Chapter 276: The Phoenix's Feather

Chapter 276: The Phoenix's Feather

"This... hehe." Yue Mingsong rubbed his palms together, took a sip of tea from the table, and chuckled, "Yes, I’m from a small tribe in the Southern Barbarian lands. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t know it, so there’s no point in mentioning it."

Ning Xin'er frowned skeptically. "Didn’t you claim to be the neighbor of the disciple of the World’s First Forging Master? Would such a person really live in a tribal village?"

No matter how she looked at him, Yue Mingsong didn’t seem like a Martial Artist from a primitive tribe. She felt he hadn’t spoken a single truthful word.

Yue Mingsong remained unruffled. "The thoughts of forging masters are beyond the comprehension of ordinary folk. The disciple of the World’s First Forging Master truly did live in our primitive tribe—right in a cave next to my home. He said the deep mountains near our tribe held a great earth mineral vein, a treasure trove for raw materials, so he settled there for decades. The forging skills I possess? All learned from him. Shh... keep it quiet."

He spoke with such conviction that it was hard not to believe him.

"If the Mystic Gate Artifact Codex truly exists in this world, it definitely isn’t in the Heavenly Emperor’s Tomb Forest. That place is just a decoy, not the actual tomb of the Heavenly Emperor," Ning Xiaochuan said.

Ning Xiaochuan was deeply invested in the matter of the Mystic Gate Artifact Codex. If he could truly obtain this legendary forging tome left behind by the Heavenly Emperor, elevating the Divine Sword Palace to worldwide fame would merely be a matter of time.

Yue Mingsong didn’t question how Ning Xiaochuan knew the Heavenly Emperor’s Tomb Forest was a ruse. With a solemn expression, he said, "Then that means the Mystic Gate Artifact Codex must be inside the Heavenly Palace. Little Brother Ning, you have connections with the Master of the Martial Palace. There are many areas in the Heavenly Palace we can’t access, but you definitely can. If you find the Mystic Gate Artifact Codex and let me study it for three days, I’ll forge for you free of charge for three years. How about it?"

"The Heavenly Palace is a cultivation sanctuary left behind by the Heavenly Emperor. Even the Master of the Martial Palace likely hasn’t fully comprehended its depths. With my current cultivation, there won’t be many places I can enter. Still, I’ll do my best."

"With your word, Little Brother Ning, success is assured! Cheers!" Yue Mingsong raised his teacup and downed it in one gulp—truly emptying it, not even leaving a single tea leaf behind.

After parting ways with Yue Mingsong, Yu Qianqian, and Ning Xin'er, Ning Xiaochuan went to see the Deputy Headmaster. He found the man slumped in his chair, his face etched with misery, sighing deeply like a pitiful old man who had lost his spouse in middle age and his children in old age.

"Xiaochuan, you’re back? Have a seat." The Deputy Headmaster spoke weakly.

Ning Xiaochuan had originally intended to ask if the Deputy Headmaster possessed any Magma Blood from the Earth’s Core. But seeing him in such a state, he hesitated to bring it up. Instead, he asked, "Deputy Headmaster, you seem troubled?"

The Deputy Headmaster cursed furiously, "Damn it, this is too cruel! The profound medicine I've spent half my lifetime cultivating was stolen overnight. If I catch that little thief, I'll chop him into pieces! Isn't it strange? The medicinal field was clearly protected by a Daoist Barrier, yet the thief managed to steal the profound medicine without breaking it. He must be a Martial Artist, and one skilled in formations at that. Could it be that old bastard Xuan Zhenzi?"

Had the Deputy Headmaster known the thieves were the small red dragon and the black tiger from Ning Xiaochuan's residence, he would probably have wanted to chop Ning Xiaochuan into pieces first.

"Xiaochuan, why are you so nervous?" The Deputy Headmaster stared at Ning Xiaochuan, curious.

"Not at all," Ning Xiaochuan feigned attentiveness, looking utterly clueless.

The Deputy Headmaster said, "Then why did your heartbeat suddenly speed up just now?"

"Well... I’m actually just as furious. It’s not easy for us Heart Nurturers to cultivate profound medicine—gathering resources, pouring our hearts into nurturing them—only for some thief to steal everything overnight. That scoundrel deserves to be drawn and quartered!" Ning Xiaochuan declared righteously.

Bang!

The Deputy Headmaster slammed his palm on the table. "Exactly! Too despicable! Too hateful! If I catch him, I’ll chop him into pieces first, then have him drawn and quartered! Hmm… Do you think it could be that old ghost Yan?"

At this point, forget about getting the Deputy Headmaster to hand over a single drop of Magma Blood from the Earth's Core—even getting him to produce a random Four-Star Spiritual Herb would be a challenge.

Knowing the Deputy Headmaster was in a rage, suspicious of everyone, Ning Xiaochuan decided not to arouse further suspicion. He quickly excused himself and left.

Once outside the Deputy Headmaster’s alchemy room, Ning Xiaochuan finally let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like I’ll have to find the Magma Blood elsewhere."

The sky was painted with crimson twilight, the red sun half-sunk below the horizon.

Since he was back at the Emperor's Martial Palace, Ning Xiaochuan decided to visit the Mysterious Woman residing in the Ghost Dream Wilderness. She had taught him many things—practically half a master to him.

Returning to the deep valley in the Ghost Dream Wilderness, Ning Xiaochuan searched for her dwelling. But after a long while, he found no trace of her.

The massive golden silk nest still floated above the shimmering lake, but it seemed long abandoned, devoid of any life.

"Roar!"

The black tiger leaped out from the grass, landing beside Ning Xiaochuan. Its agate-like eyes fixed on the nest as it mouthed something silently.

"You’re saying she left half a year ago?" Ning Xiaochuan frowned slightly. "Where did she go?"

The black tiger shook its head vigorously, clearly unaware of her whereabouts.

"Perhaps she’s already left the Yulan Empire. With her cultivation level, only by leaving could she seek higher breakthroughs." Ning Xiaochuan pondered.

Whoosh!

Ning Xiaochuan's body soared into the air and landed lightly on the water's surface. With a gentle tap of his toes, he created faint ripples before leaping up again, landing on the edge of the floating golden silk nest.

The golden silk nest hovered above the lake, suspended more than ten meters above the water. From the lakeshore, the nest didn’t appear particularly large. But as Ning Xiaochuan stood at its edge, he realized it was astonishingly vast—over 70 meters in diameter, comparable to a standard football field.

This was no mere nest—it resembled a massive sinkhole. Even a Divine Dragon could lie comfortably within it without feeling cramped.

Ning Xiaochuan cautiously reached out, but as soon as his fingers neared the nest, a golden halo materialized in the air, blocking his touch. The surface of the halo shimmered with intricate formations—not just defensive arrays but also high-level offensive ones. Fortunately, Ning Xiaochuan had been cautious and didn’t recklessly charge in, or he would have suffered severe injuries.

Peering through the layers of formations, he could faintly make out a white palace floating within the golden silk nest. That must be where the Mysterious Woman resides.

Ning Xiaochuan bowed respectfully toward the palace three times before preparing to leave.

But just then, a golden light burst forth from the small palace, piercing through the formations and hovering above Ning Xiaochuan’s head. Within the radiance, he clearly saw a fiery red feather—seven meters long and wreathed in flames. It looked less like a feather and more like a colossal fan.

He reached out to grab it, but a searing heat scorched his skin. Quickly, he channeled his Dragon-Tiger Profound Qi to envelop his hand, allowing him to carefully grasp the feather through the golden light.

Despite being just a single feather, it weighed over 5,000 kg and burned like molten lava. Without the protection of his Dragon-Tiger Profound Qi, his hand would have ignited and turned to ash.

Spreading his Wings of Rage, Ning Xiaochuan soared hundreds of meters into the air. With a single swing of the seven-meter-long fiery feather, a torrent of scorching heat erupted, sweeping across mountains and rivers for dozens of kilometers.

"Whoosh—"

The flames ignited entire mountain ranges, turning the land into a sea of fire. The entire Ghost Dream Wilderness seemed to be ablaze. Mystic Beasts fled in panic through the inferno, roaring in terror as if a natural disaster had descended.

Ning Xiaochuan was stunned. The feather’s power was terrifying—just one swing had set dozens of kilometers of wilderness aflame, painting the night sky crimson. From above, the ground was nothing but an expanding ocean of fire.

"Little Black, help put out the fire!"

Ning Xiaochuan immediately unleashed his Martial Arts Divine Ability, "Ten Thousand Swords Transforming into Rain," summoning a torrential downpour from the sky.

If the flames weren’t stopped, the entire Ghost Dream Wilderness would be doomed.

Roaring Sky Tiger also understood the severity of the situation and immediately transformed into its true form, expanding its body hundreds of times larger. It drank an entire river's water in one gulp and then frantically sprayed it out.

It took a full two hours for Ning Xiaochuan and Roaring Sky Tiger to extinguish the flames in their frantic firefighting efforts.

Both man and beast were utterly exhausted.

Ning Xiaochuan took out the feather again and examined it carefully, his eyes filled with awe. "What kind of bird does this feather belong to? I’ve never seen anything like it before."

"It should be a Phoenix," the voice of the Heavenly Emperor's Blade chimed in.

"A Phoenix?" Ning Xiaochuan was startled.

Back on Earth, Ning Xiaochuan had heard of the Phoenix, but it was a mythical divine bird from legends. Could such a creature truly exist in this world?

The Heavenly Emperor's Blade said, "So she was a Phoenix—no wonder she could suppress me for two hundred years. Kid, keeping this Phoenix Feather on you will only bring you mortal danger. You’d better hand it over to me for safekeeping."