Jade Pool.
Peach blossoms still blazed across the sky, yet within this magnificent palace, not a trace of the sea of flowers' spring warmth could be felt.
A palace door that had remained shut for months slowly opened.
Jiang Ling stepped out.
Both her appearance and her bearing had undergone a transformation.
She no longer displayed the sharp edge she had possessed as an Immortal King. Now, she held no sorrow, no joy, no resentment, no anger.
Indeed, when she raised her eyes, she bore a certain resemblance to Taichu.
"It seems you absorbed the first baptism of this new epoch even more perfectly than I expected."
There was a stone table amid the peach grove, where Taichu sat holding a cup of clear tea.
Watching Jiang Ling approach at an unhurried pace, approval surfaced in his eyes. "You truly haven't disappointed me."
Jiang Ling showed not the slightest reaction to Taichu's praise.
"Only my Dao Heart remains."
She neither bowed nor thanked him, but walked straight over and sat opposite him.
The two sat facing each other across the stone table.
Behind Taichu stood a burly man.
This man was none other than the Chaos beast Taichu had subdued... Kunpeng.
Forced to take human form and stand there, his mind was a tangled mess.
He had spent these past days in a muddled daze.
He had no idea who these two were, what they intended to do, or whether he had been captured to serve as muscle, a mount, or emergency rations.
He dreamed of escaping.
Yet whenever the thought arose, a casual glance from Taichu was enough to make him tremble all over.
Just as Kunpeng's heart pounded like a drum and he wondered whether he should offer to pour these two some tea to get into their