Chapter 134
“Indeed.”
Above the Azure Dragon Platform of the Heavenly Palace, the Peacock King snorted heavily. Perhaps after a thousand years of pent-up frustration, he no longer concealed the smugness on his face.
“Feng Ran, you’ve guessed too late! Even if you send a hundred thousand Immortal Generals to Tranquil Mountain, what does it matter? The Demonic Beasts in the Nine Nether Purgatory are all vicious and ruthless. Once the Purgatory is opened, not only the Lower Three Realms but even the Ancient Divine Realm will belong to our Demon Tribe!” The Peacock King pointed at Feng Ran and Feng Yin, laughing maniacally, “Did you think the Demon Venerable and I wouldn’t see through your trap—using the Celestial Emperor’s throne and the Immortals of this realm as bait to lure me into action? I merely pretended to be deceived. Today, I will trample this Nine-Layered Heavenly Palace and ensure the Phoenix Sovereign disappears from this world forever! From now on, my Peacock Clan will rule the Immortal Realm!”
“Hua Mo, how dare you!” Venerable Yu Feng’s face flushed crimson with rage at the Peacock King’s arrogance. “How dare you act so insolently before Her Majesty!”
“Insolent?” The Peacock King sneered, casting a contemptuous glance at Feng Ran. “Yu Feng, you probably don’t know that your Celestial Emperor has long been drained of Divine Power, leaving nothing but an empty shell!”
At these words, Yu Feng, Kunlun, and the trapped High Immortals were stunned, all turning their gazes toward Feng Ran.
“Master Sovereign!” Feng Yin turned to look at Feng Ran, unable to hide her shock. The Master Sovereign had attained Divine Attainment a thousand years ago and was on the verge of Ascension. How could she be drained of Divine Power? What had happened?
“If it weren’t so, why would she tolerate my thousand-year dormancy in the Immortal Realm and keep finding excuses to hide on Phoenix Tree Island? It’s all because she feared I’d discover her lack of Divine Power!” The Peacock King looked at Qing Qiong, who had been standing beside Feng Ran all along. “If it weren’t for this mysterious green-robed Immortal lending her Spiritual Power, little phoenix, your Master Sovereign would be weaker than even a lowly wandering Immortal.”
“To hell with your green-feathered bird! You’re the green-robed Immortal! Your whole family are green-robed Immortals!” Before the Immortals could recover from the Peacock King’s shocking words, Qing Qiong beside Feng Ran leaped forward, brandishing the Nine Palaces Tower and shouting at the Peacock King, “Listen here, you green-feathered bird! I, your grandpa, never change my name or hide my identity—I am the mighty and renowned Nine Palaces Qing Qiong!”
Nine Palaces Qing Qiong? Who? No one had ever heard of such a name. In the sixty thousand years of the Immortal Realm’s tumultuous history, there truly had never been a figure named Nine Palaces Qing Qiong.
Not only were the Immortals on the Azure Dragon Platform dumbfounded, but even the Peacock King, who was being pointed at and insulted, was momentarily stunned by Qing Qiong’s righteous declaration. Perhaps the stunned expressions on everyone’s faces were too obvious, as Qing Qiong’s old face flushed red for once. Just as he was about to show off with the Nine Palaces Tower, Feng Ran’s voice rang out.
“Qing Qiong, come back.”
Qing Qiong’s face fell, and he reluctantly retreated to Feng Ran’s side. His outburst, however, poured cold water on the Peacock King’s earlier arrogance.
Feng Ran attempted to rise from her throne, but Feng Yin suddenly stepped forward and gently pressed Feng Ran’s hand down. When she withdrew her hand, a circle of white flames had ignited around Feng Ran’s throne.
The Phoenix Sovereign’s Ember Fire could incinerate all things and block all Divine and Demonic powers. In this world, only Primordial Chaos Power could cross these flames unimpeded.
“Feng Yin!” Feng Ran’s expression changed, her brows furrowing deeply. “What are you doing?”"Master Sovereign, you have taught me for so many years. It is time for your disciple to fulfill her filial duty." Feng Yin's lips curved, a clear smile settling in her eyes. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and pushed Feng Ran's throne, along with Qing Qiong behind it, toward Yu Feng and Kun Lun, who were meditating to recover their strength.
"Protect Her Majesty and the two High Venerables. If they suffer even the slightest harm, I will tear your tower apart!"
Feng Yin's eyes were deep and intense, the authority and dominance she wielded while ruling the mortal realm now unveiled for the first time. Qing Qiong trembled inwardly and quickly enlarged the emerald-green umbrella, transformed from the Nine Palaces Tower, threefold, firmly shielding Feng Ran and the other two within.
Heavens, truly hatched from the same phoenix nest—their methods of intimidating immortals are exactly the same!
"Hua Mo." Before Feng Ran could speak, Hong Yi, who had been standing beside Feng Yin, suddenly turned his gaze to the Peacock King. "Who was that nine-tailed fox who killed Lan Feng in the Hall of Imperial Cosmos?"
He materialized a string of sandalwood beads in his palm, his eyes blazing. "Why were these sandalwood beads in the Hall of Imperial Cosmos?"
A strange glint flashed in the Peacock King's eyes as he smiled coldly. "Hong Yi, haven't you long known who it was? Within the Three Realms, aside from you, this nine-tailed fox, who else can manifest nine tails? These sandalwood beads naturally belong to her."
Within the Three Realms, aside from Demon Emperor Hong Yi, the only nine-tailed fox was Chang Qin, the tribal chief of the Fox race. But didn't Chang Qin die before High Lord Lan Feng? Could it be she did not perish? The immortals were shocked upon hearing this, their minds racing with speculations.
Hearing Hua Mo's words, Hong Yi slowly clenched the prayer beads in his palm, his eyes burning with crimson fury. He stared at the Peacock King and spoke word by word, "Soul possession. That demon creature dared to possess my aunt!"
Before his words fully faded, he let out a long roar and leaped into the air. A dazzling red light flashed, and a towering fire fox stood mid-air, ten crimson tails swaying behind him. A dense aura of demonic and divine power enveloped the Azure Dragon Platform.
In just a thousand years, Hong Yi's True Form already possessed the strength of a mid-tier High God—truly worthy of the title Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox!
"Hua Mo, neither you nor the demon creature from the Nine Nether Purgatory will escape my wrath!" The Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox gazed coldly at the Peacock King, speaking in human tongue.
"Peacock King, if you wish to annihilate my Phoenix Clan, you must first see if I agree." Seeing Hua Mo's dark gaze fixed on Hong Yi in the air, Feng Ran raised her hand. "Heavenly Favor, rise!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Yin flew toward Hong Yi, leaping onto his back with the Heavenly Favor Sword in hand.
"Hmph, ignorant fools! What does it matter if you are a Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox or a Fire Phoenix? None can compare to the supreme techniques of my Demon Tribe!"
The Peacock King fearlessly met the battle intent of the strongest from the immortal and demon realms. He let out a long roar, materializing a staff in his palm. The staff shimmered with a faint black light, and immense Demonic Power and resentment enveloped the Peacock King. The moment the staff appeared, the sky above the entire Azure Dragon Platform darkened.
The immortals had never seen such a magical artifact. Upon closer inspection, they gasped in shock. The staff was engraved with countless wings, representing nearly all avian clans except the Phoenix Clan, with the Eagle Clan and Peacock Clan particularly prominent.
The mystery of the Eagle Clan's missing masters over the past millennium was finally solved—they had been killed by the Peacock King, their Immortal Power absorbed and refined into this demonic weapon. The staff was forged from the living bodies of immortals, which explained its overwhelming resentment. The immortals stared at the densely packed peacock feathers on the staff, their hearts chilled. To not even spare his own kind—the Peacock King was utterly deranged.Hua Shu stared blankly at the staff in the Peacock King's palm. On it were several of her brothers she hadn't seen for a century and the clan Elders who had watched her grow up since childhood. She glanced back at the demon soldiers of the Peacock Clan surrounding the Azure Dragon Platform, then looked down at her own body covered in Demonic Qi, closing her eyes in agony.
Feng Yin gazed solemnly at the staff, her Heavenly Favor Sword pointing toward the sky.
"Slaughtering your own kin—you're worse than beasts!"
Her words fell like ice. Hong Yi raised his massive claws and charged toward Hua Mo. At the same time, Feng Yin's Heavenly Favor Sword summoned a vast expanse of Divine Light, and together with Hong Yi's Nirvana Wheel, they descended from the sky toward the Peacock King.
The Peacock King snorted coldly, raising his staff to meet the attack. Immortal, demon, and Divine Artifacts clashed with the Demon Staff above the Azure Dragon Platform, and the Demonic Power of the staff showed no sign of weakness. Even the combined full-force strike of the Phoenix Sovereign and the Demon Emperor couldn't defeat the Peacock King!
"What use is ten thousand years of bitter cultivation for immortals and demons? In just a thousand years, this king has risen above the Three Realms! Hahahaha!" The Peacock King let out a maniacal laugh, channeling all his power into the Demon Staff to counterattack Feng Yin and Hong Yi. Each strike carried deadly force, stirring up monstrous waves of Demonic Qi.
Under the increasingly frenzied assault of the Demon Staff, the glow of the Heavenly Favor Sword grew dimmer. The Nirvana Wheel remained steadfast in front of the sword, enduring every brutal strike from the staff!
Seeing the faint cracks appearing on the Nirvana Wheel, Feng Yin's expression turned icy. Her gaze sharpened as she leaped from Hong Yi's back, transforming into a streak of light that shot straight toward the clashing Divine and Demonic artifacts.
"Ah Yin!" The Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox roared, but he couldn't catch up to Feng Yin's arrow-like speed.
"A mere immortal body dares to challenge this king's Demon Artifact!" The Peacock King showed no fear.
Feng Yin plunged into the swirling light, grabbing the Heavenly Favor Sword. Channeling her Primordial Spirit's power into the Divine Sword, the Heavenly Favor Sword's radiance surged, forcing the Demon Staff back several meters.
"Hmph, burning your lifespan—even the mighty Phoenix Sovereign is reduced to this!" The Peacock King sneered, though fatigue began to show on his brow from Feng Yin's burning Primordial Spirit power.
"Hua Mo, you slaughtered your own kin, murdered Lan Feng, attempted to assassinate the Demon Emperor to incite war between our races—each of these crimes carries the death penalty. Today, even if I must shatter my Primordial Spirit completely, I will not allow you and your Demon Tribe army to take one step beyond the Nine-Layered Heavenly Palace!"
"Then let's see if you have the ability!"
At that moment, a surge of Immortal Power erupted from the space behind the Peacock King, and a fiery red whip lashed toward his back.
The Peacock King seemed completely unaware, but a bloody glint flashed in his eyes. His left hand, not holding the staff, conjured a mass of Demonic Power to strike backward.
Hua Shu, who had been silently watching the battle, suddenly leaped into action. She manifested the Sky-Shielding Umbrella, firmly protecting the Peacock King's back and blocking the whip.
The Sky-Shielding Umbrella was originally a Semi-Divine Artifact, and in Hua Shu's hands now, its Divine Power was unleashed to the extreme. The whip's owner was struck by the umbrella's backlash, spitting out a mouthful of blood as she crashed heavily onto the Azure Dragon Platform.
"You dare to ambush my father?" Hua Shu said coldly, staring at the pale-faced Yan Shuang on the Azure Dragon Platform.
A flicker of surprise crossed the Peacock King's eyes, followed by a loud laugh. "Excellent! Truly my worthy daughter!"
Hong Yi, seeing Feng Yin burning her Primordial Spirit and Yan Shuang covered in blood, let out an angry roar. A crimson fire fox totem manifested behind him. Using the Fox race's secret technique, which also came at the cost of burning his Primordial Spirit, the Demonic Power on the Nirvana Wheel surged. Together with the Heavenly Favor Sword, they forced the Peacock King back several steps.
"Shu'er, come! Raise the Demon Gathering Banner. With father and daughter united, conquering the Three Realms will be effortless!"The Peacock King finally revealed impatience in his eyes. He had originally intended to defeat Hong Yi and Feng Yin alone to intimidate the assembled immortals, but he never expected both to be so tenacious, fighting as if their lives meant nothing.
With a loud shout, the Peacock King finally tore a gap in the protective demonic power that had been shielding him, allowing Hua Shu to join his side and fight alongside him.
Hua Shu nodded, glanced at Yan Shuang, and without hesitation turned to fly toward the Peacock King’s side.
At that moment, Feng Yin and Hong Yi, locked in fierce combat, failed to notice that the Peacock Clan’s demon army, which had been hovering above the Azure Dragon Platform, had transformed into a strange formation array and was advancing toward their backs.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, outside the seal of Purple Moon Mountain in the Demon Realm, the figure who had emerged from the Nine Nether Purgatory looked at Yuan Qi, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he spoke nonchalantly.
“I killed Lan Feng. What can you do about it?” The figure played with a blood-red whip in his hand, his voice soft yet sinister. Though the corners of his eyes were covered with God-Slaying Flower patterns, his face unmistakably belonged to Chang Qin, the tribal chief of the Fox race who had died a thousand years ago in the Nameless Valley of the Demon Realm.
OpenNovel