Chapter Seventy-Six: Who Is the Cicada

Upon receiving the messenger's communication talisman, the Sect Master of Azure Cloud Sect immediately ordered the Grand Elder to sound the bell again, summoning all disciples of Nascent Soul stage and above from each peak to assemble at Sacred Mist Peak for an oath-taking ceremony to launch a campaign against the Feng Clan.

The official reason for the expedition was to reclaim the sect's treasured artifact, stolen a century ago by the villain Feng Yulin.

After the incense burned for one cycle, the plaza before Sacred Mist Peak's grand hall was crowded and lively. The meticulous Grand Elder noticed the numbers were severely lacking—a significant portion of disciples were absent. Most egregious was the Qin family; not a single member showed up, including their patriarch Elder Qin.

Upon hearing this, the Sect Master was furious. "What is going on?"

The Master of Jade Mist Peak cautiously stepped forward to report, "Sect Master, the steward Qin Ruhua is holding a matchmaking banquet for her eldest daughter; they drank and became intoxicated."

The Sect Master looked closely and realized that those absent were all Qin family members or those close to them. Hmph, she had long wanted to deal with this bunch!

"Outrageous!" She shot to her feet, ready to explode.

The Grand Elder signaled her repeatedly, "Sect Master, in recent years, the Qin family has had few descendants. In over fifty years, this is the first time they've gained a daughter, so it's only natural they'd celebrate excessively. The Feng Clan is insignificant—do we really need so many people?"

Indeed, after dealing with the Feng Clan, settling matters with the Qin family could wait. The Sect Master understood, suppressed her anger, and sighed, "Very well. Send word to Jade Mist Peak: when the Qin disciples sober up, they are to return to their respective peaks for vigilance and guarding the gates, without fail."

Thus, nearly a hundred people, led by the Sect Master, marched grandly toward the new residence of the Feng Clan.

Feng Ke'er and Feng Jiu concealed themselves deep within the sea of clouds, watching from above as the swarm of people buzzed toward them like bees.

Upon seeing the two steep peaks, the Grand Elder was alarmed and urgently called out, "Wait! Sect Master, these two mountains look unusual. The Feng Clan is notorious for cunning and deceit—we must be cautious."

Her warning made the Sect Master reconsider; the peaks looked as if they had been chopped with knives and axes, resembling formation stones. After a moment's thought, she commanded, "Disciples, listen! Teams of ten, proceed through the dangerous peaks one squad at a time."

As Sect Master, she was the flag and role model of the sect; according to tradition, she led the Sacred Mist Peak disciples at the front. The cautious Grand Elder was assigned to bring up the rear with her peak's disciples, while the rest took the middle. The hundred or so people advanced in stops and starts, taking about two hours to pass through the narrow gorge formed by the peaks.

The entire process passed without incident.

As the Grand Elder was the last to cross, the Sect Master breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "The Feng Clan is insignificant—what tricks could they possibly play!"

The crowd laughed, eager to agree, when suddenly, "Boom! Boom! Boom!"—dense drumbeats resounded from all directions.

The heavens changed dramatically.

A fierce wind arose. Sand and stones flew. Layers of dark clouds rolled in from the horizon like surging waves. In an instant, the blue sky vanished. The green mountains and rivers faded like ink wash paintings. It was as if they were trapped beneath an overturned, pitch-black iron cauldron—unable to see their own hands in the darkness.

"So much baleful energy!" someone cried out in alarm.

The Grand Elder shrieked, "A death formation—this is a death formation!"

"Damn it, we've fallen into their trap!" The Sect Master was so enraged she nearly ground her teeth to dust, barking, "Gather together! Everyone, come to me!"

But it was too late. Before her words could finish, the scene changed again—now a sea of fire, now a desert, now a swamp, now a jungle. Everyone found themselves alone, their companions vanished. In the distance, the roars of fierce beasts echoed ceaselessly. The earth trembled beneath their feet. "Boom, boom, boom," colossal footsteps drew ever closer...

Feng Ke'er was disappointed. She thought that standing high and seeing far, she could observe the happenings within the formation. It was her first time witnessing such a grand killing array—she had been full of anticipation. But as soon as the war drums sounded, all she saw was dazzling brilliance erupting behind the two peaks, a sudden golden halo appearing. Then, thunderously, the halo snapped shut into a line, and in the blink of an eye, became a single shining point. After that, she could see nothing. Earlier, she heard occasional screams from beyond the peaks, but after half an hour, the light vanished, the wind calmed, and all returned to normal.

Feng Ke'er blinked and asked, "Is it over already?"

Feng Jiu withdrew his gaze, sighed deeply, and answered indirectly, "It was her."

Her? Feng Ke'er instantly realized who "she" referred to—the legendary former Saintess of the Feng Clan, the ancient goddess who created humanity in myth—Lady Nuwa! If lucky, she might even get Nuwa's autograph! Instantly, her hair stood on end. "It really was her?"

Feng Jiu nodded, "Who else could deploy the Seven Fiends Immortal-Slaying Array?"

He explained, and Feng Ke'er learned its terrifying nature: the formation contained seven types of baleful energy, each manifesting as a scene—sea of fire, forest, desert, swamp, blizzard, tsunami, and blood sea. Any cultivator below Golden Immortal who entered would be utterly destroyed, leaving no bones behind. Thus, it was called the Seven Fiends Immortal-Slaying Array.

The Sect Master and others were at most in the mid-Ascension stage, unable to last even half an hour inside.

"She's really that powerful?" Feng Ke'er was awestruck.

Feng Jiu rubbed his brow, face grave. "I underestimated her. She had previously severed her immortal roots and her soul had scattered. So, we all believed she could never reincarnate, unless the clan head retrieved the soul fragment taken from her long ago. Over ten thousand years passed—Taiyi searched everywhere, but never found it. Unexpectedly, news from the lower realm said she'd reincarnated as a human. Worried that without immortal roots, cultivation would be hard, we rushed down to find her... Never imagined she'd already regained her Golden Immortal cultivation!"

Ten thousand years, starting from scratch, to Golden Immortal again—what a monster! Feng Ke'er nearly dropped her jaw. "Her cultivation returning is a good thing, isn't it? Why are you so troubled?" She remembered the meat bird was also reborn, but only managed to reach the transformation stage; suddenly, she realized—someone was jealous of his own beloved!

Feng Jiu, wrapped in his own thoughts, didn't notice her expression. He frowned, gazing into the distance. "She once mentioned this array to me. She said it was full of baleful energy, but not malice. Now, however, it is three parts baleful, seven parts malicious."

Baleful or malicious, both were lethal—what difference did it make? Feng Ke'er pouted, "So what?"

Feng Jiu turned, fixing her with a serious gaze, speaking slowly and clearly, "The presence of malice is precisely what separates immortals from demons. The true energy of immortals is pure, devoid of malice; if even a trace is present, one has already fallen to the demonic path."

Feng Ke'er gasped, "Three parts baleful, seven parts malicious... Are you saying she's not an immortal, but a demon?"

Feng Jiu took a deep breath and rattled off a series of figures, "Three parts malice means a Demon General. Five parts, a Demon Commander. Seven parts, a Demon King."

Lady Nuwa, a Demon King? Feng Ke'er shook her head repeatedly. "No, impossible! You must be mistaken!"

"So you really know her—and trust and revere her greatly." Feng Jiu's face changed abruptly; he seized her right wrist fiercely, demanding, "At this point, still denying you're of the Feng Clan, her spy in Azure Cloud Sect? Tell me, where is she? Take me to her!"

Thanks to the Concealing Talisman, his pressure had no effect, but her wrist was gripped so tightly her whole arm throbbed painfully, unable to move.

Heaven knows, she was more wronged than Dou E!

"I really don't know her," she cried desperately. "I swear, I swear by my heart demon!"

In the cultivation world, cultivators pursue the Dao, fearless of death, but dread the heart demon's curse. They rarely swear by their heart demon, for breaking such a vow means the heart demon is born, growing stronger as their cultivation rises, until one day it overwhelms them, devouring their soul and rendering all prior cultivation a stage for the demon.

Feng Jiu believed her, released her, and stood with hands behind his back, gazing for a long time toward the killing array. The Seven Fiends Immortal-Slaying Array was formidable; even in his current early transformation stage, and before his rebirth, he wouldn't dare enter without thorough preparation. Though anxious, he could only wait helplessly outside.

Ah, the bitter romantic supporting character... Feng Ke'er, feeling a surge of sympathy, selectively forgot his earlier rudeness and quietly advised, "Hey, meat bird, you said she's regained Golden Immortal cultivation. If she wanted to destroy Azure Cloud Sect, she could do it with a finger. Would she really need to go to all this trouble? Maybe you're mistaken, or her real intention isn't to kill the sect master and elders, but something else—like territory." She pointed behind her toward Azure Cloud Sect.

If this was the Feng Clan's new home, then compared to Azure Cloud Sect, the difference was drastic.

Feng Jiu turned, looked at her finger, paused, then slapped his forehead, "Ah, it's the 'lure the tiger from the mountain' tactic! Let's hurry back!"

"Hey, you—" Feng Ke'er hadn't reacted before he urged his cotton cloud to rush forth at breakneck speed. Unprepared, she stumbled backward, nearly thrown off.

Yet even so, he was still a step too late.

Azure Cloud Sect's gates remained, but had a new master. Before the outer gate, Elder Qin donned the multicolored robes reserved for the sect master, leading the disciples in respectful kneeling.

"Azure Cloud Sect respectfully sends off the Holy Envoy."

The so-called Holy Envoy had already become a tiny black speck in the sky. Even with Feng Ke'er's sharp eyes, she couldn't tell if the envoy was fat or thin, male or female.

Special thanks to the reader 100228205009100 for the pink ticket. (To be continued)

通天宝典 76 – Chapter Seventy-Six: Who Is the Cicada, updated!