The feather's trembling was plainly visible. The moment Long Jiu felt it, he frowned and swept a wary gaze around him.
This feather was essential to his contact with the Phoenix Demon Tribe. Only through it could he pierce the layers of obstruction and reach them.
Ordinarily, he was the one who contacted the Phoenix Demon Tribe. They would never contact him first.
After all, if the feather trembled at the wrong moment, the Old Dragon King would certainly sense it.
Yet the feather had begun trembling on its own. Something momentous must have happened on the Phoenix Demon Tribe's side.
Long Jiu thought for a moment, then stirred the thread of special energy within the feather.
The instant he did, an invisible barrier spread from the feather and enclosed him, preventing anyone outside from seeing or hearing what happened around him.
Long Jiu hesitated, about to speak, but before he could ask what was wrong, a grim, solemn voice came from the feather.
"We failed."
Just two simple words. Nothing followed, as though the speaker had stopped short.
Long Jiu frowned. "What failed? Tell me properly."
After a brief pause, a long sigh came from the feather.
"The Bird Demons sent to surround and kill Qin An are all dead. He killed three Bird Demons in the Essence Transformation Realm by himself. We learned it from the Evil Extermination Division. I'm afraid killing him will be difficult now, and his pills will keep flowing into the Dragon-Phoenix Battlefield."
Long Jiu froze. For a long time, he could not recover from the shock.
The feather fell silent too.
A heavy tension hung in the air.
Only after half an incense stick had burned did Long Jiu come back to himself. A frantic glint entered his eyes.
"How could they fail?