Feng Fei looked to her side and was surprised to find that the six people at the same table with them were also sitting in their original seats with normal expressions. However, Feng Fei could see that their bodies were trembling slightly, and she knew that they were experiencing the same thing as she and Yuan Jue.
"But even if you're very vigilant, what can you do? You still fell into their trap." Hua Tianzhao's face was full of disdain, and he didn't even look at Feng Fei and Yuan Jue, as if he didn't recognize them. Instead, he was very focused on the other six people.
Hua Tianzhao coldly observed the six people, then his gaze suddenly fell on Feng Fei and Yuan Jue, a meaningful expression appearing on his face: "And who are you two? You didn't even drink or eat? Could it be that you're here to harm me like those six?"
Feng Fei opened his mouth to speak, but found that he could not make a sound at all, so he silently looked at Hua Tianzhao.
Hua Tianzhao laughed as if she suddenly realized something: "I forgot, you can't speak right now."
After saying that, Hua Tianzhao stopped looking at the eight people remaining at Feng Fei's table and turned to Yue Jin: "Why isn't your child here?"
"He caught a cold and is resting in the backyard."
"Oh? That's unfortunate. Why don't you bring the child here? I'll take a good look at him and I'm sure I can help him recover his health."
"Thank you for your kindness, Master, but my wife is already taking good care of the child, so there is no need for you to trouble yourself."
"No trouble at all." Hua Tianzhao's face held a faint smile, but the next moment it turned extremely gloomy: "You should go and bring your child here, Yue Jin!"
Yue Jin's expression changed drastically. He instinctively felt that Hua Tianzhao's request to bring the child was not a good thing. At this moment, Yue Jin felt extremely fortunate that he had already sent Rou'er away with Zishu and Wei'er. "Please forgive me for not being able to comply."
Yue Jin knelt heavily on the ground, exposing his entire body to Hua Tianzhao's eyes. He couldn't bear to let his child fall into this predicament, but his upbringing made it impossible for him to leave Hua Tianzhao's side. Disobeying Hua Tianzhao once was enough, so he would atone with his life.
"Hmph!" Hua Tianzhao snorted heavily, and Yue Jin immediately couldn't bear it and spat out a mouthful of blood.
His body slumped to the ground, but his face remained expressionless: "Your subject deserves to die!"
Hua Tianzhao ignored Yue Jin and instead looked at the six people next to Feng Fei.
After realizing that Hua Tianzhao hadn't recognized them, and while Hua Tianzhao's attention was focused on Yue Jin, Yuan Jue pulled Feng Fei and slowly slumped to the ground, seemingly because the earlier trap had taken effect too late. Therefore, when Hua Tianzhao's attention returned, she didn't notice Feng Fei and Yuan Jue.
"Heh, you guys are really good at holding on. Those two have already collapsed." Hua Tianzhao said nonchalantly, slowly sitting down in a seat to the side, looking at the six people who were still stubbornly sticking to their spots with a mocking expression. "Oh, I forgot, you can't speak right now."
As she spoke, Hua Tianzhao gently waved her right hand, and a visible white, crescent-shaped beam of energy struck one of the six people. The person's body trembled violently, and soon several colors of gas began to emerge. Not long after, the person began to cough violently, his face turning bright red, but his body slowly returned to its stiff state.
Seeing that he could suddenly speak, the man, ignoring his still slightly coughing throat, said, "Hua Tianzhao, don't be too smug! This time, we were the ones who accidentally fell into your trap, but that doesn't mean you've won!"
"Oh? Still being stubborn even now!" Hua Tianzhao chuckled, resting his chin on his hand. Suddenly, he waved his right hand and said, "It's alright. I love tough guys like you the most."
Before he could finish speaking, the man was horrified to see one of his closest companions suddenly convulse. [ ] A moment later, he turned into a puddle of yellow liquid. The remaining five were filled with horror. They hadn't expected Hua Tianzhao to be such a ruthless and vicious person, taking one person's life in the blink of an eye.
"You!" The man's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes glared angrily.
"What's wrong with me?" Hua Tianzhao still had a cheerful expression, as if she wasn't the one who had just taken a life. "I'm a little curious. Who exactly are you people? Why do you always have to interfere with my work? If I hadn't been prepared this time, you might have ruined everything again!"
"Hmph, you think I'll tell you just because you want to know? Don't dream! I'm telling you, Hua Tianzhao, you'll never know who we are. You'll live in this unknown fear forever!"
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who's afraid?" Hua Tianzhao smiled faintly, yet her words claimed another life. "I wish you would come looking for me more often!"
In an instant, only the man who could speak remained of the six people standing.
The man was filled with rage, but he sadly discovered that he was powerless to stop Hua Tianzhao's actions, and he didn't even have the strength to shout a word.
After killing the other five people, Hua Tianzhao did not rush to take the man's life. Instead, she watched the man's expression with great interest, as if a flower had suddenly bloomed on the man's face.
Just as the man's anger was about to turn into embarrassment and discomfort, Hua Tianzhao suddenly floated up.
With her flowing robes, a lotus flower made of colorful clouds instantly appeared at Hua Tianzhao's feet, transforming into a giant lotus platform, upon which Hua Tianzhao still danced gracefully.
Feng Fei and Yuan Jue pretended to faint, secretly working to neutralize the poison in their bodies. Suddenly, they noticed Hua Tianzhao's unusual movements and were startled, only to find that she was merely dancing in the air. While puzzled, they vaguely heard celestial music, causing their consciousness to momentarily blur. Fortunately, both Feng Fei and Yuan Jue were highly skilled cultivators with far stronger spiritual senses than others, so they quickly regained their senses after a short while.
Feng Fei slightly opened his eyes, carefully observing what Hua Tianzhao wanted to do, but was shocked to find that many of the people lying on the tables in the courtyard slowly floated into the air.
Gradually, only the three people at Feng Fei's table remained in the courtyard.
Perhaps all of this was done on Hua Tianzhao's part, which is why Hua Tianzhao was not at all surprised that Feng Fei and Yuan Jue were still lying in the same spot.
As everyone floated in mid-air, Feng Fei suddenly noticed that strands of pink silk threads were emerging from their bodies, connecting them to the others. After an unknown amount of time, the pink threads had turned a vibrant blood red, as if stained with fresh blood.
As the red threads on some of the figures grew thicker, the bodies of those controlling the levitation slowly withered away. Strangely, however, their faces all wore expressions of comfort, as if they were enjoying the most blissful thing in their lives in a dream.
Hua Tianzhao's face also began to turn pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down, landing on the lotus platform and creating splashes of water.
Suddenly, Hua Tianzhao's left hand shot out towards the man, and the man's body flew involuntarily toward Hua Tianzhao.
"Tsk tsk, just in time I was missing a blood transfusion, and you delivered yourself right to my doorstep. Although you can't compare to a newborn infant, it's better than nothing, something is better than nothing!"
"You vixen, you'll die a horrible death!"
Whether I die a good death or not is something you'll never know, but for now, it's you who will die a bad death!
"I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"
"Oh dear, I'm so scared! But did I tell you that the person who becomes the blood guide will have their three souls and seven spirits transformed into part of the blood guide? In other words, you will soon cease to exist in this world!"
The man's body finally began to tremble uncontrollably. Although he kept telling himself not to be afraid, he couldn't shake off the fear in his heart. At this moment, only shouting loudly could barely calm his fear: "The death of a person can be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather. My death, Duan Hongjie, will certainly be heavier than Mount Tai! You vixen, no amount of your threats can frighten me!"
"Oh? In that case, so be it!"
Having said that, Hua Tianzhao's eyes narrowed, his face turning fierce. Duan Hongjie suddenly transformed into a rain of blood in Hua Tianzhao's hands, yet not a single drop fell outside the lotus platform. Within the rain of blood were ten faint points of light—Duan Hongjie's three souls and seven spirits.
"Huh? This Duan Hongjie is quite a character, actually mixing those seven emotions and six desires into his three souls and seven spirits. Luckily, I didn't draw this blood into the formation too quickly, otherwise things might have gone wrong." Hua Tianzhao suddenly exclaimed in surprise, as if he had discovered something extraordinary, and his subsequent mutterings revealed the whole story to Feng Fei.
Hua Tianzhao spent a great deal of effort to remove all the seven emotions and six desires from Duan Hongjie's three souls and seven spirits. The color of those three souls and seven spirits immediately transformed into ten hazy white orbs of light, which floated up and down as Hua Tianzhao burned.
Hua Tianzhao chuckled and tapped his hands repeatedly, instantly merging the ten souls into the formation below, which was made up of the flesh and blood of mortals.
Originally, the formation required the support of mortals; the thick, blood-red lines merely maintained their balance as they floated in the air. However, when Hua Tianzhao inserted Duan Hongjie's three souls and seven spirits into the formation, it suddenly erupted with a dazzling red light. After the red light faded, it was discovered that the mortals had long since vanished, and instead, the thick, blood-red lines were now dotted with small beads of various colors.
Feng Fei counted them carefully and discovered that the number of small beads was exactly the same as the number of people from before. Could it be that those small beads were all transformed from those people? What exactly is Hua Tianzhao trying to do by doing all this?
Chapter 40 is about Phoenix Five.
However, Hua Tianzhao will not offer any explanation for Feng Fei at this moment, and Feng Fei and Yuan Jue's current situation is not very good either. The stiffness in their bodies has not completely subsided, and Hua Tianzhao's attention has slowly shifted to Feng Fei and Yuan Jue.
"And who are you two?" Hua Tianzhao remained standing on the lotus platform, but the array floating in the air slowly contracted and shrank, returning to Hua Tianzhao's hand and forming a bracelet on her wrist. The beads on it shimmered in the sunlight. If one could ignore what the beads were made of, they would be incredibly beautiful and dazzling.
"You don't need to pretend anymore. I know you can move around with difficulty now. Tell me who you are, and maybe I'll let you go." Hua Tianzhao said casually, as if he really would let Feng Fei and Yuan Jue go.
Yue Jin slowly walked over from the side, glancing at Feng Fei and Yuan Jue on the ground. Although Feng Fei and Yuan Jue had been disguised, Yue Jin still felt a sense of familiarity. However, Yue Jin did not explain to Hua Tianzhao, silently standing beside him, seemingly unaware of his previous disregard for Hua Tianzhao's orders and Hua Tianzhao's intention to take his life.
Feng Fei and Yuan Jue struggled to their feet, supporting each other, but their bodies were still very stiff. They knew that they had unintentionally fallen into Hua Tianzhao's trap and were still unable to break free. They wondered what kind of scheme Hua Tianzhao had devised.
Although Feng Fei and Yuan Jue still harbored some suspicions, it was clearly not the right time to dwell on that matter. What they needed to consider now was how to extricate themselves.
"Huh? Why are you still unwilling to talk about it?" Hua Tianzhao played with the newly formed blood-red bracelet on his wrist, looking at Feng Fei and Yuan Jue with a mocking expression.
Because of the unique nature of the spiritual energy within her body, Feng Fei recovered much faster than Yuan Jue. Therefore, she was already able to speak, while Yuan Jue could only stand up with Feng Fei's help.
"I...I am..." Feng Fei originally intended to give a random name, but upon seeing Hua Tianzhao's extremely familiar face, she couldn't help but ask, "You...are Qi Xiaoying?"
Hua Tianzhao's expression changed instantly, then returned to normal. "Oh? You know me? But my name is clearly Hua Tianzhao."
Feng Fei shook his head with difficulty, "You are... Qi Xiaoying."
Hua Tianzhao sat down leisurely in the seat to the side. "How should I put it? What proof do you have?"
"No, nothing," Feng Fei could only answer. She only recognized Hua Tianzhao's face, but had nothing else to prove Qi Xiaoying's identity. Perhaps Yuan Jue would have something. Feng Fei couldn't help but look at Yuan Jue, but seeing him slowly shake his head, she knew that Yuan Jue also had nothing about Qi Xiaoying. It made sense; Yuan Jue had never truly cared for Qi Xiaoying. He only kept her around with the intention of finding her a toy for Feng Fei later, so it would be abnormal for him to have anything related to Qi Xiaoying.
"Since there isn't, then there's no way to prove I'm Qi Xiaoying." Hua Tianzhao touched his cheek, a strange and unpredictable smile on his face. "Then I'm just Hua Tianzhao!"
At this moment, Hua Tianzhao recognized the two people in front of him. One of them was Feng Fei, who had led them out of Nirvana Valley, and the other was Feng Fei's Xiang Haoyuanjue.
That's right, the Hua Tianzhao before us is none other than Feng Wu, who escaped Pan Jie using the illusionary trap. She then used the blood pool set up by Yue Jin and Lu Fei in Mochou City to enter Qi Xiaoying's body. Afterwards, she fabricated all sorts of information about Hua Tianzhao's identity.
After being taken away by the Painted-Faced Monster, Qi Xiaoying, after receiving some guidance from him, wandered the Four Continents, hoping to find ancient relics, inherit legacies, or magical artifacts and rare treasures. However, Qi Xiaoying's luck was clearly terrible; she found nothing useful while traveling to other countries, even with the Painted-Faced Monster's guidance. Left with no other choice, Qi Xiaoying returned to the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.
Because of the warning from the Painted-Faced Monster, Qi Xiaoying had been avoiding the Vermilion Bird Kingdom and wandering the four continents. However, Qi Xiaoying had not been able to find anything good anywhere else, leaving only the Vermilion Bird Kingdom unvisited. Not wanting to find nothing, she gritted her teeth and finally stepped into the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.
When Qi Xiaoying first entered the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, she was quite lucky and obtained some good items. However, upon arriving in Mochou City, Yue Jin discovered Qi Xiaoying's special physique—the Myriad Spirits Body. This physique allows any powerful soul to be reborn into her body. In other words, before a powerful being resided in Qi Xiaoying's body, she was merely temporarily holding onto that body.
Everything Yue Jin did in Mochou City was merely to create a suitable body for Feng Wu. But how could such a body, which violated the principles of Heaven and Earth, exist in the world for long? This Myriad Spirit Body, however, was different. It was a loophole in the Heavenly Dao, a flaw that allowed the strong to blatantly deprive the weak of their chance to survive. It was precisely for this reason that Yue Jin changed his mind the moment he saw Qi Xiaoying: harming so many lives only yielded a body that couldn't be used indefinitely, but now, with just one life, he could obtain a permanently usable body, without any conflict with the soul residing within it.
Comparing the two options, Yue Jin naturally made his decision. That very night, Yue Jin had Qi Xiaoying kidnapped.
Then, without much effort, Feng Wu successfully inhabited Qi Xiaoying's body, taking her place in the world. However, Qi Xiaoying didn't completely disappear; her soul would more or less influence Feng Wu. For example, her most profound memories would remain firmly etched in her mind, making it extremely difficult for Feng Wu to discard them. Like Yuan Jue, who was Qi Xiaoying's most persistent pursuit. It was because of this that Hua Tianzhao was able to quickly recognize Yuan Jue, and because of Feng Wu's soul, she was able to confirm Feng Fei's aura.
Although Feng Fei's aura is quite different from before, a large part of it is still the same.
Feng Fei watched Hua Tianzhao's words and actions with a cold eye, as if watching a clown make a fool of himself in front of everyone.
Hua Tianzhao naturally understood the meaning in Feng Fei's eyes, but she didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled calmly and said, "You can't be sure who I am, but I can recognize who you are. You are Feng Fei, and he is Yuan Jue. Do you think I guessed right?"
Only now did Feng Fei's expression change slightly, not expecting that Hua Tianzhao would finally recognize the two of them.
Taking a deep breath, Feng Fei slowly asked, "What do you want?"
"Huh? Why are you asking me that? Shouldn't I be the one asking you? Although I invited you, it wasn't for this banquet. You've got it wrong! But it doesn't matter, since you've all come to me anyway. It'll just be a hassle for me to do it again."
Upon hearing Hua Tianzhao's low, cold words, Feng Fei sensed something was wrong and prepared to quickly leave with Yuan Jue. However, Feng Fei sadly discovered that even though her body could move somewhat, she still couldn't leave with Yuan Jue, and even leaving alone was extremely difficult.
"Don't think about anything else, just give up. If you escape so easily, then I have no right to be the so-called 'Flower Queen'!" With that, Hua Tianzhao waved her right hand, and Feng Fei and Yuan Jue involuntarily fainted to the ground.
"Yue Jin, you were supposed to keep these two men safe, but then you told me they were gone." Hua Tianzhao gave the order without even looking at Yue Jin and left.
Yue Jin stared blankly in the direction Hua Tianzhao had left for a long time before his gaze finally fell on Feng Fei and Yuan Jue on the ground. He sighed almost imperceptibly, shook his head slightly, and led Feng Fei and Yuan Jue to a dungeon.
When Feng Fei and Yuan Jue slowly awoke, they found themselves in a dark and desolate dungeon, filled with a foul stench, but there was no one else around.
The first thing Feng Fei did upon regaining consciousness was to check her spiritual power, but she found that she still couldn't use it.
Feng Fei slumped to one side, and when he saw that Yuan Jue had also woken up, he couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Can you still control the spiritual power in your body?"
Yuan Jue closed his eyes quietly for a while, then opened them and shook his head, leaving Feng Fei extremely disappointed.
"What should we do now? We didn't contact Mingfeng and the others when we came here. Who knows what they will do when they find out we're not here? It would be fine if we just retreated, but I'm afraid they might come over recklessly and end up in the same situation as us. That would be terrible."
Yuan Jue's voice had not fully recovered, so his voice was extremely hoarse and intermittent as he spoke: "They will definitely come."
"What should we do then? Wouldn't this mean the whole place has fallen? We need to think of a way to keep them from coming!"
"We can't get out, and the news can't get out."
Yuanjue found speaking tiring and could only express his meaning as concisely as possible.
Although Feng Fei knew Yuan Jue was right, she couldn't bear to see Ming Feng and the others get caught up in this mess. She didn't want so many people to suffer losses in this incident. But there was nothing she could do, and Feng Fei could only worry helplessly.