Before the four grandmasters had left, they destroyed all the structures on the Moon Court dwelling. They said it was to prevent the moon demon from leaving behind any foundations, but they could not help but treat it as venting.

  The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips curled up. Their behaviour meant they had completely lost their patience.

  This only proved the four grandmaster’s so-called assault of certain death and the so-called “You will die” said by Mo Yu was a joke.

  Buildings could be rebuilt if they were destroyed. That was nothing.

  The four grandmasters returned to the Soaring Dragon ship. Suddenly, they looked back and saw a line of colossal words floating on the surface of the lake, “If you think you’re so capable, why don’t you level Moon Court lake too?”


  Anger surged in the scholar in white’s heart. His face reddened. “Let’s go. Moon demon, we won’t just let this end like this!”


  Though, it would be rude to not reciprocate! You’ve made a mess out of my home today, wanting to kill me. If the opportunity ever presents itself in the future, I’ll definitely pay a visit to your places too. I’ll visit places like Pine Sough academy. By then, don’t blame me if I kill anyone I see.

  Li Qingshan returned to his senses. His gaze landed on the phoenix feather before him again.

  The phoenix feather hovered in the air, sometimes drifting up and sometimes drooping down, leaving behind a trajectory of scarlet fire.

  After spending several days, he could already control the phoenix feather freely, but he was rather stumped about what to do next. Was he supposed to stick the feather in himself and he would be a phoenix? Surely not!

  Xiao An stood up gracefully and her seaweed-like hair draped down.

  Seeing how Li Qingshan had arrived at an impasse, she suddenly walked over, grabbing one of Li Qingshan’s fingers with her small hand and holding the phoenix feather gently between two fingers. She stabbed down, right into the tip of Li Qingshan’s finger. Blood oozed out before the phoenix feather immediately absorbed it, like a quill absorbing ink. Blood filled up the hollow shaft of the phoenix feather, spreading to every single barb and making them even brighter in colour.

  But at the same time, a power poured into the wound, and the injury recovered immediately. The feather automatically activated its healing properties.

  “This…” Li Qingshan suddenly felt his IQ was rather insufficient.

  Xiao An grinned before returning to one side. It obviously had not been a wild guess. When Li Qingshan studied the phoenix feather, she read through large quantities of relevant material.

  Li Qingshan scooped up Xiao An and kissed her forehead heavily. “I really don’t know what I’d do without you!”


  ……


  At the same time, the four grandmasters returned to the commandery city of Ruyi. They reported to the Marquis of Ruyi in the governor’s estate.

  As they waited in the guest room, they looked at one another and all felt rather dishevelled.

  Before long, the Marquis of Ruyi strode over to receive them. He bowed first. “I’ve made you wait. So how were the results of the battle?”


  A hint of awkwardness and shame appeared on their faces as they felt even more furious inside.

  Their visit to the Clear River prefecture this time was like clenching their fists firmly only to punch thin air. Despite all of their abilities, there had been no opportunity for them to use it, being mocked by that wretched daemon instead.

  However, they obviously could not mention that. The scholar in white clasped his hands. “Sir, the wretched daemon is far too crafty. He hid himself and concealed all of his aura. We were unable to find him.”


  The Marquis of Ruyi blamed himself. “It’s because of my insufficient preparations that you’ve gone to such tremendous efforts. You are hardly to blame. I will send people for fellow Feng right now.”


  The scholar in white eased up and smiled. “As long as fellow Feng divines for us, there’ll be nowhere for the wretched daemon to escape to or hide.”


  This so-called “fellow Feng” was called Feng Buquan. He was Ma Buyi’s master and the most prominent figure of the school of Yin-yang throughout the entire commandery. Anything he said would always come true, and his word was basically prophetic. He was rather renowned throughout the entire Green province for his divination.

  With the Marquis of Ruyi’s great power and influence, a streak of light flew over from the horizon before long, landing in the courtyard outside the guest room.

  His eyes drooped and his mouth was slanted, hunch-backed and extremely disfigured. One of his eyes was even a muddy grey as if it was blind. He stood there in a twisted posture, eyeing everyone with his single eye. He said in a hoarse, unpleasant voice, “Marquis, why have you summoned me?”


  He seemed extremely rude, even if he had no intentions to be rude.

  The scholar in white frowned slightly and felt slightly uncomfortable. If it were not for the aura he radiated with, no one would have connected him to a Golden Core cultivator.

  The scholar in white lamented slightly inside, This fellow Feng had been such a handsome figure in the past. Just because one of his divinations failed and he suffered a backlash from the heavenly secrets, he ended up like this. The arts of divination are truly far too dangerous.

  The Marquis of Ruyi only showed more respect. He explained everything to Feng Buquan.

  Cultivators skilled in divination had always been extremely rare, and those who could reach Golden Core were basically mythological existences. In the past, Feng Buquan had been a figure who could enter and leave the provincial lord’s estate as he pleased. Although he had fallen in status now, he was still not someone the Marquis of Ruyi dared to neglect.

  Feng Buquan said, “Now that’s easy. I’m willing to venture to the Clear River prefecture with the grandmasters!”


  The Marquis of Ruyi smiled. “That would be for the best. Once you kill this wretched daemon, you’ll have many thanks from me.”


  When Feng Buquan heard “many thanks”, his body trembled uncontrollably, and he smiled stiffly.

  The four Golden Core cultivators immediately became five.

  As the marquis of the region, his family had governed the Ruyi commandery for several millennia. The ties and connections he had reached every corner of the commandery.

  He could basically mobilise all the cultivators of the Academy of the Hundred Schools. He only sent Wen Zhengming and his three senior brothers because of the blood feud between the moon demon and Pine Sough academy. Sending four Golden Core cultivators to kill a single Daemon General could already be regarded as overkill.

  If he wanted people, he could find ten Golden Core cultivators if he wanted to. As long as he spoke, even sect masters and elders of those independent sects would have to show some respect to him.

  He had never considered personally taking part, nor did he ever doubt a Daemon General would have to die if he wanted him to die.

  Wen Zhengming’s group arrived above Moon Court lake again. Feng Buquan pulled out a glistening compass from a shabby bag on his waist. The compass was divided into several rings, all engraved with strange glyphs. It began to spin wildly.

  ……


  Under Li Qingshan’s control, the phoenix feather left behind wound after wound on his body. The wounds seemed to possess two invisible sips, being ripped open on one side yet closing up on the other, without leaving behind a single trace.

  The phoenix feather turned into a scarlet streak of light and danced wildly around Li Qingshan, like it was executing him by slow slicing.

  However, Li Qingshan’s eyes shone brighter and brighter as if he could not feel any pain at all. The phoenix feather shone brighter and brighter too. As it filled up with blood, the power it contained merged with Li Qingshan’s body sliver by sliver.

  When it used up its final sliver of power, the phoenix feather had become blood-red too.

  Xiao An reminded him. “The heart!”


  “The Phoenix Undergoes Nirvā?a Rebirth, with an Undying Heart!”


  With a swish, the phoenix feather plunged into Li Qingshan’s chest, piercing his skin, flesh, and blood and into his heart.

  In that moment, his heart stopped beating and fell silent.

  Li Qingshan pushed the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvā?a to the limit. In his sea of consciousness, the phoenix raised its head and let out a long cry.

  The phoenix feather suddenly began to burn, turning into a ball of fire. The blood-like red was filled with powerful life force.

  Burning out, transforming, reborning!

  Just like a miniature cycle of nirvā?a.

  Li Qingshan’s heart also lit up with red light, shining brighter and brighter, right through his skin until a ball of fiery red was visible. A dancing phoenix could vaguely be made out.

  Bang!

  Just like the first clap of thunder in early spring, the rivers of ice shattered, and the world awakened again.

  Li Qingshan’s heart thumped vigorously, transporting the mysterious power in the phoenix feather to every inch of his body through his blood vessels. It scorched like fire.

  Li Qingshan could not help but stand up. As the power danced wildly, he raised his head and legs unconsciously, filled with a wondrous sense of beauty. He moved his arms like a phoenix flapping its wings.

  His surroundings became filled with dazzling red light, illuminating the entire dwelling.

  Only quite a while later did the red light gradually subside. Li Qingshan landed on the ground and clutched his thumping heart as he felt extremely happy.

  A powerful life force filled his body. He was now confident that if he fought with Lolth again, he would definitely be able to maintain the upper hand.

  With the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvā?a, he had finally refined the phoenix feather, now possessing a shred of the phoenix’s bloodline. Although he had yet to truly reach the first layer of the Phoenix Transformation, he believed as long as he returned underground and condensed the phoenix’s embryo again in the endless sea of fire, he would definitely succeed!

  Right when Li Qingshan was about to set off, the spirit turtle’s daemon core suddenly responded violently. He immediately understood what was going on. Someone is using divination to calculate my position. Those old coots really aren’t going to let me go this easily!

  Li Qingshan snorted coldly. He settled his mind and shut his eyes.

  Under the eager gaze from four pairs of eyes, the compass spun rapidly.

  Feng Buquan’s forehead became covered in sweat, but he was unable to find the moon demon’s location at all, The target should be in possession of a method to conceal the heavenly secrets!

  As the spirit turtle dove into the abyss, no one knew where it was.

  However, Feng Buquan refused to give up so easily, as he could sense the sliver of an opening in the target’s power, like a ray of light in the darkness.

  Li Qingshan frowned. He had suppressed the spirit turtle’s power, which allowed him to refine the phoenix feather. As his comprehension of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression deepened, he had basically limited the spirit turtle’s repulsion as much as he could.

  Normally, nothing about it felt wrong, but in an intense clash of heavenly secrets, it would show itself. His bloodline raged, and his daemon qi surged.

  It was like a pebble in a shoe. It was not fatal, but it did feel horrible.

  Xiao An held the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase and touched Li Qingshan’s forehead gently with it, practising the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots and immediately patching up the opening.

  Li Qingshan opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He smiled.

  The compass stopped spinning. Feng Buquan’s expression stiffened and his mouth hung agape, completely unaware of the dribbling drool.

  The scholar in white asked in a hurry, “Fellow Feng, how’s it?”


  As if he had been electrocuted, yet also like he had just woken up from a nightmare, Feng Buquan lurched up. He bounded around like a large, strange monkey as he called out madly.

  “I’ve found it! I’ve found it!”


  Wen Zhengming asked, “Fellow Feng, you’ve found where the wretched daemon is hiding?”


  Feng Buquan suddenly grabbed Wen Zhengming by the shoulders. He gripped him so firmly that even Wen Zhengming experienced an ache of pain. He stared at Feng Buquan in shock, only to see a muddy tear roll out of his blind eye, while his good eye was filled with wild joy.

  “I want to see her highness the Dark Queen!”