Chapter 1439, The Peach Tree of Immortality

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

 

The echoes of his return had barely settled within the palace walls before Yu Zi Yu sensed a cascade of powerful auras rippling across the distant stars.

 

He reckoned that it was the various clans and sects.

 

The Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan, the Buddhist Sect, and many others, were all converging on the Demon Court.

 

Now that he had forced open Heaven’s Door, his breath, his movement…every little thing related to him was under the scrutiny of the entire cosmos.

 

The return of the Demon Emperor was no longer a private affair; it was a galactic event.

 

However, among the surging tide of energies, one specific presence caught his attention, one that felt strangely familiar.

 

“Ni Shang… she came by herself?” Yu Zi Yu murmured, his eyes narrowing as a faint, knowing light flickered within them.

 

[That girl must have been frantic with worry to abandon her throne and rush here in person.]

 

He could almost envision the scene: the venerable Elders of the Phoenix Clan likely red-faced and sputtering, scolding her for the indignity of a Matriarch traveling untold horizons just to catch a glimpse of the Demon Emperor.

 

He could practically see the indignant tilt of her head, her Phoenix-like eyes flashing with that stubborn annoyance he knew so well.

 

“Haha…” A soft chuckle escaped him. He turned to his subordinates, his voice regaining its majestic edge. “Prepare the hall. We must receive our honored guests with the proper ceremony.”

 

“As you command, Demon Emperor!” Nine Tails and Bull Demon responded in unison, their voices ringing with pride.

 

Not long afterward…

 

In another palace, Yu Zi Yu sat high upon his throne, looking down as the envoys of the universe’s most formidable Forces trickled in.

 

“We pay our respects to the Demon Emperor…”

 

Amid rhythmic chants of greetings, many envoys even prostrated themselves in a display of genuine respect.

 

“Rise,” Yu Zi Yu said with a slight nod.

 

His gaze immediately found the figure at the vanguard of the assembly.

Clad in the Iridescent Cloud Robe, she seemed wrapped in the very Heavens, the colorful mists swirling around her like liquid silk. A delicate veil obscured her beautiful features, rendering her face a hazy, indistinct mystery, yet no silk could hide the poise of a peerless beauty.

 

This was Ni Shang, Matriarch of the Phoenix Clan, an old companion who had once braved the boundless reaches of the starry wilderness by his side.

 

“I thank you all for your concern,” Yu Zi Yu stated, his voice carrying the smooth, hospitable tone of a perfect host.

 

The initial exchange was a dance of diplomatic pleasantries. Most sought only to probe his recent state, to measure the man who had vanished for a decade.

 

And Yu Zi Yu did not keep them in suspense.

 

*Boooooom…*

 

The air in the hall suddenly curdled. A heavy, suffocating aura descended like the hand of a God, pressing down on everyone present.

 

Even Ni Shang’s eyes widened behind her veil, her breath hitching in shock.

 

“I’m now a Level-2 Hegemon of Heaven’s Door,” Yu Zi Yu stated calmly, his voice cutting through the heavy atmosphere. “I believe I now possess the qualifications to become the Alliance Leader.”

 

Yu Zi Yu made no attempt to hide his ambition. His declaration was a gauntlet thrown at the feet of everyone, leaving no room for discussion.

 

“That is only natural,” Ni Shang said, being the first to stand. Her voice was firm, cutting through the stunned silence. “If the Demon Emperor assumes the mantle of Alliance Leader, the Phoenix Clan will offer its unconditional support.”

 

“Not just the Phoenixes,” added the Nether Dragon Serpent, a long-time ally of the Demon Court. He rose with a predatory grace. “Our Matriarch has also decreed: we stand with the Demon Emperor.”

 

“Hmmm…” Nodding slightly, Yu Zi Yu raised his gaze, looking toward other envoys.

 

The dominoes fell. One after another, the envoys rose. Some did so with eagerness, others with the grim realization that to do otherwise was to court extinction. Those who hesitated spoke of ‘consulting their Clans,’ but their voices were small.

 

Of course, Yu Zi Yu didn’t care much about this.

 

The strongest had already knelt. The rest was merely geography.

 

Yu Zi Yu turned to Nine Tails. “See to our guests. Ensure their stay is… comfortable.”

 

Before the words had fully registered, his form blurred and vanished, leaving just an empty throne.

 

He had no patience for the bureaucracy of power. And given his current strength, becoming the Alliance Leader was already a done deal.

 

The rest was just a formality, which he had left to Golden Monkey and the others to handle.

 

Compared to these things, he was far more interested in something else, the prize Nine Tails had relayed. According to her message, there was a Divine Tree in the spoils of the Heavenly Court.

 

“The Divine Tree…of the Heavenly Court” muttering to himself, Yu Zi Yu recalled the legends.

 

The legends did speak of a legendary Divine Tree in the Heavenly Court’s possession: the Peach Tree of Immortality. One of the Ten Great Divine Trees of Heaven and Earth. Unlike the Bodhi Tree, which offered enlightenment, the Peach Tree offered something far more primal and coveted by everyone: Time.

 

According to the legends, it could transform into an orchard of three grades of peach trees: low, medium, and top.

 

The low-grade trees bore fruit once every 3,000 years. Those who ate its peaches gained a healthy and light body, achieving immortality and enlightenment.

 

The medium-grade trees bore fruit every 6,000 years, allowing one to ascend to Heaven in broad daylight, achieving eternal life.

 

The top-grade trees bore fruit once even 9,000 years, and granted a lifespan that rivaled the Heavens themselves.

 

While the legend might have exaggerated things, in the world of cultivation, every myth contained a grain of terrifying truth.

 

After all, it was the Divine Tree of Heaven and Earth. If it did not possess such power to defy fate, how could it live up to its name?

 

Of course, the specifics require a closer inspection.

 

Thinking this, Yu Zi Yu accelerated, tearing through the fabric of space and time, heading toward the deepest, most Yin-infused region of the Celestial Realm.

 

In the next heartbeat, he emerged within a peach grove where rising mists swirled through the trees, as if he had stepped directly into the realm of the immortals.

 

To a common eye, it was an endless grove, but in Yu Zi Yu’s eyes, the entire grove was nothing more than an illusion, a projection.

 

The reality stood at the center of mist: a colossal, ancient sentinel reaching thousands of meters into the sky, rooted firmly in the ground— the Peach Tree of Immortality.

 

“Master…” Golden Monkey approached, bowing deeply, though he could not hide the manic gleam in his eyes.

 

“How is it?” Yu Zi Yu asked, staring up at the gargantuan tree.

 

“Good. Good! Beyond good!” The Monkey laughed, his composure shattered by sheer exuberance.

 

 

A moment later, realizing his lapse in composure, he steadied himself and explained, “Master, do you know how the Heavenly Court was able to attract the greatest experts of the age to their service?”

 

“Why!?” Yu Zi Yu asked, curious.

 

“It’s because of this…this very tree before us, this Peach Tree of Immortality. It may not help with cultivation, nor does it possess terrifying offensive or defensive power… but its greatest strength lies in extending lifespan. As you know, even Tier-6s have limited lifespans. Even Hegemons may one day meet their end because of it. But with this peach tree, things are different. If one regularly consumes the peaches it bears, while one may not live as long as Heaven and Earth… greatly extending one’s lifespan is certainly possible.”