The Peacock King’s eyes were clear as water, his hair soft and flowing with an ethereal lightness. He was like a snow lotus on an ice peak — beautiful and refined — and he said, “Join hands and enter the Ancient Bronze Immortal Palace? To walk into our own deaths? I have not lived enough yet.”

Nangong Zheng’s silver hair fluttered gently. Tall and imposing, he stood suspended in mid-air, wrapped in a shower of falling petals, surrounded by lush and vibrantly green vegetation, full of life. He said, “Do you not wish to glimpse the opportunity to ascend to immortality? After eight hundred years in seclusion, you emerged into the world — surely it was not for this?”

The Peacock King laughed coldly. “Since ancient times, how many peerless masters has that bronze palace claimed? I have never heard of anyone who became an immortal through it. To call it an immortal palace would be more accurate to call it a burial mound — a graveyard that entombs the strongest of the Eastern Desolation.”

“To seek immortality is naturally to court death and chance survival — otherwise, why has there been lament throughout the ages that even the ancient sages and wise men ended in emptiness?” Nangong Zheng said with gravity. “If you and I join hands to enter the Ancient Bronze Immortal Palace and stake our lives on a single moment, contending for an eternity of immortality — it is surely better than ending in quiet obscurity.”

The Peacock King stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “I have swept across the world and challenged Holy Masters — my life has been one of unfettered freedom. What obscurity is there in that? Even death holds no particular weight.”

“You may have had your season of glorious, vigorous ambition — but have you never felt the lament of watching time flow eastward like a river, never to return? In the end it is all a dream, empty as a flower. A thousand years hence, who will remember you? Nothing more than a fleeting cloud passing the eye. Without immortality, it all comes to nothing.”

“What others think, what becomes of things a thousand years after I am gone — what does that have to do with me? All I know is that what lies before my eyes is real. To spend one’s life in pursuit of immortality, to be consumed by that single obsession until the end, and still come away with nothing — now that would be truly pitiable.”

Nangong Zheng shook his head. With a serious expression he said, “To shed this mortal form and live forever in absolute freedom — that is the greatest aspiration of those of our kind. Why deceive yourself?”

The Peacock King burst into long, resonant laughter that shook the vault of heaven, and said, “Let me ask you this: from the most ancient times to the present day, has anyone in the Eastern Desolation ever truly achieved immortality? Do not speak to me of those few names recorded in the ancient texts — their fates are far too strange and unaccounted for, and cannot be taken as proof.”

“Surely there have been those who became immortals — the immortals suppressed within the Desolate Pagoda, do they not count?” Nangong Zheng stood in mid-air, silver hair like snow, tall and magnificent.

“Have you ever witnessed it with your own eyes?” the Peacock King countered.

“No.”

The Peacock King said, “Without immortality, one is still not empty — one can still be heroic. I soar freely over all under heaven — what self-deception is there in that?”

Beside them, Ye Fan found the Peacock King to be remarkably free-spirited — whether or not he achieved immortality seemed genuinely of little concern to him. Nangong Zheng, meanwhile, spoke with exceptional depth and insight. He too was no ordinary man — worthy indeed of the title of a human race great master.

Ji Ziyue’s large eyes darted about as she muttered quietly, “This truly is beyond all reason. They are figures of legend — they count their ages in centuries and measure their years in millennia — and still they look this young. Even more handsome than my brother…”

“Nangong Zheng, you have said enough. All of it is empty talk. The real question is — do you intend to interfere and obstruct my purpose?” the Peacock King asked in a low voice.

“The Ji Family patriarch once told me: if by chance I encountered you, and managed to save either one of the siblings, he would present that person to me as a disciple to carry on my legacy. I intend to enter the Ancient Bronze Immortal Palace and have not yet found a successor. I wished to fulfill this wish of mine.” Around Nangong Zheng, flower blossoms bloomed petal by petal, giving him an appearance utterly beyond the mortal world.

“Nangong Zheng, do you truly intend to make a move? Think carefully before you do!” The Peacock King’s eyes sharpened in an instant. A tremendous aura erupted from him like a volcano, billowing upward in waves to pierce the very sky.

“Peacock King, as an old acquaintance, I offer you this counsel in sincerity — step back. Join me in seeking the opportunity for immortality. Otherwise, you may find that your brilliant life ends in darkness.”

“Bold words indeed. Can it be that the Ji Family’s Holy Master is close at hand, and you intend to press me together with him?” The Peacock King’s gaze radiated an intense and piercing light.

“He does not know you are here.” Nangong Zheng paused briefly, then said, “Not only is the Ji Family’s Holy Master searching for you — Holy Master Yao Guang has personally emerged from seclusion as well.”

“I anticipated as much long ago. Let us see what they can do to me. They slaughtered my people — if I, as a great master, do not stand up for my own, I would be unworthy of the demonic race.” The Peacock King laughed coldly. “Eight hundred years ago, I swept unrivaled across the Southern Region. Eight hundred years later, they still cannot suppress me.”

“Forces that have been passed down since the time of primordial antiquity have depths beyond measuring. It is not impossible that someone might emerge to personally suppress you…”

“Only if they dig up their ancestral graves and resurrect their long-dead Divine Kings!” The Peacock King’s eyes flashed like lightning, and his bearing transformed entirely. “If you wish to stop me, let your power do the talking!”

A rich, pervasive fragrance wafted through the air, soft and lingering, filling the space entirely. Petals swirled on all sides, brilliant and luminous, while Nangong Zheng’s expression became one of solemn magnificence — serene and transcendent as a deity holding a flower — as an enormous ancient tree rose up behind him, shooting into the sky, its crown of unknown vastness blotting out the sun.

“Then forgive me for the offense!”

“You and I should have had this battle long ago!” Though the Peacock King appeared outwardly like a youth of sixteen or seventeen, in this moment he was like a peerless blade drawn from its sheath — his presence overwhelming, his killing intent soaring to the sky.

Whoosh!

The Peacock King suddenly opened his Heavenly Eye. From the center of his forehead, a beam of divine radiance shot forth and directly entered Ji Ziyue’s body.

“Hey — Peacock King, what are you doing?!” Ji Ziyue cried out in alarm.

“It is nothing — he has only left a mark, so that he may find you again later. Now go quickly, both of you.” Nangong Zheng transmitted his voice to the two of them.

“Run!” Ye Fan seized Ji Ziyue and shot up into the sky. Two great masters were about to clash here — when they did, heaven and earth would shatter.

Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue flew far away, yet even so they could feel the surging turbulence at their backs — like an ocean roiling and heaving, leaving them deeply shaken.

Looking back, Ji Ziyue gaped in astonishment, her small mouth falling open. “Heavens — there are so many suns over there!”

Far away in that stretch of sky, blazing sun after blazing sun hung suspended in the air, blindingly brilliant.

Which was the real sun and which were the phenomena manifested by the great masters — there was no way to tell.

“A second layer of sky!”

There, the heavens split into two — both equally clear and azure.

“This is… Stars Illuminating the Azure Sky!”

The great masters’ phenomenon — Stars Illuminating the Azure Sky — this was what it truly looked like! Each star blazed like a sun. It was enough to stagger the world!

Beneath the azure sky, each star, seen directly, was enormous as a mountain range — dazzling and magnificent, shaking the stars and moving the heavens!

Suddenly, a colossal ancient tree burst up from the earth, surging into the firmament as if to split the sky open. Its canopy was of unknown magnitude, blotting out the sun and covering the land.

“That is the legendary Jianmu Tree — and Nangong Zheng has actually manifested it!” Ji Ziyue was stunned, her large eyes filled with disbelief.

The Jianmu Tree carried endless legend, whether in the world beyond the stars or in this one. According to ancient records, it was a sacred tree venerated by the ancient forebears — standing at the center of heaven and earth, serving as a bridge connecting the mortal realm, the heavens, and the immortal realm.

If such a phenomenon were manifested and used to cleave the heavens open, naturally it could be done!

Beside the great tree, many divine grasses and sacred trees shook and trembled, emerald green and lush with vitality, manifesting boundless life — like a painting of rivers and mountains brought to existence.

This was a phenomenon unlike any other. Nangong Zheng, as a human race great master, was indeed worthy of his legendary name. It was overwhelming to behold.

Hum!

Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue felt a wave of dizziness — a fearsome roar had reached them even from this distance, sending their blood and vital energy surging as they were sent tumbling backward.

Far away in that stretch of sky, all was a blurred haze. Yet more phenomena continued to emerge. And the two great masters had converged — their supreme secret arts unleashed, the true battle had begun.

“There are still more phenomena…” Ji Ziyue’s large eyes shone with light, eager to keep watching, yet she knew perfectly well that escaping with her life was what mattered most right now.

A clash between great masters was a world-shaking battle — one that was extraordinarily rare to witness.

Ye Fan felt a deep reluctance to leave. With the mysterious footwork underfoot, he turned away without looking back, pulling her along as they poured everything into their escape, vanishing into the distant horizon in the blink of an eye.

They flew onward without pause, never stopping for a moment. It was only when they had traveled several hundred li that they finally let out a long breath — though even then they did not stop, choosing a direction and continuing to flee.

“I want very much to see it — the Peacock King’s supreme divine might, shaking rivers and mountains, reaching up to pluck the very stars from the sky.” Ye Fan murmured to himself. From the fragments Ji Ziyue had let slip, he had already sensed just how extraordinary this great master was, and he longed deeply to witness that kind of unrivaled, all-conquering splendor.

“Him — no thank you!” Ji Ziyue still felt a lingering dread. The Ji Family’s senior figures had been shattered by a single roar from the Peacock King, and the memory of that power still made her shiver even now. She said, “I, on the other hand, would very much like to see that white-haired magnificent man in action…”

“What incredible luck — the Peacock King appeared in this very region, and we still managed to escape…”

From somewhere ahead, a cold and indifferent voice rang out. Atop a mountain peak, a man in hemp robes shot upward, cradling a five-tiered silver pagoda in his hand, blocking their path.

At the same moment, figures rose into the air on all four sides, appearing at every direction, cutting off their escape.

Hiss…

Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue both drew a sharp breath. Six cultivators in total — every one of them formidable — had encircled them.

These were precisely the people who had pursued them through the domain gate earlier. Though their faces were shrouded in mist and their true features were hidden, their voices marked them as middle-aged men — every one of them a dangerous opponent.

“The lightning phoenix bird failed to take your lives either. You truly do have remarkable luck…” Ji Ziyue taunted.

Apart from the hemp-robed man cradling the silver pagoda, the other five were in tattered clothing, their flesh scorched and reeking — clearly having suffered greatly.

“Kill them!” The hemp-robed man waved his hand without wasting further words — decisively and directly, he moved to cut down the two of them here and now.

Powerful surging forces bore down from every direction at once. Those people had drawn their weapons, and some had unleashed secret arts, striking toward the two of them.

Ji Ziyue’s injuries had not yet healed. She was still weak and in no condition to fight.

Ye Fan relied on his speed, dodging left and right, rapidly descending toward the ground. His opponents were clearly beyond the Far Shore realm — he had no way to withstand them head-on and could only choose to flee.

“Don’t bother dreaming of escape. Come this time next year, I’ll be burning paper offerings for you two…”

The hemp-robed man made his move personally. The silver pagoda in his hand rapidly enlarged — hazy and indistinct, five tiers high, as tall as a small mountain — its power terrifying as it bore down to suppress them.

Ji Ziyue whispered close to Ye Fan’s ear, “Quickly channel your divine power into my body. I have a hidden treasure that can break through the encirclement.”

Ye Fan said nothing more and directly channeled his divine power into her body. Ji Ziyue instantly blazed with a sacred brilliance, radiating a wondrous multicolored light that actually held back the crushing pressure of the five-tiered ancient pagoda.

Whoosh!

In the next moment, the two of them moved like drifting light and leaping shadows, flickering continuously to evade all manner of secret art attacks, and broke free of the encirclement in one burst.

Like a thread of lightning dancing through a storm, weaving through dark clouds, a few flashes and they were on the verge of breaking clear.

Hum!

A piercing vibration rang out. The hemp-robed man spread five fingers wide — a hand vast as a small mountain instantaneously appeared before them, distorting the very void around it.

Ye Fan’s expression changed. This man was extraordinarily dangerous!

Ji Ziyue’s expression shifted as well. This hemp-robed man was frightfully powerful — seemingly impossible to shake off. Growing anxious, she transmitted her voice: “Listen carefully, you little brat — I’m going to transmit the complete incantation of the Great Void Art to you. Conceal yourself within the space of the void!”