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

Yuan Shi was furious.

In countless ages, when has the Primordial Celestial Venerable ever suffered such humiliation?

Laozi, the head of the Three Pure Ones, was forced to retreat by a junior and showed weakness in public. This is an unprecedented disgrace since the founding of the Xuanmen sect!

But after a moment of turmoil in his chest, which was about to explode with rage, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and calmed down as if enlightened.

wrong.

What kind of person is the eldest brother?

Since the beginning of time, he has gone through countless tribulations, led the Human Sect, and served as the pillar of the Xuanmen. His thoughts are so profound that even his second brother often cannot see through them.

How could he really be afraid of Kong Xuan, who had just attained the Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal realm?

Showing weakness...showing the enemy weakness?

Yes!

A glint of light flashed in Yuanshi's eyes, and he instantly understood the crux of the matter.

The Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation!

It cannot be broken without the Four Saints!

In the current calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, the Jie Sect may seem powerful, but its greatest reliance is actually the Zhuxian Sword Formation in Tongtian.

As long as the sword formation remains, and the Four Saints are not all present, no one can shake the foundation of the Jie Sect.

They had previously made a secret agreement with the two Western Saints to join forces to break the formation at a crucial moment.

But now Zhunti is confined to Mount Sumeru by the Dao Ancestor, and Jieyin alone cannot support the situation.

If we were to confront Kong Xuan here now and fight him to the death, even if we won, we would be severely weakened.

How will we break the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation then?

"Brother, you're... playing a grand game."

Yuan Shi suddenly understood. The raging anger was instantly extinguished as if doused with ice water, replaced by a chilling and calculating mind.

They feigned weakness to lull Tongtian and Kong Xuan into a false sense of security.

This led them to believe that there was discord within the Xuanmen sect and that there were also misunderstandings among the sages.

Once they lower their guard, that will be the time for a thunderous strike!

As for today's humiliation...

Yuanshi lowered his gaze slightly, sweeping over the million-strong army below, over the Jie Sect disciples standing guard on the city wall, and finally back to Kong Xuan.

There is ample time.

Once the Zhuxian Sword Formation is broken and the Jie Sect is destroyed, Kong Xuan will be all alone.

When the four saints join forces, are they afraid they won't be able to deal with a junior who has just attained the Hunyuan realm?

Thinking of this, Yuanshi's anger vanished, replaced by a meaningful sneer.

He slowly withdrew the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, and the Jade Purity Immortal Light around him also subsided, and the overwhelming holy might receded like a tide.

Kong Xuan.

Yuan Shi spoke, his voice still icy, but the murderous intent that had been so intense before was gone:

"Since you have spoken of the ancestral decree, the sages are not to interfere."

"Then I will do as you say."

He stepped back onto the Nine Dragons Sandalwood Carriage, which slowly retreated, hovering in the void to the side of the battlefield:

"I will observe today's battle from this very spot."

"If you want war, then fight."

"If you dare not fight..."

Yuan Shi's lips curled slightly, revealing a hint of mockery:

"Then leave quickly, lest you embarrass yourself here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the battlefield fell silent.

Everyone was stunned.

The Primordial Sage, who was just moments ago on the verge of a life-or-death battle, actually... backed down.

And the retreat was so decisive, so...frustrating?

Jiang Ziya was speechless, and almost dropped the God-Slaying Whip in his hand.

The twelve Golden Immortals looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Guang Chengzi clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh.

Master... has also retired?

On the city wall, Zhao Gongming, the Three Immortals, and others were also taken aback.

Bixiao blinked and whispered:

"Master Yuanshi... is he afraid of the Vice Leader?"

Yunxiao shook his head, his gaze deep:

No, he's not afraid.

"He's scheming."

Qiongxiao frowned:

"What are you plotting?"

Before Yunxiao could answer, Kong Xuan chuckled softly.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it carried a knowing, playful quality.

"Fellow Daoist Yuanshi truly understands the bigger picture."

Kong Xuan stood with his hands behind his back on the chaotic lotus platform, his black robe fluttering in the wind:

"In that case... let's fight."

He turned his gaze to Jiang Ziya, his voice calm:

"Jiang Ziya, you may give the order."

"Today, before Chuanyun Pass, the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect will each rely on their own abilities."

"The sage observes the battle but does not intervene."

"Life and death...I am arrogant."

The last four words struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

Jiang Ziya trembled, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the surging fear in his heart.

He looked up at Yuanshi Tianzun.

Yuanshi sat upright on the sandalwood chariot with his eyes closed, as if he had already traveled to another world, indifferent to the war below.

But Jiang Ziya knew that his master was waiting.

Wait until the Xiqi army breaks through the pass, wait until the disciples of the Jie Sect perish, wait until more names are added to the Investiture of the Gods.

"If that's the case..."

Jiang Ziya gritted his teeth and slowly raised the God-Slaying Whip in his hand:

"Then... let's fight!"

"Beat the drums!"

"Marching forward!"

Rumble!

The war drums sounded again, like thunder rolling across the land.

The million-strong army of Xiqi surged like a tide, their weapons gleaming coldly in the sky, and their killing intent soaring to the heavens!

"kill!!!"

The battle cries shook the heavens and the earth, and the area in front of Chuanyun Pass instantly turned into a battlefield of carnage!

On the city wall, a fierce glint flashed in Zhao Gongming's eyes:

"Set up the formation!"

Twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls shot into the sky, transforming into twenty-four illusory images of the heavens, casting down boundless blue light that enveloped the entire Cloud-Piercing Pass!

The three immortals exchanged a glance and stepped forward together.

With a gentle wave of her hand, Yunxiao caused the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron to spin rapidly, radiating nine-colored light.

"Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, activate!"

Qiongxiao and Bixiao made their moves simultaneously.

The Golden Dragon Scissors transformed into two ancient dragons, intertwining and coiling, their ferocious aura sweeping across all directions!

The wind bag unfolded, and the Samadhi Divine Wind roared out, sending sand and stones flying and changing the color of the sky and earth!

The myriad immortals of the Jie Sect also displayed their supernatural powers.

The Thunder God commanded thunder, the Fire Gods rode flames, and the Plague Gods unleashed their plague...

In an instant, magical treasures flew wildly in front of Chuanyun Pass, supernatural powers clashed, and spiritual energy surged like a raging sea!

In Xiqi, the Twelve Golden Immortals were no longer retained.

Guang Chengzi unleashed the Heaven-Turning Seal, which transformed into the size of a mountain and crashed down upon the city wall!

Chi Jingzi activated the Yin-Yang Mirror, and black and white divine light intertwined, extinguishing all life wherever it shone!

Jade Cauldron Immortal wielded the Immortal-Slaying Sword, its light as bright as a rainbow, tearing through the void!

Taiyi Zhenren stood on his Wind and Fire Wheels, and the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover descended upon him, unleashing nine roaring fire dragons!

Yang Jian's three-pointed double-edged sword swept across the army, and the third eye on his forehead shone with divine light, piercing through the flaws in the great formation!

Nezha rode on his Wind and Fire Wheels, and his Fire-Tipped Spear shot out like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, its shadow filling the sky!

Lei Zhenzi flapped his wind and thunder wings, and his golden cudgel stirred up the wind and thunder!

The Xiqi army surged against the pass like a tidal wave, with siege ladders erected, battering rams roaring, and arrows raining down like locusts!

War broke out completely at this moment!

Blood splattered, and severed limbs flailed about.

Every moment, lives are lost; every second, cultivators perish.

Screams, roars, the clash of magical weapons, the explosions of supernatural powers...

They intertwine to form a bloody and cruel war song.

And above the battlefield.

Kong Xuan sat upright on the Chaos Lotus Platform, his gaze calm as he looked down at the battle below.

Yuanshi closed his eyes to rest, seemingly oblivious to the fierce battle below.

Two saint-level beings, one in the east and one in the west, hovered on either side of the battlefield, like two indifferent gods, silently watching the life-and-death struggle in the mortal realm.

But everyone knows that beneath this calm surface, undercurrents are surging.

Although Kong Xuan did not make a move, his mere presence was a deterrent.

When the Xiqi army charged, they always unconsciously avoided the area below the lotus platform, as if it were a forbidden zone for life.

When the Twelve Golden Immortals unleash their supernatural powers, they also spare a wisp of their mind to be constantly vigilant about any movement on the lotus platform.

While Yuanshi seemed indifferent, his slightly trembling eyelids and the occasional cold gaze sweeping across the battlefield revealed that he was not truly detached from worldly affairs.

He is waiting.

Waiting for an opportunity.

When the disciples of the Jie Sect revealed a weakness, when the defenses of Chuanyun Pass collapsed, when Kong Xuan... could no longer restrain himself.

Time slips away, bit by bit.

The war raged from dawn until noon, and then from noon until dusk.

Before Chuanyun Pass, corpses piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers.

The setting sun, like blood, soaked the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood before Chuanyun Pass.

Within the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, chaotic energy surged, and the nine formation gates intertwined and rotated, evolving into endless illusions.

Guang Chengzi, Chi Jingzi, Yu Ding Zhenren, and the other twelve Golden Immortals were trapped in the formation and were in a sorry state.

"Oh no! This formation is cutting away at my crown chakra!"

Chi Jingzi's face turned deathly pale as he was horrified to discover that the three flowers on his head, which he had cultivated for thousands of years, were gradually dimming, and the five elements in his chest were beginning to become disordered.

Guang Chengzi roared, and the Heaven-Turning Seal transformed into the size of a mountain, smashing fiercely towards the array gate:

"break!"

However, when the Heaven-Turning Seal crashed into the chaotic energy, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, without even causing a ripple.

"it's useless."

Yunxiao's voice came from outside the formation, clear and cold as ice:

"The Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation was personally passed down by our master, and the Primordial Golden Cauldron is an innate spiritual treasure."

"No matter how powerful your magic weapon is, once you enter this formation, your cultivation will be stripped away and you will be banished to the mortal realm."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron spun rapidly, pouring down nine-colored light that enveloped the entire formation.

"what!"

Taiyi Zhenren let out a miserable cry, and the immortal light around his body suddenly dimmed. His cultivation level plummeted from the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal to the Taiyi Golden Immortal!

"Senior brother, save me!"

Cihang Daoren, Puxian Zhenren, Manjushri Guangfa Tianzun, and others were in even worse condition, with the three flowers on their heads almost extinguished and the five energies in their chests nearly collapsing.

They desperately tried to activate their magical artifacts, but it was like being stuck in a quagmire; they couldn't even unleash 30% of their power.

"Master! Help!"

Guang Chengzi finally panicked, looked up to the sky and roared, his voice hoarse and exhausted.

He felt his cultivation level rapidly declining. If he remained trapped, he would likely be banished to the mortal realm, and all his years of hard work would be wasted!

However, the Primordial Celestial Venerable outside the formation remained seated with his eyes closed, as if he had not heard anything.

However, the veins on his hand, which was tightly gripping the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, were already bulging.

Before Kong Xuan could even restrain himself, he was already getting restless!