Volume One: The Celestial Palace of Misty Clouds Chapter Twenty-One: The First Battle Upon Return

Chapter Twenty-One: First Battle Upon Return

“Refine!”

Zhou Hao sat cross-legged atop the surface of the molten lake. Before him, the essence pearl floated in midair, suspended by the force of his immortal energy. Inside the pearl, a fish could be seen—its body golden, covered in scales, with seven or eight sharp bone spines protruding from its back. Its mouth, however, boasted two long, silver saber teeth—slender and razor-sharp—giving it the appearance of a shark.

This was the essence pearl of the Sun Shark, encapsulating the creature’s vital energy, the accumulation of its millennia of cultivation, and even a fragment of its divine soul. If the soul within the pearl were to grow stronger, one day it could give birth to a new Sun Shark. In essence, the essence pearl was the immortal beast’s second life. Yet few would ever foolishly seize such a pearl without refining it—this is why immortal beasts self-destruct before death; why allow your conqueror to inherit your cultivation?

A golden divine flame erupted from Zhou Hao’s palm, enveloping the essence pearl in the process of refining. This flame was the Dao fire of immortals—any immortal, even one with but a thread of immortal power, could wield it. It served myriad purposes: refining pills, medicines, and, for the truly powerful, forging peerless formations from sun, moon, and stars.

Within the Dao fire, the essence pearl tumbled and surged. The Sun Shark inside suddenly struggled fiercely, startling even Zhou Hao, despite his decades of mortal experience. The golden Sun Shark bared its teeth and lashed its tail, roaring furiously. Above the pearl, golden mist billowed, coalescing into a massive Sun Shark—though incorporeal, its roar shook the deepest layers of the earth. The tranquil molten lake boiled and heaved anew.

Suddenly, ripples spread across the lake; molten magma surged skyward like waves. Zhou Hao, now past astonishment, made his move.

“Your true form is destroyed. What storm can a single essence pearl hope to stir?”

He slapped his palm onto the lake’s surface, and a ring of azure light suppressed the magma. Soon, all returned to calm.

Zhou Hao stood, his eyes fixed on the giant Sun Shark formed from golden mist, which howled ceaselessly and opened its bloody maw to devour him. Yet Zhou Hao paid it no mind. The Dao fire in his hands burned even brighter, melting the pearl’s surface and causing the giant Sun Shark to disintegrate, returning to golden mist.

“Disappear entirely!”

At this moment, Zhou Hao’s gaze was cold and unyielding, locked onto the essence pearl. His hands formed seals, intensifying the Dao fire. The pearl quickly melted away, and the Sun Shark within dissolved into pure immortal energy, which Zhou Hao absorbed into his body.

The process resembled cracking an egg and drinking its yolk.

Afterward, Zhou Hao immediately began to regulate his breathing and stabilize his cultivation. It took nearly three months to fully refine the Sun Shark’s vital energy.

“Hm, my body feels more comfortable than ever—I must have reached a new realm of cultivation.”

Glancing around, Zhou Hao suddenly practiced swordsmanship in midair. Wherever his sword pointed, sword energy swept and fire streamed across the sky. Now, he could cleave magma with a casual strike, and his training no longer required the acceleration of yin-yang essence. In just under twenty years, he had truly grown stronger through hardship.

Thus, the final three years passed, and the hellish training deep within the earth veins came to an end. Yun Fang arrived as promised to bring Zhou Hao back to the bamboo hut.

Splash!

Master and disciple emerged gracefully from the blue lake; the crimson fish within, startled, scattered into its depths. It was early morning—twelve silver moons hung high in the sky, casting a dim light.

Whenever Zhou Hao saw those twelve moons, he couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of creation and become ever more curious about this strange immortal realm.

Yun Fang had told him before: the immortal domain was vast beyond measure, and this was only one of its nine great realms—the Sun and Moon Immortal Domain. Its name came from the ten suns and twelve moons circling the central heavenly capital. That was why, here in the subrealm of the Yunmiao Immortal Palace, one could witness the spectacle of ten suns and twelve moons.

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All immortal palaces are lands granted to an immortal king, existing to safeguard the king’s territory among the stars. Immortal kings themselves answer to the heavenly capital’s directives, for the strongest in the immortal domain is the supreme immortal lord—a figure capable of annihilating entire star systems with a single gesture. Such power is beyond comprehension; even Yun Fang could not describe its magnitude, and Zhou Hao could not hope to fathom it.

In short, the heart of the Sun and Moon Immortal Domain is the Sun and Moon Heavenly Capital, situated at its center. The distance between it and Yunmiao Immortal Palace is astronomical—no golden immortal, nor even high-ranking immortals, could cross it directly except by teleportation array.

Shaking his head, Zhou Hao ceased gazing at the moons and entered the bamboo hut with his master. Yun Fang inquired after his twenty years of cultivation.

“What? You obtained a Sun Shark’s essence pearl? And you refined it?” Yun Fang’s beard bristled, his youthful face and bright eyes alight.

“Yes, but I struggled terribly, nearly died there!” Zhou Hao recounted his hardship.

“My disciple, you’ve truly not disappointed me. Your senior brother Yu Yang was an unrivaled genius—he refined an entire fire-lotus petal and completed his foundation at a young age. Yet you managed to acquire an essence pearl, and from the great Sun Shark born of the magma. If word of this spreads, the elders of other immortal palaces will cough blood in envy.” Yun Fang chuckled, looking at Zhou Hao as if he were a priceless treasure.

Zhou Hao knew his master’s heart was bitter. After centuries of teaching prodigies, Yun Fang had lost his favored disciple to tragedy—a pain no one could bear. Yet it was as if heaven had granted him another disciple to be proud of.

“Master, I also brought back the nine-petal fire-lotus…”

“What did you say?”

Before Zhou Hao could finish, Yun Fang’s pupils contracted in astonishment, his mouth agape in disbelief.

Calmly, Zhou Hao produced the palm-sized red lotus from his robe. At this moment, the lotus remained a crimson bud.

“Nine-petal fire-lotus? How did you capture it?” Yun Fang asked.

“It’s a long story. I owe much of my success with the Sun Shark’s essence pearl to her…” Zhou Hao recounted the tale.

“So that’s how it is. To think that in a century, the nine-petal fire-lotus can already assume human form. Yet it’s surprising how much she sacrificed for you. Clearly, you share a deep bond—fate is mysterious indeed. You must nurture and protect this immortal herb, and never let others know. Do you understand?” Yun Fang admonished.

“I’ll be careful,” Zhou Hao nodded.

“In that case, I have a fire essence pool especially for nurturing fire-type immortal items. This lotus will be of great use to you in the future—it must be cultivated well now.”

Yun Fang produced a square pool filled with flowing fire magma, heat radiating outward. Zhou Hao gently placed the lotus in the pool, and saw the crimson bud stir—a wisp of golden mist rose from its tip and faded.

“It has sacrificed much, wounded its core. It will need at least a thousand years to recover fully,” Yun Fang sighed.

Soon, the twelve divine moons were replaced by ten blazing suns, ushering in a new day at Yunmiao Immortal Palace.

“Twenty years without seeing anyone!”

Zhou Hao soared on his sword, dressed in snowy white robes, the breeze fluttering his sleeves. A hint of uncontainable excitement curled at his lips.

The plaza was paved with blue stones, stretching for a kilometer, backed by the resplendent Yunmiao Immortal Palace. The sword practice square was filled with white-robed disciples, all youthful in spirit, though all save Zhou Hao were at least a century old.

“Oh my, isn’t this Senior Disciple Zhou, the sole disciple under Elder Yun Fang? What wind blew you here—I bet it was a strong gust!” As Zhou Hao practiced, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

“So it’s Senior Brother Cheng. I failed to greet you from afar—please pardon me!”

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Turning to face Cheng Yan’s mischievous grin, Zhou Hao forced a polite smile. Twenty years ago, this very man bullied him for his weakness, even ousting him from the Dao comprehension realm by force—a memory etched in Zhou Hao’s mind.

“Hey, how many years has it been? Your tongue has grown sweeter. But you deserve to be Yun Fang’s disciple. Since we’ve run into each other, we should spar, shouldn’t we?” Cheng Yan still regarded Zhou Hao with disdain, his words full of provocation.

In truth, Yu Nan had joined forces with Cheng Yan and three others, hoping to teach Zhou Hao a lesson during a demon-hunting mission. But unexpectedly, Zhou Hao vanished the next day, not to be seen for twenty years. Their scheme fell apart, and Yu Nan nearly stormed Yun Fang’s immortal mountain in frustration.

Today, seeing his long-absent “old friend,” Cheng Yan could hardly contain his glee. Yu Nan always arrived late to sword practice, so Cheng Yan wanted to show off before the goddess—what better way than to defeat Zhou Hao?

“Zhou Hao, you’re back? Oh, I missed you, brother! You must have suffered in your cultivation these years, right?”

A chubby disciple waddled over, his smile simple and sincere, his features gathered together, eyes squinting as he grinned.

“Senior Brother Cao, I’ve missed you too! After all these years, you’re still living the good life!” Zhou Hao laughed, pointing at Cao Shuang’s belly.

“Cao...Cao Shuang, you’re here too.”

Seeing the fat Cao, Cheng Yan’s face fell; inwardly, he was bleeding. Why was this damned fatso everywhere—especially since he was terrified of him?

“Just now, did you want to spar with my buddy?” After exchanging greetings with Zhou Hao, Cao Shuang turned to Cheng Yan.

Despite sweating nervously, Cheng Yan braced himself—he couldn’t embarrass himself in front of the goddess who would soon arrive. He met Cao Shuang’s small eyes with forced confidence.

“Senior Brother Cao, I merely wish to discuss swordsmanship with Junior Brother Zhou. Surely you don’t object?” Cheng Yan said boldly.

“How amusing. Then I’d like to discuss with you as well—what do you think?” Cao Shuang smirked coldly.

“Ha, Senior Brother Cao, since Senior Brother Cheng wants to spar, it’s an honor for me. It’s only right he gives me some pointers!” Zhou Hao replied.

Cao Shuang looked at Zhou Hao and instantly understood—his friend was playing the pig to eat the tiger.

“Junior Brother, I’m worried for you. Senior Brother Cheng has four hundred years of cultivation—he’s not known for holding back. If you get hurt, I’ll be so ashamed!” Cao Shuang played along.

Cheng Yan, though he looked down on Zhou Hao, was incensed by Cao Shuang’s sarcasm. Yet he couldn’t even show his anger.

“So, Junior Brother Zhou agrees to spar?” Cheng Yan asked.

“Of course!” Zhou Hao nodded.

The two squared off, surrounded by disciples eager to watch, their sword practice forgotten.

“Brother, spar with Senior Brother Cheng first, then I’ll spar with him. Don’t hold back—he’s giving you pointers, so show your true strength, all right?” Cao Shuang called out to Zhou Hao in the ring.

Clearly, this was meant for Cheng Yan—who was now thoroughly irritated. He thought: Damn fatso, I can’t handle you, but surely I can deal with this rookie Zhou Hao! Don’t think your words will make me go easy on him. When Yu Nan arrives, she’ll protect me anyway. Zhou Hao will get beaten badly, but you won’t be able to touch me. Spar with me? I can’t be bothered with you!

End of Chapter Twenty-One