The Great Yu Kingdom, devoid of the Sage of All Beings, remained powerful, yet it was still considered weak in the eyes of the giants.
Thus, to solidify its position, the Great Yu Kingdom withdrew 500,000 troops and retreated from the Xuanyuan battlefield.
Concurrently, ancient Great Wu emerged one by one, and disciples from the Three Sects descended from their mountains. The struggle for the Human Emperor fell into a stalemate.
Kong Xuan arrived on the battlefield. The disciples of the Three Sects treated him with indifference, only Xuanyuan treated him equally.
From the Clear Void Moral True Lord of Ziyang Cave, Qingfeng Mountain, he descended on clouds to aid in the fight.
From the Jade Chamber Cave, Daoist Heavenly Venerable of Jinting Mountain, he left his mountain to aid in the fight.
From the White Crane Cave, True Man Puxian of Jiugong Mountain, he left his mountain to aid in the fight.
...
The Grand Master of Profound Capital from the Human Sect personally came to assist.
The Dragon Tribe general, Ying Long, came to assist.
Feng Hou and Nu Ba came to assist.
The disciples of the Jie Sect, owing to their vast numbers, rarely came, with only a few third-generation disciples making a scattered appearance to lend a hand.
This greatly displeased the disciples of the Chan Sect, who went to the second-generation disciples of the Jie Sect to question them. However, the Jie Sect disciples all stated that these were the orders of their Sect Leader.
The immortals, helpless, could only prepare for battle.
Xuan Du entered the turbulent mortal world, observing the chaotic miasma on the battlefield, and sighed, "It seems my martial uncle still holds affection for the ties between Pangu and the Wu tribe, but this battle is inevitable."
Xuanyuan approached and asked, "Daoist, when shall we engage?"
Xuan Du replied, "Let us engage now."
Xuanyuan bowed respectfully, then relayed the order to his army: prepare for immediate battle.
"Boom!"
The war drums, crafted from the hides of the Kui Niu from the East Sea, were struck. Like crashing thunder, they shook the heavens and earth, inspiring the hearts of men and bolstering their courage. Countless humans charged towards Jiuli.
The Jiuli tribe also echoed with rousing drum beats. Innumerable fierce Jiuli warriors rushed out, their armies clashing, their shouts of battle reaching the sky.
Jiutian Xuannü flew in the firmament, directing troops and formations, employing strategies without precedent, ensnaring Jiuli.
Ying Long led the Dragon Tribe army, summoning clouds and rain as they fought.
The warships of Great Yu swept across the sky like a tide.
Feng Hou's formations shifted with the Eight Trigrams, while Li Mu, the bravest of the army, led the charge.
The eighty-one leaders of the Jiuli tribe, with their myriad troops, set up the Chi You Grand Formation, their might as the God of War intimidating all directions.
Jiu Feng transformed into countless bolts of lightning, sweeping across the land. The peerless elegance of the ancient Great Wu stunned the assembled immortals.
For a time, not a single immortal dared to engage.
Xuan Du watched them and sighed, preparing to step forward himself.
But at that moment, a clear voice rang out, "I will contend with Great Wu Jiu Feng!"
Everyone looked and saw a valiant young man stride forth, enveloped in auspicious clouds, with phoenix cries echoing through the heavens.
"So it is Daoist Kong Xuan."
"As the chief disciple of the Sage of All Beings, he might possess some ability, enough to hold back Jiu Feng."
"That's not certain, Jiu Feng once overpowered the Demon God!"
The immortals began to discuss amongst themselves.
Kong Xuan had already clashed with Jiu Feng. One was an ancient Great Wu, a peerless mythical bird; the other was a disciple of a Sage, a son of the Phoenix.
Brilliant five-colored light swept out, Jiu Feng's lightning raged, the stars Sha Po Lang shone, the void wind howled, and phoenix cries never ceased.
Jiu Feng gazed coldly, revealing her true form as a Great Wu, her fists striking the cosmos, the terrifying Great Path of Strength crushing down.
Kong Xuan's expression grew solemn. His Five-Colored Divine Light could overcome all things of the Five Elements, but it could not overcome the fundamental Great Paths.
In an instant, he transformed into his true form, a proud peacock spreading its wings across the sky. His five-colored tail fan unfurled, spanning thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, colliding with the Great Wu's fist.
"Boom!"
The fist shattered the void, Jiu Feng broke through the five-colored screen, and the peacock let out a mournful cry, its wings retracting.
No matter how strong Kong Xuan was, he was ultimately a Da Luo, not a Great Expert.
But Kong Xuan did not fall. He thought of the realm of Great Experts, and the Great Path suspended in his mind. With a sigh of unwillingness, he whispered, "Next life!"
In the ethereal heavens and earth, time suddenly froze, and reincarnation halted. A mighty force descended.
Kong Xuan raised his head, gazing at the distant firmament, as if seeing his Master.
"Disciple thanks Master!"
Kong Xuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His phoenix-like eyes, once filled with youthful pride, now held the indifference of time.
Behind him, five colors interwove and merged, transforming into a pure white peacock, which then morphed into a war god. With an angry gaze, it faced the dust of the heavens, its four arms wielding life, death, disaster, and fortune, its two heads perceiving past and future.
The war god, manifested from the white peacock, declared, "The future self greets the true self."
Kong Xuan chuckled and said, "In the past, I once roamed the heavens with Master under the guise of Wang Ming. Now that your future self has appeared, you shall be called Ming Wang.
Ming Wang, aid me in suppressing this fierce Wu!"
"As you command!"
Ming Wang's divine form unleashed its four arms, and the immeasurable blessings of life, death, disaster, and fortune descended. Though Kong Xuan remained the proud young Kong Xuan, wisdom now gleamed in his eyes.
Another disciple of a Sage had achieved the realm of a Great Expert!
On the battlefield, the Twelve Golden Immortals faced the Great Wu. Their divine abilities were varied, and their magical treasures inexhaustible, yet they could do nothing against these ancient Great Wu.
Seeing this, Xuan Du finally acted. With his Purple Mansion Sword, he severed three Wu.
The immortal Great Wu also perished within the profound mysteries of the Taiji Path and the concealed brilliance of the Yin-Yang Great Path.
Xiang Liu was enraged, its monstrous fury engulfing myriad miles of mountains, transforming them into poisonous swamps.
The Rain Master howled, and continuous rain fell upon the battlefield. Fei Lian, a Demon God who had surrendered to the Wu tribe, became the Wind Master, and a soul-devouring hurricane swept away countless human souls.
Yun Zhongzi emerged from his mountain, wielding a White Cloud Sword to repel the hordes of Wu malevolence and suppress Xiang Liu.
Two terrifying bolts of lightning converged, causing even Da Luo Golden Immortals to tremble. These were two former Ancestral Wu of lightning!
Xuan Du intercepted the two Lightning Ancestors but could not attend to the Wind and Rain Masters.
Simultaneously, under the endless wind and rain, rivers and lakes overflowed, and surging floods claimed countless lives.
At this critical moment, the rivers of all heavens and myriad worlds reversed their flow. The mighty Yellow River and the vast Yangtze River surged. From the firmament, a goddess's low hum could be heard. Heavenly maidens scattered flowers upon the water, and celestial maidens danced in flowing robes, calming the wind and rain.
The waters of all heavens and myriad worlds were thus stirred. Three goddesses stood in the boundless sea of clouds. The Yellow River, merging with the waters of myriad worlds, gathered the endless Wu malevolence of the Chi You tribe, the ancient killing intent, and the worldly detritus, converging in the heavens. The goddesses declared, "At this opportune moment, we shall perform the Heaven and Earth Killing Formation, known as the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation.
Heaven's will is clear, Earth's path is obscure. We, Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao, now use this killing formation to save all living beings, quell the waters of these eight directions, suppress these ancient fierce spirits, and save the fleeting lives of all beings!"
As their words fell, the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation reversed the cosmos. Beneath the heavens, the three goddesses stirred the Yellow River, flowing like a golden sea, with countless sands covering the great universe. Mountains and rivers fell still, floods returned to their paths, and heaven and earth were cleansed.
The malevolence of all Wu was suppressed by the mighty spectral image of the Yellow River. The wind of the Wind Master could not rise, and the water of the Rain Master could not fall. The divine abilities of the immortals could no longer destroy heaven and earth, and the might of the Wu could no longer be unstoppable.
All beings, favored by the divine, bowed towards the three immortals above the sea of clouds, calling them the Three Immortal Ladies of Zhao!
The momentum of the Wu tribe was halted. The Wu were enraged. Jiu Feng unleashed a palm strike, and lightning flashed, striking directly at the firmament. In the vast sea of clouds, Yun Xiao waved her sleeve, and all clouds flowed backward, the lightning retreated, clouds obscured the thunder, and lightning was hidden, turning to ashes.
"You are a Great Wu, and I am a Great Expert. If you wish to fight under my formation, even Senior Jiu Feng lacks that strength!"
Yun Xiao's face was as serene as clouds, gentle yet not coquettish, pure yet not cold. Who would have thought such a graceful and beautiful woman was the foremost Great Expert of the Jie Sect? Who would have imagined she could unleash such a killing formation?