Chapter 618: Chapter 558: Peacock Demise

The appearance of the Peacock Underworld King caused all of the Demon Clan at the Monarch’s Return Banquet to involuntarily glance in Ning Feiyan’s direction.

The Demon Clan had always been known for their strong physiques that feared neither the harshness of seasons nor the bitter cold.

Yet she, as if particularly averse to chill, wore a brocade robe of cloud pattern and was wrapped in a red fox fur coat, sitting quietly with a graceful posture and bowed head.

Her satin-like, ink-black hair cascaded down her back, emphasizing the boldness of red against the dense black.

Beneath these particularly bright colors, her picturesque brows and eyes couldn’t conceal her pale complexion or the frail thinness of her body, which seemed so weak that a gust of wind might knock her over.

Any keen observer would know that the serious injury she sustained in the Nine Serpents faction a few days prior was far from healed.

After all, that was the poison of a Jiaolong; once afflicted, one wouldn’t be able to leave bed for at least a year or a half.

For her to forcibly join the Monarch’s Return Banquet despite such an injury was already a surprise and shock to many; how could she possibly be fit to fight now?

Many were eyeing Ning Feiyan’s position, but now Jun Yi, the Peacock Underworld King, had stolen a march on them.

Among those present, besides River Lord Wuhe, who else could contend with him?

However, he was not one of the Six Rivers, so he didn’t possess the privilege of the Battle Order.

Any of the Six Rivers could refuse a challenge three times, maintaining their right to do so.

Although as River Lords, declining challenges from the Demon Clan would be damaging to one’s dignity and reputation.

But he was the Peacock Underworld King, a powerful ancient immortal beast; his strength was extraordinary.

And with Ning Feiyan severely injured, if she refused the challenge, it would be within reason.

It’s just that with the Peacock King’s notoriously unruly and vexatious temperament, rejecting him would likely take some effort.

Mi Lu, sensing Jun Yi’s aggressive and dismissive demeanor, assumed it was a manipulation by the Demon Lord, and holding back his inward rage, he scoffed, “A mere Fallen Immortal dares to covet the position of the Mohe, utterly delusional!”

Jun Yi’s gaze was filled with scorn as he retorted, “I have entered the Demon World and partaken in the Blood Demon’s wine, my body nourished by the Demon Vein, and over a millennium, I have slain countless Immortal Spirits, guarding the Demon World’s territory. Are you refusing to acknowledge a Fallen Immortal as part of the Demon Clan now?”

Since ancient times, there had been more than one case of a Fallen Immortal becoming a demon. If Mi Lu acknowledged his words at this moment, it would no doubt dishearten the rest of the Fallen Immortals within the Demon World.

“You!” Mi Lu was about to erupt.

But Ning Feiyan, already unconcerned and slowly standing up, leaned forward with a smile and said, “Peacock King, your words are too harsh. I will accept this challenge.”

“Feiyan!” Mi Lu blurted out anxiously. If she accepted this battle, she would have no hope of surviving.

The Peacock Underworld King, known for his obsessive love for the Demon Lord, saw Ning Feiyan, both as Si He and as the future Young Princess Consort of the Demon World, as no small obstacle to the Demon Lord.

Being vicious and ruthless by nature, seizing this opportunity, he surely wouldn’t show mercy.

As expected, when Jun Yi saw her accept, he laughed loudly, a pair of murderous eyes directed towards the throne, a hint of tender affection flashing through them as he said arrogantly and wilfully, “Demon Lord, whether you want her dead or alive, just one word from you, and Jun Yi will break his back in your service.”

“I want you dead first!” Murderous intent flared in Mi Lu’s eyes as he abruptly stood, slamming the table.

However, a Qi Ren serving wine suddenly grabbed him, “Your Highness, please watch your language.”

Mi Lu tried to break free forcefully, but the Qi Ren slowly lifted a pair of profound eyes to stare at him.

“If it were not for Your Highness’s disparagement of the words of a Fallen Immortal just now, Lady Feiyan would have her own means to escape the trap. Because of your reckless words, if Lady Feiyan truly refused this challenge now, it would be akin to declaring to the Demon World that she, favored by the Young Lord, dismisses the Fallen Immortals, and if that leads to the Fallen Immortals of the Demon World giving their allegiance to the Demon Lord, wouldn’t that play right into her hands?”

Mi Lu’s body stiffened as he came to a sudden realization, staring at Ning Feiyan’s frail silhouette, his heart twisted with self-reproach, murmuring, “It was me who hurt her, it was me…”

She was willing to disregard her own life for my sake, determined to such an extent.

The Qi Ren pulled Mi Lu back to his seat with a calm voice, “I hope, Your Highness, that you will not fail to appreciate Lady Feiyan’s gesture.”

Compared to Mi Lu’s pain and self-reproach, the Qi Ren seemed much more composed.

After all, to him, Ning Feiyan was but a chess piece, long prepared to sacrifice everything for her lord. Now being used to bear the consequences for his impulsive words was simply her bad luck.

Jun Yi’s plea didn’t receive any form of response from the Demon Lord, causing him some disappointment.

Ning Feiyan remained unaffected by his brash and cruel words, her clear eyes containing a trace of calm amusement as she gracefully entered a small world of green leaves.

Jun Yi couldn’t help but look deeply at the Female Demon Lord one last time, only to see a complete absence of himself in her eyes, as she lowered her head to play with a kitten, a touch of bitterness in his heart as he entered the battlefield.

Although the Monarch’s Return Banquet was set to last three days, there were so many of the Demon Clan present that genuinely challenging each other one-on-one would take a lot of time.

Apart from the battle between Ning Feiyan and Jun Yi, there were also numerous Demon Generals challenging each other, leaping into the fray of a myriad of flowers and leaves, beginning their contests.

The fingers of the Female Demon Lord playing with the head of Baili An suddenly twitched, for she noticed a shimmer on the brow of the kitten in her arms, which was intently staring at the leaf that belonged to Ning Feiyan.

She chuckled and asked, “What’s the matter? Worried about your former master?”

Baili An covertly glanced at the iron boxes before her, deep in thought.

He knew of Ning Feiyan’s tactics; since she chose to join this Monarch’s Return Banquet, she surely wouldn’t be easily defeated in the first challenge match.