Volume 1, Chapter 466 – The Oriole

The four of them stepped onto the floating island. The ground around the golden hall was paved with floor tiles forged from Crimson Nether Gold, luxurious to the extreme.

The gates, nearly ten thousand zhang high, were tightly shut. On them were relief carvings of Divine Phoenixes spreading their wings, their feathers interwoven in layered patterns.

Shi Lan stepped forward and tried to push the doors open. The moment her fingertips touched the Divine Phoenix relief on the gate, she was forced back by a layer of blood-red light, and a stream of information rushed into her sea of consciousness.

“My bloodline purity is insufficient… I am unqualified to enter…”

After absorbing this information, Shi Lan felt a headache coming on. The concentration of Divine Phoenix blood within her was not enough to support her in opening these gates.

To open this entrance, a living Divine Phoenix with sufficiently pure bloodline was required.

Shi Lan slowly retreated and did not try to force her way in. Faced with a Demon Emperor, one still needed a basic measure of respect for its power.

If barging in triggered some defensive measure, then with her current strength, there was a very high chance she would not be able to withstand it.

Clang—

Just as Shi Lan was lost in thought, a harsh metallic ringing sounded nearby.

Turning her head, she saw Tian Xuanjing squatting on the ground, gripping a five-colored divine sword and trying to pry up a Crimson Nether Gold floor tile. The other two Heavenlords beside him also looked somewhat eager to try.

Unfortunately, the tiles in the ground were all of one piece, linked together by an array. Strength at the Heaven-Man Realm was very difficult to use against them.

After coming to the three men’s side, Shi Lan gave a brief explanation, concealing some minor details regarding the Divine Phoenix bloodline within her.

The thoughts of the three Heavenlords were not far from Shi Lan’s own. Having come this far, they all possessed a fair amount of self-awareness. None of them were qualified to disregard the contingencies left behind by a Demon Emperor.

“Since Heaven Demons of the Divine Phoenix clan have already entered this world, why don’t we join forces and find a way to capture one? That should not be too difficult.”

Nie Lin’an was the first to propose it. This was undoubtedly the most direct method.

“I’ve already come face to face with them. The Divine Phoenix clan moves together. There are seventeen Heaven Demons—far more than a few of us can handle.”

Tian Xuanjing was still trying to pry up the floor tile. Without even lifting his head, he said:

Rеаd οn КαtRеaⅾіոgСαfе

“If you are willing to share this place with others, then we can gather more people and make plans.”

At the mention of sharing, hesitation immediately appeared on the faces of Nie Lin’an and Daoist Yunzhen beside him.

The Dao treasury of a Demon Emperor was a priceless treasure. Even Human Emperors would go mad for it.

If not for the fact that only Heaven-Man Realm cultivators could enter by relying on a Divine Phoenix Tianji Jade, this place would likely already have become a battlefield for a group of Emperor-level powerhouses.

“Then we simply lure the Divine Phoenix clan here, let them open the gates, and we become the oriole.”

As soon as the words fell, everyone’s gaze sharpened. Tian Xuanjing, who had been bent over prying at tiles, stopped what he was doing and looked up in surprise, clearly startled by Shi Lan’s boldness.

She had only just entered the Heaven-Man Realm, yet she was openly talking about becoming the oriole behind more than a dozen Heaven Demons. Calling it audacious enough to swallow the sky would still be an understatement.

For a moment, none of them knew whether to call Shi Lan exceptionally courageous or simply arrogant.

“Miss, what grand spirit you have…”

After a strange silence, Nie Lin’an smiled, though there was a trace of awkwardness in it.

“It would be better to discuss this with others before making a decision. With just a few of us, it’s still rather forced…” Daoist Yunzhen took over and steered the conversation elsewhere.

“No, I think Shi Lan is right.”

Tian Xuanjing put away his five-colored divine sword and stood up.

“Why not try first? If it truly proves impossible, then we can gather more people and block the demon race here. It would be the perfect chance to catch turtles in a jar.”

The Tianxuan Imperial Clan had gradually declined. Even the clan’s Imperial Weapon had been lost somewhere unknown, and they had only two Emperor-level experts left.

To put it bluntly, they were on the verge of falling out of the ranks of Shenzhou’s top powers. He did not want to miss any chance that might strengthen his family.

Wealth and honor are sought amidst danger—nothing more than that.

Rеαԁ оո КаtRеαԁіnɡСafе

Hearing Tian Xuanjing’s words, Nie Lin’an and the other man wavered. After hesitating for a while, they finally agreed with Shi Lan’s idea.

“The current problem is this: how do we pass the news to the Divine Phoenix clan alone, without alerting the other Heaven Demons?”

This question put all of them in a difficult position. If too many Heaven Demons came, they would not have the slightest chance.

“Leave it to me.”

Shi Lan took the matter upon herself. In truth, when she had first proposed becoming the oriole, Qinglan had already secretly delivered the news to the Divine Phoenix clan.

…

…

The earth below had become a sea of blood. With a Heavenly Tribulation Realm expert leading them, the Divine Phoenix clan had already reversed the situation and launched a massacre against the native beings.

Blood churned in midair and gradually fused together. That iron slab had already grown to over three chi in length.

“Emperor Lord Huang Ze’s mausoleum lies beyond the sky curtain?!”

After learning this news, the red-robed woman at the head of the group immediately grew restless.

Inside Huang Ze’s mausoleum, aside from the inheritance, there would certainly be other secret treasures, each of them no less valuable than the Divine Phoenix Undying Scripture.

“Leave six behind to continue gathering fragments of the Divine Phoenix Undying Scripture. The rest, come with me to find the mausoleum.”

The red-robed woman did not hesitate for long. There was no time to consider where the news had come from. She immediately led eight Heaven Demons straight toward the firmament.

…

Above the heavens, Shi Lan and the three Heavenlords hid within a patch of void not far from the golden hall, waiting silently.

Crack—

Reαԁ oո КаtRеаԁiոɡCаfe

A familiar crisp sound rang out. The sky curtain, which had only recently healed, was torn open once more, and nine figures filed through the enormous gap.

“Nine Heaven Demons. That’s better than we expected…”

Before he could finish speaking, Nie Lin’an’s face suddenly turned deathly pale.

“A Demon Emperor! That Divine Phoenix has stepped into the Heavenly Tribulation Realm!”

He need not have said it. The other two had already sensed the aura of an Emperor domain lingering around the red-robed woman, and their expressions had darkened.

Although the red-robed woman’s realm was still unstable, and it was obvious at a glance that she had broken through only recently, she was undoubtedly an Emperor-level powerhouse.

With the strength of just a few of them, they had no power to fight back before a Demon Emperor—not to mention the eight Heaven Demons at her side.

The Divine Phoenix clan’s purpose was extremely clear. After discovering the golden hall, all of them were overjoyed and rushed toward its gates.

The red-robed woman at the front directly revealed her true form. A Divine Phoenix with a wingspan of several thousand li appeared in midair. Its overwhelming Divine Phoenix aura stirred layer upon layer of airflow, and scarlet divine light spilled everywhere.

Creak—

The gates made of Crimson Nether Gold quickly began to react, opening a narrow slit.

“This won’t do. We must send word out immediately and gather reinforcements. No matter the cost, we have to kill this Divine Phoenix here. She absolutely cannot be allowed to leave with Huang Ze’s inheritance!”

Tian Xuanjing’s expression was grave. If a Divine Phoenix clan Demon Emperor obtained Huang Ze’s inheritance, there was a very high chance that the demon race would produce a Demon Emperor—and at the very least, a giant demon at the peak limit of the Emperor level.

If his selfishness led to such a disastrous outcome, ten thousand deaths would not be enough to atone for the crime.

“She’s only just stepped into the Heavenly Tribulation Realm. She’s not unbeatable.”

The words from beside them made all three Heavenlords freeze.

“Shi Lan, this concerns the safety of our human race. It is absolutely no joke…”

Reаԁ оո КatReaⅾinɡСаfе

Shi Lan narrowed her eyes and flipped out a foot-long black exotic flower, stuffing it into her mouth.

“Th-this… this is a Yin Spirit Flower?!”

Daoist Yunzhen’s eyes flew wide open, as if his eyeballs were about to pop out.

“Mhm.”

Shi Lan answered vaguely, chewed twice, and swallowed it. She drew out the Scarlet Crow War Halberd, and a layer of light rose from between her brows as her Nascent Soul golden body gradually awakened.

After receiving Shi Lan’s confirmation, Daoist Yunzhen was stricken with grief. What an outrageous waste of Heaven’s gifts!

In the hands of a Pill Emperor, a single Yin Spirit Flower, supplemented by numerous precious herbs, would be enough to refine a furnace of Spirit-Nurturing Pills—immortal pills of immeasurable value that were effective even on a Human Emperor’s Nascent Soul.

But for Shi Lan, swallowing it raw was the simplest and most direct method, and it worked.

Ignoring Daoist Yunzhen’s reaction, Shi Lan licked away the juice spilling from the corner of her mouth, then took out another golden nine-leafed herb and stuffed it into her mouth.

“Nine-Yang Grass?!”

Daoist Yunzhen subconsciously scratched his head and stared in disbelief at Shi Lan’s slow chewing. Beside him, the other two Heavenlords could sense Shi Lan’s aura rising without stop, and their faces had already gone blank.

“Cry—”

Not far away, the gates of the golden hall gradually opened, and an excited, high-pitched phoenix cry echoed without end.

“I’ve never fought a Demon Emperor head-on before. The odds of victory are fifty-fifty. There are quite a few demons, so I’ll have to trouble the three of you to cover me.”

The Nine-Yang Grass tasted somewhat dry and astringent. Shi Lan had to work it in her mouth for a while before finally swallowing it.

Terrifying energy surged up within her body, and a towering bloody radiance abruptly erupted from the Scarlet Crow War Halberd.