Chapter One Hundred Fourteen
In the moment Feng Yin turned and looked back, it felt as if a thousand years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Only Yuan Qi knew how long he had waited through these dark days of solitary wandering.
“Your ascension was sudden, and I didn’t have time to go to Phoenix Island to congratulate you. My aunt said you had come to the Heavenly Palace, so I came to see you.”
Yuan Qi had been famously aloof and distant over the past millennium. Such amiable words and familiar tone not only startled the immortals by the Immortal Pool but also caught Feng Yin off guard. She couldn’t help but blurt out, “Why did you come to see me?”
Yuan Qi’s question was familiar, and Feng Yin’s reply was even more casual, spoken without thought. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Yet, Yuan Qi’s eyes flickered with a faint, almost imperceptible smile at her response. “After all, it was my fault that you slumbered for a thousand years. Now that you’ve returned from Nirvana Rebirth, I naturally came to apologize.”
Hearing Yuan Qi’s words, the immortals finally recalled that it was Divine Lord Gu Jin’s mischief that had accidentally disrupted the Little Phoenix Lord’s Nirvana Rebirth on Wutong Phoenix Island.
Bringing up this matter only made Feng Yin find Yuan Qi even more disagreeable in every way. She no longer bothered with Hua Shu, flicking her sleeve and turning to walk toward Phoenix Roost Palace. “This Sovereign has just finished feasting with the High Venerables and is quite tired. It’s nothing more than an old, trivial matter. Now that you’ve seen me, Divine Lord, and I am in good health, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself. Please take your time catching up with Princess Hua Shu. I won’t disturb you any further.”
Feng Yin’s reply was light and swift. Before the immortals could react, she turned to leave, only to be stopped.
A pair of slender hands grasped her wrist, and a wave of gasps rippled through the Immortal Pool.
Feng Yin’s steps halted abruptly. The white-robed Divine Lord’s hand carried a warm touch. She narrowed her eyes slightly, casting a deep and somewhat disdainful glance at Yuan Qi.
This look was filled with impatience and contempt.
Yet Yuan Qi acted as if he hadn’t noticed. “I’ve been traveling by cloud for two days to see you, and I’m quite tired as well. It’s been a thousand years since I last stayed in Sunlit Palace, and I doubt there’s anyone there to attend to me. I might as well rest at your Phoenix Roost Palace.”
As soon as Yuan Qi spoke these words, the faces of the ladies present darkened.
Tsk, tsk, what kind of talk is this? A dignified Divine Lord who can traverse ten thousand miles in a single step, tired from riding the clouds? With countless Immortal Attendants in the Heavenly Palace eager to serve you, how could Sunlit Palace possibly lack attendants?
Divine Lord, even if you want to enter the Phoenix Sovereign’s Phoenix Roost Palace, isn’t this excuse a bit too shameless? Rumors say Divine Lord Yuan Qi is aloof and proud, the most unapproachable figure in the Three Realms. Have they encountered an imposter?
Even after dozens of reincarnations, Feng Yin had never met anyone more brazen and shameless than Yuan Qi. For a moment, she forgot to pull away.
In that brief moment of distraction, Feng Yin was already led a few steps toward Phoenix Roost Palace by Yuan Qi.
Before she could figure out how to shake off the hand of the most revered Divine Lord in all the realms in front of everyone, Yuan Qi’s steps suddenly paused, and he glanced toward the Immortal Pool.
His gaze swept over the eager ladies, distant and indifferent.
“Celestial Emperor Mu Guang once decreed that the phoenix clan descends from Shang Gu, and the Phoenix Sovereign’s status is equal to that of an emperor. Among the Immortal Tribe, only Immortal Venerables are exempt from bowing in their presence. Since the establishment of the Three Realms and the Heavenly Palace, only four have ever been granted the title of High Venerable by the Celestial Emperor’s decree.”Yuan Qi's voice came low and heavy, and when everyone understood the meaning behind his words, they couldn't help but turn their gazes toward Hua Shu. She looked utterly astonished, her eyes filled with absurdity and humiliated fury.
"Divine Lord..." Hua Shu opened her mouth to speak but caught sight of Yuan Qi's eyes, devoid of any warmth. The icy killing intent he had shown under the spirit tree in the Ghost Realm suddenly surged back into her heart. Trembling, she took a step back, nearly stumbling before someone beside her steadied her.
He was doing this on purpose! Because of that long-dead Ayin, Yuan Qi was deliberately humiliating her! Though Hua Shu was arrogant, she was not foolish. She had the courage to contend with Feng Yin, but she dared not defy Yuan Qi.
Hua Shu bit her lip so hard it nearly drew blood, yet she could only watch as Yuan Qi took Feng Yin's hand and turned toward Phoenix Roost Palace.
For over five thousand years, the feeling of humiliation and loneliness she had experienced at the banquet in Wuhuan's Heavenly Palace once again enveloped her.
Beside the Immortal-Retaining Pond, a long and awkward silence fell.
"Venerable Hua Shu," a gentle voice spoke up. "There is still a banquet at the Heavenly Palace tomorrow that requires your attention. You should return to Xiuyang Hall early to rest."
Hua Shu snapped back to reality and met Yu Feng's sighing gaze. A trace of self-mockery flickered in her eyes, and her lips curved into a bitter smile. "Your Excellency, from this day forward, my esteemed position will be nothing but a joke throughout the Three Realms."
With that, she turned and walked toward Xiuyang Hall. Though her figure appeared desolate, she refused to let her spirit falter.
Yu Feng watched Hua Shu walk away and sighed quietly to himself.
The cause of the past has borne its fruit today. Every action in this world has its consequence—it was merely a matter of time.
The Heavenly Palace was no place where secrets could be kept, especially when it came to a matter as significant as Yuan Qi's personal visit. Before Yuan Qi and Feng Yin had even reached Phoenix Roost Palace, everything that had happened by the Immortal-Retaining Pond had already spread throughout the Heavenly Palace.
As the immortals chewed over this gossip, they couldn't help but speculate about the intentions of the Little Divine Lord from Clear Pond Palace. For a thousand years, rumors had circulated about his favor toward Princess Hua Shu of Hundred Birds Island. How was it that as soon as the Phoenix Sovereign emerged, the winds had shifted so abruptly?
Judging by the unambiguous way Divine Lord Yuan Qi had shielded the Phoenix Sovereign, it seemed a joyous occasion was imminent between Clear Pond Palace and Wutong Phoenix Island!
While the Sect Leaders and High Venerables of the Heavenly Palace were busy calculating and scheming, the atmosphere between the two in Phoenix Roost Palace was far from the harmonious scene outsiders imagined.
Feng Yin had allowed Yuan Qi to lead her all the way to Phoenix Roost Palace under the stunned gazes of the Heavenly Palace's Immortal Attendants, but the moment they stepped through the palace gates, she halted.
Yuan Qi turned back and indeed met a pair of eyes that were utterly indifferent.
His grip on Feng Yin's hand faltered, and he finally released her slowly.
"Leave us," Feng Yin waved dismissively at Feng Huan, who was following them.
Understanding her intent, Feng Huan led the Immortal Attendants and Phoenix Clan attendants away from the front of Phoenix Roost Palace until not a soul remained.
"After all these years apart, Divine Lord, your fondness for playful antics has not diminished in the slightest," Feng Yin spoke leisurely, her gaze fixed on Yuan Qi as she began.
Yuan Qi's expression shifted, and he almost blurted out, "A—"
"However, I'm afraid the Divine Lord does not know..." Feng Yin interrupted him without hesitation, cutting off the name "Ayin" before it could leave his lips. Her gaze was distant and detached. "My temperament nowadays is not particularly fond of such jests."
"Feng Yin," Yuan Qi called her name, his voice hoarse and strained in a way even he could not conceal. "I...""I know." Feng Yin's eyes curved into a smile. "The Divine Lord is a sentimental person. I heard that after my death, you went to the Ghost Realm year after year searching for my soul."
A flicker of sorrow appeared in Yuan Qi's eyes, yet as Feng Yin spoke, there was not the slightest ripple of emotion in her gaze. "Master Sovereign once said that Feng Yin was born defying fate, destined for many tribulations. The soul scattering at Wutong Phoenix Island and those years as a Water Condensation Beast were likely also fated. To be honest, Feng Yin should thank the Divine Lord. Without these trials, how could I have tempered my soul in the mortal realm and achieved Nirvana Rebirth as a deity upon first descending into the world? Moreover, after all these years, I have mostly forgotten the events of the past."
"Forgotten them all?" Yuan Qi was suddenly stung by the cold indifference in Feng Yin's eyes, and anger surged within him. He grasped her wrist tightly. "If you've forgotten everything, why have you come to the Heavenly Palace? You could have just remained on your Phoenix Island as the Phoenix Sovereign!"
"Some matters hold little interest, so forgetting them is of no consequence. But the care of my two senior brothers, the kindness of Great Marsh Mountain, and the life-and-death enmity with my fellow disciples—Feng Yin has not forgotten." Feng Yin's eyes deepened as she gradually pushed Yuan Qi's hand away, her gaze resolute and determined. "Feng Yin has returned for the truth of what happened at Great Marsh Mountain a thousand years ago."
"You left Phoenix Island only for the truth of Great Marsh Mountain?" Yuan Qi's voice resonated lowly.
Feng Yin suddenly sighed. She took a step back, crossing the threshold of Phoenix Roost Palace, and faced Yuan Qi, suddenly performing a slight bow with solemn courtesy.
Yuan Qi was taken aback. Just moments ago, before a hall full of Immortal Lords, Feng Yin had refused to bow to him.
"Divine Lord Yuan Qi, back then, Feng Yin was young and reckless, causing great calamity and implicating the mountain sect. To this day, I deeply regret it. Today, Feng Yin returns solely for the truth behind the massacre of my fellow disciples at Great Marsh Mountain. Once this matter is resolved, I will surely return to Phoenix Island and never again involve myself in the affairs of the Three Realms. As for other past matters, Feng Yin has already forgotten them. All that happened back then is like passing clouds and mist." She lifted her gaze to Yuan Qi, all emotions settling into stillness, and said softly, "Ayin no longer exists in this world, and the Divine Lord need not linger in remembrance."
A heavy silence fell before Phoenix Roost Palace. A single palace gate now separated Yuan Qi from a thousand years ago and Feng Yin from a thousand years later.
Gazing into Feng Yin's eyes, as indifferent as ever, Yuan Qi suddenly understood that even though he had waited a millennium, the one who had returned was no longer the Ayin who had grown up by his side.
"When I first entered the Heavenly Palace, I resided in this Phoenix Roost Palace. The Divine Lord never came here back then, did you?"
She glanced at the palace gate, her eyes tinged with regret. "Since you never set foot here in the past, there is no need for the Divine Lord to enter now."
With these words, Feng Yin turned and walked into the palace, never looking back.
Beneath the peach blossoms filling the hall, her figure gradually faded from sight.
A long while later, a sigh echoed softly.
"Ayin, back then... I did come here."
Yuan Qi's words had finally come, a thousand years too late. The one in this world who had waited to hear them had already turned to ashes and vanished a millennium ago.
The Immortal Attendants in Xiuyang Hall had already heard of what transpired before the Hall of Imperial Cosmos. None dared to provoke Hua Shu's ill temper. As she entered the main hall with a dark expression, they all retreated fearfully.
Hong Que intended to offer a few words of comfort, but before she could speak, Hua Shu waved her away dismissively.
In the empty, cold silence of Xiuyang Hall, only Hua Shu's solitary, stern figure remained.
She walked toward the inner chamber at the rear of the hall. Pushing the door open, she lifted her gaze inside and halted her steps.In the center of the inner chamber, two sets of crimson wedding robes hung solemnly on the screen, stained with old bloodstains that remained shocking even after a thousand years.
Hua Shu slowly approached the wedding robes, her hand brushing over the blood-soaked fabric, her eyes brimming with sorrow.
"Lan Feng, if only you were still here..."
Outside the door, hurried footsteps echoed, followed by Hong Que's anxious voice.
"Your Highness."
"What is it?" Hua Shu straightened her posture, her expression turning cold and stern once more.
"His Majesty has arrived and is waiting for you in the front hall."
In the main hall of Xiuyang Hall, the Peacock King sat with his eyes closed, deep in thought.
Footsteps approached from the rear hall, and he opened his eyes, a faint trace of black Demonic Power flickering within them.
Yet throughout the entire Heavenly Palace, including Yuan Qi and Feng Yin, no one detected the slightest hint of this Demonic Qi.
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