Chapter 607: I and Senior Brother Lu Both Worshipped Under Daoist Bean

Zhu Tian's unpredictable moods left others speechless.

Despite his current display of power, unifying the demon realm and establishing the Demon Kingdom, he wasn't always this way. In ancient times, many beings were stronger than him. Apart from humans, even among the demon race, powerful entities like dragons, phoenixes, and Qiongqi surpassed him. When it came to hidden secrets from antiquity, Jiang Lianyi undoubtedly knew more than him.

Zhu Tian's attention was on the Heavenly Court, while the onlookers focused on the phrase, "If I weren't the Qilin Immortal's wife."

Two Dijiang clansmen whispered among themselves. "Who is the Qilin Immortal?" one asked. "Don't be silly," the other replied, "He must be the Demon Immortal!" The academic community had long theorized that the Demon Immortal and the Qilin Immortal were one and the same, but concrete evidence had always been lacking. Today, the conversation between two ancient Great Demons confirmed the Demon Immortal's true identity.

The two Dijiang were aghast. They exchanged stunned glances, held their breath, and realizing the gravity of the revelation, their voices became uncontrolled.

"Lady Jiang Lianyi is the Qilin Immortal's wife?!"

This was an earth-shattering secret! Not only had the Qilin Immortal married, but his wife was none other than his rival, Jiang Lianyi? It was widely known that Jiang Lianyi had been defeated by the Qilin Immortal, losing her chance to achieve immortality. Everyone had thus assumed they were rivals, and that after the Qilin Immortal ascended, he simply let go of their past enmities, seeing his former opponents no longer as threats. Yet, no one had ever imagined the Qilin Immortal would put aside their grievances so completely that the two would become husband and wife!

The faces of the races who had secretly plotted against the Phoenix clan instantly paled. If Jiang Lianyi's return had already made them abandon their ambitions for the Phoenix clan's treasures, then learning of her connection to the Qilin Immortal filled them with dread of potential retribution. Previously, it was still possible to argue that Jiang Lianyi wasn't invincible, as the Qilin Immortal stood above her. Who would dare say that now? Now, Jiang Lianyi represented the Qilin Immortal's will; she was the very heavens of the demon race!

"Then what about the legitimacy of the Demon Kingdom…"

If Jiang Lianyi refused to acknowledge the Demon Kingdom, its successful establishment would suffer a significant blow to its reputation. Many demons might secretly curse the Ancestral Elder, an insult the Ancestral Elder could never tolerate. They say cultivation masters regard mortals as ants, but that's merely an analogy. If they truly considered mortals as insignificant as ants, why would they care about their curses? While intelligent beings differed in power and status, the disparity wasn't so vast that a powerful individual would completely disregard insults from someone of lower standing.

"Jiang Lianyi and the Qilin Immortal are husband and wife?" Shi Huagu questioned, confused. He recalled that Dou Tianzun, the Lord of the Ancient Heavenly Court, was opposed to the Ancient Four Immortals. How could the Qilin Immortal's wife be aligned with the Heavenly Court?

Mu Baiyi, however, considered the matter more deeply. He gently shook his head, gesturing for Shi Huagu not to be so superficial in his thinking. "Ancient affairs are intricate," he began, "with far too many untold stories. Consider the current situation: who says a marital relationship automatically implies perfect harmony? What if they had a conflict, a clash of ideals, and Jiang Lianyi sought refuge with the Heavenly Court? What's wrong with that? Or perhaps Jiang Lianyi was originally a member of the Heavenly Court and only later married the Qilin Immortal. There's also another possibility." When he mentioned the third scenario, Mu Baiyi paused, a hint of fear in his eyes. He feared the immense power of the Immortals implied by that third conjecture.

Shi Huagu pressed him. "Sect Master?"

Mu Baiyi shook his head, forcing himself not to dwell on it. "Another possibility," he continued, "is that an Immortal's true rivals are only other Immortals. Whether someone is in the Qi Refining stage or a Half-Immortal makes no difference in the eyes of an Immortal. To the Ancient Four Immortals, Jiang Lianyi's whereabouts or which faction she joined would have been utterly inconsequential!"

Arrogance! This was Shi Huagu's immediate impression of the Ancient Four Immortals after hearing his Sect Master's conjecture. Yet, when he considered the Immortals' mysterious and unfathomable methods, he realized the Sect Master's conjecture was not without merit.

"Do you recall Young Sect Master Lu mentioning that the Ancient Four Immortals suppressed him precisely because he had the potential to become an Immortal?"

"Yes, he did say something to that effect."

"So, can we draw a conclusion from this: that Jiang Lianyi was incapable of becoming an Immortal, which is why the Ancient Four Immortals didn't care about her allegiance?"

The two exchanged glances, feeling that they were slowly closing in on the truth.

"The matter concerning the Heavenly Court was an oversight on my part," Zhu Tian said. "Esteemed friend, perhaps you would rest in the palace for a while? Once I've concluded the ceremony, I would be honored to reminisce with you."

Jiang Lianyi chuckled softly, her expression instantly turning cold. "Zhu Tian," she said, "do you truly believe I'm unaware of your intent to use the nascent Dao Fruit power to control my clansmen? And the matter of the Heavenly Court—do you think a casual dismissal of 'oversight' will suffice?" Jiang Lianyi pointed at Lu Yang, her voice cold. "He is my senior brother. When my senior brother is insulted, how can I, his junior sister, simply stand by?"

"Pfft—cough, cough…" The Great Elder spat out a mouthful of tea, nearly choking to death. He had been leisurely sipping tea, relishing the sight of these ignorant individuals' shocked expressions, feeling immensely pleased with himself. That was until he heard Jiang Lianyi address Lu Yang as 'senior brother.' With a look of utter shock, he gazed up at the Altar of Heaven. *How on earth did you establish the Heavenly Court's background like this?*

"Senior brother?!"

Everyone's pupils dilated in shock. Each of Jiang Lianyi's statements revealed a new ancient secret, each more astonishing than the last.

"He's your senior brother?!"

Zhu Tian was completely bewildered. *Why have I never seen this person in ancient times?* he wondered.

Jiang Lianyi's lips curled into a cold sneer. "You just haven't seen him," she retorted, "but the Four Immortals have all encountered him!" This was indeed true; the Ancient Four Immortals had all encountered Lu Yang through temporal passages, though they had only seen a shadowy figure, never clearly his face. "My senior brother Lu and I both apprenticed under Dou Tianzun, so naturally, we are fellow disciples!"

Lu Yang was speechless. *Senior Lianyi, I know Senior Zhu Tian is bullying the Phoenix clan, and you can't stand it, wanting to fight him. But could you please not drag me into this?*

"So, this can't end peacefully?" Zhu Tian's expression darkened. As a fellow Half-Immortal, Jiang Lianyi's complete disregard for him made him wonder if she actually thought he was afraid of her. He was merely unwilling to stir up trouble; that didn't mean he feared her! Three hundred thousand years had passed; he was no longer who he once was!

"Ten Generals, to me!" Zhu Tian bellowed furiously.

"Present!"

Ten Great Demons, all in the Tribulation Crossing stage, stepped forward in unison, brazenly unleashing their overwhelming pressure. The very heavens and earth trembled and shifted color, their terrifying aura sending chills down spines. As the strongest being below the Half-Immortal stage, supported by ten Great Demons in the Tribulation Crossing stage, this lineup was virtually unmatched among Half-Immortals. He refused to believe they couldn't subdue Jiang Lianyi! If he could defeat Jiang Lianyi, he could then naturally gain control over her. At that point, issues of legitimacy, combat power, and authority would all be resolved, and every problem would simply fall into place. *Jiang Lianyi, you brought this upon yourself!*

Faced with such a terrifying display, Jiang Lianyi chuckled softly, seemingly unconcerned. "Indeed," she said, "ten Tribulation Crossing stage experts, even with you, could overwhelm Xiao Ling. It's just a shame your opponent happens to be me." Although Jiang Lianyi was smiling, her eyes held no mirth. "Zhu Tian," she said, "have you forgotten something? You and I both embody the nascent Dao of the Strong Preying on the Weak. Our battle isn't about who has more numbers or who holds a numerical advantage."

Zhu Tian's pupils constricted, and an ominous premonition settled in his heart. Jiang Lianyi simply raised her slender hand and lightly snapped her fingers. The master-servant marks, which controlled the ten Tribulation Crossing stage Great Demons, vanished.