The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

"A Nightmare?" Chen Dong finally realized. 'I should have guessed this ages ago, but I never considered that Meng Yingluo had dual souls—one human and one demon.'

Besides, the Nightmare Race was exceedingly rare, almost to the point of extinction. They were a high-ranking lineage of the Demon Race, but because they had never appeared in the great war between the Human and Demon Races, the thought hadn't occurred to Chen Dong.

"Yes. I imagine you know something about us; the Cyan Sky Sect has a few records. Liu Ling is willing to help me because my Nightmare Race strongly advocates for the coexistence of the Human and Demon Races."

Chen Dong's senses 'looked' toward Zisang Jin. 'Is this why Zisang Jin pretended not to notice?'

Meng Yingluo continued, "The dreams of the Human Race are the best food for our Nightmare Race. They provide better and richer emotions. To our Nightmare Race, the Demon Race is far less important than the Human Race!"

Chen Dong asked, confused, "I thought you fed on dreams? Why are you draining the cultivation of those two?"

Meng Yingluo replied, "I had no choice. Ying Luo is about to wake up, so I had to drain their cultivation to suppress her. In the current situation, it's much more advantageous for me to be the one in control!"

Chen Dong sent a voice transmission, "Forget it! If Zisang Jin isn't going to do anything, why should I?"

Meng Yingluo seemed slightly surprised. "Zisang Jin? No, she hasn't discovered me! Her injuries are much more severe than you imagine. From what I can see, she's probably been fighting non-stop for nearly a month. She was already injured when she saved us. And that last time, when she activated her Dao Essence, she not only consumed five hundred years of her lifespan but also severely damaged her vital energy!"

'Is that how she used up all her Top-Grade Spirit Stones? Otherwise, it's impossible that a Peak Master wouldn't even have any.'

Chen Dong frowned and asked, "How do you know that?"

Meng Yingluo looked to be only around twenty. Though he hadn't checked her bone age, she definitely wasn't old. 'How could her insight be so sharp?'

Meng Yingluo replied faintly, "We of the Nightmare Race retain the memories of our past lives after rebirth. If you count my past life, I am the oldest among you all. I have at least that much insight."

Chen Dong's heart lurched. At that moment, however, the warning array was triggered, startling everyone awake.

A chilling, ecstatic voice rang out, "Hehehehe, hahaha! To think you'd be here! I was just looking for a place to rest and stumbled upon you. Heaven is truly on my side!"

Yang Zhang, his red hair flying wildly, advanced step by step, his body wreathed in Dao Essence.

Everyone's expression grew grim; he had actually managed to track them here. Looking at the Dao Essence surrounding Yang Zhang, Chen Dong deduced how he'd done it. This Demon King could withstand the Sun's Divine Light. But from the looks of it, his condition wasn't good. 'Perhaps there's still a chance.'

The thought had barely formed in Chen Dong's mind.

"AAAAAHHHH~~!!!"

Yang Zhang let out a furious roar. A spectral ram the size of a small mountain manifested from his body, blazing with rage-fueled flames as it charged straight for the cave entrance!

The spectral ram was unstoppable, its power immense. The narrow mountain path was pulverized, kicking up clouds of dust and sending stone fragments flying.

The rock of Xuhua Mountain is mostly a single, solid mass. It's incredibly hard, which just showed the immense power of that flaming spectral ram.

Zisang Jin formed a sword seal with her fingers, and the Peach Blossom Divine Sword shot forward.

"I, a branch of peach blossom, bloom in fragrant splendor!"

With a flash of sword-light that painted the sky, the spectral ram stopped abruptly before shattering with a thunderous crash!

Zisang Jin staggered a step.

Yang Zhang's expression turned cold, his red hair flying wildly. "You can still fight? Let's see just how much strength you have left!"

Yang Zhang roared, "From rage it is born—the Dao of Sky-Scorching Flames!"

This time, Yang Zhang held nothing back. He immediately sacrificed two hundred years of his lifespan to directly fuel his Dao Essence. He knew that in a battle of Divine Techniques, he was no match for Zisang Jin's fragrant, peach-blossom Sword Intent. However, his Dao Essence countered hers, and when it came to a contest of longevity, what member of the Demon Race would ever flinch?

Here on Xuhua Mountain, they couldn't escape; none of them could withstand the Sun's Divine Light. Chen Dong's planning couldn't keep up. Their only option was to fight to the death!

The Dao Essence between Zisang Jin's brows lit up once more. Her body floated lightly into the air as another lock of her hair instantly turned white. But then, a peach blossom manifested in the air only to vanish in the next instant. Zisang Jin coughed up a mouthful of blood and plummeted toward the ground…

Chen Dong lunged and caught her.

"Hahaha! With your vital energy so heavily damaged, you still dared to wield your Dao Essence! You brought this on yourself!"

The sky-rending flames of rage blazed into the cave. An overwhelming fury surged through everyone, making them want to slaughter everyone around them—even themselves.

The first to succumb was the Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator from Jiang Hongqin's team. His eyes bulged and cracked, his body ignited, and he plunged a hand into his own chest, crushing his heart. In the next moment, his entire body was incinerated into nothingness.

Next were Zhang Tashan and Xu Fu. Their cultivation had been drained by Meng Yingluo, and they were already severely injured; they stood no chance against the emotions stirred up by the Dao Essence. Even Chen Dong felt the urge to claw the life out of Zisang Jin in his arms.

Just at that moment, Meng Yingluo let out a coquettish laugh. "Heh heh…" Amidst a faint wisp of demonic energy, everyone was jolted back to their senses.

But the flames didn't vanish. They converged on Chen Dong, intent on burning him to ashes, like a thousand fires searing a wick. If Meng Yingluo had been a second later in waking them, Chen Dong would have been incinerated.

The immediate danger was still immense. Chen Dong's pupils contracted. These flames, imbued with the laws of the Dao, were several times more powerful than his own Phoenix True Fire. He couldn't fight fire with fire. Instantly, he summoned a thousand rays of iridescent light to shield Zisang Jin and shouted under his breath, "Celestial Fire Fellowship!"

While protecting himself and Zisang Jin from being incinerated, he brought out the Phoenix True Feather. He held it before him, and it began to absorb the surrounding flames. The Celestial Fire Fellowship couldn't be maintained indefinitely; their only way out of this crisis was to clear the fire completely.

Yang Zhang's gaze locked onto the Phoenix True Feather. 'What kind of supreme treasure is that? It can actually absorb the law-infused flames born from my sacrifice of two hundred years of life! It must be an ultimate treasure of the fire element! If I can get my hands on it, my comprehension of Dao Essence will advance by leaps and bounds!'

'As long as I kill them and get that feather,' he mused, 'risking my life to chase them into the Xuhua Mountain Range and sacrificing all those years will have been worth it.'