Primordial Era: I, Tongtian, will slay all enemies!

Zhunti was still locked in a fierce battle with the Three Talents Formation composed of Xiangwei, Xiangsha, and Danxing.

Slight beads of sweat appeared on Zhunti's forehead, and his once deep and confident eyes were now filled with surprise and solemnity.

Once the Three Talents Formation was activated, it resembled a giant vortex, frantically absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy and transforming it into sharp attacks that surged towards Zhunti.

The three people, who appeared to be only at the Quasi-Saint level, were working together with perfect coordination, just like one person. Every movement and every swing of their magical treasures was seamlessly connected.

Zhunti never expected that the Three Talents Formation they had set up would have such astonishing power, and that it could actually contend with him, a dignified saint, for so long. It was truly beyond his expectations.

Zhunti pondered to himself, "Just who are these three? Their cultivation is only at the Quasi-Saint level, yet they are able to hold their own against me using this Three Talents Formation."

Meanwhile, in another part of the sky not far away, a tragic scene unfolded: Haotian and Randeng were surrounded by Xuandu, Zhulong, Duobao, and others, trapped in a desperate situation.

Xuan Du kept smashing the Tai Chi diagram in his hand towards the two of them, like whack-a-mole. Zhulong immediately transformed into its enormous true form, spewing out pillars of blazing fire from its mouth.

Duobao's face was grim, his hands constantly changing hand seals, and magical treasures surrounded him. Under his control, one magical treasure after another was smashed towards Haotian and Randeng.

"You two have committed too many sins; let this Buddha grant you some salvation!"

Haotian, the ruler of the Heavenly Court, was in a terrible state. His clothes were torn in many places, his hair was disheveled, and his face was full of anger.

But right now, he could only struggle to hold on against the fierce attack, barely managing to stay afloat. He was wounded in many places, and blood kept seeping out, staining his clothes red.

Ran Deng was in no better shape. He had originally planned to take advantage of the chaos in this conflict and gain some benefits, but he never expected to find himself in such a desperate situation.

His face was as pale as paper, large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his eyes were full of regret. He thought to himself, "I should never have gotten involved in this mess! These people are no good; I'm afraid I'm going to die here."

As time went on, Zhunti felt that the Three Talents Formation was increasingly strange and unusual.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, suddenly, a yin-yang light flashed across the sky, and then a figure descended—it was Lao Tzu.

He appeared between the Three Talents Formation and Zhunti, like a towering mountain rising from the ground, instantly freezing the atmosphere of the entire battlefield.

When Xiangwei, Xiangsha, and Danxing saw Laozi arrive, they exchanged a glance, and without hesitation, they dispelled the Three Talents Formation. In a flash, they retreated to Di Xin's side.

"Three Imperial Advisors, thank you for your hard work. Are you injured?" All three shook their heads.

When Zhunti saw Laozi appear, he was taken aback. He knew how powerful Laozi was, but he was not willing to show weakness at this moment.

"Eldest brother, where is second brother? Why are you the only one here?" His eyes held a hint of wariness, as well as a touch of provocation.

Laozi's expression remained calm, but his eyes revealed an undeniable authority. "Junior brother, step back, or don't blame your senior brother for being impolite."

Upon hearing Laozi's words, Zhunti instantly became excited. He secretly pondered, "Laozi's cultivation has been suppressed by the Heavenly Dao. How much power does he have now? Even if he defeated Yuanshi, he must be at his last gasp now, and may not be able to defeat me!"

Thinking of this, a wild smile appeared on his face. In an instant, disregarding the consequences, he swayed and rushed towards Laozi like an arrow released from a bow.

Seeing this, Lao Tzu sighed helplessly, thinking to himself, "Alas, well, it's hard to persuade a damned devil with kind words. This Zhunti has always been arrogant and conceited; there's no way to convince him."

He watched as Zhunti rushed towards him, but he remained calm and composed, simply standing there quietly, like a steadfast rock, waiting for Zhunti's arrival.

Just as Zhunti's Seven Treasures Tree was about to strike Laozi, suddenly, Zhunti felt an invisible force coming from him, and he was suspended in mid-air, unable to move.

A phantom in the shape of a Tai Chi symbol appeared beneath Zhunti's feet, slowly rotating and emitting soft rays of light that enveloped him.

Laozi raised his finger and pointed it at Zhunti, letting out a soft shout. A moment later, a yin-yang energy appeared around Zhunti, instantly binding him tightly.

Zhunti's eyes widened in horror and disbelief. He never imagined that Laozi would still have such amazing strength under the suppression of the Heavenly Dao.

He was filled with panic: "How is this possible? How can he still unleash such powerful techniques? He's already been suppressed by the Heavenly Dao, I never expected him to have such strength. This is terrible!"

Laozi looked at the bound Zhunti, clenched his fist with one hand, and the Yin and Yang energies instantly contracted, tightly binding Zhunti. Zhunti felt excruciating pain all over his body, as if his bones were about to be crushed.

Just as Laozi was about to kill Zhunti, a flash of light appeared in the sky, and Hongjun and Tongtian appeared at the same time.

Hongjun's face was gloomy. With a wave of his hand, the restraints on Zhunti's body were removed. He glared at Laozi fiercely, his eyes filled with reproach.

At this moment, Jieyin saw Hongjun arrive and hurriedly came to Hongjun's side, saying with a fawning expression, "Teacher, you've finally arrived! If you had come any later, this situation would have been difficult to handle."

Hongjun glanced at him, ignoring his flattering words, but frowned slightly, feeling somewhat annoyed by the guide's obsequiousness.

Nuwa, panting heavily, arrived at Tongtian and the others' side.

At this moment, just as the two sides were about to make their move again, the atmosphere became extremely tense. However, Tongtian and Hongjun simultaneously intervened and stopped everyone.

Hongjun's expression was stern. "Enough! Come back to Zixiao Palace with me!"

Tongtian's expression was also solemn. "Please follow me back to Jin'ao Island. Let's not cause any more trouble here!"

A moment later, the group followed Tongtian to the vicinity of Jin'ao Island. Tongtian waved his hand, and the array surrounding Jin'ao Island disappeared. The group filed in and entered Biyou Palace.

In Biyou Palace, Tongtian sat in the center, with Nuwa and Laozi on either side, and everyone else taking their seats in the lower positions.

"I made a great oath with Hongjun, betting the Investiture of the Gods calamity on it..."

After Tongtian finished speaking, everyone looked at him in shock, feeling that this was a huge gamble.

Di Xin, seated in the lower position, was filled with fervor upon hearing these words. He abruptly stood up and bowed to Tongtian.

"Please rest assured, Grandmaster, our Great Shang will surely point its sword at the heavens and become the ruler of the Heavenly Court! We will not fail the expectations of Grandmaster and Master!"

Although Nuwa's face remained calm, she began to ponder in her heart.

"Now that we have the support of the Jie Sect, the Human Sect, the Nuwa Palace, the Fire Cloud Cave, and the Underworld, Di Xin's chances of winning are even greater. If Di Xin can truly become the ruler of the Heavenly Court, then the格局 (geju, a concept encompassing the overall structure and overall situation) of this world will undergo a major change, which would be of great benefit to me as well. However, there are too many variables involved, so we must be careful in dealing with them."