Inner Demon
Before this, Qi Xianqing had never known anything about matters of the heart.
She had once been obsessed with cultivation. Although Yun Zhen had mentioned a thing or two to her before, in truth she didn’t know much about it.
Even though she and Yan Jue had once slept in each other’s arms, and even shared more intimate kisses, Qi Xianqing had never thought in that direction.
Qi Xianqing’s back was slender, the curve of her shoulder blades beautiful, but now a visible streak of blood cut across her pale skin.
Whenever Qi Xianqing traveled outside, she was injured one way or another; she had long since grown used to it.
Yan Jue knew very well that what she was seeing now was only the mildest of them.
Cold ointment fell onto the skin, turning into waves of tingling numbness that spread through her limbs and bones.
Yan Jue carefully smeared the white salve over the wound, and when she felt Qi Xianqing’s breathing clearly falter, she couldn’t help frowning slightly.
Even if the people of Cliff of Severed Malice were as well-informed as could be, how had they locked onto Qi Xianqing’s location?
She was a demon too.
Qi Xianqing had always been vigilant.
Could Qi Xianqing suspect that it was she who had revealed her exact whereabouts to Cliff of Severed Malice?
As soon as Yan Jue thought of that, she felt awful.
She let out a silent sigh. Her identity as a demon was simply too sensitive.
She and Qi Xianqing had only just gotten together; it was inevitable that she would feel insecure and unsettled.
Yan Jue’s thoughts were running wild, and her hand inevitably became a little heavy.
Qi Xianqing held her breath and slowly closed her eyes. “What is Junior Sister thinking about?”
Yan Jue gave a soft “ah.” “Nothing.”
After a pause, she said, “Earlier at the dining table, I saw someone.”
Qi Xianqing’s brows moved. “Mm?”
Yan Jue: “Drifting Ice reacted strongly to that person. He must have been carrying a strong blood-soaked aura.”
Qi Xianqing opened her eyes. Her voice was slightly hoarse. “The man sitting opposite us during dinner just now?”
Qi Xianqing had noticed the man in black across from them earlier, but her instincts regarding the Demonic Cult were not as sharp as Drifting Ice’s.
And with the sudden sneak attack from the monster of Cliff of Severed Malice, she hadn’t paid much more attention to him.
If Drifting Ice sensed something about that man, then his identity was most likely that of a Demonic Cult member.
At the foot of Jade Blossom Mountain, this place was so remote it could barely be called civilized; even the local commoners were few and far between. Why would someone from the demonic sect come here?
The situation had been too chaotic lately; it was hard not to connect this matter to Luan Terrace.
Earlier, when Qi Xianqing was at Luan Terrace, she had already learned from the maids that in three days it would be the Phoenix Clan princess’s wedding day. Once the atmosphere grew lively, Luan Terrace would relax its guard, and demons might easily slip in.
Yan Jue: “I memorized that man’s room just now. I want to use the Cloudvoid Umbrella to sneak in and take a look.”
She finished applying the medicine for Qi Xianqing and blew on it gently. “All done.”
Qi Xianqing turned her head to look at her. Under the dim candlelight, the girl’s lips were red and her teeth white; her features were so bright they seemed almost three-dimensional.
Yan Jue was just about to leave when Qi Xianqing caught her hand and pulled her down beneath her in one motion.
Qi Xianqing’s breath was right at her nose; the fragrance of an Immortal Spirit Physique carried with it a faint, threadlike plum blossom scent, clean and refreshing.
Yan Jue met those dark eyes, and her heart lurched.
Qi Xianqing looked at Yan Jue; her fingertips lightly brushed the corner of the girl’s lips, and Yan Jue lifted her gaze to stare at her blankly.
The room was quiet.
Qi Xianqing seemed unable to love her enough; she lowered her head and kissed the corner of the girl’s lips. “Be careful with everything.”
Yan Jue wrapped her arms back around Qi Xianqing’s waist. “Mm.”
Yan Jue stood up and took the Cloudvoid Umbrella from her Qiankun bag.
What exactly had she been thinking?
Qi Xianqing trusted her; how could she think such a thing?
Thinking of the thought she had just had, Yan Jue felt as if someone had gently pinched her heart. For a moment, she was both sour and soft inside.
Yan Jue opened the emerald-green Cloudvoid Umbrella, and her body was quickly concealed.
Her qinggong had always been excellent; her figure leaped across the roof beams and soon arrived outside the window of the demonic cultivator’s room.
The window wasn’t closed.
Yan Jue lightly stepped on the window ledge and vaulted right in.
Inside the room.
A man in black stood by the table, looking down at something.
Beside him sat a beautiful, dazzling woman, who was casually sipping from the wine cup in her hand.
The woman had a voluptuous, graceful figure, like the enchanting vixen in a painting who brought ruin to a nation.
Several gold bells hung from her wrist; when she moved, they swayed and gave off a clear, ethereal sound.
The two of them didn’t seem to be talking. Yan Jue could only step closer and glance down at the table.
A map was laid there.
Yan Jue froze slightly.
It was a map of Luan Terrace.
The man suddenly spoke; his voice was low and hoarse. “In three days it will be the day of the Luan Terrace princess’s wedding.”
The fair, root-like fingers of the woman lightly toyed with the bells on her wrist, and she smiled faintly. “What a rare opportunity.”
“I’ll open the barrier then and let the people in.”
“After that, it will be up to you.”
-
Very soon, three days had passed.
When the first pale white light spread across the sky, multicolored auspicious clouds gradually enveloped the entire valley, and Phoenix Terrace also began to grow lively.
Because today was the princess’s wedding day.
Everyone knew that the person the princess was marrying was from a prominent Phoenix Clan family, the Nan family.
Princess Feng Ru had actually been betrothed to the Nan family long ago.
It was only because she had been ill for a long time that the wedding date had been postponed.
The Phoenix Clan placed great emphasis on bloodline hierarchy. The Nan family’s status within the Phoenix Clan was second only to the Feng family, and they were one of the few families in the Phoenix Clan with extremely pure phoenix blood.
The spectator seats at Phoenix Terrace were already full. Luan Terrace prided itself on its superiority, and its relations with the other five immortal sects were not good; most of those seated at the ceremony were still their own people from Luan Terrace.
Red streamers danced in the air, firecrackers boomed nonstop, and the whole scene was extraordinarily lively.
On the square of Luan Terrace, a bridal sedan chair moved forward slowly.
At this moment on the viewing platform, Feng Zhaoyang stood together with the Nan family elder Nan Dun, smiling as he looked at the scene in the distance.
Feng Zhaoyang stood and raised his cup. “Today is the happy day of our children’s wedding; allow me to toast you, Elder.”
Nan Dun smiled.
Everyone knew that the princess herself did not want to marry Nan Ming of the Nan family.
And some time ago, there had even been rumors within the clan that the princess had already fallen in love with a mortal outside.
To resist the marriage alliance, the princess had even taken marrow-cleansing medicine to wash away her phoenix bloodline.
Whichever of these actions it was, it was enough to slap the Nan family in the face several times over.
But the Feng and Nan families had intermarried for generations; the Nan family could not possibly abandon the marriage alliance with the Feng family just because the princess was immature and unreasonable.
Although the marrow-cleansing medicine had washed away part of Feng Ru’s bloodline, reducing the purity of her lineage from what it had once been, bloodline matching was a minor matter. Only by allying with the Feng family could the Nan family remain in a safe position generation after generation.
Just as everyone’s attention was focused on the bridal sedan in the center of the square, a turquoise oil-paper umbrella slowly flew into the gates of Luan Terrace.
This oil-paper umbrella was the Cloudvoid Umbrella taken from the Demon Lord’s treasure pouch. It was simply invincible, able to pass through any formation, and even mighty experts of the eighth realm could not detect the person beneath it.
Yan Jue hooked her arms around Qi Xianqing’s neck, sitting steadily on Qi Xianqing’s back as she held the umbrella. Qi Xianqing narrowed her eyes and fixed her gaze on the sea of people ahead at Phoenix Terrace; with a light push from her foot, her body leaped forward several zhang.
It was fine; no one could see them anyway.
The bridal sedan was carried slowly forward by the servants, and soon reached the very center of the square.
A handsome, high-spirited young man in a round-collared, narrow-sleeved crimson robe stood on Phoenix Terrace, smiling at the bridal sedan.
He was the Phoenix Clan’s promising young talent, Nan Ming.
He was Luan Terrace’s hope for the future, and the only person in the clan who possessed highly pure phoenix true blood.
The servants slowly lifted the curtain of the bridal sedan, and the elders of both families simultaneously revealed faint smiles.
Once the bride and groom had paid their respects to heaven and earth, there would be no more variables.
And Feng Ru, who had been mischievous since childhood, would settle down and become a proper daughter-in-law of the Nan family. The relationship between the Feng and Nan families would only grow stronger.
Feng Zhaoyang could not help but let out a breath of relief.
He glanced at Nan Dun beside him, just about to speak.
Suddenly, a burst of furious roars erupted from over there.
“Roar——”
The huge square suddenly shook violently, and a dense, oppressive force surged in from all directions.
Nan Dun froze. “That is...”
In an instant, heaven and earth changed color, and thick black clouds covered the entire sky.
The great roar rose higher and higher. Just as the edge of Phoenix Terrace before the bridal sedan erupted with a deafening blast, something completely engulfed in flames crawled up from beneath Phoenix Terrace.
Feng Zhaoyang’s pupils contracted sharply.
It was a giant phoenix.
This phoenix was entirely a brilliant golden yellow, like the sun at its fiercest; its feathers flashed with a dazzling luster like scales.
Its body was enormous, and its wings were like clouds hanging from the heavens!
This was the pure-blood phoenix that had been dwelling beneath Phoenix Terrace!
Phoenixes had always been the divine beasts of the Phoenix Clan. The clan’s members were human-phoenix hybrids born from the union of humans and phoenixes in ancient times. Even the king, Feng Zhaoyang, whose bloodline was the purest, could not achieve complete purity.
The true pure-blood divine beast phoenix lived beneath Phoenix Terrace, guarding the Phoenix Clan’s precious phoenix fetus through the generations; it possessed an incomparably noble status and honor!
The moment Feng Zhaoyang saw the phoenix, his pupils shrank. Along with the pure-blood phoenix’s appearance came endless bloodline pressure.
Feng Zhaoyang immediately felt like kneeling before it.
Why would a pure-blood phoenix descend at a time like this? Did it know that the Phoenix Clan’s princess was getting married today and want to present a gift to the clan?!
“No.”
Nan Dun frowned. “Look at its condition; something seems off!”
In the blinding sunlight, the phoenix was burning all over with fierce flames, blood-red-eyed, raising its head to let out shrill cries. It was clearly in a berserk state.
It suddenly leaped into the air, spread its wings with a violent sweep, and a gale swept over, destroying everything around it.
“This isn’t the real phoenix.” Nan Dun stood up and said in a low voice, “It’s one of the phoenix’s avatars!”
Before his voice had even faded, black mist began to churn above the phoenix’s head, and a faint deep-purple barrier appeared in the sky.
The barrier flickered in and out of visibility; from within it jumped more than ten people dressed in black.
Immortal technique: Void Passage.
All the Phoenix Clan disciples present were instantly dumbfounded.
Many years had passed since that war-torn era of chaos. Everyone had been cooped up in the greenhouse for too long; when faced with this kind of situation, they actually did not know how to react at once.
A Phoenix Clan disciple with a blue badge was too late to escape and had his chest pierced through by a steel blade!
The man in black at the very front shouted, and the more than ten black-clothed figures began to shift positions.
They actually formed a formation right there on the spot.
Beast-Pattern Spirit Summoning Array.
This formation was originally created by Elder Kongxu of the Beast Taming Pavilion and had spread widely throughout the martial world.
Such a formation required eighteen people to activate simultaneously; once activated, it could control a spirit beast’s divine sense and make the beast obey them.
The men in black chanted loudly, and the phoenix grew even more restless. Its massive wings beat frantically, like clouds hanging low from the sky, stirring up scorching flames.
The nearby Luan Terrace disciples reacted at once and rushed out, all forming hand seals to prepare to attack; but the moment they crashed into the black-clothed men’s formation, they were rebounded by a burst of black light.
The black-clothed leader formed a hand seal with both hands in the shape of a orchid blossom, then suddenly swept his right hand. The air around them converged toward the center, condensing into a void-like longsaber that slashed out.
In an instant, blood flowed like a river.
The Beast-Pattern Spirit Summoning Array needed to be advanced step by step, and as the formation over there changed again and again, the bloodthirst in the phoenix’s eyes grew even more intense.
It suddenly opened its enormous beak and let out a thunderous roar: “Ah——”
The Cry of Mingli.
The roar pierced the eardrums. Yan Jue’s pupils contracted, and in that instant something like an inner demon surged up in her chest.
Suddenly, a soft touch came to her ear.
Qi Xianqing’s expression was as cold as frost as she raised a hand to cover her ears.
Three days ago, Yan Jue had infiltrated that suspicious man’s room and found a map of Luan Terrace laid out on the table.
What was even stranger was that more than ten people entered that tiny room afterward.
All of them wore black cloaks.
A few of the black-clothed men discussed things privately; Yan Jue caught only the gist of it, but she learned that they were disciples under the Jueming Valley Demon Lord, and that the purpose of their last visit had something to do with the current marriage at Luan Terrace.
...
Feng Zhaoyang reacted quickly. He immediately activated the great array, and in an instant a golden formation lit up along the edge of Phoenix Terrace.
The protective mountain formation of Luan Terrace.
Feng Zhaoyang’s face was as dark as water. His hands formed seals, and in an instant bright golden light lit up in his pupils.
He slightly opened his mouth and swept his right hand across the sky.
Countless small phoenixes surged out from his mouth.
Like arrows released from a bow, the small phoenixes smashed into the black-clothed men’s formation; the tremendous force actually shattered the formation to pieces in an instant!
These black-clothed men’s cultivation didn’t seem to be very high.
Feng Zhaoyang looked at the demonic cultivators, his expression full of contempt.
After all, he had always looked down on those mortals; much less when those mortals were demonic cultivators.
Feng Zhaoyang rose into the air, and in an instant a pair of golden wings burst forth behind him.
The golden wings flapped violently, and fierce gales immediately surged across Phoenix Terrace.
The demonic cultivators were blown off balance at once.
Feng Zhaoyang flew to the phoenix’s front, extended one hand, and with his palm facing downward pressed lightly, his voice deep and resonant. “O divine phoenix, may you know peace!”
The black mist on the phoenix gradually thinned, and Feng Zhaoyang’s robe fluttered violently in the gale.
With a sweep of his hand, flames spilled from his palm.
Scarlet fire lashed out, and wherever it touched the black-clothed demonic cultivators, piercing screams rose one after another; a faint burnt smell filled the air.
All the demonic cultivators were burned to ash by the flames.
Feng Zhaoyang dealing with this group of mortal demonic cultivators was as simple as crushing a swarm of ants.
Seeing the situation around him gradually stabilize, he smiled, and was just thinking about how this phoenix avatar should be dealt with when he turned around.
Suddenly, a sharp, icy magical weapon stabbed without warning into his chest.
Feng Zhaoyang’s pupils contracted sharply. He suddenly caught a familiar aura from behind him at the tip of his nose.
He whirled around and met those blood-red eyes.
Feng Ru’s eyes were red, her face filled with murderous energy. She held a longsword, and her arm trembled slightly.
This was the appearance one had only after being swallowed by an inner demon. The resentment Feng Ru had accumulated in her heart recently was enough to give birth to one!
Feng Ru wore a bright red wedding robe, and somehow, a pair of huge golden wings had already spread behind her.
Those wings behind Feng Ru beat fiercely, sending gales surging around her; the Phoenix Clan members were blown around in disarray.
Feng Ru formed hand seals, and scarlet flames surged up before her like golden dragons.
Samadhi True Fire!
Samadhi True Fire was a divine fire of the world, and also the unique flame of the Phoenix Clan. Its power was even more savage than Yun Zhen’s Nine Heavens Profound Fire.
Wherever it passed, not a blade of grass survived.
Tiny sparks scattered onto the people nearby; accompanied by shrill screams, countless people turned to ash.
Feng Zhaoyang’s brows tightened. He shouted, “Control the princess!”
Nan Dun leaped into the air, landed on top of the phoenix’s head, and began chanting a calming incantation.
The black mist above the phoenix’s head had already become completely still.
It looked as though the phoenix had been fully subdued and would no longer make any moves.
Nan Dun felt a little more at ease, but in the next moment, the phoenix suddenly raised its head and swallowed him whole!
Feng Zhaoyang’s eyes widened as he looked downward. In the place where the black-clothed men he had already burned to ashes had stood, there was somehow now a woman in black.
No.
That woman was the phoenix’s true controller!
She wore a black gauze robe. Her eyes flowed with autumn water, her figure was light and graceful, and several gold bells hung from her pale wrist. She smiled faintly and stood in the blood of her companions, continuing to chant the spell.
The black mist above the phoenix’s head rose again, and it raised its head and let out a furious howl: “Ah——”
In an instant, that furious roar filled with blood-soaked malice became waves of black qi, sweeping across the entire Phoenix Terrace in a flash.
The eyes of the Phoenix Clan members on Phoenix Terrace were instantly filled with extreme agony.
The swords in their hands fell to the ground one after another; both hands clenched into fists as though they were struggling with all their might.
A few breaths later, they lifted their eyes again, and a thick blood-soaked malice had already filled them.
Divine Art: Cry of Mingli.
In everyone’s heart, there are bound to be some dark thoughts. If those dark thoughts are left to grow, they may very well give rise to an inner demon.
And as a divine beast, the phoenix possessed the divine art of mental control.
This Cry of Mingli could infinitely magnify the darkness in a person’s heart, until that darkness ultimately developed into an inner demon.
By the time Yan Jue reacted, she saw those Phoenix Clan members who had already fallen into demonic possession all bend down to pick up their weapons, their expressions solemn and ferocious.
Once the inner demon is born, it is hard to dispel.
Yan Jue was slightly stunned.
In an instant, the matter she still hadn’t understood that night had already begun to take shape in her mind.
Could the purpose of this operation be to control the entire Phoenix Clan?
“Ah——”
The sound was an extremely long shriek, shaking the four directions.
Those Phoenix Clan members with reddened eyes formed arrays on their own; wherever the black-clothed woman pointed with her right hand, they charged there.
Yan Jue’s gaze remained fixed on Phoenix Terrace, where countless crazed Luan Terrace disciples were running amok, shouting at the top of their lungs, “Our god does not die!”
The Luan Terrace disciples were so frenzied, yet she and Qi Xianqing had no reaction.
Now Yan Jue understood: this Cry of Mingli only affected Phoenix Clan members.
A little Phoenix Clan girl ran around the square in panic and was knocked over by the crowd, falling hard to the ground.
The girl cried out miserably, “Mother!”
At the same time, behind her, a man with a face full of murderous qi followed closely after her, his hollow eyes fixed on the little girl. It looked as though he was about to raise the longsaber in his hand.
Qi Xianqing’s voice came from behind her. “Do not look at the phoenix’s eyes.”
Yan Jue instantly understood what Qi Xianqing meant.
The phoenix’s eyes contained the power of flame and the pressure of the divine phoenix; when they stared at an enemy, they could burn its soul.
Qi Xianqing exchanged a glance with Yan Jue. Yan Jue’s body instantly lit up with a golden glow; in the next breath, she transformed into a six-tailed fox with fiery-red fur. Her hind legs suddenly drove hard, and her body drew a beautiful arc through the air as she leaped.
She was no longer the cute little red fox from before, but a ferocious beast with a savage face. Six tails streamed in the wind like flames burning in the sky.
Yan Jue pounced at the man; her six large tails lashed out like whips, and the Phoenix Clan man was sent flying away like a spinning top losing control.
Faintly ferocious crimson light flickered around Yan Jue’s body, but unlike those Phoenix Clan members devoured by their inner demons, this was because the nine-tailed fox was itself one of the ancient ferocious beasts. If Yan Jue fully revealed her fox demon form, the baleful aura on her body could not be hidden.
The phoenix, which had been roaring with its head raised, also stopped shrieking.
It lowered its head and looked at Yan Jue.
As the phoenix stared at her, Yan Jue suddenly felt a scorching burn spread over her body, as though merely meeting those eyes would burn even her soul to ashes.
With a swish, Qi Xianqing closed the umbrella and slowly walked over to stand behind Yan Jue.
The gale whipped her robes into a flutter. Qi Xianqing stood with her hands behind her back, looking calmly at the scene ahead.
Although she had already put on the Silencing Cloak, and her features were hidden behind a veil so that they could not be seen clearly, just her bearing and those dark eyes were enough to be dazzling.
The black-clothed woman behind the phoenix, who had been chanting the spell all this time, was slightly stunned.
Such an outstanding woman, with a longsword on her back, clearly wasn’t someone from Luan Terrace; how had she come here?
Just as she hesitated, Qi Xianqing suddenly spoke out loud, “I have long heard that the phoenix is a divine beast of this world; today I’m fortunate enough to see it, and it truly lives up to its reputation.”
Qi Xianqing paused. “I wonder how it compares to my nine-tailed red fox.”
Nine-tailed red fox?
The black-clothed woman’s pupils suddenly constricted. This ferocious beast standing before her, could it actually be a nine-tailed red fox?
If the phoenix avatar were to fight the true nine-tailed red fox, how much chance of winning would it have?
The woman dared not say.
It was said that the nine-tailed fox had already gone extinct a thousand years ago, and even the fox in front of them only had six tails.
The black-clothed woman met Qi Xianqing’s clear-as-water gaze and quickly calmed down.
She knew there were many beast tamers in this world.
Beast tamers traveled the world with their spirit beasts; whenever they encountered someone else’s powerful spirit beast, they liked to challenge it.
To be able to challenge a divine beast like the phoenix, even if it was only an avatar, was the dream of many beast tamers.
This woman before her was standing with a red fox, clearly in a master-and-servant relationship.
Since she wanted to challenge the phoenix, then she would grant her wish.
Thinking of this, the black-clothed woman smiled slightly. “So it’s a red fox; then come and have a proper fight with the phoenix.”
“Let’s see whether the red fox is stronger, or the phoenix.”
Before the black-clothed woman had even finished speaking, the gold bells on her wrist began to jingle violently. Their clear sound rang out as she recited the true art of beast control, and the phoenix instantly became berserk again. It leaped into the air, beating its wings, and a sky-filling blaze came crashing toward them.
Yan Jue’s narrow phoenix eyes narrowed. Her right foot stamped hard onto the ground, and in an instant frost unfurled around her.
She threw back her head and let out a heaven-shaking roar; the air around her body began to distort, condensing into tiny ice blades one after another.
The ice blades gathered directly in front of her and gradually formed a thick ice wall.
Boom——
The phoenix’s flames crashed into the ice wall.
Ice and fire.
The blue ice and red fire lit the sky so brightly it was almost blinding. Qi Xianqing raised her head and looked seriously and solemnly into the sky, as though considering how her nine-tailed fox might surpass the phoenix.
If this red fox really was a nine-tailed fox, then for the phoenix to defeat it with only one avatar would still be very difficult.
The black-clothed woman smiled faintly. “Your spirit beast is rather formidable too. Can it withstand this strike from the phoenix?”
As she spoke, she formed hand seals and controlled the phoenix. Halfway through the incantation, she suddenly sensed a gust of force behind her!
Something was wrong!
The woman’s pupils shrank sharply.
Two longswords, one green and one blue, whistled through the air, merging into one in the sky and turning into a mighty sword qi like a soaring dragon. Sharp and ferocious, the sword qi condensed into a semicircular blade of light and slashed toward her.
A sneak attack.
So the woman’s true target had never been the phoenix, but her!
The black-clothed woman was naturally not one to be easily dealt with; she immediately formed hand seals.
In the next breath, her body was split in two by the overwhelming sword qi produced by the Twin-Sword Fusion of Drifting Ice and Zhuying. Then she appeared five steps away.
Immortal technique: Substitution by Li and Peach.
Yan Jue had once heard that some cultivators would refine a death-substitute puppet for themselves, so that in times of crisis the puppet could die in their place.
But the might of the legendary swords Drifting Ice and Zhuying fused together was simply too powerful. The sword brilliance shattered not only the puppet standing before her, but also the phoenix beside it.
The phoenix let out a shrill scream; its right wing was actually severed clean off!
Blood slid down the black-clothed woman’s arm. A flash of irritation crossed her eyes, and she shouted, “I never thought people like you from the righteous immortal sect would also use such despicable tricks!”
She pointed her right hand at the phoenix. The phoenix raged, and its golden wings instantly transformed into a blade. That blade, carrying the force of mountains toppling and seas overturning, slashed fiercely onto Yan Jue’s shoulder.
On the red fox’s bright, beautiful fur, a deep gash of blood instantly appeared.
Blood splattered out.
It was not enough to kill it, but it was enough to force a draw.
The phoenix had also exhausted all its strength by then, its body gradually disappearing in midair.
Huff... huff...
The woman was covered in wounds from head to toe, but a faint smile of relief appeared at the corners of her lips.
Suddenly, the smile on her face froze.
That red fox, though gravely wounded, had raised its narrow phoenix eyes, and there was actually a faint trace of mockery on its face.
Like a thunderclap exploding overhead.
No!
The blood flowing from the red fox’s body turned in the sky into streaks of ice-blue light, and like sharp blades they shot straight toward her.
Blood-refining art.
Blood imbued with the power of frost swept through the sky like a dense rain of swords, slamming brutally into the woman’s body.
After cultivating the blood-refining art, the speed at which the body’s blood recovered reached its peak. Yan Jue opened her eyes in an instant and stood up, looking at him with a face as cold as ice.
In the next moment, golden light flashed through the sky.
Qi Xianqing threw out the Soul Binding Rope, and the woman was wrapped tightly in layer after layer.
Qi Xianqing made a sweeping motion with her right hand, and a huge painting appeared in her palm.
The painting slowly unfurled, and a dazzling light emerged; the black-clothed woman was instantly sucked into the painting.
On Phoenix Terrace, the gale howled. The phoenix avatar, already on the verge of death over there, used all its remaining strength to flap its wings violently.
Its body began to turn to ash in the sky, but that hurricane instantly blew everyone on Phoenix Terrace off their feet.
Although Yan Jue’s own blood recovered quickly, she was still injured and could not withstand the hurricane created by the phoenix. Her limbs pressed tightly to the ground, and she opened her mouth to let out a low growl.
Qi Xianqing came back to herself and met her gaze.
Yan Jue barely managed to steady herself when suddenly something slammed hard into her arms!
Yan Jue’s pupils contracted sharply. Looking down, she saw that what had crashed into her was a woman with a face full of murderous qi, gone mad.
It was actually the Phoenix Clan princess Feng Ru, who had been lying in bed several days ago.
The princess’s inner demon still hadn’t been dispelled. Flames blazed all over her body; her Samadhi True Fire was nearly exhausted, its power much weaker than before, but it still retained lingering force.
Feng Ru directly knocked Yan Jue back three steps. Even though murderous qi still lingered in her eyes, when she looked up at the fox’s amber phoenix eyes, she still couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and gently rubbing the red fox’s fluffy head.
Yan Jue: “...”
So the Phoenix Clan princess was a furry lover after all.
But the current situation was obviously not the time for petting foxes. The force of the hurricane made by the phoenix was growing stronger and stronger; Yan Jue staggered back another step, and her body simply could not bear the weight of a person.
Feng Zhaoyang stood not far away, clutching his wound and gasping for breath. Although he had been seriously injured by Feng Ru just now, the wounds had not struck any vital points, and under the recovery of phoenix blood he was already mostly healed.
Seeing that absurd scene in the distance, he immediately shouted, “Capture the princess and bring her back!”
Although Feng Ru had given birth to an inner demon under the effects of the Cry of Mingli, she was originally someone who liked small animals very much, and had wanted a little fox since childhood.
She still hadn’t reacted to what was going on.
Suddenly, a figure flashed past her side.
Qi Xianqing grabbed her arm and threw her viciously backward.
Flames still roared around Feng Ru’s body; the instant Qi Xianqing touched her, the blazing fire spread up her arm.
The princess was slightly startled. Someone could actually not be afraid of her Samadhi True Fire.
Then she was flung out by Qi Xianqing.
Qi Xianqing’s own arm was burned by the flames, and she directly seized Yan Jue from a distance.
The wind howled. The giant red fox’s body in the sky transformed into a tiny little fox.
Qi Xianqing held her in her arms.
The two of them fell together from Phoenix Terrace.
Zhuying and Drifting Ice were already fusing for the third time; handling a situation like this was more familiar to them than before, and the two swords quickly flew over.
Qi Xianqing stepped down with her right foot and barely managed to land on the immortal sword.
Twin-Sword Fusion came at a cost.
Especially with ancient divine swords like Drifting Ice and Zhuying; one powerful fusion would directly drain all the true qi of the one who fused them, and it would also leave the swords themselves exhausted.
So whether it was Qi Xianqing and Yan Jue, or Zhuying and Drifting Ice, all of them had now fallen into a state of true qi depletion.
Qi Xianqing was still able to remain standing on the twin swords only because of the strength she had accumulated through long years of training.
The sound of wind echoed in her ears.
It was the dead of winter; the mountain wind cut like ice.
Qi Xianqing held the little fox, the mist before her eyes stabbing so sharply she could barely keep them open, and she only felt her body falling rapidly.
She remained relatively calm in the face of such things, closing her eyes to adjust her breathing and planting her feet steadily on the immortal sword.
No one knew how much time passed before the surrounding mist finally dispersed, and the dense scent of plants mingled with the moisture of water drifted into her nose.
Qi Xianqing suddenly opened her eyes. Before her was a deep, forested mountain valley.
Exotic blossoms and auspicious herbs; tall bamboo and straight pines.
The valley was quiet, and colorful butterflies fluttered everywhere.
In the distance, a sea of flowers was in full bloom.
Qi Xianqing froze slightly.
Suddenly, a pleasant song drifted into her ears.
Withered branches, cold dew, magpies; secluded fruit, falling, startling fish—
Laziness and docility come naturally; it is not that one suddenly puts on fine robes—
The singing was clear and ethereal, like an immortal maiden in the clouds opening her mouth to speak; it made one unwilling to leave the dreamlike trance.
After hearing only two lines, Qi Xianqing suddenly felt almost suffocated.
She immediately circulated her power to regulate her breathing and sent spiritual energy into the little fox in her arms. Her arm tightened slightly, only to find empty space in her embrace.
The little fox was gone.
Qi Xianqing’s expression darkened slightly.
An illusion.
If she wasn’t mistaken, she had entered some forbidden magical domain.
At this moment, Drifting Ice and Zhuying had already fallen to the ground.
Qi Xianqing raised her head and looked up at the scenery before her.
It wasn’t that she had never considered breaking through the illusion the same way she had last time.
But illusions also had their own ranks; the illusion before her was clearly far more advanced than the last one.
Trying to force her way through would only waste her own strength.
What was more, she had just fused the twin swords, and she no longer had any spare true qi to break the illusion.
Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps beside her ear.
Qi Xianqing turned around and saw a woman walking slowly toward her across the sea of flowers.
Behind her was a carpet of green grass.
Qi Xianqing froze.
The woman lifted a pair of clear peach-blossom eyes and stared straight at her without blinking.
She wore a white dress and a plain hairpin. Her black hair fell over her shoulders, and her skin was as white as snow, cold and otherworldly.
She looked exactly like herself.
The woman smiled faintly at her and said, “It’s me.”
Qi Xianqing’s expression remained frosty. Zhuying was already tightly gripped in her hand as she slowly said two words, “You are...”
The woman: “I am your inner demon.”
Qi Xianqing stared at those dark peach-blossom eyes and her voice was slightly hoarse. “I do not have an inner demon.”
As the chief disciple of Five Dragons Sect, she was the lofty Lord Meng Heng. In her conduct, she had always been open and aboveboard; slaying demons and defending the Dao was the principle of her life. She had a clear conscience.
The inner demon smiled. “That is your inner demon; whether you admit it or not, it doesn’t matter.”
Qi Xianqing’s face grew heavier, and she said nothing more.
The inner demon extended a pair of slender, jade-white hands and pointed over there, suddenly saying, “Look, Lord Meng Heng.”
Qi Xianqing lifted her eyes indifferently and looked toward the vast mountain valley in the distance. There, lush grass stretched everywhere, and a little fox with fiery-red fur was chasing butterflies among the flowers, its six tails rippling in the air like flames.
It was the little fox she had just been holding in her arms.
Then the little fox changed in a flash, becoming a young girl with red lips and white teeth.
Yan Jue.
Yan Jue wore a blue pleated dress, her lips red and her teeth white, exquisitely beautiful and peerlessly lovely. Around her neck she wore a golden collar; every step she took was graceful, every movement alive with charm, as she walked slowly toward Qi Xianqing.
The inner demon smiled. “Are you truly at ease with this little demon?”
“You were exterminated along with your entire clan by demons from childhood, Lord Meng Heng. Demons may be good, but their greed and selfishness can never truly be eliminated.”
The inner demon’s voice wasn’t loud, but it felt like a roar right beside her ear, making Qi Xianqing’s temples throb faintly with pain.
“It loves you, but doesn’t it also want to eat you in its heart?”
The inner demon laughed softly. “Are you already beginning to wonder why your whereabouts are always known to Cliff of Severed Malice?”
The moment those words fell, it was like a thunderclap exploding by her ear.
Qi Xianqing’s gaze fell on Yan Jue in the distance; the girl, for some reason, had also stopped moving her hands, and those clear amber eyes were looking at her without blinking.
The inner demon: “Your movements are clearly absolutely secret, and yet demons keep coming to kill you.”
The inner demon’s eyes suddenly sharpened. “Because this little demon leaked your whereabouts!”
“Don’t you want to get out of this illusion? Outside there are endless treasures, and the phoenix fetus. Isn’t that what you want?” The inner demon stared at Qi Xianqing and roared with a ferocious face, “Kill her!”
Qi Xianqing raised her eyes and looked fixedly at the refined little face before her.
At the same time, the girl opposite also raised her head and looked fixedly at her.
A flash of surprise and fear crossed her eyes.
The inner demon was herself. Qi Xianqing knew very well that the illusion everyone fell into was different. As long as she killed the Yan Jue before her, she could leave the illusion!