Emperor’s Domination

The City of Demons was second only to Dragon Citadel. However, it had no walls and spanned countless miles.

The buildings were spread out among the mountains, only connected by the occasional bridge. It resembled a frontier rather than an official city.

It was the home to numerous mortals and cultivators, the majority being members of Dragon. There were other sects here as well but they were vassal states of Dragon.

The ruling authority consisted of three branches – Dragon Platform, Phoenix Ground, and Tiger Pond. This was a complex relationship.

The three branches couldn’t be considered as individual lineage. Each had numerous branches within them. The areas weren’t perfectly divided into three regions either due to unclear and mixed borders.

Though there was a clear distinction, they still worked together when it came to important matters pertaining Dragon itself.

The Jian was the dragon head of Phoenix Ground. It didn’t have full authority over the branch, only ample influence. The clan had an ancient history, one of the oldest in all of Dragon.

Their bloodline was mighty and had a lot to do with Feng Qi, hence their avian focus. Rumor has it that during the great battle between Feng Qi and Jiu Bian, her true blood fell down and blessed the animals below.

The forefather of the Jian was one of them – a bird receiving one drop of true blood and gaining a supreme evolution.

The history of this branch was far older than the clan itself. Nonetheless, the foundation of the clan allowed them to prosper in Phoenix Ground.

They had numerous top dao lords, one of whom being the distinguished Divine Luan Dao Lord. She stood out even among her peers.

After the dao lord, another notable cultivator was known as Sacred Luan. This great demon had boosted his bloodline to the limit, nearly changing the luan species to the mythical phoenix species.

This foundation and history helped the Jian survive and become the leader of Phoenix Ground.

Once the group entered Phoenix Ground, they were greeted by hot winds and desolate sceneries.

The land was barren and dried. The ground had numerous cracks, clearly devoid of water and vegetation. Upon closer inspection, one would see some strange outlines in the shape of feathers.

It seemed to have been scorched by unbelievable flames. Feathers dropped down from above and burned the land, leaving behind the outlines. Of course, this was only in the imagination. Who knows what had actually happened?

Farther away from this barren plot were green mountains, looking like an oasis in a desert. The verdant color spread like a peacock spreading its tail, fully enveloping the barren region.

“Welcome to Phoenix Ground.” Goldbird Monarch introduced.

Li Qiye stared at the barren land first then the greener mountains; his eyes narrowed.

The young ones from Little Diamond were overwhelmed with curiosity and looked everywhere. They initially assumed that they would be in a prosperous city. This certainly wasn’t the case.

“What happened here? Why is there scorched earth?” One of them asked quietly.

The cultivators from Phoenix Ground certainly had the power to change geographic properties. Having this barren entrance didn’t seem right, whether it be from an aesthetic or practical standpoint.

“It is eternal.” The monarch heard the hushed voice and answered: “The demon god said that this land was burned by immortal flames. Regular people like us can’t do anything about it.”

“The demon god? The legendary Nine-tailed God?” Wang Weiqiao became startled.

“Yes.” The monarch nodded.

Even Elder Hu had heard of this title before so he spoke with respect: “Such a mighty being.”

“Who is it?” A youth asked.

“A great and invincible demon with a mythical bloodline. He once entered Evil Flame Ridge and stole the special flame there. Rumor has it that he fought evenly with Three Truths Dao Lord.” Elder Hu solemnly said.

“?!” The youths were astounded right away after hearing the legendary feats. Despite their insufficient knowledge, they have heard of Evil Flame Ridge and Three Truths Dao Lord before.

The former was one of the seven forbidden zones yet this demon still stole something from there?

Three Truths Dao Lord was a powerful cultivator with daoist roots. Thus, he hated and hunted evil.

Nine-tailed God was obviously a demon. Since they lived in the same generation, they naturally hated each other despite a lack of a real feud.

Nine-tailed God didn’t follow the righteous path while Three Truths specialized in hunting evil. Conflicts between them were inevitable.

Ultimately, it was impressive for anyone to contend against a dao lord so the youths gasped in admiration.

“The demon god was a supreme ancestor from Phoenix Ground.” Elder Hu added.

The monarch disagreed and shook his head: “The great ancestor is respected by all three branches, not just our branch.”

This was indeed the truth. The demon had entered all three branches during his youth to hone his craft. Thus, he was part of them all.

“Can you tell me more about Divine Luan Dao Lord? This great being is from your branch, right?” Elder Hu knew a few legends.

“Not quite either.” The monarch shook his head again.