Unexpected Turn

The instant the golden-haired man vanished, space rippled above the beast horde almost simultaneously.

Three figures whose auras were terrifying beyond measure stepped out of the void.

"Where's the Demon King?!" Lei Wuji asked, lightning coiling around him, surprise coloring his voice.

The three of them all changed expression as they stared at the now-empty center of the beast horde.

Sword Qi surged around Bai Weiyang. His gaze flashed like lightning as he swept his eyes over the beasts below, then sent his divine sense spreading across the surrounding wilderness. His eyes narrowed, and he called out sharply:

"Follow me!"

Had the Demon King really been lured away by Shi Lan?

A streak of golden light tore across the sky, stopping above Shi Lan and the others in an instant.

[Mission complete.]

[Mission rewards issued: Congratulations, host. You have received one intermediate draw and 10,000 reputation points.]

A powerful sense of foreboding surged through Shi Lan. She acted as though she hadn't heard the system's notification, put away the Spirit Transformation Pill with a flick of her hand, and without the slightest hesitation crushed the jade bead Bai Weiyang had given her.

A transparent curtain of spirit patterns appeared, shielding the hundred-odd people beneath Shi Lan.

Brilliant golden rays rained down from the sky, accompanied by an endless clanging din.

The golden-haired man stood in midair, his wings behind him as if cast from gold. Golden light shone in his eyes as he stared at the curtain of spirit patterns. His expression was icy. Just as he was about to attack again, his nostrils suddenly twitched. The golden light in his eyes flared, and he fixed his gaze on Shi Lan.

"The scent of Divine Phoenix blood..."

"Whoosh—"

The golden wings behind the man blotted out the sky, casting