Volume One: The Celestial Cloud Palace Chapter 75: Annihilation

Chapter Seventy-Five: Annihilation

“Now, the Dragon King’s treasure shall be mine, ha ha ha!” At this moment, Cai Lingzi was jubilant, elated. His already strikingly handsome face was lit with a smile that could win the secret admiration of any woman’s heart.

On the winding, narrow passage, the pure white crystal coffin lay just ahead of Cai Lingzi. The coffin had no lid, revealing a wealth of treasures inside—countless weapons and elixirs. Yet, at its center rested a square box, entirely azure blue, exquisite and elegant.

As Cai Lingzi stepped forward to claim the treasures within, four dazzling beams of light suddenly erupted behind him. The terrifying power contained within these beams instantly triggered a violent roar in the space, as if heaven and earth were colliding!

“Hmph, how dare a mere flicker of light compete with the full moon?” Without turning, Cai Lingzi’s expression shifted from delight to icy coldness.

The source of the four beams was the secret treasures held by the disciples of the four great factions—gifts from the sect leaders of Wind Desert, Rain Lake, Fire Plain, and Thunder Mountain, bestowed to prevent any mishap and ensure the acquisition of the Grand Immortal’s trove.

Each beam was a formidable artifact: the Scarlet Sun Banner, the Blue Sea Pearl, the Violet Gold Melon, and the Azure Sky-Shielding Umbrella. Now, the disciples wielded them together in a bid to destroy Cai Lingzi. With Wind He and Fire Yi gone, the four factions could only rely on these last treasures to turn the tide.

Originally, the sect leaders’ intention was merely to break the seal of the Dragon King’s vault, not to confront any opponent. They had never considered the disciples of the three Immortal Palaces a threat. But now, with Cai Lingzi about to seize the treasures, they could no longer hesitate—they must strike swiftly.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The four beams transformed into towering pillars of light, rushing toward Cai Lingzi on the winding path. Such power would instantly kill even a late-stage Golden Immortal; no miracle could save them.

But Cai Lingzi seemed prepared. From his brow, a shocking transformation occurred—a bloody vertical eye burst forth from his forehead, and in that moment, his surroundings seemed to turn into a world of gold.

That vertical eye was manifesting a miniature world! Within it, Cai Lingzi appeared as a divine being. The four beams crashed down, unleashing their might, and the golden world echoed with a piercing cry.

The peacock’s call!

Behind Cai Lingzi, a colossal peacock soared skyward, its wings shaking the very fabric of space. The peacock radiated golden light, as though forged from pure gold. At its appearance, the intimidating force of the four beams was instantly reduced to nothing, their momentum fading.

“Peacock King of Radiance?!” Far down the winding corridor, the disciples of the four factions were stunned. Staring at the enormous golden peacock, they recalled legends of an ancient peacock king.

The Peacock King of Radiance, a renowned ruler of the peacock clan, possessed strength to annihilate peers in an instant—even challenge the Immortal Lords themselves. He was once one of the Seven Supreme Demon Kings of the Immortal Domain, a born sovereign—the Golden Peacock. Destined to dominate the heavens, none expected he would fall to the hands of the Immortal Lord of Universal Salvation, subdued and made a guardian Bodhisattva, hence known as the Peacock King Bodhisattva.

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In truth, the Peacock King was not alone; several other Demon Kings among the Seven were also subdued by the Immortal Lord. The most famous was their leader—the Diamond Ape! Legend tells of that Demon King attacking the Grand City of Da Luo single-handedly, overturning half the Immortal Domain. His cultivation rivaled the Immortal Lords themselves, and even when the Immortal Lord intervened, it took immense effort to bring him down. Normally, there is no comparison between Immortal Kings and Immortal Lords—a Lord can destroy a King with a mere gesture.

The disciples of the four factions could not believe it. Wasn’t the Peacock King serving as the Immortal Lord’s guardian Bodhisattva? How could he appear here? Though this was only an energy manifestation, it possessed the King’s unfathomable immortal power. Before it, even the combined might of four treasures was nothing—it would only be crushed.

Within the golden world, the giant golden peacock spread its tail, unleashing a dazzling brilliance that lit up the heavens. First to bear the brunt was the Violet Gold Melon, which exploded instantly, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure—an unrivaled might unique to the golden bloodline of the peacock clan!

Sizzling sounds followed as the Scarlet Sun Banner was incinerated to ash by the boundless golden light.

Bang! Like the banner, the Sky-Shielding Umbrella, though forged with divine immortal metals, could not endure the peacock’s radiance. It too exploded, its fragments scattering in every direction.

Only the Blue Sea Pearl persisted. This pearl could absorb the golden light. Upon contact, countless blue whirlpools appeared, swallowing the brilliance. Yet this was not the genuine article—merely a replica. In the end, golden blood streamed from Cai Lingzi’s vertical eye, and the peacock’s light grew fiercer. The pearl finally gave way, cracks spreading across its surface until it too shattered with a thunderous blast.

“A bunch of wretches! If not for these treasures forcing my hand, I wouldn’t have needed to reveal my ultimate trump card! You all deserve death!” With all four treasures destroyed, Cai Lingzi’s face turned deathly pale, yet his expression grew colder still.

Turning his back to the four factions, Cai Lingzi raised his hand high. Instantly, the giant golden peacock behind him flew at his enemies. They had no time to resist—the peacock enveloped their space and obliterated them all, leaving only a mass of golden mist that soon burst apart in the air…

Thud!

After finishing the task, Cai Lingzi fell to his knees, wracked with exhaustion, particularly in his head, which felt as though it might explode. Yet as the vertical eye on his brow slowly closed, the pain gradually receded.

Time passed, and Cai Lingzi remained kneeling. He still felt drained, longing for nothing more than to sleep until he awoke naturally. But his willpower held firm as he slowly recovered his immortal energy, consuming elixirs and using precious treasures to heal himself. A whole day went by; he stayed kneeling, unable even to stand. It was hard to imagine how much power he had expended for one so strong, proud, and beautiful to be reduced to such a state.

“The Golden Peacock Feather of the King of Radiance is truly extraordinary. The Palace Lord had me nurture it at my brow, hoping its supreme bloodline would aid my cultivation. I never thought today, forced to counter the four factions’ treasures, I would exhaust all my immortal power, with even my immortal soul feeling torn. The feather is far too domineering—clearly my strength is still lacking. To truly wield its power without suffering such loss, I must reach the level of a Superior Immortal,” Cai Lingzi pondered silently.

To the left of the winding passage, scorching gases rose from a fish-shaped pool of flame. Yet something strange was happening at the bottom of the pool.

Originally, Zhou Hao, whom Cai Lingzi had cast into the flames, should have been doomed. But Zhou Hao carried treasures of immense power, capable of saving him. Among them, one was neither a weapon nor any material object. Yet this treasure allowed Zhou Hao to thrive here, his cultivation advancing rapidly, his immortal power increasing without effort.

“I… didn’t die in the flame pool?” Drifting at the bottom, Zhou Hao looked around in confusion, feeling an odd sense of unreality.

He sensed the terrifying heat around him—so intense that not even his master, Yun Fang, could survive here. What, then, was keeping him alive in such an impossible environment?

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“Could it be… you?” Zhou Hao extended his left hand, and a rhombus-shaped stone leapt into his palm, golden lightning flickering within—the Thunder Talisman.

He shook his head immediately; the Thunder Talisman’s attributes didn’t match the fire element, and its power was inferior to the flames of the pool.

“Maybe… you?” He pulled out a seven-inch yellow gourd, but recalled it only destroyed things, never saved anyone.

“Could it be you?” In his right hand, he tightly gripped an ancient, pitch-black stone sword. Even when facing certain death, Zhou Hao had never let go.

Apart from the stone sword, he could think of no other reason for his survival in the flame pool.

Thump, thump!

Suddenly, Zhou Hao’s body trembled violently, as if something was calling to him, creating a resonance. He felt that something at the bottom of the pool was summoning him—or perhaps, his body was longing for some mysterious object there.

“East!” This resonance instantly revealed the direction. Instinctively, Zhou Hao swam eastward, his body seemingly wrapped in an invisible shield that kept the scalding molten fire at bay.

Soon, he saw a peculiar opening—a circular, upward-facing deep hole, a well.

The peculiarity lay not in the well itself, but in what rested at its bottom. As Zhou Hao approached, he sensed the resonance emanating from within.

He reached the edge, peering down. Blinding golden light struck his eyes, nearly blinding him. Zhou Hao felt it was brighter than the sun, impossible to look at directly—for immortals, the sun itself posed no such challenge.

“What is that golden radiance at the bottom of the well?!”