Immortal Road.

"no problem!"

The Nirvana Avatar and Venerable Yushe agreed without hesitation.

"Uh this."

Shouzhuo Shenjun was still hesitant, but he didn't expect his two teammates to be so decisive, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

“Fellow Daoists, the leader of the Seeking Ancient Sect is a ruthless man. It is said that if there is any grudge on the front lines, he will carry out revenge in the rear of the continent. The Vast Holy Land and the Upper Soaring Sword Sect have both suffered in silence. Is it appropriate for us to go and deal with him?”

Lord Haoran smiled.

"Fellow Daoist Shouzhuo, are you afraid that the leader of Xun Gu will cause trouble for your Tai Xuan Holy Land afterward?"

"Hey hey yo, you're absolutely right!"

Shouzhuo Divine Lord had a bitter face. How could his small temple in Taixuan Holy Land compare to Haoran Holy Land and Shangxiao Sword Sect?
If the leader of the Ancient Search Cult gets his eye on us, he'll probably tear the land apart by the time he gets back!

Venerable Yushe looked over with a strange gaze, while the avatar of Nirvana laughed to cover up his embarrassment.

"Huh? Hahaha, Brother Shouzhuo is really overthinking it. That scoundrel Xun Gu Cult Leader's sneak attack on the rear was most likely on the orders of the Black Lotus camp, forcing the two main forces of Haoran Holy Land and Shangxiao Sword Sect to return to the rescue. What does it have to do with us? Don't believe everything you hear!"

"That hits the nail on the head."

The Holy Lord of Vastness nodded in affirmation of the theory of the Annihilation Avatar.

"The pre-battle sneak attack on the rear was definitely a conspiracy of the Black Lotus Sect, and it has little to do with the leader of the Xun Gu Sect. Now that the decisive battle has been brought forward, any further disruption to the rear by the other side is aimed at our top holy land. There is no point in going to Tai Xuan Holy Land. Fellow Daoist, you don't need to pay attention to it."

Lord Shouzhuo still wore a bitter expression. "You two families are so powerful and wealthy, but can I afford to gamble?"
However, the other two members of the team made a decision that if he didn't cooperate, he would become a lone wolf, so he had no choice but to obey the majority.

Seeing that they had accepted the mission, the Holy Lord of Vastness decided not to make things difficult for each other. He nodded and reassigned the command to them, then turned to ask another old man.

"Old Demon Demon, please, Brother Yuan Jian, make a move!"

Yuan Jian Dao Ren opened his eyes, nodded, and without saying a word, transformed into a sword light and flew away.

Following the directions, the three arrived at the side gate of the Black Lotus Sect's second great formation. There, numerous Black Lotus Sect cultivators were stationed, while outside, the Immortal Envoy camp continued its fierce attack.

Unexpectedly, the leader of the Xun Gu Sect was sitting inside the formation, casually enjoying tea and conversation, with the person next to him being none other than Chi Hong, the Black Lotus Sect's protector, the Flaming Venerable!
“Brother Jiemie, look at this Seeking Ancient Sect Master, he’s really no ordinary person. While his allies are fighting to the death, he’s just watching the show like nothing’s wrong. Could it be that he’s been waiting for us all along?”

Lord Shouzhuo felt that the opponent was waiting in comfort, responding to reinforcements at fixed points, and attacking one by one as they came. Their fearlessness showed their absolute confidence in their strength, and he was already three points of fear before the battle even started.

"Ahem, who knows? Rumor has it that the Ancient Seeking Cult Leader and Fairy Qinglian have had two or three conflicts. Maybe he's just being stubborn?"

As Venerable Yushe spoke, he secretly glanced at the Nirvana Avatar, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Unexpectedly, the annihilation clone immediately nodded.

"That's possible. The leader of the Ancient Seeking Sect is vindictive and petty. It's not impossible that Fairy Qinglian offended him and is deliberately slacking off here. Let's go up and teach him a lesson!"

"Oh no!"

The two were about to reach out to stop him, but the Annihilation Avatar had already leaped up!

Lin Shan, sitting opposite Chi Hong, was drinking and chatting with him. Behind them, a maid with a red mark between her eyebrows poured tea, and a boy with a mole on his lip held a fan. They were having a pleasant and lively time.

"Master Lin, look, even the opposing Immortal Envoy camp is afraid of you. They'd rather launch a direct attack on the Scattered Demon Old Ghost and the Qinghe Water Demon than face you directly. It's clear that the matter of sneaking into their base from the rear has already made them wary!"

"Hey, Brother Chihong, you can drink tea however you want, but you can't say whatever you want! That's slander, blatant slander! I, the leader, have never admitted to causing trouble in the rear."

"Hahaha, that's right, that's right, it must be that vile woman Youmeiji's wicked scheme."

"That's right, that's right."

Chi Hong is now completely tied to Lin Shan's coattails. After realizing that he couldn't integrate into the core circle of the Black Lotus Sect, he simply found a new patron.

The key point is that by handing over the lotus root to Layman Jinglian that time, he had completely tied himself to Lin Shan, and the two of them were now in the same boat.

Seeing that three more people had arrived from the opposing camp, he hurriedly began to observe for Lin Shan.

"Sect Leader Lin, we don't recognize two of those three people. The last one seems to be the Supreme Elder of the Tai Xuan Holy Land, named Lord Shou Zhuo. What is this coward doing here?"

Lin Shan glanced at it lazily, his contempt evident.

"Tai Xuan Holy Land? The Holy Lord is just a Great Divine Power cultivator, and the weakest Holy Land that has only just broken through to the next level in less than half a century? It is said that it was only established in the last Wan Hui year, and its foundation is the shallowest among all the Holy Lands. With such qualifications, it dares to provoke me?"

"Haha, yes, I think this old man was forced by the Holy Lord Haoran. Look at his bitter face, he's probably scared to death inside."

It is worth mentioning that in the ranking of the new sixty-year holy sites in mainland China, Tai Xuan Holy Site is at the bottom, while Lu State Xun Gu Sect and Zhongyu Kong Family are on the list.

"In that case, I'll trouble Brother Chihong to teach him a lesson."

"Okay, I'll come as soon as I go."

If it were anyone else, Chi Hong might have been on high alert, but this old fellow Shouzhuo Shenjun is not strong in battle, and he is timid and hesitant in his actions. His lifespan is almost over and he doesn't have many years left to live. He can be said to be a rare soft persimmon among those of the same rank of Yuan Shen!
Yuming Divine Lord and Hanhai Venerable also stepped down to fight against Yushe Venerable and the Silent Extinction Avatar.

The two sides were locked in combat for a short time!
The battlefield here has been under the observation of the Immortal Envoy camp. The Holy Lord of Vastness stood on the shore and watched from afar. After seeing that all three of the Annihilation Avatars had made their moves and were evenly matched with the three from the Black Lotus camp, a look of disappointment appeared on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Haoran, you overestimate them. Even if the Ancient Seeking Sect Master doesn't take action, sending three lackeys would be enough to hold them off. Look at their attitude, when will they ever break the formation?"

Those Nascent Soul cultivators and powerful cultivators who were on leave shook their heads upon seeing this.

"I initially thought the three of them were playing dumb, feigning humility. After all, killing so many Nascent Soul stage cultivators right under the noses of you fellow cultivators wouldn't be so arrogant without some skill. I didn't expect they really only have that little strength."

After seeing that the three had all used their respective methods, the Holy Lord Haoran realized that there was nothing left to hide, so he could only stop paying attention to that side and turn his attention to other portals.

The battle lasted for three days and three nights, with casualties on both sides remaining high.

They were all taking turns attacking and defending, and the forest below was already awash in blood, while the fierce battle in the sky never stopped.

Under Lin Shan's personal supervision, the Silent Avatar Squad did not suffer any mishaps, and the two sides fought to a draw, and then continued to fight side by side.

Lin Shan sat leisurely in the middle of the formation watching the battle. Since it was all his own people fighting each other, there was no need to take it seriously about who would win or lose.

However, his attitude aroused dissatisfaction among many people in the Black Lotus camp!
Everyone else is fighting tooth and nail, but you're just loafing around all day doing nothing, which has unwittingly attracted a lot of trouble.

Especially when rumors started circulating from who-knows-where that Fairy Qinglian had actually paid the final payment to this kid ahead of time, it further fueled everyone's indignation!
Why should we pay the final installment before the war is even over?
So the reason they're giving up now is because they've settled the final payment and feel that winning or losing doesn't matter, so they're just not doing anything, right?
This resentment grew stronger and stronger, spreading widely within the Black Lotus faction's upper echelons, and rumors also reached the lower and middle levels. Lin Shan had heard about it before.

But he didn't care.

Because you're right!
The final payment has already been settled, so of course I don't care.

You've already given me face by allowing me to stay in the Black Lotus camp. You still want to use the past to blackmail me? This leader won't fall for that!

Of course, even though he thought that way, when the battle situation became truly critical, he still had to take action.

Youmei Ji, who was stationed in the center, saw that things were fine on his side, but the other side was on the verge of collapse, being fiercely attacked and breached by the Scorpion Venerable of the Hunshan Sands. She had no choice but to order him to provide emergency support. After issuing three orders in succession, Lin Shan reluctantly got up and went over.

The Qinghe River demon couldn't withstand the onslaught of the main demon force, and Lin Shan, relying on the power of the Heaven-Reaching Treasure of Cangkun Territory, temporarily helped stabilize the situation.

But not long after he left!
During the intense three-on-three battle, the Annihilation Avatar suddenly displayed its power, severely injuring the Burning Fire Venerable Chi Hong in one fell swoop. Then, the Guardian God Lord freed up his hands to restrain the Yu Ming God Lord, while the Yu She Venerable took the opportunity to forcefully break the formation!

The gate was heavily guarded, and the overwhelming spells were countered by the array. Even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator would not dare to withstand it head-on, but Venerable Yu She managed to withstand it with his Heavenly Armor!

After breaking through the door, everyone behind it was shocked.

A bright sword light flew over. Venerable Yu She initially paid no attention, but in the blink of an eye, he felt a chill run down his spine at the level of his primordial spirit and hurriedly defended himself while still in shock.

Only then did he realize that the one who had attacked him with his sword was merely a highly skilled individual!
"Junior is seeking death!"

"Never mind him, open the door and let us in."

At a crucial moment, the Annihilation Avatar stopped his teammates from wreaking havoc, indirectly sparing the young Jian Guhan. He then seized the opportunity to lead the attacking army of the Immortal Envoy camp into the gate.

This turn of events was so sudden that it caught both sides off guard.

Seeing this, the Holy Lord Haoran was overjoyed and immediately waved his command flag for a full-scale attack, while he himself went down to help Venerable Yushe guard the gate.

Youmeiji hadn't expected such a big mess to happen, and hurriedly mobilized backup forces to reinforce and plug the gap.

Both sides engaged in piecemeal tactics around this point, and in the end, the Celestial Envoy camp managed to break through with a steady stream of reinforcements, launching a pinpoint attack that blossomed across the board and captured the entire second line of defense.

"Bang!!!"

With a series of explosions, the Soul-Shattering Array, a Grandmaster-level formation in this realm, self-destructed, releasing the battlefield souls it had collected over the past few days, thus covering the Black Lotus faction's hasty retreat to the third line of defense.

"Hahaha, Brother Jiemie, you deserve the most credit this time! The three of you opened the gate first, laying the foundation for today's great victory. I, the Holy Lord, toast you!"

At the celebration banquet, the Holy Lord Haoran held a grand ceremony to commend the three of them. The others who were originally jealous had no choice but to force a smile and offer their congratulations.

In reality, she was even more jealous!

Why are you so lucky? The leader of the Xun Gu Sect, who was guarding the gate, just left, allowing you to get such a good deal.

The Silent Avatar and Venerable Yushe exchanged a smile, raised their cups and drank heartily, accepting all the praise with ease. Only the Divine Lord Shouzhuo followed behind them, feeling uneasy.

And on the other side.

Amidst the vast crowd at Blackwater Cliff, everyone remained silent.

This decisive battle can be described as a spectacle that is rare in 120,000 years. The last time there was a comparable record was during the invasion of extraterrestrial demons!

The Black Lotus faction has lost two lines of defense in succession, and the decisive battle has only been going on for five days!

"Everyone, how do you expect me to explain this to the World-Honored One?"

Yu Meiji sat in the main seat, having specially put on heavy makeup today. Her black phoenix eyes were transformed into something quite eerie, and all ten of her fingers were painted with black nail polish, giving her a unique witch-like aura.

But no one had time to appreciate it; instead, their hearts were heavy.

The repeated defeats made them extremely anxious, after all, the survival of their faction was the key to their ascension, and no one wanted Fairy Qinglian to lose.

Of course, there is one exception on the field.

"Leader Lin, tell me, you abandoned your post today, leading to the breach of the sect. A thousand-mile dike is destroyed by an ant hole. How do you explain this?"

As always, Youmeiji pinned the blame on Linshan.

"Yeah, it's my fault again."

The sounds echoed in the cave hall, and everyone's attention was focused on the two old rivals.

Lin Shan remained surprisingly calm this time, sitting between the old demon ghost and the Qinghe water demon; they were the only three people in the entire venue with seats.

"I was temporarily transferred by you, Holy Maiden, which caused the breach in that portal. Someone can testify to that; it has nothing to do with me~"

At this moment, Chi Hong, Yu Ming Shenjun, and Han Hai Zun Zhe all stood up to support Lin Shan. This is the advantage of having a small group; everyone is bound together and advances and retreats together.

Ghostly Fairy smashes armrest in anger:

"You three still have the nerve to talk? If you hadn't been unable to hold off the enemy, how could the gate have been forcibly breached?"

As she spoke, she glared angrily at Venerable Burning Fire, Chi Hong.

"That old fellow from Taixuan Holy Land is the undisputed weak point of the Immortal Envoy camp. He's so old he's practically in his grave and can barely walk. How dare you let someone like that in? And you still dare to say there's no problem!"

Chi Hong's heart skipped a beat.

He knew that his betrayal of You Meiji and his defection to Xun Gu Cult Leader had already aroused the latter's fierce dissatisfaction, and he was always looking for an opportunity to get rid of him. He had to hold on tightly to the current powerful figure.

"Holy Maiden, you are mistaken. We will not comment on the strength of Lord Shouzhuo, but the other two opponents are powerful, no less than the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Moreover, one of them is protected by the Heavenly Armor. We are indeed no match for them. You even took away Sect Leader Lin. Isn't that deliberately making way for them?"

"That's right, it's not our fault."

"That's right! The side gate was originally perfectly secure, but your sudden transfer away from Leader Lin led to this situation. You should bear the main responsibility!"

Not only did they refute it, but many Nascent Soul stage cultivators on the field also turned their attention to Lin Shan, speaking out in support of him.

Youmeiji was furious when she heard this.

Over the past few days, Lin Shan has gained considerable prestige within the camp and has gathered many newcomers around him. These people had been tricked and killed by You Meiji's avatar once, so naturally they wouldn't speak up for her.

In this current situation, both sides are shifting blame to each other, which stands in stark contrast to the unity of the Immortal Envoy camp!
"Enough! If you have anything to say, go and say it to the World-Honored One."

Seeing that she kept bringing up the Fairy of the Azure Lotus, everyone wisely chose to keep quiet.

You Meiji discovered that as long as Lin Shan was around, she never had the final say, and her subordinates never respected her and were always contradicting her.

As a wisp of smoke rose, the Azure Lotus Fairy Yuan Nian floated out.

"Why are you calling me again? It hasn't been that long."

"Your Majesty, I have important matters to report, but I cannot make the decision myself. Please decide."

"What is it? You can't make decisions about this or that all day long. What use are you to me!"

Qinglian Fairy was also annoyed. This Youmei Ji was too useless. She had to clean up all the messes herself. What was the point of having her as a saintess?
"Today is the fifth day of the decisive battle. The first two lines of defense have collapsed, and we have now retreated to the third line."

"What???" (End of Chapter)