Chapter 289

Chapter 289: The Scheme of the Bone Dragon

All the fallen phoenixes froze as if suddenly paralyzed, while the red glow around the Thunder Phoenix above grew brighter.

“What’s happening?” You You stared at the Feng Clan members scattered across the ground. Even Feng Rong nearby knelt on one knee, his face twisted in pain.

“Bloodline suppression!” Yuan Qi scanned the scene and explained. “The Thunder Phoenix is royalty among the Feng Clan. Even corrupted, it can control others through its bloodline.”

You You’s heart tightened. The Thunder Phoenix screeched again, louder this time. Black lightning streaked with red light coiled around every Feng Clan member like ropes, Demonic Energy crawling toward them.

“Feng Rong!” You You leaped onto her sword, darting to his side. The Demonic Energy near them instantly vanished when she touched him. But with so many phoenixes scattered across Heaven’s Sacred Mountain after the battle, she couldn’t protect them all—her power only reached a few feet around her.

“Heh heh…” A deep, mocking voice echoed from above. “I planned to break the seal first before dealing with you, yet you fools delivered yourselves to me.”

Everyone looked up. The voice didn’t come from the Thunder Phoenix, which now mindlessly shrieked. Instead, thickening Demonic Energy around it formed a shadowy tendril binding its body like a parasite. The voice emanated from there.

“That voice…” Feng Qing, still pinned by suppression, suddenly gasped. “Long Ting of the Long Clan!”

“Oh? Someone remembers me.” The shadowy figure coalesced into a dragon-like shape, its tone smug.

The Feng Clan erupted in shock. Feng Qing shouted, “Long Ting! You corrupted the Thunder Phoenix? Why attack us?”

“Why?” Long Ting’s shadow rippled with malice. “My clan joined the demon tribes long ago. Planting a Demon Seed in your precious Phoenix Empress was just…convenient.”

“Phoenix Empress?!” The Feng Clan stared in horror at the twisted Thunder Phoenix. This monster was their noble empress, who’d sacrificed herself to save them?

“Your Feng King wasted his cultivation to preserve her soul,” Long Ting sneered. “But that made her weak. Too weak to fight my Demon Seed. She became perfect fuel to breed this demonic phoenix.”

“The Feng King…” Realization struck—the two unhatched eggs had been the king and empress. The king’s sacrifice left the empress vulnerable, letting the Demon Seed consume her.

“You were born divine!” Feng Qing roared. “How could you betray your lineage for demons?”

“Divine?” Demonic Energy surged as Long Ting’s voice turned bitter. “Heaven doomed the Long Clan. We fled to the Demon Realm, stripped of divinity, reduced to bones trapped under Demon Ghost Mountain. Why should your clan get hope while we rot?!”

“Bones…” You You remembered the skeletal dragons in the Demon Realm’s abyss. “You’re the Bone Dragon!”

“Correct.” Long Ting’s shadow writhed. “If only demons survive here, I’ll remake all Three Realms into a Demon Realm!”

“We’ll stop you!” Feng Qing yelled.

“Stop me?” Long Ting laughed. “Why do you think I helped you wake up? Did you truly believe finding those Yin volumes was luck? I guided you! Your ‘awakening’ was my design.”

Guided? You You’s blood ran cold. The Yin volumes had come too easily—especially in Fengdu, where Lightning Feather practically handed them clues…

“Now,” Long Ting growled, “I’ll claim my reward.” Demonic Energy exploded outward. The Thunder Phoenix shrieked, unleashing crimson lightning that ensnared the Feng Clan.

“Become demon servants,” Long Ting crowed. “Your divine power will rouse my true form and shatter the seals!”

“Feng Rong!” You You slashed through Demonic Energy, but black lightning already wreathed him. He crumpled, choking.

No more hesitation. You You spun toward the shadow and unleashed her skills. Thousands of Spirit Swords blazed across the sky, shredding the Demonic Energy. The shadow dispersed, but Long Ting’s voice lingered:

“Human…” Hatred dripped from the fading words. “You’re the obstacle I foresaw. But it’s too late. I await you in the Demon Realm.”