The Eccentric Scholar’s Manor was filled with beautiful peaks. Kylin-like rocks lay before the cliffs, ancient medicines kept them company, and fragrance drifted everywhere. Nor was there any lack of open spaces — jade-clear lakes dotted the landscape like pearls, where flood dragons emerged and dove, gathering all things spiritual and magnificent.
No sooner had Ye Fan entered the Eccentric Scholar’s Manor than he was discovered. Qi Huoshui had drawn dozens of people to block him inside the mountain gate, stirring up a crowd of onlookers.
“The demon genius of the Eastern Wastelands has arrived — his true self has entered the manor!”
This news spread rapidly. Many came rushing over, all wanting to catch a glimpse of his true appearance. His reputation had been thunderously loud of late, and many wished to see him in person.
Naturally, there were no shortage of self-important talents who harbored resentment — they, too, rushed to the scene. And even demon-genius-level existences were stirred into action, one after another emerging from their closed-door cultivation.
“You villain with the surname Ye, you will not be leaving today!” Qi Huoshui bit down with her silvery teeth. Her beauty was beyond question — she was the luminous pearl of the Southern Ranges, a peerless beauty who put all flowers to shame.
“Just keep yelling. Even if you shout until your throat splits, it will not help. Ye Fan has not done anything to you,” Pang Bo said in an extraordinarily roguish manner.
Qi Huoshui was so furious she nearly fainted. Her face flushed crimson, and she was so choked with indignation that words nearly failed her. Forcing out a breath, she finally cried: “You — damn it all!”
When those words left her mouth, jaws dropped all around. Qi Huoshui, with her peerless beauty, was ordinarily the very picture of refined and elegant speech. Clearly, she had been provoked beyond all endurance.
“Who did I provoke? Ye Fan truly has not done anything to you. Have I said something wrong? Is there more to this story?” Pang Bo wore the expression of someone who deserved a slap.
“You — disappear this instant!” Qi Huoshui was so angry she felt like biting someone.
“We are not that close, are we? Do not be so excited the moment you see me. Did you assemble all this fanfare to welcome me or what?” Ye Fan asked.
“You, be quiet — I am here to suppress you!” Qi Huoshui grew even more agitated, her face flushing a deeper red, her tall and slender figure nearly trembling, as she shouted at the people beside her: “Attack together — seal him for me!”
Yet although several dozen people had come, and their momentum had been ferocious on the approach, now that they were face to face, not a single one dared to move. Her words fell on deaf ears.
Qi Huoshui was frantic with fury. She had been calling out for a long time, and not one person had stepped forward. In the end, only she stood alone facing Ye Fan — embarrassed and incensed beyond measure.
“What are you all afraid of? It is just one Holy Body. With so many of us, surely we cannot defeat him?”
These people still would not act. All of them looked at each other, immovable as mountains. What a joke — this was a death star. He had dared to slaughter even great cultivators. Who would dare approach him now?
“Commandery Princess, he has just killed the Northern Emperor’s own paternal uncle. Are you certain you wish to suppress him?” A young woman nearby reminded her softly.
“So what?” Qi Huoshui was utterly unconcerned.
“The Northern Emperor — even the leaders of the various sects hold him in awe. The fact that even his uncle was killed only goes to show how brazen the Holy Body is. It does not seem wise to provoke him now.”
“What does the Northern Emperor matter? My brother is the Southern Demon. And so what if he is a Holy Body — my distant cousin Yao Yuekong is a Celestial Demon physique as well.” Qi Huoshui mumbled.
“You are a demon creature?” Pang Bo asked in surprise.
“Shut up, disappear!” Qi Huoshui had a hundred and twenty percent of dislike for him. The veins on her smooth, jade-like forehead began to visibly throb.
“No wonder you are so beautiful beyond reason — demon creatures are enchanting. You are a demon woman! The Southern Ranges is home to many demon lords, and you are from the Demon Emperor’s Palace.” Pang Bo cried out in amazement.
Qi Commandery Princess’s forehead was covered in dark lines. “Fat man, I am remembering you. You and the Holy Body are both no good — just you wait.”
In truth, Pang Bo was not in the least fat — merely exceptionally powerfully built. He towered two or three heads above ordinary men, with thick brows and large eyes, and arms as thick as other men’s thighs.
“Who are you calling fat? What I have is called a heroic build — have you never seen a demon creature with this much masculine energy?” Pang Bo said.
“Just go and die!” Qi Huoshui ordered the others to act, but found she could not command them. She summoned a demon pagoda herself — silver light flashed as it flew forward.
“Ding!”
Ye Fan struck out with his bare hand, intercepting it with a tap, sending it bouncing away with a flick of his finger. He rubbed his chin and looked Qi Huoshui up and down, saying, “Are you truly a demon creature?”
He had once captured Qi Huoshui, but had not imagined that her background was this significant — a member of the ancient Demon Emperor’s Palace that had existed since archaic times, and the own younger sister of the Southern Demon.
“Whether it is the Celestial Demon Palace of the Eastern Wastelands or the Demon Emperor’s Palace of the Southern Ranges, both have produced world-shaking great demons. Their descendants are born in human form and cannot be identified by their original nature at all — just like someone as beautiful as jade.” Pang Bo spoke with authority. He knew a bit more than Ye Fan in this regard — having lived among demon tribes for a long time, his understanding was deep.
“Little Qi Demon, there is no great enmity between you and me. You need not be so excited at the sight of me. I have not even considered opening hostilities with your legendary brother yet.”
The people of the Eccentric Scholar’s Manor had heard a little about this — the Southern Demon was extraordinarily mysterious and had rarely shown himself, remaining in closed-door cultivation studying the notes and manuscripts of the manor’s predecessors.
“Ye, stop being so arrogant—”
“Cousin, what is all this? You have flooded the Dragon King’s own temple — these are all friends.” A light laugh drifted from nearby as a purple-robed young man walked over, striking and heroic in bearing.
“Brother Yuekong!” Ye Fan laughed loudly. It was none other than Yao Yuekong, the young master of the Celestial Demon Palace — just as before, radiant with spirit and energy.
“Long time no see. Brother Ye’s name now shakes all under heaven — truly astonishing.” Yao Yuekong came forward.
“Cousin, how do you know him?!” The Qi Commandery Princess was deeply displeased. She had never forgotten the incident of Ye Fan making her his attendant — having been imprisoned for a month, even now her teeth itched just thinking about it.
“Let past matters go. Brother Ye is not an outsider.” Yao Yuekong said with a smile.
“Boom!”
Deep within the Eccentric Scholar’s Manor, an ancient mountain was suddenly engulfed in a surging tide of demonic energy. Infinite divine light pierced the heavens, and an ancient, towering Demon Emperor’s Palace materialized — majestic and imposing as an ancient heavenly court, awe-inspiring and grand.
An august figure appeared from nowhere — his figure so enormous it seemed to prop up the nine heavens, his black hair flowing down like a waterfall, his eyes containing the rise and fall of endless stars, fathomlessly deep. He descended like a demon god.
“Could that be the legendary Southern Demon?!” Many people were shaken.
Ye Fan’s expression shifted. Both the Demon Emperor’s Palace and that godlike figure were only manifestations of a single thread of divine thought, projected through the ancient mountain. That it could cause such an earthshaking spectacle with only a wisp of divine thought — one could well imagine the cultivation this person possessed!
“Like a demon god standing before us!” Even Pang Bo was shaken.
“Qi Qi, come back.” A cool, clear voice rang out. That thread of divine thought dissolved into a beam of divine light, piercing through the void and sweeping the Qi Commandery Princess away — gone in an instant.
“The Southern Demon is so powerful — even a single thread of divine thought already surpasses all other peak-level young powerhouses!” Everyone was awestruck. This was the first time any of them had witnessed the Southern Demon make a move.
“Little Ye Fan…” Li Heishui and the others came rushing over — none of them had imagined that Ye Fan would be so bold as to actually come to the Eccentric Scholar’s Manor.
“Let’s go find a spot to drink.” Wu Zhongtian said.
Before long, they settled into a small roadside tavern — not a large establishment, but blooming with peach blossoms, a swath of pink that defied the seasons.
Within the Eccentric Scholar’s Manor, there could be no grand wine halls — but small taverns like this one existed, their simple and rustic quality a charming contrast to a place of cultivation, lending a special kind of refinement.
“Brother Yuekong, you are actually a Celestial Demon physique — you truly kept this hidden!” Ye Fan raised his cup and said.
“My Celestial Demon physique falls far short of what the name implies.” Yao Yuekong shook his head.
Before he was even born, he had been struck by a hidden attack while still in his mother’s womb, leaving him congenitally deficient. The mere fact that he had survived was already a miracle, but it constrained the heights of his future achievement.
“Unless I break through nine gates of death, I can restore the unparalleled magnificence of the Celestial Demon physique.” Yao Yuekong did not elaborate further, seeming unwilling to dwell on the past.
“Is Qi Huoshui’s brother truly that formidable?” Pang Bo asked.
“He is my distant cousin, and his strength is without question. He can absolutely be spoken of in the same breath as the Central Emperor and the Northern Emperor.” Yao Yuekong nodded, and cautioned them not to provoke him.
“Extremely formidable.” From within a swath of dense peach blossoms, a wild-looking young man clothed in animal skins walked over. His black hair was thick and dense, and he carried with him an air of primal power.
It was Dongfang Ye. He had heard the news and come immediately, making himself right at home without any awkwardness. He downed a large bowl of wine before saying: “I also come from the vast Southern Ranges. Years ago, I once witnessed him in a primordial old forest — he pressed a demon dragon to death with one hand.”
“How powerful was that demon dragon?”
“Comparable to a great cultivator!”
“What?” Everyone drew a sharp breath.
“You are certain that demon dragon was comparable to a great cultivator?” Jiang Huairen found it difficult to believe.
“Of course. Because I roasted and ate that dragon afterward.” Dongfang Ye nodded.
“Then what cultivation stage has he reached now?” Li Heishui’s heart shuddered.
“Three years ago, he pressed a demon dragon to death with one hand — I witnessed it with my own eyes. At that time, he had just overcome his heavenly tribulation and entered the second level of the Immortal Platform. By now I imagine he has long since consolidated his foundation and can be considered comparable to a peak-level Sacred Lord.” The wild youth said.
“The Southern Demon is actually so formidable. I always assumed it was an exaggeration by those who liked to gossip. I never imagined there was truly such a terrifying young demon lord.”
“Little Ye Fan, have you come to see me?” Through the blazing peach blossoms, in the great expanse of flowering trees where fragrance drifted endlessly, Ji Ziyue came walking with light and graceful steps, her smile radiant, two small dimples appearing on her face, her purple robes swirling, brimming with a lively and elegant charm.
Beside her, Ji Haoyue — possessor of the Divine King physique — walked with the heavy, measured stride of a tiger and dragon, composed and steady. His black hair flowed freely and his eyes were deep and profound, exuding the bearing of an undefeatable divine king of the age — a striking contrast to the playful Ji Ziyue.
At the drinking table, Ji Haoyue did not speak much, but was very composed. Every word he said carried weight: “Some people soar to the heavens in their youth but then stall at that very point. Others blossom late, with lasting momentum. Looking back across history at the ancient sages, the latter describe the great majority. Those with boundless latent potential sometimes require a lifetime to fully excavate it.”
“Indeed — it has always been so from ancient times to the present. Hundreds of years, thousands of years from now, among our generation, some of those who seem transcendentally gifted may be forgotten by the world, while some who now seem like ‘fools’ will one day soar to the heights of the dragon.” Yao Yuekong nodded.
“So are you saying that a thousand years from now, I might very well beat Wang Teng into a pig his own mother wouldn’t recognize?” Li Heishui said.
Everyone was rendered speechless for a moment.
“People like the Northern Emperor and the Southern Demon could not possibly lack potential. Their momentum is unstoppable — they will not stall — and it is impossible to say what heights they will eventually reach.”
Deep into the night, stars filled the sky and the moonlight was soft. Even Ji Ziyue’s little face had turned rosy from drink. She was clamouring to suppress her older brother.
Ji Haoyue’s forehead was covered in dark lines as he helped her sober up, trying to drag her away.
“Not drunk. This thousand-year immortal brew — I can drink many cups. I’ve only had one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight cups…” Her breath was as fragrant as orchids; she danced among the peach blossoms, moving like a sprite beneath the moon, dancing in her tipsy state.
“Little Ye Fan, let us all go suppress the Southern Demon tomorrow, then suppress the Central Emperor, then suppress… the Manor Master.” Ji Ziyue was forcibly dragged away by her brother. She was indeed a little drunk, and called out in a sweet, dazed murmur — even wanting to suppress her insufferable brother.
“Do any of you know where the ancient starry path leading to the outer domains is?” Ye Fan asked Yao Yuekong and Dongfang Ye after seeing Ji Ziyue and her brother off.
“No one knows where it is.” All of them shook their heads.
The night had grown late. They departed the small tavern and came to a stretch of spiritual mountains, where there were many peaks and each person had their own cave residence, auspicious mist flowing beneath the brilliant white moonlight.
In the second half of the night, all things fell silent. Ye Fan walked out alone and stood at the summit of a peak, gazing out over the entire expanse of the Eccentric Scholar’s Manor — boundless and vast, with lights of ascending immortals rising together here and there.
Without warning, he sensed a powerful aura. He quickly turned around — and saw a figure step out of the void. He stood within an ancient Demon Emperor’s Palace, like a descending demon god.
“The Southern Demon!” Ye Fan’s heart gave a sudden lurch.
The Southern Demon’s depths were unfathomable. A single thread of divine thought had carved out a small world. He stood as if in an ancient heavenly court, looking down from above. His eyes contained the rise and fall of stellar domains, deep and boundless — as though an archaic demon emperor had been reborn.
“I have seen you before — you come from the outer domains.” The Southern Demon, Qi Lin, spoke calmly.
Ye Fan was deeply startled. He fixed his gaze on Qi Lin, unable to understand why he would say such a thing.
The moonlight pooled like water. The Southern Demon Qi Lin stood in the void, his eyes deep and profound: “Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin — it arrived from the outer domains. There were more than ten of you in total, crossing the stellar void. You are one of them.”
“You—”