Chapter 334: The Plan in Motion
The [Phantomless 2.0] Long Blade had barely tipped over before it turned into a flowing liquid and retracted back into Luo Wusheng's hand.
From start to finish, this attack was nothing more than a feint.
The rapid transformation and retraction of the [Phantomless 2.0] Artifact, without any loss or depletion of its precious uses, ensured that it remained intact.
And yet, Luo Wusheng had already achieved his goal.
No—perhaps it should be said that he had overachieved?
Watching the black pot in midair shrink back to its ordinary size and fly toward a certain Nascent Soul elder behind him, even Luo Wusheng was momentarily stunned.
He recalled the words of his junior sister when she had devised the plan within the Antediluvian Nether Eye Space.
The first step of the plan, the key to everything, was that peculiar large black pot.
"Through the transformations of that pot artifact, I've now confirmed that it's anything but simple."
"According to the records in the Heavenly Gate Treasure Manual, it once belonged to the Ancient Heavenly Gate's Kitchen Immortal. It is a mystical Artifact infused with Daoist principles at the level of laws— Unfortunately, its current owner doesn't seem to know how to wield it properly and merely uses it as a blunt weapon to smash people."
"To truly activate this Artifact, two conditions must be met. One is to obtain an ingredient rare enough to make an exceptional dish, and the other is—"
Hmm… making the target of its effect a massive scapegoat, an ultimate bearer of blame.
Well, that certainly fits the image of a black pot.
With this unique property in mind, and seeing how the black pot had weakened the chicken Netherkin so drastically, the first step of the plan had taken shape.
The chicken Netherkin had already fulfilled both conditions, but it wasn't quite enough.
To reduce its strength to a level where its defeat was guaranteed, the black pot had to push even further.
Thus, the events that had just unfolded were set into motion.
Luo Wusheng had seemed to be engaging in conversation with the chicken Netherkin, causing it to let its guard down, while secretly transmitting messages to the Nascent Souls behind him.
His dear junior sister had crafted an almost flawless narrative, and since he had just saved them, trust in him skyrocketed. This, combined with the ambiguous wording of his statements directed at the chicken Netherkin, created a perception gap between both sides.
To these Nascent Soul cultivators of Sword Province, the Demon Sect's Holy Saint had long been aware of the Netherkin Race's schemes. After dealing with the first Soulblade Specter in Sword Province, he had discovered abnormalities and confirmed the existence of the chicken Netherkin, confronting it before they even arrived.
With this, the black pot on the chicken Netherkin's back was thoroughly solidified—both metaphorically and literally.
Yet, the black pot Artifact's effects went far beyond Luo Wusheng's expectations.
He had only intended to further weaken the chicken Netherkin's strength. That alone would have been a success. But he hadn't anticipated that the pot would be even more effective, directly extracting something within the chicken Netherkin that was connected to the Ancient Phoenix Netherkin!
(As I thought… this chicken Netherkin's power is also related to the Ancient Phoenix Netherkin…)
No wonder the chicken Netherkin's abilities and spells so frequently took the form of an ancient phoenix. No wonder he had sensed a similar aura to the Ancient Phoenix Essence from its fake body earlier.
Feeling the stirrings of the Ancient Phoenix Essence, which he had begun refining, Luo Wusheng sighed inwardly.
(If that's the case, then the so-called legend of Xiaofeng Mountain becomes even more suspicious…)
His thoughts briefly gathered before he refocused.
So far, everything was going smoothly. From his initial calculated posture that had sown doubt in the chicken Netherkin's mind to this unexpectedly perfect conclusion, nothing had gone awry.
Now then…
"Demon Sect's Holy Saint!!!"
Seeing the black pot return to its normal size and drift away with a faint trace of blood-colored energy, Manager Ji's eyes burned with rage.
The Ancient Phoenix Essence…
The essence it had braved countless hardships, racing under the stars, to obtain from the Abyss of the Fallen Phoenix…
The essence that had allowed it to defy fate, elevating its mere chicken Netherkin bloodline to its current power…
Did it just get taken away so easily… by a broken pot?
And not only that—it had only taken away the Ancient Phoenix Essence, leaving behind the corruption within its own body!
Manager Ji wanted to stop all of this from happening, but its aura was already becoming dangerously unstable.
The dark blood-colored nether energy that once coiled around its body was now shifting toward a purely dark hue. Its once-plump, towering comb was beginning to shrink, and the forked spiritual tails behind it were subtly retracting.
Faced with this sudden and uncontrollable change, all it could do was desperately attempt to stabilize its nether energy while unleashing its fury in helpless rage.
"What did you do? What the hell did you do?!"
"You—"
However, its hysterical roar was abruptly cut off.
Because, right in front of it, the Demon Sect's Holy Saint had taken something out.
A small, blood-colored seed.
It radiated an aura that Manager Ji knew all too well—so pure, so refined, yet strangely unfamiliar.
Ancient Phoenix Essence?!
The same aura it had sensed earlier from this Demon Sect's Holy Saint, the one that had stirred its own spiritual energy—was actually the Ancient Phoenix Essence?!
Manager Ji felt as if the world had gone insane.
And then, before its very eyes, the blood-colored Ancient Phoenix Essence that had been sucked into the black pot suddenly responded as if summoned.
It rose into the air—
—then wrapped itself around the blood-colored seed and swiftly merged into it.
The crimson in Manager Ji's eyes deepened.
It knew that if this situation continued, its cultivation would inevitably regress. Worse still, it would suffer endless torment from the lingering corruption, making any future progress utterly hopeless.
But—if it could obtain that Ancient Phoenix Essence…
Elder? No—if it could claim it, there was a chance it could become the Netherking!
The rapid series of shocks left no room for any other thoughts.
There was only one thing left in its mind—
No matter what, that Ancient Phoenix Essence must be mine!
Pitch-black nether energy surged violently around its body.
It was ready to risk everything.
The sinister black energy could temporarily stabilize its realm, preventing a significant drop in power.
But this was like drinking poison to quench thirst—the backlash later would be severe.
(If I can seize the Ancient Phoenix Essence, any backlash is worth it!)
As frantic thoughts raced through its mind, Luo Wusheng's figure suddenly began merging with the shadowy eye projection behind him, turning ethereal.
The blackened chicken Netherkin reacted instinctively, immediately retracting its demonic form and reverting to a more compact size—then, like a streak of black lightning, it shot forward in pursuit.
It knew—
That Demon Sect's Holy Saint was about to enter the Antediluvian Nether Eye again.
He had been maintaining his connection to it the entire time, ensuring that he could slip inside whenever needed.
But he was too naive.
This was a Netherkin Race Artifact—for a high-ranking Netherkin like itself, entering it would be a trivial matter!
In the very next instant, both it and Luo Wusheng vanished together.
Outside Xiaofeng Mountain, only a group of severely wounded Nascent Soul cultivators and low-ranking outer disciples remained—staring at each other in stunned silence.
Their minds still hadn't fully processed everything that had just transpired…
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
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