[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star":3,"chapter-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-223":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After Fifteen Years of Secret Cultivation, I Start as a Top-Grade Ultimate Peak!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2282331,4464,"Chapter 223: Bailian Peak","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-223",223,"\u003Cp>The rooftop of Baixiang Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian glanced downward and saw the silver-haired elder’s men ride off; he nodded slightly and murmured to himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With two sons killed in succession, if the Peak Lord of Bailian Peak doesn’t personally seek revenge, it would be hard to justify.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, Li Muxian had no interest in the martial experts below at the City Lord’s mansion, but upon hearing these words, the silver-haired elder suddenly twitched his ears, then sharply lifted his head toward the pavilion roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silver-haired elder, upon first seeing Li Muxian seated atop the ridge, froze in shock, then his aura surged violently as he barked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Li Muxian sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, the silver-haired elder and over a dozen martial experts from the City Lord’s mansion all perished…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bailian Peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its pitch-black body rose abruptly, jagged rocks jutting wildly, terrifying and majestic under the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One face was a thousand-zhang sheer cliff, wrapped in thick ropes; on its smooth green surface, the four golden ancient seal characters “Bailian Cheng Feng” glowed brightly in the dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the opposite slope of the cliff, pavilions and towers stood in orderly rows, countless exquisite houses and courtyards packed tightly together, radiating prosperity and vigor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Bailian Peak was lit up with lanterns everywhere, all its corners aglow, as bright as day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, a woman drenched in sweat rode a swift horse galloping up, stopping abruptly before the towering mountain gate archway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without pausing for formalities, she tumbled off the horse in disarray and cried out urgently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Zheng is in trouble!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bailian Peak disciples guarding the gate, seeing the woman’s lack of decorum, had been about to whip her in punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon hearing “Young Master Zheng,” they instantly halted, frowned, and demanded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Zheng… has been killed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The courtesan of Baixiang Pavilion gasped out; upon hearing this, the gate guards’ faces turned ashen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After urgently questioning the courtesan for details, they swiftly departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matter was then reported up the chain, finally reaching the First Lady of Bailian Peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing her own son had been murdered, the First Lady was overwhelmed with grief and rage; she ordered word sent to Zheng Yunfeng, then immediately summoned the peak’s elders to accompany her on an immediate journey to Bailian City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the very time of the Peak Lord’s birthday, he should not leave the mountain. Whoever killed my son—I will crush his bones and scatter his ashes myself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The First Lady, elegant and noble, her hair entirely white, now had red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked wrinkles on her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Zi was her son born in middle age, whom she had adored since childhood; now, an elder burying her own child—how could she not be consumed by grief and fury?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the First Lady of Bailian Peak boarded a carriage, accompanied by two elders from the Peak’s Enforcement Hall and a group of elite disciples, descending the mountain under the cold night to head straight for Bailian City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, atop the thousand-zhang cliff of Bailian Peak, a small courtyard of iron-stone stood atop the mist-shrouded summit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The courtyard’s iron gate was tightly shut, no lanterns lit, no signs of life, and not a single plant or flower around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a shadowy figure glided silently into view, revealing a hunched old man in black robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the old man merely stopped on the gray stone steps before the courtyard, bowed his body, stood motionless without uttering a sound, and did not advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, a strong, resonant voice came from within the courtyard:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu Lao, what brings you here at this hour?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed old man immediately bowed respectfully toward the courtyard and replied succinctly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zheng Zi was murdered at Baixiang Pavilion. The killer specifically demanded that the Peak Lord himself come for revenge. However, the First Lady has already departed for Bailian City.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, silence fell within the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clouds swirling around the thousand-zhang cliff visibly began to spin, as if a wind were rising across the entire Bailian Peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Zheng Yunfeng’s voice came again, devoid of any discernible emotion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Luo Shen Peak is currently in turmoil. I wonder where the Great Li court found the audacity to decide on an invasion of our sect within a single month?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zi’s death at this moment is surely tied to the Great Li court.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, the black-robed old man lifted his gaze to the courtyard and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your words are correct, Peak Lord. The young master died unjustly; this crime must be laid at the Great Li court’s door.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice within the courtyard sighed suddenly, and above the cliff’s summit, the low-hanging clouds rumbled faintly with thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My birthday was meant to be a joyous occasion, but now, with the loss of my son, I have no spirit left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Yunfeng’s voice sounded utterly cold; the black-robed old man on the stone steps immediately bowed his head low:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shall I go myself, capture the killer alive, and bring him back for you to deal with personally?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Zheng Yunfeng replied coolly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need. Let the Lady handle it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My meaning is this: you, Wu Lao, must go yourself. Every person in Bailian City connected to the Great Li court—kill them all, leave none alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed old man’s body twitched slightly; he lifted his eyes gently and immediately replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I accept the order. I shall avenge the young master with the blood of the court’s hounds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, he did not linger on the steps, stepped back three paces with a bow, then vanished from the cliff summit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the black-robed old man departed, a woman’s voice suddenly echoed from within the previously silent courtyard:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Zheng, please accept your loss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet only the voice was heard—no one was seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zheng Yunfeng, seated on a stone cushion within the courtyard, closed his eyes and said nothing; golden qi curled around him, obscuring his face, yet he spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, why have you left Yulan Peak to come here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their voices were confined within the iron-gated courtyard; outside, silence reigned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Great Li’s Tianjin Guard has launched a four-pronged assault on the four peaks of Luo Shen Peak. My own Yulan Peak is one of them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s voice floated softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“According to my sources, the Tianjin Guard Commander Fu Qiwén has persuaded the former commander of the Great Li Tianjin Guard to lead the assault on Yulan Peak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zheng Yunfeng, surrounded by golden qi, seemed to open his eyes and stare directly at empty air within the courtyard:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you worried you cannot defeat him? Are you asking me for help?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The empty air remained invisible, yet subtle heavenly qi gathered there, and the woman’s voice drifted out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am not afraid of him. He has little time left. His agreement to aid Fu Qiwén is surely born of a death wish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He intends to die alongside me. I have no desire to waste my strength in a pointless duel with him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1188,"2026-06-20T01:43:39.330Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","86d44f76d73f53440cd61c81c046f17209298c8b69db2a335f4feb7ff17dae49","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-224","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-222",259,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-cover.jpg"]