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

When Lu Chen rushed back to the East Sea, the Three Immortals of Sanxiao had already left the Three Immortal Islands and were riding the clouds towards Xiqi.

He used brick-flying techniques to pursue them swiftly, and finally caught up with the Three Immortals on the shore of the East China Sea.

"Please wait, senior sisters!" Lu Chen (who was using his true form at this moment, but had concealed most of his aura) appeared and blocked their way.

"Daoist Lu Chen?" Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao were startled when they saw the newcomer, but then recognized him. Although they had only met Lu Chen himself a few times (they had more indirect contact with him through his clone Lu Xiao), they had a deep impression of him and knew that he had some connections with his brother Zhao Gongming and with them.

"Why is the Daoist Master blocking my sisters' path?" Yunxiao suppressed her grief and anger, bowed and asked, but the urgency and determination in her tone could not be concealed.

"Is it because of Senior Brother Gongming that you intend to seek revenge in Xiqi?" Lu Chen asked bluntly.

The three immortals' expressions all changed. Qiongxiao's eyes filled with tears, and Bixiao couldn't help but say, "Exactly! The Chan Sect has gone too far! Daoist Ran Deng used his numbers to bully us, stealing my brother's magic treasure and injuring his body. This is an irreconcilable enmity! Daoist Lu Chen, you are also a friend of my brother. Are you perhaps going to stop us?"

"It's not that I'm trying to stop you, but rather to offer advice," Lu Chen said solemnly. "My three senior sisters, I already know about Senior Brother Gongming's situation, and I am also indignant. But do you know that on this journey to Xiqi, we will not only be facing Randeng, but also the Twelve Golden Immortals of Yuxu Palace, and may even attract the Primordial Sage! Although the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation is powerful and the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron is effective, can they withstand the wrath of a sage?"

"A sage?" Yunxiao's delicate body trembled, but she immediately gritted her teeth. "Even a sage must have reason! My brother and I have not defied the will of Heaven; it was the Chan Sect that deceived us first! My brother's whereabouts are now unknown, his life or death uncertain. How can we sit idly by? Even if we perish, we will seek justice for my brother!"

Lu Chen sighed inwardly. The Three Immortals were indeed loyal and righteous, but this also made them prone to impulsive actions, which led them to their deaths.

"Senior Sister, you are mistaken." Lu Chen shook his head. "Seeking justice does not necessarily require mutual destruction. Besides, Senior Brother Gongming may not have already met with misfortune."

"What do you mean by that, Daoist Master?" Yunxiao asked urgently.

"When I caught up with Senior Brother Gongming, he had already left injured. I secretly observed that he hadn't perished, but had instead fled to a secluded place in the primordial wilderness to heal," Lu Chen said, half-truthfully. "Although he lost the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, his foundation is still intact. As long as he rests peacefully, he will surely recover in time. But if you go down the mountain now and fight the Chan Sect to the death, what if you suffer losses? Wouldn't that only worsen Senior Brother Gongming's injuries and even sever the chance for the siblings to reunite in the future?"

These words caused the Three Immortals' expressions to shift uncertainly. Their brother wasn't dead? He had merely fled to heal his wounds? They felt slightly relieved, but their desire for revenge hadn't been completely dispelled.

"But my brother's magic weapon has been stolen. How can we not avenge this humiliation?" Bixiao said bitterly.

"There might be another twist regarding the matter of the magic treasures," Lu Chen said meaningfully. "As far as I know, those twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls didn't fall into Ran Deng's hands for long before they were 'intercepted' halfway. It's still unknown who they are in now."

"Hijacked?" The Three Immortals were astonished. They were unaware of this news.

"Indeed." Lu Chen nodded. "The treasure hunters are highly skilled; they couldn't even hold onto Ran Deng. This matter is suspicious, and there might be more to it than meets the eye. If you rashly go to Ran Deng now, he won't be able to produce the magic weapon. Instead, he'll accuse you of being unreasonable and might even use this as an excuse to drag you into an even deeper calamity. It's better to be patient for now, find out the truth, and then make a more careful plan."

Yunxiao remained silent for a long time. After all, she was the eldest sister and more composed than her two younger sisters. Although Lu Chen's words contained an element of comfort, every word he spoke made sense. With their brother still alive and the whereabouts of the magical treasure unknown, it would indeed be unwise to completely break ties with the Chan Sect at this time.

"But... Junior Brother Wen Zhong's Ten Deadly Formations have been broken one after another, and he urgently needs help. As disciples of the Jie Sect, how can we sit idly by and watch our fellow disciples suffer?" Yunxiao was still somewhat hesitant.

"I might be able to offer some secret assistance to Junior Brother Wen Zhong," Lu Chen said. "But I need time to make arrangements. Senior Sisters, please heed my advice and return to the island for now. Firstly, we can continue to refine and perfect the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation in preparation for any eventuality; secondly, I can try to find out the exact whereabouts of Senior Brother Gongming and the location of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl. Wouldn't it be safer to make a decision once everything is clear?"

Qiongxiao and Bixiao looked at their eldest sister. Yunxiao pondered for a long time before finally nodding slowly, "The Daoist Master's words are reasonable. We sisters were rash. In that case, we will follow the Daoist Master's advice and return to the Three Immortal Islands for the time being."

Lu Chen felt somewhat relieved and managed to temporarily persuade the Three Immortals. However, he knew that this was only a temporary measure. If Zhao Gongming did not appear for a long time, or if there were any major changes on the Xiqi battlefield, the Three Immortals would eventually come down the mountain again.

"By the way, Senior Sister Yunxiao," Lu Chen seemed to remember something, "during our previous discussion, we talked about how the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation and the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron could be combined to form a Hunyuan World. I have some new ideas recently. Perhaps we can use the principles of Hunyuan to open a 'gate of life' within the formation. It may seem like a dead end, but it actually hides a glimmer of hope, which may be able to protect ourselves at a critical moment."

He shared some ingenious ideas about the changes in formations (partly derived from his observation and deduction of the Ten Deadly Formations) with the Three Immortals. The Three Immortals were already immersed in the Dao of Formations, and upon hearing this, they were immediately drawn in and began discussing it with Lu Chen, temporarily putting their plans to descend the mountain behind them.

After persuading the Three Immortals to return to the Three Immortals Island and agreeing to contact them again once there was news of Zhao Gongming, Lu Chen rushed to the front line in Xiqi without stopping.

Six of the Ten Deadly Formations have been broken, leaving only the Golden Light Formation, Blood Transformation Formation, Blazing Flame Formation, and Soul-Sinking Formation. Wen Zhong and the others struggled to hold on, but Xiqi's offensive grew increasingly fierce.

Lu Chen, observing from the shadows, discovered that Jiang Ziya, with the assistance of Ran Deng and others, was becoming increasingly proficient in breaking formations, clearly indicating that he was being guided by a master. Meanwhile, morale within the Shang camp was low. Even more troublesome, Lu Chen sensed several cold and eerie auras lurking deep within the Shang army, seemingly... members of the Western Sect had secretly arrived!

"Hmph, they've come to take advantage of the chaos, just as expected." Lu Chen sneered. The Western Sect must be trying to fish in troubled waters during the Shang-Zhou war, either to convert souls or to secretly support the Shang Dynasty and compete with the Chan Sect.

He quietly infiltrated the business camp and found Wen Zhong, who was in a state of utter distress.

"Grand Tutor Wen," Lu Chen transmitted his voice directly.

Wen Zhong was startled, but then recognized Lu Chen's voice and quickly dismissed those around him. A faint, chaotic light flashed, and Lu Chen's figure appeared.

"Daoist Lu Chen? What brings you here?" Wen Zhong was both surprised and delighted. Although he was a disciple of the Golden Spirit Mother, he also held the Hunyuan Daoist in high esteem for this man who had created numerous miracles and whose relationship with the Jie Sect was delicate. Especially now that he was in a predicament, he would be desperate for any strong support.

"I came to relieve the Grand Tutor's predicament," Lu Chen said. "The Ten Deadly Formations are ingenious, but the Chan Sect has figured out their workings, making them unsustainable. I have a method that may help the remaining four formations, doubling their power and even turning the tide of battle."

Wen Zhong was overjoyed: "Please, Venerable Daoist, enlighten me!"

"I can connect the remaining power of the four formations and secretly set up a 'Backlash Formation'." A glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. "The Chan Sect will definitely attack the formation's core when breaking it. I can set a trap at the core. Once it is broken, the remaining evil energy and part of the core's power will not immediately dissipate. Instead, they will be drawn into the 'Backlash Formation Patterns' hidden underground. If the timing is right, they can suddenly erupt and injure the one breaking the formation! Even if they cannot seriously injure them, it will be enough to disrupt their rhythm of breaking the formation."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhong was overjoyed: "This plan is brilliant! But... how should we arrange it? Time is of the essence, and we must keep it a secret from the enemy's investigation."

"I will personally set up the formation in secret," Lu Chen said. "Grand Tutor only needs to cooperate, adjust the positions of the four formations, and make slight changes."

That night, Lu Chen used the suppressive power of the Chaos Brick to conceal his aura and quietly laid out layers of hidden array patterns beneath the remaining four great arrays (Golden Light, Blood Transformation, Blazing Flame, and Soul Fall), connecting them together. He also embedded disguised "backlash runes" into the inner layer of the defensive restrictions at each array eye.

These runes were extremely well-hidden; unless one possessed exceptional skill in formations and prior knowledge, they would be very difficult to detect. Lu Chen further incorporated a trace of the suppressing Daoist essence of the Chaos Brick into them, further concealing the secrets of heaven.

By the time all this was accomplished, dawn was breaking.

Lu Chen said to Wen Zhong, "The formation has been set up. Remember, once the Chan Sect breaks the formation and the formation's core is destroyed, that will be the moment of backlash. But this plan can only be used once. After it is used, all four formations will be broken. Grand Tutor, you need to make plans as soon as possible."

"I will forever remember the great kindness of the Daoist Master!" Wen Zhong bowed deeply.

Lu Chen nodded, didn't linger, and used brick magic to leave. He didn't go far, remaining hidden in the clouds, ready to watch the show.

The next day, the drums of the Xiqi army resounded throughout the sky. Jiang Ziya personally supervised the battle, ordering Yang Jian to break the Golden Light Formation, Nezha to break the Blood Transformation Formation, Lei Zhenzi to break the Blazing Flame Formation, and Wei Hu to break the Soul-Shattering Formation.

The four generals unleashed their full power. Golden Light Mother, Sun Tianjun, Bai Tianjun, and Yao Tianjun fought valiantly to defend, but after days of studying the formation, a flaw finally appeared. After half a day of fierce fighting, all four key points of the formation were struck in succession, and the formation platform began to collapse!

Just as the formation's core was destroyed, the formation was on the verge of collapse, and the four generals of the Chan Sect relaxed their guard slightly—

"Now!" Wen Zhong said from behind the formation, performing the incantation taught to him by Lu Chen.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Beneath the four collapsed array platforms, the previously buried backlash array patterns suddenly erupted! The remaining malevolent energy and the power of the shattered array eyes were instantly detonated, transforming into four destructive torrents of different colors, sweeping back towards Yang Jian, Nezha, Lei Zhenzi, and Wei Hu, who had just broken the array!

The incident happened suddenly and at close range. Although the four generals were startled, it was too late for them to completely dodge!

"Watch out!" Ran Deng, Jiang Ziya, and others watching from behind shouted.

Yang Jian, protected by his Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, withstood the golden light and evil energy, but retreated with a muffled groan; Nezha used his Hun Tian Ling and Qian Kun Quan to resist the Blood-Transforming Poison, but their precious light dimmed; Lei Zhenzi's Wind and Thunder Wings flapped rapidly, but he was still burned by the raging flames; Wei Hu summoned the Demon-Subduing Pestle, but was shaken by the Soul-Losing Evil Energy, causing his soul to tremble and blood to spill from the corner of his mouth!

Although the four generals were not fatally wounded, they were all bruised and their breathing was disordered, which dampened their momentum in breaking through the formation! The morale of the Shang army was greatly boosted!

"Great!" Wen Zhong and the others were overjoyed.

However, Lu Chen shook his head slightly high in the sky. Although the backlash had occurred, its power was limited, as it was merely residual force. Moreover, after this ordeal, Xiqi would undoubtedly become more cautious, and the remaining four formations had completely exposed their trump cards; their destruction was only a matter of time.

"However, at least it gave Wen Zhong a chance to catch his breath and disrupted Xiqi's rhythm. More importantly..."

His gaze drifted deeper into the merchant camp, towards the direction of those Western Cult infiltrators. Just moments before, when the backlash erupted and everyone's attention was drawn to them, he sensed those auras stirring restlessly, seemingly wanting to take advantage of the situation, but they restrained themselves.

"It seems that Western religions are also waiting for the best opportunity."

Lu Chen's eyes turned cold.

"Want to be the oriole unaware? Then let's see who the real cicada hunter is!"

His figure slowly disappeared into the depths of the clouds, and he began to plan his next move.

The grand drama of the Investiture of the Gods is getting more and more interesting. And this "sixth brother," hiding in the shadows, is able to catch far more fish in troubled waters than just those in front of him!