The expressions on the faces of the Ji Family venerable elders were as ugly as they could possibly be — especially Ji Hui. The fingers hidden within her wide sleeves were trembling faintly.

Ask throughout the Southern Region, ask across the entire Eastern Desolation — who had ever dared shout at the Ji Family in this manner? It had been so long that no one could remember. No one had ever dared.

Yet now here was this youth — no more than fourteen or fifteen years old — shouting at them this very way. How were they supposed to endure it?

And now the Peacock King had arrived, standing side by side with that young man, repeating the same words — making everyone clench their fists tightly.

Yet they could not act out. The Peacock King — who was he? A great power of the demon tribe, unrivaled across the Southern Region. Without the Holy Master of the Ji Family present, who could compete with him?

More urgently still, if Ye Fan were pushed too far and he spread the Great Void Technique throughout the land, it would be a catastrophe for the Ji Family.

The venerable elders had nowhere to advance and nowhere to retreat, their hearts filled with pent-up frustration, uncertain what to do.

Behind them, the Ji Family’s younger disciples were burning with even greater rage. Ye Fan’s face had been seared deep into their hearts — he had ascended to the top of their kill lists, becoming the common enemy of the entire younger generation.

Though many of these young disciples were hot-blooded and impulsive, not a single one dared cross the line. A silence had fallen like that of a crow settling — not a word.

Below, in the great city, many cultivators looked on. Some were passing through; others had long made their homes there. They felt their mouths run dry.

For so many years, the Ji Family had stood high above all else, towering in the clouds, requiring all to look up to them. Throughout the Eastern Desolation, who had ever challenged them? Who had ever spoken a disrespectful word? What faction had ever dared provoke them?

Today, to be treated in this manner — it left everyone stunned, feeling it utterly inconceivable, all of them tilting their heads back to watch the sky.

“The Peacock King battled the Holy Master of Yao Guang eight hundred years ago — his supremacy is legendary, and it makes sense that he would dare provoke the Ji Family. But that young man named Ye Fan — what is his background? He too dares act in this way. And the Ji Family seems wary of him. Could he also have some extraordinary origin?”

“Someone is challenging the authority of the Ji Family again. Whether they’ll survive remains to be seen. Throughout the endless ages past, there have been those who were similarly unbowed — but all met with tragic ends. None could ever shake the Holy Lands and ancient families.”

“Retreat — the sea is wide when you step back, the wind dies down when you endure — acting like this, there’s no hope of survival…”

“What do you know? The Peacock King is the kind of person who soars freely above the world. If he backed down, he wouldn’t be the Peacock King. As for that young man — he’s probably cut from the same cloth. Perhaps he’s even a veteran great power in disguise.”

In this moment, Ye Fan became the focal point. Not only was his name burned into people’s memories — so was his face, deeply imprinted on the hearts of all who watched.

From this point on, he could no longer keep a low profile or go unnoticed. From today forward, many across the Southern Region would come to know him.

Standing alongside the Peacock King as he did now, many onlookers regarded them as figures of equal standing. Apart from those in the Ji Family who knew the full truth, quite a few other cultivators mistook him for an obscure but powerful expert whose name had simply not yet spread.

“Are you still not leaving? Did you not hear what I said?”

The Peacock King’s words were not cutting or fierce — they were perfectly even and calm — but they made people’s hearts lurch. He had ranged across the Southern Region for eight hundred years, carrying all before him. Now, naturally, his presence inspired even greater dread.

“Peacock King, we know we are no match for you, a great power of the elder generations. But there is no need to be so overbearing…” Ji Hui’s expression was ashen. She spoke slowly, but did not dare say anything too extreme.

Behind her, everyone was grinding their teeth. An ancient family, setting out in force, and yet forced to swallow such humiliation — it had almost never happened in all of history. But no one dared act out. If they provoked the figures before them, it was very possible that everyone present would lose their lives.

What was a great power? One whose hand could summon the clouds and whose other could make them rain — one who could cover heaven and earth with a single palm, standing atop the pinnacle of the pyramid, overlooking all. When such a one moved, mountains and rivers trembled.

Ji Hui waved a hand behind her. All of them slowly backed away, then, filled with unwillingness and suppressed fury, they swept off into the distance.

“Safe travels. No need to see you out.” Ye Fan transmitted the farewell from the distance.

A great power that had existed since the ancient era, standing for countless ages without decline — to be driven away with shouts like this truly left everyone with boiling resentment. But they had no choice but to withdraw.

Otherwise, what might await them was likely only one outcome — complete annihilation.

Should the Peacock King decide to kill, he would spare no one among them.

As things stood, he had not struck, because he too had restraints to consider. If he went on a full killing rampage with no regard for consequences, the demon tribes of the entire Southern Region would also be in danger — the Ji Family would make every effort to sweep them out, turning that whole region into a river of blood.

Below, in the great city, all eyes met each other in stunned silence. The Ji Family had withdrawn. Everything that had happened today would surely spread throughout the entire Southern Region.

“Not bad. You’ve got some nerve.” The Peacock King turned and looked at Ye Fan, laughing aloud.

Ye Fan, for his part, could not bring himself to laugh. He had burned his boats, prepared to fight to the last — all in a bid to seize one thread of a chance at survival.

But now the Peacock King had come. Though his immediate crisis had been resolved, from a long-term perspective, his situation was still far from good.

After all, the Peacock King was a great power of the demon tribes. If he intervened in this manner, the Ji Family aside — the Yao Guang Holy Land would likely find it difficult to feel any goodwill toward him either.

“I thank the senior for intervening!” Ye Fan stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

“A trifling matter, think nothing of it.” The Peacock King smiled and said: “I see you have nowhere to go at the moment. Why not come with me?”

Indeed, Ye Fan had no choice. The only option was to go with the Peacock King — otherwise, the moment the Ji Family turned back, he would fall right back into the same trap.

Ten thousand streaks of rosy light, a thousand rays of auspicious color — a vast and hazy road unfurled rapidly toward the horizon. The Peacock King brought him up onto it, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

After they had left, the great city erupted into an uproar. Many cultivators shot into the sky. What had occurred today was far too astonishing.

Far away in the horizon, the Ji Family’s assembled cultivators clenched their fists tight. Some threw their heads back and howled toward the sky, venting their fury.

In the nation of Jin, within the Qixia Mountain Range, there was a stretch of hills that had already become scorched earth — not a blade of grass growing upon it.

Not long before, the Peacock King had done battle with Nangong Yin here, reducing the land to a wasteland.

Ye Fan had not expected that the Peacock King’s place of secluded residence would be deep within the Qixia Mountain Range. Leaving behind that stretch of scorched earth and pressing inward another five hundred li or more, they arrived at their destination.

Before them, the mountain terrain was precipitous, with strange peaks rising one after another — though one could not call it beautiful. Mist and clouds wreathed it throughout, and there were many marshes. Mountain streams and waterfalls could be found at every turn.

Not far away stood a low, squat stone hill — utterly unremarkable in appearance. It looked barren and stripped bare, with only a sparse scattering of vines clinging to it.

The Peacock King arrived at this place, extended a single finger, and a galaxy of stars materialized across the heavens. A sweep of azure sky pressed downward, radiating a soft and gentle light. Upon the stone hill, a gateway suddenly appeared.

Ye Fan stepped forward, following him in, and passed through a dim corridor.

It was not long before light flooded his eyes. The crisp, fresh scent of grass and trees drifted to him on the wind, and the melodious song of birds reached his ears.

A world unto itself!

This was a world of fragrant flowers and singing birds — like poetry made real, like a painting brought to life. The vegetation was lush and verdant, the lakes clear and pure, the rivers flowing like ribbons of jade.

In the distance, hills dotted the horizon, appearing and disappearing in the mist — a vivid and living world.

This was a self-contained pocket of space, cut off from the outside world, spanning some fifty li in circumference, everything within it clean and natural.

“Are you satisfied?” the Peacock King asked with a smile.

“Senior has been willing to take me in — that is already a great kindness. I am very satisfied.”

“This pocket of space was left behind by an ancient sage of old. When I discovered it, it was already in disrepair and on the verge of collapse. I repaired it to its current state.”

To create a pocket of space — this was an ability that left Ye Fan in breathless awe.

“You may stay here for a time. There are also some people here whom you know…”

The Peacock King settled Ye Fan in, then departed from this pocket of space, saying he needed to go and meet an old friend.

This space was like a pristine land of purity. All the animals were unafraid of humans — five-colored deer strolled leisurely through the fragrant grass, cranes circled overhead, and a white rabbit leaped right into Ye Fan’s arms, making him laugh and shake his head helplessly.

His dwelling was serene. The wooden cabin was natural and elegant, with vines winding around it here and there. There were no towering trees nearby — just soft, bright green grass, neatly spread.

In front of the cabin lay a lake, clear to its depths and shimmering with light.

One could say the scenery was exceptionally beautiful — ideally suited for cultivation. Ye Fan found his spirit at peace here, taking in the full taste of nature.

For days on end, he had been subjected to relentless pursuit and killing. To arrive at this serene and tranquil pure land was deeply satisfying. He felt that a breakthrough was within reach.

Before long, Ye Fan encountered a familiar face — Qin Yao, that enchanting creature of the demon tribe. Old friends reuniting.

She was as she had always been — sensual and alluring, captivating in a thousand ways, her figure bewitching in its every curve.

“To think we would meet again here…” She smiled warmly, the crimson birthmark between her brows shimmering like a jewel.

Yan Ruyu was also in this place, though she had entered seclusion. The last time, their group had suffered heavy casualties; only a handful of elites had managed to escape here.

Qin Yao came close, pinched Ye Fan’s cheek, and with a voice carrying a low, magnetic resonance said: “You’ve got quite a nerve — you even forced out the Sacred Heart of the Demon Emperor. How exactly did you manage that?”

Ye Fan retaliated without the slightest hesitation. He lifted her chin and replied: “It ran away on its own. What does that have to do with me?”

“You little thing — you’re full of secrets. How did you end up here?” Qin Yao brushed away his hand and asked with a smile.

“The Peacock King brought me…” Ye Fan did not conceal it.

Before long, Qin Yao departed, and it was not until three days later that she appeared again.

“Little one, you’ve certainly stirred up quite a storm…” Qin Yao brought a great deal of news.

The standoff between Ye Fan and the venerable elders of the Ji Family had indeed spread throughout the region.

Someone had already placed his name alongside those of Ji Haoyue, the Holy Maiden of Yao Guang, Hua Yunfei, Yan Ruyu, and Li Youyou — ranking him among the outstanding young talents of the era.

Though his cultivation was unknown and his background unclear, his name was absolutely no weaker than any of theirs. Standing up against the Ji Family’s powerful experts had astonished a great many cultivators.

Upon learning all this, Ye Fan was lost for words. He knew he was now in even greater danger.

“I am genuinely curious — why has the Ji Family gone to such lengths to hunt you down…”

No matter how many times Qin Yao pressed him, Ye Fan would not say. He deflected everything, turning it back on her.

“It’s because I was traveling with you all last time — they took a disliking to me then. If you think about it, you nearly got me killed.” At this point, Ye Fan once again pressed her for news about Pang Bo.

“Rest easy — he is in no danger.” Qin Yao had no wish to elaborate on that subject.

Over the days that followed, Qin Yao appeared at the wooden cabin from time to time, though she never managed to get anything out of him.

The pocket of space was not dark at night — it was suffused with a dim, hazy glow, as though moonlight were drifting gently down from above.

“Splash!”

Water scattered as Qin Yao burst from the small lake in front of the cabin like a mermaid, her dark hair swinging, crystalline droplets flying through the air.

“What are you staring at, little kid?” Qin Yao laughed lightly, her skin like condensed snow, giving a brazen provocation from within the water.

Ye Fan sat on the bank, feeling perfectly content, and replied: “Watching a demoness bathe.”

“Hehe…” Qin Yao laughed softly, her bewitching form half-concealed, half-revealed within the water. “According to reliable information, it seems you’ve obtained some kind of secret art from the Ji Family — and that’s what caused them to hunt you. Is it true?”

Ye Fan was inwardly startled. If word got out to the wider world, he wouldn’t only be facing the Ji Family’s pursuit — every other great faction would also be eyeing him hungrily.

A laugh full of temptation drifted over as Qin Yao broke free of the water. In the haze of mist, her figure was breathtaking — white as jade, impossibly graceful, half-hidden and half-revealed. She turned in a single fluid motion, quickly slipped on her skirts, and came walking toward him across the surface of the water.

A bewitching figure, an angelic face, a swan-like neck, a waist that seemed impossibly slender, legs straight and long — swaying and elegant, undulating in a way that stirred the soul, her dark hair drifting lightly as droplets of water fell like scattered jewels. At this moment, she was the definition of an enchantress — captivating in every possible way.

Her shoulders were bare, her gauze skirt trailing the ground — the very picture of seductive charm. Her two slender arms were whiter than frost and snow, radiating a crystalline, bewitching glow. Her figure was half-obscured as she came gliding forward.

“Will you still not tell me the truth?” She raised one smooth jade arm and extended a delicate, soft finger to lift Ye Fan’s chin. She licked her rosy lips in a gesture that was intensely alluring, her voice smooth and velvety in a way that sent a pleasant shiver through the body.

“There truly is nothing to tell — you’re overthinking it. And don’t try your honey trap on me. You’ll lose the lady and gain nothing in the bargain…”

Qin Yao’s figure was statuesque — her waist slender yet full, her chest prominent, her legs long and shapely. She laughed until her whole body trembled like a flowering branch and said: “What would a little thing like you know?”

“Well, those were your words, so I have nothing to restrain myself for.”

“What are you going to do?” Qin Yao’s large eyes shimmered with waves of light as she asked in a tone of deliberate challenge.

As someone from the modern world, Ye Fan had long since ceased to be a shy and innocent boy. Since she had chosen to provoke him, naturally he had no reason to hold back. He wrapped his arm around Qin Yao’s slender waist, savoring the soft warmth beneath his palm, and with a most forward manner of speaking said: “To prove that I am a man and not a little kid, I suppose I have no choice but to go all out today!”