The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 41

“If Senior Sister is a good girl and listens, I’ll keep turning back into a Phoenix for you to pet.” 

The tomb of the Phoenix Sovereign was located deep within the Endless Forest of Trees. Over the millennia, many powerful members of the Feather Clan had attempted to venture into the forest to reclaim the Sovereign’s remains, yet all had returned defeated and humiliated.

The Physician Immortal handed Wen Qiwu a map with the approximate location of the tomb marked on it.

Because no one had ever reached the heart of the tomb, a truly precise map didn’t exist. This version was the doctor’s payment for saving a life and was currently the most detailed record available. Even so, Wen Qiwu would have to find the exact spot herself once she arrived.

“This is the location of the tomb?” Wen Qiwu was slightly surprised as she studied the map. After comparing it to her own memories, she realized that the place where she had hatched from the Phoenix egg fell exactly within the range marked as the Sovereign’s Tomb.

Does this body really have a connection to that ancient Demon Emperor?

“It should be there. The Demon Emperor rests in eternal sleep, her residual power still suppressing the resentful souls of the ancient demon hordes. That’s why it’s so dangerous. Your Phoenix bloodline might help you find the true tomb, but the spirits lingering in the Endless Forest are still a massive threat.” The Demon Realm of ten thousand years ago was incomparable to today’s; the True Demons of that era were in the God Realm, the Demon Lords were True Immortals, and Golden Immortals were too numerous to count. Their burial grounds were filled with sky-high resentment; running into even one would be immense trouble.

Though the Phoenix bloodline was special, Wen Qiwu hadn’t had enough time to grow. Heading there with only the strength of an Earth Immortal… it was still a gamble.

It would be best if someone accompanied her, but even a Golden Immortal wouldn’t be much help in that place.

“Why don’t you let Sect Master Yun go with you…” The Physician Immortal suggested. She felt that if Wen Qiwu left for the forest, Yun Heng wouldn’t be able to rest and heal in peace anyway; it would be better for them to head to the Forest Territory together.

Yun Heng, who had been standing nearby wanting to speak, felt her eyes light up. She cast a grateful look toward the doctor.

Unfortunately, before the Physician Immortal could finish, she was met with Wen Qiwu’s gaze, it looked gentle on the surface, but a chilling frost lay deep within her eyes.

The best-tempered people are the scariest when they truly get angry. Even the doctor didn’t dare mention it again after seeing that look.

Forget it, forget it. This girl was genuinely furious. Once she made up her mind, not even Yun Heng could change it. Better not to meddle.

“I’m fairly familiar with that area; I know how to avoid the dangers. You don’t need to worry.” The wind on Cloud Mist Mountain was still a bit cold. Wen Qiwu pulled Yun Heng’s robes tighter around her. No matter how pitiful her Senior Sister’s eyes looked, she didn’t budge.

“A-Que” Yun Heng tentatively took her sister’s hand. Wen Qiwu didn’t pull away, and a flicker of joy finally cut through the lonely expression on the Sect Master’s face.

“The Immortal Venerable needs to rest and recover, far away from all the fighting and killing.”

Yun Heng locked eyes with Wen Qiwu for a moment before looking down and whispering, “A-Que is right.”

A smile the Physician Immortal couldn’t suppress, twitched at the corner of her mouth. She had been driven nearly mad by this disobedient patient for years; finally, there was someone who could keep her in check.

“By the way, there’s one more thing you should be careful of.” The doctor glanced at the birds perched on the branches, reminded of the records of the Primal Spirit Domain. “Tens of thousands of years ago, the Demon Emperor died without leaving an heir. None of the other kings could command the respect of the masses, and so the Primal Spirit Domain split into various factions. Many of the clans never gave up on finding the Emperor’s remains. They go every time the Forest Territory opens. Some truly want to bring the Emperor home, but others covet her bloodline. Even though she’s dead, a single drop of her blood extracted from her bones would be enough to drive the clans into a frenzy.”

“When you’re out, it’s best to hide your bloodline’s power. Setting other clans aside, even the Feather Clan—the Phoenix’s own kin, might not be without ulterior motives, especially the powerful Demon Kings. You aren’t strong enough yet; it’s not the time to appear before them.” The doctor voiced her concerns.

The bloodline of the Ancestral Phoenix was essentially a key to the God Realm. If Wen Qiwu were given time to grow, she would be the person with the greatest hope in this world of breaking through to the God Realm. If she had the strength of the ancient Emperor, the clans would naturally worship her. But without that strength, her bloodline would only invite disaster.

“I understand,” Wen Qiwu nodded. She had no plans to visit the Primal Spirit Domain for now; she only wanted to stay by her sister’s side until she was healthy again.

“The Endless Forest of Trees grows many precious spiritual herbs. Is there anything the Physician Immortal needs me to bring back?” This map was precious; Wen Qiwu didn’t want to take it for free.

“If you see any rare herbs, bring them back. But the place is dangerous—don’t force yourself.” The doctor didn’t intend for her to take risks. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Keep the map safe… and spend more time with her.”

Her inner demon is still there, the doctor’s voice echoed in Wen Qiwu’s mind via a private transmission. She might have trouble distinguishing between the demon and reality at times. So… until her demon is gone, try to go along with her. Just make sure you don’t do anything to let the demon take a deeper hold.

Wen Qiwu bit her lip slightly, then replied the same way: I will.

“A-Que, what did she mean… by ‘Phoenix bloodline’?” Yun Heng thought she had misheard. A hundred years ago, when her sister “passed away,” many saw her body disintegrate because it couldn’t handle the massive influx of power. That body was certainly gone. It was expected that her sister would return in a new form, and as long as she was back, Yun Heng didn’t care about the details.

At most, she wondered how her sister had fared outside all these years and if she had been bullied.

But a “Phoenix bloodline” brought a host of other complications. She had realized the same things the doctor had. If the clans in the Primal Spirit Domain knew a Phoenix had appeared, they wouldn’t rest until they found her. Since coming outside, Yun Heng’s focus had been entirely on Wen Qiwu; only now did she realize just how lively her mountain had become.

Cloud Mist Mountain was snowy and cold year-round, hardly an ideal habitat for most birds. Yet today, every tree, bush, and eave was occupied by various chirping birds.

She instinctively pulled her sister closer to block the birds’ view. Their gazes were far too intense, and Yun Heng didn’t like it one bit.

This move prompted a chorus of unhappy chirps from the birds as they voiced their protest.

My sister has been loved by the Feather Clan since she was small. Even those arrogant Fire-Feather Birds were willing to offer their feathers to her… was this the reason?

Right now, it was just common, weak birds, but eventually, the Demon Kings would come knocking. No. Her sister was hers. She wouldn’t let those kings take her away.

Even though it hadn’t happened yet, Yun Heng was already starting to worry.

“I slept for a long time. When I woke up, I found myself in the body of a Phoenix.” Wen Qiwu looked up from her sister’s arms and gave a small wave of her hand. The little birds were instantly soothed.

Yun Heng suddenly felt that Cloud Mist Mountain was better when it was quiet. It should just be her and her sister; these noisy birds should all be thrown into the beast pens.

Phoenix, Phoenix…

She remembered the books stating that the Demon Emperor from ten thousand years ago was pure white, with only a gradient of cyan on her tail. When she streaked across the sky, she looked like a ball of flame.

White body, cyan tail… That was exactly what “Qing Tuan” looked like. The bird Dong Shiyue had brought back was identical.

Yun Heng raised a hand and gently rubbed her sister’s cheek. The sensation was exactly like the soft down of the bird in the cage.

No wonder her sister had said those things in the dream…

Her hand trembled slightly. Her sister had indeed been with her for a long time; she had just been so lost in the past that she never noticed.

“A-Que, did you hurt yourself when you fell?” She remembered her sister lunging to stop her from knocking over the cage. Her sister’s power was restricted inside that cage; without immortal energy to protect her, the fall must have hurt.

That cage really does need to be melted!

“It didn’t hurt. I have the body of a Phoenix now; how could a fall hurt me?” An Immortal Beast’s physique was built for durability. Falling from a table to the floor was nothing; she didn’t even have a bruise.

When her sister didn’t reply, Wen Qiwu knew she was spiraling into self-blame again.

Of course Yun Heng was blaming herself. It took her sister coming into her dream to tell her the truth. If her sister hadn’t been able to enter her dreams, would they have missed each other forever?

In those days, she had been leaving early and returning late, leaving her sister alone in a cage without proper care!

A dim light swirled in Yun Heng’s eyes, her self-blame gradually brewing a self-destructive tendency.

Wen Qiwu’s heart tightened. Though she couldn’t see her sister’s face, her intuition sounded an alarm.

She couldn’t let her sister stay trapped in those thoughts!

“Does the Immortal Venerable think I’m nice to pet in my Phoenix form?” Having just touched on the topic, Wen Qiwu’s impulsive question surprised even herself.

Her face flushed a light crimson after she said it. Truthfully, she suspected her sister liked it; Yun Heng never had a habit of petting animals, yet she had stroked her countless times while holding her.

The red haze in Yun Heng’s eyes vanished. She dazed for a moment, recalling the feeling of that soft, round ball in her palm. The chaotic whispers of the inner demon fell silent.

Even as the demon tried to tear her thoughts apart and drive her toward self-destruction, simply looking at that soft little puffball made her feel like the wounds in her heart were being filled with soft feathers. “Xue Tuan” (Snowball) was also fluffy, but she never felt that way with her. Now she understood why—it was because this was her sister.

There had been so many signs, yet she had failed to see them.

“I like it… very much,” Yun Heng whispered longingly against her sister’s ear.

In that form, her sister was just the right size to be hidden in the palm of her hand, away from the eyes of any humans or demons, especially those birds lusting after her.

“Then if you’re a good girl and listen, I’ll turn into a Phoenix for you to pet again, okay?” Wen Qiwu coaxed.

Yun Heng gazed into her eyes, a tender, unspeakable sweetness rising in her heart. She knew her sister was the softest-hearted person in the world.

“Okay.”

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