"Phew, it’s finally over," Lu Yang and Jiang Lianyi walked far away from Demon City and removed the Invisibility Talisman.

"It’s not over yet. I’ve used the power of the Dao Fruit Outline to control Zhu Tian. There are too many prying eyes here. Let’s wait until most of them have left before we look for him."

...

The battle of the Semi-Immortals drew attention, but not many noticed the three fights at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage.

Of the three fights, the one between Jiang Mingzi and the Taozhu Clan Leader had the widest gap and was the least suspenseful.

With an Ancient Ancestor backing him, Jiang Mingzi fought more wildly than before. Ever since the Taozhu Clan joined the Demon Nation, Clan Leader Ji Youming had been throwing his weight around like a bully, humiliating the Phoenix Tribe, who dared not retaliate for fear of giving the Demon Nation an excuse to attack.

Now they finally had a chance to fight back.

"Jiang Mingzi, why don’t we sit down and talk?" Ji Youming spat out blood from the beating, feeling a chill in his heart. He realized that Jiang Mingzi intended to fight him to the death, without holding back at all.

"Talk to your mother, you’re sure to die today!"

Jiang Mingzi was quick-tempered, something that his status had previously prevented him from showing.

"Very well, you’re forcing me!"

Ji Youming, furious, burnt his Essence Blood, exhaling smoke and summoning lightning.

The thunder and lightning that appeared during Zhu Tian and Jiang Lianyi’s fight weren’t caused by either of them, but by Ji Youming instead.

"Luo Tian Immortal Thunder!"

The lightning seemed to form a world of its own. In the clouds, mountains and rivers appeared, and all animals and plants transformed into lightning, which then destroyed that world. The lightning turned into a purple-blue torrential flow, viciously smashing down on Jiang Mingzi!

A few Body Integration Realm cultivators who were paying attention to the commotion jumped in alarm, knowing they would be reduced to ashes under that thunder if it were them.

"I hereby set the rule [Within three breaths, you cannot dodge]," roared Ji Youming, "old thing, die!"

Jiang Mingzi unveiled the Five Virtues Banner, shaking it vigorously. The banner fluttered, displaying the prominent ancient characters for Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trust. The purple-blue thunderous torrent that fell on the banner did not show the slightest bit of its power.

"How is this possible!" Ji Youming was shocked. This move was one of his ultimate tricks; how could it be so easily neutralized?

Jiang Mingzi sneered, but of course, he wouldn’t tell his opponent that the Five Virtues Banner was a top-notch defensive treasure, capable of muddling Yin and Yang, impervious to myriad magics.

"I hereby set the rule [Within three breaths, you cannot dodge]!"

"Fate is unpredictable!"

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

An enigmatic force coalesced at the tip of Jiang Mingzi’s finger. Ji Youming sensed something was wrong, and as he turned to run, he realized the rule made it impossible to escape within a single breath and was forced to withstand the attack.

"Don’t think you’re the only one who can defend!"

From his Storage Ring, Ji Youming pulled out a lion’s skin, a defensive magic artifact crafted from the corpse of his predecessor, Ji Xiong.

Plth.

Jiang Mingzi’s finger pierced through the impregnable lion’s skin, touching Ji Youming’s forehead.

"What have you done!"

Ji Youming felt something change, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Jiang Mingzi certainly wouldn’t reveal the function of his technique to his enemy.

The two continued to fight. Ji Youming repeatedly made mistakes; either his cultivation technique got stuck, or his seal formations were a beat too slow. All sorts of coincidences abounded.

Fate is unpredictable; the Divine Ability Causality reduces an opponent’s luck for a period of time.

In other words, it brought bad luck to Ji Youming.

After hundreds of exchanges, Ji Youming, who was already inferior to Jiang Mingzi, now also faced the defense of the top-notch treasure, the Five Virtues Banner, which made any attack on Jiang Mingzi useless. Coupled with his terrible luck, he made error after error, essentially getting pummeled during these hundreds of exchanges.

Jiang Mingzi attacked ruthlessly, with lethal blows, until finally...

"Aaah—"

Jiang Mingzi transformed into a giant phoenix, tearing open Ji Youming’s chest with its steel-strong talons.

Seeing the tide of battle turn against him, Ji Youming initiated Astral Projection, burned his lifespan, and decisively fled!

"Hmph, he sure ran off fast."

Jiang Mingzi coldly huffed. He hadn’t expected Ji Youming to flee so resolutely; unless he too burned his lifespan, there was no way to catch up to Ji Youming.

"Perhaps I hit him too hard and scared him off?"

Jiang Mingzi didn’t bother with Ji Youming anymore, collecting his body into a Storage Ring and went to find the Ancient Ancestor in Demon City.

…

"Huff, huff, huff—" Ji Youming’s heart still raced with fear, and seeing that Jiang Mingzi was not chasing, he stopped burning his lifespan.

"Returning to the clan in the state of a soul, it’s very likely that I would be discovered along the way."

"Possess someone, and use their body to return!"

Ji Youming arrived outside the city, where there were all the minor cultivators who, without the protection of a Senior Brother, didn’t dare enter the city to watch the battle. He could just pick anyone.

"It’s you!"

Without another word, he rushed into a minor cultivator’s Lingtai.

The minor cultivator’s soul was meditating, and upon seeing Ji Youming, he was greatly startled.

"Kid, what’s your name?" Ji Youming sneered sinisterly, revealing his true form – an appearance that could stop a crying child in fright.

"I, I’m called Kong Hao." The minor cultivator named Kong Hao was clearly very nervous.

"Kong Hao, is it? I’ll remember your name... Wait, where did this iron barrier come from?"

Just as Ji Youming was about to attack Kong Hao to initiate possession, he discovered that there was an iron barrier between himself and Kong Hao.

"This is a seal. How come you have a seal inside you? Who is it sealing?"

Ji Youming couldn’t make head nor tail of it, when suddenly, a familiar and chilling voice sounded.

"Of course it’s sealing me!"

Ji Youming turned sharply only to find another Taozhu inside the barrier, shivering uncontrollably, and he cried out in shock.

"Ji Xiong!"

Ji Xiong had lost an eye, and it sounded as though there was something stuck in his throat; his laughter was hoarse and unpleasant, his schadenfreude apparent to anyone who heard it.

"Ji Youming, you dared to commit insubordination, to scheme for the position of Clan Leader. Did you ever think you would end up like this?"

"What, what are you going to do!"

If this were his prime, he naturally wouldn’t have feared the former Clan Leader, but he had just fought a bloody battle with Jiang Mingzi and was at his weakest. Encountering the former Clan Leader now, he was only in for a beating.

"What do I intend to do? Obviously, share this enclosure with me!" Ji Xiong bellowed, and subdued Ji Youming!

This was the place where Ji Xiong had been sealed. Ji Youming might leave, but Ji Xiong would never let his enemy get away.

He had been confined here for many years; he hadn’t understood how to break the seal, but he certainly understood how to create one!

…

Half a day later, the battle in Demon City concluded, and the clash between the two ancient Semi-Immortals shocked the world.

Ji Youming went missing, his life or death uncertain.

The two cultivators from the Long Clan at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage and the elders from the Di Jiang and Jiuying clans had fought without a clear winner, but any observant person could tell that this was just an external excuse. Both the elder of the Di Jiang Clan and the Ancient Ancestor of the Jiuying had suffered heavy injuries, requiring a long period of rest and recovery.

In the Imperial Palace of Demon City, Zhu Tian transformed into a human form and sat on the throne that symbolized power.

"Your Majesty..." The bandaged elder of the Di Jiang Clan stood waiting at his side.

"Enough, step back. There’s nothing for you here," Zhu Tian said dismissively with a wave of his hand.

After the elder of the Di Jiang Clan left, two figures, a man and a woman, appeared in the palace; it was Jiang Lianyi and Lu Yang.

The grand Imperial Palace, with only three people, seemed extraordinarily empty.

Zhu Tian rubbed his hands with feigned enthusiasm, smiling as he offered his seat, "Friend Jiang, please sit. The chair is cold; let me warm it up for you."

Jiang Lianyi turned to look at Lu Yang, "Senior Brother, would you like to sit?"

Lu Yang: "…"

I, a member of the Human race, sitting in the seat of the ruler of the Demon Nation?

Lu Yang looked at Zhu Tian: "You sit?"

The three of them went round in circles until ultimately, Zhu Tian took out two more thrones from his Storage Ring, solving the dilemma.

The three chairs formed a circle, almost like villagers huddling around a stove to chat.

Jiang Lianyi posed the question she most wanted an answer to: "Do you know where my husband is?"

"Ah, he’s still alive?"