The Winds and Clouds Gather

Two uninvited guests arrived at a large mansion in the Demon City. The Phoenix Clan member's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

The Demon City accommodates other factions in inns, while those from the Great Xia, Buddhist Kingdom, Dragon Clan, and Phoenix Clan are provided with more luxurious accommodations in their mansions.

An elder from the Dijiang tribe arrived uninvited and once again tried to persuade the Feng tribe to surrender.

The Phoenix Clan also has a living fossil-level figure who personally stepped forward to refuse.

In this level of competition, even the Phoenix Clan Chief Jiang Xi could only stand still.

"Jiang Mingzi, as the saying goes, heroes find it hard to find a wise ruler. The ancient ancestor has taken the initiative to accept you. If you can join the Demon Kingdom, the position of the second largest clan in the Demon Kingdom will belong to your Phoenix Clan. This is a rare opportunity, so cherish it!" The elder of the Dijiang Clan said with a smile, his eyes full of threat.

Another uninvited guest was the chieftain of the Taotie clan, who possessed the cultivation level of the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Just by standing there, he brought immense pressure to the Phoenix clan.

"My Phoenix Clan does not join any faction, please leave!" The living fossil of the Phoenix Clan was not buying it. According to the records left by the ancient ancestors, this High Antiquity Emperor Jiang was not an easy person to get along with. Joining the Demon Kingdom was probably not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

"Please leave? Jiang Mingzi, you must have misunderstood something. I'm not here to invite you, I'm here to order you around!"

"What are you doing!" the living fossil of the Phoenix Clan shouted.

"What are you doing?" The Taotie clan chief sneered, pulling out a golden decree from his robes. It exuded celestial charm and shimmered with precious jewels; it was a first-rate celestial item.

"Look what this is!"

The elder of the Dijiang clan used his Essence Blood to activate the decree, which was imprinted with the rudimentary form of the High Antiquity Dijiang's Dao Fruit, and also contained the full force of the High Antiquity Dijiang's attack.

If they cannot withstand this attack, they will be branded with the mark of master and servant and forced to submit to the High Antiquity Emperor Jiang!

This is how the chieftain of the Taotie tribe submitted.

"Immortal Method!" The Phoenix Clan's lineage was unbroken, and Jiang Mingzi recognized it at a glance.

"Please grant me the ancestral token!"

He was on high alert and took out a treasure from his pocket—a jade pendant with a lifelike phoenix carving.

A five-colored phoenix flew out of the jade pendant. It was only the size of a palm, burning with true fire, carrying a terrifying aura, and its power was in no way weaker than Immortal Method.

The two silent and invisible auras collided, as if two High Antiquity demons were dueling across three hundred thousand years.

Boom--

The Immortal Method suddenly self-immolated, bursting into flames and becoming as dim as burning paper. The aura of the High Antiquity Emperor Jiang was gone, and the imprint of the Dao Fruit's nascent form became riddled with holes.

"Cough--"

The elder of the Dijiang tribe and the chief of the Taowu tribe took two steps back, coughing up a little blood.

"Please leave." Jiang Mingzi held the phoenix jade pendant in his hand, his expression unchanged.

"Very well, very well indeed!" The elder of the Dijiang tribe and the chief of the Taotie tribe laughed angrily, knowing they were no match for him, and left the courtyard.

"Mr. Ji, is it really safe for us to come to the Demon City?" Kong Hao asked quietly, shrinking his neck. The old Taotie Ji Xiong was sealed inside him, and at Ji Xiong's strong suggestion, he was forced to come to the Demon City to see the world.

"Be bolder. There are many humans coming to the Demon City. If you don't make a sound, no one will notice you," the old Taotie said confidently with a smile.

He failed to seize the position of clan leader and was sealed inside Kong Hao's body. Upon hearing that the Demon Realm had established a kingdom and that the Taotie Clan was among them, he insisted on coming to see it.

"Um?"

The old Taotie looked up and noticed two disheveled figures in the sky.

One of them was his old rival, the current chief of the Taotie tribe.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just ran into an acquaintance I expected."

The elder of the Dijiang clan and the chief of the Taotie clan passed through several layers of guards, not even bothering to greet them, and hurriedly arrived at the depths of the demon city.

Deep within the demon city, in the dim light, the High Antiquity Emperor Jiang revealed his true form, sitting on a massive imperial throne that resembled a small mountain.

On either side of the imperial throne stood two rows of equally magnificent and enormous figures, faintly exuding the aura of the Tribulation Transcendence stage, beings known as Demon Emperors in the Demon Realm.

Although both were at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, the elder of the Dijiang clan was not afraid of any demon emperor; his loyalty lay with the ancestor sitting on the imperial throne.

The ancestor valued hierarchy and order, and only those at the Tribulation Transcendence stage were qualified to speak with him.

The two demons slowed their pace, knelt on both knees, and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, the Phoenix Clan has responded."

Emperor Jiang of High Antiquity opened his eyes, his eyes were frighteningly bright, like two full moons, cold and deep.

"What did the Phoenix Clan say?"

The old man replied indignantly, "The Phoenix Clan is unrepentant and resolute, unwilling to submit to Your Majesty. Neither my promises of making the Phoenix Clan second only to ours in the Demon Kingdom, nor my threats of force if they do not agree, will work."

"We two carried the decree of our ancestors and used force to coerce them, while the Phoenix Clan used the Phoenix Jade Pendant left by their ancient ancestor to resist, but we were unable to control the Phoenix Clan."

The old man took out the imperial edict from his robes. The once golden and sacred edict was now tattered and broken, clearly indicating that it had suffered severe damage and was no longer usable.

The great demons at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, seated in two rows on the imperial throne, each had a different expression. This decree contained the power of the High Antiquity Emperor Jiang, and it was with this decree that the Emperor Jiang clan's envoy had controlled them.

They did try to resist, but the power of the decree was too great and the changes were too rapid for them to keep up.

Not getting the desired result, the High Antiquity emperor Jiang snorted coldly, causing the space to tremble, clearly dissatisfied.

"Stubborn to the end!"

He recalled his experiences from High Antiquity times, especially the battles between demigods, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

He knew the origin of the jade pendant. Jiang Lianyi liked jade flutes, and the jade pendant was a leftover piece of material from making the flutes. It was a token of Jiang Lianyi's affection; seeing the jade pendant was like seeing her.

"Do you really think I'm afraid of the Phoenix Clan? Even if Jiang Lianyi were here, let alone without her, the Phoenix Clan wouldn't dare to defy me!"

He has undergone tremendous changes High Antiquity times. Through the nascent Dao Fruit, he controls nearly a hundred major clans, ten Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators, and has countless powerful subordinates. In this process, the nascent Dao Fruit has become increasingly perfect and shows a strong tendency to solidify.

It's no exaggeration to say that things are completely different now.

If he can't even handle the insignificant Phoenix Clan, what's the point of him risking his life to slumber from High Antiquity to the present?

"The Phoenix Clan refused to submit to the Demon Kingdom, and even a small portion of the Demon Realm's races followed suit, unwilling to surrender."

"If we want to unify the demon realm and establish a demon kingdom, the Phoenix Clan problem must be solved. Either make them surrender, or make them die without a burial place!"

"I've given you a chance today, so don't complain when the Phoenix Clan is destroyed in the future..."

The High Antiquity Emperor Jiang had a cold gaze. Unifying the demon realm would help him advance his cultivation and complete the transformation from a half-immortal to an immortal.

While others are waiting for the world to fully recover and for fortuitous opportunity to arise, he doesn't need to wait for that opportunity. The fact that there are no powerful figures in the Demon Realm right now is his fortuitous opportunity.

He made his move ahead of time to attain immortality, thus becoming a player in the game of the great world's revival!

Unifying the Demon Realm was only the first step. Next, he would unify the East Sea and make the sea races submit to him, thus making him stronger than ever before.

With control over both the East Sea and the Demon Realm, he instantly became the most powerful force 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, and unifying the cultivation world.

At that time, it won't matter who awakens; he won't be afraid even if the Four Immortals of High Antiquity reappear!

What he needs to do now is to hold a successful founding ceremony and establish a demon kingdom. This way, his attack on the phoenix clan will be justified, and no one will be able to find fault with it.

The Phoenix Clan holds an extremely high position in the Demon Realm. If he acts prematurely, he risk earning a bad reputation, which would be detrimental to his image.

"Phoenix Clan... I hope you can be just as resolute during your founding ceremony!"

The second update will be at 11 PM.