Chapter 595: Wind and Cloud Gathering

Two uninvited guests arrived at a grand manor in Demon City, and the Phoenix clan members present wore expressions so grim they seemed to drip water.

Demon City typically housed visiting powers in inns, but major forces such as the Great Xia, the Buddhist Kingdom, the Dragon Clan, and the Phoenix Clan were provided with more luxurious accommodations in grand manors.

An elder from the Di Jiang clan arrived uninvited, once again attempting to persuade the Phoenix Clan to surrender.

The Phoenix Clan also had an individual of "living fossil" status, who personally stepped forward to refuse.

In a confrontation of this magnitude, even Jiang Xi, the Phoenix Clan leader, could only stand by.

"Jiang Mingzi," the Di Jiang elder said with a smile, his eyes full of menace, "it is said that true heroes often struggle to find a worthy master. Our Ancient Ancestor has graciously offered to accept you. If you join the Demon Kingdom, the Phoenix Clan will become the second most powerful clan. This is a rare opportunity, so seize it!"

The other uninvited guest was the Taotie Clan leader, a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator whose mere presence exerted immense pressure on the Phoenix clan members.

"My Phoenix Clan will not join any power. Please leave!" declared the Phoenix Clan's living fossil, unswayed. According to records left by their Ancient Ancestor, the ancient Di Jiang was not someone easy to deal with, and joining the Demon Kingdom was likely not as simple as it seemed.

"Leave?" the Di Jiang elder sneered. "Jiang Mingzi, have you misunderstood something? I didn't come to invite you; I came to command you!"

"What are you doing!" the Phoenix Clan's living fossil bellowed.

"What am I doing?" the Taotie Clan leader scoffed, pulling a gleaming golden decree from his robes. It emanated a celestial aura and shimmered with iridescent light, clearly a top-tier immortal artifact.

The Di Jiang elder activated the decree with his essence blood. It bore an imprint of the ancient Di Jiang's nascent Dao fruit and contained the full power of one of his attacks.

If one could not withstand this attack, they would be branded with a master-servant mark and forced to submit to the ancient Di Jiang!

This was how the Taotie Clan leader had been subjugated.

"A Half-Immortal Decree!" Jiang Mingzi exclaimed, recognizing the object instantly due to the Phoenix Clan's unbroken legacy.

"Bring forth the Ancient Ancestor's token!" he commanded.

On high alert as if facing a formidable enemy, he likewise pulled out a treasure from his robes: a lifelike jade phoenix pendant.

A palm-sized, five-colored phoenix flew out from the pendant. It burned with true fire, carrying a terrifying aura, and its emanated power was in no way inferior to that of the Half-Immortal Decree.

The two invisible and silent energies collided, as if two ancient great demons were clashing across a span of 300,000 years.

*Boom!*

The Half-Immortal Decree suddenly burst into flames, turning as dim as burnt paper. The ancient Di Jiang's aura vanished, and the imprint of his nascent Dao fruit became riddled with holes.

"Cough—"

The Di Jiang elder and the Taotie Clan leader recoiled two steps, coughing up a little blood.

"Please leave," Jiang Mingzi said, holding the phoenix pendant, his expression unchanged.

"Fine, fine, you're truly formidable!" the Di Jiang elder and the Taotie Clan leader laughed in anger. Knowing they were no match, they departed the manor.

"Mr. Ji, are we really safe here in Demon City?" Kong Hao asked quietly, shrinking his neck. The old Taotie, Ji Xiong, was sealed within him, and it was under Ji Xiong's strong insistence that he had been compelled to come to Demon City to gain experience.

"Be bolder," the old Taotie said with a confident laugh. "There are many humans in Demon City. As long as you don't make a fuss, no one will notice you."

He had failed in his bid for the clan leader position and had been sealed inside Kong Hao's body. Hearing that the Demon Realm was establishing a nation, and the Taotie Clan was part of it, he insisted on seeing it for himself.

"Hm?"

The old Taotie looked up, noticing two disheveled figures in the sky.

One of them was his old rival, the current Taotie Clan leader.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing much," he replied, "just ran into an expected acquaintance."

The Di Jiang elder and the Taotie Clan leader passed several layers of guards, disregarding their salutes, and quickly arrived at the depths of Demon City.

In the dimly lit depths of Demon City, the ancient Di Jiang revealed his true form, sitting on a colossal throne like a small mountain.

On either side of the throne, two rows of equally magnificent and massive figures stood, faintly exuding Tribulation Transcendence aura—beings known as Demon Sovereigns in the Demon Realm.

Though also a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, the Di Jiang elder did not fear any Demon Sovereign. His allegiance was solely to the ancient ancestor seated on the throne.

The ancient ancestor valued hierarchy and order, thus only Tribulation Transcendence cultivators were qualified to speak with him.

The two demons slowed their steps, then knelt, respectfully saying, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Phoenix Clan has replied."

The ancient Di Jiang opened his eyes. They were terrifyingly bright, like two full moons, cold and profound.

"What did the Phoenix Clan say?"

The elder replied indignantly, "The Phoenix Clan remains obstinate and resolute, unwilling to submit to Your Majesty. Neither my promise of a prominent position for them in the Demon Kingdom, second only to our own clan, nor threats of force were effective. We brought the Ancient Ancestor's decree and used force to coerce them. However, the Phoenix Clan countered with a phoenix pendant left by their own Ancient Ancestor, and we failed to subjugate them."

The elder pulled out the decree from his robes. The once gleaming and sacred decree was now tattered and ruined, clearly having suffered severe damage and no longer usable.

The Tribulation Transcendence great demons arrayed on either side of the throne had varying expressions. Such decrees contained the power of the ancient Di Jiang, and it was precisely with these that the Di Jiang clan's envoys had originally subjugated them.

They had attempted resistance, but the decree's power was too immense, and its effects were too rapid for them to react.

Not having achieved the desired outcome, the ancient Di Jiang let out a cold snort that made the space vibrate, clearly expressing his deep dissatisfaction.

"Obstinate fools!"

He recalled his experiences from ancient times, especially the battles between Half-Immortals, and his expression grew even uglier.

He knew the origin of that jade pendant. Jiang Lianyi favored jade flutes, and the pendant was merely a leftover scrap from making one, but it was Jiang Lianyi's personal token; seeing the pendant was like seeing her.

"Do they truly believe I fear the Phoenix Clan?" he scoffed. "Even if Jiang Lianyi were here, let alone her absence, the Phoenix Clan wouldn't dare to resist me!"

He was vastly different now compared to ancient times. Through his nascent Dao fruit, he controlled nearly a hundred great clans and ten Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, commanding a multitude of powerful subordinates. His nascent Dao fruit had become increasingly perfect in this process, showing a strong tendency to fully materialize.

It was no exaggeration to say that things were drastically different from before.

If he couldn't even resolve the issue with the small Phoenix Clan, what was the meaning of his perilous slumber from ancient times until now?

"If the Phoenix Clan refuses to join the Demon Kingdom," he mused, "then a good portion of the Demon Realm's minor clans will follow their lead and also refuse to submit."

"To unify the Demon Realm and establish the Demon Kingdom, the Phoenix Clan's issue must be resolved," he declared. "Either they surrender, or they will be utterly annihilated!"

"I have given them a chance today," he muttered. "In the future, when the Phoenix Clan is destroyed, they will have no one to blame..."

The ancient Di Jiang's eyes were cold. Unifying the Demon Realm would help him advance his cultivation further, completing his transformation from a Half-Immortal to a true Immortal.

Others were still waiting for the complete revival of the great era and for their opportunities. He, however, did not need to wait; the current lack of powerful cultivators in the Demon Realm was his opportunity.

By acting early to achieve immortality, he would become the one dictating the terms of the great era's revival!

Unifying the Demon Realm was just the first step. Next, he would unify the East Sea, forcing the Sea Clan to submit to him as well, making him unprecedentedly powerful.

With both the East Sea and the Demon Realm under his control, he would instantly become the greatest power in the cultivation world, surpassing even the Great Xia and the Buddhist Kingdom!

He could even go further, attacking the Great Xia and the Buddhist Kingdom to unify the entire cultivation world.

By then, it wouldn't matter who awakened; he wouldn't fear even if the four ancient Immortals reappeared!

What he needed to do now was to successfully hold the founding ceremony and establish the Demon Kingdom. This way, his attack on the Phoenix Clan would be justified, leaving no room for criticism.

The Phoenix Clan held a very high status in the Demon Realm. If he acted prematurely, it would tarnish his reputation and harm his image.

"Phoenix Clan..." he mused, "I hope you can be this stubborn during the founding ceremony!"