Do I Count as a Winged Human?

The Winged Human Holy Hall at this time.

Pixiu stood before the floating phoenix feathers and gently pointed a finger at the void.

The Pixiu's special ability is to reveal all the hidden characteristics of a treasure, even its scope and mechanism of action, and it can even show its connections to other items. This is the reason why the Pixiu is so adept at finding treasures.

When the Pixiu pointed at it, the phoenix feathers flashed with a faint red light.

Then the red light began to spread, turning into a net-like pattern that spread across the entire island.

These are lines that guide the eye and are associated with phoenix feathers.

Yu Feiling clearly saw that every winged person had a dotted line connecting them to phoenix feathers. She could even understand the significance of this connection: the priests had been constantly offering prayers, causing the phoenix the Unseen to protect all the winged people, bestowing upon them the life force and blessings of the phoenix. This significance was long-term and very subtle, but it would definitely have an effect over time; the winged people's luck would improve, and their lifespan would increase slightly.

Yu Shang and the others looked delighted. Qin Yi bringing back the phoenix feathers was indeed a great benefit to the entire clan, and it also proved that the Phoenix Emperor had not abandoned them. Although the phoenix's wings had no consciousness, they could definitely subtly reflect the phoenix's instinct to favor one over another. This blessing showed that the phoenix's wings regarded them as one of their own.

At the same time, a faint mist emanated from the phoenix feathers, enveloping the place where the winged people lived. This was a vast power to ward off evil spirits and protect their spiritual altars. Simultaneously, a faint energy permeated the island's core, connecting with the winged people's island-protecting formation and infusing it with Fire Essence the winged people lacked, thus enriching the formation's power.

The effects of the Phoenix Feather of the Heavenly Creation are far beyond what Qin Yi can clearly understand by simply holding it and studying it. In particular, the chemical reaction it produces with the Marriage Alliance Feathered People is something that cannot be seen from the outside.

It's definitely not for something as Sand Sculpture as roasting crocodiles...

Although the effect is indeed relatively minor, and the benefits for each individual winged person are not something they can personally experience, the overall protection, accumulated over time, is truly remarkable.

It is indeed a sacred object, without a doubt.

But at this moment, Yu Feiling's gaze was more focused on one of the thicker dotted lines.

The dotted line connects to the sacred tree.

The Fire Essence, the wheel of life, and the aura of sacred wood mingled, creating a slight sense of disorder and disharmony.

When the phoenix perches on the parasol tree, the Phoenix Tree will wither. There's a sense of love-hate relationship between the Jianmu tree and the phoenix; they are mutually attracted, lingering there, yet also mutually restraining. This is the inherent nature of the five elements: water, fire, and wood.

In reality, the disturbance caused by a single phoenix feather is very minor and has little effect. If it were to have any real impact, it would probably take thousands of years for anything to have a noticeable effect.

Without a certain amount of time to accumulate, this "conflict" will not manifest in any real way.

Pixiu knew this couldn't be hidden from the Feathered People; Yu Feiling wasn't easily fooled. Its method of intercepting the water spirit manifested gradually, allowing the two "symptoms" to match. Several months later, the Feathered People noticed the Sacred Tree was acting strangely each day. They had ample time to investigate and would naturally suspect Feng Yu. At that point, they could simply ask Pixiu to perform a diagnosis without it actively and forcibly "revealing the cause."

The absorption by Liusu and Taotie caused this matter to erupt suddenly. The winged people, in their desperation, sought help everywhere, even going directly to Qiu Niu. If Qiu Niu were to actually investigate, he would immediately discover the trickery, and everything would collapse. Pixiu had no choice but to awkwardly intercept them halfway and forcefully offer a warning.

This is easy to expose and arouse suspicion. Qin Yi had already reminded Yu Feiling, "Don't rush, someone will definitely reveal their purpose."

In addition, the damage to the branch caused by the sea monster was still very minor due to the premature onset of the attack. Ya Zi was also having a headache. What if the winged people could handle it without its help?

But there was nothing they could do; the outbreak had already occurred, and they were forced to step in prematurely, filled with utter hatred for the inexplicably surging black and white vortex that was violently absorbing energy. That stinking gluttonous beast had been gone from Jianmu for tens of thousands of years; why had it suddenly returned to cause trouble for everyone?

Wasn't it sealed away in the Blood Nether Realm? When did it reappear?

Fortunately, the Feathered People were too worried to think clearly at the moment. The Sacred Tree had indeed caused a problem, and everyone could only trace the clues back to it. For the time being, no one suspected that the Pixiu had something else going on.

At this moment, Yu Feiling's brows were furrowed tightly, and she was in a very difficult situation.

Given the current situation, the Feathered People must make a choice: either abandon the Phoenix Feathers and keep things as they are, or move away from this place with the Phoenix Feathers and never rely on the Jianmu Tree again, otherwise they will clash with it.

There's also a subtle implication of choosing sides—you choose between the Phoenix's legacy and the Dragon Son's protection.

What to do?

Yu Feiling looked at her daughter, while Yu Shang looked at her mother.

The most central leader of the Feathered People looked at each other, their minds in turmoil, unable to make a decision.

It was supposed to be a joyous celebration of a sacred object, so how did it turn out like this?

Pixiu, observing their expressions, knew that the winged people understood the meaning, and said, "Actually, you don't need to get caught up in such a troublesome choice. There is a compromise."

Yu Feiling's eyes lit up, and she bowed, saying, "Please enlighten me Nine Great Kings."

The Pixiu laughed and said, "The phoenix feathers are only providing some extra protection due to your priests' prayers. The vast majority of their effect is due to their own instincts. Do you know what that means?"

Yu Feiling said, "Because it has no owner, it only emits its own energy. Does the Nine Great Kings mean that as long as it has an owner, it can control its fire spirit energy and not direct it at the sacred tree?"

The Pixiu laughed, "Of course. Isn't that only natural?"

Yu Feiling shook her head. "No one has the bloodline of the phoenix, so it is impossible for the phoenix feather to recognize a master. Being able to use it is already a sign of closeness. It is simply impossible to control it."

Pixiu hesitated for a moment. "I don't know if I should say this... If I can do it, will the Feathered People think that I am plotting to steal the sacred object?"

Yu Feiling recalled Qin Yi's warning from back then and said, "The Nine Great Kings once entered the Phoenix Feather Cave, but wasn't he also rejected by the Phoenix Feather and unable to make a move? How can you be so confident now?"

Pixiu said, "Back then, when the phoenix feather and Dragon Breath were intertwined, it was like two people fighting and being extremely irritable. It was difficult to even stop them from fighting, let alone subdue them. But now it's different. It is in a peaceful place, surrounded by friendly people. I have my own special methods to subdue it... but I'm afraid the feathered people will be reluctant to part with it."

Yu Feiling remained silent for a moment.

Pixiu thought to himself, "What's going on? You're so anxious, yet you still can't let go and won't loosen your grip? Can't you even tell the difference between what's important and what's not?"

Little did Yu Feiling know that she had recalled Qin Yi's warning and felt a vague sense that something was amiss. After a long silence, she finally asked, "If Your Majesty subdues the Phoenix Feather, can it still remain in our Holy Temple?"

The Pixiu said irritably, "What's the point of keeping it in the temple at a time like this?"

Pixiu is meant to guard wealth, so it should be storing things away. In reality, it might not even need the phoenix feathers. If they're just left in the Winged Human Holy Hall, it has no intention of storing them, so why bother with all the trouble?

Yu Feiling sighed softly and said in a low voice, "If that's the case, Nine Great Kings, please return... Now that we've found the root of the problem, let's try our best to see if the Yu people can resolve this matter on their own."

Pixiu was speechless. "If you feathered people could command phoenix feathers, that would be called subservience, which is impossible."

"What if we could?" A man's voice suddenly came from the void of the temple.

The Pixiu whirled its head. "Who!"

A mosquito hovered leisurely for a couple of moments, then with a "pop," it transformed into Qin Yi's head, its wings still flapping. "Do you think I qualify as a Winged Clan member?"

Pixiu:"..."

The mosquito's wings suddenly transformed into swan feathers, Qin Yi, now a male winged being, descended from the sky. "How about this?"