"One of the Four Imperials of the Heavenly Court Cult, the Great Emperor of Southern Nirvana, Jiang Lianyi."
Jiang Lianyi's voice was soft as she introduced herself, but the moment she cast back her hood, the entire venue fell dead silent. Her introduction rang out with utter clarity.
"The Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor?!"
"Am I seeing things? That's Lord Jiang Lianyi, Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor and one of the Two Ancestors of the Demon Race!"
"Didn't they say she had fallen? She's still alive?!"
The two high-ranking figures of the Nine Nether Cult let out collective sighs of relief. Shi Huagu waved a broad hand with utter confidence. "I told you so! I met with Young Cult Master Lu myself, tested him with ancient secrets, and verified him with lie-detecting arts—his identity is completely genuine!"
"Seems to me Supreme Zhu Tian just can't take a loss, so he threw a fit and started spouting nonsense!"
The entire crowd erupted. Forget minor cultivators—even long-renowned grandmasters of cultivation could no longer remain in their seats. Stunned, they rose to their feet and stared fixedly at Jiang Lianyi, determined to engrave the sight into their minds.
Be it in the Buddhist Kingdom or Great Xia, even human cultivators who had never laid eyes on Jiang Lianyi's appearance had heard her illustrious name.
She was an eminent figure renowned since the ancient era, far more famous than Zhu Tian. Through the sediment of three hundred thousand years of history, she had become an object of near-religious reverence among the demon race.
The ultimate faith of the demon race was the Demon Celestial, yet the Demon Celestial's appearance was unknown. Thus, Jiang Lianyi was the sole figure who commanded universal obedience throughout the demon race.
The reaction among the demon race was far more violent. Blood rushed to their heads in wild agitation. At a loss for what to do, their words turned incoherent, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Many demons broke into tears, falling to their knees in overwhelming excitement, shouting that an immortal had manifested and paying homage to Jiang Lianyi.
Even Great Demon Kings were no exception. Filled with heartfelt reverence, they kowtowed toward Jiang Lianyi and prayed for her protection.
It was as though an ancient myth had returned to life.
Zhu Tian had relied on the power of a rudimentary Dao fruit to force the demons into submission, whereas Jiang Lianyi made them switch allegiance through her mere existence.
The members of the Demon Clan Alliance swayed uncertainly, completely torn on which side to favor.
The Tribulation Transcendence elder from the East Sea Dragon Clan rubbed his eyes vigorously, suspecting that his aging vision had gone dim and produced an illusion, unable to believe what was unfolding before him.
The Old Dragon Emperor had felt the Phoenix Clan was in peril and specifically dispatched him to assist them.
Now, looking at this scene, what was there to help? With the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor alive and well, how could anything happen to them? She was an existence on par with his clan's own ancient ancestor. Unless an immortal intervened, who could stand against her?
The Tribulation Transcendence cultivators from both the East Sea Dragon Clan and the Demon Domain Dragon Clan turned their gazes toward Jiang Mingzi and the rest of the Phoenix Clan, wanting to see if they had known about Jiang Lianyi's presence all along—wondering whether this had been their hidden trump card.
Looking over, they found Jiang Mingzi weeping like an infant, wiping away a mess of tears and snot.
As the cultivator with the highest realm in the Phoenix Clan, he was their pillar and backbone, forced to make decisions on every major matter. Countless demons covetously eyed the treasures held by the Phoenix Clan; a single misstep on his part could plunge the clan into eternal damnation, placing him under immense pressure.
Zhu Tian forcing the Phoenix Clan to pick a side had driven him into an impossible dilemma.
Now that the ancient ancestor had returned, there was finally someone above him, and the heavy burden could finally be lifted from his shoulders.
The rest of the Phoenix Clan held up even worse than Jiang Mingzi. They wept uncontrollably, and some could not even maintain their human forms, transforming into phoenixes representing the Five Virtues. Phoenix cries rang out continuously, reverberating through Demon City.
As for the younger generation prodigies, the moment they saw Jiang Lianyi, their spiritual platforms went blank, completely losing awareness of their surroundings.
Only Meng Jingzhou, who had seen Jiang Lianyi beforehand, managed to keep his wits about him.
"Dammit, why isn't it me standing on the Altar of Heaven? I could beat trash like Zhu Yunwu too!"
The two of them had agreed to return to the sect together to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, yet that scoundrel Lu Yang had broken his word, advancing mid-battle just to steal the entire show.
Old Taowu, sealed within Kong Hao's body, was entirely dumbfounded. The turn of events in Demon City had wildly exceeded his imagination.
He had only wanted to witness the founding of the Demon Empire and drop in on how his old enemy was doing. How on earth had things spiraled into this?
Moreover, a paramount figure like the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor was merely "one of the Four Imperials" in the Heavenly Court. Just how terrifyingly powerful had the ancient Heavenly Court truly been?
Seeing everyone's reactions, the Five Elders felt somewhat consoled. That was more like it—they weren't the only ones who reacted like this upon seeing the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor; everyone was the same.
Atop the Altar of Heaven, a deathly silence reigned.
Among the ten Demon Emperors, some had genuinely submitted to Zhu Tian, while others were controlled by the rudimentary Dao fruit. Regardless of their circumstance, the moment they saw Jiang Lianyi, all felt the timidity of juniors facing an elder.
Cold sweat broke out across Zhu Tian's form.
The demons of today might not know Jiang Lianyi's true standing, but as an ancient great demon, how could he not know?
Wife of Immortal Kirin.
Those five words alone elevated Jiang Lianyi's status by another tier, completely stealing all his thunder.
Damn it all. Why did Jiang Lianyi have to pop up at such a critical juncture?
If it came down to single combat, Zhu Tian was not afraid.
He acknowledged that Jiang Lianyi was formidable, standing in the first tier of half-immortals. But he held control over so many demons, and his Dao fruit was near completion. Their strength was evenly matched.
Calm down, calm down. Zhu Tian drew several deep breaths to settle his emotions, thinking through the situation and organizing his thoughts.
Hadn't he already confirmed it? He hadn't felt the slightest suppression from Immortal Kirin's Dao fruit, which proved Immortal Kirin had already fallen. With the Demon Empire established and his forces strong and plentiful, a solitary Jiang Lianyi couldn't possibly stir up any great storm.
Had that not been the case, he wouldn't have dared invoke Immortal Kirin's name at the founding ceremony to legitimize his reign in the first place.
"What, you don't recognize me?"
Seeing Zhu Tian lost in thought, Jiang Lianyi gave a cold, merciless sneer.
Unwilling to have a fallout with Jiang Lianyi right then and there, Zhu Tian assumed human form, cupped his hands, and smiled. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jiang. Three hundred thousand years have passed, yet your grace remains unchanged.
"However, I have never once heard of this Heavenly Court. Might I ask when you joined it, Fellow Daoist?"
Zhu Tian had sought to control the Phoenix Clan, intending to use them as pawns, not to mention his obvious coveting of the supreme treasures she had left behind for them.
Under such circumstances, how could Jiang Lianyi possibly show him any face?
"Does the timing of my joining the Heavenly Court require a report to you?
"Never mind you—even Immortal Kirin wouldn't dare meddle in my business so broadly!"
Hearing their exchange, the onlookers below erupted into fierce debate once more, their expressions wild with excitement. A layer of ancient mystery was being unraveled right before their eyes!
"The ancient Heavenly Court truly existed!"
"How come I've never heard of it? When I read records of the Heavenly Court in books, I thought ancient immortals had just written it for fun!"
"What the hell do you know? Immortals possess farsighted wisdom and their own considerations—how could they have written it for fun? Foolish!"
"This Young Cult Master Lu is truly worthy of being called the number one ancient prodigy. No wonder he could defeat Zhu Yunwu!"
"Did you hear Lord Jiang's introduction? She's only one of the Heavenly Court's Four Imperials, so there must be someone even higher above her—like the Lord of the Heavenly Court, Dou Tianzun!"
"Young Cult Master Lu is Dou Tianzun's disciple—the disciple of an immortal!"
The crowd marveled at Young Cult Master Lu's talent, but even more so at his sheer luck.
What an incredible master he had.
Zhu Tian frowned. "Just what is this Heavenly Court..."
A mocking smile curved the corners of Jiang Lianyi's lips as she looked down haughtily at Zhu Tian. "The Heavenly Court is an existence known only among immortals, concerning the deepest secrets of immortals. Were I not the wife of Immortal Kirin, even I would not have been qualified to know of it.
"As for you... do you think you are qualified?"
Chapter 617