Having never experienced the burden of Yunyou Weng’s choices, perhaps it’s difficult to comprehend his obsession, his resentment, and his unwillingness to accept defeat.

He was like a gambler with bloodshot eyes, wagering everything he had – his land, his home, his family… He clearly couldn’t accept failure, nor did he have room for it.

But for Jiang Wang, he neither needed to nor cared to understand Yunyou Weng’s emotions.

To him, Yunyou Weng and Dou Mian were complete strangers, and quite clearly, opponents, enemies.

All he needed to do was defeat them, crush them, in body and spirit.

Thus, he didn’t even spare them a glance. He descended upon the peak of Chiyun Mountain, only offering Ye Qingyu a gentle smile: “Your mastery of the divine ability is already quite remarkable.”

Honestly, he had been quite astonished to witness Ye Qingyu’s exchange with Dou Mian and Yunyou Weng.

In his memory, Ye Qingyu’s combat prowess was still that of the flustered individual on Jade Balance Peak. He truly hadn’t expected her to have become so experienced in battle.

Although she lacked the experience of facing life and death directly, and was somewhat short on decisive ruthlessness, her application of techniques and her grasp of timing were first-rate.

Once she fully familiarized herself with the Cloud Script divine ability, she would be a powerhouse capable of holding her own.

“Thank you,” Ye Qingyu replied with a playful, sweet smile. “You also wielded your palm with great force.”

She was teasing him about how he had raised his hand to command the cloud beasts of the mountain, then flipped his palm to subdue Dou Mian and Yunyou Weng. It was indeed the bearing of a powerful expert.

Jiang Wang’s face flushed.

As the master of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace, he controlled the power of Chiyun Mountain. To mobilize it only required a thought; he didn’t actually need to flip his hand. He had done so merely to enhance his aura.

In truth, it wasn’t just to suppress their spirits, but also a touch of showing off.

This desire for ostentation was rare for his usually composed self. It was just an occasional glimpse of the boyish nature hidden within, wanting to boast about his new “toy.”

His skin wasn’t thick enough, after all, so Ye Qingyu’s teasing made him a little embarrassed: “Not as elegant as your cloud script, nor as refined as your techniques.”

While they were exchanging pleasantries, Yunyou Weng was consumed by jealous rage.

“You dog couple! How can you people reap all the benefits?”

By now, the cloud pattern on Ye Qingyu’s forehead had faded. The Cloud Script divine ability had a time limit, similar to Dou Mian’s Golden Battle Body.

Hearing Yunyou Weng’s reckless words, she frowned, repulsed. As the daughter of Ye Lingxiao, she was accustomed to associating with extraordinary individuals. In her view, cultivators should strive forward bravely, and even in defeat, they shouldn’t lose themselves in such a manner.

Jiang Wang turned to face the trapped Yunyou Weng: “What kind of people are we?”

Yunyou Weng glared at him, eyes bloodshot: “Ask yourself, what right do you have to possess the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace?!”

“What have you done for Chiyun Mountain? What have you contributed to the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace? What effort did you put into this day?”

“Wooing and romancing, chatting and flirting, and you effortlessly possess everything?”

He didn’t fear death. Or rather, having failed in this endeavor, there was no chance of him achieving God Ascension. With eighty years of lifespan forfeited, he wouldn’t live much longer anyway.

“What right do you have?!”

He cried out in anguish: “How unfair is heaven! How cruel has fate been to me!”

Jiang Wang hadn’t intended to listen to him finish. This man was erratic and extreme, and there was no need to communicate with him. He was originally going to draw his sword, but at that moment, a change occurred within his Five府 sea. Specifically, the change came from the ruins of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace above the cloud layer.

With a thought, his spirit descended into the ruins of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace, arriving before the only relatively intact spirit wall.

The change he sensed originated from there.

Upon the spirit wall, a projected image appeared, a white-robed Daoist boy.

Recalling the past scene of entering the Welcome Pavilion, Jiang Wang recognized him as the boy who greeted guests, holding the only true cloud pattern token.

The boy bowed to Jiang Wang: “Immortal Lord. This humble one apologizes for the intrusion.”

It was he who had influenced the spirit wall, manifesting the image, prompting Jiang Wang to come here.

Was he a survivor within the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace? An ancient remnant soul? Or some later possessor?

Jiang Wang remained vigilant, asking calmly: “Who are you?”

“Immortal Lord need not worry,” the white-robed boy said respectfully. “The Cloud Peak Immortal Palace has already recognized you as its master. Everything within the Immortal Palace is under your control. Including this Soul-Anchoring Stele. With a thought, you can shatter this humble one.”

So this wasn’t a spirit wall, but a Soul-Anchoring Stele? Soul-Anchoring…

Jiang Wang hadn’t realized it earlier, but now, upon closer inspection, he realized that its material was indeed the same as the Soul-Anchoring Jade he had seen in the Primeval Forest Realm.

The Soul-Anchoring Jade he saw in the Primeval Forest Realm belonged to Su Qiyun, who hailed from the Heaven Stealing Manor, and was a treasured object passed down by her master. It was only a small piece, but incredibly precious. At that time, it allowed Guan Yan to manifest his form, and later, it anchored Little Fish’s spiritual thoughts, giving Su Qiyun the opportunity to resurrect Little Fish.

And this one before him, so enormous! It was precisely because of its immensity that Jiang Wang hadn’t even considered it to be a Soul-Anchoring Jade.

Who said the ruins of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace were worthless? Just this Soul-Anchoring Stele alone, if broken into small pieces and sold, would be of extraordinary value.

While Jiang Wang was still in astonishment, the white-robed boy continued: “Furthermore, you don’t even need to think about it. This humble one has been dead for a long time. What speaks to you is merely a remnant image from the distant past, which will soon dissipate…”

He then asked: “May I ask, Immortal Lord, what year is it now?”

This wasn’t a secret, so Jiang Wang answered directly: “This year is the 3918th year of the Dao Calendar.”

“The Dao Calendar restarted?” the white-robed boy murmured to himself. “Has our era finally come to an end?”

Without waiting for Jiang Wang to ask questions, he said urgently: “There is no time left. Immortal Lord, this humble one begs you for a favor.”

Jiang Wang naturally wouldn’t agree immediately, only asking: “What is it?”

“This humble one was a welcoming boy of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace. Because I was too weak, I was not noticed and was fortunate enough to escape that calamity… The one prostrating on the ground on the summit of Chiyun Mountain is my reincarnation. For so many years, he has been in reincarnation, constantly searching for the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace. Initially, it was to reclaim the glory of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace, but later, with each reincarnation, his memories became more and more fragmented. He no longer remembers anything, relying only on the earliest obsession, searching for the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace life after life. The accumulated resentment of countless lives has made him completely unable to face failure. And he himself is unaware of this. For countless years, he has been living in the shadow of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace, never truly alive.”

The white-robed boy said: “This humble one does not ask you to forgive his offense, only asks you to let him die convinced. Don’t let him carry his resentment into the next life.”

Jiang Wang certainly felt a sense of pity. This remnant image of the white-robed boy, left in the past, has no idea how many lifetimes his reincarnation has gone through. This struggle of countless years, ending in a dreamlike bubble, truly embodies the cruelty of fate.

However, now, they were like fish on the chopping block, with him wielding the cleaver. It was easy enough to let Yunyou Weng die, but making him die convinced would be quite difficult.

But the white-robed boy didn’t give him time to consider. His image was already fading and disappearing from the Soul-Anchoring Stele.

Leaving behind only a regretful sentence:

“The key to the revival of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace lies within him…”