The Villain Fox's Sickly Beauty Master - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: We Demons are Not as Focused on Ethics and Chastity as Humans.

Seeing that this young girl was genuinely worried about her disciple, Dao Ming decided not to tease her further. He just sighed, shaking his head helplessly.

“There is no spiritual fire here.”

Stopping there, Dao Ming Sword Venerable watched the puzzled expression on Jiang Jinheng’s face before continuing:

“During the Great War, a Divine Beast, the Fire Phoenix, and I perished here together. It must be that the Nine Heavens Spiritual Ring, a secret treasure of mine, absorbed a portion of my soul. When I awoke, I found this place to be like being in a sea of fire.”

A Fire Phoenix?

Jiang Jinheng lowered her head thoughtfully. She had read a little about the Divine Beast, the Fire Phoenix.

Long before the current era, many Divine Beast clans had already had their bloodlines severed. The last one recorded in the world should be the one Dao Ming mentioned.

No wonder there has been no trace of the Fire Phoenix since that Great War.

But can the demise of a Divine Beast create such a spectacle?

Jiang Jinheng suddenly felt that she knew too little. Just as she was about to ask, Dao Ming guessed her thoughts and answered them one by one.

“You must have heard that their Fire Phoenix clan can obtain a type of divine fire after going through a cycle of Nirvana upon activating their bloodline inheritance.”

At this, Dao Ming’s expression seemed to become heavier.

“During that Great War, over ten fellow Daoists and I fought together against the enemy. We finally managed to slay the Demon Venerable Fentian, but after that, the Demon Realm sacrificed a million Demon Race bloodlines to forcibly summon the Demon God.”

“The Demon God descended, unstoppable. Although it was an immature Demon God that was prematurely born, we were still utterly defeated. In a critical moment, Feng Qi used a bloodline secret technique, and that divine fire surged out with a consuming momentum. Several of us combined our strength to sacrifice our lives to Heaven. While we didn’t completely defeat the Demon God, we managed to seal him for at least a thousand years.”

Hearing this, Jiang Jinheng’s eyes darkened. Back then, over ten Mahayana-stage cultivators barely managed to seal the Demon God. And according to 007, the Demon God would descend upon the human world again in a hundred years, and no longer as an infant but as a fully mature Demon God. How could they possibly resist that?

She previously had little concept of the Demon God’s power. She felt that hindering Mo Tong and obstructing his Aura of Destiny was a good thing. But in a hundred years, if no one reached that level of cultivation and no one could resist the Demon God, wouldn’t she be harming all beings across the realms?

007 seemed to sense her mood and hurriedly came out to comfort her:

“Then Host, you should just be more ambitious. You have higher talent than that Mo Tong fellow, and now you have early access to all the Aura of Destiny points, allowing you to snatch all his future fortunes. Since that’s the case, you might as well seize his title as the savior too.”

007’s words were playful, but they gave Jiang Jinheng a headache. If she were truly that diligent, her Master wouldn’t have repeatedly tapped her head and scolded her.

She was the type to collapse after half a month of seclusion and require three months of recuperation.

Although Jiang Jinheng could sense that her body had significantly improved after repairing her soul, prolonged seclusion was more of a psychological torment for her.

Everyone said she was cold and detached, but Jiang Jinheng felt she favored the secular life the most.

Perhaps it was because she was raised by He Yun, but her ambition was truly untamed. She had no grand goals and certainly couldn’t be the so-called savior.

This task is better left to the disciple.

Thinking this, Jiang Jinheng’s mood brightened slightly. Since even Mo Tong’s lackluster talent could make him the Continent’s number one Tribulation-stage cultivator, if she gave all the fortunes she snatched to Fu Yi, then she would definitely be able to shoulder the corresponding responsibility.

This path sounded more and more feasible. She had already guessed most of Dao Ming’s meaning: the current intense fire spiritual energy was related to the lifting of the bloodline seal of the Fire Phoenix, Feng Qi, a thousand years ago.

“Sword Venerable means there is no spiritual fire here, and my disciple might have been drawn into the Fire Phoenix clan’s bloodline inheritance?”

“I am only guessing.”

As he spoke, Dao Ming looked at Jiang Jinheng with confusion.

“But I already found it strange. What is the identity of your disciple, and why would she enter the Fire Phoenix clan’s bloodline inheritance?”

…

On the other side.

Fu Yi walked in this boundless place full of golden light, taking every step cautiously, considering whether the surrounding scenery would suddenly change again.

She felt like she had been instantly transported to this place. By the time she reacted, the hand that was tightly gripping hers had already disappeared.

She hadn’t had this experience in the previous life, but Fu Yi couldn’t help but swallow twice, trying her best to calm down.

After taking more than ten steps without anything happening, Fu Yi gradually stopped. The surrounding golden light was equally bright in every direction, and she seemed to be stepping on golden ripples. With every step, she could see the golden waves spread out. Staying here for too long would make one completely lose their sense of direction.

Fu Yi speculated that she might have been pulled into some inheritance. Before leaving the group, she knew that a divine artifact was hidden here, the divine sword Dragon Roar, which Sword Venerable Dao Ming used during his lifetime.

This speculation gave her some anticipation, but after a moment, she thought of her half-demon bloodline. It wasn’t until she touched the jade pendant on her neck that she felt slightly reassured. But Fu Yi didn’t expect that after she made this gesture, a golden soul entity suddenly appeared out of nowhere. This soul entity, almost solid, lifted her chin. But in the next moment, its hand reached for the jade pendant she had just touched.

“Who are you!”

Following this person’s inexplicable action, Fu Yi jumped back a long distance, instinctively throwing out a Blast Talisman. However, the talisman was caught between her two fingers. A cluster of flames ignited and instantly reduced it to ashes.

The talisman Fu Yi threw was a low-grade Earth-rank Blast Talisman. She had pondered for a long time before deciding to use this one, and it was wasted so easily by this woman, making her feel a chill down her spine. But she thought again. Within an inheritance, besides the person pulled into it, there could only be the master of the inheritance.

Thinking this, Fu Yi asked cautiously: “Could it be that you are Sword Venerable Dao Ming?”

Fu Yi had been cultivating for a short time and didn’t share her Master’s love for reading and searching for interesting ancient texts. She didn’t know whether Sword Venerable Dao Ming was a male or female cultivator. If not for hearing them talk about the divine sword Dragon Roar before entering the inheritance, she wouldn’t have connected it to the former sect master of the Thousand Blades Sword Sect.

But as soon as Fu Yi finished speaking, she saw the person not far from her frown slightly, her face full of disgust.

“You actually mistook me for that old man Dao Ming? Wait, you didn’t come for that piece of broken iron in his hand, did you?”

Actually, in terms of age, Feng Qi was already two thousand years old, and Dao Ming was only fifteen hundred. She was significantly older than him.

But Divine Beasts were different from humans. Their lifespan was naturally long, and they only reached adulthood at the age of one hundred. She had always maintained her appearance from when she first came of age, so naturally, she didn’t like Dao Ming’s elderly appearance.

It took Fu Yi a moment to realize that the “piece of broken iron in her hand” must be referring to the so-called Dragon Roar. Faced with the woman’s disgusted expression, she suddenly felt awkward but still nodded.

The woman didn’t speak, just looked at her with interest, watching until Fu Yi’s scalp felt numb. She finally mustered the courage to ask:

“Since you are not Sword Venerable Dao Ming, then who are you?”

“Have you heard of the Fire Phoenix clan?”

Feng Qi said this to maintain some mystery, but seeing Fu Yi sincerely shake her head, she suddenly felt a pang of disappointment.

However, Feng Qi quickly remembered that she was with some human cultivators when she found her. It was normal for her not to know about the Demon Race clans.

Thinking this, Feng Qi motioned for the little one to sit cross-legged. Perhaps because she didn’t sense any hostility from this unfamiliar woman, Fu Yi obediently complied.

Before long, Fu Yi watched a cluster of light appear in the woman’s hand. In the blink of an eye, the cluster of light shot toward her forehead. Before she could react, she lost consciousness.

This feeling didn’t last long. Soon, she was switching between many scenes as if in a dream. Many different images, information, and sounds emerged in her mind.

As a vast worldview was constructed, Fu Yi also felt a splitting headache.

Feng Qi circled around Fu Yi, who was clutching her head and seemingly rolling on the ground in pain. She suddenly realized that she might have given her too much information. It was indeed overwhelming for a little one in her infancy stage.

Not to mention that this little one also had half of the fragile human bloodline.

The identity of a half-demon was awkward in both the human and demon realms.

Although she didn’t know why humans valued bloodlines, most demons valued bloodlines because of bloodline inheritance.

The purer the bloodline, the more profound things one could comprehend in the clan’s bloodline inheritance, which could also elevate one’s status within the clan, and vice versa.

But Fu Yi seemed a little different.

When Feng Qi pulled Fu Yi into the inheritance, she sensed the aura of an old friend from her. Her bloodline was pure, yet somewhat strange. It wasn’t until she observed her for a while and saw her touch the jade pendant hanging on her neck that she dared to confirm it upon closer inspection.

Before long, Fu Yi also woke up from that dream-like world. The look in her eyes when she looked at Feng Qi was again filled with vigilance.

Seeing this, Feng Qi couldn’t help but laugh softly and asked her, “Have you heard of the Fire Phoenix clan now?”

Fu Yi initially kept a straight face, intending to say “I don’t know” again, but suddenly realized that countless memories that didn’t belong to her were surging in her mind. Among them, there was indeed information about the Fire Phoenix clan.

Seeing her suddenly dazed, Feng Qi laughed even more happily: “Have you comprehended the method of inheritance that is superior to the human race’s? Every time I think of those fellows reading and studying books, I think to myself, we demons only need to have a dream.”

Fu Yi suddenly remembered what she said. In the bloodline inheritance of the previous life, her mother also imparted the Nine-Tailed Fox clan’s secret technique to her all at once in this manner.

But the person in front of her was not a member of the Fox clan. Judging by her tone, she should be the last remaining member of the Fire Phoenix clan. So, is this her clan’s bloodline inheritance? Then why would she pull me in?

But at the moment, another matter seemed to concern her more.

“You know my identity?”

Fu Yi had only learned the true function of the jade pendant on her chest from Mo Tong. Now that it was exposed by someone else, she suddenly felt flustered.

“Uh-huh, isn’t it just a little half-fox, half-human cub? I really don’t know how someone with your mother’s personality could fall for a human cultivator.”

This sentence seemed to carry a lot of information. Fu Yi’s eyelashes trembled slightly: “You know her?”

Hearing this, Feng Qi nodded, seeming lost in thought.

“Back then, your mother called me a flat-feathered bird, and since both of us were the only remaining descendants in our families, she refused my proposal. Who would have thought that with the passage of time, she would marry a human and even give birth to a baby.”

“By the way, how is she doing now?”

Feng Qi didn’t notice anything amiss when she asked this. It wasn’t until she saw Fu Yi’s head lowered, looking dejected, that she felt something was strange.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them since I was born.”

Feng Qi could, of course, tell who the “them” in her words referred to. Her expression froze, but then she forced a natural smile and pointed to the jade pendant hanging on Fu Yi’s neck:

“There must have been compelling reasons. Look, your mother even gave you her Qingqiu secret treasure. She must have high hopes for you.”

When she mentioned this, Fu Yi finally remembered her previous confusion. Gripping the jade pendant in her palm, she felt somewhat uneasy: “You know what this is?”

“Naturally.”

“Then why were you still able to discern the Fox clan bloodline on me?”

Hearing this, Feng Qi seemed stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: “Little one, this jade pendant can indeed conceal your demonic aura from some low-level human cultivators, but for us demons, identifying identity is not as simple as distinguishing by aura.”

“Low-level cultivators?”

Fu Yi subconsciously repeated Feng Qi’s words, and her face suddenly turned pale.

“What’s wrong?”

Noticing her distress, Feng Qi also frowned slightly and couldn’t help but ask.

“Does this jade pendant only work against low-level human cultivators? What specific rank?”

Hearing this, Feng Qi suddenly thought that she seemed to have been brought up by a human cultivator in the Mid-Body Integration stage and might still be living in the Immortal Sect, which was densely populated by human cultivators. For her, it was a dangerous place.

However, the “low-level” in her mouth was certainly not the same as Fu Yi’s understanding of “low-level.” Thinking this, Feng Qi quickly comforted her:

“Actually, the jade pendant’s function of concealing demonic aura was activated later, so the range of its effectiveness is highly related to the cultivation of the person who activated it.”

Feng Qi spoke slowly, then closed her eyes and used her divine sense to probe the energy fluctuations in the jade pendant: “From my observation, the command to conceal demonic aura in the jade pendant was set by a late-stage Body Integration cultivator. To detect the flaw behind the command, one would need to reach at least the early Mahayana stage.”

Seeing that Fu Yi still seemed very uneasy, Feng Qi’s voice paused slightly and softened: “Of course, this would only be discovered if the other party intentionally probed. As long as you avoid deep contact with those high-level human cultivators, you naturally won’t invite trouble.”

“Is that so?”

Fu Yi muttered softly, feeling a little relieved.

Considering it carefully, only Xuan Mingzi in the Azure Vast Immortal Sect had reached the Mahayana stage, and Fu Yi didn’t have much contact with him usually.

Over the past ten years, Fu Yi had only met him a few times, and nothing strange had happened. She figured he likely didn’t know her true identity.

In fact, what Fu Yi feared the most was her current nominal Master. After all, the pain brought by that one sword strike was deeply etched in her heart and could not be forgotten for a long time.

Fu Yi’s mind was filled with thoughts, but she heard Feng Qi ask: “You didn’t just treat this jade pendant as a simple object for hiding demonic aura, did you?”

Seeing Fu Yi nod, Feng Qi couldn’t help but cover her forehead and sigh. Such a treasure being in her possession truly fit one idiom—

Wasting heavenly treasures.

But what she didn’t know was that Fu Yi only learned that the jade pendant could conceal her demonic aura from Mo Tong in the previous life.

“I don’t know the specifics. I only know that this jade pendant can aid cultivation. Through a hidden technique, it accelerates the speed at which the wearer absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It can speed it up by at least two times. There also seems to be a unique cultivation method of your Nine-Tailed Fox clan hidden inside. It’s said to be a dual-cultivation method, but I pestered your mother for a long time, and I never saw her agree to let me take a look.”

As she spoke the latter part, Fu Yi noticed that the bird was becoming indecent again and couldn’t help but glare at her. But the bird was not embarrassed at all and continued:

“What’s wrong, little one? We demons are not as focused on human ethics and chastity. We are naturally bold in pursuing what we like and never say one thing and mean another.”

After speaking, Feng Qi looked at Fu Yi and couldn’t help but shake her head.

“You should be at your most playful age. You must have been spoiled by those old human things, raised to be so stiff and utterly boring.”

Fu Yi looked at Feng Qi, feeling speechless, but was also somewhat tempted by the functions of the jade pendant she mentioned.

After all, she hadn’t learned about these aspects even in the inheritance in the previous life. She couldn’t help but ask, “Then do you know how to activate this jade pendant?”

Fu Yi was hopeful, but Feng Qi just spread her hands.

“Since it’s a secret treasure of your Fox clan, how would I know? What I’ve told you is only what I observed during my time with your mother.”

Instantly, Fu Yi felt like a deflated balloon.

“Then why did you pull me into the inheritance? Although I don’t understand the inheritance among demons well, you also said that demons value bloodlines greatly. You and I are not related by bl00d.”

Since she couldn’t leave for now, Fu Yi simply sat cross-legged while speaking. Although her soul entity was within the inheritance, she could still feel the abundant spiritual energy. Fu Yi truly didn’t expect that the thing she would do most during her trip to the Secret Realm was absorbing and exhaling spiritual energy.

Feng Qi just smiled simply at Fu Yi’s question. Watching the little one awkwardly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, she couldn’t help but offer her a few pointers.

“I didn’t intend to pull anyone into the inheritance. I just instinctively feared that the old sword cultivator would see your true identity. When the Demon Race was being eradicated, the Demon Race and Human Race established a contract, but I don’t know the current state of affairs, so I pulled you in to avoid danger. Since the Fire Phoenix clan likely has no descendants after me, pulling anyone in would be the same. I might as well save an old friend’s daughter. What you see now is just a remnant of my consciousness. Once you leave the inheritance, there will be no more Feng Qi in this world.”

This was the first time Fu Yi heard a hint of loneliness in her words. She couldn’t help but reopen her eyes. Only then did she notice that the soul entity in front of her seemed fainter compared to when they first met.

“Thank you.”

She wasn’t good at saying comforting words, and even this simple phrase felt awkward. But after she finished speaking, she heard Feng Qi reply.

“I don’t know whether to call you reckless or truly ignorant. We demon cultivators are naturally afraid of the sword aura carried by the spiritual swords held by those sword cultivators, yet you intended to take that old fellow Dao Ming’s sword.”

Feng Qi’s words made Fu Yi recall Jiang Jinheng’s Chongxiao. A chill involuntarily ran through her body, but she still insisted stubbornly.

“I am going to cultivate the Way of the Sword in the future, so naturally, I cannot fear the so-called sword aura.”

Hearing this, Feng Qi was stunned and couldn’t help but say:

“I forgot about your half-human bloodline.”

It is precisely this bloodline that makes it even harder for you to find a foothold in either realm.

Perhaps feeling a little soft-hearted, Feng Qi did not voice the rest of the sentence.

This little one was still far from adulthood according to their Demon Race’s calculation, but according to the human race’s calculation, she was almost ready for her Coming-of-Age ceremony.

Half-demons had an advantage in this aspect compared to full demons. They took the form of the gender of the parent who gave birth to them. Being born from a human parent meant they could naturally transform into human form from birth.

It was precisely because of this that she knew Ji Xuejun had sought a human female cultivator.

Thinking this, Feng Qi suddenly raised a cluster of crimson demon fire and brought it closer to Fu Yi.

“After much deliberation, I have one matter that I need your help with.”

Fu Yi was never a kind-hearted person and had never lightly agreed to anyone’s request. But she recalled the things Feng Qi had just said, and staring at the mysteriously appearing cluster of fire, she still replied in a low voice.

“You speak first. If I can genuinely help, I promise you.”

Hearing this, Feng Qi didn’t say anything. Instead, under Fu Yi’s surprised gaze, she placed the cluster of fire in her palm. Only then did she say with a shallow smile:

“I need you to go to the boundary of the Human-Demon Realms, the Yulian Mountain Range. Find the tallest peak. The summit is my former cave dwelling. I have set up a barrier. You can enter and exit freely with this Original Fire. Inside, find an egg with a golden clan crest visible on its surface. Keep it by your side. If a little one breaks out of the shell, help me take good care of it.”

“Of course, times change. About a thousand years have passed. If you truly cannot find it, then forget about it.”

After listening to this, Fu Yi seemed to understand something but couldn’t help but ask a question, as she might never get another chance.

“Is that… your egg?”

Years of discipline prevented her from saying certain words frankly, but Fu Yi believed Feng Qi understood. She received Feng Qi’s predictable tease in response.

“What’s wrong? You can’t even say that word?”

Knowing that the little one couldn’t handle being teased, Feng Qi generously confirmed the matter.

“I forgot which year it was, but I was rejected by your mother for the third time. Feeling a bit dejected, I found a small village and lived in seclusion for a few years. That’s when I met a blind woman. I healed her eyes and reshaped her bones. During the process, I noticed that she had many scars from sword wounds on her body. I then realized that she seemed to have fled here after being hunted, causing her cultivation to drop.”

“The bl00d of our Fire Phoenix clan has excellent healing properties. It can even replace some Heaven-rank elixirs. I was foolish at the time and drew my bl00d for her every day. Even when I realized I was pregnant, I didn’t stop this behavior, and my body rapidly weakened. I originally wanted to find an opportunity to confess my identity to her and tell her about the pregnancy, but I didn’t expect her to stab me with a sword on the day she recovered her cultivation. Taking advantage of me revealing my true form, she plucked nine of my tail feathers.”

“It was your mother who finally saved me when my soul lamp was dim, scolding me all the while and even imparting some of her cultivation to me. No wonder I loved her for so long.”

As she spoke, Feng Qi’s face displayed her trademark cheeky smile again, but this time, Fu Yi sensed something different.

Perhaps it was a novel emotion she felt, an ability to empathize. So, this time, Fu Yi didn’t glare at her as she had before.

“The higher the cultivation, the harder it is to conceive. I felt that the person who could easily wound me must have good talent. Moreover, since I didn’t plan on remarrying for the time being, I left the fertilized egg behind. However, I later became busy with cultivation and left the egg in the cave dwelling for hundreds of years. I would go back to check on it from time to time, but there was never any sign of life.”

Although these words sounded very casual, and she looked indifferent, her attitude was the same as her previous teasing, the sadness carried in the preceding sentences was not false.

Although Fu Yi didn’t know much about the Demon Race and even less about other races.

But even with her limited knowledge, she was aware that the tail feathers of avian demon cultivators, like their Nine-Tailed Fox tails, would harm their cultivation if even one was lost.

And Feng Qi was treated this way by someone she genuinely cared about. Fu Yi seemed to feel an emotional connection. She wanted to offer comfort but saw Feng Qi quickly change the subject.

“I noticed you possess fire and lightning attributes, so I guessed you could adapt to the Phoenix Fire. And I was right. I don’t have a divine sword like Dao Ming’s to give you. Since there is no one left in my clan, this bloodline Sacred Fire is the only treasure I have left. Consider it your reward.”

Fu Yi looked at the flame in her palm, which looked very “obedient” and would appear and disappear according to her will. She didn’t expect this to be the Sacred Fire of the Fire Phoenix clan, the one required for their Nirvana, which Feng Qi had just shown her in the information.

Amid her surprise, Feng Qi’s voice came again.

“It seems to be quite obedient to you. Don’t let it go to waste in the future. It’s best to learn to master the arts of alchemy and artifact forging in those Immortal Sects.” Feng Qi raised her hand and patted Fu Yi’s shoulder, seemingly lost in memory again.

“We Demon Race are indeed weaker than the Human Race in artifact forging and alchemy, but this is also related to the fact that the consumables for those elixirs and spiritual treasures are often some of our bones and essence bl00d. Actually, I know that these consumables are not without substitutes, but you must master these techniques, and even surpass them by one or two points, to have the capital for negotiation.”

“So, I have a second request.”

As she spoke, Feng Qi’s expression was melancholic. Fu Yi finally sensed her unguarded emotions and took a deep breath.

“Speak.”

“No matter how many skills you learn in the human realm sects, how much kindness you receive, or how much affection you feel…”

“Never forget your mother clan.”