The Wind Cloud Cult Master was silently clicking his tongue at this moment.
The reason he hadn't launched an attack from the start was his wariness of the Glazed King City having the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird stationed there. Of course, what he was most worried about, in truth, were the warriors of the Giant Stone Clan.
Yet now, the warriors of the Giant Stone Clan had failed to appear. What had shown up instead was the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird.
For a moment, the Wind Cloud Cult Master was both shocked and suspicious.
What shocked him was this: the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird's life cycle was clearly in its final stage and it could collapse and die at any moment. Why was it still deploying its divine might with such reckless disregard for its own life? Wasn't this just hastening its own death?
What made him suspicious was: could it be that the warriors of the Giant Stone Clan had all gone with Jiang Chen to the Nine Sun Heavenly Sect? Were they not here? If that was the case, then the odds of his plan to send Elder Mo and Elder Peng to ambush Jiang Chen were not particularly favorable either. After all, the warriors of the Giant Stone Clan numbered eight brothers.
Although the eight brothers hadn't recovered their full strength and their individual combat power didn't even match Elder Mo or Elder Peng, eight against two still gave them a clear advantage.
Even with a surprise attack, the success rate wouldn't be high.
"I can only hope the Wind Cloud Soul-Scattering Powder does the job and we take him down in one stroke!" The Wind Cloud Cult Master was beginning to regret having sent both Elder Peng and Elder Mo away. If he'd kept even one of the two elders behind, he wouldn't be so stretched thin that he'd need to fight personally.
"Scarlet Phoenix, with your ancient remnant body, there are so many better things you could be doing—yet you choose to serve these lowly humans of the Human Territory? Don't you think this is a tremendous insult to your ancient divine beast bloodline?"
The Wind Cloud Cult Master tried to reason with it and appeal to its emotions.
The Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird couldn't speak the human language—it only knew the ancient beast tongue. Although it understood what the Wind Cloud Cult Master meant, it paid no heed whatsoever.
Logically speaking, as an ancient divine bird with a noble bloodline, the current strength of the humans in the Human Territory was truly not worthy of its protection.
But deep within the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird's heart, a firm voice kept telling it that Glazed King City was worth protecting—worth fighting for with everything it had.
There was only one reason: because Glazed King City had Jiang Chen!
This young man was someone the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird couldn't see through, but it had a premonition that perhaps this young man could bring it a turning point—a stroke of fortune.
This was the instinct of an ancient divine beast.
And so, the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird dismissed the Wind Cloud Cult Master's words with utter contempt.
It was an ancient divine bird, vastly experienced and iron-willed. How could it be so easily rattled by a few words from this Wind Cloud Cult Master?
Seeing that the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird remained unmoved, a trace of anxiety stirred in the Wind Cloud Cult Master's heart. He was a Heavenly Position powerhouse, true enough, but this was an ancient divine beast. At its peak, he wouldn't have been able to withstand even a single exchange with it.
If the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird were to face death fearlessly and burn the last remnants of its life essence to fight him, the outcome was truly hard to predict.
After all, facing an ancient divine bird, he didn't have all that much confidence.
"Senior Scarlet Phoenix, working yourself to the bone for Glazed King City really isn't worth it. This Cult Master believes that cooperating with me would be the smarter choice."
The Wind Cloud Cult Master continued his persuasion: "This Cult Master can see that your life cycle is already approaching its end. If you don't find a suitable place to complete your life rebirth in time, your remaining lifespan won't exceed a hundred years."
This Wind Cloud Cult Master truly lived up to his origin from the Myriad Abyss Island—he actually knew quite a bit about the characteristics of the Scarlet Phoenix race.
These words carried considerable weight.
The Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird's Dao Heart wavered ever so slightly. However, it quickly realized that the creature standing before it was not an honest or upright being—words from someone like that were not necessarily trustworthy.
Sure enough, the Wind Cloud Cult Master continued: "Senior Scarlet Phoenix, this Human Territory has damaged spirit veins and barren land—it is completely unsuitable for your flame rebirth. I know of a place that is absolutely perfect for your rebirth through fire. Moreover, this Cult Master can take you there personally. No problem at all."
It had to be said, this fellow had a silver tongue, and his words were extremely persuasive.
The Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird let out a sharp cry, its divine might surging rather than diminishing.
Clearly, the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird could also see that while this man spoke with apparent sincerity, he was not someone to be trusted. Even if what he said was true, what awaited it might be enslavement—becoming his contracted beast.
The Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird could tell that this man's desire to dominate was overwhelming, his hunger for conquest extreme. Cooperating with someone like this would be nothing less than trying to skin a tiger for its hide.
"Jiang Chen, oh Jiang Chen, this spirit is barely holding on here. If you don't hurry back in time, the best I can do is bluff this Wind Cloud Cult Master for you. If a real battle breaks out, my life energy probably won't be enough to sustain a major fight..." Though the Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird's Dao Heart remained firm and it was not swayed by the Wind Cloud Cult Master's persuasion, it knew full well that at best, it could only intimidate him.
If it truly had to fight, its physical condition would not be sufficient to sustain such a battle.
……
Along the border between Glazed King City and the Nine Sun Heavenly Sect, Gold-Munching Mice were continuously relaying messages.
"Young Master, just as expected, a group of powerful cultivators are lying in ambush at a key passage along the border. Among them, two are especially terrifying presences. My descendants don't even dare to approach. Within a ten-li radius, not a single living creature that gets close comes out alive."
The Gold-Munching Mouse King kept transmitting intelligence to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen, at this moment, was traveling light with the eight brothers of the Giant Stone Clan—nine people in total—and had already reached the border region.
Before receiving accurate intelligence from the Gold-Munching Mouse clan, they had been holding their position, making no moves.