The reason why the Demon City could stand strong with three kingdoms is that it had cut off the connections to the three great holy places: Zifu, Heart, and Dantian, with each one controlling a kingdom.
The three great holy places didn't need to be entered; they had their own energy lines supporting their nations, nourishing them with demonic power, allowing new demons to be born and spiritual items to grow.
The reason the demon kings of the three kingdoms could maintain their superior cultivation was also because they had control over these energy lines, gaining demonic power far beyond their peers.
A demon king who had reached the peak of the Dan stage and possessed various treasures was much stronger than other demons, completely on a different level.
In fact, the kings of the three kingdoms couldn’t move freely. If one king was absent, they could easily be attacked by the other kings. So, if Cheng Huang wanted to enter the holy place for cultivation, he would definitely do so quietly, so that by the time others found out, he would have already finished his training. That would be the proper way.
However, this time Cheng Huang wanted to enter the holy place but took several days without going in, clearly to give the traitor time to spread the news to the enemy kingdom.
He was just waiting for them to come.
On the surface, it seemed like he had fallen into the embrace of a human man, but in reality, it was all a trap from the start.
Eagle Li's actions instantly made the wolf realize he had been tricked.
"The three kingdoms have been at war for hundreds of years, claiming it's for the holy place. Everyone knows that the holy place cannot be entered, so what is there to fight over? What they are really fighting for is the demonic power of the energy lines. Whoever can gain another energy line can dominate the other kingdoms."
Eagle Li spoke slowly, his gaze filled with mockery. "You, Wolf King, are now leading your people to invade the palace, but it’s just to steal the energy line at the palace's base and replace the king. That’s why you brought the wolf into your home... But do you really think the two kings, Guo Xiao and the others, will let you steal the energy line so easily? They will likely kill you, and how they fight among themselves will no longer concern you. Your greed has blinded you to such a basic truth."
The wolf's expression darkened. "They are mutually restraining each other; I have my own plans. Eagle Li, you understand the reasoning, so why not take advantage of the fact that the three kings cannot split their attention and seize this energy line for ourselves?"
"You think you can tempt me? It seems you have already guessed what the king is doing right now." Eagle Li sighed. "She indeed cannot come here, but I fear that even if you gain this energy line, you won’t hold it for long."
The wolf glared at Eagle Li, squeezing his voice through clenched teeth. "She has her consort and disciples guarding the formation, but it turns out that was just a cover. She hasn’t even entered Zifu; she has gone to Guo Xiao’s kingdom instead? If that’s the case, she has treated her consort and disciples as mere pawns?"
Eagle Li replied indifferently, "You call them consorts, but how do you know they aren’t just acting for your benefit?"
The wolf's face changed dramatically. "All demons, listen! Break through the palace gates and seize the energy line! There is still a glimmer of hope; otherwise, that wretched woman returns, and we will have no place to die!"
Eagle Li laughed loudly, suddenly transforming into his true form, a massive eagle that darkened the sky as it swooped down.
The palace gates erupted in battle.
...
Far away in the Xiao Kingdom, at the royal palace.
Suddenly, a strong demonic wind arose, and a beautiful snow-white fox appeared in the clouds, adorned with a single horn on its back.
The guards of the Xiao Kingdom were thrown into chaos. "Cheng... Cheng Huang!"
Cheng Huang transformed into a human form, revealing Cheng Cheng's face. Dressed in white, barefoot with golden rings, she floated down gracefully.
Everyone, including Qin Yi, thought she was in the Kunpeng Zifu, but in reality, her clone was already in the Xiao Kingdom.
"The heart of Kunpeng cannot be taken by fools."
As she spoke, her long hair flew up, and a whirlwind erupted around her, instantly changing the sky and bringing thunder.
"Boom!"
The protective barrier of the Xiao Kingdom's palace flickered, struggling to hold against the raging winds and thunder. Countless elite guards inside the palace gathered their strength to channel demonic power into the barrier, hoping to withstand Cheng Huang's attack.
"The King is not here; what can you rabble do?" Cheng Cheng smiled, her soft and enchanting voice carrying a cold killing intent.
"Bang!" Her delicate palm struck the barrier, accompanied by booming thunder. Sparks of electricity danced across the barrier, creating a cracking sound.
Countless powerful guards who could easily cause rivers of blood in the human world were now in danger under her single strike!
Cheng Cheng's gaze was icy. She struck the barrier with her right hand, while her left hand trembled lightly, causing the golden ring to appear in her palm. It quickly enlarged, transforming into a round magical tool.
With a swing of her hand, the golden ring smashed into the barrier. With a loud "crack," the already precarious barrier shattered.
The guards below were thrown back, blood spraying everywhere.
"The king hoards demonic power, making your efforts in the Dan stage meaningless." Cheng Cheng casually tossed the golden ring, which instantly transformed into countless rings that darted through the crowd, causing heads to explode with a mere touch.
Amidst the screams, Cheng Cheng didn’t even glance back as she floated deeper into the palace.
A few young Xiao beasts blocked her path, followed by numerous inner palace guards.
Cheng Cheng chuckled softly and vanished in an instant.
When she reappeared, her hands were covered in blood, surrounded by the corpses of Xiao beasts, not even sparing the young ones.
The golden rings returned, now stained red with blood.
Cheng Cheng didn’t look back; she extended her slender hand, and the golden ring flew into her grasp. Then, with a casual wave, she smashed it against a wall made of six-pointed crystals.
The crystal wall shattered with a loud crash.
Inside was a passage resembling a heart's blood vessels, with a faint demonic aura emanating from the end.
"I will take the energy line of the Kunpeng Heart Palace for the White Kingdom."
She beckoned, and a smaller heart-shaped crystal entered her palm, glowing with a strange light amidst the blood on her hands.
The entire royal palace collapsed with a thunderous roar.
Amidst the dust, the figure in white with golden rings floated into the sky, disappearing into the lightning.
On her way to the Guo Kingdom, Cheng Cheng looked back.
That was the direction of the Kunpeng Zifu, where Qin Yi was still diligently guarding the formation, maintaining the illusion of Cheng Huang that didn’t exist behind the golden gates.
Creating a human clone was her special ability, not a typical spell clone. Both could be considered herself: one with pure demon blood and the other with human blood. They could combine or act separately, but it was still the same soul multitasking.
If they practiced separately, she could eventually merge the two forms of cultivation, greatly increasing her power. However, she hadn’t acquired the proper human cultivation methods, and since her human body hadn’t started cultivating yet, it was truly an untrained human. Even if Qin Yi tried to discern, even the strongest person in the world would only see it as an untrained human, at most noticing that the soul shared another body, but they were originally one. Liu Su’s current soul power was weak, so she couldn’t perceive such subtle details.
This type of clone could perform tasks that a spell clone couldn’t, such as… when caught in a mutual destruction curse by a sorcerer, she could suddenly switch to her human clone in the palace. That moment of switching would make the curse lose its target, missing entirely.
Then, after a short time, she could switch back and leave safely.
But unexpectedly, the human clone was too weak. The moment she switched, it stumbled against a broken wall and fell down the mountain.
Falling down was quite troublesome; this type of clone couldn’t easily die, or it would greatly harm the original body. She hadn’t expected to encounter a human who was so weak, nearly exhausted, yet still carrying her as a burden… She could have switched back in a short time, but now she didn’t want to, wanting to see what this human was really after…
She deliberately kept silent because her usual tone was too recognizable. If Qin Yi heard this ordinary human woman speaking with both charm and authority, all sorts of doubts would arise. She wasn’t a skilled actress, and carefully controlling her tone could easily give her away; it was easier to pretend to be mute.
In the end, he wanted nothing. Time and again, he stood in front of her with his own flesh and blood, yet he never made a single request and returned with injuries…
In the harsh environment of the Demon City, this was the first time Cheng Cheng saw someone like him.
With a frail and delicate appearance, yet he stood tall.
He didn’t seek beauty, wealth, resources, or power. He only wanted to find a way to break the mutual destruction curse and bring it back to his lover, fulfilling his promise.
Cheng Cheng admired him; the more he rejected her advances, the more she appreciated him.
But that was of no use. For the grand scheme of the White Kingdom, a mere human was just a ripple in the water, beautiful for a moment, nothing more.
She had indeed entered the Kunpeng Zifu, but she had swapped in an untrained human body, hiding in a corner and doing nothing, while her original body was outside, killing rampantly.
If the formation was broken and her human clone died, it would harm the original body, but gaining the energy lines of two kingdoms would be worth it. Even if her own kingdom's energy line was taken, the trade would still be extremely profitable.
As for Qin Yi, who was desperately holding the line outside… he was only responsible for making the two kings of Guo Xiao believe that Cheng Huang was inside the cave and would thus waste their time in the formation.
Theoretically, the two kings would only attack for half an hour. Once the golden gates closed and they saw no hope of entering the cave, they would naturally turn back to fight for the energy line of the White Kingdom, relieving the pressure on Qin Yi. This was Qin Yi's only chance of survival.
But what if Qin Yi couldn’t hold for half an hour?
Teng She might escape with speed, but Qin Yi would die.
If he died, so be it…
Eagle Li was right; she shouldn’t be focusing her thoughts on a human.
A few flirts here and there? Just a game.
Weaving clothes for him? Just for the traitor to see.
The Guo Kingdom was right in front of her. Cheng Cheng’s expression was cold as she flew down amidst the thunder and lightning.
"Boom!" The Guo Kingdom's royal palace shook violently.
(End of Chapter)