Nie Zheng went back, and his revelations before leaving made Ning Hui angry for months. For several days in a row, whenever she saw You You and the others who were present that day, she would swear with her head down, looking hurried and ashamed.
This makes people even more curious: who exactly is the junior sister that Nie Zheng mentioned?
Aside from a few of them and Ning Hui, the other disciples were unaware of Nie Zheng's true identity. Therefore, the explanation given internally for his absence as a guest instructor was that he had gone traveling again.
Perhaps because the disciples still vividly remembered the debt Nie Zhengfeng had entrusted to them to repay a few years ago, it didn't cause much of a stir. The entire Zhenyan Sect, and even all the immortal sects in Xianze, seemed to have returned to their former tranquility.
You You sent Nie Zheng back not only because you genuinely wanted to help him complete his mission, but also because he was an immortal, and it wasn't good for an enlightened being to remain in the mortal realm. Cultivation in the mortal realm relied on spiritual energy, which was certainly insufficient compared to immortal energy. If this continued, Nie Zheng's cultivation might suffer.
Of course, secondly, she also wanted him to help investigate whether there was a way to awaken the Phoenix Clan as soon as possible. She had also asked Feng Rong in detail about the Phoenix Clan. However, he had only recently hatched, and his inherited memories were not yet complete, so he did not know the specific reason. He only knew that the Phoenix Clan had suffered a catastrophic disaster and suddenly lost the ability to undergo rebirth. This caused all the injured Phoenix Clan members to remain dormant in their eggs, unable to be reborn.
Feng Rong survived because during that great calamity, he was an unhatched egg, stored in the Nirvana Realm, and did not experience any of it. Moreover, without the catalysis of his parents' divine power, he only hatched now.
Youyou also asked Yuan's father, but because Yuan's father was a Qilin, and their clan had always been solitary, and he had been asleep for so many years, he didn't know what had happened to the Phoenix Clan.
The Phoenix Clan is an ancient divine race. If they were truly facing extinction, they would surely leave behind some clues. Mortals have too short a lifespan; those legends or events may have long since vanished without a trace. But immortals are different. Although immortals also perish, they always record more things than those in the mortal realm.
Moreover, Qiu Yue was able to use the Feng family to achieve his own goals, so he should know about the Feng clan. He also had experience in the Immortal Realm, so he should have some information about it.
"Xiao You, do you really want to know about what happened in ancient times?" Yuan Qi glanced at You You, who was flipping through ancient books, and suddenly asked.
"It's not that I want to know!" Youyou glanced at him and replied casually, "It's just... didn't I promise Fengrong that I would help him find a way? If we want to save people, we have to know what happened first. Although it's a bit difficult, we still have to try our best."
Yuan Qi's eyes were deep as he gripped the teacup in his hand. "What if... after all our efforts, we find it's still a futile endeavor?"
“At least we tried. Feng Rong is also a member of the True Path Sect, so as his brother, I should help him if I can. After all, those are his clansmen and relatives.” You You replied directly, then turned to Yuan Qi with a smile and said earnestly, “If Father Yuan ever encounters something like this and needs help, I will do my best to help you too!” You are my father!
Seemingly surprised by her reply, Yuan Qi froze for a moment, his fingertips stiffening. His usually calm heart seemed to ripple with emotion. After a while, his gaze slowly lowered, his lips instinctively trying to curve into a smile, but he couldn't manage it. Finally, he uttered a very soft reply, "I see..." But alas, he was gone.
You You and Feng Rong searched through almost every ancient book they could find, and even Ling Qi helped organize some, but they still obtained very little information. Especially regarding matters of ancient times, they found mostly legends of unknown veracity, let alone any information about the Phoenix Clan.
However, after Nie Zheng returned to the Immortal Realm, there was no news for several months. You You didn't pay much attention, thinking that he might be busy and couldn't keep track of things. But this loss of contact lasted for a full six months without any response. Even Feng Rong had almost forgotten that she had given him that communication red lotus, when Nie Zheng finally managed to contact them.
When You You's communication talisman lit up, no one reacted for a moment. After all, the red lotus given to them by Feng Rong was connected to the communication talismans of the sect's disciples, meaning it could contact anyone in the sect. By all accounts, Nie Zheng should have contacted Ning Hui first; it was actually her who connected first.
"Sect Master, it's me!" Nie Zheng's voice was low, even breathy, as if he were in a place where it was inconvenient to speak.
"Nie Zheng?!" You You exclaimed, then subconsciously asked, "Do you need me to call Ning Hui for you?"
"No! Sect Master, I came here specifically to inform you." Surprisingly, Nie Zheng didn't seem to be looking for Ning Hui. Instead, he said with some urgency, "I've found out some things about what the Sect Master asked me to investigate, so I wanted to let you know."
Youyou was immediately overjoyed and quickly asked, "You found out about the Phoenix Clan?"
"No, it's not just the Phoenix Clan, but the entire ancient divine race! Including the Dragon, Phoenix, Qilin, and other ancient divine races." Nie Zheng explained in a deep voice, "I saw in the Heavenly Palace records that the ancient divine race's demise was not due to any disaster or great war, but because of divine punishment!"
"What?" You You was stunned for a moment. "What divine punishment?!"
“I don’t know the specifics either, the ancient texts don’t say much about it.” Nie Zheng said with even more confusion, “They only mention that the entire ancient god race offended the heavens, causing them to be abandoned by the heavens and the heavenly way. That’s why they were punished by heaven and banished from the god realm. From then on, all the ancient gods perished, and there was no more ancient god race in the world.”
"Didn't they say why?" You You was a little confused. Weren't the legendary ancient gods favored by Heaven, born with divine status and above all living beings? What was this about divine punishment? Thinking about it carefully, Qiu Yue seemed to have said something before, that the gods had offended Heaven, so he should know about it too.
"I don't know either. There are too many Heavenly Palace records. I've been searching for months and this is all I've found," Nie Zheng said with some difficulty. After a while, as if he had thought of something, he said in a deep voice, "Sect Master, the Divine Race has been rejected by the Heavenly Dao. So, to allow the Phoenix Race to be reborn is to go against the heavens. This matter may... not be possible!"
You You fell silent. She hadn't expected the gods to have such a story, which made awakening the phoenix clan even more difficult. Just as she was thinking about what to do, Nie Zheng's voice changed, and a few sounds of noise could be faintly heard from the other end of the communication talisman.
"Sect Master, I have something to attend to. I'll inform you when there's further news," Nie Zheng said with a hint of urgency.
"What's wrong?" Youyou was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Did something happen to you?"
"No...no!" Nie Zheng hurriedly replied, "I have to go now." With that, he abruptly ended the communication.
Youyou: "..."
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