Randeng Daoren also watched with a burning gaze, a wicked thought forming in his mind. He figured that since he technically held the title of Vice Sect Leader, shouldn’t he also get one?
Just as he was wondering how to ask, a chill suddenly ran down his spine!
“Not good!” Randeng’s face changed instantly.
Not just him, but Jiang Ziya and the others also felt their hearts skip a beat. That familiar coldness…
A split second later, a blinding light flashed before their eyes!
Everyone’s heart sank. It was over; something was going to happen! The last time they went for the Taiji Diagram, it was exactly like this!
Sure enough, twenty-four Sea-Fixing Beads smashed down on them in a wild bombardment!
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The Chan Sect immortals were knocked head over heels.
Simultaneously, Su Fu’s Hunyuan Jindou swept through silently.
*Swish!*
The Four Swords of Zhuxian disappeared instantly.
From the moment she struck to the moment she succeeded, not even a single breath had passed. Su Fu took them and ran, not lingering for a second.
By the time Jiang Ziya and the others crawled out from the dust of the Sea-Fixing Beads’ assault, their hands were empty.
“Where… where are the Four Swords of Zhuxian?!” Guangchengzi’s voice cracked.
Jiang Ziya was pale with fright. He looked up to shout for his master’s help, but the moment he raised his head, he saw —
Grandmaster Tongtian had erupted.
*Clang — !*
His long hair danced wildly as thousands of sword-qi strands burst from his body. Dense shadows of swords covered the sky and the sun, and sword-qi crisscrossed until the entire heavens were transformed into a world of swords.
How could anyone gaze directly at the might of a Sage?
Just catching a glimpse of that sky full of sword rain made Jiang Ziya and the others feel a piercing pain in their eyes. They clutched their faces, wailing in agony.
The four Sages stuck to their old routine, layers of protection appearing around them.
Laozi had the Exquisite Pagoda of Heaven and Earth’s Xuanhuang Qi above his head, Yuanshi Tianzun was shrouded in festive clouds, Zhunti stood upon a Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus, and Jieyin had multiple sarira glowing brightly above him.
The four of them seized the gap when Grandmaster Tongtian’s old strength was spent and his new strength had not yet gathered, and they struck together!
*Rumble!*
Grandmaster Tongtian was smashed directly from the high heavens into the ground by the power of four Sages, creating a bottomless crater!
The sky-covering sword array collapsed along with him. The sight of the falling sword rain was terrifying, sending the disciples of both sects, who had been fighting fiercely, screaming as they scattered for their lives.
Although Grandmaster Tongtian had been knocked down, he was merely a bit disheveled.
His loud laughter rang out from the deep pit. “Hahaha! Since my Senior Brothers are beating me so thoroughly, there is no need to hold anything back anymore!”
“Dingguang Immortal, the Six Soul Banner!”
He reached out his hand, seemingly waiting for something.
But after several seconds, there was no reaction.
Just then —
“Master! I’m coming!”
Amidst the dissipating sword rain, Spirit Mother Gui Ling came running. She carried a small snake on her back and held the Six Soul Banner in her arms. Though a turtle is slow, she was currently sprinting with every ounce of speed she possessed, bringing the Six Soul Banner to her master.
Chesia excitedly handed the Six Soul Banner to Grandmaster Tongtian, her eyes sparkling. “Sect Leader, use it quickly!”
Although Grandmaster Tongtian wondered why Long-Ear Dingguang Immortal was nowhere to be found, he knew where his priorities lay. He immediately took the Six Soul Banner and began chanting. At the same time, he activated his Sage’s essence blood, splashing it onto the four names written upon it:
Yuanshi Tianzun, Laozi, Zhunti Shengren, and Jieyin Shengren.
Following Kong Xuan’s suggestion, targeting fewer people allowed for more focus and greater power!
“Senior Brothers,” Grandmaster Tongtian laughed, “I shall show you what the true Ten Thousand Immortals Array is!”
“Profound Origin of Heaven and Earth, Root of Ten Thousand Qi. Through countless eons of cultivation, witness my Godly Power!”
*Rumble — !*
The sky changed color as a mournful wind howled. At this moment, the crumbling sword rain finally vanished completely.
The four Sages looked down into the pit at Grandmaster Tongtian. They saw him holding a strange black banner, and then, he swung it violently!
Streaks of blood-light shot into the sky, transforming into terrifying baleful qi that surrounded the four Sages.
Laozi was the first to change expression. “Not good!”
Realizing something was wrong, he immediately activated the defenses of the Exquisite Pagoda, which burst with brilliant light.
The festive clouds above Yuanshi Tianzun’s head activated automatically. He looked at Tongtian in shock. “What kind of treasure is that?”
He tried to mobilize his magic power, only to find the flow within his body sluggish, as if obstructed by something.
Laozi’s face was grim as he stared at the Six Soul Banner in Tongtian’s hands. “Is this… a secret treasure to curse Sages? Tongtian, you have gone too far!”
Zhunti and Jieyin also felt their magic power failing to circulate, and their expressions shifted drastically.
“Tongtian!” Zhunti roared. “How can you use such despicable means?!”
Grandmaster Tongtian sneered. “Four against one is fair and square, but me using this treasure is despicable? What a wonderful double standard!”
Yuanshi Tianzun shouted sternly, “Tongtian! You are bringing about your own destruction!”
Grandmaster Tongtian stood tall and proud. “Since this is a battle of life and death, why should I care about so much? Today, I invite my Senior Brothers to… give me your critiques!”
The power of the curse erupted.
Zhunti Shengren and Jieyin Shengren, who were completely defenseless against this, were instantly struck with heavy injuries.
“Pfft — ” Jieyin Shengren spat out a mouthful of golden blood. The Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus above his head grew dim, and three of the flowers actually fell off. The golden lotus withered, and its divine light scattered.
Zhunti Shengren was in an even more pathetic state. His Divine Manifestation of twenty-four heads and eighteen arms was shattered by the power of the Six Soul Banner, and he plummeted from the clouds.
“Ah!!” Zhunti let out a miserable wail.
Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun were horrified. “What kind of evil technique is this?! It can actually wound a Sage?!”
Seeing Zhunti falling, a clear cry rang out as Kong Xuan spread his wings. His target was clear as he flew straight toward the falling Zhunti Shengren. His claws snatched Zhunti up, and then he suddenly flew away.
Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun were momentary stunned. “That peacock… could it be Zhunti’s mount?” Yuanshi Tianzun guessed.
Jieyin Shengren, however, suddenly realized the truth, his face twisting. ‘Wait! Zhunti clearly hadn’t subdued that peacock.’
“Oh no! It’s Tongtian — “
He charged frantically toward Kong Xuan, wanting to save Zhunti, but it was too late.
Kong Xuan performed a beautiful dive, throwing Zhunti violently toward a certain patch of empty ground before flying away without looking back, quickly putting distance between them.
A second later, a familiar and terrifying aura suddenly descended —
“Four Swords of Zhuxian, return to your positions!”
“Zhu Xian Sword Array… activate!”
Only this time, Grandmaster Tongtian gave the four Sages no chance to break the array together. He directly activated the sword array, trapping Zhunti Shengren alone inside.
“Kong Xuan was right. When being besieged, picking them off one by one is the way to go!”
Grandmaster Tongtian’s hair was disheveled, but his eyes were frighteningly bright. “Zhunti, on your way!”
The Four Swords of Zhuxian were violently activated. Countless strands of sword-qi intertwined within the array like a seamless Heavenly Net, surrounding Zhunti Shengren completely. The Zhu Xian, Lu Xian, Xian Xian, and Jue Xian swords glowed brilliantly.
*Sizzle!*
“Tongtian! Stop!” Jieyin Shengren roared.
In the next second, countless sword-qi strands sliced the space where Zhunti was into fragments.
The Zhu Xian Sword severed the physical body, the Lu Xian Sword destroyed the primordial spirit, the Xian Xian Sword shattered the true spirit, and the Jue Xian Sword cut off karma.
Before the Western Sage could even scream, he was dismembered by ten thousand swords. His soul was ground away inch by inch, turning into a sky full of golden light that vanished into the heavens.
A Sage had fallen; the world mourned.
Suddenly, blood rained down, and the sun and moon lost their light. This scene shocked everyone. A Sage — a legendary, immortal, and eternal existence — had actually fallen just like that?
Zhu Xian… could it truly ‘slay immortals’?
“Hahaha!” Grandmaster Tongtian looked up and laughed, filled with satisfaction and relief. “Senior Brothers, do you dare enter the array now to break my Zhu Xian Sword Array?”
Seeing this, Yuanshi Tianzun and Laozi’s scalps went numb. How did the Four Swords of Zhuxian return to Tongtian’s hands? More importantly, he actually dared to kill a Sage!
Yuanshi Tianzun looked toward Jiang Ziya’s direction, only to see Guangchengzi, Chijingzi, and the other Chan Sect Golden Immortals lying on the ground, their lives or deaths unknown.
“What, are my Senior Brothers not coming?” Grandmaster Tongtian opened his hand, and the Zhu Xian Sword Array expanded with a roar. “Then I shall let those who belong on the Investiture of the Gods go there!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Zhu Xian sword-qi swept through the field!
*Swish — !*
Like cutting vegetables, the Chan Sect disciples were mowed down in a single instant.
It wasn’t that Yuanshi Tianzun and Laozi didn’t want to move, but rather that the Six Soul Banner was linked to their auras. The power of the curse was like maggots on a bone; every time it was shaken, the magic power in their bodies became stagnant and chaotic. For a moment, they were unable to move.
The Exquisite Pagoda above Laozi’s head hummed and vibrated, and the festive clouds above Yuanshi Tianzun’s head churned continuously, both struggling to resist the poisonous curse specifically designed to counter Sages.
Yuanshi Tianzun watched helplessly as the Zhu Xian Sword Array swept across the battlefield. The Chan Sect disciples fell like grass.
Guangchengzi’s chest was pierced by sword-qi.
Chijingzi’s head flew high into the air.
Cihang Daoren had half of her body crushed.
Wherever the sword-qi passed, blood flowed like a river, and corpses piled up like mountains.
“No — !!!”
Yuanshi Tianzun was driven mad with rage. His disciples! His legacy!
“Tongtian! How dare you?!”
His eyes were bloodshot as he charged like a madman toward Grandmaster Tongtian.
Grandmaster Tongtian sneered and stepped directly into the Zhu Xian Sword Array, waiting for Yuanshi Tianzun to throw himself into the trap.
Jieyin Daoist’s eyes were also red. Zhunti was dead, and the Western Sect’s vitality was severely damaged. He charged into the Zhu Xian Sword Array without regard for his own safety. “Zhunti! I swear to avenge you!”
Seeing this, Laozi knew the situation was beyond repair. He could only steel himself and charge into the array as well. “Things have come to this; we must give it our all!”
If they didn’t stop Tongtian now and break this Zhu Xian Sword Array, this battle for the Investiture of the Gods would likely end with their total annihilation.
Inside the Zhu Xian Sword Array, the four Sages were locked in a chaotic battle.
Grandmaster Tongtian’s Qingping Sword swept through everything, and with Kong Xuan’s Five-Colored Divine Light assisting with sneak attacks, plus the four swords of slaughter, he was actually holding his own against the three of them.
Kong Xuan remembered his mother’s instructions. While fighting, he also picked up ‘leftovers.’ For instance, the Seven Treasure Tree left behind by Zhunti Daoren after his fall was already within his Five-Colored Divine Light.
‘Hehe, Mother will be very happy when she sees this.’
Outside the Zhu Xian Sword Array, Su Fu simply took out the Taiji Diagram and draped it over herself. No matter the sword-qi, no technique could harm her.
She held the Coin of Falling Treasures in her left hand and the Hunyuan Jindou in her right. Wherever she went, treasures disappeared.
Chesia, meanwhile, carried the Chaos Umbrella, harvesting everything in sight. She was absolutely delighted. “I want this one! And that one too!”
The remaining Chan Sect disciples were spitting blood with rage. “Shameless! Absolutely shameless!”
“That’s my treasure! Give it back!”
“Stop! That’s the Purple Gold Gourd I’ve been saving for 300 years!”
Su Fu didn’t even look back as she flew away. “Collect, collect, collect!”
At the same time, the disciples of the Sect of Interception on the battlefield carefully avoided the sword-qi by following the paths Grandmaster Tongtian had told them beforehand, even taking the opportunity to kill several Chan Sect disciples.
But the Chan Sect disciples were bewildered. Under the Zhu Xian Sword Array, they were like lambs to the slaughter, with countless casualties.
“How do we dodge this Zhu Xian Sword Array?!”
“Help! Ah!”
Randeng Daoren was stumbling as he ran for his life when he suddenly saw a figure frantically collecting treasures on the battlefield.
“You—who are you? How dare you take advantage of the chaos to commit robbery?” Randeng roared.
Su Fu didn’t even lift her head. She flicked the Coin of Falling Treasures, and the lamp on Randeng’s person immediately flew into her hand.
She had almost forgotten this old shady dog.
Randeng: “???”