145. The Three Sects Aid the East Gate, The Four Ministers Launch an All-Out Attack

Ding Desheng said slowly, "As I suspected, since your uncle is a member of the Immortal Longevity Sect, you must be one as well. In that case, I shall see to it that you die for a worthy cause!"

As he spoke, Ding Desheng stepped forward and clasped his hands behind his back. "When I was selected as an elder, my strength was not inferior to that wretched master of yours—in fact, I was arguably stronger. However, he possessed the Three-Eyed Spirit Ape as his spirit beast, one of the twelve divine beasts of this world!"

"Back then, I intended to face Dongmen Yong one-on-one, but the prerequisite was to gain the favor of another divine beast. The Three-Eyed Spirit Ape’s power is overwhelming; ordinary beasts cannot stand against it. Only the Phoenix was a suitable candidate, for the Phoenix has the unique ability to be reborn within a short period. That is its greatest power."

"Reborn?" Xie Wuji gasped in shock.

"It is no wonder you are ignorant; you are merely a descendant of the Immortal Longevity Sect, and you know nothing of the sect’s true power. The Immortal Longevity Sect studied the Phoenix to a degree unreachable by any other sect. They even developed a set of techniques specifically for the Phoenix’s abilities: the Phoenix Divine Art, which only the sect leaders of each generation are permitted to study."

"The art consists of eight volumes. By gathering all eight and possessing the Phoenix spirit, one can reach that level. Do you know... the Phoenix is one of the most miraculous of all divine beasts. As its name implies, it does not die easily. If you only possess the spirit, you might be more durable, but if you master the eight volumes, you can fully unleash the Phoenix's potential: rebirth within a set timeframe. For example, if you are granted rebirth within seven days, then should you die during those seven days, you have the chance to be reborn."

"Of course, if you die twice within those seven days, you are finished. But if you die once in the first seven-day window, and after a seven-day cooldown you die again, you still won't perish. It is effectively immortality. Those fools in the Immortal Longevity Sect only knew how to research methods of longevity; they were nothing but cowards afraid of death. Having the Phoenix spirit in their hands was a waste of a divine treasure. It is a pity that although I orchestrated the death of their leader, the eight guardians fled while critically wounded, and some even made off with the spirit beast from the deceased leader!"

Xie Wuji suddenly understood. The details of the situation finally clicked into place, connecting the words of the Song brothers and Old Master Qin. It seemed the Immortal Longevity Sect had been plotted against—deeply and maliciously.

After finishing his explanation, Ding Desheng waved his hand and said, "Enough. Think of tonight as a surprise for you. Go down now and have a proper meeting with the late leader of the Immortal Longevity Sect. Hahaha..."

"It seems you have been planning this ambush for a long time," Dongmen Yong said with a faint smile.

"If Qingyan had won the tournament, and if you had agreed to the marriage, I would not have touched you. But you refused! Your arrogance has caused your death. Stop clinging to life; die now, and be reborn sooner." Hatred lurked in Ding Desheng's eyes. "If my brother hadn't died, perhaps I wouldn't have the heart to kill you. We were three brothers in arms! But that is in the past. It was my brother's death that hardened my resolve!"

"Hahaha, do you think you were the only one making preparations?" Dongmen Yong stepped forward and said, "Thank you for explaining the true power of the Phoenix to me."

That single sentence sent a chill through Xie Wuji. In that moment, Dongmen Yong seemed to transform into a completely different, terrifying person.

The aura of terror was fleeting. Dongmen Yong reached out his hands and declared, "Friends from afar, what are you waiting for? You may enter the fray!"

As he spoke, disciples from the Beast King Mountain suddenly appeared in the surrounding area. Beyond them, there were also members of the Extreme Immortal Sect and the Crushing Mountain School! The appearance of these people was completely unexpected to Xie Wuji.

"How is this possible? How could you suddenly..."

"Twenty years!" Dongmen Yong’s eyes were bloodshot. "Twenty long years I have endured you. I have been searching for a chance to make you turn back from your path, but what did you do? You used every conceivable means to pressure me, trying to drag me from my position as sect leader!"

Dongmen Yong’s words were filled with malice, as if he were an entirely different man. Ding Desheng’s face turned grim.

"This time, I heard you were finally going to make a move. Very well... did you really think I knew nothing these past twenty years? I knew every one of your plans clearly. I just didn't speak; I played the fool. But you thought I was truly stupid, and you used that to repeatedly pressure me! You have always sought to kill me!"

Dongmen Yong’s breathing quickened. "I paid a heavy price to seek allies. I knew that as the son of the former leader, your reputation in many circles was higher than mine, and that you only refrained from usurping the throne openly because you feared for your image..."

"You..." Ding Desheng was shocked. He had never imagined that the Dongmen Yong he had always overlooked had been hiding so much.

"Xi Fenglie, I didn't expect you to be invited," Li Qianjun said, looking at Xi Fenglie.

Xi Fenglie laughed heartily. "Interesting. I didn't expect to see you here either."

The leaders of the Extreme Immortal Sect and Beast King Mountain had arrived. In truth, this was due to the Danxia Sect’s stellar performance in the tournament, ensuring their rising influence. Dongmen Yong had seized this opportunity to win over two major sects and the Crushing Mountain School, all of whom were happy to owe the Danxia Sect leader a favor.

Dongmen Yong knew this was all thanks to his disciple, Xie Wuji, who had first shone brightly in the climbing competition and then left a deep impression on everyone during the arena battles. While Dongmen Jianhao was strong, his impression on the masses was merely that of a powerful fighter.

"Wait!" At that moment, the leader of the Ten Thousand Demon Palace, Xu, stepped forward. His forehead was soaked in sweat, and his body trembled. "Three leaders—no, four leaders... I only heard from Great Elder Ding Desheng that I was to help him eliminate an enemy. I did not realize it was the leader of the Danxia Sect. This must be a misunderstanding. My son, Xu Lang, is critically injured, so I shall take my leave." The leader of the Ten Thousand Demon Palace was quick-witted; if his sect continued down this path and offended four other sects, the Ten Thousand Demon Palace would face total annihilation. Moreover, they had already suffered the heaviest losses, with many core disciples dead.

The Ten Thousand Demon Palace’s declaration immediately distanced them from Ding Desheng, causing Ding Desheng’s expression to darken. The four powerful ministers suddenly stepped back in perfect unison.

Prime Minister Li said, "Everyone, this is a misunderstanding. We are in the same position as the leader of the Ten Thousand Demon Palace; we were deceived by Ding Desheng."

Xie Wuji gritted his teeth and snapped, "Prime Minister Li, if the Extreme Immortal Sect, the Crushing Mountain School, and Beast King Mountain hadn't appeared, you would have already struck. You knew our identities and still ordered the guards to attack us. Do you take us for blind?"

"It has come to this. Kill them," Dongmen Yong said coldly. He ignored the Ten Thousand Demon Palace; pushing them to the brink would only be counterproductive. But these four ministers had intended to kill him, and leaving them alive would be a lingering threat.

Dongmen Yong knew that the situation had reached a point of no return. Since that was the case, they might as well finish it once and for all!

For Xie Wuji, this was a golden opportunity. He took the lead and charged straight at Prime Minister Li. Even if only to vent his frustration for his sister, Xie Wuji charged at his enemies without a shred of hesitation!