Chapter 971: Jade Flute

“Attack quickly before she recovers!”

Yuan Zhu struck with both palms, his long hair wildly flailing, almost driven to madness, as a flood dragon’s shadow materialized behind him. The flood dragon roared, ferocious and terrifying, instantly detaching from him. Its head held high, it broke through the massive waves, opened its gaping maw, and lunged fiercely at the Nine Phoenix King.

‘Roar!’

Amidst the fierce winds and massive waves, mournful roars echoed. Gu Heng, known for his composure and calmness, still found the outcome unbelievable. He roared skyward, his voice devoid of resentment, but filled with extreme sorrow—a devastating grief that pierced the hearts of those who heard it. His voice seemed to pierce through the void, questioning someone far away.

Fairy Caiyi had been watching her most admired Ninth Aunt. Receiving no response, the light of hope in her eyes gradually faded, losing its brilliance, replaced by hatred.

All the demons were awakened by Yuan Zhu. Accustomed to the harshness of the world, they immediately realized the danger of their situation. If they couldn't kill the Nine Phoenix King, they would die!

Amidst the mournful roars, a brilliant red light emanated from Gu Heng’s body. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a red flood dragon’s shadow. This red flood dragon was even more ferocious than the one unleashed by Yuan Zhu, with fine scales resembling a physical entity. The red flood dragon roared, its voice merging with Gu Heng’s. In the red flood dragon’s mouth, a mass of crimson light rapidly condensed. The dragon’s head swayed, its gaze fixed on the Nine Phoenix King. At the same time, endless crimson light gathered there, expanding at an astonishing speed.

The next moment, the crimson light extended, demon fire flashed, and a crimson long spear appeared. Immediately, the red flood dragon’s long tail swung. With a sharp roar, the crimson spear flickered, vanishing into the void, only to reappear directly above the Nine Phoenix King’s head.

‘Whizz!’

The long spear was as swift as lightning, its tip plunging down towards the Nine Phoenix King.

Fairy Caiyi channeled all her hatred onto the Nine Phoenix King, whom she had once revered. A phoenix shadow appeared, and its cry was sharp and piercing. Fairy Caiyi now held a longbow, which had appeared in her hands at some unknown moment. The patterns and decorations on the bow were extremely elaborate, and its ends seemed to be formed by two real phoenixes.

‘Twang!’

The longbow vibrated with a loud twang. The phoenix shadow circled briefly, then projected downwards, transforming into a phoenix arrow. Fairy Caiyi aimed the longbow at the Nine Phoenix King, her hands trembling in a way they shouldn't. Finally, she tightly closed her eyes and released her fingers.

At the same time, several other demons also attacked. Instantly, brilliant lights burst forth, and attacks rained down like a torrential storm, threatening to engulf the Nine Phoenix King. They were at least great demons in the late Demon Core stage. Their combined assault on the Nine Phoenix King unleashed astonishing power; even ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators would retreat in the face of such an offensive.

Qin Sang’s face showed hesitation, but in the end, he decided to attack with them. If the Nine Phoenix King defeated them one by one, he would also be doomed. Just then, Qin Sang suddenly noticed that the Nine Phoenix King looked at these attacks with a hint of disdain in her eyes. His heart skipped a beat; something felt wrong. For some reason, a strong sense of crisis suddenly surged within him. Just as he was about to summon his Ebony Sword, his incantation changed. Without hesitation, he unleashed the "Thunder Manipulation Art." The rumble of thunder echoed within his body, and Qin Sang was enveloped by lightning.

“Alas!”

Facing the collective assault of the demons, the Nine Phoenix King showed no sign of panic. Seeing Fairy Caiyi’s gaze, a flicker of guilt crossed her eyes as she murmured, “I had intended to take you to a peaceful place, to let you live out your remaining years in tranquility...” She spoke to herself, the guilt in her eyes receding, replaced by a cold gaze.

Then, a light flashed in the Nine Phoenix King’s palm. It wasn’t a weapon like a sword or blade, but an exquisite jade flute. She brought the flute to her lips, coldly observing the demons, and with slightly parted jade lips, she gently began to play.

The hurricanes and massive waves were enough to drown out all sound. But when the jade flute played, its light, quick melody, despite the environment, clearly reached everyone’s ears. The melodic flute sounds were, in reality, soul-reaping demonic music.

“Aargh!”

The weakest of the demon bears was the first to give out. He felt his blood boiling within him. No matter how he tried to suppress it, it was useless. Horrifying flames seemed to continuously erupt from his vital essence and bone marrow, burning endlessly. Like a deep-rooted gangrene, it instantly spread throughout his entire body, making him feel as though his internal organs were incinerating. His skin rapidly lost its luster, starting to crack like parched earth, and flames began to emerge from within his body. In an instant, the demon bear became a man of fire, consumed by the fierce blaze, letting out desperate screams.

“What a vicious ‘Blood Burning True Art’...” The Nine Phoenix King’s pupils contracted, and she felt a slight palpitation.

The same cruel scenes unfolded in succession. One by one, demon beasts were engulfed in flames of blood-fire, their shrill screams rising and falling. Even Gu Heng and Fairy Caiyi, the strongest among them, could not escape. The scent of death descended. It turned out that their clan had long ago planted a hidden contingency within them.

The demons’ faces were filled with despair, their hearts infinitely desolate. The only thing they could do was fight to the death and destroy the jade flute in the Nine Phoenix King’s hand.

‘Rumble...’

Flood dragon shadows roared, crimson spears struck like lightning, phoenix arrows danced wildly... The demons exerted all their strength, their attacks blotting out the sky and earth, creating an earth-shattering momentum.

The Nine Phoenix King simultaneously defended, continued to play the jade flute, and with her other hand, waved to set up a barrier. Just then, she seemed to sense something and abruptly looked up.

‘Crackle!’

Amidst the myriad attacks, a bolt of lightning pierced the void, dazzling and bringing a terrifying aura of destruction. In comparison, even Gu Heng’s crimson spear paled significantly. From this bolt of lightning, the Nine Phoenix King actually sensed a hint of danger. The lightning arrived in an instant.

The barrier shattered instantly. The Nine Phoenix King’s expression changed; she regretted her carelessness, having not expected these juniors to unleash such a fierce attack. Her figure retreated rapidly. At the same time, she slapped her other palm upwards, and from a stream of light appeared a seven-colored jade bangle. The bangle spun upwards, rapidly increasing in size. Just as the Nine Phoenix King was about to be struck by lightning, the seven-colored jade bangle barely managed to block it from above.

‘Bang!’

The seven-colored jade bangle shook violently, its light flickering erratically. It acted like a tight clasp, binding the lightning bolt. The bangle retreated again and again, but still firmly blocked the lightning’s impact.

‘Boom!’

Attack after attack poured down, engulfing the seven-colored jade bangle and the Nine Phoenix King in the blink of an eye. The attacks continued, dazzling lights making it impossible to discern the Nine Phoenix King’s true form. However, the scene the demons had hoped for did not materialize. The demonic flute music showed no sign of stopping; instead, it grew more urgent, each note a summons to death.

They had originally formed an encirclement, but the Nine Phoenix King easily countered it with her jade flute, driving them to despair with just the sound of its music. Their desperate struggle could not save their lives. The demons were completely despairing, the burning blood-fire causing them excruciating pain. Their only option now was to scatter and flee, yet they still couldn't escape the demonic clutches.

In the distance, balls of blood-fire flames plummeted from mid-air. Some fell into the sea, swept away by the waves and vanishing, leaving behind a swirl of blood mist. Others crashed into a grey hurricane, easily torn to shreds.