46. The Fiery Tail Sweeps the Alchemy Hall

As Xie Wuji delved deeper into his cultivation, the aura of the Immortal Phoenix spread further. The aura was unique; few could sense it—unless, of course, they possessed the bloodline of a divine beast themselves. To ordinary people, it simply felt as if the spiritual energy had suddenly grown denser.

At this moment, Dongmen Yong sensed it as well. He was meditating in his room, resting. At his level, sleep was unnecessary; meditation alone was enough to dispel fatigue and continuously absorb the energies of heaven and earth—a most efficient practice.

He opened his eyes and gazed out the window, murmuring to himself, “Is it just my imagination? Why, after thirty years, do I sense the aura of the Immortal Phoenix again? And this time, within the Danxia Sect? Impossible. How could the Immortal Phoenix’s legacy be here?”

Now, the entire world was searching for traces of the Immortal Phoenix’s inheritance. Possessing the spirit of such a divine beast meant that, upon maturing, one could cultivate more profound techniques.

At this moment, Xie Wuji, aided by Elder Qin’s spiritual power, greedily absorbed energy. Elder Qin, giving his all, transferred the last vestige of his vitality to Xie Wuji, solely for the future of the Undying Longevity Sect.

The Fire-tailed Fowl felt the bloodline resonance and grew restless in the coop. Suddenly, the rooster—the king of the flock—lifted his head with pride. He was the first descendant of the Immortal Phoenix, the only male in the flock, vested with absolute authority.

With a series of low crows, the Fire-tailed Rooster King called out, and his three thousand hens responded in kind. Tears glimmered in the king’s eyes, as if he recalled his mother telling him about his father’s majestic presence.

Suddenly, the rooster leapt onto the fence, its large head and blood-red crest scanning the area. A disciple nearby was dozing.

Without hesitation, the rooster pecked at the disciple’s backside with a beak harder than steel.

The disciple, caught mid-yawn, was jolted awake, his expression changing dramatically. “Oh, my goodness gracious!”

He leapt nearly two meters into the air. At that moment, the rooster spread its wings and soared out of the coop, followed by its harem—a mass escape of Fire-tailed Fowls!

Another gatekeeper saw this unfold, his face turning pale. “The Fire-tailed Fowls are escaping! Quick, call for help!”

“My hemorrhoids!” The fallen disciple wept, unable to rise. The rooster, noticing the standing disciple about to raise the alarm, let out a cacophony of crows. The hens turned their bodies.

“Huh?” The disciple was bewildered, but then, the flock unleashed a barrage—of eggs.

The shells of Fire-tailed Fowl eggs were as hard as stone, pelting the disciple until he was covered in welts. Each hen, firing like a Gatling gun, sent a hailstorm of eggs; who knew how many they held inside?

The two gatekeepers were incapacitated, and the rooster led his three thousand hens away from the Alchemy Hall.

Xie Wuji finished his meditation and awoke, only to find Elder Qin at death’s door.

Xie Wuji hurried to support him. “Elder, how are you?”

“You are now the hope of the entire Undying Longevity Sect! You must... cough, cough...” Qin Shou spat blood, barely regaining his breath. “You must remember: Until you have absolute strength, do not reveal your identity. All sects covet the Immortal Phoenix spirit... It is one of the twelve surviving celestial beasts from the primordial era. Possessing one grants a place in the world. Remember, you must remember!”

At this moment, Qin Shou seemed like a true father to Xie Wuji, his eyes filled with care and reluctance. He continued: “For the Undying Longevity Sect, I am willing to give everything—even my soul. I will not hesitate. What we have lost, we must reclaim, must reclaim!”

Qin Shou stared fiercely at Xie Wuji.

Choked with emotion, Xie Wuji felt the elder’s endless sorrow and longing. He was about to speak, but found that Qin Shou had truly breathed his last.

The old man, surviving only to entrust his final power after learning Xie Wuji’s identity—what a formidable will.

“The Undying Longevity Sect, may it endure through the ages!” Xie Wuji said through clenched teeth, bowing deeply to the elder. He carried the body on his back, moved the shackles from Qin Shou’s body onto other skeletons, making it appear as if Qin Shou had long since perished and turned to bones.

Xie Wuji, with the corpse, went outside, only to find the Alchemy Hall in chaos. He worried he’d been discovered.

He quickly resealed the chamber and hurried back to the small wooden hut, burying Elder Qin in an empty coffin—the grave now truly belonged to Qin Shou.

Xie Wuji’s heart grew resentful toward Elder Ding, who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Elder Qin was already old and gravely injured; otherwise, Ding Desheng could not have imprisoned him so easily.

Yet Xie Wuji understood: Elder Qin was right. He was still too weak, not even at the Golden Core stage. If others learned he bore the Immortal Phoenix spirit, he would become a target.

He kept a low profile, but meanwhile, a major event was unfolding in the Alchemy Hall.

Xie Wuji had forgotten to close the door when he left, so the Fire-tailed Rooster King led his three thousand hens into the hall and pillaged every precious pill within.

For the Fire-tailed Fowls, these pills were not particularly tasty, but to fill their bellies, they made do.

“Disaster, Grand Elder!”

The sun had not yet risen when Grand Elder Ding Desheng was roused by the commotion. Annoyed, he rubbed his eyes. “So early—can’t a man get any sleep?”

“Grand Elder, your chickens have caused trouble!” A disciple rushed in, finding Ding Desheng sitting on his bed in gaudy red underpants, clearly displeased.

“My chickens?” Ding Desheng looked at the disciple, then at his pride and joy, the mighty pillar he boasted of daily. He gritted his teeth and slapped the disciple. “You brat—no respect!”

The disciple spun twice from the blow before collapsing, clutching his face in pitiful distress. “It really is your chickens, Grand Elder! The beasts have cleaned out every pill in the Alchemy Hall!”

Ding Desheng was taken aback, hurriedly donned a robe, and rushed out. The hall was already crowded with people.

Even the Sect Master had arrived. Sect Master Dongmen Yong asked, “Why did these Fire-tailed Fowls suddenly rampage like this?”

One disciple, clutching his backside, kowtowed repeatedly. “Sect Master, Grand Elder... We don’t know why. In the middle of the night, the rooster suddenly pecked me—I have external hemorrhoids, and it knocked me flat…”

“And you?” Ding Desheng turned to another.

That disciple, holding his face, said, “The hens fired eggs at me—I was battered…”

“You two idiots! You couldn’t even handle a flock of chickens, and now you’ve caused a disaster. Get out there and catch them!” Ding Desheng barked.

“I’m afraid these chickens won’t be easy to catch. They have the Immortal Phoenix bloodline, and after eating so many pills, their strength has soared…” Dongmen Yong replied.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Fire-tailed Rooster King and his flock leapt from the window and flew off into the distance. The Grand Elder cursed, “Those beasts! Watch how I deal with them all!”

With that, he stepped onto a flying sword and gave chase after the Fire-tailed Rooster King.