Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 1229, The Kun Peng Clan

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

The clash of momentum was, in fact, more perilous than physical combat.

A single misstep, and one might find themselves struck down by thunderous retaliation.

Of course, given the veiled friendship between the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree and Yu Zi Yu, such retaliation was clearly out of the question.

This was little more than a show. It was a clash for appearances, nothing more.

And that… was because Yu Zi Yu owed the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree a debt of gratitude.

If not for this…if Yu Zi Yu had truly restrained the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree’s Spirit, the Divine Tree’s combat strength would have been halved.

As such, while their clash of will looked fierce and formidable on the surface, the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree’s true focus was on the Heavenly Tribulation and the powerhouses gathered in the Central Sector.

After all, she knew Yu Zi Yu would never strike a foe when they were preoccupied or weakened. He was not that kind of man, or Tree.

And this, too, was part of Yu Zi Yu’s well-calculated plan.

He didn’t care about being accused of standing idly , but rumors… always left a bitter taste.

So, he raised his aura. It was just a little, merely to probe the situation.

What he didn’t expect… was just how cooperative the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree would be.

While maintaining a stern look on his face, Yu Zi Yu smiled in his heart. Then, with one hand resting lightly on the armrest of his throne, he let out a thunderous harrumph, “Hmph—”

With that cold snort, the pressure bearing down on the starry sky seemed to solidify, and before Yu Zi Yu, a grand world began to materialize.

It was a wild and primal world, where everything appeared faint and indistinct, as if seen through a veil of mist.

Silhouettes of stampeding beasts surged across vast plains, and colossal Divine Trees stood rooted in the earth like ancient sentinels.

As the aura grew stronger, the once-hazy vision of this savage realm sharpened with startling clarity.

Some even began to hear the thunderous gallop of countless beasts echoing through the void.

“Even just his presence… it’s suffocating,” a sigh escaped from a Tier-6, his spirit trembling from the sheer pressure of Yu Zi Yu’s will. His cultivation heart already fractured.

Once proud and full of ambition, he now looked almost hunched and broken.

And he was not the only one.

Among the gathered powerhouses here, more than a few felt the same.

When one’s peer grows too powerful, so strong one could not even breathe in their presence, there was nothing left but bitterness and heartbreak.

Every one of these figures had carved their way through oceans of blood, clawing their path to Tier-6 over countless lives.

Yet now… faced with this white-robed figure, whose presence alone stifled them… very few could still lift their gaze.

Even someone as proud as Ni Shang had eyes glittering with awe, unable to hide the flicker of admiration within.

“This is how a true man should be.” She murmured in praise, a faint smile gracing her lips.

That smile, radiant and devastating, nearly bewitched a nearby Dwarf, who found himself dazed, a trickle of drool sliding down his chin.

However, Ni Shang knew that it was not the time for distractions…

*Hahaha…* Sweet and melodious laughter erupted once more from her, and her robes started fluttering, bursting into dazzling nine-colored light.

And then—

*Booooom…* A terrifying aura exploded into the Heavens.

This was caused by the awakening of an Imperial Artifact.

And since it erupted from Ni Shang, that could only mean one thing, it was the legendary Iridescent Cloud Robe.

*Screeech…* A Phoenix Cry echoed across the void, drawing everyone’s eyes.

Everyone watched in awe as the nine-colored robe started ballooning, rapidly expanding until it blotted out the sky.

As it grew, countless plumes flew around and whirled, weaving together the image of a resplendent nine-colored phoenix.

One after another, plumes gently swayed behind him, stirring waves of nine-colored rosy clouds.

And from its Phoenix Eyes radiated a majesty no less than that of a Hegemon.

Atop this glorious creature stood Ni Shang, hailed as the most beautiful woman beneath the stars.

“Come… The Phoenix Clan will not be outshone.” As Ni Shang let out a soft chuckle, the Nine-Colored Phoenix beneath her spread its wings and soared toward the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree, leaving a vast and beautiful multicolor trail.

And this overwhelming might, compared to Aethrise, was leagues more terrifying.

This… was the true power of an Imperial Artifact, the foundation of a Superior Clan.

It was precisely because of Imperial Artifacts that these Superior Clans stood unshaken at the pinnacle of the Myriad Races.

As for the Lower Clans? Unless a Half-Step Eternal, or even a true Eternal, were to emerge among them, the idea of challenging the Superior Clans, let alone becoming one. It was nothing more than a fool’s dream.

To put it bluntly, the hierarchy among the Myriad Races was harsher than any cultivation rank.

Every Superior Clan was called such because they possessed a deep heritage that Lower Clans could never hope to match.

Even if the Pegasus Clan had a Late-Stage Tier-6, so what?

Without the support of true heritage, even now, before Clans like the Phoenix and Dragon Clans, they were nothing more than ants.

And as for how the Angel Clan managed to break away from the control of the God Clan and ascend to become one of the Top Ten Superior Clans?

Was it not because one of their members stepped into the Eternal Realm, and forged the Imperial Artifact, the Sixteen Holy Wings?

“This Phoenix… really knows how to make things difficult,” a helpless voice sighed, as the expression of an ancient figure holding an Imperial Artifact subtly shifted.

He, too, had planned to wait before making his move.

But now, seeing Ni Shang take action upon witnessing the Demon Emperor’s intervention, unwilling to let others reap the reward alone, he could only follow suit.

And so, one after another, the ancient powerhouses holding Imperial Artifacts had no choice but to step forward.

Otherwise… they would surely become a laughingstock among the Myriad Races.

*Haaaa…* With a weary sigh, another ancient figure began to awaken his Imperial Artifact.

However, before he could activate it…

*Roooooar…* A thunderous dragon roar echoed across the stars, as a massive Crimson Dragon, stretching beyond the horizon, appeared as if from nowhere.

Upon its head sat an Imperial Crown, and within its claws, it held the Sun and Moon.

Its vast form surged toward the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree.

“So… even the Dragon Clan has entered the fray,” someone whispered in astonishment, as the expressions of other Imperial Artifact holders darkened one after another.

[This is not a good sign.]

[But… so be it. Tier-6? Even if we have reached this point, we are no longer of consequence in this battlefield. Only those with Imperial Artifacts, and that white-robed figure seated high on his throne, like the Demon Emperor, can truly contend with the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree.]

With that thought, more and more powerhouses began to unleash their Imperial Artifacts.

…

*Boooom…* Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out, then from a distant corner of the starry sky, a beam of resplendent golden light came shooting.

And from within that golden light, a pair of enormous wings, vast enough to blot out the Sun and Moon, tore through Heaven.

Soaring higher and higher, the creature shot straight straight toward the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree with an unstoppable momentum.

“The Kun Peng Clan…!” A horrified voice echoed across the battlefield.

And at that moment, one powerhouse after another’s face paled in horror, for the Kun Peng Clan was among the most terrifying of all races, their might rivaled even that of the Dragons and Phoenixes.