A few red marks in the shape of feathers adorned her porcelain-white, tender face, stinging painfully. The young girl with the purple crown was momentarily stunned by Little Black's slap.
"Good heavens!"
"Third Miss!"
"What a brazen beast!"
A group of Foundation Establishment cultivators descended like dumplings from the sky. Behind the fairy carriage trailed a winged magical vessel engraved with the characters "Baili" on its side. The purple-crowned youth was none other than Baili Ci, the Third Miss of the Baili Clan, a fourth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator and one of the famed "Twin Beauties of Eastern Immortals."
Little Black, illiterate but perceptive, recognized the imposing aura of these followers and knew that these people had the means to act as they pleased. Seeing escape was unlikely, it lunged forward, knocking the purple crown off Baili Ci's head, revealing a cascade of three feet of jet-black hair.
Seizing the opportunity, Little Black perched atop her head where the crown had once been, its claws gripping her hair. Its fiery red feathers bristled, sparks faintly flying. Little Black craned its neck and fixed its beady green eyes on the cultivators, its intent unmistakable:
Touch me, and I'll burn her bald.
The cultivators' fiery demeanor instantly fizzled. They exclaimed in unison:
"Absolutely not!"
Little Black remained motionless, and the group dared not make a move. The situation froze in a stalemate.
The pain on her face subsided, only to be replaced by an intense scalp ache. After wincing for a while, Baili Ci suddenly laughed.
"What a feisty red parrot! Second Uncle, help me capture it!"
The cultivators had long since extended their spiritual senses upward, silently questioning why the family head, known for indulging the Third Miss, had yet to act.
"Second Uncle?" Baili Ci called twice but received no response.
"Boom!"
A mountain exploded, sending a wave of Golden Core energy rippling through the valley. Little Black tightened its grip on Baili Ci's hair. A white-clad cultivator emerged from the rubble, protected by a shield that kept her immaculate.
Pointing at the cave behind the rubble, the Golden Core cultivator said calmly, "Move that stone onto the vessel."
Then, turning to Little Black, she smiled faintly but with a chilling edge.
"Release her, and I won't harm you."
Compared to the calm at the crumbled mountain, murderous intent filled the air hundreds of miles away at the Fire Refining Sect.
Disguised, Zhan Tianxiang mingled among the outer sect disciples fighting first-tier demonic beasts. Amid the fray, his eyes were slightly blurred, tinged with a faint redness.
He had previously donned an invisibility cloak and led a group of frenzied beasts to the Fire Refining Sect, avoiding populated routes.
If the Celestial Clock malfunctioned, Li Jianzhao, the guardian, would bear the brunt of the blame. Yet his meager cultivation was inadequate for the task, compelling the Li Clan to send their elders.
According to Zhan Tianming's plan, three third-tier demonic beasts awaited at the Celestial Clock to deal with the Li Clan elder.
This was no small gamble for the Zhan Clan, which had secretly raised four third-tier demonic beasts for years. Three would handle the elder, while the fourth, a Stealth Ice Python, had one target: Yue Nianxi. Only by capturing her could they lure Li Jianzhao away from the Five Elders of the Fire Refining Sect.
As for why Yue Nianxi appeared at the Fire Refining Sect at such a time, that too was Zhan Tianming's orchestration.
Zhan Tianxiang had been summoned back from the Demon Kingdom and attended the clan council for the first time, where he painstakingly pieced together the intricacies of Zhan Tianming's plan after everyone had left.
This was why Zhan Tianxiang both hated and feared his meticulous older brother, who always seemed to lay traps he could fall into at any moment.
Just like now.
During his persuasion before their father and clan elders, Zhan Tianming had solemnly vowed to stabilize the situation and minimize casualties. Pressured by the elders and emotionally swayed by their mother, Zhan Tianxiang reluctantly agreed.
But what did he see now?
The Zhan and Huo Clans looting amidst the chaos!
Zhan Tianxiang knew Zhan Tianming was cold and ruthless, but he hadn't realized how shameless and unscrupulous he could be.
"Second Brother, Li Jianzhao has been lured away by the Python Lady. What are you waiting for?" Zhan Tianming's voice, slightly anxious, echoed into his sea of consciousness via a transmission talisman.
"And you need me for this?"
"The Stealth Ice Python excels in ambushes but is weak in combat. The female cultivator from the Southern Neighboring Sect is unfathomable, and with Yue Nianxi assisting her, the Python Lady may not be able to kill Li Jianzhao immediately. If the Li Clan elder returns..."
"Zhan Tianming, what trick are you playing this time?" Zhan Tianxiang roared as he drove his spear into the heart of a Mining Beast. "Li Jianzhao is only a ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator. Surely, you have plenty of experts who could crush him with ease!"
"My men are occupied..."
"Busy assassinating smiths and looting the Fire Refining Sect's resources?! Does that matter more than killing Li Jianzhao? Or was your goal from the start to plunder the sect?"