CHAPTER 897: QILIN YU, JINGLING XIULI [PENG RUINING’S ECLIPSE EYES]

"How about this, let one of your men accompany me for a while, and I’ll give you the Immortal Grasses," the Storm Roc King said, his beautiful face glowing with obsessive desire as his eyes roamed over the stunning men standing around Shenlian Yingyue. He blatantly ignored her, Xiao Nian, Xiao Yun, Xiao Li, Xiao Lan, Hong Zuan, and Xiao Qiu, who hadn’t yet ’transformed’ into human form.

Even Xiao Mei, still just a young teenager, wasn’t spared. The way the Storm Roc King’s eyes lingered was far too obvious. And yet, somehow, Wang Pei Zhi was completely ignored.

Wang Pei Zhi simply didn’t have the ethereal looks the others possessed. Shenlian Yingyue’s companions and men were otherworldly, so beautiful that their appearances felt surreal. Their charm was so strong that both male and female creatures found them irresistible. In this gathering of celestial beings, Wang Pei Zhi’s ordinary looks made him unworthy of the Storm Roc King’s gaze.

Shenlian Yingyue and Xiao Nian’s lips twitched in unison. Even with masks and cloaks concealing their appearances, it hadn’t stopped others from sensing the overwhelming beauty of her companions. The men’s faces darkened as a storm of irritation gathered above their heads. Their expressions twisted in pure disgust. How had this Storm Roc King seen through their disguises?

What they didn’t realize was that one of the abilities of the Storm Roc King’s Eclipse Eyes allowed him to see through all disguises in the world.

"This shameless gay is looking to die!" Huan Huan exploded with rage.

The expressions of Zhiyi, Bing Xue, and the others turned cold as ice.

Although the Storm Roc King didn’t understand what the word "gay" meant, he could easily guess its implication. And yes, he liked men, particularly those who were both beautiful and powerful.

"Peng Ruining, you’re truly bold and without shame! How many male creatures are in your harem? Is it not enough that you now want to humiliate everyone here too? You’ve truly disgraced all who dwell in the Ember Dune Desert!" A cold voice echoed as a tall figure appeared, standing atop a tree. His long hanfu robes fluttered in the breeze, and his dark purple hair cascaded like a waterfall from a celestial paradise. Two white horns glistened atop his head like divine crystal sculptures.

"Having someone like you, so openly disgraceful, reigning as king in the Peng Clan is beyond shameful. Just look at the faces of your own storm. They’re probably cursing you in silence," another voice chimed in lazily. A second figure floated into view, radiant under the sunlight. His translucent, glittering wings resembled blooming lotuses, mesmerizing and ethereal.

"Qilin Yu, aren’t you too idle? Mind your own business and stay out of mine," Peng Ruining, the Storm Roc King, frowned as he turned to the first man.

Then, he scolded the second with venom. "And you, you bitch sylph, Jingling Xiuli! Why don’t you go take a good look in the mirror? What kind of man looks as feminine as you? You were born to bring shame to us male creatures!" His eyes blazed with jealousy and hate.

Jingling Xiuli, the third prince of the Jingling Clan of the Sylph race, had a face that could charm both men and women. That alone was enough for Peng Ruining to despise him. Every time this "bitch" showed up, all attention was drawn to him.

As for Qilin Yu, the descendant of the Qilin Clan of the Kirin race, Peng Ruining didn’t hate him as much. Though Qilin Yu had ethereal beauty and a pair of dark purple eyes like amethyst crystals that seemed to see through all things, he lacked the irritating feminine energy that Jingling Xiuli radiated. Qilin Yu’s aura was pure, calm, and untouched by worldly filth.

"Peng Ruining, what kind of twisted game are you playing this time? Forcing newcomers to serve you in bed again?" Jingling Xiuli tilted his head mockingly.

At that moment, Peng Ruining, Qilin Yu, and Jingling Xiuli seemed to have forgotten Shenlian Yingyue entirely.

Firstly, her presence felt too subtle compared to the overwhelming presences of her companions.

Secondly, the murderous intent radiating from Shenlian Yinzhu and the others toward Peng Ruining was so intense it was impossible to ignore.

Thirdly, the focus of everyone’s attention today was Xiong Zi Ying and the other men around her, because they had become the targets of Peng Ruining’s obsession.

Shenlian Yingyue tilted her head slightly. The names sounded oddly familiar.

Then she remembered. Peng Ruining, king of the Storm Roc Clan, was just a supporting character in the original novel. His entire purpose was to serve as comic relief and add drama in the Ember Dune Desert Arc of the Immortal Realm.

He only appeared in a handful of Chapters.

In the original storyline, he clashed with the female lead, the Daughter of Destiny, over the Immortal Grasses. After losing miserably, he held a grudge and plotted against her, attempting to kill her during a chaotic battle over powerful artifacts.

He failed, and died a tragic, miserable death.

Shenlian Yingyue stared at him, her expression growing strange. The plot had already shifted.

As for Jingling Xiuli and Qilin Yu, their stories were too complex to explain here. Both were Sons of Destiny; and though their lives were filled with hardship and tragedy, they would survive in the end, no matter what disasters befell them.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I don’t like female creatures at all!" Peng Ruining snapped, frowning when he noticed her gaze.

Shenlian Yingyue: "..."

"Either you leave your men here to stay with me, or you get nothing from our storm. Choose!" he said arrogantly, crossing his arms. He finally turned his attention back to her, treating everyone around her like bargaining chips. After all, who could resist the temptation of Immortal Grasses, treasures that granted immense cultivation benefits?

Shenlian Yingyue tried to restrain her companions and her master, who were all on the verge of exploding with rage at Peng Ruining’s shamelessness.

"Uncle Shan, brother, husbands, master, everyone, please calm down," she said softly, gently tugging Xiong Zi Ying’s sleeve and pressing his hand to stop him.

The others frowned tightly, their anger simmering just beneath the surface. But they trusted her, she wouldn’t let them be humiliated.

"Your Immortal Grasses, we don’t want them. Your storm, we never wanted it," Shenlian Yingyue said calmly.

Everyone, including Peng Ruining, was stunned.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, confused. Hadn’t she wanted the Immortal Grasses just moments ago?

"I want to challenge you," Shenlian Yingyue replied, shaking her head. Her tone changed, firm and resolute.

"Why? Do you think you can beat me with your strength?" Peng Ruining raised his picturesque eyebrows in surprise.

"Because I don’t like you," she said simply.

Peng Ruining: "..."

Everyone: "..."