Coiling Dragon ranked last among Veluriyamâs great emperors, but on Sacred Peafowl Mountain, he was the most well-regarded one. âYoung madam, could he have some hidden agenda?â
âIf this supreme lord is as strong as he pretends to be, he should be more than willing to duke it out in the open. Why use small tricks to lure Jiang Chen away, then come here and strut around? Thatâs the mindset of the weak. Allow me to be blunt. Heâs simply scared of the young lord!â
The great emperors nodded after some reflection. Would this supreme lord fear taking the young lord head-on if he possessed overwhelming strength?
Before Coiling Dragon could reply, Ji San had already charged outside the mountainâs gates. There, he sneered. âSupreme Lord of the Order, why are you acting like a thief and hiding from our young lord? The entire world knows youâre afraid of him. Who are you trying to impress here?
âWhy do you hide in a cloak and conceal your face if not for a guilty conscience? Are you ashamed of yourself?â
His taunts and barely repressed snickers triggered a sea of jeers from Veluriyamâs cultivators. Collective boos and hisses halted the supreme lordâs momentum.
The supreme lord clenched his teeth in anger. âWhoâs willing to lead the charge and capture this mealy-mouthed kid in my stead?â
âYour subordinate will!â For Devourcloud, the brat was an easy prey. His talent wasnât bad, but his cultivation was still lacking due to his young age.
âVery well. Devourcould, you go,â the supreme lord responded quietly. âScourcloud, back him up.â
âAt your orders.â
Devourcloud snickered as both of them set off. âDaoist Scourcloud, please bring up the rear and be mindful of ambushes.â
âDonât worry, youâre safe with me around,â Peerless replied calmly.
With a cackle, Devourcloud turned into a blue blur and shot at Ji San like a bolt of lightning.
Laughing mischievously, Ji San took a few steps back, returning to the protective formation covering the young lord residence, fearless in the face of Devourcloudâs fearsome rush.
âKid, resign yourself to death!â Devourcloud had never failed when it came to crushing the weak. He was an absolute expert in that regard. With the gap in strength, the kid couldnât escape his clutches.
However, the Nine Sparks Petalstorm formation suddenly came alive when he approached its boundaries. An invisible ball of air, a blinding, rainbow light crashed into the great emperor and hammered him back!
His speed was too great to stop in time and the formationâs power too stunning. Caught off-guard, he lost balance and suffered the full brunt of the backlash. He could only groan helplessly as he bounced backwards.
The supreme lordâs face darkened at the scene. He swore quietly, âTrash!â
How could a protector king be so easily thwarted? The man was far too lacking in battle awareness. Even a child could have spotted such an obvious barrier. But fine, even if heâd missed it, how could he have been so defenseless?
Such a level of fighting prowess was sorely disappointing.
At that moment, Peerlessâ figure blurred and shot towards Devourcloud, presumably to rescue his companion.
The supreme lord thought little of it. Even Devourcloud himself believed Scourcloud was trying to slow him down and lessen the impact. But when the man reached him, a cold light swept across his neck before he could react, accompanied by an explosion of murderous intent.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Apart from the supreme lord, no one else could see clearly what had transpired.
In the next moment, Devourcloudâs massive head flew in the air, separated from the rest of his body. His eyes remained open in death, full of shock and grievance.
His killer was naturally Emperor Peerless.
After dispatching the protector king in one blow, Peerlessâ figure fell towards Sacred Peafowl Mountain.
The scene struck everyone speechless. Even the supreme lord was stupefied. He fixed Peerless with a glare, murderous rage overflowing from his eyes.
âScourcloud, you! How dare you betray me?!â To think such a scene would occur right before the start of hostilities!
Heâd made a show of strength to boost his armyâs morale, but Peerlessâ move immediately reversed the tide. His vanguard had been killed or turned traitor. Wasnât this rolling up to his enemy and slapping his own face for their amusement?
Peerless tore off his mask, revealing his true, sinister-looking visage.
âBetray?â He smiled coldly. âI am Sacred Peafowl Mountainâs venerated guest elder Mo Wushuang, and proud of it! I never surrendered to you in the first place, so how could I be a traitor?â
Emperor Peerless!
The sudden turn of events struck Sacred Peafowl Mountain with shock, especially his dao partner, Madame Yun. Trembling at the familiar voice, she recklessly charged down the mountain and threw herself in his arms.
âBrother Mo, youâre back. You finally came back!â She patently suffered quite a lot during these years.
âYuâer, Iâve made you suffer all these years.â Peerless sighed softly. âDo you blame me for doing this?â
She gently stroked his wounded face, crying with joy. âBrother Mo, Iâm simply happy to have you back. Even if you turn into the devil, Iâd follow you to the deepest abyss of hell. What are little wounds like these?â
Despite his endless scheming, the supreme lord was too young to have ever imagined the scene before his eyes.
âMo Wushuang, Scourcloud... Good, very good! Iâll remember you! Once your city falls, Iâll teach you what it means to betray me. Is that your woman? You better pray I donât get my hands on her.â
He gnashed his teeth, fuming at the loss of two right-hand men. Just then, two bloodcurdling shrieks rose from his camp.
Two Celestial Stars clad fell from the clouds without forewarning, closely followed by two figures that shot towards Sacred Peafowl Mountain at alarming speed.
These two were naturally the Jiao brothers.
Theyâd been angsty for their share of the action after seeing Peerless switch sides. Theyâd mounted a sneak attack on the Orderâs ranks, killing two elders before slipping away.
Thankfully for the supreme lord, his face was concealed beneath his cloak. Otherwise, his expression wouldâve surely been spectacular at the humiliation of this one-two punch.
âFinally! It was long in the making, but Iâve finally vented some!â Back on Sacred Peafowl Mountain, Jiao Yun removed his mask and revealed his true identity.
âApologies, Supreme Lord of the Order, us brothers wonât be keeping you company any further. Hahaha, remember, our moniker is the Jiao Brothers of Mt. Huai!â
âHaha, bring it if you want revenge. Too bad you wonât have that opportunity to!â Jiao Feng gave free rein to his taunts.
The supreme seethed. âFools! Two bit players! Do you think your loss and betrayal means anything to me?! Revenge? With the Exultation Pillâs poison coursing in your veins, youâll be begging for a swift death in three months at most!â
Peerless remarked indifferently, âThree months? Even If I had only three days to live, I wouldnât spend them as your subordinate.â
The supreme lord shouted, âIdiot! Am I any worse than a trivial young lord from Veluriyam?â
âOf course you are. Take a good look in the mirror. In what aspect can you rival the young lord?â Jiao Yun also steeled his heart and disregarded the threat of the Exultation Pill.
âLetâs see how you talk big once I raid your city and capture the brat alive.â The supreme lordâs anger abruptly morphed into cold resolve. Heâd finally come back to his senses. Bickering with these men was beneath his noble self.
âMen, by my command, no one is allowed inside or outside Veluriyam from now on. Kill anyone who tries!â
âYes, my lord!â
âMo Wushuang, do you think the mountainâs restriction can keep you safe? For me, this formation is completely useless! Today, Iâll have you realize how base and weak you people are!â The supreme lordâs anger had driven him to unleash his power.
The atmosphere became oppressive as the aura of an empyrean master suddenly flared. Like the calm before the storm, air currents around him grew restless as the very air seemed to boil, shrouding the entire world in his aura.
But at this time, a fiery shadow suddenly shot in the sky above Peafowl Mountain like a blazing meteor, soaring to the heavens. It was the Vermillion Bird!
Its body twisted and warped, growing larger and larger, soon covering the sky in radiant glory. Its divine aura clashed with the supreme lordâs presence, both crazily vying for control of the heavens and earth as they ignited the very air!