Tens of thousands of ancient nether soldiers stood in formation, completely uniform. Quite a few of these nether soldiers had become the subjects of legends passed down to later generations, attesting to their terrifying might.
Yet later on, they had all been defeated by Zhu Tian.
Had Zhu Tian lacked true ability, he would never have dared to proclaim himself emperor.
The phoenix manifested from Nirvana True Fire burned with a temperature rivaling the sun. Though Demon City was cast from solid metal, even the tops of its metallic walls showed signs of melting under such horrifying heat, to say nothing of the cultivators down below.
People said cultivators were impervious to cold and heat, but when the temperature reached such extremes, they could only rely on raw cultivation to endure it.
Those protected by seniors had an easier time holding their ground, but lone travelers like Kong Hao had no choice but to flee Demon City and watch the battle from further out on the periphery.
"Go!" Zhu Tian commanded. The nether soldiers mobilized in formation, a black mass blanketing the sky as they bore down on Jiang Lianyi with a terrifying, frigid chill.
"Detonate."
The phoenix of Nirvana True Fire spread its wings and soared high, blazing like a scorching sun as it whistled forward, swift as lightning.
The two forces collided in a thunderous clash. Yin and yang converged, forming a colossal taiji diagram in midair.
An instant later, the taiji diagram shattered, and the Nirvana True Fire phoenix burst into sparks that showered across the sky.
Yet more than half of the nether soldiers remained.
Seeing this, Zhu Tian burst into hearty laughter.
"Coalesce!"
Jiang Lianyi remained unperturbed. With a soft shout, she channeled the power of her rudimentary Dao fruit to manipulate her nirvana avatar, coalescing it once more.
The nirvana avatar charged into the army of nether soldiers and detonated again.
"Coalesce!"
Zhu Tian stared in utter disbelief. He had never heard of an avatar exploding, reconstituting itself, and repeatedly detonating!
Wait—this move seemed faintly familiar. He had encountered it back in ancient times... Who was it again?
Watching this unfold, the corner of Lu Yang's eye twitched. This move was indeed familiar—wasn't this Immortal Fairy's favorite fighting style?
Lacking a rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit, she had simply improvised by using her rudimentary Law of the Jungle Dao fruit to control it instead.
"It seems that although Lianyi lost her memories, she hasn't forgotten this immortal's teachings."
*Boom—*
The nirvana avatar exploded right against Zhu Tian, kicking up a plume of smoke and dust. The blast left Zhu Tian in miserable disarray, his wings charred black.
Zhu Tian sang the Spring Song, recovering his condition before the next wave of attacks could land.
"Coalesce!"
The nirvana avatar reformed. Zhu Tian stood on high alert as the avatar hurtled toward him, manipulating space to form a barrier and ward off the impending blast.
Suddenly, space rippled behind him. Jiang Lianyi traversed through the void, appearing right at his back.
*Not good!*
A colossal phoenix silhouette materialized behind Jiang Lianyi, surrounded by countless phantom beasts and birds: Zhuque, Qingluan, Chongming, Bifang...
"All Birds Paying Homage! That's the legendary All Birds Paying Homage!" a great demon cried out in astonishment from below.
"The Phoenix Ancestor subdued every kind of bird, and all birds revered the Phoenix Ancestor as their sovereign! That is how the legend arose in later generations that the phoenix is the king of birds!"
The massive phoenix phantom spread its wings, and the myriad birds dissolved into feathers, becoming one with the phoenix.
The phoenix silhouette soared into the heavens and swooped downward. Looking up, Zhu Tian felt a chill run down his spine; it looked as though a fire-bathed phoenix were bursting forth directly from the sun itself.
Zhu Tian tried to dodge, but everything around him abruptly slowed down—including himself.
*A spatial lock... No, this is time stopping!*
Zhu Tian wore an expression of total disbelief. He never imagined that Jiang Lianyi's rudimentary Law of the Jungle Dao fruit could freeze even time itself!
It turned out she hadn't used her full power from the very beginning!
With time suspended, Zhu Tian lost all perception of the outside world. By the time flow resumed, the phoenix figure was already too close to evade.
*Rumble—*
The phoenix beak pierced straight through Zhu Tian's body, pinning him firmly to the earth!
"What just happened? Why did Zhu Tian suddenly stop moving?" Lu Yang wondered. At that distance, Zhu Tian should have been able to dodge, yet he had stood frozen as if struck by an immobilization spell.
Immortal Fairy saw through it: "It wasn't just him; everyone was frozen for the span of a single breath. Lianyi controlled time, bringing it to a standstill.
"Only because this immortal is with you could you witness the battle's complete process. To anyone else, it looked like the phoenix figure suddenly jumped right before Zhu Tian, and he was struck before he could react."
"Time stop... Senior Lianyi can even do something like that?!" Lu Yang was astounded.
"The Art of Playing Dead seeks life through death, deceiving time. In a sense, it triumphs over time, which is why she can stop it. However, this unorthodox method of conquering time is ultimately not the proper path, so she can only pause it for a breath or two.
"If it were Immortal Suiyue, stopping time for eight hundred or a thousand years wouldn't be an issue at all."
In a clash between half-immortals, a breath or two was more than enough to decide the outcome.
"As for why she didn't use it earlier, she was likely concealing her true strength. Exposing one's trump cards in full view of everyone isn't a wise move. If nothing else, did you see her use an immortal artifact even once from beginning to end?"
Lu Yang thought about it and realized it was true. Senior Lianyi definitely possessed an immortal artifact forged by Immortal Ying Tian, yet she hadn't brought it out at all. That alone spoke volumes.
"The victor is king, the defeated an outlaw. Zhu Tian, do you yield?"
Jiang Lianyi assumed human form and looked down at the heavily wounded Zhu Tian, her voice chilly.
Dejected, Zhu Tian also grasped the crux of the matter. He accepted his defeat completely; even if they fought once more, the outcome would be the same.
"I concede."
Jiang Lianyi said nothing more. Pressing her index and middle fingers together, she tapped her own glabella and channeled her rudimentary Dao fruit to form a master-servant imprint, branding it onto Zhu Tian.
The strong prey on the weak, and the victor is king while the defeated is an outlaw—this was a principle both adhered to, which was precisely why both had formed the rudimentary Law of the Jungle Dao fruit.
In ancient times, Jiang Lianyi had already defeated Zhu Tian, but back then the Four Immortals governed the world, so there had been no need to control him.
Today was different. Without control over Zhu Tian, there was no telling what schemes he might hatch.
Moreover, Zhu Tian knew she could stop time, and this secret could not be leaked.
"Your founding of the Demon Empire benefits the demon race. I will not stop it, and the Phoenix Clan may also join the Demon Empire."
With the master-servant imprint in place, Zhu Tian was only the nominal ruler of the Demon Empire, while Jiang Lianyi was its true sovereign.
"You act ostentatiously and flaunt your sharpness. If you continue like this, you will drag the demon race into a bottomless abyss."
If nothing else, Zhu Tian's desire to invade Great Xia was a guaranteed path to death.
Jiang Lianyi had heard from Immortal Fairy that Great Xia possessed immortals—and more than one.
Zhu Tian was visibly disgruntled, but as the loser, he had no choice but to obey whatever Jiang Lianyi said.
As the smoke cleared, the onlookers saw Zhu Tian lying on the ground in admission of defeat, and Jiang Lianyi, victorious yet cold-faced as ever.
Intimidated by the terrifying aura of the two half-immortals, no one dared draw near.
"Senior Brother."
Jiang Lianyi walked toward Lu Yang, addressing him respectfully as Senior Brother. The crowd hastily parted to make way. Fortunately, Lu Yang was mentally prepared; his expression remained calm and unruffled as he gave a steady nod, exuding the full charisma of a Young Cult Master.
Lu Yang even took the lead while Jiang Lianyi followed half a step behind, the distinction between primary and secondary clearly defined.
Glancing sideways at Zhu Tian, Lu Yang remarked indifferently, "Let's go. The Demon Empire is nothing special after all."
The two walked out of Demon City. Under the awe-struck gazes of numerous mighty figures, they vanished into thin air—mysterious, unfathomable, beyond comprehension.
Chapter 621