Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 69

Seeing the situation, the four people rushed into the gate without hesitation. Tantai Jing stepped across the threshold first. The scene before her instantly changed; the original fire desert vanished, replaced by an boundless sea of fire.

Blazing flames churned all around, as if ready to devour everything.

She stood on a narrow platform. Under her feet was scorching rock, and all around her were raging, burning flames.

She subconsciously clenched her hand, only to discover that Lu Xiaoxiao, whom she had been holding tightly, had vanished. The platform was empty; she faced the sea of fire alone.

Tantai Jing’s heart tightened. She urgently called out, “Lu Xiaoxiao!” Her voice echoed in the sea of fire but was drowned out by the roar of the flames, sounding exceptionally faint.

Unwilling to give up, she raised her voice again: “Godmother—Luo Mu—” However, besides the deafening rumble of the flames rolling and magma boiling in the sea of fire, there was no other response.

The only reply she received was the sound of the magma bubbling.

Tantai Jing’s heart gradually sank. Perhaps the final test of this Blazing Corridor required one to face it alone.

The heat waves from the flames washed over her face. Sweat slid down her forehead, instantly evaporating into the air. She knew that panic was useless now; only by calming down could she find a way to leave.

Just then, the distant sea of fire suddenly began to churn, as if an invisible force were stirring the inferno. A certain area within the sea of fire started to boil violently.

Suddenly, a dazzling light shot up from the sea of fire, accompanied by a clear, long cry of a phoenix that resonated through the sky.

A giant creature abruptly darted out of the sea of fire and spread its wings to soar high. Its wings were like burning flames; every feather shimmered with golden-red light, as if woven from pure fiery essence.

Its long tail feathers traced a brilliant arc in the air, scattering sparks like a meteor shower in the night sky.

Only then did Tantai Jing clearly see that it was a Phoenix!

It soared above the sea of fire, emitting bursts of joyful cries, seemingly celebrating its new birth.

The Phoenix circled Tantai Jing a few times in the air, then suddenly swooped down, diving rapidly toward her. Tantai Jing quickly retreated a few steps, swiftly summoning the Guichen Sword and gripping it defensively.

However, the instant the Phoenix’s gaze met Tantai Jing’s, she seemed to sense the Phoenix’s inner thoughts, detecting a hint of goodwill in its sharp eyes.

Tantai Jing’s guard gradually lowered, and she put away the Guichen Sword.

Feeling the Phoenix’s blazing temperature again, Tantai Jing no longer felt discomfort. The hot wind stirred her robes, and the scorching energy permeated her skin and flowed along her meridians. She felt all her pores open up, and even the exhaustion from the past few days vanished.

The Phoenix accelerated, closing the distance to less than ten steps from Tantai Jing in the blink of an eye. Although she sensed the Phoenix’s goodwill, facing the approach of this massive creature still sparked a trace of nervousness in her heart.

Tantai Jing instinctively held her breath, her hands slightly clenched. In the instant she blinked, the Phoenix let out another clear cry.

Immediately afterward, Tantai Jing felt a powerful surge of fire spiritual energy rush toward her face, as if the entire world had paused at that moment.

She felt her body lighten, as if lifted by an invisible force. Then, the Phoenix’s figure transformed into a scorching, illusory image and abruptly rushed into her body.

In that instant, Tantai Jing felt her body ignite with flames. A scorching yet pure power surged through her meridians. Moments later, the flames gradually subsided, and the Phoenix’s shadow disappeared.

Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself still standing in the sea of fire, but a strange power had been added to her body.

“This…”

She raised her hand. Fire-like patterns faintly flickered in her palm, as if the Phoenix’s power had become a part of her. The fire-attribute spiritual energy within her body also became more refined.

She couldn’t help but feel surprised: Could this be the reward for everyone who clears the trial?

Looking around again, she discovered a wooden door had appeared out of thin air on the platform. Tantai Jing steadied herself, pushed the wooden door open, and walked out.

When she emerged, she found Lu Xiaoxiao and the others standing not far away.

“I finally found you.” Tantai Jing’s gaze rested on Lu Xiaoxiao. Only when she saw that Lu Xiaoxiao was unharmed did she feel relieved.

Lu Xiaoxiao looked at her with a hint of confusion: “Didn’t we just pass through the Li Gate to get here?”

Tantai Jing was shocked: “Didn’t you enter a platform surrounded by a sea of fire?”

Seeing that everyone shook their heads in bewilderment, she recounted everything that had just happened, then extended her wrist, specifically showing the Phoenix-shaped flame pattern to them.

Fuzhao pondered for a moment: “Perhaps the opportunity in this stage chose you. After all, you have a natural supreme fire spiritual root and Mahayana cultivation. It’s not strange to receive the Lancang Demoness’s favor. The Lancang Demoness herself was a Falcon with Phoenix blood. After breaking through to the Integration Stage, she obtained some opportunity and directly transformed into a Phoenix.”

Lu Xiaoxiao was thrilled about this. She grabbed Tantai Jing’s wrist, watching the Phoenix pattern in her palm faintly glow red. She gently touched it with her finger. The flames on the pattern, perhaps due to Tantai Jing’s influence, were very amicable toward her and actually crawled up her finger.

She quickly withdrew her hand, shook it behind her back, and then congratulated her: “This opportunity is truly remarkable! Congratulations! I think the Hao Yue Bracelet definitely belongs to you now.”

Tantai Jing smiled and then looked around. It turned out they were not the only four people standing there. A rough count showed that only a few hundred people had passed through the Blazing Corridor, having eliminated half the participants.

Yan Gengshen and Yan Sihong were also present.

Those who had passed the checkpoint and were standing closer to them had also heard what Tantai Jing had just said. Their expressions were quite solemn, and they occasionally glanced at Tantai Jing.

Whenever Lu Xiaoxiao saw someone harboring ill intentions, she glared back at them. However, she didn’t realize that no one present dared to mess with them; they were merely curious.

The number of people entering gradually decreased until, after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, no one else appeared in the area.

At this moment, four ancient characters surfaced in the middle of the ground, suspended in the air:

“Yuan Tui Mistscape.”

Following this low chant, dense, rolling mist suddenly rose from the ground, spreading rapidly. Looking around, the surroundings were white and hazy; the mist was so thick it was almost impossible to see one’s own hand.

Everywhere the eye could reach was blurred and chaotic; the entire world was consumed by the mist.

“Tantai Jing—”

Lu Xiaoxiao called out anxiously. Her voice echoed in the mist but received no response. She looked around and found that the people who had been standing next to her had all disappeared, as if silently swallowed by the mist.

“There are too many tricks in this broken trial!”

Lu Xiaoxiao complained silently in her heart, tightly gripping the Chaoyuan Sword. She swung the sword forward, attempting to disperse the mist ahead.

But the mist seemed to have a life of its own, tightly intertwined. No matter how she swung her sword, it only stirred the mist slightly, with minimal effect.

Helpless, Lu Xiaoxiao could only rely on her instincts and faint vision, choosing a general direction and carefully moving forward.

Her steps were light, and she was constantly alert to any danger that might be lurking nearby.

She didn’t know how long she walked before she vaguely heard the sound of gurgling water coming from ahead.

The sound was clear and pleasant, like heavenly music, and stood out distinctly in the silent mist.

The sound of water was like a summons, carrying a strange attraction that drew Lu Xiaoxiao involuntarily toward its source.

As she got closer, many shoulder-high patches of grass appeared in the mist. The grass was dense, its blades covered with water droplets that scattered, wetting her sleeves, when lightly touched.

The grass blades brushed against her arm, bringing a hint of coolness.

Finally, she pushed aside the last clump of grass. The mist ahead gradually thinned, and the sight before her made her hold her breath.

A clear pool of water came into view.

The pool was small but crystal clear. The surface shimmered slightly, and hot steam rose from the water.

It turned out to be a hot spring.

Moss and wild flowers grew around the pool. The air was filled with a fresh, aqueous mist, giving a sense of relief and comfort.

However, what truly shocked Lu Xiaoxiao was the scene in the pool.

The hot spring was surrounded by steaming mist, vaguely revealing the graceful figures of six women.

A closer look revealed that six naked women were bathing in the pool!

Even through the mist, she could see their skin was fair as jade, their long hair cascading over their shoulders like waterfalls, gently swaying with the water.

Their laughter was clear and melodious, echoing like silver bells in the air, interweaving with the sound of the water to form a dreamlike scene.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s face instantly flushed bright red with heat. She subconsciously took a step back, slipped, and nearly fell.

Steadying herself, she looked toward the pool again. Fortunately, the six women were chatting happily and giggling, not noticing her presence.

Although it wasn’t intentional, spying on others bathing was not something a good person would do. Since she was already in trouble, Lu Xiaoxiao wasn’t foolish enough to go up and apologize.

Lu Xiaoxiao cautiously backed away, terrified of being discovered by the women playing in the spring.

“Yuan Tui…” one woman’s voice was soft as water, carrying a hint of lazy laughter. “Who do you think the ‘Yuan Tui’ will choose this time?”

Just as she took one step back, she heard the words “Yuan Tui” appear in the women’s conversation. Lu Xiaoxiao stopped retreating and crouched behind a large stone, trying to hear more clearly.

The women in the pool didn’t seem to notice her presence and continued their low conversation, sometimes clear, sometimes muffled, which frustrated Lu Xiaoxiao.

“Who knows?” another woman’s voice chimed in with a hint of mockery. “But I actually think that Snake Demon might be interesting.”

A third woman’s voice, gentle with a touch of a smile, was heard: “That’s hard to say. The Nine-tailed Fox and the White Tiger also have a lot of hope.”

The Snake Demon must be the Yan Gengshen siblings. The Nine-tailed Fox and the White Tiger—weren’t those Fuzhao and Tantai Jing?

Lu Xiaoxiao’s heart pounded wildly, as if she were about to learn a great secret. She leaned her ear against the stone, tilting her body forward, trying to hear more clearly.

“I think the Snake Demon has a better chance. He looks deeply cunning and took advantage of the mist spreading to kill many people. The ‘Yuan Tui’ is a deceitful dragon that failed to transform and is treacherous, so it must prefer a demon who shares its vile nature.”

“Don’t believe me? Use my Mysterious Mirror to take a look, and you’ll know where these people are right now,” a playful female voice declared.

Hearing this, Lu Xiaoxiao’s heart was itching with curiosity. She wanted to sneak a peek, but felt it was improper. However, if she didn’t look, the women were currently engrossed and hadn’t spoken again for a long time.

After struggling internally for a long time, Lu Xiaoxiao thought: That mirror can see Tantai Jing’s location. I promise I’ll only look once, and as soon as I see her, I’ll leave immediately to find her.

“My deepest apologies, my deepest apologies! I promise I will only look at the mirror, and I absolutely won’t glance at anything else,” Lu Xiaoxiao mumbled softly, clasping her hands together.

Finally, she placed her hands on the stone, tilted her head out, and tried to glimpse the so-called Mysterious Mirror.

But just as she poked her head out, a cool touch covered her eyes, completely blocking her vision.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to pull out the Chaoyuan Sword, she smelled that familiar sandalwood fragrance. Her anxious heart instantly dropped heavily, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Is it beautiful?”

The voice was supremely gentle, but Lu Xiaoxiao felt an icy coldness that chilled her to the bone, like a bucket of cold water being poured over her head.

“N-Not beautiful. Wait… I didn’t see anything at all.”

Tantai Jing’s cold voice entered Lu Xiaoxiao’s ears.

“So curious about other people’s bodies?”