Chapter 703: The Peacock Demon Emperor

What he sought to sense was the aura of the Asura Sword. In his past life, this supreme artifact had been jointly wielded by the two of them, nourished by their divine consciousnesses. It was also the artifact most likely to break through barriers.

His divine consciousness spread out, attempting to perceive the sword intent that held the power to shake the heavens and earth.

Yet even after a long time, there was no result.

Tang San frowned slightly—the Ancestral Court was quite something, it seemed. Even the aura of the Asura Sword couldn't penetrate through. In that case, he would have to act a little earlier to avoid being unable to respond if a crisis befell Mei Gongzi.

At this moment, he was sitting in his cultivation chamber, surrounded by amethystine crystals. But he wasn't using the crystals to absorb energy to nourish his divine consciousness; on the contrary, he was using the energy to

suppress

his power, keeping the turbulent energies within him stable and maintaining a balance that prevented them from erupting.

Just then, Tang San sensed something and directed his gaze toward the outside of the cultivation chamber.

A sharp aura gathered in the direction of the living room, and a terrifying pressure spread almost instantly, permeating every corner of the top two floors of the White Tiger Hotel. It was as if a primordial beast had appeared there, growling in a low tone.

With each breath, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on the top two floors converged toward the being emitting that terrifying pressure, like rivers flowing into the sea.

Once, twice, three times!

By the third breath, the spiritual energy in the entire room had been completely drained. In the next instant, the overwhelming pressure vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, as if it had never been there.

Feeling the disappearance of that pressure, a faint smile appeared on Tang San's lips—

Heh. No matter what, family is family!

Perhaps this person was bound by the rules of the Ancestral Court and couldn't say anything, but their actions had already conveyed a lot to Tang San.

Three days, huh? I see.

So, there were still three days of buffer time. Unfortunately, during these three days, he would have to remain here.

With things being as they were, Tang San couldn't afford to move around freely. One wrong move could trigger a major catastrophe. But with this definite information, he could now settle down and close his eyes again, drawing the energy from the amethystine crystals to wrap his body, suppressing the turbulence within and isolating himself from the outside world.

***

Silver light swirled around her.

When her consciousness stirred awake, she found herself in a world of silver.

It was a strange and wondrous space. Everything around her seemed to be composed of overlapping layers of space, like fragments... or perhaps distinct worlds? When these spaces merged or touched each other, various changes would occur.

He had once told her that space was one of the most mysterious things in the world, a perfect pair for time. At their most fundamental level, every plane and every single thing, from the vastness of the universe to the tiniest speck of dust, was composed of space and time.

The strange space before her gave her a unique feeling. Although space could change in countless ways, it followed a particular pattern, and the space here was stable, operating according to that specific pattern.

"You carry my bloodline, yet it is not pure," an ethereal voice suddenly echoed.

The voice seemed to squeeze out from every spatial crevice around her, making it quite eerie.

"Ancestor?" she asked in surprise.

"I suppose you may call me that. But you are human... You possess human blood, I see. And the blood of the White Tiger as well? Strange mixture, strange indeed. How did you manage to reach this point? Strange, very strange. Your aura is peculiar—you didn't choose the Celestial Plume?"

"I came to the Ancestral Court to report for duty," she respectfully replied.

"Reporting for duty? You succeeded as the lord of Kali City?"

"I did."

"My people marrying outside the clan is bad enough, and they actually chose a weak race like humans? Could it be that this is the method they found to break the curse?" The voice reverberated with a mix of confusion and melancholy.

"A curse? What curse are you referring to?"

"A curse from the heavens. Did the words I left behind not survive?" the voice replied, clearly taken aback.

"Which words are you talking about?" she asked, equally surprised.

The voice fell silent for a moment. "Ah, I see. You didn't choose the Celestial Plume as your core artifact, so you are unaware. Only when the Celestial Plume truly acknowledges a master will my message appear. It seems that before you, no one in our clan was recognized by it. The curse is indeed powerful... far more than I anticipated."

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Can you tell me what this curse is?"

"Although I find it strange that someone in your state has come here to face the trace of divine consciousness I left behind, I have to admit... things are looking better than anything I’ve ever imagined. You are remarkably better, in fact. You are fortunate not to have chosen the Celestial Plume as your core artifact. Otherwise, even if you managed to break the old curse, you would only be cursed once more."

Her heart tightened. "You mean... there is a curse that comes from peering into the secrets of heaven?"

"Indeed," the voice said solemnly. "The workings of heaven cannot be revealed; this is a law, not just of our plane but of the entire universe. In my youth, I was brash and confident in my unparalleled talent. Spurred on by the Celestial Fox, I managed to use the power of space to force the secrets of heaven into view. It did bring glory, but at the cost of exhausting my lifespan. Despite being a Demon Emperor, I lived less than two hundred years. And I was cursed, bringing misfortune upon my descendants.... What an unspeakable regret! I cannot tell you how much it pains me to have brought heavenly punishment upon my very own clan...."

"Did the previous clan leaders hear this from you? Did they come here to meet you?"

Amidst the swirling silver light, a phantom silver silhouette slowly took shape, illuminated by the layered silver halos. It was a female figure—her features were indistinguishable, but she was most certainly female, and a magnificent peacock tail fanned out behind her.

"No. You are the first to communicate with me since I created the Celestial Pillar. Seeing me requires understanding the true essence of space, and it appears that none of our clan members before you achieved that. They didn't even gain the Celestial Plume's acknowledgement. How useless.... But you not only gained its recognition, you also chose not to make it your core divine item during your ascension. This may be the work of fate. Your time here is limited. From now on, do not interrupt me—listen as I tell you some things."

"Yes," Mei Gongzi bowed again, paying her respects to the projection of the Peacock Demon Emperor.

"You should be familiar with the phrase 'the Peacock peers into the secrets of heaven' It refers to my ability to see the future. I could make predictions for the demons and nymphs, and prevent many crises from arising on the Daemon Continent. If you saw me back then, you could only describe me as arrogant beyond measure, completely unaware of how dangerous it was to foresee the future and reveal the secret workings of heaven."

"Remember what I tell you—the secrets of heaven must not be revealed. Once you reveal them, the repercussions can affect not just you but everyone and everything connected to you—family, clan members, even friends. I possessed the greatest talent our Peacock Demon clan had ever seen, and in my youth, I received countless opportunities bestowed by the heavens. However, in my later years, not only did my body deteriorate severely, but I was forced to watch helplessly as my loved ones left me one by one, and even the continuation of our bloodline became a grave concern.

"At first, I didn't understand why this was happening. It wasn't until the end of my life that I finally realized why a Demon Emperor like me faced such a fate. It was all the backlash from revealing the secrets of heaven. But now that you are the clan leader, I may finally be able to rest at ease. Since you didn’t use the Celestial Plume as your life-bound item when you ascended to godhood, you may not be struck by the same ill fate I was."