Font Size:
Chapter 4: The Descent of the Divine Phoenix
Through the gossiping chatter around her, Nan Fuguang roughly pieced together what had happened.
A few months ago, while wandering the world (gathering divine weapons and celestial artifacts, true to his nature), Immortal Lord Yan Shu encountered an incident involving a demonic spirit beast attack. The location was Kunlun Void, and perhaps due to the unique geography, the demonic spirit beasts were organized, large in number, and overwhelmingly destructive.
The Nest of Kingfishers, a renowned clean-up and maintenance group in the cultivation world, was dispatched.
Even with their intervention, the attack lasted for nearly half a month, leaving the mortal world in devastation, with countless cities reduced to ruins. Despite numerous conferences held by the cultivation sects, no consensus could be reached to define the nature of this event.
During this crisis, Immortal Lord Yan Shu saved a young girl named Lu Sang.
At a glance, Yan Ji’an recognized Lu Sang as someone from his past.
But how did this “old acquaintance” come to be?
Roughly 178 years ago, Yan Ji’an was passing through Kunlun Hill. Driven by his (scratched out) dragon clan’s greedy nature (scratched out) habitual tendencies, he engaged in a fierce battle with “Queen Mother of the West”, an ancient being nearly as old as the prehistoric era. The fight was over a “Fiery Feather Robe”, a defensive divine artifact he couldn’t even wear due to his gender.
Out of nowhere, trouble found him at home. Naturally, “Queen Mother of the West” was furious.
To clarify, the “Queen Mother of the West” isn’t a singular individual but a species that prefers to live in groups. Strength in numbers and the difficulty of reaching consensus meant that even the illustrious “True Dragon Immortal Lord” the only true dragon in the Three Realms, didn’t intimidate them.
Although Yan Ji’an won, he was gravely injured and disappeared for a year or two. If not for the fact that his Heng Yue Fate Star, which represents his true dragon identity, still shone brightly, his sect master, Xie Cong, had already planned how to kneel and apologize to the ancestral masters for his presumed death.
It was Lu Sang who saved Yan Ji’an.
Grateful for her help, 178 years later, he found Lu Sang reincarnated as an orphan girl. Recognizing her talent for cultivation, he brought her back to Yun Tian Sect.
That incident eventually led to the so-called “accidental explosion” of the Bone Identification Pavilion.
“When did my master accept another disciple?”
Nan Fuguang suddenly asked, her gaze fixed on the two figures standing together not far away.
Everyone instinctively looked at her, then followed her line of sight. On the stone steps ahead, Lu Sang a pretty, youthful girl—blushed with embarrassment as she stood uneasily before the large crowd. With one hand, she shyly clutched the hem of Yan Ji’an’s sleeve before sliding down to hold his hand.
He noticed immediately but, after a glance, did not pull his hand away.
The crowd collectively held their breath at this scene, torn between wanting to look at Nan Fuguang and fearing to do so.
“If she’s not a new disciple, then she’s an outer sect disciple. Since when did outer sect disciples have the right to enter the Bone Identification Pavilion?”
Nan Fuguang’s voice was calm and cold, her eyes lingering on the intertwined hands before she finally looked away. Her tone was sharp, as if ignoring the reality that her future Dao companion’s hand was in another woman’s grasp.
And she wasn’t wrong.
Yun Tian Sect ranked among the top ten sects in the Three Realms, with thousands of disciples and strict rules. Every year, countless hopefuls sought entry, hoping for a chance at immortality.
The sect covered dozens of interconnected mountains, two-thirds of which housed outer sect disciples. These disciples performed menial tasks fetching water, chopping wood, waiting for the day they might be promoted to inner disciples.
When one was fortunate enough to be chosen, the most important ritual involved being personally escorted by the elder who selected them to the Bone Identification Pavilion for a spirit root and spirit bone evaluation.
The fact that Yan Ji’an personally took Lu Sang there was significant.
Although Yan Ji’an held a special position in Yun Tian Sect, he rarely exercised his privileges. Even Nan Fuguang, his future Dao companion, had only ever gotten away with minor rule-breaking.
Skipping the sect master’s approval and accepting an inner disciple without authorization? That was unprecedented.
People often joked that Nan Fuguang was less of an inner disciple and more of a “closed-door disciple”, one accepted only to be locked away.
And now?
The door seemed to be opening.
“So, Master Senior Sister isn’t the only disciple anymore?”
“Well… there was never a rule saying she had to be the only one…”
“Forget about the sole disciple thing. How could the Immortal Lord let that orphan girl hold his… hand?”
“Why not? What business is it of yours?”
“How is it not my business? Isn’t the Immortal Lord supposed to become Dao companions with Master Senior Sister? If not, then… wait, this means I won’t have a ‘mother’ figure anymore?”
Nan Fuguang swept her gaze across the gossiping disciples and snorted. “Are you discussing whether the Immortal Lord is being unfaithful or implying he’s two-timing?”
The crowd: “…”
“By the way,” she added coldly, “the Fiery Feather Robe you’re all obsessed with? It’s currently lying at the bottom of the Cold Pool, I threw it there myself. I’ve touched it plenty, pulling it in and out of the treasure vault before tossing it away.”
Silence fell.
Inside the Bone Identification Pavilion, the air grew heavier as the ritual began. As Lu Sang cut her palm and her blood dripped into the ancient Chaos Four-Sided Bronze Cauldron, the ground trembled beneath her feet.
A fiery, bird-shaped energy surged upwards, so powerful that it shook the newly repaired ceiling. The “Phoenix Cry” echoed through the chamber as Lu Sang’s spirit bone began to manifest in a dazzling display.
Nan Fuguang, hair and robes whipped by the wild energy, narrowed her eyes as she witnessed the emergence of a divine phoenix’s wings, flames blazing with raw power.
And as the cauldron trembled on the verge of shattering, the truth became clear, this girl was no ordinary disciple.
The “Divine Phoenix” had descended.