The violet-haired Divine Maiden’s expression was one of serene tranquility. She gently stroked the little spirit on her shoulder. Her jade-like fingers were crystalline and luminous, flickering with an enchanting brilliance.

The little spirit—resembling a small phoenix in form—wept so profusely that its tearful eyes were completely blurred. It whimpered and wailed, constantly nuzzling its head against the young girl’s cheek, and then it extended a tiny claw and clutched a lock of her hair, refusing to let go no matter what—afraid that this might be nothing more than a dream.

“Is that the divine silkworm?” Li Heishui’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Then he stared at the clear and lovely young girl who resembled a celestial being, his expression filled with disbelief.

Long ago, when this Divine Maiden had been cut free from the stone at the Divine City’s Gambling Stone Pavilion, the divine silkworm had wept without stopping and eventually fainted from distress. Now, meeting again, it had already transformed several times—yet it had not forgotten.

“Truly a silkworm of deep feeling. Separated by life and death since the primordial age—and now, at last, they have reunited.” Ye Fan said softly with a quiet sigh.

On the other side, the female king and the two other male ancient kings were deeply shaken—none of them had expected to encounter here someone who should have died long ago.

They dared not make any reckless moves. All of them retreated slowly, their expressions unnatural—and even carrying a trace of fear.

The half of the violet-haired young girl’s face not concealed by her hair was delicate and otherworldly. The corners of her lips curved gently, revealing a thread of warm and relieved smile as she stroked the little divine silkworm.

“Behave. Don’t cry. Aren’t we reunited now? It must have been hard for you—holding onto the memory, not forgetting me. As a reward, I’ll give you a divine source spring all your own.”

Her laughter was light, and her snow-white teeth were more lustrous than pearls—radiant, and utterly infectious to all who witnessed it.

And yet this very woman filled three ancient kings with wariness. They lingered, not daring to make any move—even wishing they could simply retreat and leave.

From a distance, those three individuals drew closer. The disheveled young Daoren was recognized—it was the Shencan Daoren who had been wandering about the Divine City for some time.

The man in the Nine Dragons golden battle robe was Great Xia’s Imperial Prince, Xia Yiming. As for the white-robed little Buddhist nun—that was Great Xia’s Princess, Xia Yilin.

“Little Guai, don’t cry!” The white-robed little Buddhist nun called out gently. Seeing the divine silkworm cry so miserably—its face streaked like a blossoming flower—she too felt a pang in her heart.

“It’s all right. It has merely reunited with a loved one and weeps for joy. For the true divine silkworm imperial bloodline, some things cannot be erased—they are never forgotten.” The Shencan Daoren spoke.

“Little Guai?” The young girl at the center of it all heard this and was briefly surprised, then a smile curved her lips again. “A very lovely name. From now on, that’s what you shall be called—Little Guai.”

The divine silkworm wriggled bashfully—still weeping profusely—while rubbing its head against the young girl’s cheek and whimpering, as though narrating something.

From a distance, a group of people from Shencan Ridge all came rushing over, overcome with excitement. They bowed in formal salute. “You—Your Highness the Princess—you are still in this world.”

Everyone was turned to stone. The ancient clans especially—all of them filled with reverence and shock. This was earth-shattering news. Many fell to their knees in deep obeisance.

Shencan Ridge had once produced a being of Nine Transformations whose unrivaled might swept through heaven and earth with no equal, reigning as Emperor over all creation.

Though Shencan Ridge had many powerful beings, most were Golden Silkworms, Silver Silkworms, or Jade Silkworms. Those carrying true imperial bloodline were exceedingly few—throughout all recorded history, never exceeding fifteen in total, only marginally more than the Battle-Victorious Sacred Ape Clan.

As the princess of Shencan Ridge from a bygone age—one whose might had once shaken all of creation—her existence naturally stirred tremendous waves.

“We pay our respects to the Divine Silkworm Princess!”

“We pay our respects to the Battle-Victorious King’s Consort!”

Nearly all beings from every great clan fell to their knees, one and all deeply reverent, shouting out their salutations in great voices.

This sent many of the human cultivators’ heads spinning—unable to make sense of it, they simply stared blankly.

“Rise. Just call me Princess.” The young girl’s voice was gentle and melodious.

“She is also the Battle-Victorious King’s Consort—what is going on?” Duan De nudged the monkey, whose injuries had now fully healed.

“She nearly became my aunt—but she was slain in a great upheaval.” The monkey recounted.

“What?” Duan De’s eyes rolled back in disbelief.

Who was the monkey’s uncle? Very likely the Victorious Battle Buddha of the Western Wastes. By that reckoning, this young girl’s background was truly terrifying.

By now, the people from other ancient clans were also exchanging whispered discussion. All the great clans were privy to some knowledge of those past events, while smaller clans knew very little.

The Divine Silkworm Princess was peerlessly gifted. In those long-ago primordial years, countless heroic talents from every ancient clan had come to court her—all were driven back in defeat, returning with nothing to show for it. Only the younger brother of the Battle-Victorious Sacred Emperor had passed her trials.

It could be said that not only was this princess breathtakingly beautiful enough to move all creation—her cultivation was equally awe-inspiring and far beyond that of ordinary Ancestral Kings.

Yet by the twilight of the primordial age, the Battle-Victorious Sacred Emperor had passed away, and the world lost its supreme ruler. Chaos erupted immediately, with the clans waging war upon one another.

No one knows what heaven-shaking calamity occurred—but even the Divine Silkworm Princess fell. When the news spread, all the clans were shaken to the core.

In those years, the monkey had first entered the Jade Pool seeking immortal peaches, then gone west into the Qin Mountains to contest the Dreamlike Divine Marrow—all of it done to save her. Ye Fan understood at last. No wonder the monkey had put in such effort. Strictly speaking, she was his future aunt-in-law.

“Thanks in part to that holy fruit you gave him back then—it was produced by the sacred medicine belonging to the divine silkworm clan of those days.” The monkey said.

Ye Fan had heard something of this. The nine sacred trees above the Primordial Abyss were in fact offshoots grown from a single undying medicine that had been separated and divided—belonging to the divine silkworm clan of the primordial age.

“What is destined cannot be otherwise. Those things belonged to the Shencan Clan to begin with.”

The Shencan Daoren was also present. Strictly speaking, his seniority surpassed every member of that clan—he was the direct son of the Nine-Transformation Emperor-Ascendant, the founding ancestor. His status was supremely elevated.

He made no move to press closer. Cradling a wine jar, he drank himself into a tipsy haze, entirely at odds with his surroundings—clearly a man with stories of his own.

After the Divine Silkworm Princess had soothed Little Guai, the smile faded from her face. She turned around. Though her expression remained serene, a commanding majesty had entered it. She fixed her gaze on the primordial female king and said, “I just heard that you wanted to make the Sacred Imperial Prince kneel, to repent before all the clans, and that you intended to kill him. I would like to know—on what basis do you dare to be this presumptuous?”

Her voice was not very loud—yet it caused the entire scene to fall instantly silent. Everyone held their breath, watching in quiet stillness.

This pure and ethereal young girl—one whom even the old Battle-Victorious Sacred Emperor had been greatly satisfied with, to the point of sending his youngest brother to court her—how could the kings of every clan not hold her in wariness?

“He desecrated the divine and insulted the Celestial Emperor. He deserves punishment.” The primordial female king replied—though her tone was noticeably less forceful than before.

“Desecrating the divine, you say. When the Battle-Victorious Sacred Emperor was still alive and overturned the Immortal Celestial Emperor’s sacred ground, why did I not see you step forward to speak on it? Why did you say nothing then? I think this is nothing more than bullying the weak while fearing the strong.” The Divine Silkworm Princess said evenly.

“I had no intention of killing him. I only wanted to discipline him—to make him show more reverence toward the divine.” The female king was clearly rattled, no longer as forceful as before.

The Divine Silkworm Princess was unmoved, her expression calm as still water. She stroked Little Guai on her shoulder, then looked forward once more. “He is the Sacred Imperial Prince, with a fierce and unyielding spirit. Yet you demanded that he apologize to the Celestial Imperial Prince and kneel before everyone in the open. Is there anything more malicious than that? You wanted to snap his legs and force him to kneel before ten thousand clans—were you trying to break his heart that is set on attaining the Dao?”

Reaching this point, the Divine Silkworm Princess’s serene expression remained unchanged—but her words took on a chill. “I will also give you two choices: either kneel before all the clans yourself, or I will snap your legs and force you to kneel before all the clans—and then you will apologize to the Sacred Imperial Prince.”

Everyone present felt a killing intent radiating outward. Truly worthy of being called one of the most renowned female powerhouses of the twilight primordial age—utterly decisive and unyielding.

“You go too far!” The primordial female king raged.

As a first-generation Ancestral King, she could command an entire great royal clan—anyone who met her would offer two measures of respect. Yet she was being asked to kneel before a junior. That was more unbearable than being killed.

Even if this was a prince—at the level of cultivation she had reached, in the primordial world where hierarchy was absolute, she stood at the very pinnacle. Apart from Ancient Emperors, no one was worthy of receiving her obeisance.

“Now you know what going too far means. Then why, a moment ago, did you ask the Sacred Imperial Prince to kneel and repent before ten thousand clans? Is your quarrel truly with him—or is it an attempt to humiliate the late Battle-Victorious Sacred Emperor who has already passed?!” At these words, the Divine Silkworm Princess’s tone sharpened, and her expression was no longer so tranquil.

All the primordial clans knew that the Divine Silkworm Clan and the Battle-Victorious Sacred Ape lineage had always been close allies. The Divine Silkworm Princess, in particular, had held the greatest reverence for the old Battle-Victorious Sacred Emperor in those early years—naturally, she would now demand an accounting.

“He is merely a junior. Even as the Sacred Imperial Prince, what is wrong with making him kneel and offer an apology?” The primordial female king spoke, but her confidence had now drained away.

“Very well. Then I am now requiring you to kneel. Make your choice.” The Divine Silkworm Princess spoke calmly. The little spirit on her shoulder mimicked her with amusing self-importance—blinking its large, still tear-filled eyes repeatedly.

“Your Highness the Princess, this is perhaps going a little too far.” The other two ancient kings stepped forward.

“The two of you—disappear as far away as you can get. Otherwise, you will kneel alongside her.” In this moment, the Divine Silkworm Princess revealed her dominant side. Her voice was not loud—and it was utterly calm—yet it was deeply intimidating.

Around her, the powerful beings of every clan dared not breathe. Truly, one only enters a family befitting one’s own kind. Though the Divine Silkworm Princess was a woman, she possessed the fierce dominance and commanding spirit of the Battle-Victorious Sacred Clan.

“We are the descendants of the Immortal Celestial Emperor’s followers. Our status is exalted. No one may make us kneel.” The primordial female king declared.

“The Immortal Celestial Emperor—what a grand name. Your primary purpose this time is to stand up for the Celestial Imperial Prince, isn’t it? Do you believe I would directly exterminate the so-called prince behind you?!” The Divine Silkworm Princess smiled coldly, advancing step by step.

The primordial female king’s expression changed. Facing the Divine Silkworm Clan’s supreme expert, she ultimately did not dare to say anything—afraid the princess would truly strike with a ruthless hand.

Behind them, the Celestial Imperial Prince and Yuangu were both shaken to their core. They felt certain this woman would do exactly as she said. Even with a primordial imperial clan backing them, the Divine Silkworm Princess would dare to kill.

“Eggs and watermelons—behave yourselves, or I’ll squash you both right now.” Duan De blustered shamelessly, riding the princess’s coattails.

The Celestial Imperial Prince and Yuangu glared at him viciously, memorizing the face of this inexplicably obnoxious fat man.

“Damn it!” Duan De had barely finished speaking when he slapped himself across the mouth, cursing his own foolishness. He was not currently appearing in a sacred shell—this was his true face he had just shown. He was overcome with instant regret, cursing his own rotten luck in a torrent.

“Weren’t you so arrogant just now, demanding the Sacred Imperial Prince kneel? What’s the matter now? Are you going to force my hand?” The Divine Silkworm Princess said with a cold smile.

“You…” The primordial female king’s expression changed.

The Divine Silkworm Princess struck. Her slender jade fingers sent out seven-colored divine radiance that transformed into a rain of light, scattering outward.

Thud!

The primordial female king deployed every divine principle at her command, blocking frantically. But after dozens upon dozens of collisions—hundreds of them—she finally let out a great cry and a pained groan.

Crack!

No one could see how the Divine Silkworm Princess had moved. The primordial female king’s legs gave off the sound of fracturing bone, warping completely out of shape. She collapsed all at once, pressed down by a surge of divine might, and fell to her knees on the ground.

“You…” Her expression was savage with fury.

The Divine Silkworm Princess beckoned, drawing the monkey to her side, and faced the female king. “Apologize.”

“After what you’ve done to me, aren’t you afraid that in the future I will…” The primordial female king tried to make a threat.

The Divine Silkworm Princess smiled. The other half of her celestial face—the half that had been concealed by the violet hair—was now revealed as well. Delicate and beautiful, she extended a jade hand and said, “In that case, you may as well die.”

Boom!

She was utterly decisive and swift. Her slender jade palm pressed down upon the female king’s head. The woman shattered on the spot—not even her primordial spirit escaped. She died at the princess’s hands.

The scene was dead silent. Every person’s breath nearly stopped. This was a primordial Ancestral King—killed just like that, without the slightest hesitation. Decisive and domineering beyond measure!

Even the monkey was startled. Killing an Ancestral King was a monumental matter—it would trigger war between clans.

Just then, the Divine Silkworm Princess lifted her head. Her gaze locked onto the Celestial Imperial Prince and Yuangu, and the corners of her lips curved into a gentle, serene smile—one that nonetheless sent a chill through all who saw it.

The other two primordial kings went cold all over. They quickly moved in front to shield them. The imperial clan experts from the Primordial Lake also came flying out, positioning themselves there. Every single one of them was shaken to the core.