Chapter 165: Victory and Defeat, The Strong Prey on the Weak

Tens of thousands of ancient Yin soldiers stood in formation, perfectly aligned. Many of these soldiers had become legends, their tales passed down through generations, a testament to their power.

Yet, they all later fell as defeated opponents before Zhu Tian.

Without genuine skill, Zhu Tian wouldn't have dared to declare himself emperor.

The phoenix, formed from Nirvana True Flame, radiated a temperature comparable to the sun. The Demon City, forged from metal, saw its battlements begin to melt under such terrifying heat, let alone the cultivators below.

While cultivators are often said to be unaffected by extreme temperatures, heat of this magnitude could only be withstood by sheer cultivation.

Those protected by elders were able to withstand it, but individuals like Kong Hao, who ventured to the Demon City alone, had no choice but to escape the city and observe the battle from a safer distance.

"Go!" Zhu Tian commanded. The Yin soldiers marched into formation, a dark, ominous mass in the sky, carrying a terrifying and chilling aura as they pressed towards Jiang Lianyi.

"Explode." The Nirvana True Flame phoenix soared with outstretched wings, radiating heat like a blazing sun, whistling forth with lightning speed.

The two forces collided, Yin and Yang converging, forming a colossal Tai Chi symbol in the air.

Immediately, the Tai Chi symbol burst apart, and the Nirvana True Flame phoenix disintegrated into sparks that scattered across the sky.

Yet, more than half of the Yin soldiers remained intact.

Seeing this, Zhu Tian burst out laughing.

"Condense!" Jiang Lianyi remained unfazed, uttering a soft command. She activated the power of her embryonic Dao Fruit to control the Nirvana clone, causing it to re-form.

The Nirvana clone surged into the Yin soldier army and detonated once more.

"Condense!"

Zhu Tian stared in disbelief; he had never heard of a clone that could explode, re-condense, and then repeatedly explode!

Wait, this technique seems strangely familiar. He had encountered it in ancient times, but who used it?

Lu Yang's eye twitched at the sight. This technique was indeed familiar; wasn't it the Immortal Fairy's preferred fighting style?

Lacking an embryonic Indestructible Dao Fruit, she simply made do by controlling it with her embryonic Survival of the Fittest Dao Fruit.

"It seems Lianyi, despite her amnesia, hasn't forgotten my teachings."

Boom—

The Nirvana clone exploded directly on Zhu Tian, kicking up a cloud of smoke. The blast left Zhu Tian in disarray, his wings visibly scorched.

Zhu Tian sang the Song of Spring, recovering his condition before the next attack.

"Condense!"

The Nirvana clone re-formed, and Zhu Tian stood prepared. As the clone charged forward, Zhu Tian manipulated space to create a barrier, blocking the impending explosion.

Suddenly, the space behind him rippled, and Jiang Lianyi warped through it, appearing directly behind him.

"Not good!"

A colossal phoenix figure materialized behind Jiang Lianyi, surrounded by countless illusory forms of birds and beasts: Vermilion Bird, Azure Luan, Chongming, Bi Fang...

"The Homage of Ten Thousand Birds! That's the legendary Homage of Ten Thousand Birds!" exclaimed a great demon below.

"The Phoenix Ancestor subdued all avian species, and ten thousand birds revered the Phoenix Ancestor as their ruler. This is why later generations speak of the phoenix as the king of birds!"

The colossal phoenix figure spread its wings, and the ten thousand birds transformed into feathers, becoming one with the phoenix.

The phoenix figure soared into the sky, then dove down. Zhu Tian looked up, and it was as if a phoenix reborn from fire had erupted from the sun itself, a chilling sight.

Zhu Tian attempted to dodge, but everything around him, including himself, suddenly decelerated.

"Space lock... no, this is time stop!"

Zhu Tian's face was etched with disbelief; he hadn't imagined that Jiang Lianyi's embryonic Survival of the Fittest Dao Fruit could even stop time!

She had evidently not used her full power from the very beginning!

With time halted, Zhu Tian lost all perception of his surroundings. When time resumed, the phoenix figure was already too close to evade.

Boom—

The phoenix's beak pierced Zhu Tian's body, pinning him to the ground!

"What just happened? Why did Zhu Tian suddenly stop moving?" Lu Yang wondered. At that distance, Zhu Tian could have easily dodged, but he had frozen as if under a stasis spell.

The Immortal Fairy, seeing through it, explained, "It's not that he didn't move; everyone stood still for a moment. Lianyi controlled time, bringing it to a halt."

"You can only perceive the entire battle sequence because I am here. To others, it would have appeared as if the phoenix figure suddenly materialized before Zhu Tian, and he was struck because he couldn't react in time."

"Stopping time? Senior Lianyi can do something like that?!" Lu Yang exclaimed in shock.

"Playing dead is a method of survival through feigning death, deceiving time itself. In a sense, it's a way of conquering time, which is why she can stop it. However, this unconventional approach to overcoming time isn't the orthodox path, so she can only halt it for a mere one or two breaths."

"If it were the Immortal of Time, stopping it for hundreds or even thousands of years would be no issue."

In a battle between Half-Immortals, a mere breath or two is enough to determine victory.

"As for why she didn't use it earlier, she was likely hiding her true capabilities. Revealing one's trump card in front of everyone is unwise. For instance, did you see her use a single immortal artifact throughout the entire fight?"

Lu Yang considered this and realized it was true. Senior Lianyi undoubtedly possessed immortal artifacts crafted by Immortal Ying Tian, yet she hadn't used any of them, which spoke volumes.

"The victor is king, the vanquished is subjugated. Zhu Tian, do you yield?" Jiang Lianyi, having returned to her human form, looked down at the heavily wounded Zhu Tian on the ground, her voice cold.

Zhu Tian slumped in defeat, having grasped the crucial point. He was utterly convinced of his loss in this battle; even if they fought again, the outcome would remain the same.

"I surrender."

Jiang Lianyi said no more. She brought her index and middle fingers together, lightly touched her brow, and activated her embryonic Dao Fruit, forming a master-servant mark that she then branded onto Zhu Tian.

Survival of the fittest, the victor is king, the vanquished is subjugated—this was a principle both adhered to, otherwise, they wouldn't have cultivated the embryonic Survival of the Fittest Dao Fruit.

Jiang Lianyi had previously defeated Zhu Tian in ancient times, but with the Four Immortals governing the world back then, there was no need to control him.

Today was different; if Zhu Tian remained uncontrolled, there was no telling what schemes he might devise.

Moreover, Zhu Tian now knew she could stop time, and this secret could not be allowed to spread.

"Your establishment of the Demon Kingdom is beneficial to the demon race, and I will not obstruct it. The Phoenix Clan may also join the Demon Kingdom."

With the master-servant mark in place, Zhu Tian was the nominal ruler of the Demon Kingdom, while Jiang Lianyi was its true sovereign.

"Your actions are ostentatious and your ambition is fully revealed. If you continue this way, you will drag the demon race into an abyss of eternal damnation."

Putting aside everything else, Zhu Tian's mere intention to invade Great Xia was a guaranteed path to ruin.

Jiang Lianyi had heard from the Immortal Fairy that Great Xia possessed Immortals, and more than one.

Zhu Tian was clearly unconvinced, but as the vanquished, he had no choice but to obey Jiang Lianyi's every word.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, the onlookers saw Zhu Tian lying on the ground, having conceded defeat, and Jiang Lianyi, the victor, her expression still chillingly cold.

Awed by the presence of the two Half-Immortals, no one dared to approach.

"Senior Brother."

Jiang Lianyi walked towards Lu Yang, respectfully calling him Senior Brother. The crowd instinctively parted, creating a path. Fortunately, Lu Yang was mentally prepared; his expression remained calm, and he nodded steadily, fully embodying the dignified air of a young sect leader.

Lu Yang even walked slightly ahead, with Jiang Lianyi trailing half a step behind him, clearly demonstrating their respective positions.

Lu Yang cast a casual glance at Zhu Tian and said indifferently, "Let's go. The Demon Kingdom is nothing more than this."

The two walked out of the Demon City, and amidst the awe-struck gazes of countless powerful beings, they vanished into thin air, mysterious and unfathomable.