Phoenix City is situated three thousand miles south of Ascending Immortal City, situated at the foothills of Phoenix Mountain, which is how it got its name.
The City Lord of Phoenix City, Liu Qingfeng, is a late-stage Returning Void cultivator and ranks among the most powerful City Lords in the Southern Region.
Additionally, the Mountain is the home to a spiritual herb called Sky Phoenix Grass, an essential ingredient for concocting core-formation pills. This allows Phoenix City to amass considerable wealth from this prized resource.
While many have set their sights on Phoenix City, they have all been deterred by Liu Qingfeng's formidable strength.
In the Tianling world, there are many experts attempting to break through tribulations and reach new heights.
Consequently, those at the Returning Void stage are regarded as first-tier forces in the Tianling world so long as they remain unable to ascend through tribulation.
Though Liu Qingfeng has yet to be listed on the Deep Abyss Ranking, he is very close.
Despite both Du Guqing and Qin Xiaofeng holding similar cultivation levels, when it comes to combat prowess, even if they joined forces, they wouldn't stand a chance against Liu Qingfeng.
This is largely due to the Liu family's unique technique, the Phoenix Nine Changes.
With each cultivation level achieved in the Phoenix Nine Changes, the practitioner gains an additional life.
Additionally, the technique provides a natural affinity for fire-type spells, which are widely recognized as some of the most powerful forms of magic.
Moreover, since Phoenix Mountain is said to have once served as a nesting ground for a phoenix, the fire element there is exceptionally potent.
As long as Liu Qingfeng remains in Phoenix City as a formidable Returning Void cultivator, just a step away from the Deep Abyss Ranking, he can afford to disregard potential threats.
However, the Phoenix Nine Changes has one critical flaw that remains unknown to outsiders.
Recently, Liu Qingfeng has been feeling increasingly irritable, to the extent that the servants in the City Lord's mansion have started avoiding hard-soled shoes to prevent noise.
Seated within the cultivation chamber of the City Lord's mansion, Liu Qingfeng was continually forming hand seals.
Intense heat radiated relentlessly against the chamber walls.
Without the countless ancient cold stones the Liu family had obtained from the Northern Region, which were specifically designed for this chamber, it would have been completely reduced to ash.
The walls were covered in numerous tiny runes, and whenever Liu Qingfeng's heat waves struck, the runes emitted brilliant white light, completely absorbing and neutralizing the heat and returning it to Liu Qingfeng.
"Still not working. Could it be that the half of the technique my ancestor obtained can only be completed in the immortal realm?"
What the outside world did not know was that the legend of a phoenix nesting on Phoenix Mountain was indeed true.
Thousands of years ago, the Liu family's ancestor witnessed it firsthand.
However, the phoenix only stayed for three days before departing.
The place where the phoenix had roosted left behind an incomplete set of rune techniques.
By coincidence, the head of the Liu family stumbled upon this half-formed technique, and after some organization, it resulted in their half-method.
This half-method became the backbone of the Liu family as a millennium-old clan and was the foundation upon which Phoenix City was built.
However, this technique brought both blessings and calamities.
Because it is incomplete, even though the Liu family boasts many experts, none have been able to ascend to immortality or reach the immortal realm.
Due to this incompleteness, every ten years, cultivators who practice the Phoenix Nine Changes and aspire to reach the Returning Void stage must suppress the volatile fire element within the phoenix nest of Phoenix Mountain.
During this time, they must refrain from any duels; engaging in combat could lead to a drop in rank or even death.
Thus, every ten years, Liu Qingfeng uses the occasion of ancestor memorialization to venture deep into the Liu family ancestral tomb on Phoenix Mountain, where he'll spend forty-nine days suppressing the chaotic spiritual energy within him.
Over the countless generations of the Liu family, many prominent figures have emerged. At their peak, they wielded nearly half the influence in the Southern Region for close to ten thousand years.
Yet, none have been able to fully decipher the Phoenix Nine Changes.
It appears that this technique is not meant to exist in the Tianling world and can only be completed in the realm of immortals.
Liu Qingfeng felt the explosive power of fire-type spiritual energy threatening to overwhelm his sea of consciousness.
Positioned above his sea of consciousness was a small, luminous figure radiating golden light, exuding immense pressure in an attempt to stabilize the surging spiritual energy within.
After trying for a thousand years with no breakthroughs, he had only three days left before he needed to venture to the phoenix nest.
During this short time, he had to ensure everything in Phoenix City was organized.
Even though the secrets of the Liu family's technique remained hidden for countless years, their caution was foundational to the Liu family's ability to endure in the Tianling world.
At that moment, outside Phoenix City, two figures waited quietly in the air.
Who else could they be but Du Guqing and Qin Xiaofeng?
"Could Jiang Bai have made a mistake? Liu Qingfeng hasn't shown any signs of movement," Qin Xiaofeng said, eyeing the distant city.
"He shouldn't be wrong. I've checked, and every ten years Liu Qingfeng must go to Phoenix Mountain to pay respects to his ancestors, which aligns perfectly with Jiang's prediction," Du Guqing replied.
"Isn't it a bit rash to take such a risk based on that kid's prediction?" Qin Xiaofeng couldn't help but comment.
"Qin, are you afraid?" Du Guqing shot back, glancing at him.
"Not really. I've navigated the Tianling world for a thousand years; when have I ever been afraid?"
"It's just looking back on this situation feels surreal to me. I'm seriously considering dominating the Southern Region based merely on a divination!"
"Do you believe in fate?"
Qin Xiaofeng responded with a puzzled look.
"The day I saw Jiang Bai counting down with his hand, noticed the black hole above Ascending Immortal City, and glimpsed the terrifying figure within that hole, as well as witnessing the fall of the immortal, I felt that my moment had come."
"Isn't that a bit hasty?"
"How many times can one truly gamble in life?"
Qin Xiaofeng fell silent.
He had always been careful and calculating, successfully elevating the Qin family to one of the top powers in Ascending Immortal City, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Du Gu family.
If it weren't for the fact that the second and third generations of the Qin family lacked extraordinary talents, he wouldn't have taken this gamble against Du Guqing.
Starting from scratch, he recognized that accomplishing great things requires courage, but he also had to weigh the consequences of failure.
The Qin family was not like the Du family, which thrived thanks to its long-standing lineage as the City Lord.
They certainly could not compare to the Liu family, which has a history of hundreds of thousands of years.
Yet, for the sake of future generations, he felt compelled to take one last risk.
Otherwise, without hope for ascension, unable even to approach the tribulation realm, the only fate awaiting the Qin family after his passing would be decline.
The main differences between him, Du Guqing, and Liu Qingfeng lay not in lineage, power, or cunning.
It was time!
He was already old!
"You're right; how many times can one gamble in life!"
At that moment, a newfound determination shone in Qin Xiaofeng's aged face.
His previously weary body sparked with renewed vigor.
His white hair began to darken, his posture straightened, and he discarded his cane.
Instead, he seized a long blade from its sheath.
With the blade in hand, Qin Xiaofeng appeared even more formidable!
Du Guqing looked at the young man before her with astonishment, her eyes wide in surprise.
She had never noticed this dominating side of Qin Xiaofeng before.
During her youth, he had consistently appeared fragile and elderly.
Even as Du Guqing matured and surpassed him, Qin Xiaofeng had remained unchanged.
"Du Xiaoyou, I know you've always thought of me as just a shrewd old fool. Today, I will demonstrate how I, Qin Xiaofeng, built my fortune from nothing and stood against your Du family!"