Chapter 115
"Shu'er." As soon as Hua Shu stepped into the rear hall, the Peacock King looked up and saw her face filled with anger.
"Father!" Even though Hua Shu had served as a High Venerable in the Heavenly Palace for a thousand years, she still obeyed the Peacock King's every word. Seeing her father now, a wave of grievances and anger surged within her. "Today, that little brat Feng Yin..."
"Shu'er!" Hua Mo's expression darkened as he rebuked her, his eyes narrowing. "She is now the Phoenix Sovereign."
Hua Shu's words caught in her throat. She flung her sleeve in frustration, revealing a trace of unwillingness. "Father, just because our Peacock Clan has served as subjects for millennia, must we forever endure humiliation under the Phoenix Clan? That Feng Yin was born only a thousand years ago and awakened just a few days ago. Yet, simply because she was born a Fire Phoenix, she can easily become the Phoenix Sovereign. What does my thousands of years of effort count for then? You, Father, have ruled Hundred Birds Island for ten thousand years. Must you also bow and flatter before her?"
Hua Shu's words struck at the deepest resentment in the Peacock King's heart over the past ten thousand years. A shadow of gloom flickered in his eyes as he slowly replied, "What does it matter if we are unwilling? The Phoenix Clan are ancient divine beasts, born with Spiritual Power surpassing all other immortal avian clans." Seeing Hua Shu about to speak again, he waved his hand dismissively. "As soon as I entered the Heavenly Palace, I heard about what happened today at the Lingering Immortal Pond."
Hua Mo's gaze settled heavily on Hua Shu. "You are too impulsive. What is there to gain from a momentary victory? What our Peacock Clan seeks is glory for tens of thousands of years."
Hua Shu was taken aback. "Father, what do you mean...?"
"The Celestial Emperor has issued an edict. In three months, it will be time to appoint a new emperor. As long as you can defeat the others in the Nine Palaces Tower, you will become the next Celestial Emperor. Our Peacock Clan will naturally no longer bow to any Immortal Sect, including Wutong Phoenix Island."
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Hua Shu's eyes as she whispered, "Father, I am only at the peak of the High Lord realm, while Feng Yin has already reached the Demigod level. If she participates in the Nine Palaces Tower competition, I cannot defeat her. Moreover, the Sect Leaders of the Immortal Sects and the four High Venerables of the Heavenly Palace possess Immortal Power no less than mine. I..."
As Yuan Qi, the son of a True God and master of Clear Pond Palace, would not, by convention, enter the Nine Palaces Tower to compete for the position of Celestial Emperor, Hua Mo and his daughter did not include him in their calculations.
Before Hua Shu could finish, Hua Mo suddenly pointed forward. A pot of orchids flew from the front of the hall and landed before them. A wisp of Spiritual Power materialized in his palm and fell upon the orchids. The once Immortal Qi-filled orchids instantly withered and died. The moment the Spiritual Power erupted, Hua Shu felt a chilling, oppressive force wash over her.
Seeing this, Hua Shu was overjoyed. "Father, have you attained Divine Attainment?!"
With her strength at the peak of the High Lord realm, only someone who had attained Divine Attainment could exert such terrifying pressure on her.
Her joy was quickly followed by confusion. "Father, how did you recover your Spiritual Power? And how did you attain Divine Attainment without any signs? Also, your Spiritual Power..." After the initial excitement subsided, Hua Shu calmed down, a trace of doubt appearing in her eyes.
"Not Immortal Power?" Hua Mo raised an eyebrow, a cold, arrogant glint in his eyes. "Then tell me, what kind of Spiritual Power did your father just use?"
The Spiritual Power Hua Mo had just used was something Hua Shu had never seen before. A sense of unease stirred within her, suddenly reminding her of the Demon from the Demon Tribe who had appeared by her side a thousand years ago.A thousand years ago, Peacock Island had declined, and Hua Mo's Immortal Elixir shattered, greatly damaging his Spiritual Power. With limited strength, he could only rely on the elixirs provided by that Demon to desperately enhance his Immortal Power. In return, he would occasionally offer some intelligence about the Immortal Tribe to that Demon. When the Water Condensation Beast Ayin claimed that Hong Yi had been controlled by the Demon Tribe to commit the crime of destroying Great Marsh Mountain, Hua Mo was deeply alarmed for a time. It was precisely because of this that he could not allow Ayin to survive. Now, his father's Spiritual Power was eerie and difficult to discern. Could it be that he had long known of the Demon's existence and had cultivated Demonic Power?
"Father, was it Demonic Power you used just now?" Hua Shu spoke hoarsely, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.
Although she had relied on that Demon in the past, she had only taken precious elixirs to enhance her Spiritual Power and had never cultivated Demonic Qi. In Hua Shu's heart, she had always taken pride in her identity as an immortal, looking down upon the Demon Tribe and the Demon Tribe.
"Yes, and no." The Peacock King waved his hand. "I did not cultivate Demonic Power in the ordinary way. Instead, I directly refined and absorbed Demonic Qi into my body. There's no need to wonder—it was the very Demon who provided you with elixirs to enhance your Immortal Power back then."
"Father, was that Demon arranged by you to be by my side?" Hua Shu was stunned. "You... you refined and absorbed it?"
So that Demon had indeed been arranged by her father. But Hua Shu knew how formidable that Demon was—how could her father have refined and absorbed it?
Seeing Hua Shu's astonished expression, Hua Mo said, "Your brothers are dull and incompetent. If not for cooperating with the Demon Tribe to help you cultivate to the peak of High Lord in the shortest time, how could our Hundred Birds Island contend with the Eagle Clan?"
"But cooperating with the Demon Tribe is one thing, while cultivating Demonic Power is another." Hua Shu worried, "Tomorrow you will meet Divine Lord Yuan Qi and Feng Yin. Although you have attained Divine Attainment, if they detect the Demonic Qi within you, with the combined strength of the High Immortals from the Heavenly Palace, they will surely be able to stop you! By then, our Hundred Birds Island will become the target of the entire Immortal Realm..."
"What is within me is not pure Demonic Power." Hua Mo conjured a wisp of Spiritual Power in his palm. It was neither white nor black but a chaotic gray, indeed not Demonic Power.
"If I were using Demonic Power, I would have already been detected by those two just now." Hua Mo's expression carried a hint of pride, revealing a trace of disdain for Yuan Qi and Feng Yin. Gazing at the Spiritual Power in his palm, his eyes held obsession. "No immortal has ever cultivated the demonic path before. I am the first in the world. Who would have thought that merging Immortal and Demonic Power could give rise to a new Divine Power? This Divine Power is immensely powerful. In just a mere thousand years, I not only repaired my Inner Core but also effortlessly ascended to divinity. Given time, not only the Lower Three Realms but even the Ancient Realm might bow to me, Hua Mo. So what if they discover the Divine Power within me? Who among them can prove that I cultivated Demonic Power?"
With a wave of his hand, Hua Mo pushed the Spiritual Power in his palm toward Hua Shu. "Shu'er, as long as you absorb the Divine Power within me and merge it with the Immortal Power in your body, with my help in focused cultivation, you will surely be able to defeat Feng Yin and the other immortals in the Nine Palaces Tower three months from now and seize the position of Celestial Emperor."
That gray Divine Power was mysterious and dark. Hua Shu couldn't help but reach out to touch it, but she withdrew her hand the moment she felt its icy chill.Her expression was extremely complex as she took two steps back, struggling to say, "Father, no. Even though this spiritual power has been refined and absorbed by you, it ultimately originates from the Demon Tribe. I am an immortal; I cannot cultivate demonic power."
After speaking, she lowered her eyes, not daring to look at the Peacock King's expression.
A flash of malice and regret passed through Hua Mo's eyes, but his face remained gentle, showing no trace of ferocity.
"Very well, if you are unwilling, I will not force you. If not for you over these years, Hundred Birds Island would not have its current prestige and status." Hua Mo sighed and waved his hand. "You still need to prepare for tomorrow's banquet. Go rest early."
Hua Shu nodded and turned to leave, but the Peacock King's voice sounded heavily behind her.
"Shu'er, this is the best opportunity for our Peacock Clan to change our fate. There are still three months. If you change your mind, come see me."
Hua Shu's back stiffened. She nodded hastily and walked out.
She left the hall with an unchanged expression, arousing no suspicion from the attendants outside. Only when she entered the small pavilion behind the hall and reached the blood-stained wedding robe in the room did she collapse as if all her strength had drained away.
Hua Shu gently stroked the old wedding robe, her eyes filled with panic and fear. Yet, she recalled the humiliation she had suffered from Yuan Qi and Feng Yin by the Liuxian Pond. She murmured, "Lan Feng, tell me, what should I do?"
Inside Xiuyang Hall, the Peacock King lowered his eyes and gently stroked the divine power in his palm, his expression distant.
A thousand years ago in Rakshasa Land, the Demon Venerable had split half of his soul power into Hua Mo's body, attempting to control him into killing Yuan Qi during the chaos. Unexpectedly, the Demon Venerable was accidentally injured by the divine artifact Five-Colored Lotus of the Water Condensation Beast Ayin. Later, the Celestial Emperor suddenly arrived, and fearing detection, the Demon Venerable sealed his consciousness and hid within Hua Mo's body. Seizing this rare opportunity, Hua Mo forcibly refined and absorbed half of the Demon Venerable's consciousness, merging immortal power and demonic power into a completely new form of spiritual power. This power was incredibly potent. To cultivate this strange spiritual power, he declined a high position in the Heavenly Palace and hid on Hundred Birds Island to train. Finally, five hundred years ago, he ascended to become the fourth High God in the Three Realms.
What was even more remarkable was that this spiritual power was not only powerful but also allowed him to undergo tribulations silently, completely undetected by Feng Ran and Yuan Qi. The only slight drawback was that the divine power within him was too domineering; it required constant nourishment from new spiritual power to sustain its rapid cultivation.
A thousand years ago, with the help of the Demon Venerable, Hua Mo had repaired his inner core by devouring the spiritual power of Eagle Clan members. A thousand years later, after ascending to godhood, he still captured Eagle Clan members to nourish the divine power within him.
The Eagle Clan and the Peacock Clan were both immortal birds, with extremely similar origins of spiritual power. The two clans had long been enemies, so Hua Mo naturally regarded the Eagle Clan as the first choice for sacrificing to sustain his divine power.
By refining and absorbing Qing Li's consciousness, Hua Mo learned her identity and everything about the Nine Nether Purgatory. Although Qing Li was of the Demon Tribe, she had already removed her demon bone in the Nine Nether Purgatory and cultivated demonic power as a pure demon. But he was different—his immortal bone remained. It was the fusion of immortal and demonic powers within him that gave rise to this new divine power.
Thinking of the mysterious Demon Lord with terrifying demonic power he had seen within Qing Li's consciousness, Hua Mo licked his lips, his eyes revealing undisguised covetousness and a hint of trembling.If he could also devour the Demon Lord within the Nine Nether Purgatory, then even in the Ancient Divine Realm, no one would be able to defeat him anymore!
Not a trace of emotion or reason remained in the Peacock King's eyes, only ambition and coldness driven by power.
Deep within the God-Slaying Flowers of the Nine Nether Purgatory, as if sensing this distant malice, the white-haired Divine Lord curled the corner of his mouth, revealing a mocking smile.
"Little White-Hair, what wicked scheme are you plotting again, grinning so creepily?"
In the quiet sea of flowers, a sudden voice rang out. Around the icy throne, which a thousand years ago had been surrounded only by the cold expanse of God-Slaying Flowers, was now encircled by rows of fruit trees. Beneath the trees, lush grass flourished and streams murmured, with vitality flourishing for miles around, leaving only a tiny patch of land for that jet-black, ice-cold throne.
At this moment, a jade-green Water Condensation Beast was perched on a peach tree, its stubby little legs dangling as it hugged a peach larger than itself, munching away with juice splattering everywhere. It glanced at the white-clad Demon Lord's face and blurted out this remark.
The cold Demon Lord on the throne twitched at the corner of his mouth at the address "Little White-Hair," taking a long moment to suppress the surging Demonic Power within him before coldly uttering a few words: "This venerable one's name is Profound One."
"I know, I know. Oh, come on, we've been neighbors for so many years now—calling each other by name is so impersonal. You can call me Chubby Ball." The Water Condensation Beast chuckled cheerfully, and after eating its fill of the peach, it even let out a satisfied burp.
Perhaps having eaten enough, it slowly flapped its tiny wings and moved toward Profound One on the throne. "Little White-Hair, you're grinning so smugly—did you see something? Tell me, it's so boring in this Purgatory!"
Clutching its peach pit and dripping juice all the way, the Water Condensation Beast flew over, looking as if it—pit and all—was about to land right on Profound One. At that moment, a surge of Divine Power shot mercilessly from Profound One's fingertip toward the beast.
"Ouch!" the Water Condensation Beast cried out, completely enveloped by Profound One's Divine Power into a ball.
Profound One flicked his hand, and the ball containing the Water Condensation Beast and the peach pit whooshed through the air, landing upside-down on the peach tree.
Inside the transparent Divine Power ball, the Water Condensation Beast lay on its back, clutching its peach pit with teary eyes. Its mouth quivered as it looked toward the little demon dragon coiled beneath the tree, resting with its eyes closed.
"Wahhhh, San Huo, this little white-haired bully is picking on me again!"
Hearing the Water Condensation Beast's wails, the little demon dragon under the peach tree wished it could curl itself into an invisible thread. It shut its eyes, pretending to be dead and hearing nothing.
"Quiet. If you keep crying, this venerable one will chop down all your peach trees for firewood." This threat worked better than anything else. The Water Condensation Beast immediately hugged the peach pit tightly to its chest, sealed its lips shut, and blinked its large eyes without uttering another word.
After a long while, seeing Profound One's expression soften, it finally spoke in a soft, pleading voice: "White-Haired Demon Venerable, did you see something? What's happening outside? Tell me, and I promise I'll never hide peach pits under your throne again."
After all, it had served under two Lords of Chaos—it truly had no fear of death.
Profound One gazed at the Water Condensation Beast, which was flapping about energetically without a care for its life, and a faint ripple stirred in his eyes, which had remained unperturbed for millennia.
"Just a few clowns putting on a show," he said. Seeing the Water Condensation Beast staring at him wide-eyed, he added magnanimously: "Don't worry, your little master is still alive and kicking, not dead."Seeing the Water Condensation Beast let out a long sigh of relief, he maliciously curled the corner of his mouth and coldly said, "It might not be so certain in the future."
The Water Condensation Beast, halfway through relaxing its breath, choked on Profound One's words, nearly suffocating from the shock. As if greatly wronged, it snorted, lay down within the circle of Divine Power, and refused to move.
Under the tree, the little demon dragon cracked open a sliver of its eyes. Seeing that these two troublemakers had fallen silent, it slowly closed its eyes again.
The Water Condensation Beast and the little demon dragon in this Nine Nether Purgatory were none other than San Huo and Bi Bo, who had guarded Tranquil Mountain for Tian Qi a thousand years ago.
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