289 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

The Xuanji Immortal King spoke flawlessly, while Su Zijun seemed at a loss for words in his presence. It's no wonder, Su Zijun thought to herself, that after countless millennia of scheming in the Immortal Palace, he'd honed such a sharp mind. She couldn't help but feel inadequate by comparison. The experts from various sects approached with bias already in place, and with the Xuanji Immortal King’s words, they were instantly convinced, further solidifying their stance with the Immortal Realm. The call to crusade against the Wanbao Palace intensified. Su Zijun looked displeased, but the Xuanji Immortal King pressed the advantage, saying, "Given the Palace Master's stance, there is no need for further persuasion from me. Let our actions speak instead." With that, he raised an arm and commanded the thousands of celestial soldiers hidden among the clouds to attack. The celestial soldiers formed a formation in perfect synchrony. Together, they thrust their spears, and the combined force formed a single, piercing spear intended to vanquish, striking towards the Suzaku above Su Zijun. Suzaku released a wave of parting fire, but the essence of the spear was so potent that it merely burned away the outermost layer. The remaining force, about seventy percent, pierced the fire and crashed into the protective formation of Wanbao Palace. The ground shook violently, and Su Zijun, impacted by the malevolent energy, seemed on the verge of plummeting from the sky. The attack on the Wanbao Palace was simultaneous from three other directions as well. The battle cries of the celestial soldiers were deafening. The sect cultivators caught in the fray were intimidated by the soldiers' overwhelming presence. Their initial strong stance to crusade against Wanbao Palace weakened significantly in the face of the celestial troops' unyielding advance, fearing collateral damage in the clash between the Immortal King and Wanbao Palace. As the celestial soldiers' initial strike failed, they immediately shifted tactics, regrouping their energies. Su Zijun looked up to see a white dot appear high in the sky. The light of the dot flickered, and a silver spear descended from the heavens. Wrapped in malevolent energy, the spear transformed into a ferocious beast, charging at the protective formation. Su Zijun's expression changed slightly as she quickly cast a spell, connecting her consciousness with Suzaku. Simultaneously, in the formation’s four corners, Yuanhai Zhenren, Yaoshenzi, and Elder Wu connected with the trio of formation spirits: Qinglong, Baihu, and Xuanwu. The spirits soared, converging their power into a great shield that clashed with the attacking beast. Boom— In the cacophony of clashing energies, Su Zijun's vision darkened, and her consciousness nearly scattered from the impact. Fire scattered from Suzaku, as if shining feathers were tearing away and spreading everywhere. The condition of the other three spirits wasn't much better—Baihu was scarred, a horn of Qinglong was broken, and Xuanwu's shell bore cracks. Thankfully, Xuanwu’s resilience and toughness surpassed those of Suzaku, Baihu, and Qinglong, allowing it to hold out under the assault. However, Xuanwu’s survival didn’t mean that Elder Wu was unharmed. He spat a mouthful of blood, convulsing, every limb in agony. His body might not have been severely injured, but his spirit almost couldn't withstand the assault. At the core of the Wanbao Palace’s protective formation, Ye Yanran and other disciples were transporting spirit stones, hoping the palace could withstand the onslaught. Beside her, Chen Er grimaced as she poured a whole bag of spirit stones into the formation’s core. Su Zijun had issued strict orders: no matter what, the spirit stones at the formation core must not run out. Even at the cost of all the palace’s wealth, the formation had to run smoothly. Thus, the area was rich with spiritual energy, and many Wanbao Palace disciples were accustomed to cultivating nearby. These individuals remained composed, quietly meditating per Su Zijun's instructions, contributing their strength to uphold the formation. None showed any despair, despite the risk of Wanbao Palace’s imminent fall. Suddenly, the earth trembled violently, nearly toppling Chen Er, spilling spirit stones from her pouch. Simultaneously, half of the spirit stones piled at the formation core evaporated into thin air. "Still holding on, are you?" The Xuanji Immortal King grew impatient after several failed assaults, "Let me personally test how much longer you can endure!" At his words, he gathered energy in his palm, and a menacing beast, shimmering a golden hue, materialized. The beast lashed a barbed tail at Xuanwu’s back. Xuanwu’s shell cracked loudly, Elder Wu shuddered, and his back split open, bleeding profusely. The northern light dimmed, and the protective formation faltered. The Xuanji Immortal King sneered, "Is that all?" The beast roared, lunging at the often-damaged Suzaku. The surrounding space seemed sealed by invisible forces, immobilizing Suzaku mid-air. Su Zijun bit her lip until it bled, tasting iron. Gathering every ounce of her power, she prepared herself to face death calmly. Just as the beast was about to sever Suzaku’s throat, a colossal silhouette appeared above the formation, radiating golden rays. Its boundless presence cleared the suffocating space. The beast, stunned, reflected the fierce figure in its blood-red eyes. In the next instant, a sword energy struck the beast, sending it soaring skyward, tumbling a hundred feet away. Standing atop an ancient dragon, Ren Qingyue brandished the demon-slaying sword. Yan Zhao, clutching the Celestial Scripture, didn't let her gaze waver. The golden light had yet to fade, and the wind whipped their garments together, producing a rustling sound. Gone was the Xuanji Immortal King’s casual demeanor; he narrowed his eyes in scrutiny. To think, there really was another ancient dragon. Chapter 316 Atop the Wanbao Palace, Yuanhai Zhenren’s whisk vibrated, and the Qinglong formation spirit exhaled a dragon breath, causing nature to burgeon, forcing the sect experts creeping towards the eastern gate to retreat. Yaoshenzi punched the ground, causing a tremor that rocked the attackers at the mountain gates. Meanwhile, Baihu roared skyward, its cry containing spirit-breaking force, rendering the experts dizzy and bloodied, leaving them wounded and incapacitated. Elder Wu at the northern gate, though severely injured, defended the formation tenaciously. Though without miraculous feats like Yuanhai Zhenren and Yaoshenzi, he infused his energy into Xuanwu, fortifying its protective strength, holding back the sect experts from advancing. While the beast assaulted Suzaku, the remaining formation spirits intended to assist, but the beast’s speed left them powerless, watching helplessly as Suzaku faced danger. In a flash, the demon-slaying sword cleaved the beast, sending it tumbling back, leaving Suzaku unharmed. Caught off guard by this reversal, everyone’s gaze turned skyward. The majestic creature loomed, as imposing as an airborne island. Simply appearing induced awe and fear. The Xuanji Immortal King narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the sudden appearance of the creature. The ancient dragon hailed from beyond their realm, with its taming methods long lost. Even the ancient dragon killed at the Floating Cloud Sect had been in its twilight years. But the youthful dragon beneath those two—where on earth had it come from? Did the hundred-thousand-strong celestial army miss something when clearing the outer battlefields? His gaze fixed on Yan Zhao and Ren Qingyue, and he scoffed, "So the lost demon-slaying sword has fallen into your hands." He shot a glance at Yan Zhao, his words sharp, "Are you the spawn of Yan Yuanqing and a demon?" Having endured humanity's darkest expressions in her early years, Yan Zhao had heard far worse insults. At these venomous words, her demeanor remained steady, "I have a name. I am Yan Zhao." The Xuanji Immortal King’s eyes glinted with disdain, "A half-demon scarcely human—what difference does a name make?" Though Yan Zhao was unfazed by his venom, Ren Qingyue couldn't restrain herself, retorting, "Is everyone in the Immortal Realm as ill-mannered as you?" "How dare you!" a celestial lieutenant behind the Immortal King shouted, "You have no right to interrupt the Immortal King!" Finishing, he carelessly swung a blade of qi at Ren Qingyue. Ren Qingyue steeled herself, prepared to retaliate in kind, when suddenly, the attacker was suspended mid-air, his blade veering off over their heads and into the crowd below. The ambushed sect experts were struck without warning, unable to retreat, resulting in chaos and disaster. Several, out of sheer misfortune, met their end on the spot. The Xuanji Immortal King's expression suddenly darkened. Ren Qingyue was also taken aback and turned to her side, exclaiming, "A-Zhao!" Yan Zhao's eyes were shrouded in a layer of hazy red light, her right hand extended, curling slightly in a claw-like motion. The celestial lieutenant who had attempted to attack was now suspended in mid-air, his throat clutched by an invisible force. His features contorted with suffocation as he desperately grasped at his neck, his unsupported legs kicking aimlessly. He didn’t see Yan Zhao, nor the ancient dragon. Instead, he saw countless phantoms spiraling around Yan Zhao. These phantoms were spirits from the Mist Demon Ravine, captured by the power of the Celestial Scripture, following Yan Zhao to the Wanbao Palace. With a flick of her wrist, Yan Zhao commanded the ghost to tighten its grip, extracting the essence of the lieutenant's soul through his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Before long, the celestial lieutenant's soul was entirely drained, his body shriveling rapidly. His dull, lifeless eyes watched as he plummeted, his body shattering upon impact with the ground below. The Xuanji Immortal King watched all this coldly, not intervening. The phantoms circling Yan Zhao, directed by her, wouldn't linger long. What caught his attention was her ability to communicate with spirits. Able to command an ancient dragon and summon lost souls, these talents might not seem peculiar on their own, but given her cultivation level, it raised questions. Yan Zhao was merely late-stage Golden Core, yet to reach Nascent Soul. How could an ordinary cultivator wield such potent soul power, transcending ranks to perform powerful soul techniques? Unless, her power didn't originate from herself. In an instant, the Xuanji Immortal King realized the connection, clarity dawning on him. Ren Qingyue, always wary of him, noticed his changing expression and felt a rush of dread. Then, from afar, they heard the Xuanji Immortal King burst into hearty laughter: "I've searched far and wide, only to find it without effort!" At the protective formation’s front, Su Zijun's expression changed drastically as she shouted in warning, "Zhao'er, be careful!" Before her words had fully formed, the Xuanji Immortal King vanished into thin air. Ren Qingyue was momentarily stunned, then her face fell, instinctively grabbing Yan Zhao’s arm to perform a shadow-shifting technique to avert the threat. Yet, the Xuanji Immortal King's speed surpassed her expectations. Just as she caught Yan Zhao, the figure of the man clad in purple appeared behind Yan Zhao. The Xuanji Immortal King curled his fingers, igniting five distinct-colored flames at his fingertips, the power of the five elements swirling dangerously, making Ren Qingyue sense unparalleled peril. Nevertheless, Yan Zhao’s spiritual awareness was delayed, leaving her oblivious to the imminent danger. "A-Zhao!" Ren Qingyue cried out. The Xuanji Immortal King struck backhanded, a gust aimed at Yan Zhao's spiritual core. A silver bell rang, emitted a bright flare, and shattered instantly. In that electrifying moment, the attention of everyone at Wanbao Palace was riveted on this strike. Buzz— Blood splattered, staining Yan Zhao's snow-white garments. A blood-shadow spear pierced through the Xuanji Immortal King's palm, the spearhead protruding from the back of his hand, driving unabated toward his forehead. The Xuanji Immortal King's expression shifted dramatically, unable to attend to the searing pain in his hand as he quickly reeled back. Yet the blood-shadow spear was relentless; as he withdrew, it pursued, unyielding and determined to claim his life. At the spear's end, wielding it, was none other than Nangong Yin.