The Eastern King Must Die!

"Indeed. Kunpeng is Primordial Phoenix's eldest legitimate son and the foremost of all birds. He once listened to the Dao alongside us in the Purple Heaven Palace, and his cultivation is formidable. If he can lead the Phoenix Race into allegiance with the Heavenly Court, it will greatly benefit our Demon Race's quest for supremacy. Taiyi, I'll have to trouble you to handle this as well. Remember to bring the Demon-Summoning Banner," Dijun told Taiyi.

"All right," Taiyi replied. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Elder brother, if I'm doing everything, what are you going to do?"

At that question, Dijun glanced at his foolish younger brother and answered irritably, "Your sister-in-law is about to give birth. At a time like this, what else can I do but stay with her in the Heavenly Court?"

Taiyi: "..."

"As for Hou Yi and the others breaking through Bai Ze's defensive line..." Ignoring Taiyi's suddenly frozen expression, Dijun's eyes flashed with golden fire. He continued, "That will depend on how capable your Dharma Protector is. If he cannot eliminate the Eastern King before Hou Yi and the others reach Penglai, I'll send all Ten Great Demon Sages into battle. In short, the Eastern King must die!"

Meanwhile, on the battlefield between the Witch Race and the Demon Race.

Hou Yi did not stop Bai Ze from withdrawing his troops, nor did he pursue them to press his advantage. He remembered his purpose here clearly. It was not to destroy an army of the Demon Race, nor to slay Bai Ze, but to save the Eastern King. That was what mattered most right now.

Once the demon army had retreated into the distance, Hou Yi swept his hand through the air, gathering all the blood essence of the Witch Race warriors who had fallen on the battlefield. Then he turned and shouted to those who remained, "Keep moving! Reinforce Penglai!"

"Yes! Witch! Witch! Witch! Witch!..." At Hou Yi's words, all the Witch Race warriors present brandished their weapons and roared in unison. After their victory in the battle just now, their morale soared even higher.

As for Gungun, after punching Bifang apart and gathering the demons' souls into the cauldron, it had vented most of its anger. Now it sat on a cloud, looking at the Spirit-Washing Cauldron before it, a trace of distress on its round, chubby face.

There were even more now.

It still had not finished processing the demon souls it had collected at Mount Xiaoyu last time, and now another great batch had arrived. This truly left the mighty god Gungun... feeling utterly helpless.

But there was nothing it could do. That Demon God Bifang had been far too hateful. Not only had he falsely accused it of ambushing him before, he had also insulted it, calling it fat and pudgy, stupid and dim-witted. Without collecting his primordial spirit as well, it simply could not have vented all the anger in its heart.

Fat?

What's wrong with being fat? Did I eat your family's spirit fruits?

I, the mighty god Gungun, was born extraordinary. I'd rather be exquisitely fat than be thin and indistinguishable like you!

Stupid and dim-witted...

You couldn't even beat an idiot like me, yet you had the nerve to call me that? Hmph!

Whoosh! Gungun raised a bear paw and put away the Spirit-Washing Cauldron. Then it took a deep breath, clenched its fists, and told itself, "Enough thinking about that. Those are problems for later. Right now, what this mighty god needs to do most is hurry to Penglai and rob... no, save the Eastern King!"

"Brother Gungun, I'm back." Just then, Xingtian flew over to Gungun and greeted it.

"Great Shaman Xingtian, you're back just in time. Huh? Could that iron axe in your hand be...?" Gungun looked up at Xingtian and asked.

"Yes. It's the Warrior God Battle Axe marked on the Treasure Map you gave me, Brother Gungun. It was sealed in the Abyssal Spirit Marsh in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. It took me a hundred years, but I finally managed to wield it." As he said this, a hint of pride appeared on Xingtian's face. Only a true warrior could wield this battle axe, and since he had done so, that proved he was a true warrior!

"Oh, that's pretty good. It suits you well, Great Shaman." Looking at Xingtian with the Warrior God Battle Axe in his hand, Gungun paused, then nodded. It had only given him the Treasure Map on a whim back then, so why did it now seem...

A little strange? An axe... Hadn't Xingtian's original weapon been an axe?

Xingtian brandished the Axe and Shield.

That meant Xingtian wielded an axe and a shield.

Was this... a coincidence, or was there a destiny at work in the unseen?

Forget it. I can't be bothered to think about it, and it doesn't matter anyway. It's not like I plan to defy Heaven. Just as Gungun was about to think more deeply, its head began to ache. It scratched it and thought this to itself.

"Brother Xingtian, welcome back. Brothers, we should set off. Ancestral Witch Houtu must have reached Penglai already. She's waiting for us!" Hou Yi, who had finished reorganizing the troops and still stood at their head, called to the two of them.

At those words, Gungun blinked and thought, That's right, Penglai!

It quickly opened its bear paw and took the folding fan out of the small world it carried with it again. Then it set its two plump legs moving, running toward Hou Yi while fanning itself and shouting, "All right, let's go! Hurry, let's go! Full speed ahead! We absolutely cannot let the Demon Race rob... harm the Eastern King!"

Xingtian: "..."

Am I imagining things? Why isn't Brother Gungun sleeping in today? Why is it so eager to rush to Penglai and fight instead?

It was never like this before!

Meanwhile, on Penglai Immortal Island.

"Ao Yue, Hou Yi, Xingtian, and the others will soon reach Penglai. You must finish off the Eastern King before they arrive. Otherwise, the Demon Emperor will order the Ten Great Demon Sages to act. When that happens, you will lose your chance to establish your authority before the Heavenly Court's officials, and your position as Dharma Protector will once again be called into question. Have Meng Zhang assist you. Remember, this is your first battle since joining the Demon Race, and a crucial one at that. You absolutely cannot fail!"

Ao Yue was directing the Lesser Stellar Formation, locked in a stalemate with Houtu and the Eastern King, when Eastern Emperor Taiyi's voice suddenly reached his ears.

Hearing this, Ao Yue's sword-like brows furrowed slightly. He glanced at the demon soldiers and generals maintaining the formation alongside him and found that none of their expressions had changed. In other words, Taiyi had transmitted his voice to him alone.

Hou Yi, Xingtian... Ao Yue murmured inwardly. He hesitated, his brows drawing tighter and tighter, but finally made his decision. He ordered Meng Zhang behind him, "Meng Zhang, hold off Ancestral Witch Houtu for me. All demons, heed my command! Gather the full power of the Lesser Stellar Formation and direct every attack at the Eastern King!"

"Yes, Dharma Protector!" the demons shouted in unison.

Standing behind Ao Yue, Meng Zhang frowned at his orders. To be honest, he did not want to become too deeply involved in the Demon Race's affairs, especially if it meant making enemies of the Witch Race. But...

Torch Dragon had instructed him to protect Ao Yue even at the cost of his own life, and to obey him. This...

"Ah!" Meng Zhang sighed. In the end, he chose to obey. He leaped into the air, transformed into an azure dragon several million zhang long, and charged into the Lesser Stellar Formation to attack Houtu.

Seeing this, Houtu could only let go, dismissing her stone shield to deal with Meng Zhang.

Meanwhile, with the support of the demon soldiers and generals, Ao Yue traced out a star chart and directed the formation's full power to bear down on the now isolated Eastern King.

The Eastern King: "..."