Chapter Thirty-Seven: Devouring Kong Xuan's Great Roc

After returning to the Celestial Court, Li Tian, along with Nuwa and Fuxi, each entered seclusion. This period of isolation lasted for a thousand years.

A millennium later, Li Tian suddenly opened his eyes. Three radiant flowers appeared above his head, while the Chaos Bell silently floated before him. In the next moment, a streak of black light flashed and instantly fused into the Chaos Bell.

From within the bell emerged a figure, cold and dark, bearing a striking resemblance to Li Tian himself—his evil doppelgänger, born of his own dark essence.

“Greetings, fellow Daoist,” the evil doppelgänger bowed solemnly to Li Tian.

“There’s no need for such formality,” Li Tian replied with equal gravity.

The next instant, both Li Tian and his doppelgänger burst into shared laughter, their voices perfectly synchronized. Their minds were as one, and the earlier exchange was little more than a jest for Li Tian’s own amusement.

“The first avatar one severs is said to reflect one’s nature. Since I first severed the evil corpse, does that make me an evil man?” Li Tian mused, gazing at his own doppelgänger. With a mere thought, the evil figure transformed, turning white as snow, its aura shifting entirely.

“Now, it seems I’ve severed the good corpse first,” Li Tian chuckled, shaking his head. The three radiant flowers above his head flickered, and the doppelgänger was absorbed back within.

Having succeeded in severing one of his avatars, Li Tian had stepped into the early realm of Quasi-Saint. Though not yet a Sage, this level was worlds apart from the Da Luo realm.

Stepping out of the Palace of Miro, Li Tian was immediately greeted by the palace guards who bowed in haste, “Greetings, Heavenly Emperor!”

“Is the Empress Nuwa here?” Li Tian asked casually.

“The Empress visited two centuries ago, but seeing you in seclusion, she too returned to her meditation,” the lead guard replied with a respectful bow.

Li Tian nodded, his question no more than a passing thought. Since Nuwa was still in seclusion, he would not disturb her.

Soaring to the heights of the Celestial Court, Li Tian’s divine sense swept across the entire heavens. The array formations of the Celestial Court, powered by the force of the stars, greatly restricted a Da Luo Golden Immortal’s consciousness here. But now, as a Quasi-Saint, Li Tian was not so limited. Even so, his divine sense could not penetrate some of the most important palaces, all constructed from special materials designed to block such intrusions.

After so many ages of development, the strength of the Celestial Court had grown by countless measures. Now, all ten Kings were above the Da Luo Golden Immortal realm, and among the thirty-six Lords, a few had also achieved Da Luo status.

Having left Mount Buzhou behind, Li Tian set out to survey the lands under the Celestial Court’s dominion and observe the lives of the countless living beings below.

In these days, Mount Buzhou had become a holy land in the eyes of the myriad creatures of the world—akin to an imperial or national capital. As far as the eye could see, villages and tribes were scattered everywhere upon the mountain; hardly any land remained untouched by human feet. Fierce competition for territory meant that conflict between tribes was frequent. If not for the mountain lying directly under the gaze of the Celestial Court, Li Tian suspected the land would run red with blood daily.

Wherever people gather, there will always be intrigue. With external threats diminished, internal strife naturally arose among living beings.

Leaving Mount Buzhou behind, Li Tian arrived at the territories ruled by the Wu tribe. Here, close to Mount Buzhou, life was scarce. All creatures knew moving into the Celestial Court’s domain would spare them from the threat of the Wu.

Li Tian flew for tens of millions of miles before signs of life gradually increased. These beings, living in constant fear under Wu rule, led precarious lives from day to day. Yet, by necessity, they were more united than most; whenever trouble befell one tribe, neighboring clans would usually lend aid if they could.

Surveying the world below, Li Tian could not help but feel pity for them. The strongest warriors had all pledged themselves to the Celestial Court, while those living under the Wu were little more than livestock—chickens raised for slaughter, and not even ones that required feeding.

After months of travel, Li Tian shook his head, ready to return. But just then, he suddenly heard several clear, resonant cries of a phoenix.

Sweeping his gaze over the land, everything within tens of millions of miles was laid bare before him.

“A phoenix’s rebirth?”

Catching sight of a distant phenomenon, Li Tian’s interest was piqued. He sped toward the scene, and from afar, clearly saw a towering pillar of crimson flame, within which loomed the shadow of an immense phoenix.

Yet before he could reach it, a piercing, mournful cry echoed through the air. In the next instant, the pillar of flame vanished utterly.

“Did it fail?” Li Tian paused, uncertain.

After a moment’s hesitation, he still decided to approach the site of the phoenix’s failed rebirth. Now, however, nothing remained but scorched earth and blackened trees, silent witnesses to what had just transpired.

With a sweep of his divine sense, Li Tian discovered an array formation within a nearby valley and felt a flicker of intrigue. Approaching, he waved a hand and broke a gap in the formation.

Entering the valley, Li Tian’s gaze swept the area. At the center lay two enormous eggs. With a thought, he probed them inside and out with his divine sense.

“One contains the power of the five elements, the other the force of yin and yang... Kong Xuan and the Golden Roc?”

Li Tian’s eyes gleamed. Was fate presenting these two eggs for him to absorb?

These two were no ordinary beings. Kong Xuan was the first peacock born under heaven, gifted with the divine ability of the Five-Colored Divine Light—said to sweep away all things—and during the War of Investiture, had performed dazzling feats, even sweeping away Zhunti himself. Of course, all below the level of Sage were as ants; against Zhunti, he could achieve little, and in the end, with the words “I am fated to meet you,” Zhunti took him into the Western Sect as the Peacock King.

As for the Golden Roc, though somewhat inferior, legend held that it fed upon dragons, and being a sibling of Kong Xuan, it could hardly be much less extraordinary.

Absorbing the essence of these two eggs would grant Li Tian their innate abilities. If he gained the Five-Colored Divine Light, what heights might it reach once he attained Sagehood?

The thought thrilled Li Tian beyond measure.

As for taking them as disciples? Li Tian had no patience for teaching students.

Sitting cross-legged beside the eggs, Li Tian’s divine will flickered, easily extinguishing the faint consciousnesses within. Channeling his power, he began to absorb the essence within both eggs.

Several years passed. Under Li Tian’s absorption, the two eggs crumbled into ash with a muffled sound, their essence utterly consumed.

Inspecting his own body, Li Tian was delighted. His tail, once golden, now shimmered with the five hues of a peacock, and his wings had grown sharper—gifts from the Golden Roc.

There was one downside: he noticed a slight decrease in his divine merit—fortunately, only by two or three percent. Understandable, since these two were masterpieces of creation, and to erase them so easily without a thunderous retribution was already a stroke of luck.

Leaping into the air, Li Tian exercised the innate ability of the Golden Roc—soaring ten thousand miles in a single bound. His speed increased tenfold, and though his power was consumed faster, the gain left him elated. He sensed that if he fully transformed his body, his speed might increase a hundredfold!

As for the Five-Colored Divine Light, he had yet to test it, but he reckoned it would be no trouble to subdue even a late-stage Quasi-Saint.