146: Chapter 147 Phoenix Ruins

Jinling Mountain Range, Jinling Hall.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as the dead silence before a storm.

On the throne, the expression on Demon Emperor Jin Ling's face could no longer be described as merely gloomy.

Floating before him was a completely shattered life tablet.

It belonged to Demon Emperor Lie Feng.

Just a moment ago, this life tablet had shattered right before his eyes!

It shattered so completely that not even a trace of residual Soul fluctuation remained!

This meant that Demon Emperor Lie Feng had not only died but had been utterly erased from the world by some terrifying power, body and Soul alike!

"Lie Feng... is dead?"

Below, the only remaining Demon Emperor Xuan Zhong spoke in a dry voice, filled with undisguised horror.

The five of them, all at the Peak Yuanhuang Rank, had been garrisoned in the Northern Theater, yet how much time had passed?

Demon Emperor Jin Feng and Demon Emperor Yu Sha had died in Luoying Ravine.

Now, even Demon Emperor Lie Feng, who was best at speed, was dead!

And he had died in Cloud City, deep within the Human Race territory?!

How could this be!!

His original plan was not like this!

According to Demon Emperor Jin Ling's scheme:

Shen Yan of the Myriad Beast Pavilion was to carry the Ten Thousand Snake Emperor-Killing Poison and infiltrate Cloud City with Demon Emperor Lie Feng to assassinate that strange War Beast.

If the assassination succeeded, that would naturally be best.

If it failed, or if they were blocked by Quasi-Emperor Bai Jing, Demon Emperor Lie Feng could immediately use the extreme speed of the Peng Clan to forcibly charge the garrison northwest of Cloud City!

That was exactly where the ancient Phoenix Ruins were located!

The Phoenix!

An ancient Divine Beast race as famous as the Dragon Clan, they wielded the power of fire and Nirvana. At the height of their glory, they ruled the Southern Heaven and echoed the Dragon Clan residing in the Eastern Seas; together, they were considered the most ancient and noble existences among the Yao Race.

However, no one knew when it began—perhaps in the even more distant end of the ancient era—a mysterious catastrophe that swept through the myriad worlds descended.

Even powerful races like the Dragon and Phoenix, who stood at the pinnacle of all life, were not spared.

The Dragon Clan withered, leaving behind only descendants with thin Bloodlines and the True Dragon Ruins.

The Phoenix race suffered equally grievous damage; legend had it that their ancestral land, the Nanming Li Fire Mountain, collapsed. Most pure-blooded Phoenixes perished, with only a small amount of Bloodline scattered. Their core Legacy was mostly sealed within Secret Realm spaces similar to the True Dragon Ruins, gradually fading into the river of history as time passed.

The Peng Clan, though claiming to possess the blood of ancient divine birds, had Bloodlines that were far more mixed and thin compared to the true Dragon and Phoenix, creating an essential difference in status.

The reason Demon Emperor Jin Ling spared no cost to launch the war against the Human Race was never simply to occupy land or plunder resources.

His true target was the Phoenix Ruins hidden deep beneath the Northern Theater!

Before the ancient Phoenix race fell, they owed the ancestor of the Golden-Winged Roc lineage a great favor and left behind an immortal feather containing the Phoenix Origin as a token. They promised that if a descendant of the Peng Clan with a qualified Bloodline came with the token, they could open the ruins, accept part of the Phoenix Legacy, and perhaps even use that feather to refine their Bloodline and impact a higher Realm!

That immortal feather had been kept by the successive Demon Emperors of the Peng Clan.

Demon Emperor Jin Ling, as one of the Geniuses of the Peng Clan with the most hope of becoming a Demon Emperor, was granted this Legacy by the current Demon Emperor after reaching the Peak Yuanhuang Rank and thus learned this secret.

He knew deeply that with his current talent and accumulation, the hope of competing for the limited resources to become an Emperor within the Yao Race was slim.

He had to find another way!

If he could find the Phoenix Ruins and obtain the Phoenix Legacy, he would have a great chance to break through his Bottleneck in a short time and forge his own Emperor foundation!

His future would be limitless!

Originally, Demon Emperor Jin Ling's plan was nearing success.

As long as he waited for the Human Race army to be gradually driven out of the Black Wind Gobi, he could quietly open the Phoenix Ruins and enter to forge his Emperor foundation.

But the appearance of Ling Tian directly destroyed all his plans for many years!

Now, let alone advancing the front line, the Peng Clan would be lucky not to be driven out of the Northern Theater by the Human Race!

Therefore, he followed the situation and devised this vicious plan to kill two birds with one stone.

He sent Demon Emperor Lie Feng and Shen Yan to infiltrate Cloud City.

If they could assassinate Ling Tian, that would be best, removing this thorn in his side.

If not, he would have Demon Emperor Lie Feng coordinate with him to open a gap from the inside!

At that time, with Demon Emperor Lie Feng's support, Demon Emperor Jin Ling was confident he could enter the Phoenix Ruins before the Quasi-Emperor of the Human Race arrived.

As long as he could enter the ruins and successfully break through to the Quasi-Emperor...

Then all the losses would be worth it!

The fall of two Peak Yuanhuang Rank Demon Emperors? The loss of Luoying Ravine?

In front of a newly promoted Quasi-Emperor, these were not worth mentioning!

He could completely rely on the power of a Quasi-Emperor to sweep across the Northern Theater and completely drive out the Human Race!

He could even persuade the various Emperors of the Yao Race to invade the heart of the Human Race together and perform immortal meritorious service!

By then, his status within the Peng Clan would be unrivaled!

A perfect plan!

However...

Reality slapped him hard in the face!

Demon Emperor Lie Feng was dead!

He died without rhyme or reason!

Judging from the terrifying intent transmitted just before the life tablet shattered, Demon Emperor Lie Feng didn't even have time to get close to the Black Wind Gobi, let alone coordinate with him to open a gap in the garrison!

Who did it?

Could it be... that damned War Beast again?!

Demon Emperor Jin Ling remembered the earth-shattering explosion at Luoying Ravine and the miserable state of Demon Emperor Jin Feng and Demon Emperor Yu Sha, and his heart twitched involuntarily.

Damn thing!!

"Commander... what should we do now?" The voice of Demon Emperor Xuan Zhong pulled Demon Emperor Jin Ling back from his rage-filled thoughts.

Demon Emperor Xuan Zhong was also terrified at this moment.

Of the five Peak Yuanhuang Rank Demon Emperors, in the blink of an eye, only he and Demon Emperor Jin Ling remained.

Would he be next?

Demon Emperor Jin Ling took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging killing intent.

A major variable had appeared in the plan.

Demon Emperor Lie Feng was dead, and the inside agent was gone.

But...

He suddenly looked up toward the northwest.

Through the window of Jinling Hall, he could clearly see the increasingly thick dark red in the northwestern sky!

It was like a sky soaked in fresh blood!

That grand, ancient, yet chaotic and manic Phoenix aura was becoming clearer and clearer!

He could even vaguely feel that deep within that dark red firmament, a door was slowly opening!

"The Phoenix Ruins... have actually opened on their own!"

A flash of wild joy crossed Demon Emperor Jin Ling's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by solemnity.

Although there was an accident in the process and the inside agent Demon Emperor Lie Feng was gone, the ruins had been awakened early, and the entrance was appearing!

Regardless, the opportunity was right before him!

"Xuan Zhong!" Demon Emperor Jin Ling stood up abruptly, his voice decisive.

"This subordinate is here!"

"Immediately assemble all the elite forces that can be mobilized in the Jinling Mountain Range! At all costs, follow me in a surprise attack!"

"Yes!"

Demon Emperor Jin Ling's eyes burned with crazy flames.

The inside agent was gone, so he would attack by force!

The entrance to the ruins had appeared. With his cultivation of being half a step into the Quasi-Emperor Realm, plus all the top combat power here, it was not impossible to assist him in entering the Phoenix Ruins!

"This Emperor will enter the Phoenix Ruins!"

Demon Emperor Jin Ling's voice carried the desperation of a final gamble.

"As long as I obtain the Phoenix Legacy, I can step into the Quasi-Emperor Realm! By then, I will make the Human Race pay a hundredfold for today's humiliation and past hatreds!"

"The blood of all the comrades who died in battle will not have been shed in vain!"

Demon Emperor Xuan Zhong was stunned by Demon Emperor Jin Ling's crazy words, but seeing the unquestionable determination in his eyes, he could only bow and take orders: "Yes! This subordinate obeys! I will definitely follow the Commander to the death!"

Demon Emperor Jin Ling waved his hand, letting Demon Emperor Xuan Zhong go down to prepare.

He stood alone in the much emptier hall, looking at the dark red sky in the northwest.

"Just wait."

"When I return from the ruins, that will be the day you all... are wiped out!"