Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

At the summit of Kunlun, deep within the Jade Void Palace.

In the quiet room, the Primordial Celestial Venerable suddenly opened his eyes!

Those eyes, which were usually calm and still, suddenly burst forth with a terrifying blood-red light!

"Guang Chengzi...Aka Jing...Jade Cauldron..."

His lips trembled as he read out the names of his disciples one by one.

The aura of the Twelve Golden Immortals has vanished.

It has completely disappeared.

It wasn't as simple as just falling from grace; rather, his true spirit left his physical body and headed straight for the Investiture of the Gods!

They made the list.

His twelve personally trained disciples, whom he had painstakingly cultivated for countless years and who would become the future pillars of the Chan Sect, were all... listed on the list.

"puff!"

Yuanshi felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of golden blood.

Blood splattered on the cloud bed, instantly turning the white jade into crimson gold.

How precious is the blood of a saint?

Each drop contains the essence, yet it is now spewed out due to the burning anger within, revealing the turmoil in his heart.

"Duobao...Kong Xuan..."

Yuanshi slowly rose, and the Jade Purity Immortal Light around his body erupted uncontrollably, transforming into a monstrous wave that swept across the entire quiet room!

The protective barriers on the walls of the meditation room, blessed by sages throughout the ages, crumbled inch by inch, revealing dark void cracks behind them.

But he didn't care.

His gaze pierced through the layers of palaces in the Jade Void Palace, through the endless sea of ​​clouds in the Kunlun Mountains, and reached the direction of Golden Rooster Ridge.

The murderous intent in his eyes was as solid as a tangible substance.

"Well... well done, Kong Xuan!"

Yuanshi's voice was hoarse, each word uttered slowly and deliberately, as if squeezed out from between his teeth:

"How dare you march on Kunlun, slaughter my disciples, and sever my lineage..."

"This hatred... is irreconcilable!"

He slowly raised his right hand, and in his palm, the phantom of the Pangu Banner appeared and disappeared.

This supreme treasure, one of the three treasures of creation, was trembling slightly as it sensed its master's anger. Chaotic energy surged on its surface, as if it were about to tear the heavens and earth apart.

Yuanshi gripped the Pangu Banner tightly.

With a single wave of the banner, one can pierce through the void and reach Jinji Ridge.

At that time, in the face of the supreme treasure of creation, we will surely be able to defeat Kong Xuan and then send the disciples of the Jie Sect to the list!

however.

Just as Yuanshi was about to wave the banner, a detached figure suddenly appeared in his mind.

He wore a purple robe and had white hair; his gaze was as cold and ruthless as the laws of heaven.

Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor.

"I am confined to Kunlun Mountain for a period of quiet meditation at the Wanyuan Society."

"If you disobey again... you will be stripped of your holy position."

The voice of the Dao Ancestor resounded in his mind like thunder.

Yuanshi trembled, and his hand holding the banner froze in mid-air.

Disqualification from the priesthood...

These four words, like the coldest shackles, locked all his anger and murderous intent deep within his chest.

We cannot make a move.

At least... I can't take action myself.

He slowly lowered the Pangu Banner, closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently, his holy body trembling slightly due to extreme repression.

a long time.

Yuanshi opened his eyes again.

The bloodlust in his eyes had faded, replaced by a chilling calm.

"If a disciple dies, another can be accepted."

"The foundation of the Chan School remains intact, and its orthodox tradition still exists."

"But if the holy position is lost..."

Yuanshi slowly sat back on the cloud bed, his voice low and deep, as if trying to convince himself:

"And then... he truly had nothing left."

He is one of the Three Pure Ones, the true descendant of Pangu, and possesses the merit of creating the world. His saintly position is bestowed by the Heavenly Dao and is in harmony with the primordial spirit.

If one is stripped of their holy position, their cultivation will plummet at best, and at worst their true spirit will dissipate, rendering millions of years of arduous cultivation futile.

This is a risk he can't afford to take.

"Kong Xuan..."

A cold glint flashed in Yuanshi's eyes:

"Do you think I can't do anything to you without taking action?"

He raised his hand and summoned a Jade Purity Immortal Talisman from the void.

On the celestial talisman, Dao patterns flowed, and a faint aura of chaos permeated the air.

This is a communication talisman crafted by Yuanshi using the essence of Yuqing. It can ignore the barriers of time and space and directly reach the guiding saint.

"Fellow Daoist, please receive guidance."

Yuanshi's voice was calm, yet it contained boundless hatred:

"You are already aware of the Kunlun Incident."

"All twelve Golden Immortals are on the list, severely damaging the vitality of the Chan Sect."

"However, this is not a calamity for our Chan Sect alone, but a tribulation for the Xuanmen (Taoist sect)."

"The Jie Sect is powerful, Kong Xuan is fierce and mad, and they are protected by Tongtian."

"If we do not join forces now, after the Investiture of the Gods calamity ends, the Western Sect... may follow in the footsteps of the Chan Sect."

He flicked the talisman with his finger.

The celestial talisman transformed into a stream of light, piercing through the void and heading straight for Mount Sumeru in the west.

After doing all this, Yuanshi did not stop.

He made another hand seal, and another celestial talisman condensed.

This dish is for Lao Tzu.

"Brother."

The primordial voice was deep and resonant:

"Today's humiliation is not only a humiliation for my Chan Sect, but a disgrace to the Xuanmen (Taoist sect)."

"Kong Xuan, with his primordial body, committed acts of slaughter, which violated the way of Heaven."

"Although the Dao Ancestor restricted my movements, he did not restrict my elder brother's hands."

"I implore you, elder brother... to seek justice for the Xuanmen sect."

The quiet room returned to silence.

Yuanshi sat upright on his cloud bed and slowly closed his eyes.

But his heart could not find peace.

The voices and smiles of the Twelve Golden Immortals, and the bond between master and disciple spanning millions of years, are vividly remembered.

Guang Chengzi's composure, Chi Jingzi's integrity, Yu Ding's wisdom, and Tai Yi's protectiveness...

Each disciple was carefully cultivated by him, and he devoted countless efforts to their upbringing.

Now, however, they have all been listed on the Investiture of the Gods, their true spirits trapped in the Heavenly Court, and they have never been free again.

"The Intercepting Sect... Kong Xuan..."

Yuan Shi gritted his teeth, his fingertips digging deep into his palms, golden blood seeping out and dripping onto the cloud bed.

"This grudge... will be avenged."

"Wait until the Great Tribulation ends, wait until the Dao Ancestor lifts the seal..."

"I will surely... extract your soul and refine your spirit, forever imprisoning you in the Nine Netherworlds!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Jade Purity Immortal Light in the quiet room suddenly surged, but then instantly subsided.

The primordial aura completely subsided.

He began to retreat into seclusion.

It's not healing, it's not cultivation.

Instead, they are waiting.

Waiting for the response from the guide, waiting for Lao Tzu's decision, waiting for... a chance to turn the tables.

......

Mount Sumeru.

Beside the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, the Holy One slowly opened his eyes.

He held a Jade Purity Immortal Talisman in his hand. The voice of Yuanshi on the talisman had already dissipated, but the overwhelming hatred and killing intent lingered for a long time.

"Fellow Daoist Yuanshi... in the end, you still got anxious."

Jieyin murmured to himself, his face still filled with sorrow, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

He was naturally aware of the Kunlun Incident.

Duobao stormed the Jade Void Palace, and all twelve Golden Immortals were listed, while Antarctic Immortal, Yun Zhongzi, and others were also slaughtered.

Such a commotion was felt not only by sages, but also by powerful beings throughout the primordial world.

"Does the Jie Sect truly intend to exterminate them all?"

Jieyin slowly rose and looked eastward.

His gaze pierced through the endless void and landed on the chaotic pillar of light at Golden Rooster Ridge.

Kong Xuan.

This unexpected variable has completely disrupted the grand scheme of the Investiture of the Gods.

"Junior brother is confined, the Twelve Golden Immortals are on the list, the Chan Sect suffers a great loss..."

The guide's mind raced through the deductions:

"Now, two of the four saints' attempts to break the formation have been thwarted."

"With just myself and my fellow Daoist Laozi... how could we possibly break the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation?"

"Not to mention there's Kong Xuan, the Grand Luo Golden Immortal."

He frowned slightly.

The rise of Western religions was originally hoped to be due to the Investiture of the Gods.

Taking advantage of the internal strife within the Xuanmen sect, they aimed to convert those with affinity and strengthen the sect's authority.

But now, the Jie Sect is powerful, and Kong Xuan is fierce and ruthless, even Yuanshi has suffered a great loss.

Given this situation, if Western religions rashly intervene, they risk getting burned.

"But... if we don't seize this opportunity, once the Jie Sect wins the Great Calamity, their fortune will skyrocket..."

"Western religions will never have a chance to rise again."

A resolute glint flashed in Jieyin's eyes.

He raised his hand and summoned a twelve-petaled golden lotus of merit, which rose from the pond and hung above his head.

On the lotus petals, golden light of merit flowed, and faint Buddhist chants could be heard.

"If that's the case..."

Jieyin took a step forward and his figure disappeared into Mount Sumeru.

When it reappeared, it was already outside Shouyang Mountain.

Shouyang Mountain, Yuxu Palace.

The Tai Chi symbol slowly rotates, and the Yin and Yang energies intertwine to create a profound and mysterious Taoist rhythm.

Having just returned, Lao Tzu sat upright on the futon, his face calm, but his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Two celestial talismans floated in front of him.

One came from the beginning, and the other from the guidance.

The celestial talisman of the Primordial Beginning is filled with hatred and pleading.

The guiding talisman represents a calm analysis and a request for alliance.

"Can't you all sit still anymore...?"

Lao Tzu murmured to himself, his whisk moving on its own even without wind.

He witnessed the entire Kunlun Incident.

When Duobao stormed Yuxu Palace, he could have done everything in his power to stop him, or even killed Duobao.

However, Kong Xuan attacked from afar, unleashing the overwhelming power of the Great Dao Divine Light, which effectively restrained him.

In the end, they could only watch helplessly as the Twelve Golden Immortals made the list and the foundation of the Chan Sect was damaged.

"Kong Xuan... what exactly do you intend to do?"

A look of confusion flashed in Lao Tzu's eyes.

If the only goal was to save the Jie Sect, killing the Twelve Golden Immortals would have been enough; why go so far as to exterminate the lower-ranking disciples?

Such ruthless methods are no longer ordinary battles of magnitude; they seem more like... a deep-seated hatred.

"Could it be... related to the karma of the Phoenix Clan?"

Lao Tzu calculated with his fingers, but the secrets of heaven were so chaotic that even a sage could not fathom their entirety.

He could only vaguely sense that Kong Xuan was entangled in overwhelming karma, one of which... pointed directly to the Western Sect.

"That's enough."

Lao Tzu shook his head and stopped investigating.

He slowly stood up and put away the Tai Chi diagram.

"Since both Yuanshi and Jieyin intend to join forces..."

"Then... I'll meet Kong Xuan again."

"If it really comes to that, I won't need to hide my method of transforming one breath into three pure things."

As soon as he finished speaking, Laozi stepped out of the Eight Views Palace.

Riding a blue ox and holding a whisk, they slowly made their way towards Golden Rooster Ridge.