“So it’s him!”
“This Jiang Taichu is simply invincible!”
Immediately, gasps of astonishment filled the air.
“But that’s impossible!” someone said with certainty. “The Green Lotus Great Master has countless followers and possesses spiritual power—his strength is on par with Lin Zhenyu! This battle was equivalent to seven or eight Lin Zhenyus joining forces to attack him!”
“It’s true. I have a video—you can all take a look!”
The “Observer” immediately released a short clip that was only three minutes long.
The footage was shot some distance away from the summit of Mount Everest. The camera zoomed in and out, shaking unsteadily, and since it was nighttime with wind, snow, and fog, the picture wasn’t very clear.
But you could still basically make out the breathtaking course of that great battle.
“Good heavens! Even heavy machine guns and artillery fire couldn’t kill him—is he even human?”
“And he can fly! Even Black Wing Batu couldn’t match his footwork—he’s like some kind of superman!”
“He knows sorcery!”
“One sword strike, and he cleaved the Green Lotus Great Master in two!”
As the many powerhouses clicked on the video, their hearts raced and they gasped in disbelief, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads.
If this video hadn’t been released by the “Observer,” they would have suspected it was faked.
Finally, the “Observer” put the final nail in the coffin, laying down the concluding verdict on this peak showdown:
“This battle atop Everest is monumental. With this single victory, Jiang Taichu’s influence has crossed national borders and spread throughout Southeast Asia—he’s now qualified to fight Wang Zhongyan!”
“And after this battle, the Singapore Chinese Association will lose three of its major titans and be reduced to a second-rate power. How could Wang Zhongyan possibly sit still?”
“I now predict that between Jiang Taichu and Wang Zhongyan of the Singapore Chinese Association, there will inevitably be a battle for the ages!”
At these words, the entire hall fell into dead silence.
Wang Zhongyan of the Singapore Chinese Association!
The de facto supreme ruler of Singapore today!
Number one on the Southeast Asia Power Ranking, and within the top twenty on the Global Heavenly Ranking!
A peerless strongman who rose to prominence back in the days of Republican China, once ranked alongside Ye Zhan’s father!
It’s said he may have already stepped into the Demigod Realm, glimpsing the truth of the divine realm—even Lin Zhenyu would have to show him the respect of a disciple!
And now, Jiang Taichu, who just a year ago was a complete nobody, actually has the right to fight Wang Zhongyan!
All the powerhouses felt a suffocating pressure, as if a new star was rising, blazing with boundless radiance!
——–
While the global dark world was abuzz and unsettled over the battle atop Everest…
After three days of travel, Jiang Tian had already arrived in Linzhou and returned to Villa King One.
Only after loving do you understand the depth of affection; only after losing do you know how to cherish. Home—and his beloved wife—were, in the end, where his heart truly longed to be.
“Honey, you’re finally back! Are you okay?”
Zhao Xueqing rushed over, tears glistening in her eyes, examining Jiang Tian carefully. Seeing his pale face, she couldn’t help but worry.
“I’m fine. Aren’t I perfectly alright?” Jiang Tian smiled slightly, spreading his arms and turning in a circle.
“But your face…”
Zhao Xueqing knew that no matter what hardships Jiang Tian endured or how many brushes with death he faced, when it came to her, it would always be just “I’m fine, I’m okay.”
She turned to Huo Qingtian and the other man, asking softly, “Mr. Huo and Mr. Wei, you’ve accompanied my husband all this way—you must have worked hard. Did you run into any danger?”
“Not at all. Everest is practically deserted. When we went, there wasn’t a soul around, and we got what we needed in no time!”
Catching Jiang Tian’s warning glance, Huo Qingtian quickly replied.
“But wasn’t there a very formidable monk…” Zhao Xueqing knew he was lying and pressed further.
Wei Feilong quickly chuckled and said, “That monk is an enlightened master, kind-hearted and benevolent. Master Jiang appealed to his reason and compassion, explained a few principles, and he stepped aside! An eminent monk, after all—truly an eminent monk!”
“You, appealing to reason?” Zhao Xueqing looked at Jiang Tian skeptically, half-believing, half-doubting.
“Of course! I’m very reasonable. My skills at persuasion? Top-notch!”
Jiang Tian looked quite pleased with himself, though inwardly he snorted coldly. When it comes to reasoning with fists, who can beat me?
“Alright, Qing’er, enough chatter. I’ve brought back the Emperor’s Flower!”
Jiang Tian grinned and took out the Emperor’s Flower, still nestled in its jade vial, from his backpack.
Huo Qingtian and Wei Feilong found the scene oddly amusing—it was like watching a henpecked husband handing over his wages to his wife.
“This… this is the Emperor’s Flower?”
Qing’er’s delicate body trembled, tears welling up in her eyes, and she whispered, “If I eat this, I’ll be able to cultivate?”
Just one look at the Emperor’s Flower and she caught a refreshing, heart-soothing fragrance. The abundant spiritual energy it naturally emitted made her feel clear-headed and wonderfully comfortable, as if she’d been baptized.
Even more marvelous was the sense that she shared a spiritual connection with the flower.
“It’s not that you’ll be able to cultivate. In fact, you’ve been cultivating all along—your current level has already far surpassed mine. Once you take the Emperor’s Flower, you’ll be able to unleash your true power! From now on, I’ll be relying on you!” Jiang Tian said, his face brimming with satisfaction.
He had just checked the villa’s formation as well.
After more than a year of cultivation, Qing’er had absorbed nearly all the spiritual energy from the surrounding waters and mountains within several kilometers, even draining the formation of its spiritual essence.
Coupled with all the elixirs and miraculous medicines she’d taken before—like popping candy—she was now at the late stage of Qi Refining, stronger even than him.
The image of Qing’er unleashing her cultivation and soaring across heaven and earth flashed through his mind, and he was both expectant and a little excited.
“What?! The mistress is even stronger than Master Jiang?”
Huo Qingtian was stunned, his mind spinning, unable to process it.
Just how powerful was she, then?
“Yeah, in my family, the women have always been stronger than the men. What can I do?” Jiang Tian sighed with a wry smile.
“The mistress is a peerless beauty, and Master Jiang is a dragon among men!”
Wei Feilong exclaimed in awe, clapping his hands and laughing heartily. “From now on, when Master Jiang and the mistress walk the world together, they’ll be like a pair of celestial lovers—a legend for the ages!”
“Master, but doesn’t the Emperor’s Flower need to be refined into a pill?” Shen Mange asked softly from the side.
“No need!”
Jiang Tian waved his hand with a smile. “The Emperor’s Flower is a heavenly treasure, and it’s naturally attuned to Qing’er’s constitution. Refining it would only cause it to lose or dissipate its medicinal properties. She can just consume it directly!”
“It’s so big, though—how am I supposed to eat it? Should I make it into a cold dish, stir-fry it, or throw it in a hotpot?”
Qing’er smiled playfully, a rare joke slipping out.
In that instant, the world seemed to burst into bloom, growing brighter and warmer. She looked like a girl of sixteen—radiant, lovely, and utterly charming.
Even Huo Qingtian and Wei Feilong were momentarily transfixed, quickly averting their gazes, not daring to look again.
“Any kind of processing will reduce its effectiveness. The best way is to throw it in a blender, mash it up, and drink it straight!”
Jiang Tian immediately grabbed a juicer, broke the Emperor’s Flower into pieces, mixed in some Five Elements Spiritual Liquid he’d collected earlier, and whirred it all up.
Moments later, a bowl of reddish, juice-like liquid was poured into a white jade cup that Jiang Tian had engraved with Dao patterns and runes.
By now, the spiritual energy had grown even denser, fragrant and rich. Wisps of multicolored mist rose from the cup, accompanied by visions—a divine phoenix seemed to soar and spiral within, and even a faint phoenix cry could be heard. It was a sight that left anyone who saw it utterly spellbound.
“Truly a peerless divine medicine!”
“Even the icy spring that flowed past its roots was called a catalytic essence by many powerhouses, drawing them like moths to a flame—let alone the flower itself!”
Huo Qingtian and Wei Feilong sighed in admiration, their eyes burning with desire, but they knew that Jiang Tian wouldn’t give them even a single drop.
Yes, in Master Jiang’s eyes, nothing was more important than his wife—they’d have to take a back seat.
“Honey, can I drink it now?”
Qing’er’s slender hands trembled slightly as she carefully lifted the jade cup, casting a nervous glance at Jiang Tian.
“Drink it.”
Seeing him nod faintly, Qing’er took a deep breath and downed the elixir in one go.
In that instant, Zhao Xueqing felt as though her very blood had come to a boil, churning violently within her. Every cell, every drop of blood was leaping, growing, and rejoicing.
Waves of overwhelming power gathered at various acupoints—first condensing like raindrops, then into streams, then into rivulets, and finally merging into her meridians like surging rivers, roaring and raging.
An unprecedented sense of strength flooded every inch of her flesh, every bone, every sinew.
“I feel… I might even be able to fly…” Zhao Xueqing murmured, dazed.
To everyone else, Zhao Xueqing suddenly radiated an immense, commanding aura—one that climbed higher and higher, causing the space around her to quake violently, rippling like disturbed water.
“So strong!”
That overwhelming force pushed outward, sending Shen Mange stumbling backward, her eyes filled with alarm.
Even Huo Qingtian and Wei Feilong were suppressed, their bones creaking audibly, their chests heaving with surging energy. They exchanged stunned glances and retreated several steps as well.
Finally, that immense presence exploded like a nuclear blast—BOOM!—and swept outward in all directions with savage, unstoppable force.
In an instant, all the nearby tables and chairs were hurled more than ten meters away. The paintings and calligraphy on the walls were reduced to dust. Porcelain vases and jade bottles on the antique shelves first cracked, then shattered with a series of sharp pop-pop-pop explosions.
Huo Qingtian and Wei Feilong were sent flying straight into the courtyard, barely managing to stay conscious.
“The mistress’s might—it’s terrifying beyond words!”
“I nearly coughed up blood from the shock!”
They lifted their heads with difficulty, their eyes filled with dread as they gazed toward Zhao Xueqing in the living room—only to witness an even more stunning sight.
At that moment, Qing’er’s eyelids drooped slightly, her jade-like face glowing with divine radiance. Thousands of rainbows and myriad beams of light swirled around her. She looked utterly sacred, like the Bodhisattva Guanyin delivering all beings from suffering.
“Break!”
Suddenly, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, as if feeling some pain. She tossed her head back and cried out sharply.
With a sharp riiiip! from behind her, like twin bolts of colorful lightning, two massive wings—each over ten meters long, like those of a golden roc—burst forth, followed by a magnificent, multicolored phoenix tail.
Golden feathers gleaming like cast gold; blue feathers like crystal ice; red like living flame; white like fresh snow… they shone resplendently, dazzling to behold.
No one could say what they were made of, but they were utterly lifelike.
Then, the translucent image of an entire crimson phoenix emerged over Zhao Xueqing, merging with her form.
The phoenix’s eyes were wide and fierce, its tail swaying gracefully, its wings slightly flapping with overwhelming majesty—a towering presence, exuding a supreme, world-dominating dignity.
“The Unblemished Phoenix Maiden—one of the twelve supreme Immortal Bodies of the cultivation world—has awakened. Countless divine abilities are about to unfold!”
Jiang Tian beheld this, his heart shaken to its core, his face alight with wild joy and eager anticipation.
