Chapter 1736: Breaking Down the Door

**The Mortal World**

The ancestral land of the Phoenix Clan in the Demonic Sea is not located on an island.

In the northern region of the Demonic Sea lies a lush, green realm where ancient trees flourish. This area is more expansive than any forest on land, yet all its trees are rooted in water. Their white root systems drift in the sea like countless white snakes, with the longest roots extending even into the unfathomable depths of the ocean. Underwater, the roots are intertwined and boundless, forming an inseparable, continuous jungle that makes one wonder if it all originated from a single tree.

Countless demonic birds inhabit this place. Every sunrise, as the morning mist dissipates, chirping can be heard. Flocks of demonic birds ascend into the sky, their colorful plumage shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight, adorning the clear blue sky.

The Phoenix Clan resides at the center of this jungle.

This morning, a woman flew in from the sea, adorned in colorful robes. She had delicate features and a heroic air about her. Her expression was solemn, and her phoenix-like eyes emitted a daunting gaze, making her presence exceptionally imposing. Others felt a terrifying pressure in her presence. Demonic birds dwelling at the jungle's edge, sensing the woman's aura, all trembled, cowering in their nests, daring not to move. What terrified them was not only the demonic king's pressure emanating from the woman but also a unique bloodline aura. It was an aura possessed only by descendants of the Heavenly Phoenix, the ruler of the Demonic Sea.

There were also sentient demonic birds here not of the Phoenix Clan. Seeing the woman from afar, they initially intended to approach, but upon meeting her gaze, they couldn't help but shudder. Daring not to provoke her, they saluted from a distance. The woman's escape technique was exceedingly swift; she flew directly towards the center of the jungle.

As she neared the Phoenix Clan territory, a patrol of demonic birds appeared ahead. Although their leader only had Demonic Core stage cultivation, as a direct descendant of the Phoenix Clan, it had been granted Emperor's Nectar early on, opening its sentience.

“Greetings, King Nine Phoenix!”

The leader, with its subordinates, prostrated themselves on the treetops, lowering their heads. This was their etiquette when facing a superior. King Nine Phoenix did not spare them a glance, maintaining her speed as she flew directly over them. The demonic bird leader dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. King Nine Phoenix was their monarch, holding a position in the Phoenix Clan second only to the Empress Phoenix.

The demonic race in the Demonic Sea did not use the honorific ‘Great Sage.’ All transformed demonic kings were referred to as ‘kings,’ but ‘Phoenix King’ (for males) and ‘Empress Phoenix’ (for females) were exclusive honorifics for the successive rulers of the Phoenix Clan. In this generation, there was an Empress Phoenix but no Phoenix King. King Nine Phoenix received this title in the early stages of her transformation, which would normally suggest presumption, but it was personally bestowed by the Empress Phoenix. She was born from a single egg with multiple offspring, ranking ninth among eight elder brothers. Being a woman who surpassed men, she outshone all her brothers, earning the title of King Nine Phoenix.

King Nine Phoenix had once disappeared for a long time, leading to various speculations among her clan. After the two realms opened up, King Nine Phoenix finally emerged, achieving numerous extraordinary feats during the war against the human race. Her current prestige throughout the Demonic Sea might not be inferior to that of the Empress Phoenix. The Empress Phoenix rarely appeared. All Phoenix Clan tribes were under the control of King Nine Phoenix, and the deployed demonic army was also led by her, demonstrating her high standing within the clan.

The deeper one went, the greener and more vibrant the ancient trees became, possessing a spiritual beauty unmatched elsewhere. Wherever King Nine Phoenix passed, the tribes all prostrated themselves, allowing her an unobstructed path until she arrived at the Phoenix Clan’s ancestral land. Contrary to expectations, the Phoenix Clan’s ancestral land, located at the jungle’s center, formed an open expanse, revealing an empty sea surface, much like an inland lake. Scattered tree-islands floated on the sea surface. Some were important Phoenix Clan strongholds, others were cave dwellings of Phoenix Clan Demonic Kings, all emitting powerful auras.

The ancestral land was heavily guarded, protected by demonic formations. Even with the esteemed status of King Nine Phoenix, she could not force her way into the ancestral land. The ancestral land guards had already received reports. Two teams of demonic guards flew in from either side, their vital energy formidable. All were elite Phoenix Clan members, and unlike the previous ones, they did not appear overwhelmed by King Nine Phoenix. If King Nine Phoenix did not abide by clan rules, they would dare to take action.

King Nine Phoenix took out a slender, colorful feather and swiped it towards the void, creating an invisible resonance. The expressions of the demonic guards softened, and they all prostrated themselves in reverence: “Greetings, King Nine Phoenix.”

At the same time, a black stream of light flew from deep within the ancestral land, swiftly landing before King Nine Phoenix, revealing a handsome man with black wings growing from his ribs.

“Nine Phoenix, weren't you on Luoying Island? Why have you returned to the ancestral land now?”

The man was not questioning her; his tone was intimate, and his eyes held admiration.

“Human activity.”

King Nine Phoenix spoke curtly to the man, concise and to the point, and prepared to move past him. The man, understanding, moved aside to clear her path but then followed behind King Nine Phoenix. “The clan has already received battle reports and knows about the changes on Great Barren Island. In previous years, you personally oversaw it, monitoring human movements. Now you’ve returned to the ancestral land from thousands of miles away; has something major happened again?”

King Nine Phoenix seemed a bit impatient, her expression darkening. Her escape speed suddenly accelerated. “I must meet with the Empress Phoenix immediately. If you wish to know, ask the Empress Phoenix yourself.”

The man was rebuffed and dared not pester her further. Looking at King Nine Phoenix’s retreating back, a trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes.

The Phoenix Clan’s ancestral land was not vast. Flying past island after island of trees, King Nine Phoenix soon saw a true spiritual island. The spiritual island was enveloped by a thin mist, abundant in spiritual energy, and amid exotic flowers and plants, beautiful palaces could be seen. King Nine Phoenix flew near the spiritual island. Before she could set foot on it, she suddenly felt a powerful pressure descend upon her. King Nine Phoenix halted in mid-air, daring not to move further.

The next moment, a majestic female voice came from the center of the spiritual island, “Nine Phoenix, you return unannounced. Why are you here?”

King Nine Phoenix slightly lowered her head and said, “The situation has changed. I dared not act on my own initiative, so I request the Empress Phoenix to make a decision.”

“Oh?”

The mist slowly parted to either side, faintly revealing a woman in a long, colorful gown and a phoenix crown. She was currently crouching by a flowerbed, seemingly admiring the vibrant spiritual flowers before her. The woman rose and looked over, her beauty incomparable. In her presence, even King Nine Phoenix seemed to lose her luster.

“Have the humans captured Luoying Island?” The Empress Phoenix gazed at King Nine Phoenix, her tone calm.

Upon hearing this question, King Nine Phoenix’s body trembled. The Empress Phoenix sighed softly, “Do you know why I let you in?” Her words were clearly not directed at King Nine Phoenix, and her gaze shifted to behind King Nine Phoenix.

She walked forward gracefully, her colorful skirt swaying gently. “When the humans captured Luoying Island, they sealed it off, believing the news wouldn’t leak. Yet, they didn’t know our clan has its own means of perception. I never imagined that with Nine Phoenix’s abilities, you would succeed, nor did I expect Nine Phoenix not to decisively end her own life, but instead be enslaved and lead enemies here to assassinate me in the ancestral land. It seems you’ve comprehended some forbidden divine abilities or magical treasures…”

As the Empress Phoenix approached, her tone became increasingly severe. At the same time, the surrounding mist fluctuated, revealing numerous figures with formidable auras, clearly all demonic kings, forming an encirclement. The demonic kings who should have been cultivating in their cave dwellings had, at some unknown point, been summoned back to the spiritual island by the Empress Phoenix and lay in ambush here. This was clearly a trap! King Nine Phoenix’s arrival was sudden, and there were not many demonic kings left guarding the ancestral land. However, these demonic kings, cooperating with the Empress Phoenix, were sufficient to subdue any infiltrator!

King Nine Phoenix seemed to have regained her consciousness. With every word the Empress Phoenix spoke, the despair and shame on King Nine Phoenix’s face deepened, yet she was bound in place by an invisible force, unable to move. Her eyes bloodshot, she struggled to say something but could not open her mouth. Finally, overwhelmed by anguish, she violently coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the light in her eyes rapidly faded.

“Quite resolute, I’d say.”

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind, and a figure slowly materialized: a Daoist. As he appeared, Nine Phoenix’s body slumped, transforming back into her true form as a phoenix-tailed silkbird demonic beast in mid-air, then plummeting into the sea, eliciting cries of grief and alarm. Her massive demonic body splashed into the water, already lifeless.

The Empress Phoenix stared intently at the Daoist who had appeared out of nowhere, her killing intent immense, yet her eyes also held surprise and confusion. “Who are you?”

The Daoist was precisely Qin Sang’s external incarnation, whom the Empress Phoenix naturally did not recognize. The other demonic kings were utterly astonished. This person showed no weakness before the Empress Phoenix and was, in fact, an unknown Grand Cultivator. The human race had, at some unknown time, produced another formidable expert, and they were willing to risk sending this person alone to infiltrate the Phoenix Clan’s ancestral land to assassinate the Empress Phoenix.

The incarnation remained silent. A dark light flashed in the palm of his right hand, revealing a tattered, holed banner. With a flick of his wrist, demonic energy immediately surged skyward, gathering into a humanoid form beside the incarnation. This figure was precisely Su Zinan, who had transformed into a demonic soul. Su Zinan was expressionless. A black ruler floated before him, and his eyes were cold and merciless, sending a chill down the spine of anyone who met his gaze. Since refining the Three Corpses Divine Annihilation Banner, the incarnation had not yet encountered an opponent worth using its full power against.

When the demonic soul appeared, the Empress Phoenix’s pupils contracted, and a commotion arose behind her. This person was not only a Grand Cultivator but also controlled a demonic soul no weaker than his true self. Fortunately, he hadn’t succeeded, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

‘Swish!’

The incarnation pointed forward. The demonic soul’s eyes glinted with killing intent. The black ruler suddenly divided into countless ruler shadows, momentarily obscuring even the daylight. The surrounding sea turned dim. The ruler shadows then converged abruptly, striking with immense force towards the Empress Phoenix’s glabella.

“Kill him!” the Empress Phoenix shrieked. “Such an expert must not be allowed to escape!”

Divine light burst forth from her colorful gown. The three exquisite phoenix patterns originally embroidered on the gown came to life at that moment. The phoenixes circled and danced, soaring into the sky, reaching their target just before the black ruler fully formed.

‘Bang!’

The dark light and colorful streams of light merged into a single mass, making it impossible to distinguish the black ruler from the vibrant phoenixes. At the same time, a sudden anomaly occurred beneath the incarnation. A crimson vortex appeared out of thin air in the void, emitting an endless suction, like a gaping maw. Inside, there was not only suction but also an unknown chaotic force. However, the incarnation seemed to have been prepared. A green light flickered on his chest, and a piece of wood armor resembling tree bark appeared. The wood armor instantly flashed above the vortex, continuously emitting a green light that contained an immensely powerful force. The wood armor seemed to embed itself within the vortex, neither rising nor falling, rendering the crimson vortex helpless against it.

However, since the Phoenix Clan had prepared in advance, it was impossible for them to have only these few tricks. As the demonic soul made its move, the mist dispersed, revealing the figures of demonic kings who surrounded them. Most of these had similar bloodline auras and simultaneously unleashed identical divine abilities. Behind each of these individuals, ethereal demonic forms appeared. Although their shapes varied, all displayed characteristics of phoenix descendants. Unlike Qin Sang’s true form’s Dharma Idol, these were manifestations of their divine abilities. The ethereal demonic forms shattered instantly, transforming into strange spiritual lights that shot forth. The spiritual lights varied in color, from green to red and beyond, corresponding to their different tribes. The man from earlier, glaring at the incarnation with hatred, shot forth a black spiritual light. All the spiritual lights targeted the incarnation.

Suddenly besieged, the incarnation remained calm. Just as he was about to act, he sensed something unusual. To his surprise, these spiritual lights vanished into nothingness about a hundred feet away from him, as if they had never existed. The next moment, the incarnation felt a momentary disorientation. The surrounding scenery changed drastically, and he found himself enclosed within a shimmering, multicolored barrier. He could still see the surrounding demonic kings. Streams of light danced between him and the demonic kings, but the opponents seemed to be gradually pushed further away by the flowing light. The incarnation looked left and right. He remained motionless in place, but he had a feeling that if he were to pursue them now, he might exhaust himself without ever catching his enemies. This was, of course, just an illusion, but if it were a cultivator of lower cultivation, they would truly pursue until exhaustion and death.

The streams of light were like a tide, omnipresent. The incarnation looked up and saw what appeared to be a multicolored sun in the sky, with continuous streams of light still converging towards it. He felt a threat, knowing he couldn't let this sun fully form. With a flick of his sleeve, he shot out a cold light, finally unleashing the Four-Tiered Tengshe Seal! The halo of blue cold light transformed into a brilliant spiritual seal, its densest parts resembling swathes of frigid flames.

‘Whoosh!’

Within the frigid flames, two colossal beasts appeared, seemingly frolicking and competing with each other. Seeing this sight, the confident demonic kings all changed their expressions, and someone exclaimed, “A Spirit Treasure!” Before the voice faded, the two Tengshe serpents raised their heads, staring intently at the multicolored sun. Riding on frigid flames, they roared and charged wildly towards the sky. Simultaneously, the demonic soul also struck the black ruler towards the multicolored sun.

From outside the immediate battlefield, an observer would only see the incarnation and demonic soul surrounded by demonic kings, perceiving a mere standoff, with no visible anomalies around them.

Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar was heard. Enormous waves surged across the Phoenix Clan’s ancestral land. The void around the incarnation suddenly shattered like a mirror. Streams of light of various colors reappeared but were now in utter disarray. Two majestic Tengshe serpents burst forth, opening their mouths to spew out overwhelming frigid flames. The demonic kings were greatly alarmed and had no time to react.

The Empress Phoenix was currently casting a spell. Unexpectedly, her divine ability was broken so quickly. Her expression changed several times, and with a cold snort, she pointed her delicate hand. A phoenix claw suddenly appeared above the two Tengshe serpents, as if an attack had torn through the void, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. With the appearance of the phoenix claw, the chaotic streams of light found a focal point. They immediately stabilized, surged towards the phoenix claw, and materialized into a giant claw that pressed down upon the Tengshe serpents. This was an attack equivalent to one launched by King Nine Phoenix in conjunction with all the demonic kings.

The Tengshe serpents roared, spewing frigid flames from their mouths. The two masses of frigid flames merged in mid-air, continuing to combine with the demonic soul’s power, striking squarely against the center of the giant claw.

‘Boom!’

Strange lights burst forth in all directions, dazzling and vibrant. The Empress Phoenix was about to continue her attack when she seemed to sense something. Her expression drastically changed, and she cried out in alarm, retreating from the battlefield and instantly appearing above the spiritual island.

At this moment, in front of an ancient, austere hall within the spiritual island, Qin Sang’s true form had, at some unknown point, arrived. He looked at the ancient hall, sealed by a five-colored light barrier, his palm pressed lightly against it, his eyes gleaming with strange light. In his perception, this light barrier was far from simple; a familiar power flowed within it, likely originating from that remnant feather.

The Empress Phoenix, startled, rushed over. Qin Sang looked up and smiled faintly. With a phantom touch of his finger, the Seven Constellations Sword Formation materialized as a starry sky, enveloping a vast expanse of the heavens along with the Empress Phoenix, isolating her from the hall’s seal. Then, he raised his palm, revealing a spiritual tree. Six fiery birds shook their wings, then flapped away from the tree and surged towards the ancient hall!