Deep within the Forbidden Zone, the mountains and rivers stretched in breathtaking splendor. Many ancient lands were scenic and peaceful, perfectly suited for cultivation — places no one had previously been able to enter.

This was a cluster of lakes, none of them particularly large, each nestled close to the next, like glistening pearls scattered across the earth.

Along the shores grew all manner of magnificent trees and divine vines, shimmering with flowing radiance, lush and flourishing — a rare and precious land.

Xiao Budian — also known as the Lightning Phoenix Bird — blazed with brilliant golden light across her entire body as she flew, carrying them here in pursuit of Ji Ziyue’s whereabouts.

“Haoyue really has no sense of loyalty. What kind of older brother lets his own sister venture out alone into danger while he seals himself away in seclusion?” Pang Bo muttered in dissatisfaction.

“While you and Haoyue were in seclusion, Ziyue sealed the two of you into separate mountain caverns,” Xiao Budian explained. “We only realized what had happened after we broke through our cocoons and awakened — and by then, it was already too late.”

Ye Fan grew increasingly worried. Though the time she had been alone was short, Ziyue could still have encountered any number of deadly enemies — the Heaven-Devouring Beast, the Golden Serpent Lord, Sangu… even the Grey Flood Dragon, Qi Tian, and others, each more terrifying than the last.

The lakes lay still and tranquil, their surfaces mirroring the green mountains, the clear waters, and the magnificent ancient trees and vines below, making this place feel like a paradise of exile — a world apart from the mortal realm.

Xiao Budian carried the spiritual jade that Ji Ziyue had left for her, allowing the two to sense each other across any distance. At this moment, her expression lit up with excitement. “Ziyue’s sister is nearby. She should be safe.”

“Good.” Ye Fan spoke only that single word, letting her continue to sense and follow the trail.

“Over there — I can sense her.” Xiao Budian’s golden feathers gleamed brilliantly as she swept through the sky, flying forward and leading the group toward a mountain peak.

Amid the cluster of lakes, occasional peaks rose up, dividing the waters from one another, making the landscape appear all the more like a celestial paradise.

“Someone’s there!” Ye Fan stopped the group, hiding them among the ancient trees at the edge of the lake and peering toward the mountain. He had cultivated the Source Arts — connecting him to heaven and earth — and could detect the lay of the land ahead with ease.

“Not good — it’s Ziyue! She’s been surrounded!” Pang Bo called out.

Though they were far away, they could still make out a young woman in purple robes, graceful and otherworldly, encircled by a group of people. She did not appear frightened, however, and seemed to be speaking to them loudly.

Long Ma said dismissively, “What’s there to argue with villains? Just cut them down and break out. This girl is far too naive. Good thing we came — otherwise there wouldn’t even be bones left of her.”

Ye Fan shot him a glare. Long Ma grumbled resentfully, going on at length about his philosophy of dominance — that there was nothing to say to enemies.

Without question, these were young Supremes — no fewer than eight or nine of them. Even from this distance, their power could be felt. Through the opened Heavenly Eye, one could see dragon-shaped blood energy erupting from the crowns of their heads, raging at its absolute peak.

These beings stood supreme in their respective domains, with no match on their own ancient paths.

“Nine people is manageable,” Pang Bo said, cold light flickering in his eyes. “Unless every last one of them is as powerful as a conqueror king, we can settle this in a single battle.”

“Ziyue is surrounded,” Ye Fan said. “I’ll slip over there in secret first and stand at her side. If we charge in openly, these people might turn vicious and harm her before we can reach her.”

They moved quickly, covered by the Heaven-Deceiving Formation, with Ye Fan additionally activating the Heaven Court’s secret art of taking life. Though these techniques were not suited to his natural path and he rarely trained in them, he forced them into motion now.

“Wait — something’s off. Those people… they don’t seem to be attacking Ziyue’s sister.” Xiao Budian stopped, her large eyes — like black gemstones — blinking in puzzlement.

Though she was innocent, she was keenly observant. She had caught this peculiarity and looked toward Ye Fan and the others, seeking their thoughts.

“Something really does feel off,” Pang Bo said with a nod. “I get the sense those people aren’t giving Ziyue trouble at all — it’s more like they’re… all on the same side.”

Ye Fan paused, startled. When one was anxious about someone, clarity of judgment often suffered. Now, calming himself, he looked carefully — and indeed, this was a strange group. Those people seemed to be… clustered around Ji Ziyue as though she were their leader.

“Looks to me like…” Long Ma muttered, “…like they’re all following that girl’s lead. Have those people lost their minds?”

Whatever the case, they could set their hearts at ease. Ji Ziyue was in no danger. There was no need to rush in — they would observe from the shadows.

“How strange. What in the world is going on here?” They crept closer and, after watching carefully, confirmed that these people posed no apparent threat.

When they had come within a hundred li, even without opening the Heavenly Eye they could see the group clearly. Most were unfamiliar faces — powerful individuals from distant domains, each with their own methods and abilities, none to be underestimated.

Ji Ziyue wore flowing purple robes, her dark brows arching gently. Her eyes shimmered with spiritual clarity, and when the corner of her mouth curved up, a glimpse of pearlescent little fangs appeared, giving her a lively, vivid look.

Her clear eyes occasionally flashed with a gleam of cleverness — a crafty, fluid intelligence. Her smile was radiant, small dimples appearing on her cheeks, making her look all the more playful and extraordinary.

Her figure was graceful and slender, her every step light as a feather, her fine hair drifting softly. Her fair, oval face always wore an expression of confidence and warmth — the kind that was easy to be drawn to.

“It’s been a long time… nearly a hundred years since we last met, I suppose.” Ye Fan murmured to himself, falling momentarily into a daze.

Pang Bo nodded. “Time flows like water, swift and relentless. If we hadn’t walked this path of cultivation, we would probably no longer exist in this world.”

When they had come within fewer than a hundred li, they hid themselves. From here, not only could they see the expressions on the faces of those young Supremes — they could hear their words clearly.

Ji Ziyue pumped her small, luminous fist energetically, as though to lend greater weight to her words. “Forward! We can absolutely obtain the Divine Demon Fluid. As the strongest in our respective domains, who can stop us if we join forces?”

In the shadows, Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the others exchanged baffled glances. Why did this feel so strange? Hadn’t Ziyue already obtained the Divine Demon Fluid long ago?

“Exactly. We have each crossed vast domains to come here, and each of us was once supreme in our own ancient land. With so many of us joined together, a handful of enemies is nothing — we can suppress them with ease!” declared a young man who was tall and imposing, with a mane of golden hair that fell wild and untamed, his eyes carrying a piercing, ruthless intensity.

“This one cultivated from an Ancient Golden Roc,” the Black Bear Sage murmured gravely. “In the Sage-King realm, he would be nearly impossible to match.”

The eight or nine on the other side were all strangers — every one of them extraordinarily powerful, of different races, all rare and supreme beings.

“A divine body is nothing special,” said another powerhouse with white hair, his gaze glacial and tinged with cruelty. He had cultivated from an Ancient Silver Wolf into human form, claimed to carry the bloodline of the Celestial Wolf, and was formidable by any measure. “Even a true divine clan’s royal sovereign — if one showed up — would be suppressed and slain just the same.”

“Celestial Wolf brother, you might want to ease up a bit,” another said. “If a divine clan member actually appeared here, picking a fight for no reason wouldn’t serve us well.”

“As if I’d fear her,” the Celestial Wolf powerhouse replied coldly. “My Celestial Wolf clan fears no clan. Strength and weakness are only determined through battle.”

“What’s there to argue about?” Ji Ziyue spoke up, the corner of her mouth curving as her pearlescent little fangs peeked through, gleaming with a crystalline light — playful, yet carrying a warmth that drew people in. “Save your energy for suppressing that divine body. Getting the Divine Demon Fluid first is what matters — set everything else aside.”

“Ziyue is right,” the others agreed. “Let’s go suppress that divine body and secure the Divine Demon Fluid. Everything else can wait.”

It was evident that Ji Ziyue held a position of unusual authority among them. A woman of such fluid, ethereal spirit and bright, lively intelligence draws eyes wherever she goes, naturally drawing others to surround her.

Even young Supremes were no exception. They looked down upon others because they had reached the pinnacle of their respective ancient paths — yet upon encountering Ji Ziyue, they found someone who was not only their equal or superior in strength, but also peerlessly beautiful, graceful as an immortal in exile, and spirited as a woodland sprite. It was only natural that they felt drawn to her and sought to be near her.

“What is that girl up to?” Pang Bo stared, bewildered. “Is she really planning to go suppress her own brother and steal Haoyue’s Divine Demon Fluid?”

Ye Fan found it deeply strange as well. What was Ji Ziyue doing? She couldn’t possibly be working against her own brother.

“Careful, everyone. This place is the Divine Demon Burial Ground. The divine body has obtained the Divine Demon Fluid — which contains fragments of the supreme Dao once held by the ancient divine demons, making it equivalent to receiving a supreme lineage inheritance. And most terrifying of all: once he emerges from seclusion, his divine blood will have fully merged with it. The power he’ll carry will be catastrophic. We must not be careless.” A cautious young powerhouse laid out the situation carefully.

Ji Ziyue waved her hand, her large eyes curving into crescent-moon shapes as she laughed breezily. “Don’t worry. When the time comes, I’ll be the one to suppress him. Back in our Gouchen Ancient Star Domain, it’s not like I’ve never fought divine clan members before. I even captured one with my own hands once — and turned him into my personal groom. What a shame I didn’t bring him along.”

Ji Ziyue was boasting. Ye Fan and the others stared for a moment — and then fought the urge to laugh.

“I’ve figured it out,” Pang Bo said in sudden realization. “Little Moon is pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes — she’s the fox among the hounds. She’s snuck her way into the middle of the enemy camp.”

“Exactly.” Ye Fan didn’t know whether to laugh or shake his head. Ji Ziyue really had a breathtaking audacity — somehow winning the trust of this entire group by means he couldn’t begin to guess, and even getting them to look to her as their leader.

“That girl is really something else. Quite the schemer,” Long Ma muttered, shaking his head with a kind of grudging admiration. He quietly revised his earlier assessment of Ji Ziyue. “I have a feeling this is going to end with her leading a pack of enemies straight into another pack of enemies.”

“A few groups I’ll note,” said the Ancient Golden Roc, briefing the others on powerful opponents it had seen and heard about across the other shore. “The Golden Serpent Lord has the Soaring Serpent Formation Diagram — extremely dangerous. A Human Sacred Body is also said to have arrived — reportedly considered nearly unmatched in close combat. And there are others…”

These individuals were all intensely proud of themselves. Some listened with genuine attention; others regarded it all with contempt, eager to encounter these supposedly fearsome adversaries and test themselves in battle.

Ji Ziyue ground her gleaming little fangs, pumped her small fist fiercely, and declared with exaggerated ferocity: “The Human Sacred Body is mine. I’ll suppress him myself — I’ll beat him until he cries.”

In the distance, Ye Fan rubbed his chin in speechless silence. The others broke into laughter. Watching Ji Ziyue brag so shamelessly while hidden in the shadows — it was genuinely entertaining.

“No need for Miss Ziyue to act,” the white-haired Celestial Wolf youth said coldly. “I’ll capture him for you.” Others chimed in as well, all declaring they would be the one to suppress the Human Sacred Body.

“No need,” Ji Ziyue said. “My greatest wish is to fight the most powerful bloodlines in existence — the Human Sacred Body most of all. I intend to suppress him with my own hands and have him take over from my previous groom.”

She pumped her small fist, trying to appear ferocious — but with her wide, lively eyes and the dimples gracing her cheeks, there was nothing fierce about it at all. If anything, it only made her look more adorable and impish.

This left the young Supremes around her feeling inexplicably refreshed. Even if they suspected she was simply boasting, they found themselves perfectly at ease in her presence, sensing that this young woman was something genuinely different — and wanting nothing more than to remain by her side.