C292 Blood of the Demon Phoenix!

The blood of the Demon Phoenix!

Lau Ying's revelation jolted Yu Yuan, nearly causing him to choke on the grapes he was eating. After a couple of dry coughs, Yu Yuan hastily crammed the purple crystal grapes he had snatched from Lau Ying into his mouth, swallowing them whole.

As threads of warm spiritual energy trickled into the Yellow Court Little World, he finally took a deep breath and asked with a grave tone, "Wai Feng has the blood of the Demon Phoenix coursing through his veins?!"

"What else could it be?" Lau Ying shot him a sidelong glance and huffed, "If it weren't for the blood of that ancient Demon Phoenix, the Emperor wouldn't have so abruptly changed his stance. And without it, why would the Thunder Sect, Cold Yin Sect, and Hidden Dragon Lake go to such lengths?"

In no time at all, she had polished off another juicy pear and casually tossed the core aside, adding to the growing pile of discarded fruit peels and shells at her feet. She dusted off her hands and began to clean them with a damp handkerchief, clearly satisfied with her feast.

Lau Ying reclined in an unladylike manner, hands resting on her slightly protruding belly as she gazed up at the glittering stars. One leg was propped up on another stone platform, gently swinging back and forth. Despite her sweet looks, her legs were surprisingly long and straight, accentuated by the snug fit of her pale yellow trousers that highlighted the graceful curves with every sway.

Unconcerned with her proximity to Yu Yuan, she showed no sign of wariness, even though he was close at hand. Her Fallen Star Eyes were in sync with her intentions. On her turf in Darkmoon City, this peer of hers was still outmatched in the Yellow Court Stage...

What mischief could he possibly get up to?

In Lau Ying's mind, no matter how desperately Yu Yuan struggled, within the realm of the Fallen Star Eyes, he stood no chance of harming even a single hair on her head. The reason she hadn't made a fuss earlier was simply that Yu Yuan had taken the cluster of purple crystal grapes from her, not because he had any intention of attacking her.

With her head tilted back, admiring the resplendent starry sky, she had divulged the secret of Wai Feng's Demon Phoenix lineage. Then, she fell silent, saying no more.

She was allowing Yu Yuan the time he needed to process everything on his own.

"In Darkmoon City, how did Aunt Xu and Brother Wei come to know about him? That good-for-nothing Lau Zaihe, did he truly meet his end because of Yu Yuan, because of Sword Sect's Chen Qingyan?" She would occasionally steal glances at Yu Yuan, pondering in silence.

Lau Zaihe, a collateral member of the Lau family, had never been to her liking. This so-called cousin had a sullen and reclusive nature due to his lackluster talent for cultivation.

However, once Lau Zaihe discovered his aptitude for alchemy, he began to frequent clan gatherings.

Many clan elders started to take notice, inflating his ego. He strutted around like a peacock, networking with peers throughout the empire.

The once reclusive and morose Lau Zaihe transformed, adopting a warm and sunny demeanor that earned him widespread acclaim.

But she, with her keen insight, could always see through Lau Zaihe's facades to the true nature beneath.

To her, Lau Zaihe remained unchanged: a brooding loner with a core of spitefulness, adept at masking his true intentions with a veneer of insincerity.

Recognizing his true colors, she kept her distance from Lau Zaihe's deliberate attempts at flattery and friendship.

Thus, when news came of Lau Zaihe's disappearance in Chilly Wind Valley, she remained as undisturbed as a still pond, without a hint of sorrow—perhaps even feeling a faint sense of relief.

"Wai Feng, with the blood of the Demon Phoenix!"

After a moment of contemplation, Yu Yuan's eyes sharpened as he fixed his gaze on her and declared, "Wai Feng is the daughter of the reigning emperor of the Divine Might Empire. Her Demon Phoenix blood should be..."

"Have you lost your mind? What are you thinking?"

Startled, Lau Ying's perfectly straight legs jerked to a halt.

She stared down Yu Yuan, her small fangs grinding together as she pointed at his mouth, her voice urgent, "You better not spout such wild theories! That Demon Phoenix resides in the Demon Palace and ranks among the top three Demon Gods in the vast Boundless Land. How could someone of her stature ever deign to notice a mere prince of the Divine Might Empire?"

The Demon God possessed divine power of a terrifying magnitude and a perception that was unparalleled in its horror. The Demon Phoenix, a figure of ancient terror who ranked among the top three of the entire Demon Clan, was an existence that struck fear into the hearts of all who knew of her. Wherever she might be, there was always the chance that a wandering tendril of her consciousness could detect secrets concerning her.

This meant that the conversation between Yu Yuan and Lau Ying, particularly the parts about her, could potentially be known to her. Lau Ying's fear and unease stemmed from the worry that Yu Yuan's reckless words might trigger the Demon Phoenix's awareness in a distant realm, leading her to trace the source back to them. After all, even a single malevolent thought from a Demon God could wreak untold destruction.

Yu Yuan nodded in agreement. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

To suggest that she had borne a child with a prince of the Divine Might Empire was a grave insult to her. If she were in the Boundless Land, employing her mystical Demonic Arts to monitor for any unusual disturbances, it was possible she could overhear their conversation. A misunderstanding that Lau Ying and she had a child with a prince of the Divine Might Empire could easily provoke her ire.

And her displeasure could spell disaster for both Yu Yuan and Lau Ying—a calamity born of baseless fears.

The Demon Phoenix was a legendary being from the annals of the Quietus Continent, an ancient Tenth Level Demon God. According to age-old tales, the Demon Phoenix played a pivotal role in the downfall of the Nagas.

In a bygone era, long before the rise of humanity and their dominion over the Boundless Land, the Nagas reigned supreme as the sovereigns of the Demon Clan, commanding the allegiance of all demons and receiving the worship of all living beings. Humans, in those times, were as insignificant as ants.

The Nagas and Demons would mercilessly slaughter humans, offering their flesh and skulls as sacrifices to the heavens. But when humans discovered how to harness the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, developing powerful methods of self-cultivation, they began to grow stronger. Step by step, they gained momentum, eventually emerging as a formidable force on the grand stage of the Boundless Land. The Nagas, as the supreme rulers, did all in their power to crush the human uprising.

Yet humans proved indomitable, with new champions rising from their ranks, growing ever more valiant in battle. For the Nagas, the loss of each dragon was a devastating blow.

Over time, divisions began to surface within the Demon Clan...

Some members of the Demon Clan, sensing that the tide was turning against them, acknowledged the irreversible rise of humanity. They chose to adapt, opting for a truce with humans to share the world.

The Nagas, however, were unwavering, determined to defy all opposition and engage in a final, decisive battle with humans.

Led by the Demon Phoenix, certain Demon Clan factions switched sides at the last moment, turning their weapons against the Nagas. In alliance with powerful human cultivators, they consigned the Nagas' mighty dragons to the abyssal depths, never to rise again.

Thus, the Nagas were left in a state of irreversible decline.

The Demon Clan factions that allied with humans continued to thrive, and the Demon Phoenix became one of the founding figures of the Demon Palace.

For Hidden Dragon Lake, which served the Nagas, the Demon Phoenix was an indomitable foe, a nemesis whose power was such that even the Profound Sky Sect, Primordial Yang Sect, and Sword Sect hesitated to confront her.

Regrettably, the Demon Phoenix had weathered countless eras, enduring for eons, and had become a fearsome entity that even these powerful sects dared not provoke lightly.

Rumor had it that the Demon Phoenix usually maintained only a single Demon Soul projection within the Demon Palace.

Her true form had long been traversing the infinite starry void, and she might not return for decades, or even centuries.

Only in times of great peril for the Demon Palace, or when a new Demon God was to be admitted into its ranks, would the Demon Phoenix journey back to the Boundless Land from her distant celestial wanderings.

Such an ancient and formidable being would not deign to show favor to the Divine Might Empire, especially not to a mere prince.

Even in Yu Yuan's previous life, a life that shone brightly though briefly, there was no news of the Demon Phoenix's true form returning. It was naturally inconceivable for a prince of the Divine Might Empire to sire offspring with her.

"It was one of the Demon Phoenix's descendants, whose bloodline had grown thin, who coupled with Wei Feng's father and gave birth to her," Lau Ying unveiled the truth. "If you understand that the more powerful the being, the less likely they are to reproduce, then you'll grasp the situation. The Demon Phoenix once had a mate among her own kind in those ancient times, but he perished in battle. The descendants she left behind did not carry on her formidable lineage, and with each passing generation, the bloodline grew increasingly diluted."

"She was indifferent to the weaker bloodlines, paying them no mind, whether they lived or died."

"Yet every century, every millennium, there are descendants from her lineage—extraordinarily pure and powerful. Those are the ones she takes a slight interest in, arranging for the Demon Palace to look after them."

"Should a descendant arise from her bloodline that astonishes even her, she would dispatch a Great Demon to retrieve them for training at the Demon Palace."

Lau Ying paused after her explanation.

Yu Yuan, grasping the implications, widened his eyes and said, "So Wai Feng, who carries the blood of humans, also has a part of her bloodline? And that part is exceptionally pure and strong?"

With a grave look, Lau Ying replied, "Perhaps it's because of her human heritage that Wai Feng's talents in cultivation were quite average in her early years, with no sign of her Demon Phoenix lineage. Moreover, before her Demon Phoenix blood emerged, nobody knew her mother was of the Demon race. Her mother perished in that purge long ago, leaving no trace behind."

"It's precisely because she was seen as unremarkable that the emperor didn't perceive her as a threat, continuing to favor his niece."

"That is until she was immersed in her master's herbal elixir, which finally awakened her Demon Phoenix blood."

"I'm not privy to the details, but once her Demon Phoenix lineage came to light, the emperor decided to act. Upon hearing the news, Hidden Dragon Lake instantly dispatched a Seventh Level Silverfrost Dragon."

"The emperor feared the unexpected and worried that the Demon Palace might learn of it, so he covertly sought assistance from the Thunder Sect and the Cold Yin Sect."

"And that's how things ended up this way."

Lau Ying spread her hands, sharing with Yu Yuan all she knew about Wai Feng.

"And what about the commander of the Tusk Troops?" Yu Yuan inquired further.

"There's long been a rift between His Majesty and the commander. Wai Feng was sent to the Tusk Troops as a child and raised by the commander. When His Majesty demanded her return, the commander refused, leading to his defection." Lau Ying held nothing back, laying bare the secrets of the Divine Might Empire before Yu Yuan, one after another.

Afterwards, she spoke, "The reason I've shared so much with you is because, through the Fallen Star Eyes, I've seen that there's a hidden link between you, the fellow with the black and white appearance, and that other peculiar, thin girl."

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