Early morning, Xiqi Military Camp, Hundred Grasses Hall.
Su Fu had gotten up early and was leisurely drying herbs when she suddenly heard a world-shaking roar of fury—
“Who stole my Sea-Fixing Beads?!!”
She looked toward the source of the sound and saw Ran Deng Daoren, his beard and hair bristling, his face ash-gray with rage.
It wasn’t just her; everyone else in the camp was startled by the roar.
People peered out, whispering among themselves.
“The Sea-Fixing Beads? Isn’t that Zhao Gongming’s magic treasure?”
“Shh! Didn’t you hear? Daoist Ran Deng returned yesterday beaming with joy, saying he had seized the Sea-Fixing Beads from Zhao Gongming!”
“What? And now he says they’re gone… were they stolen?”
“That’s impossible! Who could steal something from Daoist Ran Deng? And do it so quietly?”
Su Fu joined the gossip, crossing her arms as she sighed, “Oh dear, who could be so wicked as to steal someone’s treasure?”
“Exactly! Wait… stolen treasure doesn’t count!”
While the crowd discussed it, Ran Deng Daoren was livid.
He barked out an order, “Search! Search the entire camp!”
The disciples of the Chan Sect fanned out aggressively, searching every single tent and even using their divine senses to sweep every inch of ground.
But unfortunately, they found nothing.
At that moment, Yang Jian walked up to Ran Deng and spoke in a deep voice, “Uncle, could it be… that the beads you brought back were fake to begin with? Did that Cao Bao trick you?”
Hearing this, Su Fu couldn’t help but look at Yang Jian.
She praised him in her heart, ‘As expected of the most intelligent and courageous of the third-generation Chan Sect disciples. His mind really does work fast!’
Yang Jian continued to explain, “Furthermore, since even you didn’t notice any abnormalities, it’s highly unlikely they were stolen. If they weren’t stolen, why would they vanish without reason? That can only mean there was something wrong with the treasure itself.”
Ran Deng’s expression changed drastically.
He suddenly recalled the various oddities when Cao Bao had offered the treasure yesterday—the man had been far too respectful and had even made excuses not to return to camp with him.
“That damn Cao Bao! How dare he play me for a fool?!”
Ran Deng’s hair stood on end with fury.
With a flick of his sleeve, he said, “Yang Jian, guard the camp! I will return shortly!”
Before his voice had even faded, he transformed into a beam of green light and shot toward Mount Wuyi, clearly intending to demand an explanation from Cao Bao.
“Did Ran Deng Daoren get tricked?” Wu Ji asked curiously.
“It looks that way.” Huang Tianhua shook his head and sighed, “To be fooled by a rogue cultivator… it’s truly…”
“Shh! Keep it down!” Lei Zhenzi quickly stopped him, afraid Ran Deng might hear.
Su Fu was delighted.
It truly was a case of one person’s misfortune being everyone else’s celebration.
***
Mount Wuyi, the pavilion.
Ran Deng landed at the pavilion and immediately swept the entire mountain range with his divine sense.
From the peak to the foot, from the streams to the woods, his face grew darker the more he searched.
“Cao Bao! Get out here!”
However, the mountain wind was quiet, and the pavilion remained empty.
There wasn’t a soul in sight.
“Where are they?!”
Forget the rogue cultivator—even the chessboard and Xiao Sheng’s remains had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
He smashed the stone table in the pavilion with a single palm strike.
He then performed a hand seal to trigger a divination technique, but the result was like a stone sinking into the ocean, yielding no response.
Everything in the past was a blur, shrouded in a layer of mist.
He couldn’t calculate a single thing.
Ran Deng was horrified, ‘What is going on? Could Cao Bao really have the power to veil Heaven’s Secret?’
‘No, that wasn’t right. To veil Heaven’s Secret required the methods of a Saint at the very least. Did that mean he had someone backing him?’
“It must be Cao Bao who stole the treasure and deceived me!” Ran Deng gritted his teeth, his hatred growing as he thought about it.
No wonder Cao Bao refused to return to Xiqi yesterday.
No wonder it had been so easy to collect the Sea-Fixing Beads.
It had been a scam from start to finish.
But who was the Saint standing behind those two?!
***
Back in the Xiqi Military Camp, Su Fu was leisurely organizing her herbs, not worried at all.
There was no way Ran Deng Daoren could find anything out, considering who was backing her.
Sure enough, a figure flashed across the sky, and Ran Deng returned with a gloomy face.
He had clearly discovered nothing.
But before he could even land, a thunderous roar suddenly came from outside the camp.
“Ran Deng, you old dog! Give me back my Sea-Fixing Beads!”
It was Zhao Gongming’s voice.
Su Fu thought to herself, ‘Did he successfully borrow the Golden Dragon Scissors and come back for revenge?’
She definitely had to go see this.
Ran Deng Daoren, who had just returned in disgrace, felt his vision go dark when he heard the shout.
‘This is bad!’
Outside, Zhao Gongming continued to shout, “Ran Deng, you old thief! How dare you steal my treasure! If I don’t snip you into pieces today, I swear I am not a man!”
As expected, after borrowing the Golden Dragon Scissors, Zhao Gongming had declared war on Xiqi again.
To be more precise, he had declared war on Ran Deng Daoren.
The Xiqi side had no choice but to march out to meet him.
Their army was arrayed, banners fluttering, filled with a murderous aura.
Su Fu remained at the front lines of the spectators, leisurely snacking on melon seeds.
Zhao Gongming sat atop his black tiger, holding the Golden Dragon Scissors, his eyes burning with fury.
The scissors were formed by two dragons entwined with each other, their heads meeting like blades.
It was a terrifying sight.
Ran Deng Daoren looked grave.
He rode a spotted deer at the front of the formation, flanked by the Twelve Golden Immortals.
Before he could even say a word of intimidation, Zhao Gongming directly unleashed the Golden Dragon Scissors.
Seeing this, the Twelve Golden Immortals immediately scattered, each releasing their own magic treasures to surround and attack Zhao Gongming.
Zhao Gongming did not retreat.
The two golden dragons roared forth.
Ran Deng hurried to block them with his Ruler of Heaven and Earth.
With a massive “clang” sparks flew, and Ran Deng was knocked backward.
‘What powerful scissors!’ Ran Deng hissed, a hint of retreat forming in his mind.
The Twelve Golden Immortals quickly moved forward to assist him.
Various magic treasures were released, shining with immense light, but they were all driven back by the Golden Dragon Scissors.
Everyone was afraid their treasures would be snipped in half, so they didn’t dare fight head-on and were forced to retreat.
Su Fu watched from the side, her heart racing, ‘Those scissors are too fierce!’
On the battlefield, Zhao Gongming moved as if through an empty field.
The Golden Dragon Scissors were invincible, and the Twelve Golden Immortals were beaten back repeatedly, unable to form an effective encirclement.
The group was in a pathetic state, but Ran Deng was hit the hardest.
He was Zhao Gongming’s primary target and narrowly escaped being snipped several times.
When the scissors rushed at him again, Ran Deng panicked.
He urged his spotted deer to flee.
“Trying to run?!” Zhao Gongming roared, the scissors turning into two streaks of golden light.
Ran Deng abandoned his deer and fled for his life.
The spotted deer was left behind and was snipped in half at the waist!
Chesia watched in shock and said, “This is too much! With one snip, even the mount is cut in two?!”
“The Twelve Golden Immortals working together aren’t even a match for him alone?”
Seeing Ran Deng flee, the Twelve Golden Immortals didn’t dare stay and fled in a panic.
Xiqi had suffered a crushing defeat in this battle.
Jiang Ziya quickly gathered his generals for another meeting to discuss a strategy.
Inside the main tent, everyone looked troubled, and the atmosphere was heavy.
“What are we going to do?”
“Those scissors are too fierce. We can’t face them head-on!”
“This war can’t be won.”
“If this continues, Xiqi will be in grave danger!”
At that moment, a light chuckle came from outside the tent, “Do not worry, everyone. I have a plan that can slay Zhao Gongming.”
Everyone turned to see a Daoist floating into the tent.
It was Lu Ya Daoist, who had once broken one of the Ten Trials.
Jiang Ziya rose to greet him and asked, “What plan do you have, fellow Daoist?”
Lu Ya spoke calmly, “I have a magic treasure called the Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Script. It can bring victory without a fight. But it requires twenty-one days of cursing to kill Zhao Gongming.”
The crowd was overjoyed.
“As long as there is a way!”
They immediately helped Lu Ya set up an altar for the ritual.
An altar was built, and a straw man was placed upon it with Zhao Gongming’s name written on it.
Lamps were placed, and they bowed three times a day.
After twenty-one days, they would shoot the straw man, and his soul would be shattered!
Seeing this, Su Fu knew Zhao Gongming didn’t have much longer to live.
And once he died, the story would reach the core plot of the Investiture of the Gods.
The Three Goddesses—Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao—would descend the mountain to avenge their brother and set up the Nine-Bend Yellow River Array.
Combined with the Hunyuan Jindou, this array could turn Immortals into mortals.
The Twelve Golden Immortals under Yuanshi Tianzun would have the Three Flowers atop their heads and the Five Qi in their chests shaved off.
Their thousand years of cultivation would vanish, and they would all become mortals.
“Turning Immortals into mortals, destroying their foundation…” Su Fu murmured to herself, “That’s even more ruthless than killing them directly.”
In fact, it would shock the entire Great Desolation.
Ultimately, Yuanshi Tianzun would be forced to personally intervene to save his disciples.
But even he wouldn’t dare face the array alone and would have to seek Laozi’s help.
Laozi would use the Taiji Diagram to pin down the Hunyuan Jindou, and Yuanshi Tianzun would use the Pangu Banner to break the array.
Only then could they rescue the Twelve Golden Immortals.
This meant that after this battle, the Saints would personally enter the fray, elevating the war to another level.
The Great Tribulation would escalate completely.
But for Su Fu, this was a golden opportunity.
When the Saints left their homes, “robbing the nest” became possible.
Su Fu pondered, ‘It was time to contact Huangfu Yun again. That man possessed a God Mecha, and his spatial phasing ability was perfectly suited for such a high-risk operation.’
She quickly sent a message: [The Twelve Golden Immortals are being beaten back. Are you still going to keep waiting?]
***
Kunlun Mountain, Yuxu Palace.
Huangfu Yun stared at the message from Su Fu, her heart sinking.
Chiya and Zero looked at each other, both seeing the gravity in the other’s eyes.
“Su Fu contacting us now means the situation is about to change. Something big is going to happen next.”
Chiya frowned, “Even the Twelve Golden Immortals can’t hold their ground. Next… the Saints will definitely intervene personally.”
The situation had escalated.
Zero was silent for a moment before analyzing, “Once the Saints act, the war will spiral completely out of control. By then, we won’t even have a chance to fish in troubled waters.”
“What should we do?”
The three of them looked at one another, left with only one question: Should they gamble or not?
“I think we can take the gamble,” Chiya finally said.
They had found nothing during this entire time, yet the war was progressing rapidly.
Who would have thought they were already at the point where the Saints would intervene?
If they kept waiting, they would lose any chance to change things.
Huangfu Yun agreed.
Right now, Su Fu was their only opening.
Without further hesitation, she replied: [What do you want us to do?]
***
Twenty-one days later, Zhao Gongming suddenly collapsed in his camp.
When the news spread, the entire Xiqi camp erupted in celebration.
The shadow hanging over them was finally gone!
At the same time, Shen Gongbao took the news and rushed to the Three Immortals Island.
Not long after, Shen Gongbao rode his white-fronted tiger down the mountain at a leisurely pace.
He was in an excellent mood as he stroked his chin and muttered, “The plan is a success.”
“I’ve convinced the Three Goddesses. They’ve ignored Grandmaster Tongtian’s prohibition and insisted on descending the mountain to avenge Zhao Gongming.”
“Besides them, I’ve also persuaded Hanzhi Xian, Caiyun Xianzi, and others to join the fight.”
“With the Nine-Bend Yellow River Array and the Hunyuan Jindou, Jiang Ziya has no chance of victory!”
At the thought of this, Shen Gongbao began to hum a little tune.
He could almost see the scene of Jiang Ziya’s defeat—the disciples of the Chan Sect killed, Xiqi destroyed, and himself being rewarded for his great contribution!
Just then, a voice with a hint of a smile suddenly came from behind him.
“Fellow Daoist, please stay a moment.”
Shen Gongbao’s smile instantly froze.
“???”