Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Six
Above the Azure Dragon Platform in the Heavenly Palace, a fierce battle was raging.
The totems of the Fire Phoenix and the Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox shone brilliantly, while the Divine Light of the Nirvana Wheel and the Heavenly Favor Sword dimmed the glow of the Peacock King’s Demon Staff.
At that moment, the Peacock King tore open the Magic Barrier behind him, allowing Hua Shu to fly in holding the Demon Gathering Banner. With her Demonic Power surging, her addition instantly enabled the Peacock King to withstand the Divine Power of Feng Yin and Hong Yi.
Behind Feng Yin and Hong Yi, tens of thousands of Demon Army soldiers seized the opportunity, offering Demon Blood as a sacrifice to form a Blood Array above the two. The Blood Array, like a vast net, slowly closed in on them. The trapped immortals on the Azure Dragon Platform paled in horror, crying out in alarm. However, the two were held by the power of Hua Mo’s Demon Staff, unable to spare any attention to fend off the Blood Net above them.
The immortals were frantic, their hearts burning with anxiety and eyes blazing with fury, yet they remained trapped and immobile. The Celestial Emperor, the Four Venerables of the Immortal Palace, and the Sect Leaders of the Three Mountains and Six Prefectures were all trapped on the Azure Dragon Platform. If the Phoenix Sovereign and the Demon Emperor were defeated today, the entire six-millennia foundation of the Immortal Tribe would be destroyed in an instant!
Not far away, Qing Qiong inside the Umbrella Pagoda turned pale at the sight, his lips trembling as fear caused his hands holding the Nine Palaces Tower to shake uncontrollably.
“This is bad, this is bad! The Phoenix Sovereign and the Demon Emperor can’t hold on any longer. Our Immortal Tribe is doomed, doomed!”
As his hands trembled, he chanted an incantation, and a green swirling vortex appeared behind the Nine Palaces Tower. Beyond the vortex lay a misty void, its destination unknown.
Seeing this green vortex, High Immortal Yu Feng and the Kunlun Patriarch exchanged suspicious glances, their hearts skipping a beat as they looked at Qing Qiong.
This… this… Were their eyes deceiving them? The green vortex conjured by High Lord Qing Qiong seemed to carry a faint trace of Demonic Power. The Nine Palaces Tower was a Supreme Treasure of the Immortal Tribe, and Qing Qiong was its Pagoda Spirit—how could he possess Demonic Power?
The two exchanged a glance and quickly turned to Feng Ran, only to find her expression unchanged. They had no choice but to suppress their shock and suspicion. At such a critical moment, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Besides, a demon was still preferable to a devil.
Despite their timely efforts to conceal their surprise, they could not escape Qing Qiong’s sharp, darting eyes. He snorted, responding with righteous indignation.
“What are you looking at? What are you looking at? I was originally a Demon Artifact! Sixty thousand years ago, I failed my tribulation and lost all my Demonic Power. Mu Guang picked me up and kept me hanging in his Cosmic Bag. When I woke up, all I saw every day was his big pocket—it nearly scared my soul out of me! If I hadn’t stolen some Immortal Qi from him and hidden it on myself, as a demon, I would’ve been chopped to pieces long ago hiding in the Heavenly Palace!”
He spoke with conviction, proudly boasting about how a mere Demon Artifact like him had deceived everyone for sixty thousand years and become a Supreme Treasure of the Heavenly Palace. His words left the two High Venerables of the Heavenly Palace speechless, staring wide-eyed.
After berating the former Celestial Emperor Mu Guang, Qing Qiong lowered his head and adopted a cautious, ingratiating tone toward Feng Ran. “Your Majesty, I only hold a grudge against that dragon brat Mu Guang. I truly adore you. Don’t worry, with me here, that green-feathered bird won’t be able to harm you.”
He knelt halfway beside Feng Ran, who narrowed her eyes and looked at him.
“Qing Qiong, what are you doing?”"Your Majesty, I will open a Spatial Gate to send you away. Once you enter the Space-Time Turbulence, no one except a True God will be able to find you." As he spoke, he cast a disdainful glance at Yu Feng and Kunlun. "Since I'm sending you anyway, I'll be merciful and take these two old men along as well."
These words immediately made Yu Feng's brow twitch. It was one thing to call the white-bearded, white-haired Kunlun Patriarch an old man, but he, Yu Feng, was a deity in the prime of youth, dressed in splendid attire—why should he be called an old man too?
"And you?" Feng Ran raised an eyebrow, looking at Qing Qiong.
"You know I've always been the most afraid of death." Qing Qiong chuckled, meeting Feng Ran's gaze, but his expression suddenly turned serious. "But this time, I cannot accompany you." Before Feng Ran could speak, he pushed her throne toward the floating circle behind him and slowly stood up.
"You must have realized long ago that I am a Demon Artifact, yet you still allowed me to recuperate in the Divine Spring of Phoenix Island for three hundred years. For the kindness of Form Transformation and Reforging, Qing Qiong will repay you just this once."
Qing Qiong bowed deeply, then pushed Feng Ran and the other two toward the floating circle before turning around.
"Little Majesty Feng Yin is your disciple, and Hong Yi is the emperor of my clan. I cannot abandon either of them!"
Trembling, Qing Qiong raised the Nine Palaces Tower and charged toward Hua Mo's direction, but his eyes flickered with greed and determination as they swept over the Peacock King and the Peacock Clan's Demon Army. However, before he could take more than two steps, a resounding phoenix cry suddenly rang out behind him, echoing across the sky one after another.
He frowned quickly, turned his head, and froze.
From the swirling vortex he had conjured, endless phoenixes flew out. Their broad, multicolored wings blotted out the sky, and the immense Divine Power of such a large clan forcefully halted the unstoppable momentum of the Demon Army.
The Phoenix Clan! The Phoenix Clan has arrived!
Back then, Feng Ran had issued an imperial decree that the Phoenix Clan would no longer involve itself in the conflicts of the Three Realms, choosing instead to live in seclusion. Who would have thought they would come today!
At the forefront, three White Phoenixes carried three ethereal elders. They held Divine Bows, and Divine Arrows shot forth from the bows like a storm, raining down upon the Peacock King!
The Divine Arrows, infused with immense Divine Power, forced the Demon Staff back several meters. The elders on the colorful phoenixes let out long cries, leading the phoenixes into the eerie Blood Array of the Demon Army. The Phoenix Clan were born as the Emperor of All Birds. Even though the Peacock Clan had grown immensely powerful after turning into Demons, the Phoenix Clan could still hold their own. However, the Demon Army was vast in number, and though every phoenix was an elite warrior, they could only engage in a difficult, deadlocked battle.
Qing Qiong silently watched this army of Divine Lords descending from the heavens, clicked his tongue in regret, and cautiously retreated. Yet, as he stepped back, he subtly distanced himself a few steps from Feng Ran.
He narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the distant Phoenix Clan army locked in battle, concealing the shock and vigilance within.
When did Feng Ran plant a Teleportation Gate to Wutong Phoenix Island in his Life Gate? What else does she know?
Behind him, Feng Ran seemed completely unaware of his strange behavior, her eyes fixed solemnly on the battle not far away.
The battle was deadlocked. Even with the Phoenix Clan's innate talents, they were gradually falling into decline against the Demon Army the Peacock King had painstakingly built over thousands of years.
Feng Yin frowned tightly, her eyes reddening as she watched young clansmen fall one by one to the Demon Army.
They could not continue this entangled fight any longer. Even if there came a moment when the Demon Army could be annihilated, it would inevitably come at the cost of the entire Phoenix Clan!
Her eyes hardened, and with a fierce swing of her sword, she knocked aside Hong Yi's Nirvana Wheel. "Fall back!"Hong Yi was caught off guard, forced back several steps by Feng Yin's Divine Light and reverting to human form.
"Ah Yin! What are you doing!"
In this brief exchange, a momentary pause emerged between the two sides. Before Hong Yi could shape-shift and control the Nirvana Wheel to attack, a phoenix cry ten times louder than when the Phoenix Clan appeared earlier resounded.
This phoenix cry was more majestic, more domineering, more invincible!
The shape-shifted Fire Phoenix ignited towering waves of flame, engulfing the Demon Staff and Hua Mo and his daughter within its scorching wings!
Hong Yi stared blankly at the Fire Phoenix that had transformed into a Divine Body before the Demon Staff, filled with astonishment.
It was merely a shape-shift, yet why did Ah Yin's Divine Power seem to have suddenly increased severalfold!
Suddenly, as if realizing something, his expression changed drastically, transforming into a bolt of lightning as he charged toward Feng Yin.
Divine Dissolution! She was undergoing Divine Dissolution!
Once Divine Dissolution occurred, the Soul would inevitably scatter. Even with heaven-defying fortune...
In over sixty thousand years across the Three Realms, only Jing Jian had ever survived it!
Ten thousand miles away, atop Purple Moon Mountain, Yuan Qi, who had been silently gazing at the ashes of Chang Qin and Sen Yu, felt a sudden, dull pain pierce his heart. He abruptly turned his head, looking toward the direction of the Heavenly Palace, his ever-calm expression finally stirring.
Ah Yin was in trouble after all!
Above the Azure Dragon Platform, Hong Yi reached out a hand to pull Feng Yin back but was pushed away by the scorching flames from her wings.
"Ah Yin! Come back! Come back quickly!"
The Divine Power derived from the Divine Dissolution technique was too overwhelming; he simply couldn't stop Feng Yin.
The immortals finally discerned Feng Yin's intent. Each of them grew frantic with anxiety yet utterly helpless, their eyes momentarily filled only with sorrow. Could it be that such a young Phoenix Sovereign was about to fall?
"Your Majesty!" Seeing this scene, the Third Elder of the Phoenix Clan also paled, urging the colorful phoenix beneath his feet to swiftly fly toward Feng Yin.
In the distance, upon the imperial throne, Feng Ran witnessed Feng Yin's Divine Dissolution. The scene from a thousand years ago in Rakshasa Land replayed before her eyes. Her eyes gradually reddened, and the hand resting on the throne slowly clenched.
The same crisis in the Three Realms, the same Divine Dissolution... Jing Jian, Feng Yin, she...
Feng Yin, burning with Ember Fire, remained unmoved by the attempts of Hong Yi and the immortals to stop her. She slowly closed her wings, intending to crush the Peacock King, his daughter, and that Demon Staff with her Ember Fire and Innate Divine Essence.
Enraged by the Ember Fire burning within the phoenix wings, the Peacock King saw the Demon Staff in his hand gradually melting under the Phoenix Sovereign's Ember Fire. The Demon Soul refined and absorbed over a millennium within it let out agonized wails. Finally, a subtle mix of fear and fury flickered in his eyes.
He raised his head, glaring at the enormous Fire Phoenix before him, and roared angrily, "Feng Yin! Have you gone mad? If you undergo Divine Dissolution, you will cease to exist in the Three Realms. What does it matter if you protect these immortals? Ten million years from now, who will remember a dead Phoenix Sovereign! If you stop now, this king is willing to grant Wutong Phoenix Island peace beyond the Three Realms!"
Feng Yin lowered her head to look at Hua Shu and her father. Her enormous phoenix eyes were filled with unwavering determination, aloof and majestic.
"Ridiculous, Hua Mo. I, of the noble Ancient Phoenix Clan, would rather see my entire clan destroyed in battle today than submit to your Demon Tribe. Even if my Soul Scattered and Spirit Dispersed in the Heavenly Palace today, I will not allow a single Demon to step beyond the Heavenly Gate!"
"You!" Hua Mo was furious beyond measure. Seeing the Ember Fire about to shatter the Demon Staff, he suddenly turned to Hua Shu, who had remained silent beside him, his eyes bloodshot. "Shu'er, summon the Demon Gathering Banner!"
"Father." Hua Shu shook her head, despair also in her eyes. "Feng Yin's Divine Power from the Divine Dissolution is too strong. The Demon Gathering Banner is only a Semi-Divine Artifact; it cannot break through the Ember Fire."Hua Mo grabbed Hua Shu's shoulders, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. "Sacrifice your Primordial Spirit, gather everyone from the Heavenly Palace into the Demon Gathering Banner, refine and absorb them into Demon Bones for our use!"
Hua Shu took a step back in shock, looking incredulously at the Peacock King. "Father, among them are warriors from our clan..."
"For the sake of our Hundred Birds Island unifying the Three Realms, what does such a sacrifice matter!" He gazed fervently at Hua Shu, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Shu'er, I have nurtured you for thousands of years. For me, for Hundred Birds Island, offer your Primordial Spirit. Let me break through this damned Ember Fire. Once I become the ruler of the Three Realms, I will surely reassemble your Soul, and you and I will rule the Three Realms together!"
Hua Shu looked into the Peacock King's eyes—nothing remained within them but madness and darkness. She glanced at the Peacock Clan soldiers battling the Phoenix Clan outside the Ember Fire. In their eyes, too, nothing remained but desire and Demonic Qi.
When had it begun? Her father, her family, her clansmen—none of them remained.
Suddenly, she turned back to face the Peacock King.
"Father, you are right. The glory and future of the Peacock Clan are more important than anything. For the sake of our clan, all sacrifices are worth it."
In an instant, Hua Shu's eyes filled with unwavering courage. The Peacock King was taken aback, but before he could say anything, Hua Shu had already leaped up, stepping on the Demon Staff that was about to turn to dust, and soared into the air, level with Feng Yin.
The Demon Gathering Banner emerged from her palm, growing to half a zhang above her head. She conjured a dagger and slashed her fingertip, sending a continuous stream of blood toward the banner. As blood and Primordial Spirit power poured into it, the banner suddenly glowed with an eerie red light. Its opening widened, and the roars of the Demon Beasts trapped within shook the heavens.
Feng Yin's phoenix eyes narrowed. Hua Shu was already a Semi-Divine Body. If she sacrificed her Primordial Spirit, not only would the Demon Beasts imprisoned in the Demon Gathering Banner for tens of thousands of years be released, but even the immortals of the Heavenly Palace and the Phoenix Clan would be drawn into the banner and refined!
There was no time to wait. She had to be stopped! Without hesitation, Feng Yin transformed the white Ember Fire into a sharp arrow of flame, aiming straight for Hua Shu's brow.
At this critical moment, an urgent voice rang out from below the Azure Dragon Platform.
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