Chapter 9: The Overbearing Immortal

The moment the lightning struck Phoenix, both gods assumed she would be instantly incinerated by the divine thunder. After all, even the most powerful mages faced certain death when confronted with a god's might.

This was no ordinary lightning, but the thunderous authority of the gods - a destructive force that no mortal could withstand.

Yet at this crucial moment... both God King Beelzebub and Archangel Michael found themselves utterly dumbfounded.

Not only had the God King's divine lightning failed to harm the human before them, but it appeared to have been absorbed entirely by her palm.

Indeed... as if drawing energy from the strike itself, the terrifying, destructive divine lightning was completely absorbed by the Eastern woman when it struck her.

And it wasn't just the lightning - the accompanying storm...

Proved equally ineffective against the woman before them.

Phoenix's expression remained unchanged in response to Michael and Beelzebub's reactions. This was normal behavior, after all, and she didn't find it remarkable.

The gauntlets in her hands were the divine key possessing the strongest "domination" power.

Not only could they absorb Honkai energy and convert it into other forms of energy, but they could also absorb other types of energy and transform it into what she needed.

So whether it was divine lightning or a hurricane, for Phoenix, wielding the Grips of Tai Xuan, this was merely a source of energy, and the gauntlets in her hands served as the charging device.

"What an intriguing human! You possess the potential to become the Demon Lord of this world. Pity... you've encountered me. I am the god who wields authority over the cosmos!"

"Perish! Dissolve under the sun's radiance!"

As a god king, Beelzebub quickly regained his composure. He first offered praise before spreading his arms wide.

The sun in the heavens seemed to descend into his outstretched hands. As the solar brilliance cascaded from Beelzebub's palms, everything illuminated by the light dissolved into nothingness.

The entire island became bare...

Even the sea appeared to evaporate deeply.

Facing the sun in Beelzebub's grasp, Michael, who refused to retreat, raised his Holy Sword of Flames with difficulty, barely blocking the destructive radiance.

Under the glow of this miniature sun, Phoenix felt her body begin to melt. But... that was all.

"Flame Wind..."

No longer passive, Phoenix transformed into a gust of fire and swept past Beelzebub, reappearing behind him.

When the Flame Wind swept past, it inflicted burns upon the God King that even his divine body couldn't withstand.

Simultaneously, stray flames from the wind lodged themselves in Beelzebub's body.

The excruciating pain of the burning flames forced Beelzebub to temporarily abandon his miniature sun.

As Beelzebub struggled to extinguish the flames engulfing him, he suddenly realized... the flames refused to be quenched.

Instead, they grew more intense.

Unable to endure, Beelzebub considered plunging into the sea.

But he knew even the sea couldn't douse flames he himself couldn't extinguish.

"You think this can kill me? I am the God of the Sun and Lightning, King of Hell, Solomon's First Demon God, and War God of the Shan! Extinguish... yourself!" Beelzebub's divine form doubled in size, unleashing a terrifying surge of magical power. This power, beyond mortal comprehension, instantly... extinguished the flames on his body.

Yet Phoenix remained completely unfazed.

This was merely ordinary Flame Wind, a mere side effect. If even this basic form of flame troubled the God King, what would happen when faced with deeper layers of Flame Wind and its ultimate form?

"Flame-Twining Kite!"

Phoenix completely ignored the increasingly frenzied and terrifying Divine King before her. She spread her arms... A small flame divine bird appeared beside Phoenix. The bird, as if Phoenix's lover, gently twined around her body, arms, and thighs.

At this moment, Phoenix resembled a celestial king from Eastern mythology - holding a golden crow in her hand, standing upon the Vermilion Bird, and draped in phoenix feathers.

Phoenix's body instantly flashed, appearing atop Beelzebub's giant head.

"Immortal Technique: Black Bird Dispersal."

A punch carrying extreme force tore through space as it smashed into Beelzebub's head.

This scene was undoubtedly hard to accept - the massive Divine King, toppled by a single delicate punch from Phoenix.

At this moment, Beelzebub's body stood nearly a hundred meters tall, while Phoenix... was only 165 centimeters tall.

Yet this small human, with an ordinary human fist, had knocked down the giant Divine King with a single punch.

"Immortal Technique: Phoenix Soaring Kick!"

This wasn't over yet. As Beelzebub fell, Phoenix delivered a swift kick. Behind the young girl... a fiery phoenix illusion materialized. Phoenix's foot transformed into the phoenix's head, striking directly into Beelzebub's body.

"Finally... Cuckoo's Cry!"

In that instant, the Southern Li Fire from myth and legend engulfed hundreds of meters around them. A sea of li fire-formed camellias once again covered Beelzebub's body.

Then, from within the sea of camellias, numerous li fire-formed cuckoo birds emerged, their mournful cries echoing through the air.

These cries plunged anyone who heard them into their most sorrowful memories, creating an involuntary illusion.

The Phoenix alighted on Beelzebub's body, watching as the God King entered the illusion... Her body remained exposed to the li fire, yet she paid it no heed... Soon, Beelzebub would perish under the li fire's flames.

Cuckoo's Cry, or more precisely "Cuckoo's Blood-Curdling Cry," originates from The Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Shu. It tells how Wangdi, after abdicating, transformed into a cuckoo bird. Each spring, its cries would drip blood, forming camellias. These cries were said to be calls for his lover, often used to describe extreme grief.

The Phoenix's Cuckoo's Cry technique worked similarly. The sea of li fire-formed camellias and the cuckoo birds' cries created an advanced illusion even immortals couldn't easily escape.

While the target remained trapped in the illusion, they remained unaware... that endless li fire was already consuming their body.

They would die without ever knowing how.

Now... Phoenix could instantly end Beelzebub's life. The God King had lost all ability to resist.

Yet Phoenix refrained. She didn't know what consequences might arise from killing Beelzebub here, with another Heretic God nearby.

Her own thoughts leaned toward... eliminating both deities simultaneously.

For now, Beelzebub could be ignored. Even as a God King, he remained a Heretic God - no match for the Cuckoo's Cry's power.