The desolate Moon Shadow Devil Palace was bleak and dilapidated. But anyone who underestimated it because of that would pay a heavy price.
Over thousands of years, the Moon Shadow Devil Palace had gone from a period of brilliant peak glory to its current state of faded prosperity. As the seas turned to mulberry fields and back again, the one thing that had never changed was its master, Li Yueying.
This legendary woman… she was beautiful. She was powerful. She was also a madwoman.
No one was unafraid of a powerful expert who had already entered the Transformation Realm. And no one could resist coveting the riches accumulated over five thousand years and the legendary divine medicines within the Moon Shadow Devil Palace.
Thus, driven by greed, dreamers and opportunists came in an endless stream. They all thought: Perhaps… I am that lucky Devil’s Chosen One?
Diligently and tirelessly, undeterred by wind or rain, they kept watch day and night outside the Moon Shadow Devil Palace, all for one single human-shaped grand supplement pill. Finally, the lucky Devil’s Chosen One spotted her!
It was already the hours before dawn. The light of the moon carried a faint blood-red tinge. A frail woman, her clothes disheveled and her hair speckled with bits of grass and leaves, stumbled frantically out of the Moon Shadow Devil Palace, which looked like a complete ruin.
“Stop right there! Cough, cough…” Another woman, this one with delicate features dressed in men’s attire, chased after her. What was strange was that, though clearly a Devil Cultivator, this pursuer was clutching her stomach, her face contorted in pain.
These two were none other than the Descendant of the Divine Phoenix, who had fallen from the sky some time ago, and Cui Yu, one of the Moon Shadow Devil Palace’s subordinates!
The Devil’s Chosen One frowned, observing carefully. He noticed the Divine Phoenix descendant’s face was filled with panic, utterly terrified of the person chasing her. Meanwhile, besides clutching her stomach, Cui Yu also had a faint, inconspicuous trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.
If he remembered correctly, Cui Yu had been injured on her way back to the Moon Shadow Devil Palace. The Devil’s Chosen One began to hesitate. Should I seize this opportunity to abduct the Divine Phoenix descendant?
Just then, he heard the Divine Phoenix descendant cry out tearfully to the person behind her: “Let me go! I’m just a weak, pitiful, and helpless mortal! You people drain my blood every day—are you trying to make blood tofu or what?!”
Cui Yu, her steps unsteady, chased after the Divine Phoenix descendant and vomited a mouthful of blood. “Cough, for Her Highness’s sake, we have no choice but to wrong you a little, miss. You don’t understand—it’s even more dangerous outside!”
The Divine Phoenix descendant ran, clutching her head. “I’m not listening! I’m not listening! You’re all bad people! Help! Someone save me!”
The Devil’s Chosen One’s heart stirred. But he still hesitated. He knew he wasn’t the only one watching! If he wanted to win in this contest, he had to be the most cautious and prudent one.
Thinking this, the Devil’s Chosen One couldn’t help but squeeze his lover’s hand. He whispered an instruction, “Wait for others to make a move first. After they’ve injured each other, then we go in.”
His lover squeezed his hand back, asking seriously, “I know. Have you prepared your poison?”
The Devil’s Chosen One couldn’t resist a smile. “Everything is prepared. After this job is done, we’ll strike it rich. Then we’ll go far, far away. Anywhere you want, to the ends of the earth.”
Having said this, the pair of malevolent partners fell silent once more, lurking in the darkness. Sure enough, not long after the Divine Phoenix descendant fled the Devil Palace, someone made their move, unable to hold back any longer!
The Devil’s Chosen One recognized this person too. He was a minor officer under Nether Smoke Devil Venerable. If he was here, then that meant Nether Smoke’s right-hand man, Black Flame, was also around!
Just as expected, that minor officer dashed forward, attempting to capture the Divine Phoenix descendant. Cui Yu, despite her heavily injured body, engaged him in combat. The two fought fiercely, locked in a stalemate. The Devil’s Chosen One secretly felt a chill, grateful he hadn’t rashly attacked.
As expected, the Moon Shadow Devil Palace’s ability to stand for five thousand years isn’t without reason. Even a random subordinate, so heavily wounded she can barely run, can still fight this well. Impressive!
That minor officer was shrewd too. Seeing the area so remote and sparsely populated, and locked in a difficult fight with Cui Yu, he feared another opportunist might snatch the Divine Phoenix descendant while they were occupied. So, he decisively put some distance between them, pulled a Bone Whistle from his robes, and blew it hard.
No sound came out!
But both Cui Yu and the Devil’s Chosen One knew: blowing that whistle meant the signal had been sent.
Sure enough, within the span of three breaths, a figure wreathed entirely in black flames swept in like the wind, arriving in an instant. He laughed, “Haha! It actually fell into my hands! Well done! When we return, Lord Nether Smoke will surely reward us handsomely!”
The Devil’s Chosen One’s brow furrowed tightly. His lover asked worriedly, “What now? Do we strike now, or wait a bit longer?”
The newcomer was indeed Black Flame. He stretched out a hand to grab the Divine Phoenix descendant. Her face showed a flash of panic. “Who are you? What do you want with me?”
“Don’t be afraid, little miss. I am simply taking you back as a guest!” Black Flame said, seizing the Divine Phoenix descendant’s arm without further ado. With a cold snort, he launched a blast of black energy at Cui Yu.
Cui Yu seemed to have reached her absolute limit. The moment the black energy strike hit her, she let out a miserable shriek and was sent flying backwards, landing on the ground, struggling but unable to rise.
The Devil’s Chosen One hardened his resolve. “If we wait until Black Flame returns to Nether Smoke Commandery, we’ll lose our chance to strike. Even if attacking now is a bit risky, if we let this chance slip, it’s gone forever.”
The Divine Phoenix descendant looked fearfully at Black Flame, attempting to struggle free. But she seemed exceptionally weak, utterly powerless to resist.
Black Flame, elated, grabbed her and turned to leave. The very moment he turned, a dark gleam flashed through the Devil’s Chosen One’s eyes. He seized this split-second opening with masterful precision and released his secret poisoned needles!
He had painstakingly refined these few poisoned needles for a long time just to capture the Divine Phoenix descendant.
Zzzt! The poisoned needles struck home! Black Flame’s entire body shuddered violently.
In that split second, his lover burst out like a thunderbolt, attacking Black Flame’s back!
The Devil’s Chosen One couldn’t help but smile. You see, they’d been partners for a long time. Even Black Flame would fall before them, the Poison Bee Couple!
Black Flame, now poisoned, saw his combat power and reaction speed drastically reduced. The curved blade of the Devil’s Chosen One’s lover was also coated in poison. In the back-and-forth exchange, Black Flame quickly fell to a disadvantage.
The Poison Bee Couple’s goal wasn’t to kill Black Flame, but to seize the Divine Phoenix descendant. Seeing an opportunity, the lover reached out and pulled the Divine Phoenix descendant over.
“Got her, let’s go!” Bam! The lover was suddenly blasted away by a figure that appeared out of nowhere. The speed was so fast the Devil’s Chosen One couldn’t even see it clearly!
In an instant, his heart plunged from the clouds straight into hell. He was furious, shocked, and enraged. But this third party who had suddenly intervened possessed terrifying strength. Not only his lover, but even Black Flame was easily subdued like a three-year-old child!
This level of power is no ordinary Devil Cultivator! Could it be a Devil Venerable who has personally descended? Cold sweat soaked the Devil’s Chosen One’s back. He gritted his teeth and looked towards his lover. She was lying on the ground, vomiting blood, unable to even crawl up…
This scene felt strangely familiar. Instinctively, the Devil’s Chosen One looked at Cui Yu. The very same Cui Yu who had just been on the ground, spitting blood and unable to rise, was now already standing. She held a sword to the neck of Black Flame’s minor officer.
And that third-party power who had suddenly overturned the situation… Her eyes glinted with a cruel, bloodthirsty light. Her killing intent was so overwhelming it felt like it could tear a person apart. She kicked Black Flame aside, turned her head, and instantly her expression shifted from thunderous rage to radiant sunshine. She bounded over like a joyful puppy and threw her arms around the Divine Phoenix descendant.
“Jiangying, Jiangying! How did I do? Praise me, quick!”
The Divine Phoenix descendant reached out and patted her head. Helplessness mixed with a hint of a smile on her face. “Good girl. You did well.”
At that moment, the Devil’s Chosen One finally realized the truth: this entire thing had been a trap set by the Moon Shadow Devil Palace!
The Moon Shadow Devil Venerable was overjoyed. She cradled the Divine Phoenix descendant’s face in one hand, then, trying hard to put on a stern expression, patted the Divine Phoenix descendant’s head with the other. “Jiangying is good too. Jiangying is the best!”
