Conspiracies pile up
The noisy crowd instantly fell silent. The few people surrounding Huang Tianyao quickly made their move, and the other cultivators also stood up swiftly, unleashing all their spiritual power towards the landing point of the array plate.
Mo Zuili pulled back Shen Ling, who was about to step forward to help, and then grabbed Shen Qingxing beside her, lowering her voice and saying urgently, "Don't make a move yet! Conserve your strength, and you must not reveal your demonic identities!"
After giving his instructions, Mo Zuili gripped the Phoenix Flame Spear and charged out.
"The Phoenix Clan..."
A rogue cultivator in the crowd shouted a warning, but before he could finish speaking, his head fell to the ground, his eyes still fixed on the front.
"We absolutely cannot let the magic array break! Kill Mo Zuili and Huang Tianyao!" A group of black-clad phoenix clan members appeared out of nowhere and plunged into the crowd, beginning a wanton slaughter.
Mo Zuili's spiritual power surged, and the spear shadows swept towards the array's core like a raging torrent. Hearing the Phoenix Clan's movements, he knew something was wrong.
No wonder the Phoenix Clan was so quiet before; they were waiting here to wipe them all out.
Despite being fiercely protected by Shangguan Fu'er and the others, Huang Tianyao still fought with all his might towards the center of the formation.
Crimson flames exploded at the tip of the spear. Mo Zuili turned around and faced a black-clad phoenix clansman wielding a sword. The spear, wreathed in flames, pierced straight for the black-clad man's heart.
The attacks from the surrounding crowd created a deafening roar.
Damn it! At this crucial moment, killing these troublesome Phoenix Clan cultivators will inevitably require diverting manpower, which will leave insufficient strength to break the formation. In the end, the seal will backfire, and with the increasingly dense demonic energy and resentment, everyone will die here.
When Mo Zuili sensed someone was about to attack from behind, she was entangled with the Phoenix Clan and couldn't break free.
"Don't get distracted."
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Mo Zuili couldn't figure out who it was. She only sensed the aura of a spirit beast behind her, indicating that the crisis had been resolved.
This can't go on; we'll be dragged down sooner or later.
Amidst the chaos of war, Mo Zuili turned her head and saw the Yi family, led by Yi Qingran, arriving on their beasts.
Some of the towering monsters in the Phoenix Ruins were hypnotized by the Yi family, using their bodies as shields to block some of the Phoenix Clan's fierce attacks.
This inspired some rogue cultivators. Some of them who could tame beasts came up with all sorts of tricks to attract more demonic beasts, making the scene even more chaotic. The chaotic scene blocked some of the phoenix clan's attacks, allowing some people to free up their hands and focus more on attacking the center of the formation.
However, this group did not include Mo Zuili. Someone from the Phoenix Clan roared, "Kill Mo Zuili and Huang Tianyao, and even if the formation is destroyed, the Phoenix Clan will never produce another Demon King!"
The Phoenix Clan, who were fighting desperately against the rogue cultivators, received orders to immediately turn their attention to Mo Zuili and Huang Tianyao.
Just now it was an attack from both sides, but now it's an ambush from all ten sides.
Mo Zuili only hesitated for a moment before immediately pulling away from the fierce battle and running outside. At the same time, she shook her head at Huang Yuchenling and the others who wanted to come to her aid, ordering them to destroy the center of the formation as soon as possible.
Before she had fully exited the magic array, Mo Zuili caught a glimpse of Huang Tianyao, who was also fighting and retreating away from the magic array.
Since the Phoenix Clan has changed their focus, let's take this opportunity to lure this group away and let the other cultivators destroy the magic array first.
Mo Zuili took a deep breath and, before the Phoenix Clan members could completely surround her, probed her Sumeru Ring with her divine sense, taking out whatever she could and starting to unleash skills randomly.
What is this? The Extreme Flight Talisman. Mo Zuili poured her spiritual power into it and immediately felt her body become a little lighter.
What is this? A fifth-tier magic weapon! Mo Zuili didn't even turn her head before waving her hand and throwing it backward, causing it to explode.
What is this? A Rejuvenation Pill. Mo Zuili swallowed it without even chewing it.
What is this? A longsword...
Mo Zuili's body reacted faster than her brain, and she sidestepped the attack of the Phoenix Clan cultivator by brushing against the sword blade.
Seeing the reckless attacker charging again, Mo Zuili spun around and used the barrel of her spear to block. But the pause in her block allowed the Phoenix Clan cultivators behind her to quickly catch up. Mo Zuili held the spear in one hand and activated a fire talisman with the other, exploding it against the cultivator.
"Trying to run?" Another Phoenix Clan cultivator caught up from behind, pursuing a reckless fighting style that maxed out attack power and disregarded evasion and defense. With a loud shout, he threw out a black iron chain to entangle Mo Zuili's ankle.
The chain had barbs, and Mo Zuili winced in pain, his face contorting in agony.
It hurts so much, I can't die, I absolutely can't die.
Mo Zuili gritted her teeth and slammed the Phoenix Flame Spear against the chains, causing another sharp pain in her ankle.
To dodge the incoming blade, Mo Zuili could only turn to the left, directly confronting another Phoenix Clan cultivator. This resulted in Mo Zuili being kicked hard in the lower back, causing her to crash into a broken tree trunk, a metallic taste rising in her throat.
As she crashed into the tree trunk, Mo Zuili finally broke free of the chains that were covered in barbs on her feet. Without a moment's hesitation, Mo Zuili turned her head, spat out blood, and took out a magical artifact from her storage ring to self-destruct and buy time.
Seeing the black-clad phoenix clan cultivators, who resembled demons, relentlessly attacking wave after wave.
Mo Zuili gritted her teeth and thought, "Once the magic array is broken, I'll kill every single one of you on your Phoenix Clan's roster!"
Spitting out another mouthful of blood, Mo Zuili turned to run away, just in time to see Huang Tianyao, whose right shoulder was bleeding, running towards her.
Their eyes met like lightning, then they looked away.
Cooperation is impossible!
Mo Zuili ran to the side, and Huang Tianyao, noticing Mo Zuili's movement, immediately turned and moved in the opposite direction.
...
As Mo Zuili's vision began to blur after being struck by the third sword, she finally heard a huge cheer, and the surrounding demonic energy quickly began to dissipate.
Mo Zuili almost instinctively forced a crazed smile, his arm trembling violently as he gripped the Phoenix Flame Spear due to exhaustion of spiritual energy.
With trembling fingers, Mo Zuili could only throw out a lightning talisman, which stuck to the black-clad cultivator who was gripping the longsword that had pierced his own shoulder blade. Amidst the booming sound of the talisman exploding, the cries of "Young Master" and "Princess" rang out simultaneously.
In the final moments before her consciousness faded, Mo Zuili used all her strength to pull a ring-shaped magical artifact from her Sumeru Ring. This artifact possessed passive defensive capabilities. With her last wisp of divine consciousness, she bound herself to the artifact, established a bond with it, and quickly put it on her hand.
...
Upon regaining consciousness, Mo Zuili maintained the same breathing rhythm as when she was unconscious, remaining motionless and using only her hearing to detect the surrounding sounds.
Why is it so quiet?
Mo Zuili was puzzled, feeling that something was amiss.
Could it be that Shen Ling and the others failed to defeat him, and he was taken away by Huang Tianyao's people? Or has he already left the Phoenix Ruins and started recuperating inside the Phoenix Clan or the Mo Clan?
Not noticing anything, Mo Zuili cautiously opened one eye.
"Princess! You're awake!"
It was Huang Geng's voice.
Looking around, only Shen Qingxing and Huang Geng were present. Confirming there was no danger, Mo Zuili quickly stood up and asked, "Where are the Phoenix Clan cultivators? Are they all dead? Where are we now? How long have we been unconscious? How is Huang Tianyao's condition? Is the Demon Clan trial still ongoing?"
A barrage of questions stunned Huang Geng, leaving him speechless for a long time.
Hearing the sound, Mo Yongning, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, answered smoothly after Mo Zuili repeated the question: "After the magic array was broken and we captured them, most of them died using secret techniques, while a small number were captured by Huang Tianyao and his group and did not die."
We're still inside the Phoenix Ruins. It's been less than an hour since you fell unconscious, Young Master. Huang Tianyao was also seriously injured, but I don't know the details. Zhu Hehong seems to have gone to check on him and hasn't returned yet. The demon race trial…”
Mo Yongning paused for a moment when he got to the last question before continuing, "The demon race trial is still ongoing."
Mo Zuili looked up instantly, realizing that something had been wrong when she first woke up.
The surrounding demonic energy was still there, just as dense as ever, and had not disappeared at all.
What's wrong?
"Zhu Hehong hasn't returned yet?" Mo Zuili asked in a hoarse voice.
Before Mo Yongning could answer, Huang Geng interrupted, "After the princess fell unconscious, she left with the words 'I'm going to scout out the enemy's situation' and left. She's a spy for the Phoenix Clan! It might just be internal strife within the Phoenix Clan, she..."
Before he could finish speaking, Huang Geng was struck by a burst of spiritual energy. When he turned around angrily, he saw Zhu Hehong squinting with a chilling smile.
Shen Ling and Huang Yu were also with her.
Meeting Mo Zuili's probing gaze, Zhu Hehong gave Huang Geng one last sideways glance before entering the stone cave that had been temporarily set up as a camp. He walked up to Mo Zuili and said, "The Phoenix Clan has also been tricked by the Demon Clan!"
Mo Zuili raised an eyebrow.
Zhu Hehong continued, "When I infiltrated Huang Tianyao's side, the Phoenix Clan, after all the magic arrays were destroyed and they failed to kill you and Huang Tianyao, thought their plan had failed and were filled with despair. However, the Phoenix Ruins remained unchanged, and the demonic energy returned in less than half an hour."
Along with this came unpredictable spatial portals, transporting large numbers of demons who had entered the demon race's heritage to the Phoenix Ruins. The phoenixes, captured by Huang Tianyao but not killed, laughed loudly at him, saying, "Everyone must die! This is punishment for your phoenix clan's attempt to merge the two races."
Just as he finished speaking, Zhu Hehong seemed to know that Huang Yu and Huang Geng were about to shout, so he chuckled and said in advance, "Shut up, both of you."
Mo Zuili was amused and rubbed her temples, saying, "So the Demon Clan is determined to drain the life force of everyone in the Demon Clan's trial, paving the way for a new Demon Lord. All our previous efforts were actually useless?"
Zhu Hehong thought for a moment and said cautiously, "Not entirely. According to my current observation, although the demonic energy still exists after the magic array is destroyed, it has decreased slightly compared to the beginning. Moreover, the demons who were teleported here are all low-level demons, most of whom have not even reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment."
After saying that, Zhu Hehong glanced at Shen Ling and Shen Qingxing and said with a smile, "Luckily they arrived early, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get through now."
The sense of impending death surged again, and Mo Zuili unconsciously twirled the magical artifact on her finger.
If it weren't for the fact that she was using her own body to propel herself and was too afraid of dying, Mo Zuili would definitely not have survived the attack by the Phoenix Clan if she hadn't covered her body with defensive magical artifacts.
"What do we do now?" Zhu Hehong asked, seemingly indifferent to life and death.
Huang Geng, unable to bear it any longer, angrily said, "How come you're not worried at all? Did the Phoenix Clan have a backup plan all along?! You were the one who said that as long as the magic array was destroyed, then..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Hehong became impatient and slapped him across the face. Huang Geng hadn't expected Zhu Hehong to actually hit him and was caught off guard, falling to the ground.
Zhu Hehong withdrew her hand and said with a smile, "With this little strength, you dare to talk to me like that? What? Is your master also a ninth-level alchemist?"
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