Immortal Paladin-019 Phoenix Feather
019 Phoenix Feather
Jiang Zhen rarely had a chance to sneak away from the Sect and
have fun.
Most of the time, the Elders either threw a tantrum or
threatened him with suicide
if he even
thought
about it.
“Sect Master, if you leave now, I will set myself on fire.”
“Sect Master, if you disappear again, I will starve myself to death!”
“Sect Master, we are still recovering from last time! What if another demonic beast appears?!”
Jiang Zhen sighed.
It wasn’t
his
fault they were so dramatic.
This time, though, he had a
decent excuse.
A Sacred Beast called
Lake Marigold
—a Fourth Realm spirit fish—had turned
demonic.
As the leader of the Isolation Path Sect, it was his
duty
to handle it.
Which, of course, he did.
Easily.
With the problem swiftly dealt with, Jiang Zhen saw an
opportunity.
Using his
Shapeshifting Technique,
he infiltrated a group of Sect disciples and an Elder who were traveling to
Yellow Dragon City.
Officially, the trip was for
diplomatic relations.
Jiang Zhen knew better.
It was about an auction.
Some treasure had caught the Sect’s attention, and the Elders wanted to acquire it before
anyone else.
Jiang Zhen, however,
couldn’t care less
about some random treasure. The Elders could handle that mess
themselves.
Instead, his interest lay elsewhere—
Selling
goldfish.
More specifically, the
offspring
of Lake Marigold.
Each fish carried a trace of spirituality, and
one in a thousand
had the potential to awaken their
spark.
It was a harmless little experiment. Jiang Zhen wasn’t a
monster.
He didn’t force anything upon the fish—if one of them was destined for greatness, then so be it.
Of course, none of this would be
fun
if he sold them
normally.
So, naturally—
He pretended to be a
mortal.
An ordinary old man.
And thus, his
goldfish arcade stall
was born.
A little game of
chance.
A test of
fate.
It was purely for research.
It was
definitely
not about having fun.
…
Maybe.
And then walked in the strange guy.
Jiang Zhen had seen
many
cultivators in his time.
But this one?
This one was
weird.
At first glance, he almost mistook the young man for a
true mortal.
His stealth technique was
almost
as good as Jiang Zhen’s own, an impressive feat for someone so
young.
Almost.
Unfortunately for the kid, Jiang Zhen wasn’t
blind.
The boy’s body was
compact, refined, and deceptively powerful.
His muscles weren’t those of a simple laborer—they had
intent,
the kind honed through
Body-Tempering techniques.
And
that
was the problem.
Stealth techniques and Body-Tempering techniques did
not
mix well. A different kind of training was required, The Sword Canopy Sect had two famous ones—
Iron Skin
and
Sword Body
—both of which made their practitioners
physically unshakable.
But no matter how well one hid their presence, a trained eye could
always
recognize the signs.
The way he moved.
The way his muscles responded to every small shift.
The natural stability in his posture.
Sigh.
The folly of youth.
As a
responsible
Senior, Jiang Zhen decided to
educate
the foolish young man who thought he could mix
stealth and body refinement.
Rather than
education,
though—
It was more of a
prank.
Every time the young man
almost
caught a goldfish, Jiang Zhen popped the paper net with a subtle
burst of qi,
freeing the fish.
And then—
The kid tried again.
And again.
And again.
For
two entire days.
What kind of lunatic spent
two days
playing an arcade game
rigged
against them?
Jiang Zhen
offered
to just
sell
him a goldfish. Thirty copper coins. Simple. Fair.
The boy ignored him.
Utterly
ignored
him.
Jiang Zhen squinted at the strange young man, trying to figure out what exactly was
wrong
with him.
Why waste time playing when you should be cultivating?
Young people nowadays were so
daring and reckless.
Back in his day, fun was only allowed after one became an
Immortal.
…
Er.
Or maybe after one became a
Sect Master.
Jiang Zhen had to admit—there
were
body-tempering techniques compatible with stealth arts.
The Isolation Path Sect, for example, had a few. Techniques that honed the body
without
making one move like a walking fortress. But whatever sect this kid had come from?
Didn’t have them.
The contrast was jarring.
The kid’s stealth technique was brilliant
.
His presence melted into the surroundings with the ease of a seasoned assassin. It was as if the kid didn’t have qi. If Jiang Zhen hadn’t been
who he was
, he might’ve mistaken him for a simple, unassuming mortal.
But that
body refinement
stuck out like a sore thumb.
Jiang Zhen almost felt tempted to take the young man as a disciple, just to
fix
the contradiction. Someone with this level of talent in stealth? If properly trained, he could be an
invaluable
asset to the Isolation Path Sect.
“A second disciple isn’t so bad.”
Imagine,
Jiang Zhen thought,
a diamond in the rough, polished under my guidance…
And so, when the young man approached his stall again—
Jiang Zhen felt a
hint
of excitement.
…
Then he saw the
demonic cultivator
beside him.
Jiang Zhen immediately sobered.
He was
old
, but he wasn’t
senile.
Moreover, his qi sensory was top-notch. The girl standing with the young man had the lingering scent of demonic cultivation clinging to her soul.
Not the type that could be washed away with repentance.
Jiang Zhen’s first instinct was to
warn
the young man—tell him to
be careful
, to avoid unnecessary trouble—
But then—
The young man
opened his mouth
—
And
exposed him.
Jiang Zhen was speechless.
A
hundred thoughts
passed through his mind in an instant.
How did the kid find out?!
No one—not a
single soul
—should’ve been able to recognize him!
For years, Jiang Zhen had perfected his mortal disguise. He was a master of deception, a
true
expert in blending in. And yet, this
brat
had waltzed up to him and
torn off his mask
as if it were nothing!
This was bad.
This was
very bad.
He
couldn’t
let his sect members find out about this. They were in Yellow Dragon City right now, dealing with an auction… and probably a martial tournament. If word got out that he was here—
playing arcade games
—instead of back home, the Elders would
riot.
He needed to
retreat.
Jiang Zhen decided to
go nuclear.
“Hah! Don’t blame me if you can’t win a simple arcade game!” he shouted, his voice rising. “It’s definitely your fault, kid! A
skill issue!
Eh? Eh? What now? Gonna hit me?!"
Meanwhile—
Underneath his sleeve, he was
charging a hidden talisman.
This wasn’t an ordinary escape talisman.
It was an
Isolation Path Sect life-saving talisman
—a technique derived from
demonic arts
but refined into something
far more specialized.
It couldn’t be interrupted. It was
instantaneous.
The moment it fully charged, it would
teleport him directly back to the sect.
It took
time
to activate, sure—
But it was unbeatable.
Once triggered,
nothing
could stop it.
He just needed a few more—
“Judgment Severance.”
Jiang Zhen’s breath hitched.
A golden
cross-shaped rupture
briefly
flashed
in the air between him and the young man.
Then—
Shatter.
Jiang Zhen felt it before he saw it.
The talisman under his sleeve—
It broke.
Like
glass.
Tiny, glittering fragments of golden dust drifted from his fingers.
The teleportation never triggered.
Jiang Zhen stared, utterly confused.
That was impossible.
Jiang Zhen reached for his face—
And
froze.
His
disguise was gone.
The wrinkles, the frail-looking features—vanished. His previously all-white hair had recovered a few strands of black, making him look more
middle-aged
than elderly.
The bystanders stared.
Jiang Zhen could feel their awe.
Not because he was handsome—
though yes, he was absolutely handsome
—but because of what his transformation implied.
He had been a cultivator all along.
And these people—fellow stall owners, city folk, simple mortals—had interacted with him like
family
for the past few days. They had gossiped with him, shared meals, played games, laughed, and treated him like
one of their own.
Now?
Their attitudes shifted instantly.
No one spoke.
No one
dared
to approach.
Jiang Zhen sighed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Sheesh… It was fun while it lasted."
Thankfully, no one recognized him as the Sect Master of the Isolation Path Sect. He rarely showed his face in public, after all. Even within his own sect, only the Elders regularly saw him.
But still.
The
distance
between him and the people around him felt palpable.
No matter how well he blended in—
At the end of the day, he was not one of them.
That realization left a
bitter taste
in his mouth.
Jiang Zhen exhaled.
"No point lingering."
He turned toward the
infuriating
young man who had exposed him.
“Let’s talk somewhere else.”
Before the young man could respond, Jiang Zhen flickered—
—reappearing atop a high building some distance away.
He frowned.
The moment his feet touched the rooftop—
The young man appeared beside him.
At the same time.
Jiang Zhen’s eyes narrowed.
I didn’t even notice the fluctuation of his qi.
It was unsettling.
One of the most annoying things about stealth techniques was how difficult they made gauging someone’s strength. It was usually Jiang Zhen himself who enjoyed this advantage—taking pleasure in others failing to see through
his
power.
But now?
He was the one left
guessing.
Jiang Zhen sighed.
This kid was no
ordinary
young man.
His voice took on a new edge of curiosity. “Your stealth technique is impressive… it’s as if you have no qi at all.”
The mysterious young man
faked a cough.
“Ah, don’t think too much about it.”
His tone was light, almost casual—
But Jiang Zhen could
feel
something beneath it.
It was
flustered.
Embarrassed, even.
Jiang Zhen narrowed his eyes further.
Now
that
was interesting.
Jiang Zhen was a blunt man.
“What’s your realm?”
The young man tilted his head. “Guess.”
“I don’t want to.”
The young man smirked. “We should do introductions first, you know?”
Jiang Zhen almost felt
offended.
“You don’t know me?”
“Wow, you are such a prick… introductions first, old man. It’s nice to put a name to a face.”
Jiang Zhen narrowed his eyes. “You go first.”
The young man grinned. “Da Wei.”
Jiang Zhen frowned. “I don’t recognize your name.”
“I’d be surprised if you did.”
“A foreigner, then.”
Da Wei chuckled. “Heh, don’t leave me hanging.”
Jiang Zhen crossed his arms. “I should apologize for leaving you hanging, but I don’t want to.”
“Wow, you are so childish.”
Jiang Zhen sighed. “My name is Jiang Zhen.”
Da Wei furrowed his brows. “Jangjen? Jamjin? Changcheng?”
Jiang Zhen’s eye twitched. “It is
Ji-ang Zh-en.
”
“Got it,
Changcheng.
”
Jiang Zhen exhaled slowly through his nose, suppressing the urge to flick the young man off the rooftop. “What do you want with the Isolation Path Sect?”
Da Wei rested a hand on his hip. “It’s for my follower. She was forced into discipleship by a demonic cultivator—practically forced to learn a demonic technique that would kill her if she stopped practicing it.”
Jiang Zhen’s eyes flickered toward the girl in question. She stood a few rooftops away, head bowed, breathing harsh, shoulders stiff, and hugging the fishbowl as if it were a lifeline.
He returned his gaze to Da Wei. “And you believe her?”
Da Wei didn’t hesitate. “I heard the Isolation Path Sect has a method to transform demonic techniques into non-demonic techniques. If the Isolation Path Sect is indeed righteous as they claim, they should be able to help her without discrimination, correct?”
Jiang Zhen let out a small chuckle. “The Isolation Path Sect
is
very knowledgeable on everything demonic, but why would they help her? Why would
I
help her?”
Jiang Zhen scoffed. “As if you have anything I’d want—”
Da Wei pulled something from under his sleeve. A single crimson feather, brimming with life force and radiating pure fire qi, pulsed in his grasp.
Jiang Zhen’s words caught in his throat. His eyes widened, jaw slightly open as he took in the feather’s brilliance. The warmth it emitted wasn’t just heat—it was
alive.
Da Wei tilted his head. “How about a trade? A life for a life. Seems fitting, doesn’t it?”
Jiang Zhen swallowed, his mind racing. “What is that?”
Da Wei smirked. “Phoenix Feather.”
.
!
019 Phoenix Feather
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