Accompanying the Phoenix

Chapter 70.1

It was another violent coughing episode, as if he was coughing out all of his internal organs. Shen Li patted his back lightly and asked softly, “You were injured last time, why hasn’t the injury healed yet?”

The Demon Sovereign shook his head: “It’s just that I’ve been too tired in the last few days…” Before he could even finish speaking, his hand that was holding onto Shen Li’s wrist froze. Then he pushed Shen Li’s sleeve up and checked Shen Li’s pulse. After a while, he sighed; the emotion in his voice was indistinguishable, “That pearl… You have finally absorbed it completely.”

For a moment, Shen Li patted the hand on her back, the tone of her voice deepened slightly: “Master, Shen Li has something to ask.” She pondered which words to use, “This time, in the face of danger, Ah Li was fortunate to have the help of the Divine Sovereign Xing Zhi. Also, another person, Fan Qi Yu, he was the expert who helped heal me; he said that this Azure Sky Oceanic Pearl was more like a demon’s nuclear core. While you, Master, the cultivation that you taught me, the magic and the spiritual force were all incompatible with this Azure Sky Oceanic Pearl. Master…”

“Since you already know so much, and things have progressed up to this point, I shouldn’t lie to you anymore.” The Demon Sovereign tried to suppress his coughs, “Help me to the desk and let’s go to a different spot to chat.”

Once again, it was that same Teleportation Array Formation under that same desk. Just like last time, when the Demon Sovereign gave her the Azure Sky Oceanic Pearl, the array formation sent the two of them to the mysterious Sacrificial Hall that was as silent as death itself. In the hall, the pearl enshrined on the high altar was no longer there. The Demon Sovereign declined Shen Li’s continued support of his arm and lightly pushed her away. As he slowly advanced, he took off his mask and his physique changed, returning to the body of a woman.

Before the high platform, she stood quietly for a while: “It was such a long time ago, so long that I can’t even remember much about the details, but I have always remembered what your mother looked like when she and I were here together paying homage to our former master.”

“My… Mother?”

“Your mother entered the sect three months after me. After she formally became a disciple, she lived with me in the same room. Every day, she came to pay homage to the master with me. She had an easy-going temperament and was favored by the master. She also attended to the master’s needs. The master’s favorite hobby was to refine medicine. So on occasion, he would impart knowledge to her and teach her the Puppet Refining Medicine Technique. She was talented and intelligent. In less than three years, out of all the master’s disciples, she inherited the most skills from the master. This was a good thing, but…” The Demon Sovereign lowered her eyes, “The former master still had other thoughts of his own. As the level of his refining technique became higher, it was more difficult for him to be content with the status quo. In the end, he created a type of monster. While this type of monster, you have already fought against them.”

Shen Li’s voice deepened: “They’re the monsters in the Ruins of Heavenly Poles?”

“That’s right, your mother’s master and my master was the former Demon Sovereign of the Demon Realm, Liu Ming.”

The Demon Sovereign stepped onto the platform and wiped the dust on the high altar where the pearl was enshrined with her fingers, “When the first demon beast was successfully created, as the master’s disciples, everyone was happy and excited. As far as the Demon Realm’s army was concerned, it was a big killing tool. However, when the master started to frantically create demon beasts one after another, the situation began to lose control. On some occasions, the demon beasts would tear down fellow disciples and swallow them into their bellies, there were also demon beasts that escaped and harmed the citizens of the Demon Realm.

“The protests in court were getting louder, but the master was obstinately willful in getting his own way and kept creating more demon beasts. It seemed that he really wanted to form an army of demon beasts as he planned, and then control such an ‘army’ to attack the Heaven Realm, to pull down those high and mighty immortals from above; to have them bow down to the Demon Sovereign and make the Demon Clan the ruler.”

Shen Li shook her head: “When the soldier becomes the dictator of the army, the general becomes useless, but the general is the brain, the soldier is the blade. An army without a brain is just a bunch of killing machines. I’m afraid the demon beasts weren’t even under that person’s control… At that time, in the Demon Realm, there must have been a lot of lives lost.”

The Demon Sovereign nodded: “At the same time, whether it was in the court or in the sect, there were voices of opposition, but your mother strongly supported Liu Ming…” Shen Li was stunned, while the Demon Sovereign said with a sigh, “They also saw the demon beasts’ damages. Liu Ming’s own powers were not enough to control so many demon beasts, so he devoted his efforts to refining the king of the demon beasts that was several times stronger than other demon beasts. At the beginning of the Demon Beast King’s birth, he was just a child and was just like any other child. Liu Ming named him Feng Lai. He was given to your mother, so that she could take care of him. He absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and grew up. Compared with other demon beasts that randomly appeared in the realm, he was more like a naturally borne monster, and therefore his power was even purer and stronger.

“Feng Lai grew up very fast. In just three months, he was like an ordinary teenager. No one could even have imagined that a demon beast like him would fall in love with his caretaker.”

Feeling astonished, as if Shen Li could not believe the full meaning behind the Demon Sovereign’s words. The Demon Sovereign frowned: “No one could even have imagined that your mother also fell in love with him.”

Stunned, Shen Li lowered her head and stared at her palm, murmuring in a trembling voice: “I am… the child of a demon beast? I am…” When she recalled the appearance of the scorpion-tailed fox running out of the Ruins of Heavenly Poles, she immediately frowned, “The child of that kind of demon beast…”

The Demon Sovereign was silent for a moment: “Not long after that, the officials in court secretly reported the disasters with the demon beasts to the Heaven Realm. The Heaven Realm was shocked and sent troops to the Demon Realm. However, by that same time, Liu Ming had already created several thousand demon beasts, so the soldiers of the Heavenly Realm suffered a disastrous defeat. After they returned, the Heavenly Emperor finally asked the Divine Sovereign Xing Zhi to descend into the lower realm. By himself alone, he fought against the several thousand demon beasts, beheaded Liu Ming, and captured Feng Lai. Finally, he joined forces with the soldiers of the Heaven Realm and forced thousands of demon beasts to the border and opened up the Ruins of Heavenly Poles to seal all of the demon beasts within it.”

“After Xing Zhi sealed the demon beasts away, his vitality was severely damaged and he immediately returned to the Outer Bounds of Heaven. While the army of the Heaven Realm quickly evacuated. At that time, although all the demon beasts were sealed away and Liu Ming was already dead, the Demon Realm was still in chaos. One faction claimed to support the youngest son in the womb of Liu Ming’s concubine as the ruler, while the other faction was determined to abandon the style of Liu Ming’s party and establish a new ruler. The two factions were constantly fighting. After a war that lasted for several months, I understood the style of Liu Ming’s party. If they were not completely exterminated, then they would make a comeback in the future. There were still those who supported overthrowing the Heaven Realm by using the demon beasts’ powers. I have done outstanding military service on the battlefield, it was unintentional, but I was nominated by several elders to ascend to the throne of the Demon Sovereign. Then after that, the last time that I saw your mother…