"You still dare to laugh!" the Undying Phoenix snarled, clutching Ye Fan’s neck fiercely. "It’s just a pity he died too soon. Otherwise, I would have slaughtered him myself!"
In the Middle Ages, the Divine Dragon was the strongest expert in the Divine Domain. He reigned supreme, completely unstoppable, and everyone in that era had to prostrate themselves at his feet. The Divine Dragon governed all, so his death directly ushered in the Dark Age—an era without a true leader, where a hundred schools of thought contended for supremacy.
Ye Fan knew that the Divine Dragon was the one the Undying Phoenix loved. Having inherited the Divine Dragon’s bloodline, he was naturally privy to these secrets.
"You love him, but it’s a shame he could never love someone as despicable and shameless as you!" Ye Fan said coldly. "Because of your selfishness and greed, the Divine Dragon was repulsed by you! Therefore, he is someone you can never have, and you don’t deserve him!"
"So what?" the Undying Phoenix retorted, her voice icy. "Sooner or later, I will prove to him that I am a hundred times stronger than that little wretch, the Heavenly Phoenix!"
At this, the struggling Seven-Colored Demon Empress seemed to recall something.
That’s right. She was the Undying Phoenix’s last disciple and had only caught a glimpse of the Divine Dragon’s heroic bearing when she was very young. She seemed to remember a secret whispered among the Demon Clan: the Undying Phoenix’s disciples were not just her and the Divine Dragon. There had been another before her. This person was the Heavenly Phoenix. She and the Divine Dragon were from the same era, and both were disciples of the Undying Phoenix. The Divine Dragon and the Heavenly Phoenix were kindred spirits, deeply in love, but this provoked the Undying Phoenix’s jealousy and vengefulness, for she was deeply infatuated with her disciple, the Divine Dragon. However, the Divine Dragon only ever saw the Undying Phoenix as his master and never displayed any romantic interest in her. This fueled her jealousy until she finally killed the Heavenly Phoenix. From that moment on, the Divine Dragon fell into a deep depression. That was why, when she saw that handsome and gallant young man all those years ago, his eyes had been filled with such sorrow. One day, the Divine Dragon returned and told her that the Undying Phoenix had suffered a grievous injury during her cultivation, leaving only a wisp of her soul behind.
Looking back now, the Seven-Colored Demon Empress had a realization.
The Undying Phoenix probably hadn’t just been injured in cultivation; her physical body and Primordial Spirit had likely been shattered by the Divine Dragon himself. She knew that if one had truly suffered such a traumatic injury, there was no chance for a soul to linger—it would have simply dissipated completely.
She had once asked the Undying Phoenix about it, but her master had refused to answer, avoiding the topic entirely. Shortly after that, the Divine Dragon fell in battle.
Not even a corpse was found. It was only when the Divine Dragon Secret Realm opened that the Seven-Colored Demon Empress rushed there herself to retrieve his body. Now, with Ye Fan’s words, the memories of those past events came flooding back.
The Undying Phoenix spoke again, her voice frigid. "Since you’ve inherited the Divine Dragon Essence Blood, then you truly deserve to die. I despise everything about that man! Including his essence blood!"
Ye Fan laughed. "Love is something you petty people will never obtain in your lifetimes. It’s all just wishful thinking and empty talk!"
"Hahahaha!" the Undying Phoenix cackled. "Ultimately, all love is nothing more than an illusion!"
"That’s just your excuse!" Ye Fan shot back.
"What, must one be at death’s door like you two to be worthy of love?" the Undying Phoenix mocked. "If that’s what it takes, then I’d rather go without it my entire life! Since words are so important, and you keep saying you love her... let me carve your heart out and see for myself!"
She slashed at Ye Fan’s skin.
"Master, no! I’m begging you, please don’t kill him!" the Seven-Colored Demon Empress cried out, her voice breaking with sobs.
The Undying Phoenix looked down at Ye Fan’s pale face. "Humble people can only have humble love. Die!"
She sliced Ye Fan’s chest wide open, and the light of the Divine Talisman burst forth. As the radiance filled the air, the Undying Phoenix’s face lit up with joy, as did those of the two Divine Monarchs. This was the prize they craved.
Just then, the Undying Phoenix felt the drop of Divine Dragon Essence Blood she had fortuitously obtained begin to burn within her.
"Ah!"
She let out a piercing scream, frantically trying to suppress the drop of blood as it grew scorching hot. After all, the blood belonged to Ye Fan. In that moment, it resonated with him and ignited. Utterly helpless, the Undying Phoenix had no choice but to gouge the drop of blood out of her own body. The moment she did, she instantly became frail, her face turning deathly pale. Her hair turned white, for all her power had stemmed from that single drop of blood.
THUD!
She sent Ye Fan flying with a palm strike, which seemed to make her feel slightly better.
"Seize the Divine Talisman!"
The two heavily injured Divine Monarchs rushed toward the unconscious Ye Fan. However, the Undying Phoenix bellowed, "I dare you to try!"
Instantly, the two Divine Monarchs froze. Though the Undying Phoenix was weakened, they were in no better state. Fighting her to the death now was simply not worth the risk. They stopped obediently, and the Crownless God Monarch forced a fawning smile. "We were just trying to help you retrieve the Divine Talisman, Senior."
The Undying Phoenix slowly began to recover. Though still weak, she had enough strength left for a fight. She walked over to the unconscious Ye Fan and sneered, "So what if you have heaven-defying abilities? In the end, you’ve just helped me succeed! Hahahaha! Is this what you call your pathetic love?"
She reached out to grab Ye Fan, but a strange phenomenon occurred. A strand of True Dragon’s Qi coiled around Ye Fan’s body, blocking her hand.
The Undying Phoenix berated the lingering spirit, "Wretched disciple! You dare to block me even now? My only regret is not killing you with my own hands back then. Since you’ve chosen death, I shall grant you your wish!"
She unleashed her power, intending to crush the spirit of the Divine Dragon. The Divine Dragon Power resisted valiantly. Even though he was a peerless expert who had been dead for tens of thousands of years, he still resonated with Ye Fan in this moment. The Undying Phoenix’s power was actually insufficient to annihilate the Divine Dragon’s Qi.
"What are you two standing there for?" she shrieked. "Get over here and help me slaughter this beast!"
The Absolute Cold God Monarch and the Crownless God Monarch immediately joined the fray, helping the Undying Phoenix assail the Divine Dragon Power. It soon looked as though the Divine Dragon’s power would collapse. After all, it was the lingering will of a man dead for millennia; no matter how heaven-defying he had been, this was his limit.
Just then, a powerful blast of force slammed into the trio, catching them off guard and sending them flying.
The attacker was none other than the Seven-Colored Demon Empress. She had forcibly freed herself from her bonds, breaking several of her own meridians in the process. She was incredibly weak, but at this moment, she was happy. Even if she was crippled for life, she felt it was all worth it for Ye Fan.
"Wretched disciple! You dare to strike me now?" the Undying Phoenix raged.
The Seven-Colored Demon Empress declared, "From this day forward, I sever all ties of master and disciple with you. You are not my master, and I am not your disciple!"
"Very well! Then I will personally put an end to you, my ungrateful disciple!" the Undying Phoenix screeched, about to charge.
"If you dare," the Seven-Colored Demon Empress said, "then everything you’ve worked for will only end up benefiting them!" She pointed at the Crownless God Monarch and the Absolute Cold God Monarch.
The Undying Phoenix was suddenly alarmed. She glanced at the two Divine Monarchs. Although they were also weakened, their injuries were not as severe as hers. Furthermore, she was already injured from the struggle. She might not be able to withstand a sneak attack from them. Even if she could, the outcome would be mutual destruction.