Chapter 604: Ying Tian Immortal is Truly a Good Brother of Qilin Immortal

While ordinary demons might not recognize Jiang Lianyi, Chief Jin, as the head of the Qiongqi clan, knew her all too well.

With the true forms of the Demon Immortals remaining a mystery, the Primordial Ancestors of the Dragon and Phoenix stood as the undisputed sovereigns of the demon race and the idols of all monsterkind, possessing a profound and decisive weight within their realm.

Though the Ancient Dijiang commanded a resounding renown, he still paled in comparison to these two.

The Ancestors of the Dragon and Phoenix had once participated in the war for immortality; though they tasted defeat, they did so with immense honor.

The Ancient Dijiang, by contrast, had lacked even the right to enter that sublime conflict, laying bare the vast chasm between them.

Had their young ancestor been present, Chief Jin would certainly never have begged for mercy.

Yet the issue was not merely his current lack of backing; their young ancestor, upon hearing that the Ancient Dijiang had declared himself emperor, had not even shown a flicker of interest in coming. Why should Chief Jin act tough before an ancient demon of Jiang Lianyi’s terrifying caliber? What would it gain him? A swift and painless death?

Furthermore, the grievance between Jiang Lianyi and their young ancestor revolved around the Qilin Immortal. It was ultimately an internal family dispute—or rather, a bitter feud between a wife and a mistress. Why on earth should he entangle himself in it?

The Qiongqi clan was dreadfully impoverished, and as its chief, he possessed his own philosophy of survival.

Be ruthless when circumstances demanded it, and submit gracefully when they did not.

Chief Jin lamented silently, realizing how correct their young ancestor had been. This struggle for dominance in the great epoch was far more labyrinthine than imagined. Even the ancient ancestor of the Phoenix clan had quietly resurrected. Considering that the Qilin Immortal backed the Phoenix ancestor, what hope did the Qiongqi clan have to contend for the supreme crown?

Wait. Why shouldn't the Qiongqi clan simply cast their lot with the Qilin Immortal?

At this epiphany, Chief Jin’s thoughts suddenly cleared, and the future before him seemed flooded with brilliant light.

Jiang Lianyi had no inkling that Chief Jin’s mind had traversed so much ground in a mere heartbeat. She was inherently vexed whenever she encountered anyone from the Qiongqi clan, and had initially intended to pick a random Qiongqi to thrash to vent her ire. Yet Chief Jin’s submissive demeanor ensured that even a beating would bring her no satisfaction, rendering the endeavor utterly tedious.

"Look into my eyes."

Jiang Lianyi’s voice seemed laden with a strange, hypnotic sorcery, forcing Chief Jin to comply involuntarily.

As Chief Jin’s gaze met Jiang Lianyi’s, he suddenly reverted to his true form, transforming into a ferocious tiger adorned with patterned wings. He found himself cast into an unknown expanse of space, beneath a high, radiant moon, treading upon a boundless sea, completely isolated and helpless.

Above his head, Jiang Lianyi’s voice resonated through the void: "You are forbidden from mentioning our encounter to anyone, whether through explicit words or subtle hints."

When Chief Jin regained his senses, he found himself back in the guest room. The preceding moments felt like nothing more than a fleeting dream.

"What did Senior Lianyi do?" Lu Yang whispered to the Immortal Fairy. To an outsider, Chief Jin had merely stared blankly for a brief instant before quickly recovering, but Lu Yang suspected Jiang Lianyi had employed some mystical technique.

"That is the embryonic form of the Law of the Jungle Fruit," the Immortal Fairy explained. "It allows her to dictate exactly what a defeated foe must or must not say. She just forced that little tiger to keep her existence a secret."

To be deemed a defeated foe, one usually had to clash with Jiang Lianyi in battle. However, the disparity in cultivation between Chief Jin and Jiang Lianyi was so immense that she could directly exert the authority of her embryonic Dao Fruit to control him.

"She used to employ this particular function quite frequently in the past."

"Why?" Lu Yang asked, perplexed.

Finding it rather troublesome to explain, the Immortal Fairy tilted her head, pondering earnestly for a moment before elaborating:

"The Qilin Immortal used to slip away constantly to seduce female demons. In the beginning, Lianyi would simply put on a stern face and bluff. The Qilin Immortal would then spill everything like a bag of spilled beans."

"Later on, the Yingtian Immortal advised the Qilin Immortal, telling him that as an immortal, he must possess a composed demeanor, remaining unperturbed by events and unhurried by crises. The Qilin Immortal took it to heart. From then on, no matter how Lianyi tried to bluff him, he wouldn't speak a word of truth, acting like a slippery, shameless rogue."

"Lianyi couldn't beat the Qilin Immortal in a fight and was entirely helpless against him. So, she resorted to seeking out the suspect female demons herself, challenging them to a duel. Once she defeated them, she would manifest her embryonic Dao Fruit to compel them to speak the truth."

"And after the truth was out, the Qilin Immortal would end up kneeling within a sword array."

Lu Yang was left speechless.

The Qilin Immortal and the Yingtian Immortal were truly exceptional brothers; the lies were taught by the Yingtian Immortal, and the sword array itself was forged by him.

"Oh? Did I never tell you? The secret to bypassing the sword array was also revealed to Lianyi and Xiaoling by the Yingtian Immortal."

"The Qilin Immortal was kept entirely in the dark, believing all along that Lianyi and Xiaoling had discovered his misdeeds by pure chance, leaving him consumed with bitter remorse over his exposure."

Lu Yang felt that the ancient era was truly a web of intricate complexities, where even immortals engaged in such petty intrigues.

"Senior Lianyi seems remarkably certain that the Qilin Immortal is still alive?"

According to Lu Yang’s observations along their journey, Jiang Lianyi was perpetually contemplating how to locate the Qilin Immortal, as though she were absolutely certain he lived and had not fallen victim to the mastermind behind the curtains.

"Naturally. Since she is certain he lives, then he is undoubtedly alive."

The Immortal Fairy paused briefly before clarifying, "Do you remember when I told you that once the Qilin Immortal achieved immortality, it became impossible for Lianyi and Xiaoling to do the same?"

"Lianyi was fully qualified to ascend to immortality, but the Qilin Immortal bested her and took the step ahead of her, causing her to lose her opportunity."

"If the Qilin Immortal were truly dead, she would feel the oppressive weight holding back her embryonic Law of the Jungle Fruit vanish, allowing her to ascend to immortality this very moment."

A sudden realization dawned upon Lu Yang.

"The situation shared by Lianyi and Xiaoling is exceedingly rare among half-immortals."

"There were many half-immortals during the ancient era. The reason they failed to achieve immortality was not because the five of us suppressed them, but because those half-immortals simply lacked the talent to cultivate to that ultimate step." The Immortal Fairy expressed a touch of disdain for those half-immortals, particularly the Ancient Dijiang. Lacking sufficient talent himself, he chose to blame the unfairness of the era, insisting on attempting his ascension in the present day.

This was precisely why Jiang Lianyi and Ao Ling were universally acknowledged as the strongest existence beneath the immortals. It was not because they possessed a powerful husband in the Qilin Immortal, but because they themselves were powerful to the absolute limit.

Achieving immortality was not a path that could be forced through sheer effort alone; the most critical element was that singular, elusive spark of divine comprehension.

In the past, the Immortal Fairy had been faced with countless choices regarding her Dao Fruit, making it difficult to decide, precisely because she possessed an abundance of such divine sparks at the time.

Among the half-immortals of her era, those holding the embryonic forms of the Undying Dao Fruit or the Imperishable Dao Fruit were by no means few. Once an embryonic form solidified into a true Dao Fruit, it would grant an inherently invincible domain. Who wouldn't desire to condense such a power?

Yet the difficulty of solidifying that specific category of Dao Fruit was monumental. In fact, had the Immortal Fairy not received inspiration from the Immortal of Time, she herself could not be certain of her own success.

"Very well, you may leave."

Jiang Lianyi tossed Chief Jin carelessly out of the doorway. In her eyes, a demon king of the Qiongqi clan was scarcely different from a mere cub.

Since he could not serve as a proper outlet for her frustration, keeping him around was entirely useless.

Chief Jin no longer possessed any desire to witness the grand founding ceremony. Feeling as though he had received a divine amnesty, he fled through the cover of night, sprinting back to the Qiongqi sepulcher to seek an audience with their young ancestor.

"Young Ancestor, disaster has struck..." Chief Jin tumbled and crawled into the presence of the young ancestor. Yet the moment he attempted to speak, he discovered that he could not utter a single syllable.

Seeing Chief Jin in such a state, the young girl’s expression shifted subtly.

"The embryonic Law of the Jungle Fruit? Jiang Lianyi’s technique? She is still alive?"

During the ancient era, she too had been one of the female demons paid a visit by Jiang Lianyi, and she was intimately familiar with her methods.

Zhutian did not wield the embryonic Dao Fruit in this manner.

She understood the situation instantly, a cold smile curling upon her lips.

"I originally had no desire to provoke conflicts, intending merely to secure a place within the top ten factions during this great epochal struggle. But since Jiang Lianyi has appeared, I shall content myself with becoming the eleventh!"

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(End of Chapter)