GD Ch. 4

Chapter 4: Why She Despises It

If the little devils hadn’t misremembered, phoenixes also came out of eggs.

Looking at this egg, shining brightly with a beautiful shape and unique patterns, it was clearly not an ordinary egg. Could it be…

The little devils exchanged glances, all uncertain. Who knew if this secluded individual had done something else during her hundred years of seclusion? It was difficult to guess where this egg had come from.

It was quite astonishing that someone as unattainable as the fallen divine offspring emerged from seclusion carrying an egg. Who knew who had suddenly gained favor? They weren’t jealous of how the person might enjoy the soft fragrance. They just felt that encountering such a thing would surely lead to a great improvement in cultivation.

“Had enough?” Zhuyou’s voice came coolly.

The little devils quickly averted their gaze, praising eagerly, “This is truly an excellent egg, clearly extraordinary at first sight!”

“The patterns and colors are truly a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, what a great egg!”

Knowing that the fallen divine offspring liked to hear compliments, several little devils hurriedly flattered.

Zhuyou nodded slightly upon hearing this, feeling a bit more satisfied with the egg. She then covered the egg in her arms with the thin, mist-like sleeve, knowing that if the Dragon Clan was to find out that the egg had been tampered with, they would surely hate the devil who had infiltrated and stolen from their midst.

Now that the Three Lords were not within the realm, if a fight were to break out, these devils really wouldn’t stand much of a chance. But the first ones to bore the brunt would still be those three.

Zhuyou just shrugged as if it didn’t matter much, sneering. Her silver-white hair billowed in the gusts of wind laden with sand.

When they reached the Grand Hall, the few little devils quickly used their energy to sweep away all the accumulated sand and dust inside. The hall was spacious, and the fallen divine offspring was very demanding. After their cleaning efforts, they were exhausted as if they were about to collapse.

The little devils were panting heavily, and even though Zhuyou couldn’t see them with her eyes, she could guess that they must be on the verge of death, so she waved her hand to dismiss them quickly.

The little devils let out a sigh of relief and weakly walked out. Every few steps, they looked back, still feeling regretful.

How could such an evil phoenix have an egg?

Hearing the footsteps faltering in the distance, Zhuyou’s brows furrowed slightly. She didn’t know what these little devils were lingering around for. She just wanted them to disappear quickly as she had to consider the connection between this egg and herself carefully.

Seeing her frown, Hanzhu hastily shouted, “Hurry up and leave, don’t annoy Her Grace.”

As soon as she spoke, the little devils were immediately scared off, as if all their strength had returned in an instant.

How could they not be frightened? It was said that this esteemed entity had a bad temper. When the Third Lord Jing Kexin angered her, she was stripped naked and hung upside down at the entrance of the Grand Hall for several days, exposed for all to see.

With a strikingly exotic and alluring appearance, Jing Kexin’s behavior was exceptionally depraved and licentious. Instead of getting angry after being hung for several days, she seemed to become even more eager, as if she wanted to be hung for several more days.

Tsk tsk, the little devils shook their heads one after another. They didn’t share this particular hobby, especially considering that being hung upside down naked for a few days was already considered mild.

In the Grand Hall, reclining on a soft couch, Zhuyou didn’t seem as easily angered as others described. Her silver-white hair scattered on the ground, resembling moonlight streaming into the hall. Her fair hand emerged from the black silk sleeve, gently tapping the egg placed on the ground. Behind the soft couch, the Fish Playing among Lotus Leaves screen was also black and white, as if ink had been spilled. Yet the delicate embroidery on it was clearly visible, though devoid of color.

“Mistress, would you like to use spirit stones?” Hanzhu asked softly.

Zhuyou nodded slightly, her eyes half-closed, leaning weakly. Only after the little devils had gone far away did she let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if her bones had softened. “Quickly bring them here.”

Hanzhu quickly complied, going to search for the spirit stones stored away a hundred years ago.

Zhuyou’s eyes were like being covered in white mist, truly unable to see anything. Lanterns hung everywhere in the Grand Hall, but their bright light blurred into a haze before her eyes, unable to dispel the white mist.

These spirit stones were originally used by mortal cultivators to aid in their cultivation. As a fallen divine offspring who didn’t want to rely on borrowing others’ spiritual power every time she went blind, she had to resort to these broken stones to help clear her vision.

Having to deal with being half-blind from time to time was something she had grown accustomed to, but it didn’t mean she was willing to accept it.

Zhuyou opened her eyes, adding a touch of innocence to her already pitiful eyes. She tilted her head slightly, but all she could see in front of her was white.

As Hanzhu watched the seemingly frail and pitiful black-clad mistress, the mistress in question suddenly slammed her palm against the armrest of the soft couch, and the echoing sound reverberated through the Grand Hall.

“You’re so slow even when fetching something. Have you wasted the past hundred years?”

Hanzhu, who was searching for the spirit stones in the distance, trembled all over, almost crying as she returned to her mistress’ side, weakly saying, “Mistress, I couldn’t find a single piece of spirit stone in the hall.”

The reason why devils were devils was because their hearts were impure, their desires unquenchable. They were unable to suppress their anger and change their stubbornness.

Hearing this statement, Zhuyou could easily understand without much thought—During these hundred years, the items in the Grand Hall must’ve been coveted by others.

Hanzhu didn’t dare to speak, already prepared to endure her mistress’ anger.

Zhuyou didn’t get angry but instead smiled sarcastically, saying, “Did they think I’m easy to get along with?”

Hanzhu thought to herself that this was highly unlikely. Everyone was clearly on high alert around her mistress. Just look at those few little devils who had left moments ago.

Just as she was trembling with fear, Zhuyou beckoned with her finger. “Come here.”

Hanzhu hurried forward, kneeling properly in front of the soft couch. She even pushed her hair aside from her forehead to reveal her clean forehead. She closed her eyes and felt a warm hand covering her forehead, followed by her spiritual power being stripped away into the void.

Her mistress, who had taken her spiritual power, blinked slowly, and her dull gaze finally focused.

Hanzhu collapsed weakly on the ground and breathed heavily.

Zhuyou glanced around the room, seeing the various items piled up from the greater and lesser devils—mostly demonic weapons and artifacts, some even more valuable than spirit stones.

So how could the spirit stones be missing when there were so many other items?

“Have your eyesight improved?” Hanzhu asked weakly.

Zhuyou nodded slightly, “You’ve suffered again this time.” But there was no sign of pity in her eyes.

Hanzhu quickly replied, “Seeing your beautiful eyes that resemble autumn water and cold stars, I don’t feel any suffering. In fact, it feels quite pleasant.”

Zhuyou was quite pleased to hear this and after pondering for a moment, she said, “There are plenty of treasures in the hall, but only the spirit stones are missing. It’s unlikely the little devils would dare to steal on their own, and even if they did, they wouldn’t just steal spirit stones. Those who took the spirit stones were probably the Three Lords.”

“But what would the Three Lords need spirit stones for?” Hanzhu slowly got up from the ground. Although she was still weak, she knelt properly. With her head lowered, she accidentally caught sight of Zhuyou’s legs wrapped in diabolic patterns, like vines twining upward. Her gaze abruptly shifted, and she slapped herself crisply on the cheek, making a clear sound.

Zhuyou narrowed her eyes. “Are you not awake again?”

“I’m a bit sleepy; I need to sober up.” Hanzhu scolded herself in her mind, having dared to entertain such thoughts. Perhaps she had been a devil for too long, causing her to dare think of anything.

Zhuyou hugged her egg and continued her previous thought, “The Three Lords are not in the Devil Realm, yet they need spirit stones. Could it be that they’ve gone to the Mortal Realm? Only those human cultivators fancy using spirit stones.”

Hanzhu was taken aback.

Zhuyou rubbed her forehead and waved her hand, saying, “Forget it, let them go if they want. What use do they have for spirit stones in the Mortal Realm? To bribe a few mortal cultivators?”

“Could it be that… something happened in the Devil Realm, so the Three Lords are fleeing?” Hanzhu carefully chose her words and cautiously spoke.

Zhuyou was speechless.

“May I suggest, shall we also go to the Mortal Realm to hide for a few days?” Hanzhu asked again.

“No, we’re not going. Hiding here and there, what does that make us look like?” Zhuyou turned away, showing Hanzhu the back of her head.

Hanzhu looked at the silver-white hair and said with grievance, “Then I’ll take my leave first.”

Zhuyou didn’t respond, and Hanzhu knelt for a while before leaving on her own.

The Grand Hall fell into silence, with only the eternal phoenix fire flickering slightly in the center of the pearl curtain veil.

Zhuyou had no fondness for the human world, so she couldn’t go there. 

It wasn’t that she had been offended by mortals or that any mortals had offended her, but some immortals in the Heavenly Realm were even more blind than her. After plucking her immortal bones and extracting her immortal tendons, they had even wanted to exile her to the Mortal Realm. What a group of blind and hypocritical immortals.

She didn’t want to go to the Mortal Realm, but if something bad happened in the Devil Realm, she couldn’t just ignore it…

After a while, Hanzhu, who had left dejectedly, was called back.

Hanzhu had long known that her mistress was capricious and that her temperament was not something ordinary people could bear. She asked with her head lowered, “What orders do you have, Mistress?”

“Go and inquire about what the Three Lords have been up to recently and where they are now,” Zhuyou instructed.

Hanzhu quickly acknowledged and pondered secretly about what her mistress intended to do with the egg.

Zhuyou propped up her chin and reached down to touch the cold egg. The Three Lords combined weren’t as important as this egg before her.

Indeed, it was a good egg. Just by hovering her palm above it, she could feel the abundant chill of spiritual energy.

When other phoenixes and dragons were still inside their eggs, they didn’t have such abundant dragon energy, not even her.

She had been clever and proud since childhood, not only because her feathers were brilliant like the light of the Nine Heavens, but also because her spiritual power surpassed that of other immortals. But unfortunately…

Zhuyou gently spun the tip of the egg.

Unfortunately, the Phoenix Clan disregarded her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have become a devil.

She scooped up the egg, placed it on her abdomen, and examined it again. The surface of the eggshell was covered in flowing light, with ancient markings she had never seen before. Originally silver-gray, the markings sparkled when light flowed over them.

Hanzhu knelt beside her, asking softly, “Mistress, shall I build a nest for this egg?”

“No need,” Zhuyou said, a flame igniting on her fingertip. “It will sleep with me.”

Hanzhu looked at the flame in confusion, wondering if her mistress intended to roast the egg. She had never tasted dragon eggs before.

Zhuyou flicked her finger, and the flame leaped onto the eggshell, attempting to penetrate it.

But it was repelled.

“What are you doing, Mistress?” Hanzhu asked in astonishment.

Zhuyou raised an eyebrow slightly. “I wanted to see how pure the spiritual energy inside this dragon egg is, but it seems even my phoenix fire can’t penetrate it.”

Hanzhu was shocked. “There exists something that can’t be harmed by phoenix fire?”

Zhuyou’s eyes sparkled with interest as she withdrew the flame. “There’s something formidable inside this egg.”

Hanzhu thought, Of course, after all, it was brought out from the Dragon Palace. Although she thought this, she said, “My mistress wouldn’t be interested in ordinary things.”

Zhuyou stroked the egg, chuckling softly. “The thing I detest most in this life is those hypocritical immortals. Tell me, if a dragon, destined to be divine from birth, is raised by the devil, would it be shunned by the Immortal Realm?”