Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Kong Xuan smiled.

The smile was so faint that it was almost imperceptible.

But there was an indescribable complexity in that smile.

"Name?"

He murmured something, his gaze piercing through the palace ceiling, looking into the endless depths of chaos.

Looking towards the distant past and the unknown future.

Kong Xuan.

The two words were uttered with a calm, still expression.

Tongtian shuddered.

Kong Xuan.

This is the title of the senior.

Simple and ordinary.

But from this day forward, these two words will be engraved on his Tongtian heart and in the hearts of the disciples of the Jie Sect.

It is etched in the memory of all living beings in the primordial world.

"Senior Kong Xuan."

Tongtian bowed deeply:

"This disciple has remembered."

"From this day forward, the name Kong Xuan will be that of the founder of the Jie Sect and the teacher of all ages."

The words fell.

He turned and strode away.

Outside the palace, the chaotic sea surged, and Jin'ao Island rose and fell.

Tongtian stood atop the island, his black robes fluttering, his sword intent soaring to the heavens.

He gazed at this vast expanse of land and sky, at this sacred place bestowed upon him by his predecessors.

Suddenly he looked up at the sky and let out a long roar.

The roar was like a sword, piercing through the chaos and shaking the heavens!

"Starting today!"

"This place is called Jin'ao Island!"

"Starting today!"

"Our path is called the Intercepting Sect!"

"Seize a glimmer of hope, and pave a way forward for all!"

"Those who are destined to join are welcome to do so!"

The sound rolled on, spreading throughout the chaotic sea and reaching the primordial land!

Countless creatures lurking in the depths of chaos suddenly opened their eyes!

Countless rogue cultivators wandering on the edge of the primordial world raised their heads in unison!

The Intercepting Sect!

Seize a sliver of hope!

What a magnificent spirit!

What a path this is!

Some were tempted, some hesitated, some sneered, and some were disdainful.

But for many others, an unprecedented light ignited in their eyes.

Because they could hear the sincerity in that voice.

Because they sensed the purity within that sword intent.

That's true.

That's believable.

That is something worth entrusting your life to.

On Jin'ao Island.

Tongtian stood atop the mountain, his body radiating sword intent.

He sensed it.

They sensed faint auras slowly approaching Jin'ao Island from within the Chaos Sea.

Those auras were weak, even somewhat feeble.

Yet, within that aura lay an indescribable firmness.

That's trust.

Is hope.

They entrusted their lives and fortunes to him.

It is to place one's hopes on the future path.

Tongtian closed his eyes.

In my mind, Kong Xuan's calm, unfathomable eyes came to mind.

That sentence came to mind:

"Because you're soft-hearted, because you're sentimental."

"Only someone like this is qualified to lead the Jie Sect."

Tongtian opened his eyes.

His gaze was like a sword, piercing through the chaos.

"bring it on."

He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, yet carrying an unprecedented firmness:

"Come to the Jie Sect."

"To seek that glimmer of hope."

"Let's walk a path that truly belongs to us."

Behind them, inside the main hall of Jin'ao Island.

Kong Xuan sat cross-legged on a futon, his black robe trailing behind him, his gaze piercing through the palace walls and landing on Tongtian.

He gazed at the figure in black robes fluttering in the wind, and at those eyes as sharp as swords.

The corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"The Intercepting Sect..."

He whispered something, so softly that only he could hear it:

"It's finally here."

The words fell.

He slowly closed his eyes.

His aura completely subsided, merging with the entire Golden Turtle Island.

It seemed to have transformed into an ancient, eternal statue of chaos.

They were suppressed here.

Observe the eternity in silence.

......

At the summit of Mount Buzhou.

Chaotic currents surged like a tide, crashing against the ancient mountain that stood like a pillar reaching to the sky.

The three thousand travelers in the mortal world have not yet dispersed.

Di Jun sat cross-legged on a protruding rock, his body surrounded by the True Fire of the Sun, its dazzling light illuminating all directions. His face was still deathly pale; he had not yet fully recovered from the injuries inflicted by the Heavenly Pressure.

But he was unwilling to leave.

Tongtian is gone.

That senior colleague has also left.

But the shackles of the Heavenly Dao still shackle him.

Donghuang Taiyi huddled beside his elder brother, his breath weak and his face ashen. With the Chaos Bell destroyed and his Dao foundation damaged, he was no longer the mighty demon king he once was.

"Brother..."

Donghuang Taiyi spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse:

"Do we...have to keep waiting?"

Di Jun did not answer.

He just stared intently at the east, at the direction where the Three Pure Ones had departed.

He is waiting.

Waiting for news from Lao Tzu and Yuan Shi.

We'll see if they can persuade Tongtian to return.

Waiting for that sliver of hope... for liberation.

Nuwa and Fuxi stood side by side on the other side of the mountain peak.

The phantom image of the Mountain and River Map slowly swirled behind her, reflecting the phantom images of all the primordial spirits. But at this moment, those phantom images were all dim and lifeless, as if they were in harmony with her state of mind.

The fragments of the Bagua compass in Fuxi's hand spun rapidly, deducing the secrets of heaven.

All that can be deduced is chaos.

A chaotic scene where the road ahead is indistinct.

"Brother."

Nuwa spoke softly, her voice tinged with weariness:

"Do you think Tongtian will come back?"

Fuxi remained silent.

After a long silence, he slowly shook his head:

"I don't know."

"But if it were me, being questioned and pressured like that..."

He paused, then didn't continue.

But Nuwa understood.

If it were her, she wouldn't come back either.

Hongyun Patriarch sat slumped on a blue stone, his face pale and his aura disordered.

He gazed eastward, his eyes filled with regret.

"If only I had known... if only I hadn't forced Tongtian like that..."

He murmured softly, his voice hoarse:

"Now that he's gone, what are we... what are we to do?"

Zhen Yuanzi stood beside him, his long sleeves hanging down, and the illusory image of the Earth Script floating and sinking.

He didn't speak.

He simply gazed silently eastward, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

Jieyin and Zhunti supported each other, huddled at the edge of the crowd.

The two men were deathly pale, their golden light dimmed, like two withered grasses struck by frost.

"Senior brother..."

Zhunti spoke in a low voice, his voice trembling:

"Is Tongtian really not coming back?"

The guide did not reply.

He just stared intently at the east, his eyes filled with despair.

The Kunpeng huddled further away, its black wings tightly folded, completely concealing its form in the shadows.

He has always been a loner and has never wanted to get close to anyone.

But at this moment, from within the shadows, came waves of uncontrollable tremors.

That was fear.

It is fear of what lies ahead.

It is the fear of the unknown.

The twelve Ancestral Witches stood on the other side of the cliff, their twelve figures brimming with bloodlust, yet they were all silent at this moment.

Dijiang gazed eastward, the spatial power around him in disarray.

Gonggong and Zhurong stood side by side, one steaming with water vapor, the other raging with flames, yet at this moment, there was not the slightest conflict between the water and the fire.

Because they are all thinking the same thing.

Tongtian is gone.

That senior colleague has also left.

What should be done about the shackles of Heaven on them?

Time flowed slowly in the deathly silence.

Every breath felt like an eternity.

suddenly.

A voice echoed from the depths of chaos.

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears with crystal clarity:

"Starting today!"

"This place is called Jin'ao Island!"

"Starting today!"

"Our path is called the Intercepting Sect!"

"Seize a glimmer of hope, and pave a way forward for all!"

"Those who are destined to join are welcome to do so!"