Rise of the Demon God

It surprised the lady how strong this place was to survive that attack. There wasn’t even a single crack on the floor even after all this. All that could be seen was a scorching mark on the ground, which wasn’t hard to clean. 

”He is dead… A bit too soon, I suppose.” The Rainbow Phoenix sighed, looking at the mark on the ground. “Even the ashes weren’t left behind.”

”Your Majesty, I apologize for not being able to kill him. I’m highly regretful that you needed to get your hands dirty.”

”You are weak, but I can’t blame you this time. With what was inside that person, it’s not surprising that you weren’t able to kill him. In fact, I’m more surprised that I was able to. In any case, he’s gone forever. You can leave,” the Rainbow Phoenix replied. 

”Your Majesty, would you come with me to our realm now that the man is gone? We really would love to host you.”

”I’m not interested. You can leave.”

”But…”

”No buts. I told you I’m not coming. I have some things to do here now that I’m here. I don’t have time,” the Rainbow Phoenix responded lazily as she sat on her throne comfortably.

”It’s alright. I can wait for you to be done. We can go when you finish. The Phoenix Realm will wait for us.”

The Rainbow Phoenix raised her gaze. Her brows furrowed as she observed the fawning expressions on the face of the young girl. The girl seemed like she really wasn’t going to leave without taking her. 

”Tell me one thing,” the woman asked, letting out a deep sigh. 

”Yes. You can ask me anything.”

”I want only one question. Why do you want to take me with you? Is it truly because you want to host me since you respect me? Or is it because you want the glory that will come with you being the one who supposedly found me?” The Rainbow Phoenix asked. 

”Remember, don’t try to lie. I don’t like people who lie.”

”I… I will be honest.”

” It’s a little bit of both. I genuinely want you to be a guest in our realm, but I also want the prestige that will come with it. As you might’ve noticed, I’m not the daughter of the Phoenix Queen.”

”The Princess gets to go on all the missions and gets all the praise as the heir while I don’t even get an opportunity to prove myself. I’m always standing in the background, watching what I could’ve done if I had the opportunity.”

”This is the first time I was given a mission, and that too because the Princess wasn’t available. It’s the only opportunity I’ll ever get to prove myself, and I don’t want to fail.”

”So Your Majesty, please…” Xie Min sat on her knees, bowing her head before the Rainbow Phoenix.  “Please come with me. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

”Alright. Since you’ve tried to help me, I’ll consider your plea. After I’m done here, I might think about coming with you. But first, I need to find him…”

”Him?” Xie Min’s lips opened slightly in curiosity. “May I know who you’re looking for? I might be able to help you.”

”You? If you all couldn’t find me, finding him would be impossible. You can’t help me. As for who he is, you don’t need to know. Just know that he’s the most special person to me.”

Xie Min was even more surprised as she saw the shine in the eyes of the rainbow phoenix as she talked above that mysterious person. It was as if she was only filled with love and devotion for this person. 

’Who could he be? Someone who can make an Ancestral Beast think so fondly of them? Wait, the small cat creature… Wasn’t that an Ancestral Beast, too, according to Her Majesty? He was with a human as well.’

’Could it be that she’s also looking for a human? If that’s the case, there might be a way to help her.’

”Your Majesty, if it’s a human you’re looking for, I know some people who can help you find him. We can definitely help you.”

”Heh, you can’t. He’s not someone who would be that easy to find. Even I can’t sense him. The last time I sensed him was a long time ago, probably when he woke up from his slumber. Since then, his aura disappeared.”

”That’s why I came here… To get something that can help me in finding him.’

”Don’t give up. I promise you, with the combined effort and ours, we can find that person. In any case, you will need someone to help you search this vast universe. And who else better than the Phoenixes to do that!” Xie Min exclaimed, feeling like she could use this to bring the Rainbow Phoenix back.

”We also share good relations with the other Godly Beast Clans. We can take their help as well.”

Hearing the alluring words of Xie Min, the Rainbow Phoenix found herself lost in thoughts. This offer seemed good indeed, no matter how unlikely it was that these people could help him. 

”As I said, I will think about your offer. But I’ll only think about it after I’m done here.”

”I will wait for your decision, no matter how long it takes. I am sure in the end you’ll come with me.”

As Xie Min talked, she felt really pleased inside her heart. From the expressions of the Rainbow Phoenix, she could feel like it was a done deal. It was only a matter of time.

All she needed to do was wait now. 

….

Back in the Black Tortoise Ancient Tomb, Zhu Chang and the Snake Monarch had just realized that the Long Chen, who was walking with them, was fake. It was nothing but an illusion that they thought was the real person. 

Even Snake Monarch was stunned. “How could he fool me? It’s understandable that you feel for it, but me…? That guy dared to fool me too? He could’ve told me the truth! Now that idiot is stuck behind!”

”That guy… He really doesn’t know what he did. He probably stayed behind to go where we went, but there was literally nothing there,”  Zhu Chang commented. 

”So he stayed behind for no reason? And now he’s trapped! We need to go back to bring him out!” Snake Monarch declared hastily.