Chapter 1995: Peacock Manor
Peacock Manor, once the greatest power of the Peacock Half-Human Clan, had been immensely glorious and prosperous. But five hundred years ago, because it refused to submit to Empress Chi Yao’s rule, it was suppressed by the First Central Empire and ultimately destroyed.
As the Kunlun Realm gradually revived, the ruins of Peacock Manor unexpectedly became a sacred land of awakening.
After Kong Lanyou experienced the divine battle at Moon God Mountain, her immortal sacred body was shattered and her realm fell. She returned to the Kunlun Realm, reclaimed Peacock Manor, and gradually restored it to its former appearance.
Within Peacock Manor, there were vast bamboo groves, lush and thriving.
A gentle breeze blew, rustling the bamboo leaves with a unique rhythm.
Deep in the bamboo grove, a bamboo pavilion stood beside a babbling stream.
A woman with hair as white as snow sat in the pavilion. Her face was exquisitely delicate, with long, slender brows and a jade-like nose, breathtakingly beautiful.
The white-haired woman held a yellowed bamboo flute in her hand, quietly gazing up at the sky, looking at the bright, silvery moon.
The scene was like a stunning painting, and the white-haired woman within it resembled a divine maiden untouched by the mortal world—elegant and serene, someone to be admired from afar without daring to harbor any impure thoughts.
This white-haired woman was none other than Zhang Ruochen’s cousin, Kong Lanyou.
Perhaps because she had once reached the Great Saint realm, Kong Lanyou carried an air of transcendence that made others hesitate to approach.
Suddenly, a strange light flashed in Kong Lanyou’s eyes. She moved, soaring up from the bamboo pavilion, her deep, bright eyes fixed on the distance.
Even from far away, Kong Lanyou could clearly see a massive warship flying rapidly toward Peacock Manor.
At the same time, Kong Lanyou sensed unusual movements around Peacock Manor. Though subtle, they did not escape her perception.
“Uninvited guests? Peacock Manor is not a place anyone can barge into.” A cold gleam flashed in Kong Lanyou’s eyes.
With a flicker of movement, Kong Lanyou transformed into a streak of multicolored light and instantly appeared on a large rock outside Peacock Manor.
At that moment, a person stood on that rock, clad in jade-green armor, looking heroic and extraordinary.
Seeing Kong Lanyou arrive, the person was visibly surprised.
However, reacting quickly, they immediately mobilized their sacred qi and sacred dao rules, turning their hand into a claw and striking like lightning at Kong Lanyou’s neck.
Kong Lanyou’s eyes were filled with cold indifference. She extended a slender, delicate finger, and at its tip, a cluster of multicolored flame condensed.
The flame took the shape of a peacock feather, vibrant in color, beautiful as a work of art, yet containing terrifying destructive power, as if it could burn all things in the world to ashes.
This flame was the Peacock Bright Flame mastered by the Peacock Half-Human Clan, possessing the fearsome power to burn the heavens and boil the seas.
The Peacock Bright Flame Kong Lanyou unleashed was especially terrifying, as if even space itself would melt away under its heat.
“Boom.”
The Peacock Bright Flame pierced through the incoming claw like a sharp sword.
A large amount of the Peacock Bright Flame seeped through the bloody hole in the claw into the body of the powerful figure before them.
Instantly, the person’s body ignited, completely engulfed in the Peacock Bright Flame.
The figure rapidly retreated, using various techniques to try to extinguish the flame on their body.
Yet no matter what they did, it was futile. The Peacock Bright Flame burned fiercely, consuming their sacred qi, blood qi, and essence.
“Ah!”
A blood-curdling scream came from the powerful figure.
In the blink of an eye, their body turned red-hot like a piece of iron, showing signs of melting.
“Kong Lanyou, you’re about to die, yet you still dare to act recklessly.”
Chen Hu, a top expert among the Scarlet Angels, arrived, forming a massive blood handprint that descended from the sky toward Kong Lanyou.
Kong Lanyou looked up, a cold light flashing in her eyes. She circulated her sacred qi, and a multicolored sacred light appeared on her body, making her look like a peerless Peacock Divine Maiden.
Once again, she pointed a finger, and streams of multicolored light converged at her fingertip.
With Kong Lanyou at the center, the sacred qi and sacred rules of heaven and earth within thousands of miles were all mobilized.
The multicolored light at Kong Lanyou’s fingertip became incredibly solid and sharp, like a peerless sword light.
“Whoosh.”
The multicolored light was unstoppable, effortlessly slicing through the massive blood handprint.
Then, the multicolored light shot straight into the sky, hurtling toward Chen Hu.
“Hmm?”
Chen Hu was slightly startled and quickly flapped a blood-red wing to block.
A blood light appeared on the blood-red wing, making it as sharp as a heavenly blade, capable of splitting anything.
“Bang.”
The multicolored light exploded, dissipating into nothingness.
But a few blood feathers fell from Chen Hu’s blood-red wing, nearly injuring him.
“So strong.” Chen Hu was inwardly shocked.
Although he knew Kong Lanyou had once been an Immortal Great Saint whose immortal sacred body was shattered, causing her realm to fall, Chen Hu hadn’t taken her too seriously, thinking he could easily suppress her.
After all, with his strength, he was no worse than a true Immortal Great Saint, having entered one of the three levels of top Proximate Dao realm experts.
Of course, he had only reached the third level, far from the first two.
According to Chen Hu’s knowledge, when Kong Lanyou became an Immortal Great Saint, she wasn’t particularly strong. Back then, the Kunlun Realm’s cultivation conditions were poor, and Kong Lanyou hadn’t cultivated many sacred dao rules in the Proximate Dao realm. Her immortal sacred body was also mediocre, so her strength naturally wasn’t great.
Thus, logically, after her realm fell, Kong Lanyou shouldn’t be too strong.
But now, it seemed otherwise. Kong Lanyou’s current strength might even surpass when she first broke through to the Immortal Great Saint realm.
Chen Hu completely set aside his contempt and decided to go all out.
Originally, the experts of the Heavenly Realm Faction had planned to surround Peacock Manor in secret before launching a siege on Kong Lanyou.
But since Kong Lanyou had already detected their arrival, there was no need for such trouble.
In an extremely short time, many experts gathered.
Being able to fight outside Peacock Manor was actually more convenient for the Heavenly Realm Faction’s experts.
In the blink of an eye, Kong Lanyou was surrounded by more than a dozen top experts.
On the warship, Shang Zi’s face was dark as he watched the surrounded Kong Lanyou. His mood was terrible—he had been injured, and his top-tier Flowing Light Merit Armor and Chi Kunlun had been stolen. To him, this was not just a loss but a great humiliation.
“Capture Kong Lanyou and destroy Peacock Manor.” Shang Zi gave the order in a deep voice.
Although his cultivation and strength weren’t the highest among this group, his status was the most transcendent, and everyone followed his commands.
“Whoosh.”
Hundreds of figures flashed out from the warship, charging straight toward Peacock Manor.
None of these people were weak; each was a Saint King realm expert, including many Nine-Step Saint Kings.
Most of the experts Shang Zi had gathered were brought to Peacock Manor, with only a small portion left in Saint Bright City to deal with Zhang Ruochen.
With so many major worlds in the Heavenly Realm Faction, even if each world sent just one Saint King, the total was astonishing.
Sensing the commotion, Kong Lanyou’s expression changed, and she immediately wanted to return to Peacock Manor.
“Stay right there.”
Chen Hu shouted, striking with all his might, sending a palm print to block Kong Lanyou.
Kong Lanyou did not dodge but met it head-on.
A multicolored sacred light surged around Kong Lanyou, condensing into a hundred-zhang-tall multicolored peacock, lifelike, as if about to soar into the sky.
“Feather Transformation Flying Heaven Palm.”
Kong Lanyou murmured, and the multicolored peacock suddenly struck out.
“Boom.”
Chen Hu’s palm print was instantly shattered.
Then, the multicolored peacock slammed directly into Chen Hu, sending him flying.
Kong Lanyou did not press the attack. Instead, she transformed into a sacred peacock, streaking across the sky faster than the hundreds of Heavenly Realm Faction experts, entering Peacock Manor.
In an instant, numerous complex formation patterns emerged from beneath Peacock Manor, releasing brilliant sacred light to construct a powerful formation that enveloped the entire manor.
Peacock Manor had originally been inscribed with many Great Saint inscriptions. Though damaged, some had been preserved.
After Kong Lanyou reclaimed Peacock Manor, she reorganized it, repairing the damaged Great Saint inscriptions to make the manor as impregnable as iron, preparing for this very day.
All the Heavenly Realm Faction experts were blocked outside, unable to set foot in Peacock Manor.
Chen Hu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, shocked. “Such a terrifying high-rank sacred art.”
The technique Kong Lanyou had just used was a genuine high-rank sacred art with astonishing power. An ordinary Nine-Step Saint King would likely have been torn apart.
Chen Hu, strong as he was and wearing Flowing Light Merit Armor, still couldn’t fully block the Feather Transformation Flying Heaven Palm and suffered significant injuries.
Any Saint King realm expert who mastered a high-rank sacred art would gain a huge advantage, almost equivalent to wielding a Monarch Sacred Artifact.
The Feather Transformation Flying Heaven Palm was a high-rank sacred art contained in the “Feather Transformation Scripture,” one of Peacock Manor’s two top-tier techniques. It was extremely difficult to cultivate. If Kong Lanyou hadn’t once reached the Great Saint realm, she probably couldn’t have truly mastered this palm technique.
Having successfully activated the Great Saint inscriptions and mysterious formation patterns, Kong Lanyou stood in midair, her gaze fixed on the Heavenly Realm Faction experts outside the manor.
“Shang Zi, you’re leading a force to attack my Peacock Manor. Aren’t you afraid of being punished by the heavenly laws?” Kong Lanyou demanded coldly.
Shang Zi replied, “Heavenly laws have always been used to restrain the weak. If you’re still hoping for a Patrol Heavenly Envoy to intervene in this matter, you’re being too naive. I advise you to surrender early. You might still have a chance to see Zhang Ruochen.”
Hearing this, a terrifying killing intent surged in Kong Lanyou’s eyes. Her snow-white hair flew wildly as she said coldly, “If my cousin suffers even a scratch, I will annihilate every last one of you.”