Western side of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

A demon city covered in bones, hidden within the black miasma.

At the city gate, a giant elephant skull, with two green ghost flames burning in its eye sockets, exhaling a foul stench.

Inside the city, everywhere hung the skulls of Human Race Cultivators, some still dripping faint blood stains.

Demonic Qi soared into the sky, intertwining with the miasma to form a giant canopy, enveloping the entire demon city.

The Fire Phoenix King's tent was situated in the center of the demon city, its top covered with a layer of red-gold feathers, each shimmering with a faint spirit light of flame.

Those were tail feathers of the Fire Phoenix Race, something even ordinary Demon Kings could hardly see.

Inside the tent, the Fire Phoenix King sat on a White Bone Throne, playing with a crystal-clear skull wine glass in his hand, filled with a dark red liquid emitting a strong bloody scent.

He wore a red-gold battle armor, with flame-shaped tattoos covering his bare arms.

Below the tent, a dozen or so Demon Kings sat in a circle, each exuding a fierce aura.

There was the "Mountain-Sundering King" with the head of a tiger and the body of a man, holding a thousand-pound stone axe.

There was the "Green Scale King" with the tail of a snake and the body of a man, whose scales emitted a ghostly green poisonous light.

And there was the "Wind Eagle King" with wings on his back, his gaze as sharp as a knife.

...

On the stone table before them were placed bowls filled with roasted meat dripping with oil and large bowls brimming with Spirit Wine.

The Demon Kings ate and drank heartily, occasionally bursting into thunderous laughter.

A little demon wearing black leather armor quickly entered the tent, kneeled on one knee, and spoke with a trembling voice:

"Great King, the White Bone Dharma King has sent a reply."

"He said... he is still recovering and cannot come to the battle."

"Pa!"

The Fire Phoenix King suddenly smashed the skull wine glass in his hand, the glass whizzing past the little demon's ear, smashing heavily against the tent wall, the skull shattering, the dark red liquid splattering over the little demon.

"Recovering? Recovering? It's been thirty years of recovering!"

He stood up abruptly, the flame tattoos across his body lighting up instantly, the temperature within the tent rising sharply, causing the Spirit Wine on the stone table to bubble.

"Damn White Bone! We agreed to join forces to break the sect and divide up Chu Country; yet after conquering Yue Ling Sect, he just claims it for himself, ignoring the fate of our allied forces!"

"Such a sweet-talking villain is truly hateful!"

The Fire Phoenix King's voice was like thunder, shaking the feathers on the tent top to flutter down:

"And then there's that Blood Refining!"

"I thought he was an honest man, but after being hurt by Qinghua Sect once, he turned into a turtle hiding in its shell, not daring to show his face!"

"Our Demon Race lost soldiers and generals, yet those Demon Cultivators seized land and remained unharmed. How is there such reason in the world?"

The Demon Kings below the tent echoed in agreement:

"The Great King is right! The White Bone Dharma King is too selfish!"

"The Blood Refining Dharma King is no good either. If not for his instigation back then, our race wouldn't have lost so many sons!"

They all seethed with indignation, looking towards the Demon Cultivators' territory, their eyes full of resentment.

The Fire Phoenix King snorted coldly, waved his sleeve:

"Continue drinking as you please, my mood is gone."

With that, he turned and rushed out of the tent, his red-gold figure drawing a fiery line in mid-air, disappearing into the depths of the demon city.

The Demon Kings inside the tent looked at each other, and after a while, the Mountain-Sundering King sighed:

"Alas, the Great King is truly furious."

"It makes sense, who doesn't know King Chi Yu was the Great King's most beloved son, died under the grand array of Li Xiao Sect, even his remains were retrieved by the Great King with his life."

"Now those Demon Cultivators are shirking responsibility, if it were me, I couldn't hold back any longer either."

The Green Scale King also nodded:

"Exactly! These years our Demon Race bore the brunt, clashing with Li Xiao Sect, how many of our clan members have we lost?"

"Those Demon Cultivators hide behind enjoying their leisure, sealing themselves off after taking Yue Ling Sect, simply too much bullying!"

The voices of the Demon Kings critiquing the Demon Cultivators grew louder and louder.

Yet no one noticed, in the shadows outside the tent, a tiny flame quietly flew away.

...

The Fire Phoenix Race's encampment was situated next to a volcano crater behind the demon city.

Inside the cave, lava flowed gurglingly, emitting a scorching aura, the cave walls inlaid with countless glowing fire crystals, illuminating the cave like daylight.

The Fire Phoenix King sat on a giant piece of Obsidian, no trace of the previous rage remaining?

He wore a calm face, listening to his confidant report on the Demon Kings' discussions in the tent, a wisp of flame flicking from his fingertips to burn the confidential letter handed by his confidant to ashes.

The Fire Phoenix King spoke lightly:

"Leave, continue watching those Demon Kings, don't let them cause any trouble."

"Yes!"

The confidant bowed and withdrew.

The cave was left with only the Fire Phoenix King alone, he slowly closed his eyes, a faint, undetectable smile curling on his lips.

As the leader of the Demon Race on the western side of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, he appeared rough and straightforward, yet was deeply scheming.

In recent years, he had been troubled by two matters.

The first matter:

In the south, two rising talents of rare bloodlines had appeared, having a glimmer of hope to challenge his authority in the future.

He had long wanted to eliminate them prematurely but could never find the opportunity.

The second matter:

The Fire Phoenix King also had his ambitions, he wanted to become a Nascent Soul Level Demon Emperor!

But he was trapped by the shackles of his bloodline, stuck at the Late-stage Golden Core for three hundred years, his Cultivation stagnant.

Fortunately, two hundred years ago, his grandmother gave him a son with a rich bloodline, named Chi Yu.

It was a treasure bestowed by heaven to him, also his hope to one day break through to Demon Emperor by devouring his bloodline!

...

Back then, when the Blood Refining Dharma King approached him, it was indeed a perfect match with the Fire Phoenix King!

In the Land of the Three Sects of Chu Country, there lies a certain allure for the ordinary Demon King.

A vast blood feast of Human Race Cultivators...

Yet to the Fire Phoenix King, these are nothing more than a chicken rib, useless for his ascension to Demon Emperor!

But such a chicken rib, at this moment, happens to resolve his two troubles.

By using the hands of the cultivators from the Three Sects of Chu Country to eliminate those few rising stars and his most beloved son, he avoids dirtying his hands.

...

Therefore, over the years, the Fire Phoenix King, leading by example with his son, has spearheaded the assault on the grand array of the Li Xiao Sect with other Demon Kings.

Many times, the Demon Kings were gravely injured and nearly perished, saved solely by his self-sacrifice and generosity towards them.

After several great battles, though unable to breach the grand array, nearly ten Demon Kings have successively fallen.

But the Fire Phoenix Race also suffered heavy losses, even the Fire Phoenix King's beloved son was lost among them, leaving no room for others to criticize.

Now, the living Demon Kings, for the most part, owe their lives to the Fire Phoenix King's grace, free to devour blood feasts across vast pastures, leaving no one with room for complaint.

Though the battle ended in failure, the Fire Phoenix King's prestige remains untouched, having smoothly resolved two major issues, how could he not be pleased?

...

Meanwhile.

Within the borders of the White Bone Demon Sect in the east, demonic qi blankets the land like dark clouds.

The old site of the Yue Ling Sect has long been transformed into a Demon City, where black flames burn, occasionally accompanied by chilling ghostly wails.

On the streets inside the city, Demon Cultivators hurry along without expression, the pungent stench of blood in the air sending chills down one's spine.

The area with the densest demonic qi is a palace built of white bones.

The White Bone Dharma King sits upon the throne in the center of the palace, donned in a White Bone Robe, his face hidden beneath a hood, revealing only a pair of eyes flickering with eerie green light.

Venerable Black Snake enters the palace respectfully, dressed in a black long dress, a fair face with vertical pupils, surrounded by a faint serpent-shaped black aura.

In recent years, under the tutelage of the White Bone Dharma King, she has smoothly advanced to mid-stage Golden Core, her eyes filled with reverence towards him.

Venerable Black Snake bows, her voice tinged with hesitation:

"Dharma King, the emissary from the Fire Phoenix King has been sent off, but... the emissary looked quite displeased upon departure, seemingly dissatisfied with our refusal."

The White Bone Dharma King waves his hand gently, his voice raspy like sandpaper scraping:

"Pay no heed to what the Demon Race thinks."

"Years ago, Blood Refining acted rashly and vanished after being gravely wounded by the Qinghua Sect; our alliance with the Demon Race has long been an empty shell."

He stands, walks to the window of the palace, observing the demonic city beyond:

"Qinghua and Li Xiao Sects are not easy prey, dreaming of dividing them is pure folly."

"Ever since capturing the Yue Ling Sect, the Demon Race has become worthless to us."

"This cultivation realm is resource-poor; to develop in the future, we'll inevitably need to seize resources from the Demon Race, leading to conflict sooner or later. Offending them now is actually beneficial."

Venerable Black Snake falls silent at these words.

She knows the White Bone Dharma King's thoughts run deeper than they appear; every move is calculated.

The White Bone Dharma King suddenly turns, his gaze resting on Venerable Black Snake, his voice uncharacteristically soft:

"Black Snake, how many years have you followed me?"

Venerable Black Snake falls into reminiscing, softly replies:

"Since you took me in at seven, it's been three hundred and twenty-four years."

The White Bone Dharma King sighs softly, his tone tinged with the weight of life's passing:

"Three hundred and twenty-four years... calculating the years, I'm already four hundred and twenty-six."

"Back then, when the Four Symbols Demon Sect fell and the Demon Lord perished, I escaped here with remnants, like a rat hiding in a hole, barely scraping by."

His voice suddenly sharpens, eyes gleaming with mad light:

"But I refuse to resign myself, Black Snake, would you assist me in restoring the glory of the Four Symbols Demon Sect?"

His gaze falls on Black Snake, undisguised greed within!

Venerable Black Snake's heart chills instantly; she's seen this gaze many times before on others, but this time, it's directed at her.

Decisive, she quickly executes an escape technique, transforming into dozens of black snakes, fleeing toward the palace's exit.

"Ingrate!"

The White Bone Dharma King snorts coldly, forcefully shaking the White Bone Banner in his hand.

Ghostly shadows on the banner instantly fly out, binding all the black snakes and dragging them back to the palace.

In mid-air, the black snakes re-form into a single human shape, Venerable Black Snake's face pale, her body ensnared by black ghost qi, entirely immobilized.

The White Bone Dharma King steps forward, a cruel smile curling beneath his hood:

"I've trained you personally; you can't escape. You owe your life to me, today is the day of your repayment."

His hands form a seal, executing a secret technique, a black beam of light shooting from his fingertips, piercing into Venerable Black Snake's dantian.

"Ah——"

Venerable Black Snake lets out a shrill scream as the spirit light in her dantian rapidly dims.

A black Golden Core is forcibly extracted, levitating mid-air, exuding intense serpent-shaped demonic qi.

The White Bone Dharma King collects the Golden Core as the White Bone Banner swings once more, completely devouring Venerable Black Snake's body.

The ghostly shadow on the banner grows more solid, the demonic qi surging several degrees.

He gazes at the black Golden Core in his hand, eyes full of satisfaction, turns to traverse deeper into the palace, retrieving a purple Jade Box.

Opening the Jade Box reveals a Golden Core wrapped in blood-colored demonic qi, clearly the long-lost Golden Core of the Blood Refining Dharma King.

The White Bone Dharma King places the newly acquired black Golden Core beside it, gently closing the Jade Box, eyes shimmering with determination:

"White Bone, Blood Refining, Skin Painting, three cores are in hand, only the Ten Thousand Souls remains!"

His gaze shifts westward to the Western Border ruled by Venerable Black Demon, his eyes alight with assured ambition.

"Black Demon Technique, claiming the Ten Thousand Souls!"

The White Bone Dharma King recalls the fall of the Demon Sect years ago.

When he incited Blood Refining Dharma King to cross the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, a self-satisfied smile stretches across his face.

Though resources in this cultivation realm are scant, it is heaven's gift, offering him the chance to unite the Four Symbols Golden Cores.

"Once the Four Symbols are united, I might well become the Four Symbols Demon Lord, a mighty Nascent Soul!"

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