Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five
Yuan Qi's coldness at Sunlit Palace left Feng Yin somewhat unsettled. When she returned to Phoenix Roost Palace, her face was icy, making Qing Yi and Feng Yu dare not approach. Yan Shuang had disappeared somewhere, leaving without even a word of farewell.
The next day, news of Divine Lord Yuan Qi's return to Clear Pond Palace reached the High Immortals of the Heavenly Palace and the sect leaders of the Three Mountains and Six Prefectures. Everyone had thought that since Immortal Lord Qing Yi had reopened the old case of Great Marsh Mountain, Divine Lord Yuan Qi would remain in the Heavenly Palace to investigate. But upon reflection, the key breakthrough in this matter lay with Demon Emperor Hong Yi. Now honored as the ruler of a realm and having attained divine status, why would he come to the Heavenly Palace to prove his innocence regarding an old case of an Immortal Tribe sect? Given the millennia-old enmity between the Immortal and Demon Tribes, even if the crime of exterminating the sect were pinned on him, he would likely be unwilling. Thinking this, the sect leaders who had been at the Heavenly Palace bid farewell to Venerable Yu Feng and returned to their grotto abodes to prepare for the Nine Palaces Tower battle several months later. After all, it was the Celestial Emperor's selection; as long as Divine Lord Yuan Qi and the Phoenix Sovereign did not participate, they all stood a chance.
Feng Yin waited at the Heavenly Palace for three more days before Feng Huan hurried back from the mortal realm.
"Your Majesty, all thirteen Immortal Attendants who descended to the mortal realm for their trials have been retrieved."
Feng Huan had used Feng Yin's token to seek help in the Ghost Realm. The Ghost King personally opened the Gate of Life and Death to retrieve the souls of the reincarnated Immortal Attendants. Disrupting the order of reincarnation was no small matter. Feng Huan never expected the notoriously difficult Ghost King to be so accommodating—this was a full-fledged favor.
"Invite Venerable Yu Feng and bring them to Phoenix Roost Palace," Feng Yin closed her book and ordered calmly.
That night, the lamps in Phoenix Roost Palace burned halfway through the night. At dawn the next day, the Phoenix Sovereign and her entourage left the Heavenly Palace and returned to Wutong Phoenix Island.
As soon as Feng Yin returned to Phoenix Island, the Grand Elder came to summon her, saying Feng Ran was waiting at Listening Cloud Terrace.
Without even returning to her own palace, Feng Yin hurried to Listening Cloud Terrace. After Qing Yi's commotion at Phoenix Roost Palace, even Feng Yu and Feng Huan had learned of her identity. Her Master Sovereign had likely been waiting for her return on Phoenix Island.
At Listening Cloud Terrace, Feng Ran, dressed in a grand red phoenix robe, lazily propped her chin with one hand while playing chess against herself. When Feng Yin entered the terrace, Feng Ran unusually did not invite her to join, not even sparing her a glance.
Knowing she was at fault, Feng Yin served tea and massaged Feng Ran's shoulders for a long while before timidly calling out, "Master Sovereign."
Feng Ran shot her a sharp glance, smiling without warmth. "Master Sovereign? I dare not claim that title. The whole world knows my disciple is Lady Ayin of Great Marsh Mountain—only I, her Master Sovereign, was kept in the dark. What, now that you've grown capable, you handle grievances and injustices on your own, treating your Master Sovereign as mere decoration?"
There was no "whole world"—those who knew her former identity could be counted on two hands. Yet Feng Yin remained meekly by her side, not daring to utter a single word of apology. She knew her Master Sovereign's temperament all too well. In the past, for the sake of a single demonic tree, Feng Ran had dared to incur the deadly enmity of both the Immortal and Demon Tribes alone, and later even separated the Phoenix Clan from the Immortal Tribe. Feng Ran's nature was even more protective and domineering than her own. Having suffered such great injustice back then, Feng Yin had not even revealed her identity after her Nirvana Rebirth. In light of this, Feng Ran's few mild reproaches were already lenient.
"Master Sovereign, the trouble I caused should be borne by me alone," Feng Yin said softly and earnestly.Feng Ran's hand, holding a chess piece, paused. She had witnessed the mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the Rakshasa Land a thousand years ago, yet even she had never imagined that the Female Immortal Lord who had died so tragically there had hidden another identity. Nor had she expected that the person Yuan Qi had regretted and remembered for a thousand years would turn out to be her precious disciple, Feng Yin.
These two children she had raised with her own hands had ended up in such a state—truly a fateful entanglement.
Feng Ran sighed and looked at Feng Yin. "After your visits to the Heavenly Palace and the Ghost Realm, have you uncovered everything you wanted to investigate?"
Feng Yin looked up in surprise. "Master Sovereign, you... knew all along?"
Did her Master Sovereign mean she had long been aware of her identity?
"I had some suspicions," Feng Ran raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember Senior Wuxi?"
Feng Yin nodded.
"The day he came to Wutong Phoenix Island, he told me... he had seen your soul a thousand years ago on Tranquil Mountain."
Feng Yin suddenly understood. No wonder Wuxi had communicated with her Master Sovereign through a secret transmission that day—he must have recognized her identity. It made sense; her soul, as Feng Yin, had been nurtured within Wuxi's tree soul for a century, and she had once appeared before him as Ayin. Naturally, he could see through it.
"Master Sovereign, you didn’t return to the Heavenly Palace because you wanted me to investigate the events of that year myself?" Feng Yin's voice was slightly strained.
Feng Ran nodded. "I know your temperament well. The grievances you suffered should be resolved by your own hand. During your time in the Heavenly Palace, did you discover anything?"
Feng Yin nodded. "I’ve uncovered about eighty to ninety percent of the truth from that year."
"Did you find evidence?"
"Yes, I’ve already entrusted the evidence to Venerable Yu Feng for safekeeping."
A look of approval flashed in Feng Ran's eyes, but she didn’t ask what Feng Yin had discovered. Instead, she said directly, "Once the Celestial Emperor is chosen, we will bring closure to the events of Great Marsh Mountain."
Feng Yin nodded, then suddenly spoke up. "Master Sovereign, the chaos at Great Marsh Mountain and the death of Lanfeng Supreme Lord are riddled with doubts. I heard from Venerable Yu Feng that he once reported these suspicions to you. Why didn’t you investigate these matters in detail after returning to the Heavenly Palace?"
Feng Ran looked at Feng Yin with a meaningful gaze. "I thought you wouldn’t ask me this question." Before Feng Yin could respond, she raised her phoenix-like eyes. "What you really want to know is what happened after your death a thousand years ago—why Yuan Qi secluded himself in Clear Pond Palace, and why I willingly stayed on Phoenix Island, handing over the authority of the Heavenly Palace to Hua Shu?"
Feng Yin nodded. Since her rebirth, she had noticed many irregularities, each hinting at something unusual. A thousand years ago, Yuan Qi had shown great care for the Immortal Tribe due to the events at Great Marsh Mountain, even going so far as to confront Hong Yi in the Rakshasa Land as a Divine Lord. Why did he suddenly retreat to Clear Pond Palace, becoming estranged from the Immortal Tribe? As for her Master Sovereign, when the Immortal Tribe faced turmoil and instability, she remained on Phoenix Island, handing over the authority of the Heavenly Palace and command over the Four Seas to Hua Shu—a decision that was equally perplexing.
If they had harbored suspicions about Lan Feng’s death and the destruction of Great Marsh Mountain back then, why had they remained unaware for a thousand years when she had uncovered the truth in just a few months? From her Master Sovereign’s earlier words, it was clear she had long understood the events of that year.
Feng Yin had grown suspicious during her time in the Heavenly Palace and had returned to Phoenix Island precisely to seek answers from Feng Ran.
"Since your return, have you ever seen me take action?" Feng Ran asked.Feng Yin shook her head, a sudden conjecture forming in her heart, but before she could voice it, Feng Ran conjured a ball of white Ember Fire in her palm. Though pure, this Ember Fire was dim and faint, its Divine Power weak.
Feng Yin’s expression changed. “Master Sovereign, your Divine Power…”
“This is why I have remained on Phoenix Island for the past thousand years. Feng Yin, after your soul scattered and spirit dispersed in Rakshasa Land a millennium ago, another major event indeed occurred.”
Feng Ran rose, gazing toward the direction of the Demon Realm, her eyes lost in recollection.
“That day, I rushed from Phoenix Island overseas to Rakshasa Land to halt the war between the Immortal and Demon Tribes. Hong Yi led his troops back to the Demon Realm. I had intended to return to the Heavenly Palace to thoroughly investigate Lan Feng’s death and the chaos at Great Marsh Mountain. But on my way back, I suddenly sensed a disturbance in the Divine Power at Purple Moon Mountain. So, I ordered Yu Feng to lead the Immortal Tribe soldiers back to the Heavenly Palace while I hurried to Purple Moon Mountain with Yuan Qi.”
“What exactly happened at Purple Moon Mountain? Why was it resealed? Where did Bi Bo and Elder San Huo go?” Feng Yin frowned.
“The seal of the Nine Nether Purgatory was broken.”
With just that one sentence, Feng Yin’s face paled. “The seal of the Nine Nether Purgatory was broken? How is that possible? That seal was personally laid by Divine Lord Tian Qi.”
The Nine Nether Purgatory imprisoned the most vicious Demonic Beasts since ancient times. If the Nine Nether Purgatory were breached, the Three Realms would inevitably suffer devastation. Even with the combined forces of the Immortal and Demon Tribes, it would not be easy to exterminate them—likely not even if Divine Lords from the Divine Realm descended to the Mortal Realm.
“After Divine Lord Tian Qi left Purple Moon Mountain, he entrusted the seal of the Nine Nether Purgatory to San Huo. From then on, San Huo became the guardian of Purple Moon Mountain and the Nine Nether Purgatory. Back then, when you were on the brink of death, Yuan Qi took you to Purple Moon Mountain seeking help. The Divine Transformation Pill was not easy to refine—San Huo expended the greater part of his Divine Power in crafting that pill. The seal was linked to his Divine Power; as his power diminished, the seal naturally loosened. The Demonic Beasts in the Purgatory seized the opportunity, attempting to break the seal and return to the Three Realms on the very day of the war between the Immortal and Demon Tribes. Yuan Qi and I rushed there hastily. At Purple Moon Mountain, Demonic Power and Divine Power were locked in a stalemate. I expended the greater part of my Divine Power and, together with San Huo and Bi Bo within Purple Moon Mountain, resealed the Nine Nether Purgatory.”
Feng Ran lowered her gaze, ultimately withholding from Feng Yin the fact that after her death, Yuan Qi had lost all his Divine Power and remained unconscious for several days.
Listening to Feng Ran’s detailed account, Feng Yin’s expression grew complex. She had not realized such a major event had occurred after her death in Rakshasa Land. If not for San Huo refining the Divine Transformation Pill for her, the seal of the Nine Nether Purgatory would not have loosened, and her Master Sovereign would not have lost the greater part of her Divine Power at Purple Moon Mountain.
“And Elder San Huo and Bi Bo…?” Now, Feng Yin was most concerned about San Huo and Bi Bo.
Feng Ran’s voice paused. “After Purple Moon Mountain was resealed, no one could enter. I could sense their spiritual souls but was never able to communicate with them. So, I suspect they were trapped inside the Nine Nether Purgatory.”
San Huo and Bi Bo had attained Divine status. As long as a breath of life remained, she could find them and inquire about the situation within Purple Moon Mountain. Yet, for a thousand years, no matter how hard Feng Ran tried, she could not communicate with San Huo’s faint spiritual soul. Thus, she surmised that during the chaos of the resealing, San Huo and Bi Bo might have been drawn into the Nine Nether Purgatory.
“Half of my Divine Power was used to nurture Jing Jian’s soul, and the other half was lost at Purple Moon Mountain. I could only recuperate on Phoenix Island.” Feng Ran sighed softly. “Even though I suspected some among the Immortals might have colluded with the Demon Tribe, I had to set aside the investigation. Because after I returned to Phoenix Island, the Ghost King sent me a letter.”Ghost King? It was likely Xiuyan who had the kindness to inform her Master Sovereign. A flicker of emotion crossed Feng Yin's brow.
"The Ghost King said he discovered your soul undergoing tribulations in the cycle of reincarnation, and that a thousand years later, the Little Phoenix Lord of our Phoenix Island would undergo Nirvana Rebirth, advising me to await good news. With my Divine Power greatly diminished, forcibly appearing at the Heavenly Palace would only alert the hidden immortals. To protect the temporary stability of the Immortal Realm, I remained on Phoenix Island." Feng Ran looked at her. "I waited a thousand years, and you indeed returned. But I never expected that among your dozens of lifetimes of tribulations, one would be as the Water Condensation Beast, Ayin."
Feng Yin had not imagined so much had happened a thousand years ago. Hearing Feng Ran's sigh, she too felt a wave of sorrow.
"The seal at Purple Moon Mountain cannot be broken for now. Once the Celestial Emperor is chosen and the deaths of Lan Feng and the chaos at Great Marsh Mountain are investigated, I will call upon the Three Realms and unite with the Demon Tribe to rescue San Huo and Bi Bo from the Nine Nether Purgatory," Feng Ran said solemnly.
Feng Yin nodded, relieved to see Feng Ran's calm demeanor.
The Nine Nether Purgatory was the most malevolent place in the world. Fortunately, her Master Sovereign and Senior San Huo had joined forces to reinforce the seal, bringing peace all these years.
"You now know why I remained on Phoenix Island," Feng Ran said, looking at Feng Yin. "As for Yuan Qi, why he has not entered the Heavenly Palace for a thousand years and become estranged from the Immortal Tribe—even if I don't say it, you should be able to guess. Back then, when you perished in Rakshasa Land..."
"Master Sovereign," Feng Yin interrupted Feng Ran. "From the moment I stepped into the cycle of reincarnation to undergo tribulations, the Ayin of Great Marsh Mountain from a thousand years ago has had nothing to do with me. Everything from that time vanished with my death in Rakshasa Land. As for Yuan Qi and I..."
After a moment of silence, Feng Yin let out a long sigh, a hint of relief appearing on her face. "We once had a connection, but it was ultimately too shallow. One cannot force fate. Now, he is the Divine Lord of Clear Pond Palace, and I am the Phoenix Sovereign. This is for the best."
"Feng Yin, Yuan Qi he..." Feng Ran's expression was complex. Seeing Feng Yin's resolute demeanor, she looked toward the direction of Clear Pond Palace, a trace of melancholy in her eyes. "Though raised by Tian Qi and me, his temperament is very much like his father's."
"Enough. Since you have made your decision, I will say no more," Feng Ran said wistfully.
"Return to Fengyi Palace and rest. The struggle for the Nine Palaces Tower will still require your strength."
"Yes, Master Sovereign." Unaware of the deeper meaning in Feng Ran's words, Feng Yin returned to Fengyi Palace to rest.
On the Listening Cloud Platform, Feng Ran gazed toward Purple Moon Mountain in the Demon Realm, her eyes filled with deep, heavy worry.
Half a day later, outside Purple Moon Mountain. The exterior was calm and undisturbed, but within the seal, Demonic Qi churned violently.
Feng Ran stood outside the Barrier of Purple Moon Mountain, her expression cold and grave as she observed the Demonic Qi within.
Elder Feng Yun stood behind Feng Ran, his face also etched with concern. "Your Majesty, are you truly not planning to inform the Little Phoenix Lord and Divine Lord Yuan Qi about the impending breach of the Nine Nether Purgatory seal?"
Feng Ran shook her head. "The seal can no longer be repaired. There is no need to tell them. Feng Yin's return from her tribulations is the hope of our Phoenix Clan. No matter what, you must not tell her about the situation at Purple Moon Mountain."
"But you cannot... You have waited all these years, and Prince Jing Jian has yet to return. How can you...""There is no question of whether it can be done or not." Feng Ran's voice carried a hint of ease. "Since I promised Mu Guang to take on the position of Celestial Emperor, protecting the Immortal Tribe and the Three Realms is my duty. As for Yuan Qi, this child has already..." Feng Ran paused, not continuing further. She took out the Soul Suppressing Pagoda from her bosom; within it, a blazing white light shimmered, and a profound yet gentle phoenix power faintly emerged. A trace of serenity appeared between her brows as she handed the pagoda to Feng Yun. "Elder, please deliver the Soul Suppressing Pagoda to Guixu Mountain for me and give it to Jing Zhao."
"Your Majesty!" Feng Yun's eyes were filled with sorrow, reluctant to accept it, yet ultimately, under Feng Ran's gaze, he tucked the Soul Suppressing Pagoda into his embrace.
Inside the Soul Suppressing Pagoda, a snow-white phoenix lay in deep slumber, completely unaware of what had transpired during the more than a thousand years of its absence.
After Feng Ran and Feng Yun left Purple Moon Mountain, a ripple of Divine Power stirred in mid-air.
Yuan Qi stood where Feng Ran had just been, a shadow falling over his brow.
The Primordial Spirit Sword stood guard behind him, letting out a low sigh.
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