Abandoned

The immortal cultivators were alerted by the disturbance in the immortal restriction, yet none noticed that Nine Phoenix King was already leading the demons far away into flight. Flower Immortal Lake. "The commotion at the immortal restriction was immense, and I saw someone emerge from the Heaven Tower just now. The immortal cultivators will inevitably conduct a massive investigation into the cause behind the anomaly in the restriction. Come with this King; we are leaving together." As Nine Phoenix King spoke, she parted the restriction and entered the cave dwelling beneath the hills. Hearing this, the demons exchanged glances. Raising no objections, they followed silently inside. Right at that moment, a voice transmission like a faint murmur suddenly sounded in Qin Sang's ear. His body stiffened slightly, a flicker of shock and suspicion passing through his eyes. Immediately after, Yuan Zhu brushed past him with an impassive expression, walking straight into the cave dwelling without looking back. Qin Sang stared intently at Yuan Zhu's back, thoughts racing through his mind. Subconsciously clenching his hands into fists, he quietly walked in. Inside the cave dwelling, silence reigned. Nine Phoenix King sat cross-legged upon the altar. Channeling the long plume had taken a heavy toll on her; having swallowed several medicinal pills earlier, she was currently refining their medicinal efficacy to restore her true essence. The others could only wait by the side. Qin Sang stood in a corner, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the faces of the demons, paying special attention to Yuan Zhu. Yet Yuan Zhu kept his eyes shut the entire time, seemingly regulating his breath as well, not sparing Qin Sang even a single glance. Half an hour later, Nine Phoenix King awakened from her meditation. She slowly opened her eyes, a sharp glint flashing across them before vanishing. Seeing this, the demons rose one after another and walked to the edge of the altar. "Caiyi, bring out the other set of spiritual materials for the formation so I can modify the grand array. Even with the Heavenly Phoenix plume, taking all of you out together is still somewhat strenuous. Fortunately, your cultivation levels aren't high, so the burden will be far lighter..." Fairy Caiyi asked in surprise, "Ninth Aunt, wasn't that long plume cast into the immortal restriction the Heavenly Phoenix plume?" Nine Phoenix King chuckled softly. "Although the Heavenly Phoenix plume is a supreme treasure of our race, its origins are somewhat inferior to that long plume's, and it wouldn't be enough to breach the immortal restriction of the Hall of Seven Kills." Having said this, Nine Phoenix King abruptly fell silent, offering no explanation as to the origin of that long plume. Nine Phoenix King asked for the spiritual materials. After a dazzling series of arrangements, the array expanded by half its original size, and the runes inscribed upon the altar grew even more intricate. "Activate the formation!" At Nine Phoenix King's command, the demons pressed their palms against the altar. At the same time, Nine Phoenix King spread her palm and retrieved an exceptionally magnificent phoenix feather. Unlike that damaged long plume from before, this phoenix feather possessed vibrant, vivid colors and was extraordinarily gossamer-light, feeling almost weightless in Nine Phoenix King's hand. *Buzz!* The altar trembled, the runes shining dazzlingly. The grand array's power was aroused. Standing in the center of the formation, Nine Phoenix King raised her arm, her true essence surging violently. With a gentle sweep of the phoenix feather before her, the feather burst into seven-colored brilliance. Hearing Nine Phoenix King's voice transmission, the demons stepped onto the altar. In the next moment, they felt their bodies tighten as the glow from the phoenix feather enveloped them entirely. After a wave of dizzying vertigo, an ear-splitting roar abruptly echoed in their ears. Opening their eyes, they were astonished to find themselves already outside the Hall of Seven Kills, amidst the raging storm. *Whoosh!* A grey storm tempest swept toward them. The demons scrambled in haste, evading the storm's main force. Shock still lingered in their eyes as they looked all around. Everywhere was an endless expanse of tempestuous storms; the immortal formation was nowhere in sight, leaving them unable to tell north from south. They hastily retrieved jade talismans from their mustard seed bags. Seeing the talismans glowing brightly, it was clear that this place was still very close to the Hall of Seven Kills; the Heavenly Phoenix plume had not shifted them across a great distance. Even so, it was astonishing enough that the Heavenly Phoenix plume could truly transport them out of the Hall of Seven Kills. Judging by Nine Phoenix King's tone, the damaged long plume seemed to possess an even greater background than the Heavenly Phoenix plume—one could only wonder what kind of supreme treasure it was. Nine Phoenix King hovered atop the crest of a wave, her face pale. Clearly, activating the Heavenly Phoenix plume had been no easy feat. She struck several streaks of flowing light into the Heavenly Phoenix plume, sealing the treasure away. "Let us depart. The Hall of Seven Kills is about to close; do not let any Nascent Soul immortal cultivators stumble upon us." Her figure flickered as she prepared to dart out of the tempest. Unexpectedly, Yuan Zhu suddenly spoke up to halt Nine Phoenix King: "Senior Nine Phoenix King, the mission assigned to us by the clans has already been accomplished. May we take our leave now?" "Leave?" Nine Phoenix King turned back to look at him. "Where do you think you are going? This King has matters that require manpower. You must remain by this King's side for a while longer, and during this period, you are to obey only this King." The demons exchanged glances. Facing Nine Phoenix King's gaze without a trace of fear, Yuan Zhu replied composedly: "The clans promised us that upon completing the mission, they would lift the secret art and restore our true bodies, and we originally intended to return together to the Demon Sea. "Since Senior has given an order, we will naturally comply. "However, after transforming into human form and rushing about throughout the Canglang Sea, our cultivation has not advanced by a single inch for nearly a hundred years. If we delay any longer, then even if we receive the clan's rewards, our hopes of undergoing metamorphosis will become exceedingly slim. "Senior might as well undo the secret technique on us first, and cast it again when our service is required. In this way, not only will Senior's great undertaking remain uninterrupted, but we will also be able to attend to our cultivation—killing two birds with one stone." Nine Phoenix King said coldly, "Do you take that secret technique to be so simple, to be lifted and cast at will? Once the great matter is accomplished, this King will naturally let you return..." "Is it truly just not easy to undo?" Yuan Zhu's expression suddenly turned ferocious. With a harsh shout, he cut Nine Phoenix King off: "Does Senior dare swear upon your inner demons whether it is difficult to undo, or impossible to undo! We have long been regarded as abandoned pawns, haven't we?!" Yuan Zhu screamed hysterically as he interrogated Nine Phoenix King, his words landing like an earth-shattering thunderclap. At this outburst, the demons were all struck pale with horror. Standing on the outermost periphery, Qin Sang had never expected to witness such a scene. His expression shifted unpredictably, his gaze darting back and forth between Nine Phoenix King and Yuan Zhu. Nine Phoenix King narrowed her eyes slightly. Despair filled Yuan Zhu's eyes. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he turned to Fairy Caiyi, raspy and strained: "Gu Heng, Fairy Caiyi, do you still refuse to believe it?" "Ninth Aunt..." Fairy Caiyi's delicate lips turned pale, her face covered in tears as she stared at Nine Phoenix King in disbelief. "Is what he says true? Are we truly... abandoned pawns of the clans?" Facing this familiar junior of hers, Nine Phoenix King parted her lips. She made no further attempt to conceal the truth, letting out only a soft sigh that spoke volumes. At this sight, the demons turned ashen, plunging into utter despair. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that their dedicated, diligent service to the Demon King would yield not reward, but abandonment. No—from the very inception of the plan, they had already been discarded pawns; the so-called rewards were merely meant to dispel their misgivings. This was not the plot of a single race, but a conspiracy encompassing the entire demon kind. They hailed from the top demon clans across the Demon Sea; among them were holy sons of their races and trusted confidants of Demon Kings, all possessing the potential for metamorphosis. Who could have ever thought that the demon race would discard this very group of juniors? "Attack now! Are you fantasizing that she will spare our lives?!" Yuan Zhu bellowed in fury. Having seen through the secret the Demon Kings had kept hidden all along, Nine Phoenix King could never allow them to leave alive. Otherwise, if word spread back to the Demon Sea, it would inevitably throw the entire demon race into turmoil.