Plans changed
Mo Zuili and Zhu Hehong landed on the outer side of the Phoenix Clan's gate.
Zhu Hehong whispered, "What are you doing sneaking around like that? Aren't your supporters supposed to be here to pick you up?"
Mo Zuili carefully affixed the talisman that concealed her aura to her body and said slowly, "Isn't this a surprise for Huang Tianyao? Last time I came to the Huang Clan, she gave me a big gift, which I haven't returned yet."
Zhu Hehong had a gut feeling that the "gift" Huang Tianyao had given her was not a good thing.
Under the cover of night, the two sneaked into the Phoenix Clan, using a map drawn by Huang Tianlu to evade the spiritual power detection of the Phoenix Clan patrol personnel.
Mo Zuili lightly tapped the red dot marked on the map with her fingertip; that was the core location of Huang Tianyao's forces.
The two lay hidden behind the carved pillars in the darkness, watching the Phoenix Clan patrol members come and go without moving.
Mo Zuili frowned; this didn't match the information Huang Tianlu had sent.
Logically, this should be the time between shifts, when defenses are at their most relaxed. However, a team passes by every half hour, taking turns to guard the area.
What's even more outrageous is that there's a magic array every hundred steps or so.
If the magic array is accidentally triggered, the operation will be exposed.
Zhu Hehong looked at the heavily guarded road, a smile playing on her lips, and whispered to Mo Zuili, "This is a good thing. The tighter the security, the more it proves that Huang Tianyao's group is afraid, afraid that someone will launch a sneak attack or force their way in."
Mo Zuili's brows relaxed.
Huang Tianyao suffered just as many injuries as I did in the ruins, but I had Chu Qing's miraculous medicines and Nirvana Fire to protect me, while Huang Tianyao did not.
"She might still be unconscious," Zhu Hehong said with a light laugh.
Mo Zuili raised an eyebrow: "No way, she's not that weak."
Although Mo Zuili hated Huang Tianyao to the core and wished she could kill him immediately, she still thought Huang Tianyao's combat skills were quite high.
Mo Zuili's purpose in coming to the Phoenix Clan this time was to stir up trouble while Huang Tianyao was weak and had not yet consolidated the Phoenix Clan's power.
The more muddy the water, the better, so that no one can become the demon king for a while.
If Huang Tianyao were still unconscious, then his advantage in coming here would be enormous.
If Huang Tianyao is killed, the throne of the Demon King will fall directly into his own hands.
Zhu Hehong licked her lips, her eyes flashing with excitement. Seeing that Mo Zuili was not moving, she reached out and patted her arm: "What are you spacing out for? Such a good opportunity, why don't we just blow up the magic circle and force our way in? Let's join forces with the group of people who support you and rush in together."
Mo Zuili remained silent for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Wait a little longer."
Aside from the fact that she couldn't directly ascend to the position, Mo Zuili felt that Huang Tianyao wasn't that weak.
The other person should already be awake, or at most in a weakened state.
With Huang Tianyao on high alert, the chances of a direct assault are slim. If Huang Tianyao has a backup plan, we might be tricked again.
Mo Zuili twirled a communication talisman between her fingers, her gaze sweeping over the magic array a hundred paces away.
"Have Huang Tianlu's men go to the east and create some commotion to draw away some of the guards. We need to confirm whether Huang Tianyao is truly weak or just faking it."
Before long, a faint commotion could be heard in the night wind from afar. The guards noticed the unusual activity, and several figures hurriedly headed east.
"Walk."
Mo Zuili pulled Zhu Hehong and ducked into the shadows.
The two moved forward along the shadow of the eaves, when suddenly a flapping sound of wings swept overhead.
Mo Zuili subconsciously looked up and caught sight of a bird the size of a palm tilting its head and staring at them.
The bird's feathers are orange with a touch of gold and red, and its tail feathers are trailed with long, thin white feathers, like tassels.
At this moment, it was fluttering its wings and circling under the eaves, its black bean-like eyes fixed on the Phoenix Flame Spear in Mo Zuili's hand.
Mo Zuili frowned, wondering whether he should throw a talisman to knock the bird down.
Zhu Hehong also looked up and glanced at the bird, finding it familiar, but couldn't recall where she had seen it before.
In that moment of hesitation, the bird seemed to realize that Mo Zuili intended to attack it, and it flapped its wings and quickly flew away.
Mo Zuili lowered her hand that was holding the talisman, thinking to herself, "Never mind," and didn't pay much attention to this little incident.
The two walked along the cobblestone path, the only sound being their footsteps.
It would take at most half an hour to reach Huang Tianyao's courtyard. Mo Zuili was calculating the time when Zhu Hehong suddenly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Something's not right. This forest is too quiet."
As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful demonic aura suddenly erupted from the courtyard in the distance.
With a chilling killing intent, it headed straight for the two.
Mo Zuili sighed and said, "Tsk, we've been discovered!" She had fought with Huang Tianyao many times and could tell at a glance that this was Huang Tianyao's aura.
Mo Zuili felt it was a pity that she hadn't been able to ambush Huang Tianyao to "return the favor".
But even if she was discovered, Mo Zuili wasn't afraid; she had a Plan B. Holding the Phoenix Flame Spear, Mo Zuili tossed out a communication talisman.
Mo Zuili swung her spear to deflect the long whip of the guards who were attacking her, and fought and retreated with Zhu Hehong.
We can always come back tomorrow. In any case, we can't let Huang Tianyao recover in peace.
Upon receiving the telepathic message, Huang Yu led a portion of the Phoenix Clan into the garden.
Mo Zuili led Huang Yu and the others in a fight-and-retreat, deliberately harassing Huang Tianyao's weak points.
They thought they had retreated quickly enough that they might not be able to run into Huang Tianyao tonight, but unexpectedly, Huang Tianyao's aura suddenly surged, and he seemed to have gone mad, leaving the others behind. His long sword, carrying a chilling killing intent, chased straight after Mo Zuili and stabbed.
"clang!"
Mo Zuili had no choice but to parry with his spear. The moment the spear tip collided with the sword spine, the shock made Mo Zuili's hand go numb.
Mo Zuili gave Zhu Hehong a wink.
Zhu Hehong nodded and grinned, then his figure flashed like a ghost, instantly appearing behind Huang Tianyao.
A palm strike, imbued with the spiritual power of a peak Golden Core cultivator, blocked Huang Tianyao's retreat.
Huang Tianyao sensed a strong gust of wind behind him and quickly spun around to avoid it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Huang Tianyao's pale face and his wrist trembling slightly as he gripped the sword.
Mo Zuili seized the opening, her spear tip coiling around Huang Tianyao's longsword like a serpent. Zhu Hehong also closed in, her palm strike aimed directly at Huang Tianyao's face.
After only a few moves, Huang Tianyao was forced to retreat repeatedly, with drops of blood dripping from the corner of his lips, clearly indicating that his injuries were far from healed.
Mo Zuili holstered her gun and took a half step back, raising an eyebrow as she said, "It seems your injury is more serious than I thought."
Huang Tianyao gripped his longsword tightly, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with rage that almost materialized: "Despicable and shameless! Two against one!"
"Likewise," Mo Zuili said with a nonchalant smile.
"Compared to your sneak attack behind the ruins last time, this is fair and square. The struggle for power is inherently deadly, and you're talking to me about morality and righteousness? If you're so capable, why don't you take on me two-on-one?"
Something had touched a nerve with Huang Tianyao, and he suddenly drew his sword, his demonic aura surging violently. Even though his face was ashen, he still attacked Mo Zuili.
This was more ruthless than any of the previous moves. Mo Zuili's pupils shrank, and he quickly dodged.
Mo Zuili felt something was wrong. What had she just said? Why was Huang Tianyao going crazy like this?
Could it be...
"You're worried about Shangguan Fu'er? You think she's dead?"
Upon hearing Mo Zuili's words, Huang Tianyao paused for a moment.
It seems so.
Huang Tianyao also caught the key words, swung his sword to shake off Zhu Hehong, took three steps back to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and asked in a tight voice: "Where is Shangguan Fu'er? What did you do to her?"
Huang Tianyao's voice trembled with suppressed emotion; it was more fear than anger.
Zhu Hehong chuckled from the side: "Oh, so worried about her?"
Mo Zuili also raised an eyebrow; she hadn't expected Huang Tianyao to be so anxious because of Shangguan Fu'er.
After a moment's thought, Mo Zuili overturned her original plan.
It seems I don't need to stay in the Phoenix Clan for too long; Shangguan Fu'er might be enough to keep Huang Tianyao in check.
Mo Zuili put away the Phoenix Flame Spear and stopped attacking. She just smiled and said, "She's fine now, but that might not be the case in the future."
As she finished speaking, Mo Zuili caught a glimpse of Huang Tianyao's men arriving out of the corner of her eye.
This area was originally Huang Tianyao's territory, and he didn't have many men with him. If he stayed too long, they might be surrounded. Mo Zuili gave Zhu Hehong a look, and then called out to Huang Yu, who was furthest away, "Let's go."
Huang Tianyao's face was ashen, his eyes icy, as he channeled his demonic power to stop Mo Zuili.
Mo Zuili said lightly, "Let's call it a day. I came here today to tell you about Shangguan Fu'er, you should be happy. If we continue fighting, and I accidentally get seriously injured, I guarantee that Shangguan Fu'er will suffer far more than just serious injury."
As the blatant threat was uttered, a hint of probing remained in Mo Zuili's eyes.
She wanted to test just how much Shangguan Fu'er meant to Huang Tianyao.
Just when everyone thought there would be another struggle, Huang Tianyao's fingers, gripping the sword, turned white instantly upon hearing this, and his knuckles bulged from the force, clearly indicating that he was holding back a great deal of anger.
Huang Tianyao stared intently at Mo Zuili, his chest heaving violently, and finally uttered a name with a fierce tone: "Shan Ci!"
The round-faced man in black who had rushed over to Huang Tianyao immediately stopped upon hearing the sound. The surrounding Phoenix Clan soldiers also stopped, and no one dared to step forward to stop them.
Mo Zuili raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Zhu Hehong. Neither of them had expected that Shangguan Fu'er held such a heavy place in Huang Tianyao's heart.
Only after Mo Zuili's aura had completely faded away did Huang Tianyao cough up a mouthful of blood.
Another striking splash of red appeared on her robes. Shan Ci rushed forward to help her up, but Huang Tianyao shoved her away, saying, "Investigate! Find out where Shangguan Fu'er is. Is she with the Mo family?"
...
Back on her own turf, Mo Zuili began to review the events, but after thinking for a long time, she still couldn't figure out how she had been discovered.
Zhu Hehong picked up the freshly peeled spiritual fruit and suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!" as if she had just realized something. "It's that bird. I remember now! It seems to be called the Snow Ning Sparrow. It was born at the Foundation Establishment stage, but it was in beast form. It would be very difficult for it to cultivate into human form."
Zhu Hehong tossed the spirit fruit into her mouth, crunching it loudly, her tone tinged with self-deprecation: "Direct descendants of the Phoenix Clan can sign a contract with the Snow Ning Sparrow. They feed the chicks with their own blood as soon as they hatch, caring for them more than if they were raising their own sons. This bird recognizes its master, and after discovering us, it probably sent a message to its master, which is how we were found."
Mo Zuili looked at Zhu Hehong speechlessly and said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? I should have just blown it up. Since it had already been discovered, killing one more would have been a bonus."
Zhu Hehong clicked her tongue and flicked her wrist. "Such rare items are beyond the reach of someone like me from a collateral branch of the Phoenix Clan. The only time I know about them is when I've gained some power and entered the Phoenix Clan's library, where I glimpsed records in the missing pages of ancient texts."
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