Chapter 62: Journey of the Phoenix

What is this?

Cheng Xiaomeng's heart stirred as she looked closely at the mural.

Compared to the clearly rather crude portraits seen previously, this particular painting—whether crafted by elite artisans or through some unknown technique—was significantly more refined in style and even employed sophisticated representational methods.

In that painting, an immortal dressed in crimson Taoist robes occupied three-quarters of the entire canvas, extending one hand to stroke the crown of a phoenix's head. Scarlet-gold flames accompanied the two figures at their sides, blending together seamlessly, and the entire composition exuded a profound sense of sanctity.

"This must be the immortal mentioned in the records who once guided the Demon Emperor, right?"

At this moment, everyone from the Super Research Institute inside the vehicle had pressed against the car windows, eagerly gazing at the successive murals.

Having all reviewed the reference materials before their departure, the group immediately recalled the legend concerning the "Phoenix and the Immortal."

Placed at the entrance of the imperial capital where it could be admired by all the masses, this mural had undoubtedly been commissioned with the Demon Emperor's sanction. Viewed in this light, the significance of this legend within the demon realm might be even greater than the outside world had imagined.

Simultaneously, the Peacock's commentary followed in real-time.

"At that time, the Three Demons tyrannized Mount Qi, leaving countless demons dead or wounded."

"To exterminate the Three Demons and avenge her kin, Her Majesty left Mount Qi—and unexpectedly encountered an immortal outside the mountains!"

...

September 24th of the first year of TianShou (690 AD), Eastern Guandong.

Above a sea of yellow-green forests, two figures soared across the mountains, heading straight into the depths of the woodlands.

"Brother Zhou, demonic Qi is emanating from the forest ahead," Ye Qiansheng said, gazing into the distance and lowering her voice.

"And it looks quite substantial," Zhou Wuqing, who was beside her, nodded. "Seen in this light, the rumors from the mortal realm must be true."

Not long ago, Wu Zhao, the Empress Dowager of Great Tang, ascended the throne before the Zetian Gate tower, changed the state title to Zhou, instituted the new reign title of TianShou, and declared a universal amnesty.

Whether for the mortal realm or the realm of immortal cultivation, this was sensational news.

Although cultivators generally refrained from interfering in the internal power struggles of the royal court, the arrival of memorials from the mortal realm still stirred a wave of astonishment within the Immortal Alliance.

For a woman to ascend the throne as the Human Sovereign was an unprecedented event across thousands of years. The Council Hall held multiple meetings for this purpose, and the discussions continued for several days—a rare occurrence.

Just like previous Human Sovereigns, the Zetian Emperor opened an altar to offer sacrifices to heaven on the very first day of her ascension, supplying incense to the Jiuli Immortal Alliance. This was tantamount to proclaiming that the Wu Zhou royal family would still follow the old precedents of the Li Tang dynasty in revering the Immortal Alliance.

Even when she ruled behind a curtain as Empress Dowager, she had consistently promoted "encouraging agriculture and sericulture, reducing taxes and corvée," implemented the imperial examination system, and pacified the livelihood of the populace within the borders. After her ascension, her governance policies seemed no different from those when she exercised regency from behind the bead curtain.

Precisely because of this, although a portion of hardline conservatives within the Immortal Alliance stubbornly insisted that women would ruin the nation and were unfit to rule, impeaching her for employing tyrannical officials and other issues, the matter ultimately concluded with much thunder but little rain.

Compared to the mortal realm, the world of immortal cultivation was generally much more open-minded regarding gender distinctions. Under the Heavenly Dao, all beings were equal; through cultivation, many female cultivators had attained positions of great power, and female sect masters holding sway over entire sects were by no means rare. Twisting and turning through various issues, arguments ultimately had to come back to actual achievements.

As a mortal monarch, she could not compare to peerless emperors like Emperor Taizong of Tang, but she could still be considered a qualified Human Sovereign.

Discussions concerning the female emperor thus came to an end, but another matter drew the attention of the Immortal Alliance.

According to the descriptions in the memorials submitted by the mortal realm, prior to the Zetian Emperor's ascension, officials reported that a phoenix had flown from the Mingtang into Shangyang Palace, subsequently alighting upon the parasol trees of the Left Terrace before flying off to the southeast, drawing tens of thousands of red sparrows to gather at the imperial court.

To mortals, this was an auspicious omen sent by heaven. Yet in the eyes of cultivators, with demon clans inhabiting all four borders of Great Tang, that "phoenix" was highly likely to be a bird demon.

Demon clans usually resided in the mountains and forests. Under the protection of cultivators, these non-human creatures rarely ventured into the mortal domain.

Yet this bird demon had suddenly flown into the imperial capital, and moreover at such a special juncture as the female emperor's ascension—it was difficult not to fill one's mind with suspicions.

Following that, the Immortal Alliance immediately dispatched several elite teams to investigate the situation of the demon clans on all sides, quickly discovering that demon clans were active near Mount Qi, while reports of missing villagers frequently emanated from that region.

Upon hearing the origin of the incident, Zhou Wuqing grew quite interested as well. Consequently, he and Ye Qiansheng accepted the task together, following the traces left by the phoenix bird deep into the interior to search for its tracks.

After flying continuously for several miles, the two arrived above a forest-dense cluster of peaks. Wisps of demonic Qi were rising from among the thickets, appearing as conspicuous as beacon fires within their perception.

"This should be the communal dwelling place of the demon clan," Ye Qiansheng said, looking around. "With the Qi this mixed, if we go deep inside, it will probably be very difficult to find that bird demon."

"With so many strands of demonic Qi, searching one by one would be endlessly troublesome," Zhou Wuqing remarked. "Let's just burn this mountain down with a single fire; if that bird demon is here, it will naturally come out."

"Do not be hasty, Brother Zhou," Ye Qiansheng said hurriedly upon seeing him gesture to act. "There are numerous living beings in this forest and the terrain is treacherous; acting rashly might provoke other disasters. Might as well let me try first. If that proves insufficient, taking action then will not be too late."

As she spoke, Ye Qiansheng flicked her wrist, and a jade flute materialized in her hand. She brought the flute to her lips, channeled her breath, and blew gently. Melodious tunes immediately rippled through the forest.

A gentle breeze swept past, causing the leaves on all sides to rustle as the lingering flute notes drifted leisurely among the woods.

Doics of birds rose on flapping wings from the forest, circling and swirling around her. Amidst their cries, her long hair and white robes fluttered alongside the forest leaves, making her look as though she were about to transform into a white bird and melt into the scenery.

Shortly after, the tune came to an end. Ye Qiansheng lowered the jade flute, gazing at the swirling formation of the flock of birds as if reading a secret letter. She pondered for a moment before turning back to address Zhou Wuqing behind her.

"According to the direction indicated by these birds, there is indeed a great demon in this mountain, but there seems to be some peril within. Would Brother Zhou care to come and take a look?"

"Since we have come, naturally we must take a look," Zhou Wuqing said, glancing at the jade flute in her hand. "Your flute technique is rather interesting. When I have some leisure in the future, I shall learn it for amusement."

"Since Brother Zhou is interested, I will present you with a flute once we return."

Ye Qiansheng smiled radiantly, turned around, and moved forward: "That great demon is ten miles to the north. Brother Zhou, please follow me."

The two flew side by side, plunging deep into the depths of Mount Qi. Crossing through the thickets, a wave of bloody stench suddenly rushed into their noses. Looking closely, they found dead demons scattered everywhere!

Those hundreds of demon corpses stretched across the mountains for dozens of miles. Upon closer inspection, demon clans of every variety were present, and among them, bird demons were the most numerous.

Those bird demons all possessed plumage of a fiery crimson color, identical to the ones that had appeared before the imperial court.