Everyone is Secretly in Love with Me

Chapter 57 - Ancient Transmission Array

In Feng Qin's memories, the Phoenix Clan possessed various divine abilities.

They could manipulate wind and fire, as well as tap into their innate strength.

Compared to humans who had to search for their own techniques, the Phoenix Clan undoubtedly held a significant racial advantage, with a plethora of inherited techniques that seemed endless.

Feng Qin was quite playful, often disregarding much of what the Phoenix Frost Sect taught him. Up until now, the most he had learned was the Fire Control Decision.

As a result, he had forgotten a crucial piece of information that Feng Frost had mentioned – the Phoenix Clan's divine ability tied to destiny, Nirvana.

The lifespan of a phoenix, by divine creature standards, wasn't particularly lengthy. It couldn't be compared to true dragons, whose lives spanned with the heavens and earth. However, this divine ability of Nirvana compensated for the phoenix's weakness in this aspect.

Plunging into death, only to be reborn anew.

Life and death intertwined, with rebirth leading to transformation.

But Feng Qin didn't know.

Feng Frost had imparted the clan's heritage memories to him, but he had recklessly sealed away those memories, never once perusing them.

Feeling the intense pain, he genuinely believed he was going to die.

Still young, he had spent much of his time confined within the Illusionary Realm of the Infinite Abyss by his father, never experiencing the vibrant and adventurous world his father had described. Yet, he was now facing death.

Death was an eternal darkness, the ultimate fear of all living beings, an endless cycle of agony and sorrow.

But he didn't regret his decision.

Even if given another chance, he would still do the same.

—Yet, as the overwhelming flames scorched the night sky, and his consciousness dissipated, Feng Qin remembered someone he felt deeply attached to.

He didn't want to leave.

The person he cherished the most was still in the mortal realm, while he was sinking into the depths of chaos.

Sinking.

Endlessly.

The flames on the beautiful Fire Phoenix intensified, dazzling everyone's eyes. After an extremely brilliant display, came decline. The original form of the phoenix gradually vanished into thin air, along with the dispersing red flames.

As if Feng Qin had vanished from this world.

"What are you standing there for?! Go!" Elder Xuan Ying, considering the bigger picture, protected the remaining disciples as they exited the passage formed by the celestial anomaly. He shouted towards Lin Zhizhi who remained on the sidelines.

Another elder, by means of some secret technique, boosted his cultivation by half in an instant, holding back the two Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivators, an incredibly dangerous situation.

Lin Zhizhi glanced at the passage, calculated its vanishing speed, and employed the Wind Manipulation Decision—this time infusing the power of thunder from the Sword of the Ascendant Immortal. With the fusion of wind and thunder, his speed became astonishingly fast, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the vanishing Fire Phoenix.

The flames' disappearance left no trace in the air, not even ashes. A strand of burning flame floated before the black-haired youth, but just before making contact, it dwindled away as if reluctant to harm him.

This flame reflected in Lin Zhizhi's eyes, casting a faint reddish hue similar to the eyes of the Little Phoenix, adding vividness to the usually indifferent young man, making him look dazzling and radiant.

Even in anger, it proved that he was still alive.

Lin Zhizhi didn't have time for mourning; he had come here to find evidence of Feng Qin's survival.

Although not extensively well-read, as the young master of the Lin family, he had gone through the library's collection under his father's strict supervision. He knew that these major divine beasts were not so easily extinguished—

Although unaware of the specific process, he believed that Little Phoenix wouldn't die.

If he died, the entire demonic clan would pay the price!

Gripping his sword handle, the youth's black pupils revealed a hint of killing intent.

Seeing Lin Zhizhi still standing in the flames, separated from the majority of the human disciples leaving, some demonic cultivators engaged with him.

A streak of blue sword energy, resembling lightning, flashed before the unbelieving eyes of the demonic cultivator, piercing through his skull and embedding itself deep into the thick column of the flying palace.

The night gradually fell into complete darkness, providing the perfect cover for the demonic forces' actions.

The passage was about to close. He needed to wait a little longer. If it wasn't possible, he would have to leave—

Amid the chaos, Lin Zhizhi concentrated on the extinguishing flame, his expression solemn. Finally, as it faded completely, he relaxed his focus, a smile curving his lips. With a beckoning gesture, the egg with flowing red patterns appeared in his arms.

Having obtained the Phoenix egg, Lin Zhizhi turned and approached Elder Xuan Ying. With a pat from the elder, he was forcefully propelled away with tremendous power.

All of this may have appeared slow in description, but it occurred in the span of a split second.

The other elder had already lost the ability to stop the two demonic cultivators whose cultivations were once evenly matched, and with a fierce roar, he chose self-destruction to protect the departing disciples.

The self-destruction of a Nascent Soul elder was incredibly powerful, causing the entire flying palace to tremble with a buzzing sound, and as the palace collapsed, the two demonic cultivators had no choice but to retreat. One of them, whose face had turned a sickly yellow, revealed an expression of urgency. The rules of the demonic clan were harsh, and if this endeavor failed even after sacrificing two sacred items, he would undoubtedly face torment more excruciating than death once he returned!

However, the River of Styx water could only be manipulated by a Demon Sovereign. At best, he could slightly manipulate it in line with the residual will of the Demon Sovereign, but given his current greatly reduced power, he couldn't perform the delicate action of using it to shield himself from the explosion, unlike what he had planned.

Before coming here, everyone thought this was an easily achievable mission. With the two sacred items, the Lunar Yin and the River of Styx, and the expenditure of the blood of an unregenerate True Immortal, capturing the little phoenix should have been a piece of cake. However, the phoenix's death had thrown a wrench into his plan.

In unity with the sorrow of heaven and earth, ah, this kind of probability still managed to happen!

He couldn't let those people escape! If they left the range of the True Immortal blood's influence, attracting those people, his fate would be begging for survival yet unable to escape death.

A flicker of sinister determination passed through the yellow-faced demonic cultivator's eyes. He reached into his chest, his blood flowing down the peculiar patterns on his chest, filling the formation. His body suddenly grew massive, forcibly resisting the force of self-destruction, and a burst of incredible speed brought him to confront Elder Xuan Ying and the others.

By this time, Elder Xuan Ying had already led his disciples away from the flying palace, his first thought being to take cover and notify the sect. However, even after leaving the shadows of the Lunar Yin's black mist, they were unable to communicate information outward.

There must be something else nearby... He had to escape first and then consider the situation!

Taking advantage of the chaos, Lin Zhizhi handed the Phoenix egg to Elder Xuan Ying.

The reason was simple: his own cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and he was easily vulnerable. He could easily be killed by the demonic cultivators. Compared to him, the elder had a better chance of successfully returning the egg to the sect.

At this moment, the yellow-faced demonic cultivator had already caught up with his remaining subordinates. Suddenly appearing before Elder Xuan Ying with a thunderous momentum, he used his fleshly body as a weapon, clashing with the elder's spiritual sword attacks.

"Split up and escape!"

Since they were already out, there was no need to confront the opponents head-on.

Elder Xuan Ying's sword light was swift and agile. He divided it into hundreds of sword shadows, not attacking the yellow-faced demonic cultivator directly. Instead, he managed to use a palm to trap the underlings of the Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator in a sword formation, buying time for himself to move away.

The phoenix egg hidden in his sleeve subtly shifted.

"Looking for death! Chase them!"

The yellow-faced demonic cultivator dispersed his demonic energy, blocking the sword formation and allowing his subordinates to chase after the scattered disciples. He himself persistently blocked Elder Xuan Ying's path.

Lin Zhizhi's speed was incredibly fast.

With wind and thunder intertwining, it was almost equivalent to teleportation as he rapidly moved westward.

However, the pursuers behind him were also formidable, Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivators who were a realm above him. Even though their speed technique might not be as refined as his, their profound spiritual power allowed them to closely follow him.

Lin Zhizhi led his pursuers on a circuitous route, running deep into the mountains and forests, but he couldn't shake them off. Over time, the Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator's depletion of spiritual energy was visibly less than his, gradually catching up to him.

Since he couldn't escape, then he would fight.

Crossing a major realm to fight, his master had done it in the past, so he could too!

The black-haired youth's killing intent resurfaced. He made a sudden decision, turning around abruptly. His sword light surged, sweeping over the pursuing demonic cultivator's body.

The demonic cultivator was caught off guard, but he was ultimately a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. A black shield floated in front of him, resisting the attack.

"Have you thought this through?" The demonic cultivator's eyes held a hint of mockery.

For demonic cultivators, every one of them had been tempered through life and death experiences. Those sheltered flowers were of no significance at all. They were always the ones to challenge human cultivators of higher realms; they had never encountered humans challenging them in return!

The person before him was truly overestimating his abilities.

Lin Zhizhi didn't reply. He gathered his strength and launched an attack. His figure moved like lightning, closing the distance to the demonic cultivator. His Blue Phoenix Immortal Sword's blue light flared, entangling with the demonic cultivator's long whip, creating a clash of golden and iron sounds.

The demonic cultivator's whip turned into a black light, causing even the air to explode, creating a strong gust of wind as it coiled around the young man's waist. With a palm strike, he aimed for the youth's chest.

Lin Zhizhi tripped him up, barely avoiding the attack and landing on the ground. His Blue Phoenix Immortal Sword transformed into a chain of lightning, firmly binding the demonic cultivator on the ground.

The demonic cultivator's palm struck the ground, producing a resounding bang. The area trapped by the lightning chain emitted a sizzling sound, as if the body was being corroded.

"Power of Heavenly Thunder..." The demonic cultivator licked his lips. Though in pain, his words carried a sense of relief.

With his utterance, a strong wind rose, darkness expanded, and a massive black hand emerged, capturing Lin Zhizhi who was within arm's reach.

Surprisingly, the demonic cultivator had used himself as bait to lure Lin Zhizhi closer.

"Seeing my Devouring Heaven Demon Art, you've met a fitting end." The demonic cultivator said triumphantly. In the next moment, his mouth opened wide, exceeding the limits of a human's anatomy, forming a powerful suction force, trying to draw Lin Zhizhi inside as nourishment.

The leaves around them shook, all being drawn into the massive mouth.

Closing his eyes, Lin Zhizhi detached his spiritual consciousness, fiercely colliding with the demonic cultivator's. Mental struggle was extremely dangerous; a single misstep could leave one incapacitated. Although he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, his special experiences, coupled with the tempering of the whirlpool, had enhanced his spiritual consciousness to a greater extent than the average Foundation Establishment cultivator. A single blow hit the demonic cultivator unexpectedly.

The massive hand collapsed with a roar. Lin Zhizhi retrieved the Yin Ghost Sail from his Qiankun Ring, awakening the dormant spirit, which enveloped the demonic cultivator.

These kinds of attacks involving spiritual consciousness caused the demonic cultivator to be momentarily bewildered, but he soon broke free from the Yin Ghost Sail's restraint. Lin Zhizhi was well aware that this technique wouldn't be very effective against him, but even a small effect was better than none. Without hesitation, within those three seconds, he infused lightning into his fist, launching an attack that broke through the demonic cultivator's chest.

The Blue Phoenix Immortal Sword followed his intent, descending like a streak of light, piercing through the back of the demonic cultivator's heart.

The demonic cultivator groaned, spitting out blood. His black aura receded, and a whip pierced through Lin Zhizhi's abdomen, drenching him in blood.

Lin Zhizhi's eyes remained unwavering. He knew the demonic cultivator's cultivation surpassed his own. If he fought conservatively, he would undoubtedly be worn down. Only an all-out attack at the cost of his own life could grant him a chance.

The demonic cultivator's body knelt to the ground, and vortexes suddenly appeared, shooting out one by one.

Lin Zhizhi furrowed his brows. He felt these vortexes were absorbing his spiritual energy. In just a moment, he had already lost a bit of it.

The spirit bird flapped its wings, each touch carrying immense force when connecting with the demonic cultivator. The deep blue lightning snake drilled into the vortexes, its dark blue radiance clashing with the surroundings. The Blue Phoenix Immortal Sword transformed into a pillar of light in the sky, descending with the increasing thunder power. The vortexes couldn't resist any longer and gradually dissipated from the demonic cultivator's body. The sword tip of the Blue Phoenix Immortal Sword stopped at his heart, ready to end his life.

"What kind of sword technique is this?" The Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator, clutching his chest, croaked in a raspy voice.

"... A basic sword technique." Lin Zhizhi's chest heaved, enduring the pain as he answered.

"What kind of secret sword technique is this? Are you humiliating me like this?" The demonic cultivator's face was twisted with humiliation.

No one would believe that a basic sword technique had defeated him! Although the demonic clan didn't have this technique, just hearing the name made it clear it was a low-level skill—how could it not be called something like "Divine Slaying Sword Technique"?

Using names as an analogy, even if a divine immortal was named "Li Dog Egg," could they really be considered divine immortals?

"... Believe it or not." Lin Zhizhi didn't think he had the obligation to explain to the demonic cultivator.

His experience was unique, and in the true sense, he had only practiced basic sword techniques up until now. Xuan Hua had left before his Foundation Establishment, leaving behind an extremely cryptic sword technique. Lin Zhizhi couldn't fully comprehend it on his own and hadn't truly mastered it.

Although Lin Zhizhi exerted force on the sword tip of the Blue Phoenix Immortal Sword, it didn't pierce through the demonic cultivator's chest as he intended. Another force shield protected the man.

"Well, what an entertaining show. Luo Qi, a human from a realm lower than yours, managed to defeat you?" A male voice rang out, suddenly altering the situation on the field.

"Hmph, spare me your blabbering and come help me quickly."

Lin Zhizhi tightly gripped the Blue Phoenix Immortal Sword, sensing the situation turning dire.

Crossing realms to challenge and defeating a Foundation Establishment cultivator by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator was already an achievement worthy of a lifetime. If this could be spread, who knows how much prestige it could add to Lin Zhizhi's name.

However, the appearance of a helper later had already pronounced Lin Zhizhi's death sentence.

Shockingly, it was another Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator. No matter how much of a genius he was, he could never defeat the opponent again while heavily injured.

When a Nascent Soul cultivator didn't wish to fight to the death and only sought to escape, the likelihood of killing them wasn't high.

After Elder Xuan Ying left the range of the True Immortal Blood, it effectively marked the end of the demonic clan's sudden attack.

Despite his failed attempt, a Nascent Soul elder wasn't something to be feared. As long as the "person" the Demon Lord wanted was still present.

If he could achieve the Demon Lord's goal before those humans received the message and came to investigate, perhaps there would still be a slight chance for his survival, given the Demon Lord's disposition.

The yellow-faced demonic cultivator gazed into the distance, dispersed his spiritual sense, and moved his lips, seemingly transmitting something to someone.

At this moment, the injured Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator exchanged glances with his companion and engaged in a conversation, completely ignoring the black-haired youth still lying on the ground. It seemed a dispute had arisen between the two: "I came specifically to help you. Isn't one bottle of Blood Refining Elixir enough?"

"For such a precious treasure, how many more do you want? Let me tell you, I only have three bottles left."

"Is the elixir more important, or your life?"

"..."

This was a loophole.

Lin Zhizhi wiped away the blood on his face, leaped into the air, and used the remnants of his spiritual power to control his sword, flying in the opposite direction of the two.

This might be his last chance.

Even though his meridians throbbed with pain, Lin Zhizhi could only take out an elixir from his Qiankun Ring and consume it, hoping to replenish some of his expended spiritual power.

Just hold on a bit longer...

The two demonic cultivators leisurely followed behind him, like cats toying with a mouse, enjoying the anticipation of their imminent confrontation. They didn't rush forward, even though the black-haired youth ahead was on the verge of exhaustion.

They seemed more like they were compelling him to go somewhere.

Somewhere that could fulfill their objectives.

When Lin Zhizhi landed on the ground once more, he was already at the point of complete spiritual exhaustion, having used up his elixirs.

The Blue Phoenix Immortal Sword hovered in mid-air as the black-haired youth fell to the ground, struggling to prop himself up and continue forward.

He entered a cave, pitch-dark and unfamiliar, forging ahead.

The two demonic cultivators followed Lin Zhizhi at a leisurely pace, taunting him, "Don't run. If you surrender, we might spare your life."

"Take a closer look; you're not bad-looking either."

"Isn't it more than just not bad? Among the girls I've seen, none are as good-looking as him!"

In their conversation, they were already discussing how to deal with Lin Zhizhi once captured.

Lin Zhizhi covered his abdominal wound, stumbling forward.

After a few turns, his eyes finally brightened once again. At the end of the cave was an ancient teleportation array.

Ancient teleportation arrays were very risky. Over time, no one knew if the array patterns were still functional. There were cases where people used ancient teleportation arrays, only to have their heads sent elsewhere while their bodies remained, an extremely dangerous situation. But Lin Zhizhi had no other options.

If he could activate it...

Lin Zhizhi held a premium spirit stone from his Qiankun Ring, leaped into the air, and embedded it into the eye of the ancient teleportation array.

Dust flew, and the ancient array patterns on the teleportation array dimly lit up.

In the next second, Lin Zhizhi disappeared from his original spot.

The two demonic cultivators roared, their speed increasing dramatically. A punch struck the eye of the ancient teleportation array. However, by that time, the youth's figure had already vanished, and his punch shattered the teleportation array, damaging the array further.