Demon Lord (Dragon and Phoenix Bring Good Luck 1): Why did he feel that the Demon Lord was being fooled around by his disciple?

The Qingyun Sect Leader had known for a long time that Zhou Qinghao came to the southernmost region to find the Phoenix.

He had imagined many scenarios: Zhou Qinghao failing to find the Phoenix, Zhou Qinghao and his group clashing with the Phoenix, resulting in mutual destruction, or Zhou Qinghao striking a deal with the Phoenix at great cost to obtain what he wanted…

In the cultivation world, there were many records about the Phoenix, and according to those records, the Phoenix was not an easy being to deal with. Moreover, dragons and phoenixes had always been enemies.

However, the final outcome was completely different from what he had expected.

Zhou Qinghao, familiar with the terrain, arrived at a specific location, informed others that the Phoenix was there, and then, single-handedly, took Gu Juntian to find the Phoenix!

Although Zhou Qinghao was powerful, he was only a thousand years old, nowhere near the Phoenix’s level, and he was also carrying the injured Gu Juntian.

Wasn’t he afraid of being attacked by the Phoenix when he went to find it? Even if he could escape, Gu Juntian wouldn’t be able to, right?

For a while, the Qingyun Sect Leader had been deeply worried, fearing that his disciple would be reduced to ashes by a single breath of the Phoenix’s flames.

Today, when the Phoenix caused such a commotion, he was even more convinced that his disciple would not survive.

But then, a black dragon emerged from the volcano’s crater, carrying Gu Juntian, and soon after, the black dragon transformed into a golden dragon!

Seeing his disciple unharmed, the Qingyun Sect Leader breathed a sigh of relief. When the black dragon turned into a golden dragon, he was overjoyed.

His disciple being the partner of Demon Lord Haotian would have been a point of criticism, but if Demon Lord Haotian was a five-clawed golden dragon, that changed everything!

What the cultivation world despised were the reckless demonic cultivators of the Demon Abyss, but the golden dragon, beloved by heaven and earth, had nothing to do with demonic cultivators.

As for this golden dragon being the Demon Lord…

From another perspective, the fact that a group of demon kings from the Demon Abyss were controlled by the golden dragon meant the golden dragon had immeasurable merit!

The Qingyun Sect Leader approached the Demon Lord, intending to have a serious conversation with him.

However, as soon as he got close, he heard the Demon Lord instructing someone to prepare a feast to celebrate his partner’s recovery from injury.

The Demon Lord clearly cared deeply for Gu Juntian. Recalling how the Demon Lord had been buying all sorts of things for Gu Juntian along the way, the Qingyun Sect Leader felt a mix of emotions.

He hadn’t even known his disciple liked those things!

Wait, it wasn’t necessarily that his disciple liked them. Ao Hong had mentioned that the Demon Lord enjoyed food made by ordinary people.

“Your Excellency,” the Qingyun Sect Leader called out.

Zhou Qinghao, who had been filled with joy, tensed up upon hearing the Qingyun Sect Leader’s voice.

During the past period, while the people of the cultivation world had been observing him, he had also been observing them.

Gu Juntian had also shared many rumors and stories about the cultivation world with him.

And the person Gu Juntian talked about the most was undoubtedly the Qingyun Sect Leader, as he was Gu Juntian’s master.

Stories like how Gu Juntian, as a child, had secretly eaten a spirit fruit gifted to the Qingyun Sect Leader, only to be overwhelmed by its spiritual energy and cry in pain, or how Gu Juntian, after being scolded by the Qingyun Sect Leader, had secretly uprooted the flowers his master had planted…

In short, Gu Juntian and the Qingyun Sect Leader had a very close relationship.

Having heard so much about the Qingyun Sect Leader from Gu Juntian, Zhou Qinghao subconsciously regarded the Sect Leader as an elder. He even found himself wishing that the Qingyun Sect Leader was his father!

Now, with the Qingyun Sect Leader suddenly approaching… Zhou Qinghao instinctively blurted out, “Hello, Master!”

After saying it, he realized that the Qingyun Sect Leader wasn’t his master.

Zhou Qinghao immediately felt a bit embarrassed, but he quickly remembered that he and Gu Juntian had formed a soulmate bond, which meant that Gu Juntian’s master was also his master. So, calling him “Master” wasn’t entirely inappropriate.

With this thought, Zhou Qinghao regained his composure and stood a little taller.

The Qingyun Sect Leader was momentarily stunned by Zhou Qinghao’s greeting of “Master,” but then he noticed the ever-changing expressions and subtle shifts in Zhou Qinghao’s demeanor.

Who was the Qingyun Sect Leader? He was the leader of a major sect, a Transcendence-stage cultivator who had lived for thousands of years!

Over the years, he had encountered countless people. When disciples of the Qingyun Sect stood before him and spoke a few words, he could usually guess their hidden thoughts with near-perfect accuracy.

Moreover, this Demon Lord in front of him wasn’t particularly skilled at concealing his emotions.

Previously, when Ao Hong repeatedly insisted that the Demon Lord was still a child, the Qingyun Sect Leader had scoffed at the idea.

What kind of child lived for a thousand years and became a Demon Lord?

But now, facing Zhou Qinghao directly, he suddenly felt that there was indeed a hint of childishness in Zhou Qinghao.

“Prepare more food. I want to invite my master to dinner!” Zhou Qinghao said to the fat demonic cultivator, then instinctively glanced at the unconscious Gu Juntian.

Gu Juntian had once told him that when guests come, you should invite them to eat. He hoped he wasn’t doing this wrong…

He also wondered when Gu Juntian would finish setting up the formations and wake up…

After inheriting the ancestral memories, Zhou Qinghao felt as though he had suddenly matured, but the joy of the past few days had brought out his true nature again.

Most importantly, the dragon’s ancestral memories didn’t cover anything about social etiquette or human relationships.

“Your Excellency is too kind,” the Qingyun Sect Leader said.

Zhou Qinghao wasn’t sure how to respond, so he tentatively replied, “You’re welcome?”

The Qingyun Sect Leader couldn’t help but laugh.

His disciple had once been infatuated with Ao Jin, but he had never liked Ao Jin.

For one, the dragons of Dragon Island had spoiled Ao Jin too much, leading him to develop an arrogant, self-centered personality. Secondly, Ao Jin’s character was deeply flawed.

But back then, his disciple had been determined to chase after Ao Jin, so he had chosen not to interfere.

Of course, another reason he didn’t intervene was that he knew Ao Jin would never reciprocate his disciple’s feelings.

His disciple would never end up with Ao Jin, so letting him hit a wall and learn from the experience wasn’t a bad idea.

But he hadn’t expected his disciple to suddenly stop chasing after Ao Jin and instead fall for someone else.

However, he found himself quite fond of this Demon Lord. The man clearly had a simple and straightforward nature.

Seeing the Qingyun Sect Leader smile, Zhou Qinghao was puzzled. Noticing his confusion, the Sect Leader said, “Your Excellency, I’d like to ask about my little disciple.”

Zhou Qinghao replied, “Please, ask away!”

The Qingyun Sect Leader didn’t hold back and asked with a smile, “When did you first meet him?”

Zhou Qinghao said, “It was half a year ago. That day, he barged into my demon palace with a sword, intending to kill me. The moment I saw him, I thought he was exceptionally handsome…”

The Qingyun Sect Leader was momentarily speechless.

His disciple had actually tried to assassinate the Demon Lord? That was practically suicidal! Fortunately, his disciple was good-looking and caught the Demon Lord’s eye…

“I wanted to keep looking at him, so I captured him and kept him close, watching him every day. Eventually, he fell for me!” Zhou Qinghao said proudly.

The Qingyun Sect Leader replied, “He has good taste.” Although his disciple was less than a hundred years old, he was well-versed in human relationships. He had probably sensed the Demon Lord’s simple nature and adjusted his attitude accordingly.

“He grilled meat for me, helped me take care of my scales, and told me stories,” Zhou Qinghao recounted his interactions with Gu Juntian.

The Qingyun Sect Leader chuckled, “His cooking skills are quite good.”

“Exactly!” Zhou Qinghao picked out some details to share with the Qingyun Sect Leader and added, “Later, I reached adulthood. When I came of age, he continued to take care of me, and we even formed a soulmate bond!”

The Demon Lord repeatedly referred to Gu Juntian as his “soulmate,” but before today, the Qingyun Sect Leader hadn’t believed that the Demon Lord and his disciple had actually formed such a bond.

He had thought that the Demon Lord simply had a strong fondness for his disciple.

The Demon Lord was incredibly powerful, and the Sect Leader couldn’t afford to offend him. So, even though he recognized the Demon Lord’s simple nature, he remained respectful and tried to leave a good impression.

But now… perhaps he didn’t need to be so cautious?

Also, why did he feel like the Demon Lord had been completely charmed by his disciple?

Zhou Qinghao, unaware of the Qingyun Sect Leader’s thoughts, was nervous for the first time interacting with an elder. He was eager to make a good impression and couldn’t stop talking: “I wanted to greet you earlier, but I was afraid of startling you, so I didn’t seek you out… Would you like something to eat?”

The Qingyun Sect Leader replied, “Your Excellency, there’s no need to be so polite.” He felt a bit uncomfortable with the Demon Lord addressing him so formally.

Zhou Qinghao was guileless, but the Qingyun Sect Leader was a seasoned veteran.

He stopped following Zhou Qinghao’s lead and instead began steering the conversation, taking control.

Soon, he managed to extract a lot of information he wanted to know from Zhou Qinghao.

For example, Gu Juntian had once shattered his Nascent Soul to protect Zhou Qinghao.

It seemed his disciple also had genuine feelings for the Demon Lord.

“How is he doing now?” the Qingyun Sect Leader asked.

Zhou Qinghao replied, “Through my inherited memories, I learned that Phoenix blood could heal him, so I brought him to find the Phoenix. I knew the Phoenix liked to eat dragons, so at first, I thought about exchanging a few dragons for Phoenix blood. But then Gu Juntian told me that he *is* the Phoenix.”

The Qingyun Sect Leader was stunned.

Zhou Qinghao, however, was excited: “So now he’s all better! But he’s still setting up formations down there. It’ll be a while before he returns to this body.”

The Qingyun Sect Leader glanced around.

He and Zhou Qinghao were speaking inside Zhou Qinghao’s carriage, which was surrounded by formations to prevent anyone outside from overhearing.

Thank goodness for that!

Otherwise, the dragons outside would be furious if they heard Zhou Qinghao had planned to trade dragons for Phoenix blood.

Moreover, the revelation that Gu Juntian was the Phoenix was utterly shocking.

Why was this young dragon telling him everything?

“Master, Gu Juntian is amazing! And he only likes me. He said he used to chase after Ao Jin because Ao Jin was a dragon, and he found him appetizing! But after becoming my soulmate, he swore he would never eat dragons again!” Zhou Qinghao, who usually had no one to talk to, couldn’t help but gush about his relationship.

Now that he had met Gu Juntian’s trusted master, he couldn’t stop talking.

The Qingyun Sect Leader: “…” That mischievous Gu Juntian, who used to steal his food and cause trouble as a child, was actually the Phoenix?

But it was true that he had found Gu Juntian in the southernmost region eighty years ago.

Wait, according to Demon Lord Haotian’s account, his disciple had only changed his attitude toward the Demon Lord after regaining the Phoenix’s memories. Thinking about it this way, wasn’t his disciple the older one taking advantage of the younger?

“Master, we didn’t contact you earlier and made you worry. I’m sorry. At the time, Gu Juntian said that if his identity was revealed too soon, people in the cultivation world might hold it against you. He wanted to first reduce their wariness toward me before revealing his identity,” Zhou Qinghao added.

“That was the right move,” the Qingyun Sect Leader said.

If everyone had known from the start that Demon Lord Haotian’s soulmate was Gu Juntian, many in the cultivation world would have used this to attack the Qingyun Sect, accusing it of colluding with the Demon Abyss.

In that case, he would have been ostracized everywhere, and to clear his name, he might have been forced to take action against Demon Lord Haotian.

That would have been disastrous for the Qingyun Sect.

Now that Demon Lord Haotian had demonstrated his harmlessness, coupled with the fact that his true form was a five-clawed golden dragon, even if people in the cultivation world learned that Gu Juntian was from the Qingyun Sect, they wouldn’t hold it against the sect. In fact, they might even envy the Qingyun Sect.

The Qingyun Sect Leader continued chatting with Zhou Qinghao, growing fonder of him by the minute.

Zhou Qinghao was completely open with him, making it impossible for him to dislike the young dragon!

It was at this moment that Gu Juntian “woke up.” As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw his master and Zhou Qinghao chatting happily.

At the same time, the Qingyun Sect Leader turned to him and asked, “You’re the Phoenix?”

The Sect Leader’s expression was complicated, and Gu Juntian immediately replied, “Master, even if I am the Phoenix, I am still your disciple!”

Hearing this, the Qingyun Sect Leader breathed a sigh of relief but still felt a bit worried: “Did you finish setting up the formations so quickly? Now that the Phoenix’s location is exposed, people will definitely try to force their way in…”

Gu Juntian reassured him, “Master, don’t worry. Even if ten Transcendence-stage experts like the Dragon King were to go at once, they wouldn’t be able to break through the formations I set up.”

The formations he had set up were no ordinary ones!

If Zhou Qinghao hadn’t reached adulthood, even with his guidance, they wouldn’t have been able to reach the depths and see the Phoenix.

The Transcendence-stage cultivators in this cultivation world weren’t even as strong as Zhou Qinghao before he came of age. They wouldn’t be able to break the formations.

The Qingyun Sect Leader: “…” His own strength wasn’t even on par with the Dragon King’s! So now, even ten of him combined couldn’t break through the formations his disciple had set up?

“Shall we go eat?” Zhou Qinghao suggested.

Now that Gu Juntian was awake, they could go celebrate with a feast!

Seeing Zhou Qinghao’s eager expression, the Qingyun Sect Leader realized something.

Previously, when the Demon Lord bought this and that, it wasn’t his disciple being picky—it was the Demon Lord himself who wanted to eat.

The fat demonic cultivator had prepared a variety of delicacies for Zhou Qinghao. Zhou Qinghao first ate slowly with Gu Juntian and the Qingyun Sect Leader, and after they finished, he devoured the rest.

After the meal, he and Gu Juntian walked the Qingyun Sect Leader to the door.

“Master, come again tomorrow!” Zhou Qinghao said with a smile.

He quite liked his master and wanted to show him his collection of toys.

“Alright,” the Qingyun Sect Leader agreed.

Building a good relationship with Demon Lord Haotian would bring great benefits to the Qingyun Sect.

If possible, he even hoped that Demon Lord Haotian and Gu Juntian could hold their soulmate ceremony at the Qingyun Sect.

After watching the Qingyun Sect Leader leave, Zhou Qinghao immediately turned to Gu Juntian: “Gu Juntian, my scales have become so beautiful now. Do you want to see them?”

His scales had turned golden, golden!

And they sparkled!

Zhou Qinghao thought his scales were absolutely stunning now!

The Demon Abyss was dark and gloomy everywhere, and he had never liked his previously pitch-black scales.

When Zhou Qinghao flew into the sky earlier, his golden, radiant appearance had caught Gu Juntian’s eye.

At that moment, he had thought Zhou Qinghao looked incredibly beautiful.

And now, Zhou Qinghao was eagerly showing off his scales like a treasure…

Gu Juntian’s mind instantly wandered to some rather… stimulating images.

He had been in this world for a long time and had shared a bed with Zhou Qinghao for several months.

But they had never truly been intimate!

At first, it was because Zhou Qinghao hadn’t reached adulthood, and later, it was due to his own poor health.

But now, Zhou Qinghao, at a thousand years old, was finally an adult, and Gu Juntian’s body had fully recovered.

The Phoenix blood contained immense energy, and not only was he healthy now, but his strength had also reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, ready to break through at any moment.

In this state, he was more than capable of doing something with Zhou Qinghao.

Next, he could take a look at Zhou Qinghao’s scales and then get a little closer…

The way the two looked at each other was filled with a certain… stickiness.

At that moment, the Dragon Queen’s voice rang out: “Your Excellency, I am your mother. Can we talk?”

Tears welled up in the Dragon Queen’s eyes, and beside her stood the Fourth Elder.

Seeing Zhou Qinghao transform into a five-clawed golden dragon in front of everyone had left them utterly stunned.

No one knew how deeply they regretted their actions at that moment.

They had abandoned Zhou Qinghao and indulged Ao Jin because they believed Ao Jin was the five-clawed golden dragon.

But in the end? The black dragon they had cast aside was the true five-clawed golden dragon!

The past thousand years had been a complete waste of effort!

The Dragon Queen looked at Zhou Qinghao, her eyes reddening: “I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect you back then… You are my child, and I have always cared for you…”

Zhou Qinghao glanced at the Dragon Queen and then at the Fourth Elder.

When he was first born, these two had been there too. From start to finish, they had shown no intention of protecting him. If the Dragon Queen had truly cared for him, she could have prepared something for him when the Dragon King abandoned him, making his life much easier.

But there had been nothing.

This time, when the Dragon King wanted to extract his inner core, these two had undoubtedly supported the decision.

Moreover, don’t think he didn’t know that while he and Gu Juntian were busy dismantling formations and searching for the Phoenix, these two had been causing trouble outside.

Zhou Qinghao immediately used his spiritual power to suppress the two, forcing them to sign a master-servant contract with him.

Two more dragons to pull the carriage wouldn’t hurt.

Honestly, if these two dragons hadn’t come to him, he might not have bothered with them.

Now, he no longer cared much about these so-called family members.

But since they had come knocking, he wouldn’t hold back.

After dealing with them, Zhou Qinghao turned to Gu Juntian: “Come on, let’s go look at my tail!”

Gu Juntian smiled: “Alright.”

As soon as Zhou Qinghao entered their dwelling, he transformed into his human form with a dragon tail, showing off his beautiful tail to Gu Juntian.

Gu Juntian examined it carefully, even kissing it a few times, then coaxed Zhou Qinghao to transform back into his human form…

Late into the night, Gu Juntian broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, advancing!

The benefits of dual cultivation with a five-clawed golden dragon were truly immense.