167: Chapter 167 The Story of Fengxian
The old woman's cane tapped against the bluestone slab, emitting a muffled "thud."
She stared at the phoenix ring on Chu Sheng's finger, a complex light flashing in her murky, aged eyes, appearing like reminiscence, yet also like fear.
"This ring... is a relic of Phoenix Immortal."
Her voice was hoarse, like wind blowing through withered leaves, "Young man, where did you obtain this?"
Chu Sheng did not answer, instead asking in return, "Who exactly is Phoenix Immortal?"
The old woman remained silent for a long time.
The wind in the bamboo forest blew over, causing her robes to flutter and snap.
She turned around, leaning on her cane as she walked toward the depths of the bamboo forest. After taking a few steps, she said without looking back, "Follow me."
Chu Sheng followed.
At the end of the bamboo forest was a simple ancestral hall, with green bricks and grey tiles; a plaque hung above the lintel.
It was inscribed with the three characters "Phoenix Immortal Shrine," written with vigorous brushstrokes, as if carved by a knife.
The old woman pushed open the wooden door with a creak, and dust fell in torrents from the door frame.
Inside the shrine stood a statue of a woman, with fluttering robes and a blurred face, yet her posture was upright, like a sword unsheathed.
The old woman sat down on a prayer mat and pointed to the one opposite her.
Chu Sheng stood not on ceremony and sat cross-legged.
"Phoenix Immortal," the old woman began, "was not from the Northern Region."
Chu Sheng nodded.
He already knew this; when the remnant thought of Phoenix Immortal appeared in the simulation, he had already guessed as much.
"She came from the Western Region."
The old woman said.
"The Western Region is the ancestral land of the Yao Race, where ten thousand Yao gather; it is more chaotic than the Northern Region and fiercer than the Demon Realm. Phoenix Immortal was an anomaly there—she was human, not Yao. But she was able to gain a foothold in the Western Region, relying not on Bloodline, but on strength."
Chu Sheng listened without interrupting.
"Back then, Phoenix Immortal offended a major figure in the Western Region and was hunted down with no way to heaven or earth, forcing her to flee to the Northern Region. When she arrived, she was severely injured and her cultivation had fallen by more than half, yet she was still a powerhouse at the Dao Palace Realm. She settled in Fengxian Prefecture, built a Secret Realm, and left behind her Legacy."
The old woman paused, her gaze falling on the ring on Chu Sheng's finger.
"That ring is what she brought out from the Western Region. The phoenix ring carries the chance for one Nirvana Rebirth. This was her life-saving talisman, which she never left her side."
"Then why did she leave the ring in the Secret Realm?" Chu Sheng asked.
The old woman was silent for a moment: "Because she died."
"How did she die?"
"I do not know."
The old woman shook her head.
"When the Fengxian Secret Realm opened, the ancestors of our Luo Feng Valley had entered. At that time, the Restriction in the Secret Realm was still intact, and the ancestor saw the remains of Phoenix Immortal at the core. They were not complete remains, but a pile of ash. The ashes of a Phoenix's Nirvana."
She raised her head and looked at Chu Sheng.
"She might have encountered a mishap while attempting Nirvana, or perhaps she was too severely injured. No one knows the truth."
Chu Sheng frowned.
Part of what the old woman said was true, and part was false.
He could tell that she was hiding something.
Regarding Phoenix Immortal's true purpose, the identity of that major figure in the Western Region, and why Phoenix Immortal died.
Regarding these crucial points, she either glossed over them or spoke vaguely.
But he did not press further.
The old woman spoke more about the Fengxian Secret Realm, saying there were three treasures inside: the five fires seven birds fan, the Incomplete Phoenix Immortal Sword Manual, and the phoenix egg.
She said these items were all brought by Phoenix Immortal from the Western Region, and each one was priceless.
Chu Sheng listened, nodding occasionally, but his mind was on other matters.
The old woman was telling the truth, but not the whole truth.
Emerging from the shrine, Chu Sheng found a secluded corner and called Old Grandfather out from the ring.
Old Grandfather's spectral image floated in mid-air, his grey hair blown into a mess by the wind; he stroked his beard and yawned.
"What is it again?"
"This person, Phoenix Immortal," Chu Sheng asked, "how much do you know?"
Old Grandfather paused, then narrowed his eyes, as if searching through memories from long ago.
After a while, he spoke: "Phoenix Immortal... this name sounds a bit familiar. This Seat seems to have heard it somewhere."
He thought and thought, then suddenly slapped his thigh.
"I remember now! When the Taixu Divine Sect still existed, there was a rumor in the Central Region that a female Cultivator had come from the Western Region. She was at the Peak of the Dao Palace Realm—she wasn't called Phoenix Immortal back then—and she single-handedly challenged three Yao Kings, turning the Western Region upside down."
"Later, for some reason, she disappeared. Some said she died, some said she returned to the Western Region, and others said she was hiding somewhere in the Northern Region to heal."
"Peak of the Dao Palace Realm?" Chu Sheng pressed, "What specific Realm?"
Old Grandfather shook his head.
"It was not an ordinary Dao Palace. As far as This Seat knows, her cultivation at her Peak was at least Dao Completion, and she might have even touched the threshold of a Divine Ability. It's just that..."
He paused, his brow furrowing, "It's just that something happened later, and her cultivation dropped severely. As for what exactly happened, This Seat is not clear."
Chu Sheng fell silent, comparing Old Grandfather's words with the old woman's.
The old woman said Phoenix Immortal offended a major figure in the Western Region and was hunted to the Northern Region.
Old Grandfather said she single-handedly challenged three Yao Kings.
These two events might be the same, or they might not.
But one thing was certain: Phoenix Immortal was very strong, and such a person died in the Northern Region with the cause of death remaining a mystery.
He always felt that this matter was not that simple.
The old woman walked out of the shrine, leaning on her cane, standing on the steps and looking at Chu Sheng.
Her gaze fell upon him, examining him up and down for quite a while, before she suddenly asked: "What is Your Excellency's current cultivation?"
Chu Sheng turned his head to look at her.
The old woman's eyes were very bright, like two lamps, particularly striking in the dim twilight.
She could not see through Chu Sheng's cultivation, which made her feel flustered.
She had been stuck at the Late Stage of the Spirit Spring Realm for decades and considered herself someone of note in the Tianfeng Kingdom, but this young man before her stood like a bottomless well.
She tentatively released her Divine Sense, wanting to perceive Chu Sheng's depth, but as soon as her Divine Sense touched his body, it was like a drop of water into the ocean.
The old woman's expression changed slightly.
Chu Sheng had not deliberately hidden it, nor had he deliberately displayed it.
She suddenly understood that this person before her was not someone she could provoke.
The gap between the Spirit Spring Realm and the Sea Opening Realm was like a small stream and a vast ocean.
No matter how wide or deep the stream was, it could not contain the water of the ocean.
The old woman had lived for several hundred years and had seen many powerhouses, but she had never seen such a young Sea Opening Cultivator.
A complex emotion welled up in her heart.
"Your Excellency..."
The old woman hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Although Luo Feng Valley cannot compare to those large Sects, it still has some heritage. Our valley has a Saintess with outstanding Aptitude and extraordinary cultivation; she just turned a hundred this year and is already at the Peak of the True Transformation Realm Realm. If Your Excellency does not mind, why not stay for a few days and let the Saintess accompany you around the valley?"
Chu Sheng glanced at the old woman.
He understood her meaning.
To win over, to show goodwill.
Using a Saintess to bind a young Sea Opening Cultivator—this was not a bad deal.
But Chu Sheng waved his hand.
"No need."
His tone was flat.
The old woman opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words back.
Chu Sheng turned and walked toward the valley entrance.
After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said without looking back: "Thank you for informing me about the Fengxian Secret Realm."
The old woman stood in place, watching his back disappear into the depths of the bamboo forest.
She suddenly had a strange feeling—this person would come again in the future.
Chu Sheng walked out of Luo Feng Valley and stood on the hillside; the night wind blew over, feeling chilly.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the messy thoughts in his mind.
Phoenix Immortal, the Western Region, Yao Kings, Peak of the Dao Palace Realm—these things were still too far from him.
What he needed to do now was to handle the matters at hand one by one.
Old Grandfather said gloomily from inside the ring: "That old woman wanted to give you a Saintess, why didn't you accept?"
Chu Sheng said: "My waist hurts."
Old Grandfather was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily, laughing so hard that the ring shook: "You brat, you deserve it!"