After guarding the gates for a hundred years, I drove the Heavenly Saint to madness.

The moment the divine object entered his body, Xiao Wuji's blood and qi surged.

The World Tree seed landed precisely in the central hub of the Twenty-Four Heavens. After coming into contact with the origin of the Five Elements, the seed was like a giant dragon awakening, instantly bursting forth with boundless vitality.

It took root and sprouted.

Countless roots pierced through the void, drawing upon the power of the realm. A divine tree, exuding an aura of chaos, rose from the ground and grew wildly.

The branches of the World Tree are like pillars supporting the sky, penetrating the boundaries of the twenty-four smaller worlds and tightly connecting them.

Those spatial barriers, which had been fragile due to the forced opening, became indestructible the moment they came into contact with the tendrils.

The originally loose twenty-four-dimensional world was firmly anchored, and there was no longer any risk of collapse.

Followed by.

The Twelve-Petaled Reincarnation Purple Lotus disintegrated above the World Tree's canopy, transforming into countless purple chains of law that seeped into every minor world.

Although the original Twenty-Four Heavens possessed the power of the Five Elements, they were completely desolate, with no alternation of Yin and Yang, and no sunrise or sunset.

But with the infusion of the law of reincarnation, everything changed.

The boundary between life and death is drawn. Withered vitality transforms into death energy and sinks into the earth. After being cleansed by the rules of reincarnation, it is reborn and sprouts anew.

Life goes on endlessly, and the cycle of birth and death continues.

A perfect ecological closed loop has been officially established in this twenty-four-square inner world!

Quantitative change eventually led to qualitative change.

Rumble—!

A thunderous roar, like chaotic thunder, emanated from Xiao Wuji's body.

His limbs and bones underwent the deepest transformation under the erosion of this cyclical force.

The Nine Revolutions Mystic Art operates on its own, tempering bones like divine iron and causing blood to tinge with a purplish-gold hue.

The shackles of the early-stage peak of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm were easily pierced by this great power, like a windowpane.

Qi and blood levels rise steadily.

Xiao Wuji suddenly opened his eyes, and the stars in his pupils appeared and disappeared, their cycles repeating.

Mid-stage Primordial Golden Immortal, achieved!

At this moment, the surging power within him was so vast that a terrifying pressure spread outwards in all directions.

……

The backyard of the General's Mansion.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the bluestone slabs.

Fairy Yunxiao was sitting under the three-hundred-foot-tall Five Elements Pine Tree, closing her eyes and breathing deeply to nourish her Dao foundation, which had been damaged at the foot of Qilin Cliff.

Suddenly, Yunxiao opened his eyes wide, his previously steady breathing instantly freezing.

She felt an almost suffocating pressure coming from deep underground.

That power was ancient and vast, carrying a terrifying pressure that formed its own world.

Even at the height of her power, she still felt a tremor in her heart that came from the depths of her soul in the face of this fleeting aura.

"This oppressive force..."

Yunxiao's beautiful eyes were filled with astonishment, and she subconsciously clenched her hands.

This was a power that a new Quasi-Saint could not possess; it was even more profound and weighty than that of the veteran Quasi-Saints she had faced.

But soon, the astonishment on Yunxiao's face turned into calm.

Because she sensed a familiar aura of the Five Elements from that oppressive force.

That is the boundless.

Yunxiao turned his head and looked towards the direction of the array's core chamber.

A smile of extreme relief gradually bloomed on her usually aloof and elegant face.

She didn't know what her disciple had done in the secret room, but she knew that Xiao Wuji had become stronger again.

"Little one, how many more surprises are you going to give your teacher?"

Yunxiao murmured softly, the worry in her eyes completely disappearing.

With such disciples blocking the way, this Jiepai Pass may indeed be as Xiao Wuji said, unbreakable.

……

In stark contrast to the peaceful life within Jiepai Pass was the Xiqi camp, thirty miles away.

The biting winter wind, whipping up heavy snowflakes, raged across the wilderness.

The military camps, stretching for hundreds of miles, were covered with thick snow.

Outside the gate, the patrolling soldiers hunched their shoulders, their eyes like those of startled birds, gripping their long spears and looking around at the slightest disturbance.

Inside the central command tent, the charcoal fire in the brazier crackled and popped, but it couldn't dispel the suffocating cold and despair within.

Jiang Ziya sat behind his desk, holding a tattered roster in his hand.

In the candlelight, the once vigorous Prime Minister of Xiqi now had graying temples and deep wrinkles on his face, as if carved by a knife and axe.

He raised his cloudy eyes and scanned the inside of the tent.

It's empty.

The once-brilliant command tent is now so full that it can't even fill all the seats.

Taiyi Zhenren is dead, Ju Liusun is dead, and Cihang Daoren's soul and spirit have been destroyed.

Although Samantabhadra and the Antarctic Immortal were brought back, they suffered severe injuries and could not recover in the short term, neither physically nor mentally.

As for the rest, Guang Chengzi's physical body was completely destroyed, leaving only a wisp of his primordial spirit, which is currently hiding in Kunlun Mountain to recover.

The only one left was the Taoist Ran Deng, but he had also lost all his magical treasures and suffered great damage to his essence, and closed his eyes like a piece of withered wood.

As for Manjushri, the Heavenly Venerable of Vast Dharma, his face was ashen, and his eyes had long lost their former sharpness.

lost.

A complete and utter defeat.

A suffocating atmosphere of pessimism permeated the tent.

The Chan Sect exhausted all its high-end combat power, but not only did it fail to break through that small boundary pass, it was also utterly defeated and humiliated.

Even now, with the arrival of four Heavenly Saints and the use of Primordial Heavenly Venerable's primordial sword energy, they still failed to break through the strange light barrier of the Boundary Gate. Instead, they had no choice but to retreat due to their fear of the karmic force that would destroy the primordial world.

Even sages return disappointed; how can this battle be fought?

"Fellow disciples and nephews."

Looking at the lifeless scene, Jiang Ziya forced a smile, trying to boost morale.

"Don't be so pessimistic. The fact that Brother Antarctic and Brother Puxian returned safely is a blessing in disguise."

"Besides, Master and the others didn't say they were helpless. They've already returned to Kunlun to make preparations, and they'll naturally have a plan in a few days."

Jiang Ziya offered words of comfort, but unfortunately he was unaware of the plans of Yuanshi Tianzun and the others. As a result, his tone was somewhat uncertain when he spoke, and the tent remained deathly silent after he finished.

No one responded. The Old Man of the South Pole stared blankly at the charcoal fire before him, while the True Man Samantabhadra hung his head listlessly. The other generals, like a flock of frightened birds, were too lazy to even utter a word of agreement.

Seeing everyone's dejected appearance, Jiang Ziya could no longer maintain his smile.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing; all his thoughts could only turn into a deep sigh filled with helplessness.

"Alright... fellow disciples, you may all disperse now and return to your camps to rest."

The crowd rose like zombies and dispersed in a daze.

In the long, dark night, these remnants of the Chan Sect could only place all their hopes and fears on the Taiqing Sage who was returning to Shouyang Mountain to retrieve the treasure.

At this point, repeated failures had broken their spirits, making them lose the will to fight.