The Myriad Dragon King gazed calmly at the delegation from the Phoenix God Clan. One Mystic Saint, three Half-Saints, and a single Supreme—this lineup was hardly enough to pick a fight if that was their intent.
“What business brings Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord and her group to the Dragon God Clan?” he asked.
As neighboring clans, the Dragon God Clan and Phoenix God Clan had occasional friction even before. But ever since the incident with Long Ying, relations between them had soured dramatically. If not for both sides focusing on recovery and recuperation, war would have already erupted.
“You know full well why we’ve come,” Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord replied, her tone sharpening bit by bit. Her piercing gaze locked onto Long Ying, who sat beside Yan Zhen happily munching on a post-meal dessert. “Your Dragon God Clan’s little princess stole one of our sacred Nirvana Fruits. We’re here to demand compensation.”
At these words, fury ignited in Jade Dragon Consort. She slammed the table with a bang, her Saint Might exploding outward and startling all the Dragon God Clan experts present.
“Shut your beak! You harpies chased our Little Ying without a shred of shame, forcing her to flee all the way to Jialan Continent and vanish without a trace for years. I haven’t even settled that score with you lot, and now you dare bring up the Nirvana Fruit?”
Called “harpies” to her face, Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord’s expression darkened. She replied coldly, “Jade Dragon Consort, get your facts straight. Your daughter stole our clan’s sacred medicine first. When she was discovered, she fled on the spot—that’s why we sent people after her. Wherever she ended up was her own damn fault. If she’d admitted her mistake and surrendered right then, we wouldn’t have harmed her. At worst, we’d have let you come ransom her back.”
Jade Dragon Consort glared daggers at Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord. A dragon-shaped Saint Dao Halo materialized behind her head, and Mystic Power surged from her body, cracking the surrounding space.
“Quit the bullshit with me! You know damn well why Little Ying entered your forbidden grounds—and how she even could. Losing the Nirvana Fruit was your own comeuppance. If not for the peace accord between our three clans, I’d have led an army to raze your Phoenix God Clan to the ground ages ago!”
Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord’s aura faltered for a moment at those words, but she quickly regained her composure.
“Big talk from you, Jade Dragon Consort. Unfortunately, I’m not here today to declare war on the Dragon God Clan. The Phoenix God Clan has no intention of breaking the three-clan peace accord first—the price for that would be far too steep.”
The Myriad Dragon King’s voice rumbled low. “Then what do you want?”
Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord declared proudly, “No matter the reason, your Dragon God Clan’s little princess devoured one of our Nirvana Fruits. Everyone in the Eighth Continent knows those fruits ripen only once every millennium and what they’re worth. This isn’t something you can just brush off. The Dragon God Clan must provide compensation.”
Jade Dragon Consort seemed even more hot-tempered than the notoriously irascible Myriad Dragon King.
“And if this mama says no?”
Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord didn’t flinch. “Then we follow the rules. Before the Seven Continents Tournament begins, our two clans’ prodigies will have a match first!”
To facilitate recovery, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Serpent Clans had signed a peace accord. Even if conflicts arose, no side could initiate war unilaterally—otherwise, the other two would join forces against the offender.
But leaving disputes unresolved wasn’t viable either, so they’d adopted the Seven Continents Holy Lands’ model of the Seven Continents Tournament: let the juniors below Supreme Realm duke it out. Winner takes all.
It was the same straightforward, brutal approach as always—just on a much smaller scale to avoid mutual destruction.
Everyone from the Dragon God Clan present suddenly understood. No wonder Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord had brought the Phoenix Goddess along. She’d planned this from the start.
“The Phoenix God Clan fields our God Maiden,” Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord said, her lips curving smugly. “Who will the Dragon God Clan send?”
The Phoenix Goddess, clad in a fiery red gown, sauntered forward with graceful steps. Arrogance filled her beautiful face. After all, she was a Sixth-Rank Supreme—two ranks above the Heavenly God Clan’s Zi Xuandu. Among the God Race’s younger generation, she was top-tier.
When selecting a God Maiden, the Phoenix God Clan fed her a Nirvana Fruit, skyrocketing her cultivation speed in the Supreme Realm. She also inherited the Thousand Feathers Phoenix Immortal Fire, ranked twelfth on the Extreme Flame List, making her combat prowess first-rate as well.
Anyone below Half-Saint Realm from the other God Clans would struggle against the Phoenix Goddess.
The Myriad Dragon King and Jade Dragon Consort both darkened their expressions.
Their three sons, though widely varied in age, had all reached Half-Saint Realm—and the youngest, Flower Dragon Lord, had only just advanced, which was terribly inconvenient.
Ordinary Sixth- or Seventh-Rank Supremes wouldn’t stand a chance against the Phoenix Goddess. The Dragon God Clan had Eighth- and Ninth-Rank Supremes, but they were mostly elders, which clearly violated the rules. As for Long Ying herself, she’d only just entered Supreme Realm. With her Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline, handling Third- or Fourth-Rank Supremes was no issue, but a Sixth-Rank was a real stretch.
—These harpies had come prepared!
Jade Dragon Consort glared at Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord with open hostility. The other woman tilted her chin up, exuding haughty superiority.
The sight couldn’t help but remind Yan Zhen of a certain unspeakable creature known as a “shrew,” the resemblance was uncanny. He itched to slap some sense into them both.
“What’s wrong? Does the Dragon God Clan have no one brave enough to step up? Surely not?” Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord sneered. “If that’s the case, then our God Maiden wins by default.”
Jade Dragon Consort was about to retort when a pleasant female voice rang out from the crowd.
“Huang Feng, you hand-under-defeater are as arrogant as ever. Haven’t changed a bit.”
At those words, Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord whipped around toward the source. A stunning beauty in white hair and a black dress regarded her leisurely.
The instant she saw that flawless jade-like face, Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord’s Mystic Power surged, her eyes blazing with fury.
“Chen Xi! It’s you!”
Her words startled the rest of the Phoenix God Clan delegation.
“Technique Saint Chen Xi?”
Chen Xi lifted her teacup gracefully. “Surprised?”
“Everyone said you were dead! How are you alive again?”
“Disappointed I didn’t stay that way?”
“Damn right. Women like you are better off dead!”
“Your pettiness is still smaller than a needle’s eye. It’s a wonder you even reached Saint Realm.”
Back then, when Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord was still the Huang Feng God Maiden, she’d envied Chen Xi’s possession of the Starlight Glazed Fire—the most beautiful Extreme Flame around. She’d unilaterally declared her a rival and targeted her relentlessly until their battle. There, Resplendent Phoenix had lost to Chen Xi’s ever-shifting Technique Refining Art, losing face spectacularly.
From that point, her envy had twisted into hatred. She’d always wanted payback. When she heard Chen Xi had left the Eighth Continent and later died at the Evil Consort’s hands, the grudge had faded away.
Now, old enemies met, eyes burning red with hate—at least, that’s how Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord saw it. Chen Xi hadn’t spared a thought for this narrow-minded harpy.
“Since you didn’t die, once the Dragon God Clan business is settled, it’s time we resolve our grudge.”
Chen Xi replied indifferently, “I have no interest in fighting you.”
Resplendent Phoenix Saint Lord scoffed disdainfully. “Scared?”
Chen Xi remained unmoved. “The Phoenix Goddess is your disciple, right? Conveniently, I have a precious disciple too. Let him stand in for Long Ying and fight the Phoenix Goddess.”
Her words left the Myriad Dragon King, Jade Dragon Consort, and the others stunned. They turned to Yan Zhen, confirming he was merely a One-Star Mystic Venerable. They were utterly baffled by Chen Xi’s bizarre decision.
The Phoenix Goddess was a Sixth-Rank Supreme who’d inherited the Extreme Flame List’s twelfth-ranked Thousand Feathers Phoenix Immortal Fire. Sending a mere One-Star Mystic Venerable against her? That was just throwing the match.
