From the fake emperor to the concubine

“A wise choice,” Bloodhawk sneered. “But even if they don’t come up, you won’t last much longer.”

With that, she launched another attack.

"Blood Feather Thousand Blades!"

Countless crimson feathers shot out from her body, each one gleaming with a sharp light, densely packed towards Zheng Tianming.

Zheng Tianming barely managed to swing his sword to defend, but there were simply too many Blood Feathers to defend against.

Soon, several more bloody marks appeared on his body.

"Damn it!" Zheng Tianming was extremely anxious.

This surprise attack was completely unexpected. What was supposed to be a routine patrol turned into an encounter with such a powerful enemy.

What worried him even more was that this Blood Eagle was clearly not acting alone. Not far away, other powerful auras were active, likely part of a larger group tasked with surrounding and eliminating them.

"Second Master!"

The cries for help from the tribespeople could be heard in the distance.

Zheng Tianming's heart sank, knowing that the battle situation in other places was not optimistic either.

"What? Worried about your people?" Blood Eagle seemed to see through his thoughts. "Don't worry, they'll come to join you soon."

"Who exactly are you people?" Zheng Tianming asked through gritted teeth.

"Still talking so much even when you're about to die," Blood Eagle said impatiently. "But I might as well tell you, we're here on Qi Yang's orders to get rid of you eyesores."

"Qiyang?" Zheng Tianming's pupils contracted. "The Demon Heart Sect?"

"Looks like you're not entirely stupid after all," Blood Eagle sneered. "That's right, Qi Yang is our partner now."

Hearing this, Zheng Tianming was even more shocked.

When did the Demon Heart Sect acquire an ally of this caliber? The Blood Eagle's strength is definitely beyond what the Demon Heart Sect could cultivate.

"Alright, that's the end of the chat." Bloodhawk lost his patience. "Prepare to die!"

"A sea of ​​blood raged to the heavens!"

She spread her wings, and countless crimson energies erupted from her body, instantly turning the entire valley blood red.

In this sea of ​​blood, Zheng Tianming felt his movements become sluggish and his spiritual energy circulation was greatly hindered.

"This is a domain?" Zheng Tianming exclaimed in surprise.

Only cultivators at the Golden Core stage or above can cast domains, and within a domain, the caster is virtually invincible.

"Now you're scared? Too late!" Blood Eagle grinned as it swooped down, its sharp claws aimed straight for Zheng Tianming's throat.

Just at this critical moment, a sword light flew from afar, just in time to block the Blood Eagle's attack.

"Who?" Blood Eagle took a few steps back, looking warily in the direction from which the sword light came from.

"Zheng Hui from the Zheng family has come to provide support!"

Zheng Hui arrived from afar on his flying sword, but he was also in bad shape, bearing injuries as well.

"Hui'er, what are you doing here?" Zheng Tianming asked in surprise.

"Second Uncle, the clan chief sent us to split up, but we all encountered formidable enemies," Zheng Hui said with a wry smile. "My situation is also not optimistic."

"Another one coming to die," Blood Eagle said disdainfully. "Since you're in such a hurry to die, then I'll grant your wish!"

Her aura surged again, clearly indicating that she was about to get serious.

Faced with the threat of Blood Eagle, Zheng Tianming and Zheng Hui stood back to back, ready for a desperate battle.

But both of them knew very well that with their strength, they were no match for Blood Eagle.

Just then, the sounds of fierce fighting came from the other side of the valley.

There, another battle, with vastly unequal strength, was also taking place.

The Black Dragon Hall Master transformed into a cloud of black mist and relentlessly attacked several disciples of the Southern Mountain Sect.

These disciples of the Nanshan Sect were allies of the Zheng family and were all quite powerful, but they still suffered repeated defeats when faced with an existence like the Black Flood Dragon.

"Damn poisonous fog!" an elder of the Nanshan Sect gritted his teeth. "What kind of monster is this?"

The black dragon's poisonous mist not only corrodes spiritual energy but also affects the sanity of cultivators. Even cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage find it difficult to remain conscious within the poisonous mist.

"Don't scatter! Stay together!" shouted the elder of the Nanshan Sect.

But it was too late; the disciples had already lost their ability to move due to the poisonous fog.

"Hehehe," the black dragon let out a chilling laugh. "Human cultivators, is this all you've got? You truly disappoint me."

"Who exactly are you, you monster?!" the elder of the Nanshan Sect roared.

"A monster?" the black dragon sneered. "I am the Black Dragon, the leader of the demon clan, here specifically to take the lives of you human cultivators!"

"Demon race?" Everyone present was shocked upon hearing this word.

Why would the demon race interfere in the human race's conflicts? And with such a high-level demon expert at that?
"Impossible! How could the demon race cooperate with the Demon Heart Sect?" The elder of the Nanshan Sect exclaimed in disbelief.

“Nothing is impossible,” the black dragon said sinisterly. “As long as there are enough benefits, any kind of cooperation is possible.”

"And you are the victims of this collaboration!"

After he finished speaking, the concentration of the black dragon's poisonous mist increased again, making the situation even more dangerous for the Nanshan Sect members.

Meanwhile, further afield, several other allied teams of the Zheng family also suffered similar attacks.

These attacks came suddenly and fiercely, and were clearly well-planned.

What's even more terrifying is that the enemy's strength far exceeds expectations, making them simply beyond their ability to contend with.

"Chieftain, the situation is dire!"

Inside the Zheng family mansion, the clansman in charge of liaison rushed into the council hall, his face pale, to report to the leader.

"What's wrong?" Zheng Tianhao asked immediately.

"Several teams we sent out were attacked, and the enemy is very strong; our men are no match for them!"

"What?!" Zheng Tianhao's expression changed drastically. "Who is the enemy?"

"According to the news that has been relayed back, they seem to be from the Demon Heart Sect. However, their strength has increased significantly compared to before, and they are also cooperating with some unidentified experts."

Zheng Tianhao's heart sank to the bottom.

He dispatched these troops to solidify relations with allies and, incidentally, to deter any restless forces.

Unexpectedly, these teams encountered such a strong counterattack.

"How are Second Uncle and the others?" Zheng Tianhao asked anxiously.

"Second Master Zheng has encountered an extremely powerful female cultivator, and the situation is very dangerous. Elder Zheng Hui has already gone to provide support, but..." The clansman hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

“But what?”

"But judging from the information that came back, that female cultivator's strength is at least at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Even if Second Master Zheng and Elder Zheng Hui joined forces, they might not be a match for her."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Tianhao could no longer sit still.

"Prepare the troops, I will personally go to provide support!" he immediately ordered.

"Chieftain, you mustn't!" an elder hurriedly stopped him. "The situation is unclear. If you act rashly, you might fall into the enemy's trap!" "Then what do you suggest?" Zheng Tianhao roared. "Are we just going to watch our clansmen and allies be slaughtered?"

"Clan leader, we need to first ascertain the enemy's true identity and strength," the elder analyzed. "If, as the report states, the enemy has Golden Core cultivators, then we must proceed with extreme caution."

Although Zheng Tianhao was anxious, he knew that the elder was right.

Acting rashly would not only fail to save lives, but could also plunge the Zheng family into an even greater crisis.

"Immediately dispatch the fastest flying sword to contact the Ancestor!" Zheng Tianhao finally decided. "Only with the Ancestor's intervention can the situation be turned around!"

But just then, another piece of bad news arrived.

"Clan leader! Something terrible has happened!" A clansman rushed in, flustered. "Young Master Zheng Chengbai has gone missing!"

"What?!" Zheng Tianhao was struck dumb. "How could Cheng Bai have disappeared?"

"Young Master Zheng Chengbai was ordered by you to monitor the Blood Fiend Sect three days ago, but we haven't received any news yet. We sent people to investigate and found signs of a battle, but we couldn't find any trace of the Young Master."

This news completely threw Zheng Tianhao into a panic.

Zheng Chengbai is the most outstanding among the younger generation of the Zheng family, and also a descendant deeply loved by the patriarch. If anything were to happen to him, it would be a huge loss for the Zheng family.

"Immediately dispatch all available personnel to search for Cheng Bai's whereabouts!" Zheng Tianhao urgently ordered.

"Yes!"

As one piece of bad news after another arrived, the atmosphere in the Zheng family became extremely heavy.

The tribesmen, who were once in high spirits, now hung their heads, their faces filled with worry and fear.

"How could this be?" a tribesman muttered to himself. "Weren't we already very strong? Why are we still so passive?"

"Who exactly is the enemy? How did they suddenly become so strong?"

"I hope Young Master Zheng Chengbai won't be in trouble. He's the hope of our Zheng family."

Faced with the worries and questions of his people, Zheng Tianhao also felt unprecedented pressure.

As the clan leader, he had to remain calm, but deep down, he was more anxious than anyone else.

"Chieftain, what should we do?" an elder asked.

Zheng Tianhao remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Pass down the order: all outgoing troops must immediately retreat, and the Zheng family must enter a state of full defense."

"And what about our allies?"

"Save them if you can, don't force it if you can't," Zheng Tianhao said through gritted teeth. "The most important thing now is to preserve the Zheng family's strength."

Although he felt guilty about making such a decision, as the clan leader, he had to be responsible for the safety of the entire clan.

Just as the Zheng family was in a slump, the battle in Qingshan Valley was also reaching its most critical moment.

Even with Zheng Tianming and Zheng Hui joining forces, they were still no match for Blood Eagle.

Blood Eagle was incredibly strong and had an extremely rich combat experience. She seemed to be toying with the two of them, stopping at the crucial moment each time to prevent them from dying too quickly.

"Human cultivators, with such meager strength, you dare to oppose our demon race?" Blood Eagle said sneer. "Truly overestimating yourselves."

"The demon race!" Zheng Tianming gritted his teeth. "Haven't you demons always refrained from interfering in human affairs? Why are you helping the Demon Heart Sect?"

"Help?" Blood Eagle sneered. "You've got it wrong. It's not us helping the Demon Heart Sect; it's the Demon Heart Sect working for us."

"What do you mean?" Zheng Tianming's heart sank.

"It means that your human race is about to usher in a new era," Blood Eagle said smugly, "an era dominated by our demon race!"

Upon hearing this, both Zheng Tianming and Zheng Hui felt a deep sense of fear.

If the demon race were to truly interfere in the human world, it would be a disaster for the entire cultivation world.

“Alright, the game is over.” Bloodhawk lost his patience. “It’s time to send you on your way.”

Her murderous intent suddenly surged, clearly indicating that she was preparing to kill.

Faced with the threat of death, Zheng Tianming and Zheng Hui were afraid, but neither of them backed down.

As members of the Zheng family, they would rather die than submit to the enemy.

"Come on!" Zheng Tianming gripped his sword tightly. "Even if I die, I'll bite off a piece of your flesh!"

“Well said!” Bloodhawk sneered. “Then I’ll grant your wish!”

Just as Blood Eagle was preparing to launch its final attack, a clear voice suddenly rang out from the sky:

"stop!"

As the sound rang out, a sword light descended from the sky, heading straight for Blood Eagle.

This sword light was extremely fast and contained astonishing power, which even Blood Eagle dared not underestimate.

"Who goes there?" Blood Eagle hurriedly retreated, avoiding the attack.

The sword light landed, revealing a young figure.

"Yunfan?" Zheng Tianming and Zheng Hui exclaimed in surprise.

"Second Uncle, Brother Hui, I'm late." Zhang Yunfan gripped the Void-Breaking Sword, his gaze coldly fixed on Blood Eagle.

Although he was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, the aura emanating from him actually made Blood Eagle feel a bit of pressure.

"Interesting, another one who's courting death," Blood Eagle sneered. "But this one does have some strength."

"Is that so?" Zhang Yunfan said calmly, "Then I'll show you what true strength is!"

After saying that, he raised the Void-Breaking Sword, and the blade began to shimmer with brilliant light.

Blood Eagle looked at the young man in front of him, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Although Zhang Yunfan was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, the aura emanating from him gave her an indescribable sense of danger.

"Interesting. A mere Foundation Establishment stage junior dares to show killing intent towards me," Blood Eagle sneered. "It seems you're quite confident in your strength."

"Confidence?" Zhang Yunfan smiled faintly. "There's no need for confidence when dealing with someone like you."

"Arrogant!" Blood Eagle roared. "Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly spread her blood-red wings and charged towards Zhang Yunfan like an arrow released from a bow.

The sharp claws, gleaming with blood, aimed straight for Zhang Yunfan's throat.

Zhang Yunfan's expression remained unchanged. He gently twirled the Void-Breaking Sword in his hand, and a dazzling silver light burst forth from its blade.

"Ding!"

The sword clashed with the claws, producing a crisp metallic clang.

To Blood Eagle's shock, her prized claws failed to break through the opponent's sword strike; instead, she was forced back several steps by a strange force.

"This sword is extraordinary!" Blood Eagle thought to himself in surprise.

Her claws were specially tempered, making them as hard as high-grade magic weapons. Anything that could block her attacks head-on would have to be at least a mid-grade spiritual weapon.

"It seems your judgment is quite good." Zhang Yunfan stood with his sword raised. "This Void-Breaking Sword was left to me by my master. It's more than enough to kill you."

"Master?" Blood Eagle's heart skipped a beat. "Who is your master?"

"You can guess when you're in hell." Zhang Yunfan, unwilling to say more, launched the attack. (End of Chapter)