Chapter 763 - 440: Holy Lotus Rebirth

However, to Jade Fox’s surprise, even though her attack landed, she didn’t hear Zou Feng let out a "delicate" cry of pain. The other expected effects—such as enslavement or bewitchment—also failed to materialize. Instead, she had merely struck out a... lotus?!

Indeed, her whip strike only caused another Golden Lotus to bloom on Zou Feng’s back.

The sight of the blooming Golden Lotus was like witnessing the ultimate masterpiece of art, and Jade Fox found herself uncontrollably captivated. An overwhelming desire surged within her—she wanted to bloom just like this lotus!

Her wish was immediately granted.

She exploded! She bloomed just like a firework.

With this, the three Demon Immortals had consecutively been brought to justice by Zou Feng in a completely one-sided crushing defeat.

The citizens of Cheyue Country, who had been cheering for the Demon Immortals and seething with resentment while cursing Zou Feng, now looked as if their world had collapsed. The three supposedly omnipotent, veritable Immortals had actually... completely flopped?! They had been beaten within an inch of their lives by a demon whom the citizens hated to the core for reasons they couldn’t even understand.

Not only that, but a small portion of the heavily bewitched populace began to show signs of clarity in their eyes. They slowly realized that they must have misunderstood something. The ones they truly should hate and curse were the three State Preceptors who had brought endless disaster to Cheyue Country. And the young man sitting cross-legged on the Golden Lotus was their true salvation...

"Master..."

Watching the scene unfold, Yue Ya’s eyes were already brimming with tears. She knew her master was extraordinary—a peerless hero who dared to charge into Cheyue Country alone and clash head-on with three Demon Immortals. Yet, she had never expected him to be absurdly powerful to this extent.

Cultivators of the Ninefold Celestial Court were known as Fake Immortals, and Yue Ya agreed with this sentiment. Therefore, her master must be a True Immortal of the Great Dao!

Amidst her excitement, Yue Ya couldn’t help but worry. Was she truly qualified to be the disciple of such a figure?

On the lotus platform, Zou Feng’s hands blurred into afterimages as he pressed his palms together once more. When utilizing the Holy Lotus Rebirth Domain, he would unconsciously want to act grand, subconsciously maintaining elegance in his every movement.

However, it wasn’t time to pack up and call it a day just yet...

"If you have any other tricks, hurry up and use them. Otherwise, your lives end here!"

The three Demon Immortals had entrenched themselves in Cheyue Country for years, supporting a puppet king and masquerading as State Preceptors. Their preparations definitely went beyond just the Demon-slaying Platform.

After all, Zou Feng’s understanding of the Nine Immortal Ascension Skills was no less than that of these Celestial Tribulation Cultivators. For these lunatics, every seemingly rational or irrational action served only one purpose: becoming an Immortal!

There were Nine Great True Immortals under the Queen Mother, and this was no coincidence. It was because the pinnacle of the Nine Immortal Ascension Skills could only produce exactly nine True Immortals. With the positions already filled, the methods required to ascend were self-evident...

Zou Feng, however, was an exception. He had simultaneously cultivated all nine Ascension Skills—something completely impossible for other Tribulation Cultivators. Because of this, the path ahead of him would inevitably surpass the Nine Great True Immortals.

In short, given his profound understanding of the Nine Immortal Ascension Skills, Zou Feng could conclude that Red Tiger, Jade Fox, and Cyan Wolf—three Path of Rebirth Tribulation Cultivators—must have ulterior motives for entrenching themselves here.

By now, the Immortal Slaying Stage had already been battered to the point of near collapse. Grayish-white clouds and mist darted wildly, putting the area at risk of completely crumbling at any moment.

As soon as Zou Feng finished speaking, Red Tiger strode out from a cloud of white mist, bleeding from his seven orifices. His current condition perfectly illustrated the fact that bleeding from all orifices was one thing, and being dead was entirely another. The two were mutually exclusive.

However, Red Tiger’s face was completely devoid of his previous arrogance; instead, it was fraught with solemnity. Clearly, he had to admit that the future figurehead of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect standing before them was truly not an existence they could contend with.

A moment after Red Tiger appeared, the heavily injured Cyan Wolf and Jade Fox also stepped up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, their expressions equally grim. The fact that they could endure such a beating was, naturally, due to the power of the Demon-slaying Platform’s Array. The bewitched populace and the strange energy continuously drifting from the Royal Palace were still providing them with buffs.

Zou Feng was in no rush to attack. Although he had looked relaxed just now, his energy consumption had been substantial, and he also needed time to recover. Of course, he still had trump cards up his sleeve, so he didn’t mind waiting to see what kind of tricks these Demon Immortals were pulling. This would allow him to maximize the gains from this trip.

Next, the three Demon Immortals exchanged glances. Then, they simultaneously came to a silent decision.

There was no other choice. Originally, they had wanted to "nurture" that thing a little longer, waiting for the time to be ripe so they could seize it in its optimal state. But given the current situation, if they didn’t play this trump card now, the Demon-slaying Platform would truly become an Immortal Slaying Stage for them...

"Truthfully, you really shouldn’t have pushed us!

"No matter how powerful you are, you’re still only in the Golden Core Realm. You are courting death—"

Amidst Red Tiger’s fierce roar, a panicked young man was inexplicably teleported in front of the three demons. Zou Feng didn’t recognize the man, but judging from his attire, he figured the man must be a noble of Cheyue Country.

However, the watching crowd, as well as Yue Ya, recognized him in astonishment. It was their King of Cheyue Country, Apache!

"Your Majesty!?"

"How could His Majesty..."

The portion of the crowd that was gradually regaining clarity was naturally confused to the extreme. After all, Apache was no Cultivator; he had absolutely no business being in the middle of magical combat that none of them could even comprehend.

"Your Majesty, this demon’s ferocity is monstrous. We are not his match...

"Now that Cheyue Country is facing such a great tribulation, we implore Your Majesty to take action and turn the tide!"

Jade Fox stepped forward and grasped Apache’s arm.

"Me?" Apache pointed at himself with a dumbfounded expression. "You want me to fight him!?"

Jade Fox smiled sweetly. "Your Majesty needn’t worry. You are the heir to the bloodline of the Ancient Sacred Bird. A mere demon is nothing but a stepping stone for you to become supreme..."

Jade Fox’s words did nothing to soothe Apache.

"What... what are you talking about? I don’t understand... Let me down quickly, hurry... Ah!!"

Before Apache could finish speaking, he clutched his head and let out a miserable scream. Dazzling golden light inexplicably began to erupt from his body. When Jade Fox had approached Apache, she had already used a Secret Skill to flip a certain "switch" inside his body.

As Apache began to undergo his sudden mutation, the aura of the Path of Rebirth instantly became so dense it was almost tangible. It was obvious that Jade Fox and the other two demons were circulating their respective Path of Rebirth Immortal Skills at full capacity.

This was... an attempt at possession!

Three Demon Immortals attempting to possess one person at the same time?

Having cultivated the Path of Rebirth himself, Zou Feng immediately saw through their scheme. Logically speaking, three Demon Immortals simultaneously possessing a normal person was a completely idiotic and ridiculous move. But Zou Feng had already realized that Apache was no ordinary person. In fact, even Yue Ya and many of the residents of Cheyue Country weren’t ordinary people either.

Jade Fox’s previous conversation with Apache had already revealed a few clues... Many people in Cheyue Country clearly possessed the bloodline of an Ancient Sacred Bird.

At this moment, the golden light continuously erupting from Apache had already formed the massive phantom of a strange bird above him. With just one glance at the phantom, a name popped into Zou Feng’s mind: Golden-winged Roc!

Of course, this definitely wasn’t the Golden-winged Roc from the novels or movies of his past life. However, its sparkling golden state and form easily brought the name to mind.

Now, all the prior actions of the three Demon Immortals instantly made sense. So, the real reason they had entrenched themselves in Cheyue Country was to plot for the bloodline of the Ancient Sacred Bird. King Apache had surely been "fattened up" by their Secret Skills long ago, turned into a highly suitable vessel for possession with the power of his bloodline stimulated to its maximum limit.

In truth, the majority of the Cheyue Country citizens who had already perished were those with a decent amount of bloodline power. They had been drained dry to nourish Apache. After all, Apache was originally the existence with the highest-quality bloodline power in Cheyue Country. Concentrating the bloodline power to nurture him was the most cost-effective method.