Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

After the fake Boyi entered Chaoge, Xiqi temporarily stabilized the situation. With the assistance of Jiang Ziya, Ji Chang pacified the people and prepared the army for war, while secretly contacting the Marquis of the South and the Marquis of the East to discuss important matters.

Lu Chen quietly left Xiqi and began to roam along the possible routes between Jiang Ziya and Kunlun Mountain, looking for an opportunity to "inspect the goods." But for several months, he found that he could not pinpoint Jiang Ziya's exact whereabouts! Whenever his divine sense was about to reach the target, a vast and majestic power of heavenly secrets would always obscure and mislead him, as if he were looking at flowers through fog.

"Yuanshi really did tamper with things." Lu Chen realized. Although Jiang Ziya was weak, he was still the key player in the Investiture of the Gods. How could Yuanshi Tianzun easily expose him to danger? This layer of protection was probably not just the restrictions of Yuxu Palace, but may have also borrowed some of the Heavenly Dao authority of the Investiture of the Gods.

Taking forceful action wasn't impossible, but it would inevitably alarm Yuanshi Tianzun and might even attract the attention of other sages, making it a losing proposition. Moreover, he wasn't entirely confident that directly seizing the God-Slaying Whip and the Investiture of the Gods would allow him to counter the sages' backup plans.

"It seems that Jiang Ziya's storyline is unlikely to be fruitful for the time being. Oh well, the curtain has already been raised on the Investiture of the Gods, and the best is yet to come. I might as well return to the Jie Sect first, observe the situation, and while I'm at it... learn as much as I can."

Lu Chen made a decisive move and used the brick-遁 (a type of teleportation technique) to return to Jin'ao Island. His clone, Lu Xiao, had already received the message from his main body and began to closely monitor the movements within Biyou Palace.

As expected, with the chaos in Chaoge becoming apparent and the rise of Xiqi becoming clear, coupled with the arrival of "Bo Yikao" as a hostage, the atmosphere of the impending Investiture of the Gods and the impending calamity grew stronger day by day. In Biyou Palace, many disciples of the Jie Sect were already restless and discussing the matter.

On this day, Jin Guangxian, one of the Seven Immortals, came to visit Zhao Gongming. During their conversation, he mentioned that several of his close Daoist friends from the Jie Sect, who served as national advisors or generals in the Shang Dynasty, had recently been sending messages seeking help. They said that there were extraordinary people in the Xiqi army who had helped them break through several cities, and there were also signs that members of the Chan Sect had secretly intervened. Their great formation was easily broken, and they suffered heavy casualties.

"Brother Gongming, Grand Tutor Wenzhong has also sent word that Xiqi is powerful, and it seems that our Jie Sect fellow Daoists will need to go to the Shang camp to help stabilize the situation." Jin Guangxian said with a worried expression, "Although our teacher did not say it explicitly, how can we, as disciples of the Xuanmen, sit idly by and watch our fellow disciples suffer? Moreover, if we allow the Chan Sect to act recklessly in the mortal world and suppress our Jie Sect fellow Daoists, in the long run, the fortunes will be tilted, which will be detrimental to us."

Zhao Gongming, known for his fiery temper, slammed his fist on the table and stood up upon hearing this: "The Chan Sect has gone too far! The matter of the Investiture of the Gods is not yet settled, and they have already attacked my fellow Daoists? This is intolerable! I will immediately go and inform our master, offering to go down the mountain to lend a helping hand to Junior Brother Wen Zhong!"

"Senior brother, wait a moment." Lu Xiao (Lu Chen) quickly advised, "This matter needs further consideration. Our teacher said to keep the cave closed and quietly recite the Yellow Court Classic. Rushing down the mountain might bring karmic consequences, which would be undesirable. Besides, the dangers of this calamity are unpredictable."

“Junior Brother Lu Xiao, you are unaware of the truth,” Zhao Gongming shook his head. “The doctrine of our Jie Sect is to secure a glimmer of hope for all living beings. Now that our fellow disciples are in distress, if we stand idly by out of fear of karma, wouldn’t that be a violation of our doctrine? My mind is made up!”

Seeing that his attempts to dissuade him were futile, Lu Xiao had a change of heart and said, "Since Senior Brother is determined to go, my cultivation is too shallow to accompany and protect you. However, I have gained some understanding from Master's explanation of the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation. Perhaps Senior Brother could find a few fellow disciples skilled in formations to go with you and defend against enemies with formations, which would be much safer. I have heard that there are several fellow Daoists on Nine Dragons Island and Golden Turtle Island who are well-versed in formations, such as Heavenly Lords Qin Wan, Zhao Jiang, and Dong Quan. Their 'Ten Deadly Formations' are all very profound. Perhaps we could invite them."

Zhao Gongming's eyes lit up: "Junior Brother is absolutely right! Using formations to fight is precisely what our Jie Sect excels at! I'll go find a few fellow Daoists who are Heavenly Lords right now!"

Watching Zhao Gongming and Jin Guangxian hurriedly leave, a deep look flashed in Lu Xiao's (Lu Chen's) eyes.

"The Ten Deadly Formations... are finally about to be unveiled." His true form, inside the Pillar of Heaven Cave, was also invigorated.

The Ten Deadly Formations consist of Qin Tianjun's (Qin Wan) "Heavenly Annihilation Formation," Zhao Tianjun's (Zhao Jiang) "Earthly Blaze Formation," Dong Tianjun's (Dong Quan) "Wind Howling Formation," Yuan Tianjun's (Yuan Jiao) "Frost Formation," Golden Light Holy Mother's "Golden Light Formation," Sun Tianjun's (Sun Liang) "Blood Transformation Formation," Bai Tianjun's "Blazing Flame Formation," Yao Tianjun's "Soul-Sinking Formation," Wang Tianjun's "Red Water Formation," and Zhang Tianjun's "Red Sand Formation." These ten interconnected formations possess immense power and caused significant trouble for Xiqi and the Chan Sect in the original Investiture of the Gods storyline. Ultimately, it was only through the personal guidance of Yuanshi Tianzun and Laozi, and the use of numerous treasures, that they were broken one by one.

These Ten Absolute Formations can be considered one of the essences of the Jie Sect's formation philosophy, each with its own emphasis and boundless mysteries. If one could witness them firsthand, or even secretly study and comprehend them, it would greatly enhance Lu Chen's formation skills, and perhaps even provide inspiration for further refining the "Immortal Slaughtering Brick Formation."

"I have to go." Lu Chen himself immediately decided.

He instructed his clone, Lu Xiao, to remain at Biyou Palace to keep an eye on things, while his main body quietly departed once again, heading to the front lines of the Shang-Zhou battlefield.

Several days later, in the Shang army camp, in Wen Zhong's central command tent.

Wen Zhong's face was ashen. Although he had received the true teachings of the Golden Spirit Mother and possessed profound cultivation, he still felt immense pressure facing Jiang Ziya in the Xiqi army and the successive appearances of the third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect (such as Yang Jian, Nezha, and Lei Zhenzi), as well as the endless magical treasures they wielded. In particular, there was a young general named Nezha, who rode on his Wind and Fire Wheels, wielded the Fire-Tipped Spear, and possessed treasures such as the Universe Ring and the Hun Tian Ling. He was incredibly brave and had wounded several generals of the Shang army.

At this moment, Zhao Gongming arrived with the Four Saints of Kowloon Island (Wang Mo, Yang Sen, Gao Youqian, and Li Xingba) and ten Heavenly Lords including Qin Tianjun. Wen Zhong was overjoyed and hurriedly went out to greet them.

"Brother Gongming! Fellow Daoists! I, Wen Zhong, have failed to greet you properly!" Wen Zhong cupped his hands in greeting.

"Junior Brother Wen Zhong, there's no need for such formalities." Zhao Gongming waved his hand and got straight to the point, "The traitors of Xiqi have colluded with the Chan Sect and gone too far in bullying us! We have come here to teach them a lesson! Brother Qin Wan, thank you for your trouble."

Qin Tianjun (Qin Wan) stepped forward and said arrogantly, "Grand Tutor Wen, rest assured, with the ten of us brothers here, we'll teach those Xiqi troops a lesson. No matter how many come, they'll all die! Tomorrow, we'll show them the power of the 'Ten Deadly Formations'!"

That night, outside the Shang army camp, ten battle platforms rose from the ground, positioned according to their location, their malevolent aura soaring into the sky, and a chilling wind blowing, shrouding the direction of the Xiqi camp.

In the Xiqi army, Jiang Ziya ascended the platform to observe. He saw ten great formations exuding a murderous aura, some with howling winds like thunder, others with bone-chilling cold, some with dazzling golden light, and others with red sand filling the sky... He couldn't help but frown. Although he had been taught military strategy and Taoist arts by Yuanshi Tianzun and had the assistance of a group of third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect, he dared not underestimate the Ten Deadly Formations of the Jie Sect, which had long been famous.

"Prime Minister, this battle is fierce, what should we do?" King Wu Ji Fa (at this time, Ji Chang had passed away, Boyi Kao was "imprisoned" in Chaoge, and Ji Fa succeeded to the throne with the support of Jiang Ziya and others) was worried.

Jiang Ziya pondered and said, "The Ten Deadly Formations are a secret and deadly formation passed down by the Jie Sect. They are ever-changing and need to be tested one by one to find their weaknesses. Tomorrow, we will send a general to challenge them and test their strengths and weaknesses."

Lu Chen remained hidden high above the clouds, his Concealment Talisman activated to its fullest extent, while his Primordial Divine Sense, like mercury flowing across the ground, silently covered the ten great formations below. He did not attempt to forcefully penetrate the core of the formations (that would alert the formation setters), but instead began by examining the "appearances" of the formations, such as their outer operation, energy flow, and the condensation of baleful energy. Combining his own understanding of the Dao of Formations, especially the Shangqing Formation Principles he learned from Tongtian, as well as the essence of the Zhuxian Formation and the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation that he had stolen from others, he began to reverse-engineer the mysteries of these ten deadly formations.

"The Heavenly Annihilation Formation reverses the three elements, confuses yin and yang, and leaves those within the formation utterly disoriented..."

"The Earthly Fiery Formation draws in earth fire, with fire elements above and earth elements below, the fire and earth mutually generating each other, thus doubling its power..."

"The Howling Wind Formation, the wind is the Xun direction, containing profound mysteries, possessing the power of wind and fire, and even a soul-stirring wind..."

"The Frost Array corresponds to celestial phenomena above and aligns with the earth's veins below, condensing water into ice, freezing even the very soul..."

"The Golden Light Array, with its twenty-one precious mirrors, revolves according to the celestial cycle, its dazzling golden light capable of obliterating form and spirit..."

Lu Chen was engrossed in observing and deducing the Ten Absolute Formations, eagerly anticipating their development. Although these ten formations were far inferior to the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation in terms of their exquisite craftsmanship and power, each had its own focus, bringing one or more kinds of heaven and earth power to their extreme. Moreover, the ten formations were linked together, forming a mutually reinforcing network with endless variations, which gave him great inspiration.

He paid particular attention to several of the formations that were related to his own strength or the enemies he might face in the future.

"The Blood Transformation Array, with its black sand filling the sky and poisonous energy corroding the body, is indeed a good method for dealing with those with strong physical bodies or bloodline cultivators. Perhaps I can learn a thing or two and incorporate it into my power-based attacks..."

"The Soul-Slaying Array specializes in attacking the soul. Combined with the suppressive power of my Chaos Brick, it might have miraculous effects..."

"The Red Water Formation and the Red Sand Formation are defiled magical artifacts that erode the primordial spirit. They are devastating weapons against cultivators who rely on magical artifacts..."

For several days, Xiqi and the Shang army were locked in a stalemate. Jiang Ziya sent generals to test the waters, but all suffered heavy losses. Even Han Dulong and Xue Ehu, three third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect, were instantly turned into pus and blood (the Blood Transformation Formation) when they entered the formation. For a time, the morale of the Xiqi army wavered.

Lu Chen, on the other hand, gained a great deal. His understanding of the Ten Deadly Formations deepened, and he even began to simulate in his mind what kind of "enhanced" killing formation he could set up if he used the Chaos Brick as the core and integrated his insights.

On this day, Wen Zhong and Zhao Gongming challenged each other to battle at the front lines, mocking Xiqi for having no one to fight. Jiang Ziya had no choice but to bite the bullet and personally confront the most dangerous "Heavenly Annihilation Formation".

Suddenly, a Taoist priest emerged from the Xiqi army. He had a face as blue as indigo, hair as black as cinnabar, a huge mouth with fangs, and was three zhang tall. He carried a wolf-tooth club. He was none other than Yang Jian, a disciple of the Jade Cauldron Immortal of the Golden Cloud Cave on Jade Spring Mountain!

Yang Jian possessed the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, granting him great supernatural powers and exceptional wisdom. He first transformed his appearance and infiltrated the merchant camp to gather intelligence, having already grasped some of the intricacies of the Ten Deadly Formations. Now, he volunteered to break the formation.

"Prime Minister, I am willing to go and break through their ranks first to boost morale!" Yang Jian said to Jiang Ziya.

Knowing Yang Jian's abilities, Jiang Ziya nodded in agreement.

Yang Jian took up his staff and went into battle, specifically aiming to break the "Heavenly Annihilation Formation".

Lu Chen, seeing everything clearly from high above, had a glint in his eyes: "Yang Jian has made his move... The show is about to begin. Let's see what's so mysterious about this Eight-Nine Arcane Art, and how it will break my 'Heavenly Annihilation Formation'!"

He composed himself and focused even more intently on his observation. This was not only a test of the Ten Deadly Formations, but also an excellent opportunity to observe the fighting style of the core disciples of the Chan Sect and their strategies for breaking the formation!

The cruelty and brilliance of the Investiture of the Gods are slowly unfolding, revealing only the tip of the iceberg.