Chapter 279

Chapter 279: The Cause of Feng City

Feng Rong paused, then channeled greater divine power and struck the stone wall again. With a thunderous crash, the wall shattered, revealing another space beyond.

The moment the wall broke, strands of lightning surged toward them like a crackling net, instantly illuminating the dim space. Even the flames Feng Rong had summoned were snuffed out by the lightning.

Yuan Qi reacted first, forming a protective barrier around them with swift hand seals.

“Is this… heavenly thunder?” You You blurted.

“No,” Feng Rong said, eyes widening. “It’s Phoenix Lightning!”

“Huh?” She frowned. “What’s that mean?”

Ignoring her, Feng Rong scanned the area until his gaze locked onto the densest cluster of lightning. “A Lightning Feather! This is caused by a Lightning Feather!”

The others looked up. Amid the crackling light floated a single white phoenix tail feather. Though just a feather, it pulsed with energy, talismanic symbols flickering around it like living script.

No wonder Feng Rong had sensed familiar divine energy—this was a feather from a Thunder Phoenix! You You squinted and saw the lightning from the feather coalesce into a massive sphere below before spreading outward.

She pointed. “Is there something inside that lightning ball?”

Yuan Qi and Feng Rong exchanged grim looks. Feng Rong summoned flames and hurled them at the sphere.

Unlike the dark energy that fled from fire earlier, this lightning resisted fiercely, even suppressing his flames. Gritting his teeth, Feng Rong focused, engulfing the sphere completely until the lightning dissolved. At its core floated a green pearl.

(⊙_⊙)

A wave of vitality washed over them, sharpening their senses.

The pearl trembled, then zipped toward You You, halting inches from her face.

“…” She stared. Delivery service?

Something about it felt familiar. She reached out—the pearl vanished into her palm in a green flash.

“You You!” Feng Rong seized her hand, inspecting it frantically. “Where did it go? Are you hurt?”

Yuan Qi checked her pulse. “We don’t even know what that was.”

“I’m fine.” Calmly, she focused inward. Her skills interface had a new icon. With a thought, the pearl materialized in her hand.

“This must be the ‘No’ volume of the Yin section from the Heavenly Dao Book,” she said. “Also the divine artifact Old Nine mentioned—Momentary Retention.”

Feng Rong: “…”

Yuan Qi: “…”

Since when was finding Yin volume fragments this easy?

A phoenix’s cry echoed. The Lightning Feather, now pearl-less, morphed into a radiant thunder-phoenix. It let out one final cry before dissolving like spent firework sparks.

“The pearl must’ve powered its lightning,” Yuan Qi noted.

“And caused Feng City’s ghost problem,” Feng Rong added grimly.

As part of the Heavenly Dao Book, the pearl had unique abilities. If the Wheel Mark guided souls to reincarnation, perhaps Momentary Retention simulated resurrection?

“So the ‘people’ here were ghosts? Momentary Retention let them pretend to live by day?” You You recalled Old Nine’s claims about its power. “But we took the pearl—what happens to them now?”

“They should’ve moved on long ago,” Yuan Qi said. “This false life drained their soul power. Lingering would’ve erased them completely.”

Feng Rong nodded. “What’s left are residual souls. Without the pearl absorbing their resentment, they’ll turn violent.”

A faint sound caught You You’s attention. “Listen—the wall’s other side…”

Feng Rong extended his divine sense. “An underground river. The walls are damp.”

“Explains why the Soul Beast was here while Qiu Zhang ended up in the marsh,” Yuan Qi said. “Resentment leaked through the river into nearby marshes.”

“But why the Lightning Feather?” You You pressed. “How’s it connected to the pearl?”

The unconscious Soul Beast offered no answers. After fruitlessly scouring the cave, they returned to Feng City.

Chaos had erupted. Ghosts roamed freely, some already warped by resentment. The once-neat streets now looked decayed.

They guided every ghost to the Nether Realm, double-checked for stragglers, and finally headed back to Zhen Yan Sect.