Chapter 66: Its Name Is Phoenix

Outside the borders of Mount Qishan, a clear and resonant flute melody echoed.

Amidst the notes, the surrounding vegetation trembled. Small demons hidden in the mountain forests poked their heads out one by one, some shaking their downy fur, others fluttering their feathered wings, resembling pious believers hearing a prayer.

At the center of the forest, Ye Qiansheng held an jade flute, playing as the music rippled outward. A sense of serenity diffused through the air, dispersing the solemn chill left by the corpses.

The melody continued in a flowing stream until it halted abruptly at a certain note. She raised her head to look, a figure in red descending from the horizon, bearing a faint aura of bloodshed.

"Brother Zhou is as swift as ever."

She lowered the jade flute and cast a cleansing spell to wash the blood aura from him: "How did those three fiends fare?"

"Not worth mentioning." Zhou Wuqing gave a flick of his hand, revealing three refined demon cores resting in his palm, radiating a dense demonic aura.

"There seems to be a trace of Buddhist affinity upon these... Could those three fiends truly be connected to Buddhism?"

Ye Qiansheng examined the cores, her expression turning slightly grave: "There is likely karmic entanglement here. It would be best to bring them back to the Immortal Alliance and hand them over to Yuan Tiangang and the others for observation."

Zhou Wuqing acknowledged her words with a hum, stowing the cores away in his pouch. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly pivoted, casting his gaze toward the forest behind them.

Among the trees behind him, a crimson sparrow was carefully beating its wings, approaching him. Seeing his gaze turn upon it, the sparrow shuddered so violently its feathers ruffled, standing there trembling, yet still forcing itself to speak despite its quivering voice.

"Immortal... Just now, witnessing you subdue the three fiends, I was truly, deeply captivated by your demeanor."

Its words were spoken with trembling timidity, and its already less-than-fluent speech came out in stumbles and jolts.

"Therefore, I wish to follow you, Immortal. Please, accept..."

The halting, hesitant words caused Ye Qiansheng beside them to pause slightly, before she smiled: "Brother Zhou, this bird-demon wishes to pledge its loyalty to you."

Zhou Wuqing turned and glanced at it sideways: "I have little interest in raising birds."

At these words, the crimson sparrow immediately bristled its feathers, its entire body radiating a sense of frantic urgency.

"I, I eat very little. I am willing to do chores for the Immortal."

The crimson sparrow fluttered up and down, its eyes filled with yearning: "I only ask the Immortal to take me in... Only ask the Immortal to accept me, I am willing to be driven by your will..."

One could tell it was truly anxious, its speech accelerating accordingly. Zhou Wuqing, however, still showed no particular reaction, while Ye Qiansheng, watching the frantic display from the side, was amused into a soft chuckle.

"This bird-demon has no blood aura about it; it is certainly not a creature that harms others."

Ye Qiansheng pondered for a moment, stepping forward to advise: "With the Qishan realm devastated by the three fiends, it will likely take at least a century to recover its vitality. This bird is indeed pitifully homeless."

"Why not take it in for now? If you find yourself disinclined to keep it later, you can simply release it back into the mountains where spiritual Qi is abundant. How does Brother Zhou find this suggestion?"

Hearing her speak, Zhou Wuqing's expression seemed to soften. He turned to lock gazes with the pitiful-looking crimson sparrow for a moment, as if contemplating the matter, before giving a slight nod.

"Very well."

As soon as these words left his mouth, the crimson sparrow's feathers flared wide. Although its face could not form expressions, the wave of sheer joy was already overflowing.

"Thank you, Immortal! Thank you, Immortal!"

It flapped its wings, hopping up and down, every inch of its body radiating delight. Its somewhat comical appearance brought another light chuckle from Ye Qiansheng.

"I have heard that cultivators who practice the Dao of beast-taming always name their own spirit beasts. Since this crimson sparrow now follows you, Brother Zhou, shouldn't it be given a name as well?"

Hearing this, the hopping crimson sparrow instantly froze, tucking its wings behind it like a student waiting for a teacher's critique.

Zhou Wuqing met its gaze, pondering for a moment.

"This little demon's plumage is crimson red, and it carries the fire element within its body, bearing some similarity to the legendary Phoenix of antiquity. In that case, let us call it... Feng Huang (Phoenix) for now."

...

The off-road vehicle drove into the innermost core of the Demon Kingdom.

This was the foot of the golden parasol tree. All around were dwellings and facilities built against the trunk, with passages formed by giant tree roots extending through them. Various types of grand demons could be seen shuttling back and forth between the tunnels.

At the center of the numerous roots lay an area resembling a central plaza.

Directly in front of the plaza stood a golden statue, several times larger than the one in the outer scenic area. It carved a phoenix spreading its wings in flight, as if bathing in fire.

Unlike the statue in the outer scenic area, beside the fire-bathing phoenix, the figure of a cultivator was also carved. The cultivator was likewise accompanied by flames, making it look as though the phoenix were instead accompanying his side.

"This is the final stop for today, and also the venue for tomorrow's Flower Appreciation Ceremony."

The car door opened, and the peacock fluttered down to the base of the statue, circling around the pedestal. Cheng Xiaomeng, following closely behind it, raised her head to look, noticing several lines of text carved into the stone base beneath the statue.

[In the Xinmao year of Western Qi, three fiends invaded, plunging all living things into misery. The Sovereign encountered an immortal amidst the mountains, obtained favorable fortune, and joined forces to suppress the fiends.]

[The Sovereign and the Immortal traveled together to this place, eradicating the corpse forest and eliminating the three fiends, ultimately restoring peace to Qishan. Witnessing the Immortal's mighty deeds and the Immortal marveling at the Sovereign's talent, they chose to travel in company.]

[Over the millennia since, the Sovereign and the Immortal traversed rivers and mountains, beheld the breadth of the world, attained the Holy Realm, and were crowned as the Masters of Qishan.]

Surrounding this statue were several more parasol roots, painted with murals just like the ones before.

The background of each mural varied, depicting journeys through mountains, oceans, grasslands, and ancient cities at a single glance. Every single panel narrated a fragment of that thousand-year history, with the protagonists eternally being the Daoist and the phoenix.

For the citizens of the Demon Kingdom, these creations in the imperial capital were undoubtedly supreme promotional materials—the Demon Kingdom's equivalent of scriptures, serving as basic education that every citizen had to receive.

Weaving the deeds of this "Immortal" into the legends of the demon capital on such a grand scale undoubtedly demonstrated the Demon Emperor's attitude toward humanity.

She hoped that every citizen of the Demon Kingdom would remember the Immortal who had once set foot in these lands, hoping to firmly engrave the concept of "humans and demons coexisting in harmony and walking hand in hand" into the mind of every subject.

Precisely because of this, the Central Plains had seen very few conflicts between humans and demons over the span of several centuries, allowing people like them to stand here today and genuinely walk alongside demons.

Cheng Xiaomeng stood before the colossal golden statue, tilting her head to meet the gaze of the figure carved above, feeling a quiet wave of emotion in her heart.

All signs indicated that the "Immortal" was by no means a fabrication, but a truly existing, immensely powerful cultivator.

Yet now, while the name of the Demon Emperor echoed far and wide, the Immortal had quietly faded away without a trace. Had it not been for this expedition to the Demon Kingdom, she would never even have heard of this person's deeds.

The Sovereign and the Immortal traveled together for a millennium, yet ultimately the Demon Emperor returned to the land of Qishan. What about the Immortal?

Where did that Immortal go? Could they have perished?

Thinking it over from every angle, only this answer seemed to fit, involuntarily giving rise to a lingering sense of regret within her.

If such a person were still alive today, they would undoubtedly be treated as a revered treasure within the Super Research Institute. Merely studying their deeds would yield enough research papers to sustain an entire major research group.

Yet this immense fortune had ultimately slipped through their fingers; they were late by several centuries.

"Then today's tour will conclude here for now. I shall lead you all to the quarters established here by the Super Research Institute."

The peacock's voice drifted over from afar: "Tomorrow is the Flower Appreciation Ceremony, and Her Majesty will personally make an appearance. Please rest well and await the opening of the ceremony."