Chapter 276: So Young and So Shameless (Requesting Monthly Votes!)

Golden lightning roared, thunder serpents writhed across the sky like living things, each one locked firmly onto the five-colored peacock trying to flee.

"Shriek————!!!"

The five-colored peacock felt its body freeze, as if divine punishment had descended upon it, ready to snatch its life at any moment.

Yet thinking of the stolen egg, its ferocity surged instead of fading; the five-colored divine light, once used for escape, erupted wildly, pushing against the crushing pressure, slowly spreading its wings upward, screeching as it tried to shatter the golden thunder vortex resembling a single eye.

Boom————!!!

A thunder column a hundred zhang thick descended, swallowing the five-colored light with unstoppable force, leaving no resistance.

Along with it vanished the ancient relic beast bearing peacock blood, instantly reduced to ashes under the thunder's power, not even a single feather left behind.

Oh, wait! Something did remain.

"That's…"

Far away, the Tianbu Pavilion disciples, stunned by the peacock's death by heavenly lightning, suddenly noticed something—the eldest elder's eyes flashed as she spotted, within the lightning, what appeared to be a piece of bone radiating a five-colored aura.

It was the peacock's primal bone, its original runes still intact due to its sudden death, now pulsing with the mysterious Dao rhythm of the five elements, making several onlookers' eyes burn with greed.

"Stay calm!"

The elder suddenly spoke, slamming her staff hard onto the ground, jolting the others out of their greed.

"That lightning just now wasn't heavenly punishment—it was a mysterious and powerful treasure art. And it killed the five-colored peacock instantly. The one who wielded it must be a peerless powerhouse, even among the Venerable Realm, a rarity—and perhaps…"

The elder's voice trailed off as memories surfaced of the terrifying aura radiating from that golden lightning.

Mysterious, solemn, unstoppable—it reminded her of the ancient gourd vine guarding Tianbu Pavilion.

That vine was the pavilion's protector, alive since ancient times, a true Divine Flame Realm powerhouse.

She had seen its might in her youth; even in its twilight years, its power far surpassed the limits of the Venerable Realm, beyond any ordinary cultivator's resistance.

Yet the faint, cryptic runes flickering within that thunder vortex just now made the elder feel as if she were facing that being directly—truly unbelievable.

Could it be… that the one who struck down the five-colored peacock was also a peerless powerhouse who had ignited Divine Flame?

Thinking this, the elder trembled slightly, preparing to move and take the girl and the other Tianbu Pavilion cultivators away.

But just then, thunder sounded again overhead—a golden light wrapped the primal bone, then vanished in a flash too swift for anyone to react, landing right where the crowd stood.

Soon, as the light faded, several figures appeared before the Tianbu Pavilion disciples.

They were two small figures—accurately, two children, each about six or seven years old.

One was covered in blood and grime, his hair wild like a savage, yet his eyes shone bright and pure, brilliant as stars.

Besides that, a golden-furred monkey sat on his shoulder, radiating spiritual energy.

But what drew more attention was the stone-pillar-sized bird egg cradled in the child's hands.

Its surface was crystal-clear, covered in five-colored patterns, emitting astonishing auroras—clearly extraordinary.

"That's the five-colored peacock's egg!!"

One of the Tianbu Pavilion youths cried out, only to receive furious glares from his companions.

Only you're smart? Only you've seen everything? Do you think we can't tell?

Get a grip—there's clearly a great master here watching us, and we don't even know how they'll deal with us, yet you're already eyeing their spoils? Are you trying to hang yourself like the God of Longevity?

"That's right—it's the five-colored peacock's egg!"

At that moment, a childish voice spoke. Everyone turned—coming from the other child.

Compared to the blood-stained wild-child beside him holding the five-colored egg, this one seemed perfectly normal—clean clothes, spotless, with rosy lips, white teeth, and a delicate, upright face.

One could imagine that if he grew a few more years, he would become a graceful, handsome young man.

"Little brother, which family are you from? Was that golden lightning just now a treasure art used by your clan's elder?"

As the Tianbu Pavilion group hesitated, the white-robed girl stepped forward, gazing at the clean boy's refined face, asking softly.

The clean boy—Wu Xian—tilted his head, then grinned: "Nope. That golden lightning was a safeguard left by Grandpa to protect us two—it wasn't Grandpa himself who acted."

Hearing Wu Xian's words, Shi Hao beside him, wild as a savage, opened his mouth, wondering what his brother was up to now—but after thinking, he said nothing, only nodded in agreement, as if to say his brother was right.

"Left behind… safeguard?"

The girl and the Tianbu Pavilion disciples were stunned, especially the elder, whose heart trembled even more—she was now certain of that powerhouse's extraordinary nature.

"To be honest, it's all that peacock's fault. My brother and I just wanted to taste the peacock egg—we never meant to cause trouble. But that peacock was unreasonable, even tried to hunt us down."

"We're just two kids—how could we fight it? So we had to use Grandpa's safeguard to kill it."

As he spoke, Wu Xian wore a look of helpless grievance, as if he'd suffered a great injustice, making the white-robed girl and the Tianbu Pavilion disciples' foreheads drip with black lines, utterly speechless.

In truth, the Tianbu Pavilion folk didn't think Wu Xian had done anything wrong—the five-colored peacock was one of the fiercest beasts in the Great Wilderness, often slaughtering innocent villagers to satisfy its appetite. Its death and its offspring becoming a meal was simply karmic retribution.

They were merely stunned by Wu Xian's brazen audacity—so young and already this shameless. What would he become when he grew up? Undoubtedly destined for greatness.

"Then little brother, where is your Grandpa? Why leave you two alone in the Great Wilderness?"

Suppressing her inner sarcasm, the white-robed girl asked again, trying to uncover the children's origins.

"Grandpa didn't come out with us."

Wu Xian shook his head, "honestly": "This was a trial given by our clan—my brother and I had to journey through the Great Wilderness together, traveling at least a hundred thousand li to complete it. We had to rely on ourselves entirely, given only a few safeguards. If we still failed, he wouldn't care whether we lived or died."

Hearing this, the Tianbu Pavilion disciples all froze.

Such a brutal trial was only mentioned in ancient texts—rumored to be how ancient pure-blood divine beasts treated their young: forcing them to cross tens of thousands of li of the Great Wilderness alone, battling ferocious beasts and birds, only considered successful if they returned alive.

Thinking this, their gaze toward Wu Xian and Shi Hao had changed—they suspected they were outstanding descendants of some powerful, mysterious clan, with extraordinary lineage and talent.

Suddenly, the white-robed girl seemed to recall something, her eyes brightening as she asked: "By the way, little brother, where's the bone the peacock left behind? Did you take it?"

(End of Chapter)