave through the side gate."

For some reason, the ladies who had originally come with Hua Shu to admire the flowers were holding their breath like timid young brides. Upon hearing that the Phoenix Sovereign had already left the Hall of Imperial Cosmos, they immediately brightened up and began enjoying the flowers. Soon, laughter echoed outside the hall, creating quite a disturbance.

Feng Huan, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick, casting a bitter glance toward the outside of the hall.

"Hahahaha!" Feng Yin was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter. She waved her hand at Yu Feng. "High Venerable, your little Immortal General is quite amusing. You truly know how to train people."

As she spoke, she flicked her sleeves behind her back and strode toward the exit of the Hall of Imperial Cosmos. "It’s fine. If there are hundreds of ducks, then so be it. As the sovereign of all birds, would I fear a few ducks? Besides, since an old friend wishes to pay her respects, I should grant her the opportunity."

Yu Feng watched the Phoenix Sovereign walking with swift, confident steps, a troubled look in his eyes. Hua Shu had presided over the Heavenly Palace for over a thousand years and had naturally developed a pride that made her unwilling to submit to the Phoenix Sovereign. Who knew what trouble might arise today?

Outside the Hall of Imperial Cosmos, beside the Immortal-Retaining Pond.

A group of ladies gathered around the pond, admiring the lotus flowers with relaxed expressions. Only Female Lord Mu Rong showed a hint of regret in her eyes.

Hearing that Feng Yin and Yu Feng had already left the palace, Hua Shu gazed listlessly at the pond water, her expression inscrutable.

She had originally planned to meet the young Phoenix Sovereign in front of everyone. Having wielded authority in the Heavenly Palace for many years, she intended to make it clear from the start that she would not be a subordinate. The young phoenix, being new to the scene and mindful of the relationship between Phoenix Island and the Heavenly Palace in front of so many eyes, would naturally find it difficult to treat her as a mere subject among the avian clans.

To her surprise, all her calculations had come to nothing. Not only had she missed her chance, but she also had to accompany these ladies in admiring flowers for appearances’ sake, which inevitably left her somewhat frustrated.

"High Venerable, the lotus flowers in the Immortal-Retaining Pond are truly beautiful, worthy of being called a unique treasure of the Heavenly Palace. Might you grant me a few branches to take back to my mountain sect? It would allow me to share in the Heavenly Palace’s..."

Seeing Hua Shu’s lack of interest, the youngest daughter of the High Lord of Li Mountain tried to flatter her with a cheerful smile. Standing at the very edge of the Immortal-Retaining Pond, she looked up and caught sight of the person emerging from the Hall of Imperial Cosmos, her words trailing off mid-sentence.

Feng Yin was dressed in a formal crimson ancient robe, with phoenixes in flight embroidered on the cuffs. Anyone could recognize her identity at a glance.

The others quickly noticed the odd expression on the face of the Lady of Li Mountain and followed her gaze, freezing in unison.

Feng Yin’s eyes were as dark as ink, profound and imposing. Moreover, her appearance adhered to the traditions of the Phoenix Clan—to call her merely outstanding would be an understatement.

She stood lazily with her hands clasped behind her back on the steps of the Hall of Imperial Cosmos. The setting sun cast a halo of light behind her, and at first glance, her crimson robe and dark hair made her look like a deity.

The group of ladies stared in awe until Female Lord Mu Rong let out a soft gasp and knelt on the ground.

"Mu Rong of the Southern Sea pays her respects to the Phoenix Sovereign!"

As she performed the ritual, she naturally pulled along her cousin Jin Yun, who was also staring in astonishment.

Their salutes immediately snapped the others out of their daze, and the ladies hurriedly knelt.

"We pay our respects to the Phoenix Sovereign!"

Before the Hall of Imperial Cosmos, across the kneeling ladies, two pairs of equally cold and proud eyes met in mid-air—though Feng Yin’s gaze was deeper and more piercing.Hua Shu gazed at Feng Yin on the stone steps, her inner shock barely contained. With her cultivation, she could naturally see that Feng Yin had already attained Divine Attainment.

That Feng Yin, who had perished because of her a thousand years ago, had actually been reborn like this! She had just descended into the world, and it was one thing for her to claim the title of Phoenix Sovereign, but how could she be born a god!

Hua Shu had schemed a thousand times, yet she never could have imagined that the newly descended fledgling phoenix would already be so peerless. Slowly rising to her feet, her hands clenched tightly within her sleeves, her eyes shifting with unfathomable emotions, she walked toward Feng Yin.

Her lips parted, but before she could speak, Feng Yin’s voice rang out.