Kings Win, Losers Fall; the Strong Prey on the Weak
Tens of thousands of High Antiquity ghost soldiers stood in formation, perfectly aligned. Many of these ghost soldiers became legends and were passed down to later generations, demonstrating their immense power.
Later, they all became Zhu Tian's defeated opponents.
If Zhu Tianruo didn't have real ability, he wouldn't dare to claim the title of emperor.
The phoenix transformed from Nirvana True Fire had a temperature comparable to the sun. The demon city was constructed of cast metal, yet even the metal walls showed signs of melting under such terrifying temperatures, let alone the cultivators below.
It is said that cultivators do not avoid the heat or cold, but if the temperature is this high, they can only use their cultivation to withstand it.
Those with elders protecting them are better off and can hold out, but if someone like Kong Hao goes to the Demon City alone, he can only run out of the Demon City and watch the battle from the outer perimeter.
"Go!" Zhu Tian commanded, and the ghostly soldiers marched and formed a dark mass in the sky, carrying a terrifying and chilling aura, pressing down on Jiang Lianyi.
"Explode!" The Phoenix of Nirvana True Fire spread its wings and soared high, as scorching as the sun, and arrived with a whoosh, as fast as lightning.
The two forces collided and bombarded each other, yin and yang merging, forming a giant tai chi pattern in the air.
Immediately afterwards, the Tai Chi pattern exploded, and the phoenix, reborn from the ashes, transformed into sparks that scattered across the sky.
Most of the ghost soldiers remained.
Zhu Tian burst into laughter upon seeing this.
"Condense!" Jiang Lianyi remained unmoved, uttered a soft shout, and used the power of the nascent Dao Fruit to control her Nirvana clone, causing it to re-condense.
The Nirvana clone charged into the Yin army and exploded once more.
"Unite!"
Zhu Tian was dumbfounded. He had never heard of anyone's clone exploding and then condensing, and then exploding repeatedly!
Wait, this move seems familiar. I encountered it in High Antiquity times. Who was it again?
Seeing this, Lu Yang's eye twitched. This move did look familiar; wasn't this the Immortal Fairy's favorite fighting style?
Since there is no rudimentary form of the Immortal Dao Fruit, we will make do with controlling it using the rudimentary form of the Dao Fruit that preys on the weak.
"It seems that although Lianyi has lost her memory, she has not forgotten my teachings."
Boom--
The Nirvana clone exploded on Zhu Tian's body, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaving Zhu Tian in a sorry state, his wings even charred.
Zhu Tian sang the song of spring, trying to recover his condition before the next wave of attacks.
"Unite!"
The Nirvana clone reformed, and Zhu Tian stood ready. The Nirvana clone rushed in front of him, and Zhu Tian controlled the space to form a barrier, blocking the next wave of explosions.
Suddenly, the space behind him rippled, and Jiang Lianyi traversed space to arrive behind him.
"Not good!"
A colossal phoenix appeared behind Jiang Lianyi, surrounded by countless phantom images of birds and beasts: the Vermilion Bird, the Azure Phoenix, the Chongming, the Bifang...
"A thousand birds paying homage! That's the legendary homage of ten thousand birds!" a great demon below exclaimed.
"The Phoenix Ancestor subdued all birds, and all birds revered the Phoenix Ancestor as their ruler, which is why the phoenix is known as the king of birds in later generations!"
The enormous phoenix spread its wings, and countless birds transformed into feathers, becoming part of the phoenix.
The phoenix's figure soared into the sky and then swooped down. When Zhu Tian looked up, it looked like a phoenix rising from the sun, a sight that chilled him to the bone.
Zhu Tian tried to dodge, but everything around him suddenly slowed down, including himself.
"Space lockdown... no, this is time stop!"
Zhu Tian was incredulous. He never expected that Jiang Lianyi's nascent form of the "Survival of the Fittest" technique could even freeze time!
It turns out she never used her full strength from beginning to end!
Time stopped, and Zhu Tian lost his ability to perceive the outside world. When time resumed, the phoenix's figure was already so close that there was no way to avoid it.
Boom--
The phoenix beak pierced Zhu Tian's body, pinning him to the ground!
"What just happened? Why did Zhu Tian suddenly stop moving?" Lu Yang wondered. Zhu Tian could have avoided the distance just now, but he seemed to have been frozen in place.
The Immortal Fairy saw through the trick. "It's not that he's not moving, it's that everyone is frozen for a moment. Ripples controlled time, making it stop."
"Only with this immortal present can you see the entire battle clearly. To onlookers, it appeared as if the phoenix suddenly leaped in front of Zhu Tian, and Zhu Tian was unable to dodge in time and was struck."
"Time stopped? Senior Lianyi can even do something like that?!" Lu Yang was shocked.
"Playing dead is a way to survive by dying, to deceive time, and in a sense, to conquer time, so she can stop time. However, this alternative way of conquering time is ultimately not the right path, so she can only stop time for a breath or two."
"If it were an immortal of time, stopping it for a thousand or eight hundred years wouldn't be a problem."
In a battle between immortals, a breath or two is enough to decide the outcome.
"As for why she didn't use it before, it was probably to hide her true strength. Exposing her trump card in front of everyone is not a wise move. Putting aside everything else, did you see her use any immortal artifacts from beginning to end?"
Lu Yang thought about it and realized it was true. Senior Lianyi must have a celestial artifact crafted by Ying Tianxian, but she didn't use it, which already spoke volumes.
"The victor is king, the loser is villain. Zhu Tian, are you Qi Ingestion?" Jiang Lianyi transformed into human form, looking at the heavily injured Zhu Tian lying on the ground, her voice icy.
Zhu Tian was dejected and realized the key point: he was convinced of his defeat in this battle, and even if they fought again, he would still lose.
"I surrender."
Jiang Lianyi didn't say much. She put her index and middle fingers together and gently touched her brow, activating the nascent Dao Fruit to form a master-servant mark, which she then branded onto Zhu Tian's body.
The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak and the victor reigns supreme, is a principle both of them believed in; otherwise, the rudimentary form of the Dao fruit of the law of the jungle would not have been formed.
Jiang Lianyi defeated Zhu Tian in High Antiquity times, but at that time the Four Immortals ruled the world and there was no need to control Zhu Tian.
Today is different. If Zhu Tian is not kept in check, who knows what tricks he might play.
Moreover, Zhu Tian knew he could stop time, and this knowledge couldn't be revealed.
"Your establishment of the Demon Kingdom is beneficial to the Demon Race, so I will not object. The Phoenix Clan can also join the Demon Kingdom."
With the master-servant mark in place, Zhu Tian is the nominal ruler of the demon kingdom, while Jiang Lianyi is the true ruler.
"You act arrogantly and show off your talents. If you continue like this, you will drag the Demon Race into an abyss of no return."
Putting everything else aside, Zhu Tian's attempt to attack the Great Xia is a path to certain death.
Jiang Lianyi heard from the Immortal Fairy that there were immortals in the Great Xia Dynasty, and more than one.
Zhu Tian was clearly Qi Ingestion, but as the loser, he had no choice but to listen to whatever Jiang Lianyi said.
As the smoke cleared, everyone saw Zhu Tian lying on the ground, admitting defeat, and Jiang Lianyi, the victor, whose expression remained icy.
Because of the intimidating presence of the two demigods, no one dared to approach.
"Senior brother."
Jiang Lianyi walked towards Lu Yang and respectfully called him "Senior Brother." Everyone made way for him. Fortunately, Lu Yang was prepared and remained calm, nodding steadily, displaying the demeanor of a young sect leader.
Even with Lu Yang walking in front, Jiang Lianyi followed half a step behind, clearly distinguishing between the main and secondary figures.
Lu Yang glanced at Zhu Tian and said indifferently, "Let's go. The Demon Kingdom is nothing special."
The two walked out of the demon city, and amidst the awe-inspiring expressions of many powerful beings, they vanished into thin air, mysterious and unfathomable.