Great Demon - Chapter 80 Part 2

That scale was slowly absorbing the excess spiritual power for her, seemingly able to soothe her pain. Amidst the burning heat of her spiritual sea, it exuded a gentle, cooling sensation.

Zhuyou focused her mind, circulating the spiritual power throughout her body. Her divine sense entered her spiritual platform, where she saw her spiritual form still crumbling—like a stone statue eroded by wind and sand, its outer layer flaking away, revealing her true form within.

As her spiritual form shattered, her spiritual platform felt as if it were being carved with a blade. Even with her spiritual power tightly shielding it, she could not lessen the pain in the slightest.

Her physical body also ached unbearably. Unable to endure it any longer, she transformed into her true form.

A pitch-black phoenix spread its wings, manifesting within the restriction.

The phoenix appeared as though it were being consumed by fire, its entire body glowing a deep crimson.

Previously, the flames had only licked at the tips of her feathers, but now they leaped and spread, engulfing her completely.

Not a single feather was spared. The entire phoenix was wrapped in flames, and even her eyes reflected a crimson hue as deep as blood.

It was so hot.

But it was nothing compared to the agony of her death thousands of years ago, let alone the punishment she had suffered two hundred years ago. Compared to her demise all those years ago, that punishment seemed trivial, like a mere scratch.

Fortunately, no heavenly thunder had struck, nor had earth fire spread. She was lucky enough to remain hidden from the Heavenly Dao, spared from the torment of near-certain death.

But Zhuyou knew in her heart—when she took Guanshang’s hun soul with her, she had already entangled herself in inescapable karma. This lifetime would not be enough to repay it.

Yet… so what?

A thousand years ago, Guanshang had orchestrated everything, leading her to fall into the Devil Realm, causing her to bear resentment toward the Nine Heavens, and even pushing her to oppose the Heavenly Dao.

But now that she had recalled everything from thousands of years past, her sorrow and rage felt like a childish farce, insignificant and laughable.

Back in the primordial chaos, she had no heart and no emotions. Even after transforming into a phoenix, all she had known was subduing devils.

Her Dao…

Was in this.

She had fallen for the tricks of the devils and nearly lost herself.

Compared to the past, the Nine Heavens had indeed fallen into decay. But her Dao was not the Nine Heavens.

Her Dao lay in her own heart.

As long as she remained true to herself, her Dao would always have a path forward.

The phoenix spread its fiery wings, its blazing flames licking at the barrier. From the outside, it looked like a massive fireball. As soon as the fire ignited, golden-red light radiated from all around her, as if she had returned to three thousand years ago. Back then, her feathers were breathtakingly beautiful, dazzling in crimson, so stunning that just one glance could make all the birds bow before her in admiration and submission.

Yet, even with the flames wrapping around her, the feathers on her body remained pitch black.

Every single one of her feathers was being scorched, as if about to be reduced to ashes. This was clearly her phoenix fire, yet she could not control it. The more her spiritual form shattered, the fiercer the phoenix fire burned.

Zhuyou swallowed back a groan of pain, but a faint, almost imperceptible cry still escaped her lips.

In her spiritual sea, a single dragon scale suddenly trembled, releasing a biting cold dragon aura. That chill spread through her internal organs, slowly rippling outward like waves surging over the sea, attempting to extinguish the flames consuming her body.

Her spiritual form was completely shattered, like desert sands swept away by spiritual energy, disappearing without a trace.

For a brief moment, Zhuyou was stunned—had she failed her tribulation again? Had she lost her spiritual form?

And yet, her spirit platform showed no sign of weakness. Instead, it became even more indestructible. After the complete destruction of her former spiritual form, something slowly shed its golden light and took shape.

It was a phoenix, entirely crimson, with iridescent plumes on its crest and four wings upon its back—the exact same form from three thousand years ago.

The moment this spiritual form coalesced, the scorched feathers on her body began to peel away. Her entire body was consumed by an unbearable itch and pain, as though thousands of arrows were piercing through her—or as if something was slowly growing from beneath her skin.

Yet Zhuyou kept her eyes shut, unaware of what she had become. All she could think, muddled as she was, was that her own phoenix fire was burning her to a crisp.

The fire raged on, and a hundred feet away, the devil soldiers stared in astonishment, unable to tear their eyes away. They had waited in this place for a thousand years, never expecting to witness the awakening of… an ancient god.

And now, right before their eyes, that ancient god was restoring its true form!

Within the restriction, the phoenix, burned so thoroughly that not a single feather remained, hovered in midair. Though it cried out repeatedly, not a single sound escaped beyond the confines of the restriction.

On her back, a second pair of wings forcibly grew, as one dazzling red feather after another slowly emerged, layering tightly together. Her long, vermilion tail feathers trailed to the ground, while the crests atop her head quivered slightly.

The devil bone embedded in her spine seemed to snap, preventing her from straightening her body. She lifted her head and let out a cry. Though the devils outside the restriction could not hear her, they still felt an overwhelming pressure crashing down upon them.

The devil bone, once entirely black, would now reveal stark black and white if it were to be extracted—so distinct that it could no longer be called a devil bone at all.

Zhuyou’s eyes suddenly snapped open, her gaze shimmering as though filled with water—clear, bright, and penetrating. Her spiritual sea had become a bottomless abyss, unfathomable even to herself.

The dragon scale that had absorbed her spiritual energy trembled slightly, releasing its stored, gentle energy, which flowed back into her spiritual sea.

As she slowly descended in human form, her feet touching the ground, she reached behind her back, her eyes dark and her blood surging. She hadn’t expected to step into the Infinite Realm in one stride—or that even her spine had shed its devil nature.

Her original form had returned to her spirit platform. She was neither god nor devil. If this body were to fall into Guanshang’s hands, who knew what kind of storm he might stir up?

Zhuyou let out a faint chuckle. Though she knew she could not escape the entanglement of karma and sin, she felt surprisingly unburdened.

Lowering her eyes in thought, she realized that although her spiritual form had been restored, the tribulation meant to rob her of her po soul had yet to arrive. If it hadn’t come now, it would surely arrive soon. But—there was nothing to fear.

Standing on the ground, she still wore no shoes, her pale toes curling slightly. With a flick of her sleeve, she retrieved the mustard seed and held it tightly in her grasp.

At first, she had intended to devour Guanshang’s devil energy after resurrecting him. But fate had other plans—her heart had already settled. If she truly did as she had originally planned, she would only be playing into Guanshang’s hands.

Once Guanshang’s hun soul was extracted, the restriction was lifted. He let out a deep, gruff sound and said, “It seems the Abyss can indeed remain hidden beneath the Heavenly Dao. Now that you have stepped into the Infinite Realm, shouldn’t you also allow me to reunite my three hun souls?”

“The three hun souls reunited?” Zhuyou dissipated the restriction before her. “From where I stand, you seem to have five hun souls.”

“When I finish devouring them, there will be only three left,” Guanshang said.

Zhuyou chuckled. She was neither god nor devil now—did he really think she couldn’t see through his schemes? She exposed him outright. “You’ve always intended to reincarnate in the Nine Heavens. It was your devilish intent that drove Jingyi to steal my Burning-Heart Wood. The two hun souls replenished by the Burning-Heart Wood are both celestial hun souls. If you consume them, you will be half-devil and half-immortal. Even the divine light of the heavens would be unable to harm you.”

“Now that we walk the same path, why not join forces?” Guanshang said slowly.

“I walk the same path as you?” Zhuyou tightened her grip on Guanshang, treating him as nothing more than an ant beneath her fingers.

“If you absorb those two hun souls, you too will be half-devil, half-immortal. Wouldn’t that make us allies?” Guanshang proposed, smugly.

Zhuyou laughed. “What benefit is there for me in aligning with you?”

Guanshang let out a sinister chuckle. “The Nine Heavens have brought you to this state. Are you really going to be magnanimous enough to forgive them? Besides, the Abyss holds many mysteries you have yet to uncover. Don’t you want to explore them?”

“The Nine Heavens certainly need to change,” Zhuyou replied vaguely. She lifted her gaze and continued, “What other mysteries does the Endless Abyss hold?”

“You’ll know once my three hun souls are reunited,” Guanshang drawled.

Zhuyou cast a distant glance at the group of devil soldiers but did not lower the barrier. Instead, she raised a hand and tore open the void, stepping out of the Endless Abyss in a single stride. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in that brothel—yet the snake demon that had been beside her was now nowhere to be seen.

The mist-like gauze robe draped over her body had once been as dark as deep ink, but now it was a crimson red, as if soaked in blood, while the silk dress underneath remained a somber black.

This pleasure house was filled with lewd voices and indulgent laughter, making her deeply uncomfortable. As soon as she lifted the barrier over her heart’s blood, she immediately sensed Changying’s presence.

How convenient—right here in Shangxi City.

She no longer concealed her aura. Instead, she rose lightly into the air, perching on the eaves with one leg crossed over the other. The hem of her dress and the trailing sleeves of her robe cascaded down the rooftop, swaying gently with the wind.

***

Changying had been searching for a long time and was just about to turn away when the drop of blood at her heart suddenly quivered. Her gaze darkened as she followed the unseen thread pulling her into this place of indulgence and revelry.

Her expression was indifferent, and she instinctively furrowed her brows at anyone who approached, sidestepping them with clear reluctance. She hardly looked like someone who had come for pleasure—yet, precisely because of that, she drew even more attention in a place like this.

Several men and women drifted toward her, their bodies steeped in the mingled scents of cosmetics and alcohol, the cloying aroma making Changying subtly knit her brows.

She pressed her lips together, looking utterly wronged and out of place. Every time someone took a step closer, she stepped aside, her thin shoulders held stiff with tension.

“Who is the young lady looking for?” A charming and delicate woman asked with a sweet smile.

Changying nodded slightly but said nothing.

“Who are you looking for?” the demoness pressed again.

Changying ignored her entirely, following the pull of the blood bond and continuing forward.

To her surprise, the demoness refused to let up, her voice still as soft as silk. “If you cannot answer, then surely you must be terribly upset with whoever you’re searching for. In that case, why not find someone else instead? How about me?”

In an instant, a sharp and overwhelming pressure rippled through the air. Though it lasted for only a moment, it was enough to make the demoness cough up fresh blood.

Changying reached the back courtyard and followed the winding corridors without hesitation. As she lifted her head, she suddenly caught sight of the trailing edge of a dress hanging down from the eaves above.

It was a deep, inky black, draped with a layer of gauzy red silk as delicate as cicada wings. Zhuyou’s voice drifted down from above.

“Looking for me?”