Chapter 5504: Its True Intent

“The Totem Phoenix Clan reappeared?” the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief murmured with his eyes focused on the south.

There was no way the Totem Phoenix Clan’s juniors could escape his notice even though they were in concealment. He saw them heading southward and entering a formation.

The formation appeared to be created through a treasure, and it was so ingenious that he wouldn’t have noticed it if he hadn’t seen the Totem Phoenix Clan’s juniors disappearing into it. There was little doubt that the Totem Phoenix Clan’s elders were inside the barrier too.

“Father, where did Daoist Demon Crane escape to? Let’s capture him! He nearly killed us with the Demon Crane! We would have died if not for Chu Feng!” Long Chengyu reported the matter to the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief right away.

“Chengyu, are you certain that Daoist Demon Crane constructed a tribute formation to use you as fodder for his demonic skill? Could it be some kind of special trial instead?” the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief asked.

“It did appear to be a trial, but there were no rewards at the very end. How could that be called a trial then?” Long Chengyu asked.

“Young friend Chu Feng, did you really not receive any rewards? It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I’m just wondering if you have neglected something,” the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief asked.

“I did check carefully, but I didn’t receive any rewards. At the very least, I haven’t found anything so far,” Chu Feng said.

“Father, there’s no way Brother Chu Feng would lie about this. Daoist Demon Crane must be toying with us. Why don’t we just capture and interrogate him?” Long Chengyu asked.

“Come with me,” the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief said before heading into the wars.h.i.+p.

Chu Feng and the others followed him.

The group soon arrived in a room filled with the Totem Dragon Clan’s guest elders. All of them were formidable world spiritists, and they were busy working together to treat an individual.

Chu Feng and the others widened their eyes in astonishment.

The individual who was being treated was none other than Daoist Demon Crane. He was in a terribly weakened state that it wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly dropped dead.

“Why is Daoist Demon Crane here? How did he land in such a state?” Long Chengyu was stunned.

“You were inside the Demon Crane longer than expected, so I captured Daoist Demon Crane to question him. But he didn’t know anything at all, claiming that the Demon Crane is no longer under his control. He says that he has no idea why the Demon Crane came here, and he didn’t know why the remnant suddenly opened either,” the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief said.

Chu Feng and the others widened their eyes in realization. Now that they thought about it, Daoist Demon Crane’s earlier behavior did suggest that he wasn’t the one who opened the remnant.

“Was Daoist Demon Crane with you all this time?” Long Chengyu asked.

“He has been with me all this while. He hasn’t activated any formations, which is why I can be certain that he isn’t the one pulling strings here,” the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief said.

“How did he land in that state?” Chu Feng asked.

Daoist Demon Crane’s skin had dried out, and he looked no different from a bag of skin and bones. It was as if someone had emptied him inside out.

“Young friend Chu Feng, take a look at this.”

Instead of answering the question, the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief pa.s.sed a compa.s.s to Chu Feng. It was the compa.s.s Daoist Demon Crane had previously shown him, but it had been shattered and was pieced back together. It was wrapped in a barrier, though its contents were still visible.

The compa.s.s’ empty sectors were now all filled with inscriptions. The outer sectors contained the inscriptions of wind, water, fire, lightning, and earth, whereas the center showed a black aura that resembled an amalgamation of the elements. It resembled a ravenous monster that threatened to devour everything, sending chills down one’s spine.

These inscriptions were no longer lifelike now that the compa.s.s had been shattered, but there was still something peculiar about the center inscription that fazed one’s soul. Staring at it for too long would leave one feeling jittery.

“Is that Daoist Demon Crane’s possession?” Chu Feng asked.

“Daoist Demon Crane said that this was from the Demon Crane. He could tell that there was something special about this compa.s.s, but he never managed to figure out what it was used for. The compa.s.s was initially blank, but those inscriptions started showing shortly after you entered the Demon Crane, starting from wind, water, flame, lightning, and then, earth. The black aura in the center appeared last.

“Shortly after the black aura appeared, the compa.s.s suddenly exerted a suction force directed solely at Daoist Demon Crane. We were present too, but we weren’t affected by it,” the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief said.

“It was that compa.s.s that reduced Daoist Demon Crane to his current state?” Chu Feng asked.

“That’s right. We tried to stop the compa.s.s, but it was to no avail. The suction force only stopped after it had reduced Daoist Demon Crane to his current state. Shortly after, the Demon Crane shattered, and the compa.s.s shattered along with it. However, we still chose to seal the compa.s.s off as there’s something amiss about it,” the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief said.

“That’s weird. What’s going on?” Long Chengyu remarked as he examined the compa.s.s with widened eyes. He didn’t think that Daoist Demon Crane was the culprit anymore; if anything, the latter seemed more like a victim.

“The compa.s.s gives me a similar feeling as the Demon Crane, but it’s hard to tell its use now that it’s shattered,” Chu Feng said. “Elder Clan Chief, did Daoist Demon Crane mention anything else?”

“He did.”

The Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief proceeded to share how Daoist Demon Crane lamented that the Demon Crane was never truly under his control, and how their clan had never benefited from the Demon Crane despite having offered their bloodline power to it for many generations.

“That’s weird! From the sound of it, it seems that the Demon Crane is the true mastermind behind all of these, and Daoist Demon Crane and his clan is nothing but its slave. But what’s with the shattering of the Demon Crane then?” Long Chengyu was perplexed.

He could understand if the Demon Crane was a sentient treasure that wanted to hurt them, but why did the Demon Crane shatter then? What could the Demon Crane’s true goal be?

The other elders were confused as well.