The current Tongtian was a completely different person from the one who had retreated in defeat from the Immortal-Slaying Array.
Although his hair was still messy, the will to fight had been rekindled in his eyes.
Seeing that his revenge was imminent, he was in a great mood, and his tone was a bit gentler.
Clearly, the successful development of the Six-Soul Banner had restored his confidence.
Su Fu respectfully bowed her head. “Grandmaster Tongtian is righteous! This junior has come specifically to seek refuge and offer you a helping hand.”
“Oh? To seek refuge with me?” Tongtian looked surprised. Since the battle of the Immortal-Slaying Array, disciples of the Sect of Interception had either left or surrendered, with most turning to join the Chan Sect. Now, there was actually someone—no, a peacock—who had come to seek refuge with him of its own accord?
He knew that people in the Great Desolation typically curried favor and followed the wind. Now that he had been defeated, that there were still beings willing to follow him truly surprised him—especially this peacock with such an extraordinary aura.
He carefully scrutinized the peacock. “Why look for me?”
Su Fu immediately put on an air of righteous indignation. “Grandmaster Tongtian is awe-inspiringly righteous and cares for all living beings. You do not abandon the birds and beasts and you accept disciples broadly. How can the other Saints compare to such magnanimity?”
“Furthermore, Grandmaster may not know, but I was originally guarding Golden Chicken Ridge, living a carefree life. But then that Zhunti Daoist suddenly appeared and insisted that I was fated with him, wanting to take me to the West to be a mount.”
“I am a noble innate peacock! How could I serve as someone’s mount?”
“But that bald donkey Zhunti claimed to be merciful while attempting to rely on his Saint cultivation to forcibly take me as a slave! If I hadn’t fought with my life to break free, I would have already been reduced to a mount beneath someone’s legs, suffering such humiliation!”
“What a shameless bald donkey!” Tongtian was furious upon hearing this and said hatefully, “I hate those who bully others with their power the most! They spend all day talking about saving all living beings, but what they do is nothing but robbery!”
Su Fu took the opportunity to lower her head and sobbed, “This junior has long heard of the Sect of Interception’s Dao of ‘education without discrimination.’ Anyone with a heart for the Dao can enter the gate, regardless of their origins. I have heard of this long ago and have yearned for it for a long time. Those Western Daoists interfere in the affairs of our Eastern Xuanmen; they look dignified on the surface but are actually despicable! I thought about it over and over, and I felt I must stand up and lend you a hand.”
These words struck Grandmaster Tongtian right in the heart. His original intention in creating the Sect of Interception was to seize a glimmer of hope for all living beings, advocating for education without discrimination. Yet he was repeatedly mocked by Yuanshi Tianzun for “not distinguishing between those with fur and horns, and those born from moisture or eggs.”
To have his Dao understood so well by a peacock now gave Grandmaster Tongtian the feeling of having found a soulmate.
“Good! Well said!” Tongtian waved his sleeve excitedly. “My two senior brothers say I’m unorthodox every day. I didn’t expect the one who understands my Dao best to be a peacock.”
He said with great pride, “Since you seek my protection, how could I, Tongtian, sit idly by? From this day forward, you are a disciple of my Sect of Interception! I doubt even Zhunti would dare come to my sect to demand anyone!”
But he then became serious. “However, you must think clearly. I am going up against four Saints.”
“Grandmaster is wise. It is precisely because they are using their numbers to bully you that I must help. To be honest, although I am a bird, I have also cultivated Godly Power and may be able to assist you.”
Grandmaster Tongtian was overjoyed. “Good! Good! What if you’re a bird? Under my Sect of Interception, Spirit Mother Gui Ling attained the Dao as a turtle!”
The more he looked at the peacock, the more he liked it. “You are much better than those who are ungrateful and treacherous.”
Su Fu see this situation, stopped being secretive and directly suggested, “Grandmaster, this junior has one more suggestion.”
“Speak your mind.” Grandmaster Tongtian already had a very favorable impression of this sensible peacock.
Su Fu said, “Although the Immortal-Slaying Array was lost last time, it was because the four Saints ganged up on you. In any case, the four Zhu Xian Swords must never fall into their hands; otherwise, they will be used to slaughter our fellow disciples. Therefore, I request permission to use a strategy to return the four swords to their original master!”
Grandmaster Tongtian was stunned. Right, how could he have forgotten this? “That scoundrel Yuanshi took advantage of the chaos to steal the four Zhu Xian Swords. If he uses my own treasures to slaughter my disciples in the Ten Thousand Immortals Array, wouldn’t that be the joke of the century?”
No, he absolutely had to get them back in advance.
“Well said,” Tongtian said, his eyes shining as he looked at Su Fu. “You peacock actually have some insight. As expected of a general who guarded Golden Chicken Ridge, you indeed understand the art of war.”
The more he looked at this peacock, the more he liked her. Not only did she have a grudge against Zhunti, but she also understood military strategy and was meticulous—much better than that group of disciples who only knew how to yell and kill.
“In that case, follow me back to Biyou Palace first. The Ten Thousand Immortals Array is imminent, and we need a talent like you.”
“It won’t be too late to retrieve them after we set up the Ten Thousand Immortals Array.”
Su Fu naturally agreed and praised Grandmaster Tongtian a few more times, making him so happy he couldn’t stop smiling, calling her a soulmate and lamenting that they hadn’t met sooner.
Chesia, who had watched the whole process, was dumbfounded. “…” ‘Huh? That’s it? It worked?’
—
Biyou Palace.
Upon entering Biyou Palace, Grandmaster Tongtian immediately summoned his followers. When the disciples saw the Grandmaster bring back a peacock, they were puzzled at first. But when they heard that he had been persecuted by Zhunti, they immediately felt a common hatred.
Wu Yun Xian: “That old Daoist Zhunti is the most shameless. He talks of saving people, but he actually kidnaps them!”
Spirit Mother Jinling: “When have they ever treated us like people? They just use us as objects!”
Qiu Shou Xian: “In this Ten Thousand Immortals Array, we must tear those hypocrites to pieces!”
Su Fu thought, ‘As expected, they’re just a bunch of straightforward little animals. They have no guard against someone like me who is also “born from moisture or eggs.” It takes no effort at all to fool them. *Cough cough*, just like… Chesia.’
Soon, everyone began to discuss the formation of the array. The Taiji Array, the Yin-Yang Array, the Four Symbols Array… various profound array formations were proposed one by one, to be personally guarded by Wu Yun Xian and the others.
And the final Six-Soul Banner was still entrusted by Grandmaster Tongtian to his most trusted Long-Ear Dingguang Immortal.
“This banner is the key to defeating the enemy. When the final battle comes, wait for my command to sacrifice it!” Grandmaster Tongtian instructed solemnly.
Long-Ear Dingguang Immortal took it respectfully. “This disciple will not fail the Grandmaster’s trust.”
After the discussion, the immortals hurried away to prepare. Su Fu, however, quietly called out to Spirit Mother Gui Ling. “Spirit Mother, please wait.”
Spirit Mother Gui Ling turned back, puzzled. “Me? Does Fellow Daoist Kong Xuan have some advice?”
Not only was she puzzled, but Grandmaster Tongtian was also a bit confused. Both of them looked at the peacock transformed from Su Fu.
Su Fu sighed first and then said, “The strategies and arrays just now were all very good, but there is one flaw.”
Spirit Mother Gui Ling and Grandmaster Tongtian were both stunned and became nervous. “A flaw? What flaw?”
Su Fu’s expression was solemn as she said in a heavy voice, “Grandmaster, the Six-Soul Banner is the core killing weapon of the Ten Thousand Immortals Array. It is naturally safe to leave it in the care of Long-Ear Dingguang Immortal. But the problem is, what if those people from the Chan Sect play a trick and lure him into a trap to steal the banner with a secret technique? What should we do then?”
The two of them paused. They truly hadn’t thought of such a possibility.
Spirit Mother Gui Ling gasped. “Fellow Daoist Kong Xuan is right. Guangchengzi is best at scheming, and Randeng Daoren is even more insidious. If they join forces to set a trap…”
“In that case, we must tighten our security.”
Grandmaster Tongtian was about to nod in agreement when he saw Su Fu slowly shake her head. “No, instead, we should proceed according to the original plan.”
“The more protection there is, the more suspicious it will be, and it will force them to use even more underhanded tricks. It’s better to be loose on the outside but tight on the inside. Keep everything normal on the surface, but have Spirit Mother Gui Ling watch him in secret.”
“In addition, I have a friend with a very wide range of perception. With her help, she can keep an eye on Long-Ear Dingguang Immortal at all times. When the time comes, if you two cooperate, no matter what schemes the Chan Sect uses, they can all be completely unraveled!”
Grandmaster Tongtian thought about it and realized it was true. He said with joy, “This plan is brilliant! Loose on the outside, tight on the inside—they’ll never see it coming!”
Su Fu smiled and then released Chesia, explaining, “This friend of mine was also harmed by those Daoists. Her physical body was destroyed, leaving only a single soul…”
Chesia cooperatively curled into a ball, looking pitiful.
“But because of this, she doesn’t attract attention, making her perfect for secret observation.”
Spirit Mother Gui Ling looked at Chesia’s soul, her eyes full of pity. “Those people have done every evil deed, yet they insist on putting on a righteous face! You have suffered, Fellow Daoist… Those hypocrites will get what’s coming to them sooner or later!”
She actively invited her, and Chesia climbed onto her back. The turtle and the snake were unexpectedly harmonious.
Grandmaster Tongtian also laughed at this scene. “Brilliant! Spirit Mother Gui Ling is steady, and the spirit snake is sharp. With you two cooperating, no matter how the Chan Sect schemes, they won’t escape your eyes.”
Su Fu looked at the little snake coiled on Spirit Mother Gui Ling’s shell and suddenly realized—wait. A turtle shell paired with a snake tail… isn’t that the Black Tortoise?
Now, with Chesia’s perception and Spirit Mother Gui Ling taking action, Long-Ear Dingguang Immortal wouldn’t be able to take the Six-Soul Banner away.
In this way, the Ten Thousand Immortals Array was ready.
As for her, the peacock, the Five-Colored Divine Light could collect all treasures. When the time came, she would let the real Kong Xuan focus on collecting treasures on the battlefield and attract all the firepower.
She would take the opportunity to get back those Zhu Xian Swords, and then Grandmaster Tongtian could redeploy the Immortal-Slaying Array. With the Six-Soul Banner cursing the Saints and the Immortal-Slaying Array to coordinate, it would become possible for Tongtian to fight one against four.
This time, it would at least be a fifty-fifty split, right?
When the Saints were busy, the battlefield would be her home turf.
Chaos Umbrella, Coin of Falling Treasures, Hunyuan Jindou… time to get to work!