Demon Lord (30): In the dazzling sunlight, the scales on his body were a brilliant golden color, so beautiful that it was dazzling.

Gu Juntian’s true form, the Phoenix, was enormous.

The place where he slumbered was not within a mountain but deep underground, surrounded by churning magma.

The only way to approach the Phoenix was through the crater of a dormant volcano.

Numerous formations surrounded the area, powered by the endless flow of magma from beneath the earth, making it extremely difficult to break through and enter.

Fortunately, Zhou Qinghao’s current strength was formidable, and Gu Juntian was familiar with all the formations here.

The two of them first entered the volcano’s crater and then slowly made their way downward…

Along the way, they faced many dangers and spent a great deal of time.

Finally, after half a month, they reached the place where the Phoenix lay dormant.

The massive Phoenix rested on a rock in the middle of the magma, surrounded by one last layer of formations.

If this formation were triggered, Gu Juntian’s soul would automatically return to the Phoenix’s body, and the Phoenix would awaken immediately to face any threat.

“If I were to return to the Phoenix’s body after death, my soul would be injured from the experience of dying, and my true form would continue to slumber to recover. But if my true form senses danger and summons my soul back, the situation would be different,” Gu Juntian explained to Zhou Qinghao.

The clothes he wore and the magical artifacts he carried were all of the highest quality, so even surrounded by magma, he felt no discomfort and remained calm and composed.

At this moment, he was breathing through a magical artifact that stored a large amount of air while eating.

After eating and drinking his fill, Gu Juntian lay down on the artifact and said to Zhou Qinghao, “Qinghao, attack the formation around the Phoenix.”

Zhou Qinghao nodded and, after Gu Juntian had settled down, began to attack the formation surrounding the Phoenix.

Gu Juntian remained unharmed and helplessly said, “The force is too weak; my true form doesn’t sense any danger.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qinghao increased the intensity of his attack.

In that instant, Gu Juntian felt a pull on his soul.

When he opened his eyes again, he found that Zhou Qinghao seemed very small in comparison.

The Phoenix in the magma let out a joyful cry.

Zhou Qinghao had actually called him “little partner” before!

Now, the situation had finally changed!

He was no “little partner”—Zhou Qinghao was!

The Phoenix had been dormant for too long. As it turned over, the magma beneath it churned violently.

Fortunately, with Zhou Qinghao’s strength, there was no need to worry about being burned by the magma.

Gu Juntian let out another joyful cry, then transformed into his human form and looked at Zhou Qinghao with a smile. “Qinghao.”

Although Gu Juntian had returned to his true form, his appearance remained unchanged from before.

Zhou Qinghao’s heartbeat quickened as he gazed at the person before him.

Gu Juntian explained, “The power of this body is too immense, reaching a level that this world can hardly bear. As a result, my actions are restricted, and there are many places I cannot go… In the future, this body will continue to slumber here, and I will remain by your side as Gu Juntian of the Qingyun Sect.”

With the celestial ladder severed, the powerful beings of this small world could no longer ascend.

Ordinary cultivators at the Transcendence stage were manageable, but beings like the Phoenix were too much for this world to handle.

If he wished, he could absorb all the magma in the southernmost region in a single day, causing earth-shattering changes across the entire area.

Such an event would be disastrous for this small world!

The Phoenix chose to slumber to avoid causing harm to everything in this world.

Similarly, as time passed, Zhou Qinghao would also find himself having to limit his range of activities and refrain from acting recklessly.

To this world, an adult Zhou Qinghao was as overwhelming as the Phoenix.

In the original storyline, Zhou Qinghao chose to self-destruct, an act powerful enough to obliterate half of the Demon Abyss.

In the original storyline, Zhou Qinghao’s fate was tragic, and after his self-destruction, all living beings in this small world would suffer immensely.

The small world, having experienced such a catastrophic explosion and the resulting imbalance, would gradually collapse and vanish.

All life in this world would perish along with it.

Therefore, his true form would have to remain here.

Zhou Qinghao had no objections to Gu Juntian’s decision. At this moment, he felt a profound sense of relief.

It was wonderful that Gu Juntian would be safe!

Now that he had returned to his true form, saving the body he had separated from would be a simple task.

His human form had originally been created using a drop of his own blood and countless rare treasures. Now, with a flick of his finger, Gu Juntian sent out two drops of blood.

These two drops of blood were enough to fully restore his human body and even enhance its strength.

“Qinghao, take this body out first. I’ll re-establish the formations and then return to this body,” Gu Juntian said to Zhou Qinghao.

The formations around him needed to be re-established to prevent anyone from coveting his blood and disturbing him.

Zhou Qinghao acknowledged this and, holding the human body, flew toward the surface.

When he reached adulthood, he had been filled with anxiety and unease.

Finally reaching adulthood, he then discovered that Gu Juntian was severely injured.

Although Gu Juntian later revealed that he was the Phoenix, which eased his worries somewhat, Zhou Qinghao still felt anxious and uncertain.

But now, all his unease had vanished.

Gu Juntian truly was the Phoenix, and through their soulmate bond, Zhou Qinghao could sense that Gu Juntian deeply loved him.

During this time, he had been very happy, and from now on, Gu Juntian would stay by his side, ensuring that they would continue to live such a joyful life together!

Filled with joy, Zhou Qinghao transformed into his true form and burst out of the volcano, letting out a mighty dragon roar toward the sky.

After roaring, he looked down at Gu Juntian, who was sleeping peacefully in the magical artifact held in his claws.

At that moment, he noticed that his own body was radiating a golden light.

Under the dazzling sunlight, his scales shimmered with a brilliant golden hue, so stunning that it was almost blinding.

Meanwhile, everyone—whether from the Demon Abyss or the righteous cultivators of the cultivation world—was staring at him in awe.

The people below were indeed stunned.

Not long after Zhou Qinghao took Gu Juntian into the mountains, the dragons from Dragon Island arrived, repeatedly pleading with the righteous cultivators to help rescue the Dragon King and the three elders.

The righteous cultivators, of course, refused. After all, the dragons were in internal conflict, with many siding with Zhou Qinghao and believing that the Dragon King and his followers had brought this upon themselves.

The Dragon King had tried to kill Zhou Qinghao, but instead ended up being controlled by him. This was in no way Zhou Qinghao’s fault.

In the end, the dragons of Dragon Island split into two factions. One group, led by Ao Hong, consisted of over seventy dragons who stood firmly by Zhou Qinghao’s side. The other group, led by the Fourth Elder, had only about thirty dragons who harbored strong resentment toward Zhou Qinghao.

Among those thirty dragons, only Ao Jin, the Dragon Queen, and the Fourth Elder truly hated Zhou Qinghao. The rest stood with them due to familial ties.

This included the children and grandchildren of the Great Elder, as well as descendants of the Second and Third Elders. They couldn’t simply abandon their elders.

In any case, the demonic cultivators and righteous cultivators stationed at the foot of the mountain remained quiet, while the dragons continued to argue incessantly.

As they argued, half a month passed unnoticed.

Zhou Qinghao had been in the mountains for half a month, and there had been no news or signs of him. Could something have happened to him?

Those outside began to worry. If it weren’t for the fact that those who had signed soul contracts with Zhou Qinghao could sense that he was alive and well, they might have assumed he had been killed by the Phoenix.

But even though Zhou Qinghao was still alive for now, Ao Jin confidently declared that his death was imminent.

“That’s the Phoenix we’re talking about! How could a newly adult dragon like Zhou Qinghao possibly defeat the Phoenix?”

“He even brought along Gu Juntian, who’s nothing but dead weight.”

“He must be trapped by the Phoenix!”

“He won’t last much longer!”

…

Ao Jin kept talking, and even the Dragon Queen grew furious. “Ao Jin! If Zhou Qinghao dies, your father will die too!”

After learning that the Dragon King and the three elders had signed a master-servant contract with Zhou Qinghao, the Dragon Queen no longer wanted anything bad to happen to Zhou Qinghao.

If Zhou Qinghao were to die, the Dragon King and the others would perish as well.

Ao Jin fell silent, but deep down, he still wished for Zhou Qinghao’s death.

The Dragon King and the elders couldn’t speak, but they could hear everything around them.

The Dragon Queen had already informed the Dragon King about everything that had happened during this time.

Upon learning that Ao Jin, after reaching adulthood, had not advanced in rank or cultivation and was still a four-clawed silver dragon at the Nascent Soul stage, the Dragon King’s gaze toward Ao Jin turned strange.

Ao Jin was afraid of that look. He felt that the Dragon King hated him.

But how could the Dragon King hate him? Their current predicament had nothing to do with him!

If Zhou Qinghao died, and the Dragon King and the others perished with him, that would be just fine.

“Ao Jin, do you even have a heart?” the Dragon Queen asked helplessly, looking at her son.

Ao Jin retorted, “Didn’t I learn this from you? You were the ones who abandoned a newborn dragon. Do you have hearts?”

The mother and son began to argue again when suddenly, a phoenix’s cry echoed throughout the southernmost region.

Everyone could sense the Phoenix’s emotions from its cry—it was happy.

Why was the Phoenix, whose slumber had been disturbed, so joyful? Could it be because it was pleased that its prey had come to it willingly?

The mood at the foot of the mountain grew tense. The demonic cultivators didn’t want Zhou Qinghao to die, and after learning about Zhou Qinghao’s situation, the righteous cultivators also hoped he would survive.

But given the current circumstances, could Zhou Qinghao really make it out alive?

After the phoenix’s cry, they felt the ground tremble, and magma began to erupt from the craters of nearby volcanoes.

The fire-attribute spiritual energy around them became incredibly active.

The Phoenix had awakened and was on the move!

Yet, there was still no sign of Zhou Qinghao.

“The Phoenix is so powerful; that Haotian guy is no match for it!” Only Ao Jin seemed delighted. “Soon, Demon Lord Haotian will be dead!”

Everyone glared at Ao Jin, including the Dragon Queen and the Fourth Elder.

But Ao Jin ignored them, eagerly staring at the volcano’s crater.

He wanted Zhou Qinghao to die.

Even if Zhou Qinghao was stronger than him, he would still end up dead, wouldn’t he?

However, after causing some commotion, the Phoenix quieted down again.

Not long after, they saw a dragon emerge from the volcano’s crater.

It was a black dragon shimmering with golden light. As it flew out of the crater and soared into the sky, its black scales gradually faded, transforming into a dazzling golden hue.

The golden color was so radiant that even the sun in the sky paled in comparison, serving only to enhance its brilliance.

“It has five claws.”

“Is that the legendary five-clawed golden dragon?”

“Five-clawed golden dragons are said to exist only in the heavenly realm, aren’t they?”

“Is that Demon Lord Haotian? He’s actually a five-clawed golden dragon?”

…

Both demonic and righteous cultivators gasped in shock. Then, the five-clawed golden dragon descended from the sky, transforming into a young man. Who else could it be but Demon Lord Haotian?

He landed on the roof of his carriage, holding the sleeping Gu Juntian in his arms, and said to the fat demonic cultivator, “Prepare some food. My partner’s injuries have healed, and I want to celebrate.”

This Demon Lord Haotian still couldn’t stop talking about his partner!