Just as the peacock was about to speak, its face suddenly changed color. In its spiritual world, the black lotus that had been cut away unexpectedly reappeared out of thin air.
At this moment, a great crisis, great fear, and great panic were born in its heart, causing the heart lake that had been calm for billions of years to once again stir up a monstrous wave.
Yet the peacock did not know that the more fearful it became, the stronger the power that the Great Freedom Celestial Demon obtained, and the more formidable its methods. Once the Great Freedom Celestial Demon takes root, it is impossible to eliminate unless one’s heart is free from desires and emotions, but if there are no emotions, what difference is there between a person and a stone?
Seeing its protective light growing dimmer and dimmer, fearing it would not hold for another hour before being breached, and its own soul under attack by some unknown entity, a look of resolve flashed in the peacock’s eyes: "Kid, our enmity is formed, don’t let me find you, or I will make sure you have no place to be buried."
"Do you really think you can escape today..." Zhang Chen responded to the peacock’s words with a mocking expression, but before he could finish speaking, the peacock suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving only five feathers of different colors drifting slowly in the Yellow Sand Array.
"How is this possible! Is my Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array just for show? It actually let him escape?" Zhang Chen was astounded, carefully sensing the entire array, and indeed, the peacock had escaped.
The next moment, a sense of foreboding surged in Zhang Chen’s heart. If the peacock escaped, wouldn’t he be the one facing death? His Yellow River Array wouldn’t be able to withstand the peacock outside!
"Don’t panic, that guy is wasted! Though he wasn’t crippled by your Nine Bends Yellow River Array, he is certainly done for." At this moment, a black petal appeared at Zhang Chen’s side, transforming into the image of the Great Freedom Celestial Demon and approached the five feathers: "This is the essence of the peacock, where its billions of years of Dao practice condensed into Dao Fruit. It is composed of Innate Five Elements Essence Qi, possessing unimaginable mysteries. The peacock self-severed its Innate Five Elements and its billions of years of Dao practice just to escape your Nine Bends Yellow River Array, aren’t you satisfied?"
In any case, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon was quite satisfied; with the peacock’s Dao practice severed, it transformed into an ordinary peacock, which was the perfect time for him to make a move.
"Are you saying the peacock self-crippled its cultivation?" Zhang Chen stopped the endless yellow sand, a look of temptation in his eyes. If he were to pursue the peacock and suck its blood, he wondered if his Bloodsucking Technique would undergo new changes.
"Don’t even think about it, would that old peacock give you the chance to kill him? That guy has already used his last bit of strength to escape into the starry sky. Unless you have the ability to fly through earth and sky, how could you catch up to him? Besides, cleaning up and obtaining all the creation at present is the most crucial matter," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said.
Zhang Chen was disappointed upon hearing this: "I have formed a great karmic bond with him. Letting this old guy escape, I’m afraid it will bring great trouble."
"What are you afraid of? That old peacock self-severed his origin. He can only recover by entering the Demon Dao. By then, he will surely be under my control, and that old boy will be our ace in the hole in the future." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon comforted Zhang Chen with a smile.
With things as they were, Zhang Chen could only hope that the Great Freedom Celestial Demon would be reliable, lest it cause more trouble for him later.
"What are the uses of these feathers?" Zhang Chen inquired.
"The five feathers combined can transform into the Light of the Five Elements, capable of brushing away the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth items. However, these feathers were ravaged by the Nine Bends Yellow River Array to the point of being unrecognizable, with less than one-tenth of their original power. In the future, you can only use magical power to sacrificially refine and nurture them to gradually restore their might," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said.
"Capable of brushing away Five Elements items? Isn’t this just a bootleg version of Five-Colored Divine Light?" Zhang Chen was instantly excited at the thought of the Five-Colored Divine Light’s power from novels. He said this while trying to pick up the feathers, yet he couldn’t even move them, let alone pick them up.
"Don’t be fooled by just five feathers, for each feather is as heavy as a mountain. Today, we’ve taken advantage of both time and place to seize that guy, making him suffer a tremendous loss; otherwise, I’m afraid that even one feather falling would instantly shatter your array." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon remarked from the side.
Zhang Chen gazed at the Great Freedom Celestial Demon with displeasure in his eyes. These feathers were all well and good, but if he couldn’t pick them up, wasn’t it all for nothing?
"Use magical power to sacrificially refine and wash away the peacock’s aura, then these five feathers will be yours," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon quickly said, understanding the meaning in Zhang Chen’s eyes.
"So that’s how it is." Zhang Chen immediately began channeling magical power, infusing it into one of the feathers. Yet as soon as his magical power entered the feather, a powerful force from within repelled him. If Zhang Chen’s magical power was like a firefly, then the opposing power was like a bright moon, instantly crushing his magic with no resistance whatsoever.
Zhang Chen knew it was the imprint of the peacock’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit. His magical power touching the imprint of the peacock’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit was simply like striking a stone with an egg.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon, knowing Zhang Chen’s struggles, quickly advised from the side: "Are you stupid? With your weak magical power, on what basis can you contend with the peacock’s mental will? Just use the Nine Bends Yellow River Array to refine it."
"If I have to use the Nine Bends Yellow River Array to refine these five feathers, by the time I’ve actually grasped them, how much power will they still retain? Won’t they have become mere ordinary objects?" Zhang Chen retorted, glaring at the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.