I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Zhong Yingmei changed the subject, her tone softening slightly: "But you don't need to panic excessively. If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. This Investiture of the Gods is aimed at the core disciples and patriarchs of each sect. You ordinary disciples are not the first to be affected."

"I have come here today to give you a choice: withdraw from the sect now, sever your karmic ties, and you can leave unscathed; or stay and weather the calamity with the five sects. If you can survive, it will be an opportunity to soar to the heavens."

Having experienced the chaos of war, Chung Ying-mei knows that the most terrifying thing about such times is not the calamity itself, but the loss of moral order.

Her appearance today is to comfort everyone and prevent anyone from acting impulsively out of panic, causing further chaos in the world.

She is kind and compassionate, but by no means a saint. She will not make decisions for everyone, but will only show them the right path.

Everyone fell into deep thought, each with their own plans.

Many people immediately decided to withdraw. They had joined the sects simply because they followed the crowd, and had not gained much benefit or a sense of belonging. Naturally, they were unwilling to risk their lives with the five sects.

Some decided to take a gamble. If they withdrew now, they would never have another chance to join the Five Religions. They thought it was better to fight to the death. If they could survive the great calamity, they might be able to rise above their circumstances and be highly valued by the sect.

Seeing that everyone had made up their minds, Zhong Yingmei said no more and turned to leave.

"Thank you for your guidance, Fairy!"

Everyone bowed in unison, their voices full of sincerity.

The high-ranking members of the five sects all went into seclusion to avoid trouble, but Zhong Yingmei risked her life to appear and guide these lower-level cultivators.

They will remember this kindness in their hearts.

Looking down at the crowd below, all clasped in awe, Zhong Yingmei's red lips curved slightly. Her smile was casual yet carried an imposing aura. Suddenly, the nine-tiered lotus platform beneath her feet burst forth with thousands of golden rays. Amidst the overflowing fragrance of lotus, her figure flashed and disappeared into the horizon.

Although Zhong Yingmei has long since passed away, her words today resounded like a thunderclap, spreading throughout the entire cultivation world.

Everyone who heard it was deeply moved.

Upon hearing this, countless cultivators were shaken and no longer hesitated.

Whether to stand firm in the face of disaster or to weigh the pros and cons and find a way out, both were choices made decisively.

Whether to stand together through life and death and weather the storm together, or to protect oneself and go their separate ways, at this critical moment when calamity is imminent, everyone presses the button to make their own life choices.

There is no right or wrong, only the most realistic way to survive.

In the blink of an eye, more than a year has passed since the beginning of the Investiture of the Gods.

The world was plunged into an eerie, suffocating calm. The core members of the five sects all went into seclusion, each keeping their mountain gates tightly shut.

It was as if as long as they remained hidden and did not come out, the overwhelming aura of calamity would be unable to harm them.

Ironically, they actually believed that they could isolate themselves from the calamity by simply going into seclusion.

Little did they know that when calamity struck, no one could escape unscathed; this was nothing but self-deception.

For more than a year, the world seemed peaceful and harmonious, with mountains and rivers remaining unchanged and the sun and moon shining as usual.

Only true strongmen know that beneath this tranquility lies a peace on the verge of collapse, and chaos has already been brewing in the shadows.

Outside of Kyoto, atop Zijin Mountain, Zhong Jiu, dressed in pristine white, stood with his hands behind his back, gently waving a folding fan.

His gaze pierced through layers of clouds, overlooking the earth, as if he could see through all the illusions of the world.

"The aura of calamity... is getting stronger and stronger."

Zhong Jiu murmured to himself, his fingertips twitched slightly, the folding fan stopped abruptly, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

Calculating with my fingers, the hexagram was crystal clear.

The great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods has begun today, with divine retribution officially commenced!

Zhong Jiu gazed intently into the distance and saw that the aura of calamity had already silently permeated the entire world. This terrifying sight was something that no one else in the world could witness except him.

The hazy, calamistic aura surged like a tide, silently enveloping all things in heaven and earth.

Among the five religions, the Myriad Paths Sect was the least affected, with only wisps of calamity energy swirling above its mountain gate, which was nothing to fear.

The Good Sect and the Elf Sect were not so lucky; the overwhelming aura of calamity had already surrounded their mountain gates.

Every disciple in the sect is entangled with countless causal threads, and the calamity energy spreads wildly along these causal threads, directly threatening their relatives, friends, and teachers.

This is the insidious nature of calamity energy; it doesn't directly harm people, but forces them into a dilemma.

Imagine if a disciple is in seclusion breaking through to a higher realm, and his partner at home suddenly suffers a calamity. Going out to rescue him would be like falling into a trap himself, and he would most likely never return.

If one does not save them, it would be against one's true nature, damaging one's Dao heart and making further progress in cultivation extremely difficult.

The moment one steps out of the mountain gate, the overwhelming aura of calamity will devour them like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey.

Disaster strikes in an instant, causing serious injury at best, and death at worst.

This is the most terrifying aspect of calamity; it effortlessly drags you into calamity along the causal path, leaving you with no way to avoid it or escape it.

If the Goodness Sect and the Elf Sect are deeply mired in calamity, then the Zhuo Sect and the Yunsheng Sect have long been swallowed up by the calamity's energy, mired in a quagmire, unable to extricate themselves!

Suddenly, the overwhelming aura of calamity condensed into two ferocious dragons, their eyes bloodshot, their roars shaking the heavens, circling outside the gates of the two sects.

The next second, it swooped down with earth-shattering force, heading straight for the mountain gate!

In the blink of an eye, the two giant dragons of calamity energy merged into the fortunes of the two sects.

The clouds of fortune instantly turned gray, and all the disciples in the sect felt a chill in their hearts, a sense of foreboding rising within them.

Meanwhile, deep within Mount Misu.

Puhua Zhenren's primordial spirit, who was in seclusion for arduous cultivation, suddenly opened his eyes, a strange look of surprise and uncertainty flashing in them, and his aura instantly became chaotic.

He was forcibly awakened from his deep meditation at the crucial moment!

An indescribable sense of unease welled up inside him, churning endlessly. No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, he couldn't calm down, as if some terrible thing was about to happen.

"What on earth happened?!"

Master Puhua frowned, his spiritual energy surging slightly. He thought to himself: If it weren't for a terrible calamity, why would anyone disturb his seclusion?

Just as he was feeling uneasy, a soft, childlike voice suddenly broke the silence in the hall from outside the door: "Master."

"Come in."

Master Puhua was in a bad mood, yet he couldn't hide a hint of anticipation. Perhaps disturbing him at this moment wouldn't be a bad thing.

Before long, a beautifully carved boy pushed open the door and entered, carrying an exquisite tray in his hands. On the tray lay a simple and ancient storage ring.

"Master, my senior brother has prepared the materials for your physical reshaping and specially sent me to deliver them!"

The child had a sweet smile on his face and a clear, crisp voice.

"oh?!"

The irritation in Master Puhua's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a look of surprise, and a long-lost smile finally appeared on his face.

"Jin Junfeng is quite thoughtful!"

He reached out and took the storage ring, instantly probing it with his divine sense.

When he sensed what was inside, his smile grew even brighter, and a hint of ecstasy even flashed in his eyes.

"It really is Emerald Bamboo! Hahaha!"

Master Puhua couldn't help but chuckle softly, his joy barely concealed.

When the First Lord offered him materials to reshape his physical body, he insisted on refusing because he had already set his sights on the Emerald Thunder Bamboo.

This is the ideal material for his body!

The Emerald Thunder Bamboo is a rare treasure, born from being bathed in the thunder and lightning of the heavens.

It only grows one segment every thirty years. Each time it grows a segment, it must undergo a tribulation of lightning. Only by surviving the tribulation can it continue to grow. It is a rare sight to find one in thousands of years!

It is not only a top-grade material for refining weapons, but also naturally contains pure lightning power.

By using it to reshape the physical body, one can achieve perfect harmony with lightning-attribute power, spells, and supernatural abilities, making cultivation twice as effective and the physical body strength far surpassing that of the past!

In this way, the destruction of his physical body turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Only by destroying the old physical body can a stronger lightning-attribute physical body be rebuilt!

"This time, my reconstructed body will far surpass its former glory, and my strength will reach a new level!"

A hint of arrogance flashed in Master Puhua's eyes as he carefully took out a section of Emerald Thunder Bamboo from his storage ring.

The bamboo stalk gleamed with a faint lightning-like light and felt cool to the touch.

He gently stroked it with his palm, his eyes filled with fascination and joy.