Chapter 969: Breaking the Ban

The long feather ignited on its own. From a distance, it resembled a phoenix undergoing nirvana, reborn from fire.

The Nine Phoenix King flapped its wings and flew towards the immortal barrier, casting down the long feather.

A streaking fire descended from the sky, like the setting sun at dusk, disappearing into the mists.

The long feather struck the immortal barrier, immediately provoking a fierce counterattack.

'Boom!'

The impact instantly stirred up a massive disturbance. Fierce flames and mists collided, and powerful fluctuations erupted instantly. The mists vibrated violently, attempting to block the long feather, and even the earth was shaking.

Qin Sang stabilized his body, watching in horror the astonishing sight within the immortal barrier. The Nine Phoenix King was truly attacking the immortal barrier!

He didn't know what that long feather was, yet it wasn't annihilated by the immortal barrier's counterattack. It remained dazzling, like a blazing sun, slowly piercing through the mists and penetrating deeper and deeper.

The Nine Phoenix King's movements became faster. Countless runes flowed out like a stream, propelling the long feather deeper into the mists.

The immortal barrier's counterattack became more ferocious. Not only the long feather, but even the Phoenix Banner Grand Formation was impacted.

The grand formation sealed this space, suppressing the strange phenomena, which was easy at first. But as the collision between the long feather and the immortal barrier grew more intense, it began to show signs of instability. Ripples appeared in the void, and the phoenix phantoms that were previously hidden appeared and disappeared intermittently, most noticeably in areas directly facing the impact, showing a tendency to dissipate. It was unknown how much longer the Phoenix Banner Grand Formation could hold.

And it appeared that the clash between the long feather and the immortal barrier would not end quickly.

The long feather disappeared into the depths of the mists. From the outside, only a faint fiery glow was visible.

Qin Sang secretly awakened his Celestial Eye Butterfly and could faintly discern that amidst layers of clouds and mists, the long feather was slowly falling. Its true form was not visible, but the phoenix phantom on its surface grew increasingly solid, and strange fluctuations appeared in the space around the enchanting phoenix phantom. These fluctuations could pass through the immortal barrier and traverse it, a truly miraculous sight.

Just then, the immortal barrier, which had been unable to prevent the long feather's penetration, seemed to realize that the Nine Phoenix King was the long feather's owner. The mists churned into monstrous waves, transforming into streaks of aurora, and gushed forth.

The Nine Phoenix King, closest to the immortal barrier, bore the brunt of the attack.

Her expression changed slightly. She let out a sharp cry, and her aura surged. At the same time, that long feather erupted in blazing flames and, at the last possible moment, scattered the streaks of aurora, forming a barrier of flames that suppressed the immortal barrier's counterattack.

If not for the Phoenix Banner Grand Formation, such a massive commotion would have long since alerted the cultivators in the Seven Kill Temple.

The aftershocks of the collision still dissipated outwards. The Nine Phoenix King dodged and weaved through the aftershocks, but the Phoenix Banner Grand Formation had to directly withstand the impact of the aftershocks.

Only continuous booming sounds could be heard. The phoenix banners trembled, shaking violently, as if on the verge of collapse.

Without waiting for the Nine Phoenix King's command, Fairy Caiyi and the other demons knew it was their turn to act. They all pressed their hands onto the phoenix banners, fully activating their secret arts to stabilize the grand formation.

Qin Sang was no exception, but he held back his true strength, not exerting his full power. He was waiting. If possible, for the strange phenomena to be exposed and alert the Nascent Soul cultivators, he would act without hesitation. But such an opportunity was hard to seize. The Nascent Soul cultivators were not nearby. By the time they discovered this anomaly and arrived, Qin Sang would have long been dead at the hands of the demons. Even if the Nine Phoenix King was eventually hunted down and killed, it would be of no benefit to him whatsoever.

With the support of the demons, the Phoenix Banner Grand Formation, though appearing on the verge of collapse, was actually significantly more stable than before.

The Nine Phoenix King sensed that the situation was stable. Without turning her head, she focused on manipulating the long feather.

At this moment, the long feather had already disappeared into the depths of the mists. The interior of the immortal barrier was chaotic; the Celestial Eye Butterfly could no longer see anything, so Qin Sang had it retract its divine ability. Unable to see the situation inside the immortal barrier made it even harder for Qin Sang to gauge the timing. He was secretly anxious, primarily because he was unaware of the Nine Phoenix King's true intentions and could do nothing.

As time passed, the long feather continued to break through the immortal barrier. The immortal barrier's counterattack was fierce, but it was still suppressed by the long feather, causing the demons to marvel, wondering what kind of treasure the long feather was that could suppress even an immortal barrier.

Soon after, the Nine Phoenix King suddenly changed her hand seals, opened her mouth and spat out a crimson mist which merged into the long feather. Her eyes blazing with fury at the immortal barrier, she let out a powerful shout:

"Break!"

'Boom!'

The mists suddenly churned into a furious tide, and the force of the counterattack instantly sent the Nine Phoenix King flying backward. Feathers on the Nine Phoenix King's body shattered, as if scorched by flames, leaving her in a very disheveled state. She ignored her injuries, still staring fixedly at the immortal barrier. At this moment, the long feather's intense flames burned out, and it successfully broke through the immortal barrier, descending into a mysterious area where the area below was shrouded in darkness. The long feather, like the afterglow of a setting sun, quickly descended into the darkness, and in an instant, its brilliance faded and vanished.

Outside the immortal barrier, facing the immortal barrier's counterattack, the Phoenix Banner Grand Formation finally gave way. The phoenix banners, lacking stabilization, snapped, losing their spiritual essence, and in an instant, turned to dust under the impact.

With the grand formation about to break and no longer able to suppress the strange phenomena, the Nine Phoenix King finally regained her composure. Her hand seals changed rapidly, and the phoenix banners were successively detonated, draining the last vestiges of the Phoenix Banner Grand Formation's power. Then she said in a deep voice, "Retreat!"

"Leaving already?" Fairy Caiyi and the other demons were all bewildered. They had thought the Nine Phoenix King broke through the immortal barrier intended to enter the inner chamber or retrieve some treasure. Unexpectedly, she merely sent the long feather inside and was now pulling back to leave. None of the demons could fathom her intentions.

The Nine Phoenix King issued an unmistakable command and immediately retreated. And at this moment, a chain reaction seemed to occur within the immortal barrier. Impacts assailed them wave after wave; even distant immortal barriers were activated. Terrifying fluctuations emanated, making their scalps tingle.

The demons dared not tarry, scrambling to retreat, following the Nine Phoenix King away from the area. They hadn't gone far when a massive roar suddenly erupted from behind them. The demons looked back in alarm and saw a beam of radiant light burst through the Phoenix Banner Grand Formation and shoot skyward. This pillar of light was clearly visible throughout the entire Seven Kill Temple. The strange phenomena showed no signs of stopping but instead intensified.

In the distance, figures emerged from between the mountain peaks, their faces filled with surprise and doubt, looking towards the pillar of light, unclear about what was happening. Immediately after, from deep within the mountains, several streaks of light, emanating powerful auras, appeared and streaked rapidly towards this location at astonishing speed. Those Nascent Soul patriarchs were indeed alerted.

Facing so many Nascent Soul cultivators, the Nine Phoenix King's expression became grave, daring not show the slightest negligence. She reverted to her human form and, with a wave of her hand, concealed the figures and auras of the demons, bypassing the direction from which the streaks of light were approaching, and stealthily moved through the mountains.

"Aunt Nine, where are we going now?" Fairy Caiyi couldn't help but ask.

"Leave the Seven Kill Temple!" the Nine Phoenix King said calmly.

Hearing this, the demons were bewildered. Did the Nine Phoenix King go to such great lengths to enter and merely tour the place, just to see a desolate cave dwelling and send a single long feather into the inner chamber? She did not explain anything. The demons dared not chatter and silently followed behind the Nine Phoenix King back to Flower Fairy Lake.

The Nine Phoenix King did not possess a jade talisman, and the higher one's cultivation, the stronger the impact suffered when passing through the immortal formation. Qin Sang's and the others' jade talismans could not be lent to the Nine Phoenix King, so she could only leave the Seven Kill Temple by the same method she used to enter.