Peacock Manor, once the foremost power of the Peacock Half-Human Clan, was immensely glorious and prosperous. However, five hundred years ago, it defied Empress Chi Yao’s rule and was suppressed by the Central First Empire, ultimately leading to its downfall.
As Kunlun Realm gradually revived, the ruins of Peacock Manor became a sacred land of awakening.
After the divine battle at Moon God Mountain, Kong Lanyou’s immortal saint body was shattered, and her realm fell. She returned to Kunlun Realm, reoccupied Peacock Manor, and gradually restored its former glory.
Within Peacock Manor, vast bamboo groves flourished, lush and verdant.
A gentle breeze stirred the bamboo leaves, creating a unique rhythm.
Deep in the bamboo grove, a bamboo pavilion stood beside a babbling stream.
A woman with snow-white hair sat in the pavilion, her face exquisitely delicate, with long, graceful eyebrows and a jade-like nose, beautiful beyond measure.
Holding a yellowed bamboo flute, the white-haired woman gazed quietly at the sky, watching the bright, pristine moon.
The scene was like a breathtaking painting, with the white-haired woman at its centre, resembling a divine maiden untouched by mortal concerns, elegant and serene, inspiring only distant admiration, not profane thoughts.
This woman was none other than Zhang Ruochen’s cousin, Kong Lanyou.
Perhaps due to having once reached the Great Saint Realm, Kong Lanyou carried an air of transcendence, making others hesitant to approach her.
Suddenly, a strange glint flashed in Kong Lanyou’s eyes. She moved, soaring from the pavilion, her deep, bright eyes gazing into the distance.
Even from afar, Kong Lanyou clearly saw a massive warship speeding toward Peacock Manor.
At the same time, she sensed disturbances around the manor, subtle but unable to escape her perception.
“Uninvited guests? Peacock Manor is not a place anyone can trespass,” Kong Lanyou said, a cold light flashing in her eyes.
With a flicker, she transformed into a seven-coloured stream of light, instantly appearing on a massive boulder outside Peacock Manor.
On this boulder stood a figure clad in jade-green armour, exuding a heroic aura.
Seeing Kong Lanyou arrive, the figure was visibly surprised.
But they reacted swiftly, channelling saint qi and saintly rules, their hand forming a claw that shot toward Kong Lanyou’s neck like lightning.
Kong Lanyou’s eyes were filled with cold indifference. She extended a slender, graceful finger, at the tip of which gathered a cluster of seven-coloured flames.
The flames resembled a peacock feather, vibrant and beautiful like a work of art, yet they harboured terrifying destructive power, capable of incinerating all things to ash.
This was the Peacock Bright Flame, wielded by the Peacock Half-Human Clan, with the fearsome ability to burn the heavens and boil the seas.
The Peacock Bright Flame unleashed by Kong Lanyou was especially terrifying, seemingly melting even space itself.
“Boom.”
The Peacock Bright Flame pierced the claw like a sharp sword.
A surge of the flame seeped into the powerhouse’s body through the bloody hole in their hand.
Instantly, their body ignited, engulfed entirely by the Peacock Bright Flame.
Involuntarily, they retreated rapidly, deploying various techniques to extinguish the flames.
Yet, no matter what they tried, it was futile. The Peacock Bright Flame burned fiercely, consuming their saint qi, blood qi, and essence qi.
“Argh!”
A piercing scream erupted from the powerhouse.
In the blink of an eye, their body turned red-hot, like molten iron, showing signs of melting.
“Kong Lanyou, facing death, you still dare to act so fiercely.”
Chen Hu, a top powerhouse among the Scarlet Angels, arrived, conjuring a massive blood handprint that descended from the sky toward Kong Lanyou.
Kong Lanyou looked up, her eyes flashing with cold light. Her saint qi surged, and seven-coloured saint light enveloped her body, making her resemble an unparalleled Peacock Goddess.
She pointed a finger, and streams of seven-coloured radiance converged at her fingertip.
With Kong Lanyou at the centre, the saint qi and rules of heaven and earth within thousands of miles were mobilised.
Her fingertip’s seven-coloured light became solid and razor-sharp, like an unrivalled sword beam.
“Slash.”
The seven-coloured light, unstoppable, effortlessly sliced through the massive blood handprint.
Then, it shot skyward, striking at Chen Hu.
“Hm?”
Chen Hu was slightly startled, quickly flapping a blood-red wing to defend.
A blood glow emerged on the wing, transforming it into a sharp heavenly blade capable of cleaving anything.
“Bang.”
The seven-coloured light exploded, dissipating into nothingness.
Chen Hu’s blood-red wing lost a few feathers, narrowly avoiding damage.
“So strong,” Chen Hu thought, inwardly shocked.
Though he knew Kong Lanyou had once been an Immortal Great Saint, her immortal saint body shattered and realm fallen, he hadn’t taken her seriously, believing he could easily suppress her.
After all, with his strength, he was no less formidable than a true Immortal Great Saint, having reached the third tier of top Near-Path Realm powerhouses.
Of course, he was only at the third tier, still far from the top two.
From what Chen Hu knew, Kong Lanyou hadn’t been particularly strong when she became an Immortal Great Saint. Kunlun Realm’s cultivation conditions were poor then, and she hadn’t cultivated many saintly rules in the Near-Path Realm, resulting in a mediocre immortal saint body and limited strength.
Logically, after her realm fell, she shouldn’t be too powerful.
But now, it seemed otherwise. Kong Lanyou’s current strength might even surpass what it was when she broke through to the Immortal Great Saint Realm.
Chen Hu shed all underestimation, resolving to fight with full force.
Originally, the Paradise Faction’s powerhouses planned to secretly encircle Peacock Manor and launch a coordinated attack on Kong Lanyou.
But since she had detected their arrival, there was no need for such trouble.
In moments, numerous powerhouses gathered.
Fighting outside Peacock Manor suited the Paradise Faction’s powerhouses just fine.
In the blink of an eye, Kong Lanyou was surrounded by over a dozen top powerhouses.
On the warship, Shang Ziju watched the encircled Kong Lanyou with a grim expression. He was in a foul mood, having been injured, robbed of his top-grade Streamlight Merit Armour, and lost Chi Kunlun—a loss not just of possessions but of profound humiliation.
“Capture Kong Lanyou, destroy Peacock Manor,” Shang Ziju ordered coldly.
Though his cultivation wasn’t the highest among them, his status was unmatched, and all obeyed his command.
“Swish.”
Hundreds of figures flashed from the warship, charging straight for Peacock Manor.
Those dispatched were no weaklings, all Saint King Realm powerhouses, including many Nine-Step Saint Kings.
Shang Ziju had brought most of his summoned powerhouses to Peacock Manor, leaving only a fraction in Saintbright City to deal with Zhang Ruochen.
The Paradise Faction spanned numerous great worlds, and even one Saint King per world added up to an astonishing force.
Sensing the commotion, Kong Lanyou’s expression shifted. She immediately moved to return to Peacock Manor.
“Stay where you are.”
Chen Hu roared, striking with full force, unleashing a palm print to block Kong Lanyou.
Kong Lanyou didn’t dodge, facing it head-on.
Her body glowed with intensified seven-coloured saint light, forming a hundred-zhang-tall seven-coloured peacock, vivid and lifelike, as if ready to soar.
“Feather Ascendancy Palm,” Kong Lanyou whispered, and the peacock struck.
“Boom.”
Chen Hu’s palm print shattered instantly.
The seven-coloured peacock then crashed into Chen Hu, sending him flying.
Kong Lanyou didn’t press the attack. Instead, she transformed into a divine peacock, streaking across the sky faster than the hundreds of Paradise Faction powerhouses, entering Peacock Manor first.
In an instant, intricate array patterns emerged from the manor’s depths, radiating brilliant saint light, forming a formidable array that enveloped the entire manor.
Peacock Manor had long been inscribed with numerous Great Saint inscriptions, some damaged but preserved.
After Kong Lanyou reclaimed the manor, she restored the damaged inscriptions, fortifying it into an impregnable stronghold, preparing for such a day.
For now, all Paradise Faction powerhouses were blocked outside, unable to set foot in Peacock Manor.
Chen Hu wiped blood from his mouth, shocked. “What a terrifying high-tier saint technique.”
The technique Kong Lanyou used was a genuine high-tier saint technique, its power staggering. A typical Nine-Step Saint King would have been torn apart.
Even Chen Hu, with his formidable strength and Streamlight Merit Armour, couldn’t fully withstand the Feather Ascendancy Palm, sustaining significant injury.
Any Saint King Realm powerhouse mastering a high-tier saint technique gained a massive advantage, comparable to wielding a Monarch Weapon.
The Feather Ascendancy Palm, one of the two supreme techniques in Peacock Manor’s *Feather Ascendancy Scripture*, was a high-tier saint technique of immense difficulty. Had Kong Lanyou not once reached the Great Saint Realm, she likely couldn’t have mastered it.
Having successfully activated the Great Saint inscriptions and intricate array patterns, Kong Lanyou stood in midair, her gaze fixed on the Paradise Faction powerhouses outside.
“Shang Ziju, you dare lead an attack on my Peacock Manor. Are you not afraid of heavenly retribution?” Kong Lanyou demanded coldly.
Shang Ziju replied, “Heavenly laws only bind the weak. If you think a Patrol Angel will intervene, you’re too naive. Surrender now, and you might still have a chance to see Zhang Ruochen.”
At this, Kong Lanyou’s eyes blazed with killing intent, her snow-white hair…
