Chapter 149: Roaring Across Mountains and Rivers

Ye Fan was greatly astonished; he had actually encountered Ji Ziyue. Though she smiled sweetly, her face was pale, her red lips stained with blood, and she trembled slightly by the pond. "How did you get here?" he asked. She was just as before, smiling despite her severe injuries, her lips curved and dimples showing. "Were you also pursued by the Peacock King?" Ye Fan quickly stepped forward.

"I really found you…" she murmured with a faint smile, but then a trickle of blood spilled from her mouth. Her face turned even paler, her once lively eyes now looked lifeless. She swayed, then collapsed into the pond.

Ji Ziyue's severe injuries startled Ye Fan. Her pulse was extremely weak, her heart was almost stopping, and all her internal organs had cracks. It was a miracle she was still alive. Ye Fan activated his divine power to dry her wet clothes, then in a few swift steps, he disappeared from the small village and arrived at a cliff. He took out his Jade Purification Bottle and poured some divine spring water into her mouth. It immediately transformed into a surge of life energy that rushed into her body.

The divine spring water, taken from the Nine Mountains, possessed incredible spiritual efficacy, almost capable of bringing the dead back to life and mending bones. It was truly extraordinary. Ye Fan could sense that Ji Ziyue's injuries instantly stabilized. At this moment, she had her eyes tightly shut, her body trembling slightly, and she was muttering softly in her sleep. Ye Fan listened carefully but couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Don't kill my brother…" she cried out in her unconscious state.

Half an hour later, Ji Ziyue's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes, trying to sit up, but failed. "Your injuries are very severe. Although they're stable now, you shouldn't move carelessly," Ye Fan said, helping her sit up with her back against a soft vine on the cliff.

"That was truly terrifying…" Ji Ziyue seemed to still be shaken. "Are you talking about the Peacock King?" Ye Fan instantly thought of that powerful demon expert.

"It was him." Ji Ziyue nodded. "Little rascal, why did you sneak away without a word? I chased you for three thousand *li* but achieved nothing."

"If I hadn't left, your brother would have dismembered me and studied me piece by piece."

Ji Ziyue chuckled, saying, "He's not as bad as you make him sound. Don't worry, as long as I'm around, you'll be safe at our Ji family; no one will make trouble for you." Ye Fan's heart stirred upon hearing this. He felt that Ji Ziyue was quite extraordinary and highly valued by the Ji family. "The Peacock King is truly too powerful…" Ji Ziyue's face showed worry. "I wonder if my brother Haoyue can escape this calamity."

"The Peacock King also attacked you? How did you escape? It seems incredibly difficult to get away."

The Peacock King's power was unimaginable. The elders protecting the Ji family siblings couldn't resist him at all; they were like scarecrows before him, utterly vulnerable. "He is truly terrifying, his magic power is boundless…" Even now, Ji Ziyue was still filled with fear. They had tried to activate a Domain Gate to cross through space, but with a single point of his finger, the Peacock King shattered space, throwing everyone out. Some people were instantly annihilated on the spot. If Ji Ziyue hadn't been carrying a secret treasure, she wouldn't have survived. At the crucial moment, the powerful experts dispatched by the Ji family found them; otherwise, no one would have survived. Even so, no one could stop the Peacock King. He was invincible, and nothing could hinder his advance. With a single roar, he instantly pulverized many people into blood mist, truly demonstrating world-shaking divine power. "This… this is too incredible!" Ye Fan was deeply shocked. Such a powerful figure was truly terrifying, his strength unfathomable. "An existence comparable to ancient great powers, how immense is their magic power? It's truly difficult to describe."

That group of experts only managed to delay him for a quarter of an hour before being shattered, but it bought time for Ji Haoyue and Ji Ziyue to escape far away. Hearing this, Ye Fan became even more convinced that Ji Ziyue's status was highly unusual. Even at such a critical moment, the Ji family's experts desperately created an escape opportunity for her, refusing to abandon her. "The Peacock King merged with heaven and earth, roaring, shaking mountains and rivers. His voice was like surging waves crashing on the shore; an entire mountain peak was shattered by his sound!" Ye Fan felt a chill down his spine; such might was beyond imagination. "My brother's Divine Body naturally possesses extraordinary power, but it was completely suppressed. In front of him, he was even worse than a mortal." An existence comparable to an ancient great power, their supreme might was simply unbelievable. Ye Fan had personally witnessed how strong Ji Haoyue was. He killed great demons as easily as pulling weeds or picking flowers, sweeping through everything. Yet, as powerful as he was, he was insignificant before the Peacock King. "Man and nature united, controlling everything, almost capable of plucking stars and catching the moon…" Ji Ziyue was still nervous, her delicate fists tightly clenched. "How did you escape?" Ye Fan asked.

"My brother and I escaped separately; he went after my brother…" Ji Ziyue had a hidden worry. Such a mighty expert was irresistible. Even if Ji Haoyue possessed a Divine Body and had cultivated three secret realms, if he truly confronted him, there would be no suspense. "No bad news has come yet, so your brother probably won't die that easily." At this point, Ye Fan showed a suspicious expression and asked, "Why didn't you return to the Ji family? Instead, you came here?"

"The Peacock King ignored me, but there were others chasing me…" Along the way, Ji Ziyue was continuously pursued and severely injured. In a hurry, she crossed through space using a Domain Gate from a small sect and arrived at this place. She couldn't engrave Dao patterns and thus couldn't pinpoint her destination. "What a coincidence…" Ye Fan muttered to himself. "It wasn't a coincidence." Ji Ziyue rolled her eyes at him. "I left a mark on you. After appearing in this area, I slowly found my way here." "What? You actually tampered with me?" "I had no ill intentions; why are you so nervous? The day I saw how abnormal you were, I knew you were going to leave, so I prepared and left a mark. But you ran too fast, I couldn't catch up, and the distance was too great for me to sense it." Ye Fan carefully inspected himself but found nothing unusual. "What exactly did you do?" "You can take your time to find out…" Ji Ziyue chuckled, but then quickly looked worried again. "Brother Haoyue might truly find it difficult to escape this calamity."

Suddenly, Ye Fan's expression froze. In the sky not far away, a portal appeared, and several cultivators rushed out. "Oh no, it's the people chasing me!" Ji Ziyue exclaimed softly. "They activated a Domain Gate and crossed through space to follow me."

*Schick!* A terrifying bolt of lightning struck down. Those people were very decisive; upon spotting their target, they immediately unleashed their divine abilities and attacked. Ye Fan helped Ji Ziyue dodge to the side. The silver lightning bolt instantly pierced through the cliff, sending stones scattering everywhere.

*Boom!* In the sky, an ancient, simple-looking pagoda rapidly expanded and pressed down. Ye Fan's face changed instantly. People who used pagodas, bells, or cauldrons were generally not ordinary individuals; most of them were immensely powerful. The pagoda in the sky had only five layers, but it was as heavy as a mountain, making it hard to breathe, and emitting a chilling aura. Ye Fan pulled Ji Ziyue and quickly left the cliff, rushing into the distance. These people were too powerful; resisting them would surely lead to great losses.

The footwork taught to Ye Fan by the Old Madman was a supreme secret art, possessing incredible power and extreme speed. In a short time, they were already ten *li* away. He didn't stop but continued to flee until they were a hundred *li* away before he finally took a deep breath. "Those people are quite unusual…" "They are all very powerful, otherwise I wouldn't have run," Ji Ziyue said, her small, sparkling canine teeth gently grinding. "They don't look like demon cultivators," Ye Fan mused, a puzzled expression on his face. Ji Ziyue bit her red lip. "Someone wants to use this opportunity to get rid of both me and Brother Haoyue." "Could it be that Ji Biyue again?" "No, it's much bigger trouble than she could cause. Someone definitely doesn't want our family to have a Divine Body grow up. Even if Brother Haoyue manages to escape the Peacock King, he's still in great danger. It's likely that human cultivators will secretly act, using this opportunity to kill him and pin it on the demon race."

Although Ji Ziyue was young, she thought deeply and foresaw potential unfortunate events. "They should be targeting Ji Haoyue. Why would they also be against you? Are you also a Divine Body?" "How could I be a Divine Body…" Ji Ziyue didn't say much, pondering for a moment. Then she glanced at Ye Fan and teased, "Little brat, you have so many secrets! What exactly is that green bronze on you? Why can your body withstand attacks from a Divine Body? How did you learn the Old Madman's footwork? Why were you in such a hurry to escape Tai Xuan?" This little girl's mind was very active and mischievous; she clearly wanted to change the subject and instead probed into Ye Fan's secrets.

Suddenly, a golden light streaked across the sky, tearing through it with dozens of powerful electric currents, like golden snakes dancing. "It's a lightning bird," Ji Ziyue frowned, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no, it's a Phoenix Crown Lightning Bird, a very powerful exotic bird! Let's get away; don't enter its territory!" The lightning bird flying away was entirely golden, as if cast from gold, with blazing electric currents. Its head had a slight bulge resembling a phoenix crown, making it look extraordinary. This was a powerful exotic bird, far superior to ordinary lightning birds, possessing extremely terrifying attack power. Most cultivators would retreat far away upon seeing it. "Luckily, it didn't notice us," Ji Ziyue secretly rejoiced. "There's probably a Phoenix Crown Lightning Bird's nest ahead. Maybe we can use it to block the people chasing you." "Yes, good idea!" Ji Ziyue's large eyes instantly curved into crescent moons.

The two continued forward and indeed found a bird's nest deep in the mountains, built on a towering ancient tree. Four glittering golden bird eggs, each the size of a human head, were enveloped in golden electric currents. "This exotic bird is very rare and can continuously evolve; it's extremely precious. I really wish I could take an egg, hatch it, and keep it as a pet," Ji Ziyue said with some regret. She didn't dare to do so. Instead, she and Ye Fan left enough clues and traces in the mountains before soaring into the sky and leaving.

Soon after, the powerful cultivators indeed found their way deep into the mountain range, discovering many "clues." They searched carefully in this area, believing Ji Ziyue was hiding nearby. After a long time, the group found themselves in front of a towering ancient tree. "A bird's nest… Oh no!" one of them exclaimed. "This seems to be the nest of a Phoenix Crown Lightning Bird! We absolutely cannot provoke this exotic bird. If it mistakenly thinks we want to take its eggs, it will pursue us relentlessly!" Inside the huge nest were four bird eggs, their shells appearing to be cast from gold, dazzling and captivating. "Quick, let's go! This powerful exotic bird holds grudges fiercely. If we get trapped here, the consequences will be unimaginable!" However, they had lingered there for a long time. The Phoenix Crown Lightning Bird, which had been out, returned, emitting a soul-stirring cry. It left a long golden afterimage in the sky as it swooped down. Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue watched from a distant mountain, seeing lightning surge into the sky from deep within that mountain range. They didn't stop but quickly moved further away.

The next day, in a beautiful mountainous area, Ye Fan saw a boy of sixteen or seventeen. His figure was a bit slender, appearing somewhat delicate. His face was very clear and refined, his eyes bright and as pure as lake water, and his black hair was soft and flowed lightly. This young man was like a clear spring in the deep mountains, giving off a refreshing and natural aura. Ye Fan was naturally surprised to see such a young man in these sparsely populated mountains. He asked with a smile, "Little brother, can you tell me what place this is?"

The young man stood quietly in front, his soft black hair gently swaying, his eyes incredibly clear. He replied, "Qixia Mountain Range, located within the borders of Jin Kingdom." "Little brother, your appearance is elegant and naturally spirited. You must be a cultivator, right?" Ye Fan asked, smiling. "Yes," the young man nodded.

Behind him, Ji Ziyue's face turned pale as snow, and her voice trembled, "Little rascal… come back quickly!" Ye Fan turned his head and saw her face filled with terror, her large eyes wide with fear. He immediately felt something was wrong and retreated lightly. "What's wrong? Who is he?"

"He is… the Peacock King!" Ji Ziyue's voice trembled, completely devoid of her usual vivaciousness and cheerfulness, now only filled with terror. "What?!" Ye Fan was greatly shocked. This young man in front of him was the Peacock King? This was truly sudden and astounding. "Peacock King, you are a great expert, standing at the peak, looking down upon the world. Don't indiscriminately kill the innocent. Let him go; he has nothing to do with this," Ji Ziyue stepped forward, pleading for Ye Fan's release.

The demon expert Peacock King was a deterrent in the Southern Domain. Eight hundred years ago, he was already invincible. Even the former Holy Lord of Yaoguang couldn't defeat him. Few people knew how long he had truly lived. According to external speculation, after he transformed into human form, the most conservative estimate put him at over two thousand years old. If compared to the other side of the starry sky, he would be from the Qin and Han dynasties. However, this young man before them looked only sixteen or seventeen, his eyes clear as water, without any sense of age or vicissitude. It was truly difficult to associate him with the Peacock King. Ji Ziyue had once described his supreme might: merging with heaven and earth, roaring and shaking mountains and rivers, his voice like surging waves crashing on the shore, shattering an entire mountain peak. Ye Fan had imagined the Peacock King to be as majestic as a mountain, with unparalleled domineering aura. But he never expected him to be so refined and delicate, like a clear spring in the deep mountains, a snow lotus on an ice peak, or a fresh breeze in a pure land. Thinking about how he had just addressed the Peacock King as "brother" and even considered patting his shoulder, Ye Fan's scalp immediately prickled. This was an existence with boundless magic power, comparable to an ancient great power!