Ran Deng roared, "Kong Xuan! Do not go too far!"
Kong Xuan did not answer him. Five feathers appeared behind him, and a five-colored halo illuminated the heavens and earth, converging into one and falling into Kong Xuan's hand. Kong Xuan merely swept his hand, and the Five-Colored Divine Light swept away the Liang Tian Ruler.
Ran Deng was startled. He extended his withered hand and slapped towards Chao Ge. Boundless corpse qi converged, forming a palm that pressed down on Kong Xuan.
Kong Xuan remained unmoved. He swept his hand again, and the Five-Colored Divine Light, with a swish, shattered the giant corpse qi palm.
"If you wish to retrieve this treasure, come to Chao Ge yourself. If you make another improper move, this treasure will be destroyed."
Ran Deng's face turned terrifyingly grim. He stared at Kong Xuan for a long time before finally restraining himself, for he saw the boundless human destiny converging like a dragon above Chao Ge, its eyes fixed on him with fury.
He did not fear Kong Xuan, a newly ascended peak mighty figure, but rather worried about implicating the human destiny.
That city, once it exits, it is immortal; once it enters, it is mortal. Once inside the city, one becomes mortal. What great storms could be stirred within the city?
The Chao Ge City, suppressed by the supreme human treasure Jiuzhou Ding, could not be broken by anyone as long as Da Shang endured. Unless, a Sage intervened.
Ran Deng's heart was filled with rage. He looked at Jiu Tuo, who was fighting two opponents yet not at a disadvantage. He suppressed his killing intent, for if he killed a disciple of Fu Yu Mountain, more disciples from Fu Yu Mountain would likely descend to aid Shang.
He cared not for other things, but Fu Yu Mountain had an old dragon. With that old dragon present, even Sages would have to consider their actions.
The jade fan in Jiu Tuo's hand had transformed into the Star Jade Sword. Every sword strike of his drew upon the Zhou Tian stars and borrowed the power of the starry sky above the Twenty-Eight Heavens.
Even Huang Long Zhenren could not stop him. Fortunately, there was Dao Hang Tian Zun!
Dao Hang Tian Zun was the most advanced among the Twelve Golden Immortals. If he could shed the karma of the human realm, he could immediately step into the realm of a mighty figure. However, this Dao De Zhen Xian, while possessing exceptional talent in cultivation, did not have matching combat power when fighting.
But even so, he was not weaker than an ordinary late-stage Da Luo realm cultivator.
It was also thanks to him that Jiu Tuo was held back.
However, the Ten Absolute Heavenly Lamps had entered the great formation. With the Ten Absolute Formation combining with the Ten Absolute Heavenly Lamps, the eternal malevolent energy was ignited. The heavens and earth converged into a single line at the points of the Ten Absolute Formation. As long as the Ten Absolute Heavenly Lamps burned eternally, the Ten Absolute Great Formation would remain unbroken.
Within the Tian Jue Formation, the three principles were reversed; the profound calculations within were even harder to fathom. The innate pure qi was hidden in chaos; even a Golden Immortal encountering it would turn to dust. Within the Di Lie Formation, subtlety was hidden within; above thunder and below fire, there was absolute ruthlessness. Millions of wind calamities would silence mountains and rivers, and endless red water would surge.
Within the Ten Absolute Formation, the ten Golden Immortals instantly sensed the changes in the great formation. They all wanted to retreat, but how could the commanders of the formation, the Ten Heavenly Lords, allow it? Naturally, they all circulated the formation to intercept the Twelve Golden Immortals.
Jin Guang Sheng Mu blocked Guang Cheng Zi, but unexpectedly, his Golden Light Seal descended, revealing the phantom image of Buzhou Mountain. The eternally silent phantom image of Buzhou, carrying destiny, smashed and killed the avatar of Jin Guang Sheng Mu.
Guang Cheng Zi quickly exited the formation.
Manjusri activated the Dun Long Stake and narrowly escaped.
Ju Liu Sun painfully released his supreme treasure, the Jin Gu Quan, to bind Zhao Tian Jun, the commander of the Di Lie Formation, and fled in a hurry.
Ci Hang Dao Ren flicked his willow branch, and willows fell to form a forest, but they could not stop the gales. He had no choice but to painfully sacrifice a drop of the Three Light Divine Water. The water nourished all things and gave life to plants. Countless willow branches paved a path for Ci Hang through the void wind calamity, allowing him to escape the formation.
Pu Xian was slightly slower and was trapped in the endless ice and snow world by the boundless cold, unable to break free.
Tai Yi Zhen Ren was trapped in the Hua Xue Formation, and Chi Jing Zi escaped the Luo Hun Formation. Qing Xu Dao De Zhen Jun was trapped in the Hong Shui Formation, Yu Ding Zhen Ren escaped the Lie Yan Formation, and Ling Bao Da Fa Shi was trapped in the Hong Sha Formation.
Of the ten who entered the formation, four were trapped. Only one formation was broken, and that was with the might of the Fan Tian Yin.
The soul of Jin Guang Sheng Mu's avatar returned to the Investiture of the Gods, but the Jin Guang Formation still remained unbroken because the Ten Absolute Heavenly Lamps were still present!
The faces of the eight Golden Immortals were grim, and Ran Deng's face was also displeased. They were thus blocked before the Ten Absolute Formation.
At the same time, Yao Tian Jun set up an altar within the formation to curse Jiang Zi Ya and seize his soul.
The reason for targeting Jiang Zi Ya was not only his importance but also because the Twelve Golden Immortals were all Da Luo, making secret techniques and minor arts difficult to execute against them.
It is said that Yao Tian Jun carved Jiang Zi Ya's birth date onto a small figure within the formation, bowed, and then took a needle to pierce the figure's crown. Jiang Zi Ya, in Xi Qi City, immediately fell unconscious.
Everyone was shocked and calculated that it was Yao Tian Jun's doing, but no one dared to enter the formation.
For if one were to enter the Luo Hun Formation now, they would face the power of ten formations combined, amplified by a Sage's supreme treasure. Even Ran Deng felt uneasy. What if this Sage of All Beings had planned for him long ago and hidden some means within the formation? Then Ran Deng would be in danger.
The immortals did not know what to do and could only go to Mount Kunlun to seek help from Yuan Shi Tian Zun.
Yuan Shi heard their words and did not say anything, but he recalled many years ago, a very, very long time ago, when he and another had played a game of chess below Kunlun. From that game, the pattern of the present age was set, leading to the Jian Mu transforming into the World Tree.
Now, he and that other seemed to be playing another game, but the difference was that he could no longer see what game the other was playing.
Even as a Sage, Yuan Shi felt a gap between himself and that other.
Chi Jing Zi, carrying Yuan Shi's instructions, went to the Bagua Palace in Shou Yang Mountain and borrowed the Tai Chi Diagram. He went into the Luo Hun Formation and retrieved Jiang Zi Ya's soul, but lost the Tai Ji Tu.
Not long after, the rogue immortal Lu Ya came to assist, stubbornly enduring the Ten Absolute Formation and breaking the Lie Yan Formation.
The immortals of Chan Sect also forcefully obtained the Ding Feng Pearl from Du E Zhen Ren and broke the Feng Hou Formation.
Then, Guang Cheng Zi returned to Kunlun and brought the Yu Xu Liuli Palace Lamp, which suppressed the Ten Absolute Heavenly Lamps. The eight Golden Immortals, along with the four trapped Golden Immortals, attacked together and finally broke the Ten Absolute Formation.
All ten Heavenly Lords perished, their souls returning to the Investiture of the Gods.
This time, the disciples of Jie Sect were furious. If Du (Daoism) had differences in skill, why did Chan Sect seek to end lives? They had repeatedly killed the disciples of Jie Sect, what did they take Jie Sect for?
Zhao Gong Ming, the foremost leader of outer disciples from the San Xian Island lineage, descended the mountain.
Yu Yi Xian, a rogue immortal disciple from the Northwest Sea, descended the mountain.
Yan Zhong Xian Luo Xuan from Huo Long Island left his island.
Kan Shui Xian Lu Xiong from Shui Sheng Island left his island.
Tian Wen Xian Lu Yue from Sheng Ming Mountain descended the mountain.
Fa Jie from Peng Lai Immortal Island in the Peng Lai plane left his island.
...
One by one, the disciples of Jie Sect emerged from their mountain gates, no longer chanting the Huang Ting scriptures, no longer avoiding tribulation. They were not cowards who yielded to the might of the Heavenly Dao, otherwise, they would not be disciples of a Sage!
Jie Sect, Jie Sect, intercepts the heavens and uses them.
If they do not fear the heavens, how can they fear destiny? How can they fear tribulations?
They did not attack Chan Sect out of consideration for the friendship between the three sects, for the camaraderie the three sects shared years ago, and out of respect for their teacher, Sage Tong Tian, and for the Chan Sect Sage, whom they called Senior Uncle.
But Chan Sect, killing again and again, beheading again and again. In the lower realms, the forces of Chan and Jie clashed incessantly, and many of their disciples had died at the hands of Chan.
The tragic deaths of their disciples in the myriad worlds ignited their blood, stimulating their hearts that sought to intercept the heavens.
In the past, Jie Sect always showed some restraint towards Chan Sect and even held them in contempt, thus they never united and never dared to act against Tong Tian's words.
But today, they defied him. They opened their abodes, put down their Huang Ting scriptures, picked up their magic weapons, and descended the mountain, descended the mountain to battle, to contend with heaven, to fight destiny, to seize tribulation, and to intercept and use the heavens, truly embodying the doctrine of Jie.
Therefore, Tong Tian could not stop them, for this was the fundamental doctrine that sustained Jie Sect, Tong Tian's philosophy, and Jie Sect's philosophy.
After all, this heart to intercept the heavens was given to them by Tong Tian.
Once Tong Tian did not obstruct them, these Heaven-envied geniuses, wielding the sword of Jie's righteousness, descended into the world. They would fear no heaven, be obstructed by no mountains or rivers, shake the firmament, and even if death awaited, they would not regret it!