Demon Lord (24): As long as he finds the phoenix and gets its blood, he can give Gu Juntian a new life!

The commotion caused by the shattering of the Demon Palace’s formation was quite significant. Outside the Demon Palace, several Demon Kings, who were either surrounded by beautiful female demons, feasting, or flirting with male dragons, all fled in unison.

It was an instinctive reaction, impossible to suppress.

In an instant, they had already fled far away, only to quickly return upon realizing there was no danger. The entire process took merely a blink of an eye.

If an ordinary person who had not stepped into the world of cultivation were here, they might not even notice that they had left.

It was at this moment that the four dragons thrown out by Gu Juntian finally landed.

The Second Elder and Third Elder of the Dragon Clan had already suffered severe injuries earlier. Gu Juntian’s full-powered attack using his divine sense directly knocked both dragons unconscious.

The Great Elder and the Dragon King were still conscious but also heavily injured, both spitting blood.

The weakest Demon King, who had fled the fastest, couldn’t help but remark, “What a waste of blood…”

The Demon King who had been constantly eating seemed pleased, “Haotian has won. Does that mean I can have roasted dragon later?”

The Demon King who had been flirting with the male dragon narrowed her eyes slightly. The defeat of the Dragon Clan was a good thing; now she could take a few dragons back for her own cultivation.

She had heard that dragons were quite strong in that aspect…

Only the strongest Demon King seemed unhappy—since Demon Lord Haotian had won, he wouldn’t be able to become the Demon Lord!

Regardless, the four Demon Kings remained relatively composed, while the captured members of the Dragon Clan felt as if the sky had fallen.

After being captured, they had pinned their hopes on the Dragon King and the Dragon Clan elders to win and rescue them.

But now, the Dragon King and the other dragons had been defeated.

As a result, they had become like meat on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.

What was even more terrifying was that the fate of the Dragon King and the other dragons might be the same as theirs.

With the loss of four Transcendence Stage powerhouses, the dragons on Dragon Island would likely not escape slaughter.

Dragon Island was finished!

At this realization, the dragons’ eyes reddened, and they struggled fiercely, but all their efforts were in vain.

In Haotian City, a fat demon cultivator had been using a magical artifact to observe the situation in the Dragon Palace.

Seeing the four Transcendence Stage dragons being thrown out, he was overjoyed. Along with his brother, a thin demon cultivator, he instantly teleported to the side of the Demon Palace.

Everyone turned their gaze to the Demon Palace, only to find that, aside from broken walls and ruins, there was now just a massive crater where it once stood.

It turned out that the Demon Palace wasn’t just an above-ground structure—it also had an underground palace.

The strongest Demon King, seeing this, was visibly annoyed.

He had sent many of his subordinates to assassinate Demon Lord Haotian and uncover his weaknesses, believing they had made significant progress.

After all, his men had even managed to infiltrate the private chambers of Demon Lord Haotian!

But now, it seemed that Demon Lord Haotian might have been living underground all along. This meant that all the subordinates he had lost had failed to uncover anything useful.

Various thoughts crossed everyone’s minds as they turned their gaze toward the man standing in the crater.

It was this man who had just thrown out the four Transcendence Stage experts of the Dragon Clan.

Although the Demon Palace had been severely damaged, the fact that Demon Lord Haotian could single-handedly severely injure four Transcendence Stage experts from the Dragon Clan spoke volumes about his immense power.

The Demon Kings and the fat demon cultivator wore smiles on their faces, ready to step forward and congratulate him.

But then, they sensed something was wrong.

The man who had thrown out the four dragons, radiating an overwhelming aura of power, now seemed to have that aura dissipate.

From his body, spiritual energy began to leak out.

It was spiritual energy, not demonic energy.

When spiritual or demonic energy leaked from a cultivator, it usually indicated that something had gone wrong with their cultivation. So, had this man’s cultivation gone awry?

No, that wasn’t the key point!

The key point was, if spiritual energy was emanating from him, then it meant he wasn’t Demon Lord Haotian!

Who was he?

After Gu Juntian’s Nascent Soul shattered, the spiritual energy within his body began to drain rapidly.

At this moment, his body was extremely fragile. If he were to use his divine sense again, it would mean certain death. Therefore, he withdrew all of his divine sense and focused his gaze on the large golden bell beside him.

He wondered if he would ever have the chance to see Zhou Qinghao as an adult.

With this thought, Gu Juntian activated the companion contract, conveying his thoughts to Zhou Qinghao: “Come find me, come find me, come find me…”

If he were to “die,” he hoped that Zhou Qinghao, once grown, would come looking for him quickly.

Gu Juntian ignored the surrounding Demon Kings, focusing intently on the large bell. At this moment, the Dragon King was the first to react: “You’re not Demon Lord Haotian!”

How could Demon Lord Haotian possibly be leaking spiritual energy? It was unthinkable that a powerful figure from the cultivation world would hide their identity and come to the Demon Abyss to become a Demon Lord!

More importantly, at this moment, everyone present could sense that this person was incredibly weak.

How weak? He seemed like an ordinary mortal!

A mortal with no trace of demonic energy whatsoever!

After the Dragon King spoke, the Demon Kings, the fat demon cultivator, and the others also realized that this person was not Demon Lord Haotian.

Where had Demon Lord Haotian gone?

Seeing Gu Juntian continuously gazing at the large bell, the others present also realized something and turned their attention to the bell.

Was Demon Lord Haotian inside that bell? What on earth was going on?

The situation before them was too bizarre, and the Demon Kings dared not act recklessly.

But the Dragon King was different.

After being tormented by the formation for seven days and suffering severe injuries, and most importantly, now surrounded by numerous demons with little chance of escape, he faced the very real possibility of dying on the spot.

It was all that man’s fault!

“Bastard!” Without a second thought, the Dragon King launched an attack at Gu Juntian.

No one stopped the Dragon King. In fact, they were eager for him to act as the scapegoat, hoping to gain some clarity about the situation.

At that moment, they felt an overwhelming surge of power accompanied by dense demonic energy emanating from the large bell. The Dragon King’s attack dissipated before it could even reach Gu Juntian, and immediately after, the Dragon King was struck by a wave of demonic energy coming from the direction of the bell, knocking him unconscious.

It was too powerful! The pressure was overwhelming!

The four Demon Kings wanted to flee, but they found themselves unable to move. They even felt that if they dared to make a move, their souls would be obliterated.

The terrifying pressure emanating from the bell continued to grow stronger, causing the entire Demon Abyss to tremble.

This was Demon Lord Haotian—the true Demon Lord.

At this moment, all the creatures of the Demon Abyss—whether the four Demon Kings, their subordinates, or the weak demons living near the Demon Palace—realized one thing.

The Demon Abyss now had a master!

Previous Demon Lords had only been able to control a portion of the Demon Abyss, but the current Demon Lord possessed the strength to dominate the entire realm.

How had Demon Lord Haotian suddenly become so powerful?

The demon cultivators present were utterly baffled, while the captured members of the Dragon Clan were filled with despair.

Demon Lord Haotian was unexpectedly this powerful—it seemed their lives were truly at an end!

However, amidst their shock, they were also puzzled.

In the crater at the center of the Demon Palace, the man they perceived as incredibly frail was standing perfectly unharmed under this overwhelming pressure!

At that moment, the large bell from which the pressure emanated was overturned, and a massive black five-clawed dragon soared into the sky, letting out a deafening roar.

Everyone near the Demon Palace who heard this roar felt their blood churn, and the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder even fainted on the spot.

Yet, the frail man standing at the center of the Demon Palace remained completely unharmed.

Gu Juntian was indeed standing there, perfectly fine.

He didn’t feel the slightest bit of pressure from Zhou Qinghao.

It was obvious—his little partner would never use such pressure against him.

Gu Juntian gazed with delight at the fully grown black dragon before him.

He had prepared himself for death, but he also knew that if Zhou Qinghao, upon reaching adulthood, discovered he was already dead, it would bring immense sorrow.

If possible, he didn’t want to die.

Of course, even if he didn’t die now, he would certainly have to “die” eventually. But before that, he could have a good talk with Zhou Qinghao and comfort him, so he wouldn’t be too heartbroken.

Speaking of which, Zhou Qinghao’s dragon form was truly magnificent now. The massive black dragon grew larger and larger, even blotting out the sky!

Just the thought that this person was his partner filled Gu Juntian with a deep sense of satisfaction.

“Roar!” Another earth-shaking roar echoed, and by now, no one near the Demon Palace could remain standing. Even the four Demon Kings were prostrate on the ground, unable to move.

At this moment, the black dragon finally calmed down. It returned to the ground and transformed into human form.

This human form was familiar to the demons of the Demon Abyss. The handsome man in black robes was none other than Demon Lord Haotian.

Demon Lord Haotian’s true form was actually a dragon?

The demons of the Demon Abyss were utterly stunned.

Equally stunned were the captured dragons.

They had come here because they sensed a young dragon reaching adulthood.

But for the past few days, they had been unable to sense the young dragon’s presence.

Many things had happened during this time, and just moments ago, they had seen the ruined Demon Palace.

They had instinctively assumed that the young dragon was already dead.

But now, this situation…

While others might not realize it, they could tell—this majestic, enormous black dragon had just reached adulthood!

So, the young dragon on the verge of adulthood was actually Demon Lord Haotian?

Their Dragon Island had lost a young dragon, and that young dragon had become a Demon Lord before even reaching adulthood?

Most importantly, as they faced this black dragon, they felt an overwhelming urge to submit from the depths of their hearts.

What did this mean? It meant that the black dragon before them had a pure bloodline—he was their king!

This black dragon was the true Dragon King.

At that moment, whether they were demons of the Demon Abyss or dragons of the Dragon Clan, everyone in their hearts acknowledged Zhou Qinghao as their king.

Zhou Qinghao was unaware of their thoughts. At this moment, his heart was filled with anxiety as he looked at Gu Juntian standing before him, his entire body trembling slightly.

He didn’t even dare to reach out and touch Gu Juntian.

After completing his molting process and receiving all the inherited memories, Zhou Qinghao had finally awakened.

The moment he woke up, he sensed the continuous message from Gu Juntian: “Come find me.”

Gu Juntian wanted to see him—his partner wanted to see him!

Recalling everything Gu Juntian had done for him during his maturation period, Zhou Qinghao felt a wave of shyness, his tail instinctively curling up.

His heart swelled with sweetness, and he was eager to see Gu Juntian.

But then, he realized something was wrong.

He was surrounded by countless defensive treasures, and an illusion formation had been set up around him.

Why were so many treasures protecting him? Wasn’t there already a formation outside?

Wait, could that formation really hold off the four Transcendence Stage experts from the Dragon Clan?

He had wanted to mature quickly so he could protect Gu Juntian, but now, where was Gu Juntian?

Zhou Qinghao used the partner contract to sense Gu Juntian’s presence, only to discover that Gu Juntian was so weak that it seemed he could die at any moment.

The Dragon King, who had thrown him into the Demon Abyss, had actually tried to kill Gu Juntian!

He repelled the Dragon King and appeared before everyone.

He felt stronger than ever before. Although he had just reached adulthood, he was incomparably more powerful than he had been.

But he wasn’t happy at all.

With a single sweep of his divine sense, he fully understood Gu Juntian’s condition.

Gu Juntian’s Nascent Soul was shattered!

If he had emerged even a moment later, Gu Juntian might already be dead.

If Gu Juntian died, what would he do?

The inherited memories of the Dragon Clan had fully merged with his own memories, and in this moment, Zhou Qinghao was filled with regret. He regretted that he had only focused on enhancing his own strength and hadn’t taken the time to subdue more people.

If he had subdued the four Demon Kings earlier and forced them to sign master-servant contracts, Gu Juntian wouldn’t have suffered such severe injuries.

But that wasn’t the only mistake he had made.

He had misunderstood Gu Juntian. While Gu Juntian had been preparing for his maturation and working hard to refine pills, he had selfishly clung to Gu Juntian, refusing to let go.

He was older and stronger than Gu Juntian, yet he had failed to protect him. Instead, it was Gu Juntian who had protected him.

This was completely unacceptable!

Countless thoughts flashed through Zhou Qinghao’s mind. For a moment, he wanted to throw himself into Gu Juntian’s arms and cry, just like he had done before.

But how could the current Gu Juntian withstand such an action?

Without a second thought, Zhou Qinghao set up several formations around Gu Juntian, shielding him completely.

The current Gu Juntian couldn’t even adapt to the environment of the Demon Abyss!

After Zhou Qinghao set up the formations, Gu Juntian indeed felt much better.

He no longer had the strength to stand and sat down heavily, then looked at Zhou Qinghao and said, “Qinghao, congratulations on reaching adulthood.”

Zhou Qinghao stared at Gu Juntian without saying a word.

Gu Juntian could sense Zhou Qinghao’s regret and pain and tried to comfort him, “I’m fine. Let’s have a good talk later.”

The partner contract could convey some information, but it couldn’t facilitate a proper conversation. He needed to explain the situation with his main body to Zhou Qinghao in detail.

Zhou Qinghao remained silent. He turned his head and looked at the dragons from Dragon Island who had been captured by the Demon Kings. “Hand over all the elixirs you have.”

As he spoke, he released the restraints the Demon Kings had placed on these dragons.

Once freed, the dragons didn’t hesitate. They immediately took out all the elixirs they had, and the strongest among them brought them to Zhou Qinghao.

After inheriting the memories of the Dragon Clan, Zhou Qinghao knew he had automatically become the Dragon King.

He could sense that these dragons bore no ill will toward him, but even so, he felt no fondness for them.

He had been abandoned at birth and had no sense of belonging to the Dragon Clan.

However, he didn’t plan to kill these dragons—they could still be useful to him.

He had already assessed Gu Juntian’s physical condition.

Not only was Gu Juntian’s Nascent Soul shattered, but his meridians were also severely damaged, and his spiritual roots were gone.

At this moment, Gu Juntian’s path to immortality was severed. He had become completely crippled, unable to cultivate further.

If he took spiritual medicine in time, he might be able to preserve his youth and live for a few more decades. But without treatment, once the spiritual energy within him completely dissipated, he would rapidly age and die.

With the inherited memories, Zhou Qinghao had a deep understanding of elixirs. His divine sense swept over the pills the dragons had given him, and he quickly selected the ones suitable for Gu Juntian, handing them to him.

Gu Juntian didn’t refuse and accepted the pills.

He didn’t want Zhou Qinghao to worry about him.

Zhou Qinghao said at this moment, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

Gu Juntian would be fine. He had a way to help Gu Juntian regain his path to immortality.

As for what that method was… Zhou Qinghao glanced at the dragons outside.

Dragons were a great tonic, capable of strengthening a cultivator’s body.

But only cultivators could consume them. Gu Juntian was currently too weak—his body couldn’t handle such a potent supplement. Eating dragon flesh would only cause him to explode and die.

However, there was one thing that could restore Gu Juntian: Phoenix blood.

A pure-blooded Phoenix was immortal, undying, and could be reborn from death.

When a Phoenix faced death, its blood would begin to burn, and then, it would be reborn from the flames.

Phoenix blood could grant someone rebirth through nirvana.

In the past, dragons and phoenixes had fought endlessly. In the end, the pure-blooded dragons were wiped out, and the already rare phoenixes were reduced to just one.

Fortunately, one remained.

As long as he could find that phoenix and obtain its blood, he could give Gu Juntian a new life!

As for how to obtain the Phoenix blood…

Although he had grown much stronger after reaching adulthood, that phoenix was as pure-blooded as he was and had lived for who knows how many more years than him.

If he were to fight that phoenix, he wasn’t sure he could win, nor was he certain he could obtain the Phoenix blood.

Zhou Qinghao planned to offer some dragons in exchange for the Phoenix blood.

It was said that the phoenix enjoyed eating dragons. If he offered the four Transcendence Stage experts from the Dragon Clan and thirty-one strong, healthy dragons as food, the phoenix might be willing to give him some of its blood.

If these dragons weren’t enough, there were still more on Dragon Island. Ao Jin, a young four-clawed silver dragon, would surely be delicious.

With this in mind, Zhou Qinghao restrained himself from killing the Dragon King and the others outright.

At that moment, the dragon who had delivered the elixirs to Zhou Qinghao, Ao Hong, looked at Gu Juntian in shock. “You’re actually Gu Juntian!”

Ao Hong was a red dragon with the strength of the Body Unity stage, comparable to the fat demon cultivator.

Unaware that he had already been marked as a gift for the phoenix, he stared at Gu Juntian in astonishment.

Gu Juntian had originally been wearing a mask, but he had removed it to take the elixir Zhou Qinghao had given him, revealing his face.

The original owner of this body had been fond of Ao Jin and had visited Dragon Island several times. With so few dragons on the island…

The dragons of Dragon Island all knew the original owner, and he knew them as well.

“It’s me” Gu Juntian smiled at Ao Hong.

He didn’t like the Dragon King or the Dragon Clan elders, but he didn’t dislike Ao Hong and the others.

These dragons had no idea about Zhou Qinghao’s situation and had never harmed him.

“Why are you here?” Ao Hong asked, puzzled. “You even injured the elders earlier, you…”

At this moment, the fat demon cultivator and the Demon Kings, upon hearing Ao Hong say “Gu Juntian,” also realized his identity.

This man was actually one of the most outstanding figures among the younger generation of the righteous path, the famous Gu Juntian?

How had he ended up in the Demon Palace?

Wait, hadn’t the Demon Lord kept a righteous cultivator as a male companion… Was that person Gu Juntian?

Gu Juntian had come to the Demon Abyss to assassinate Demon Lord Haotian.

But he certainly couldn’t say that.

Pointing at Zhou Qinghao, Gu Juntian smiled and said, “I’m his partner.”

Ao Hong and the others were stunned. Then, Ao Hong spoke up, “He just reached adulthood! What did you do to him?”

Gu Juntian: “…” He hadn’t done much—just a few kisses! On the other hand, Zhou Qinghao had done a lot to him!

The demons of the Demon Abyss: “…” What had they just heard? Demon Lord Haotian had just reached adulthood?

They remembered now—the Dragon Clan had come to the Demon Abyss because they sensed a young dragon reaching adulthood here…

So the young dragon they were looking for was Demon Lord Haotian?

What a bizarre turn of events!

“Insolence!” Zhou Qinghao used demonic energy to send Ao Hong flying. “Gu Juntian is my partner. Whoever disrespects him disrespects me!”

Ao Hong was nearly knocked unconscious, and at that moment, another dragon hurriedly spoke up, “Your Majesty, you are a dragon, one of our own. We came to the Demon Abyss because we sensed your adulthood. We meant no harm…”

This Demon Lord was a dragon, one of their own. There was no need for conflict between them!

Yet, they had fought to the death, and the four Transcendence Stage experts of the Dragon Clan had all been knocked unconscious.

“No harm?” Zhou Qinghao sneered. “I was thrown into the Demon Abyss as soon as I was born. After struggling to survive and grow, these people wanted to dig out my dragon core to cure Ao Jin… Is that what you call no harm?”

Ao Hong and the others had been dissatisfied with the Dragon King, which was why they hadn’t obeyed his orders and had secretly followed him to the Demon Abyss.

They had been full of concern for the young dragon, and even when they were captured by the Demon Kings, they had still been worried about the young dragon on the verge of adulthood.

Now, hearing Zhou Qinghao’s words, they were utterly stunned.

Gu Juntian glanced at Zhou Qinghao. He hadn’t expected Zhou Qinghao to know about the Dragon King’s plan to dig out his core.

But Zhou Qinghao had not only inherited the memories of the Dragon Clan but had also become a five-clawed dragon. It was possible that he could sense the thoughts of his fellow dragons.

Gu Juntian confirmed this: “That’s exactly right. In fact, the reason I came to the Demon Abyss was because the Dragon King told me that Ao Jin’s injury could only be cured with the core of a black flood dragon. It wasn’t until I arrived in the Demon Abyss that I realized this so-called black flood dragon was actually Ao Jin’s own brother.”

When Zhou Qinghao said that the Dragon King wanted to dig out his core, the dragons had thought it was a misunderstanding.

But after Gu Juntian said the same thing, they knew it was the truth.

They had wondered how a young dragon could have ended up outside the Dragon Clan. Now they knew—it was because the Dragon King had abandoned him!

They had also wondered why the Dragon King and the elders hadn’t explained the situation clearly or allowed them to follow. Now they understood—it was because they wanted to dig out the young dragon’s core!

And Gu Juntian, even at the cost of losing all his cultivation, had protected Zhou Qinghao because he feared the Dragon King and the others would harm him, right?

For a moment, Ao Hong and the others were overwhelmed with shame.

As for the demons of the Demon Abyss, they were speechless.

They had now confirmed that Demon Lord Haotian, who had ruled for two hundred years, had not yet reached adulthood.

They had been suppressed for two hundred years by a young dragon who hadn’t even reached adulthood…

Well, forget it. He was truly powerful, and they couldn’t defeat him.

They were truly unlucky—they would never have a chance to become the Demon Lord in this lifetime.

The lifespan of dragons was truly long!

Zhou Qinghao ignored the thoughts of those around him and focused solely on Gu Juntian. “Take the medicine quickly. If you need any specific elixirs, just tell me, and I’ll have someone refine them for you.”

Gu Juntian had already taken one of the pills and said, “These pills are enough. I don’t need any others.”

He had already decided to abandon this body.

Zhou Qinghao reached out and gently touched Gu Juntian’s face, speaking again, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

He needed to take Gu Juntian to find the phoenix immediately!

If he couldn’t exchange for the Phoenix blood, then even if it meant risking his life, he would kill the phoenix to obtain its blood!

With this in mind, Zhou Qinghao approached the Dragon King and the three Dragon Clan elders. While they were still unconscious, he directly established a master-servant contract with them.

From now on, these four dragons would be under his control, unable to resist him!

These four dragons had high cultivation levels. If the phoenix liked them and was willing to exchange for Phoenix blood, that would be ideal.

If the phoenix didn’t like them and refused to make the exchange, then he would have no choice but to take the blood by force.

In that case, he could use these four dragons as cannon fodder, having them block the phoenix’s attacks for him.

Aside from these four dragons, everyone else present could also become his allies, helping him win the battle against the phoenix.

With this in mind, Zhou Qinghao looked at the people around the Demon Palace and said, “All of you, follow me to the southernmost lands!”

As far as he knew, that phoenix lived in the southernmost lands.

Gu Juntian was stunned when he heard Zhou Qinghao’s words: How did Zhou Qinghao know he needed to go to the southernmost lands?