After the Fairy Maidens Fell to Darkness, They Captured Me to Ruthlessly 'Repay' Their Gratitude-Chapter 173 - You Despicable Cultist!

In the illusionary realm, what felt like an eternity had passed, though only half an incense stick’s time had elapsed in the outside world.

At Que Sheng’s most desperate moment, the figure of the white-robed youth appeared once again.

As before, he extended a cup of hot tea toward her. But this time, Que Sheng wasn’t foolish enough to thank him.

“What exactly do you want?!”

Smash!

The teacup was slapped away as the red-feathered girl glared at He Ange with gritted teeth, her face flushed with anger and humiliation.

Raising her hand, she summoned a blazing holy sword and, with a single strike, reduced the white-robed youth to ashes.

Though He Ange’s form vanished, his voice echoed from all directions.

“I offered you water out of respect for the Vermilion Bird clan. I thought you might need it after all your shouting and screaming…”

This time,

His voice carried an ancient authority, tinged with disappointment—far removed from the gentle concern he had shown earlier.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Who needs your pity?”

Que Sheng sneered, her golden eyes burning with fury and disdain. “You’re just a mortal hiding behind illusions. If you’re truly a man, stop skulking around and face me in a duel!”

True to her Vermilion Bird bloodline, even in such dire straits, Que Sheng’s pride and fiery temper remained unshaken.

As her words fell,

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sky above tore apart with thunder and lightning.

Que Sheng looked up to see a dark-feathered figure stepping out of the void. This time, He Ange’s form was taller and more imposing—no longer resembling a mere youth. His white robes had turned into pitch-black feathered attire. Standing with his hands behind his back, he exuded an entirely different aura: cold, sinister, and commanding. Abyssal purple lightning coiled around him, forbidden runes covered his body, and he radiated the presence of an ancient demonic overlord.

Descending from the sky,

He Ange brought with him an overwhelming abyssal pressure that caused Que Sheng to tremble involuntarily. Even her blazing holy sword quivered in her grip.

Gulp…

Que Sheng had to admit—she was frightened by the scene before her.

Such terrifying abyssal power… Even her master, the leader of Wanmo Sect, couldn’t replicate it. And yet, this dark-feathered youth appeared so young and handsome—nothing like an ancient demon from bygone eras.

“I’ve spared you out of respect for your Vermilion Bird bloodline… Don’t think for a moment that I couldn’t defeat you.”

Under the oppressive weight of the abyss,

He Ange spoke with chilling indifference.

Currently, he had activated the Feng Yuan bloodline within him. Forbidden runes adorned his skin, and his black feathered attire gave him the air of an abyssal evil phoenix.

Of course,

The illusion’s effects, crafted by Xuanque, played a significant role in amplifying this aura.

Meeting his gaze,

Que Sheng broke into a cold sweat.

Yet even so,

She gritted her teeth in defiance:

“Abyssal power… black feathered robes… So you’re from the Evil Phoenix Sect?!”

The name “Evil Phoenix Sect” struck a deep chord within Que Sheng.

From a young age, she had been taught by Vermilion Bird elders that the abyssal phoenix was their ancestral enemy!

Legend had it that the Vermilion Bird clan’s fall from grace—relegated to being labeled as demonic by Dragon Dynasty—was due to the abyssal phoenix’s schemes millennia ago!

If not for Feng Yuan’s transgressions against divine law, the Vermilion Bird clan would have stood alongside Azure Dragons and White Tigers as one of the revered ancient godly clans.

But Feng Yuan’s defiance brought divine punishment upon himself—eternally sealed in the abyss. His bird spirit followers became prime targets for eradication by the True Dragon Empress…

This led to the Vermilion Bird clan being implicated as well.

Even now,

They were confined to the Eastern Demon Realm. Despite their sacred bloodline, they were shunned as outcasts.

Though Que Sheng was young and didn’t fully understand her ancestors’ grudges,

The hatred instilled by her elders made her loathe the abyssal phoenix with every fiber of her being—even if she had never encountered one before.

And now…

The Evil Phoenix Sect—a notorious cult—and its followers stood before her as embodiments of evil.

“Vile scum!”

“If you’ve got any courage, stop running and fight me head-on!”

At this moment,

Que Sheng donned her golden blazing feathered robes.

Sword raised high,

She appeared as if she were enacting divine justice—ready to vanquish evil as a heroine of destiny.

Clearly,

He Ange’s connection to Feng Yuan marked him as a sinner in her eyes.

“Sinner?”

“Don’t you know that’s the highest compliment for someone like me?”

He sneered coldly.

But in the next instant,

Que Sheng’s Vermilion Bird bloodline ignited. She raised her blazing holy sword and appeared before He Ange in a flash—her blade already at his neck. In this moment, she needed only a single motion to kill him.

“Die!”

Her lips curled into a triumphant smile as she swung her sword without hesitation.

Speed was her greatest strength,

And her blazing power gave her unparalleled offensive capabilities.

However…

To He Ange,

Her full-force attack was laughable.

Que Sheng likely still believed that this illusionary realm was entirely controlled by He Ange—a mere illusionist incapable of close combat.

But in reality…

With Xuanque—a Divine Transformation peak illusionist—this domain was entirely under He Ange’s control.

Within this illusion,

As long as Que Sheng’s rank couldn’t surpass Xuanque’s, He Ange was its absolute ruler!

“Foolish.”

At some point,

Just as Que Sheng thought she had slain him, He Ange’s voice came from behind her.

Her golden eyes widened in shock. Before she could turn around,

A large hand pressed down on her head.

Boom—!!!

In an instant,

Que Sheng was slammed face-first into the ground by He Ange’s overwhelming force.

The impact cracked the earth beneath her, leaving a massive fissure. The red-feathered girl’s head was buried deep into the ground—a pitiful and somewhat comical sight.

“Do you yield?”

He didn’t kill her; he merely asked calmly.

Que Sheng felt her mind buzzing with disbelief.

What just happened?

How was this possible?

She was a Nascent Soul cultivator with Vermilion Bird bloodline! Even against Divine Transformation experts, she shouldn’t be subdued so easily!

This felt like a crushing blow from another dimension—a complete suppression!

Meanwhile,

He Ange struggled to suppress his laughter. He wasn’t nearly as strong as Que Sheng imagined. Everything she experienced was part of Xuanque’s illusionary design.

In reality,

The red-feathered girl remained unharmed outside the illusionary realm.

Within this illusion,

He Ange could be as powerful as Xuanque allowed him to be. And since Que Sheng lacked the ability to break free from Xuanque’s illusions, she was entirely at their mercy.

Much like his experience in Xia Zhiyue’s illusionary world—if not for his Evil Phoenix bloodline, He Ange might have succumbed to despair within her Nine-Tailed Fox illusions. Yet in reality, he had remained unscathed.

This was psychological warfare at its finest.

He Ange intended to use Xuanque’s illusions to shatter Que Sheng’s confidence and pride—not kill her but break her spirit until she submitted completely.

“Hmm?”

Amidst his thoughts,

He Ange raised an eyebrow as Que Sheng erupted once more beneath him.

Blazing divine flames reignited around her body. From above came piercing cries of phoenixes echoing across the land—shaking the earth itself.

“You dare trample upon my Vermilion Bird crown?!”

Golden light radiated from Que Sheng as her flames ascended to new heights.

Secret Art: Nine Heavens Phoenix Ascension!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Sacred flames erupted from the ground, engulfing everything within their radius into a sea of fire.

Meanwhile,

The feathered girl pulled herself free from the ground.

Panting heavily,

Her face flushed red with humiliation and rage as she scanned her surroundings with murderous intent.

But no matter how hard she looked,

She couldn’t find the dark-feathered youth who had humiliated her earlier.

“If I find you—you’re dead!!!”

She roared in unprecedented fury.

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As a proud descendant of the Vermilion Bird clan—even Wanmo Sect’s leader Dongfang Zhou treated her with respect. Never before had Que Sheng been humiliated like this!

And by none other than an Evil Phoenix Sect follower—the ancestral enemy of her clan!

“There.”

From above came his voice once more.

Que Sheng looked up sharply to see the dark-feathered youth watching her from above—his cold eyes filled with amusement and disdain.

That gaze wasn’t one of someone intending to kill—it was as if he were merely toying with her like a pet dog!

Despite unleashing all her power,

She couldn’t even provoke his killing intent?!

Realizing this,

Que Sheng’s anger boiled over once more.

Boom!

Fiery tornadoes surged upward toward him.

At their center,

The red-feathered girl soared on blazing wings—her crown aflame—as she charged at the dark-feathered youth above.

“Sinner! You’re dead!!!”

Behind her,

A phoenix silhouette emerged—a blazing divine eagle trailing fiery tails as it dove toward its target.

But He Ange remained unfazed. Even as fiery tornadoes engulfed him, he felt no pain. With a casual gesture,

He caught Que Sheng mid-charge—his hand gripping her head firmly.

“What—?!”

Que Sheng froze in disbelief.

Despite her fiery momentum and overwhelming aura,

She resembled nothing more than a reckless sparrow crashing into his palm—easily subdued with minimal effort.

How could this be?!

As Que Sheng’s mind blanked out,

He Ange began his suppression in earnest.

His grip was like that of a divine being—effortlessly pinning her down with crushing force.

Rumble!

What Vermilion Bird? What phoenix?

In this illusionary realm,

Even dragons must crawl; even phoenixes must bow.

Que Sheng was no exception.

Her fiery charge ended with He Ange slamming her into the ground once more—her face pressed firmly against it while he held her head down mercilessly.

“Do you yield?”

He asked again with calm indifference.

Que Sheng was utterly stunned.

She tried to struggle free but found herself completely immobilized under his palm—a weight like that of heaven itself pressing down upon her skull.

For a long moment,

She ceased resisting altogether.

“I… I yield…”

Her voice trembled with fear and submission.

Satisfied,

He Ange released his grip on the red-feathered girl.

But no sooner had she regained freedom than she erupted once more—transforming fiery tornadoes into spears aimed directly at him!

Boom!

Her third attempt at retaliation ended just as swiftly—with He Ange flipping her over his shoulder and slamming her face-first into the ground again.

Could it be…

That even a proud Vermilion Bird would meet its match against an Evil Phoenix?

—