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

Thirty li west of the Xiqi camp.

A brightly decorated reed hut has already been erected, serving as a temporary resting place for the immortals of the Chan Sect who descend to the mortal realm.

What should have been a tranquil place filled with ethereal beauty and lively conversation was now permeated with a heavy aura of bloodshed and decay.

A staggering beam of blood-red light stumbled down, revealing Ju Liusun's utterly miserable figure.

He was no longer the imposing figure he had arrived with. His Taoist robe was tattered, his hair disheveled, and a shocking gap appeared in the auspicious cloud above his head.

"Senior brother!"

Jiang Ziya, who had been waiting there, was so shocked by what he saw that he rushed forward to help him up.

"How could he be so badly injured?"

Jiang Ziya's voice trembled. This was a Great Luo Golden Immortal! How could he have turned into this state after just one trip to Jiepai Pass?

Ju Liusun shoved Jiang Ziya aside, clutched his chest, and coughed violently, each mouthful of blood mixed with golden fragments of the law.

His face was so gloomy it could drip water, and deep in his eyes lingered the fear that had not yet dissipated, but in front of Jiang Ziya, his dignity as one of the Twelve Golden Immortals made him still hold on.

"That Xiao Wuji... is despicable and shameless!"

Ju Liusun gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse like a vengeful ghost:

"Knowing he is no match for me, this fiend has resorted to using an ancient and malevolent formation left behind by the Jie Sect to ambush me within the pass!"

"I was careless and mistakenly entered the formation, where I was ambushed by that filthy evil energy, which is why I lost some of my cultivation."

He spoke with righteous indignation, as if the narrow defeat was truly due to the opponent's lack of martial ethics.

"I see!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ziya felt somewhat relieved, but his heart was filled with even more bitterness.

Whether it was a direct confrontation or a sneak attack using formations, the result is clear: even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal has been defeated. This Xiao Wuji looks quite troublesome.

"Senior brother, what about Jinzha and the others..." Jiang Ziya asked cautiously.

Mentioning this, Ju Liusun's face twitched violently.

The flagpole held not only his disciple, but also the face of the Chan Sect. But the thought of that terrifying formation made his Dao heart tremble uncontrollably.

"Let's leave it for now," Ju Liusun said, his eyes gleaming, forcing himself to speak.

"This humble Taoist has suffered a severe injury to his vital essence and must immediately go into seclusion to heal and stabilize his cultivation. Once he has recovered, he will return to Kunlun and request his senior brother, Guang Chengzi, to bring the Fan Tian Seal down the mountain. We will surely raze that Jiepai Pass to the ground!"

After saying this, he didn't dare to look Jiang Ziya in the eye. He went straight into the depths of the reed hut, set up many restrictions, and declared that he was going into seclusion.

A dignified Golden Immortal was stripped of his three flowers by an unknown third-generation disciple of the Jie Sect. If this got out, how would he ever survive in the prehistoric world again?

Outside the reed hut, Jiang Ziya looked at the tightly closed door of the quiet room and sighed deeply.

Even a Great Immortal was forced to stay indoors after being beaten, so what else could he do?

"Send the order to the three armies."

Jiang Ziya turned around, his back hunched, as if he had aged considerably in an instant.

"Let's raise the white flag and wait for Senior Brother Juliu Sun to emerge from seclusion before discussing further."

……

Kunlun Mountain, Yuxu Palace.

Amidst swirling clouds and mist, and the auspicious presence of the Qilin, this is the ancestral home of the Chan Sect.

Deep within the main hall, the Primordial Celestial Venerable sat atop the Nine-Dragon Sandalwood Chariot, his body swirling with chaotic energy, and his eyes seemed to hold the birth and death of countless worlds.

"master."

The white crane boy knelt prostrate at the foot of the steps, his voice respectful yet fearful:

"Battle report from the front. Uncle-Master Juliusun has been defeated at Jiepai Pass."

"Defeat?"

The voice of the Primordial Celestial Venerable revealed no emotion whatsoever, as if he had only heard about a trivial matter.

The White Crane Boy lowered his head even further: "Yes. It is said that he was ambushed by the Jie Sect's evil formation, and one of his three flowers on his head was cut off, and even his natal spiritual treasure, the Immortal Binding Rope, was taken away."

"Now, the three senior brothers Jinzha, Muzha, and Huang Tianhua, along with the deceased senior brother Tu Xingsun, have all been hung on the city wall by the garrison commander Xiao Wuji as a warning to the public."

A brief, deathly silence fell over the hall.

This deathly silence was not due to shock, but rather to a condescending indifference.

After a moment, Yuanshi Tianzun spoke calmly, his tone carrying an undisguised contempt:

"That's all the Tongtian is good for."

"As a sage, he neither cultivates virtue nor follows the will of Heaven, but only teaches his disciples to rely on the advantages of a few formations to be vicious and ruthless. The Immortal Slaughtering Formation is like this, and so is this Boundary Marker Pass."

In his eyes, the more amazing Xiao Wuji's performance was, the more it confirmed the unorthodox nature of the Jie Sect.

Who among those who cultivate the Tao would study those vicious methods that defile people's primordial spirit and diminish their spiritual attainment?

"Master, should we send Uncle Guangchengzi and the others there...?" Baihe Tongzi asked tentatively.

"No need."

Yuanshi Tianzun waved his hand slightly, his gaze piercing through the endless void, looking towards the distant east.

"Jiepai Pass is nothing more than a minor ailment, and Xiao Wuji is merely a slightly harder rock. The tide of events is like a raging torrent; how can one person or one city possibly stop it?"

"Ju Liusun's skills are inferior to others, which is because he has been lazy in his cultivation. He deserves this calamity. Now the sages are planning the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. That will be the final resting place for the Jie Sect."

"Once the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation is broken, Tongtian will be too busy to care about anything else. These clowns will naturally turn to ashes. Why should I bother with them?"

In the eyes of a sage, the only opponent in a game is another sage. Whether a single piece on the chessboard is jumping around happily or not has no impact on the overall situation.

This arrogance is ingrained in their very bones.

……

East China Sea, Jin'ao Island, Biyou Palace.

Unlike the cold and solemn atmosphere of Yuxu Palace, the atmosphere inside Biyou Palace was particularly oppressive and tragic.

The Tongtian Sect Leader sat cross-legged in the Shangqing Hall. Although the phantom images of the four swords behind him were dim, they still exuded an aura of unyielding sharpness.

He was deduce, deducing the final Ten Thousand Immortals Formation.

This was the last trump card of the Jie Sect, and also the last gamble that Tongtian Jiaozhu used to fight against the combined forces of the Four Saints.

"teacher."

The Holy Mother of Wudang knelt below the hall, her expression one of intense emotion.

"Urgent report from Jiepai Pass! Third-generation disciple Xiao Wuji has defended the formidable pass, defeating Nezha and Tu Xingsun in succession, and yesterday he decisively defeated Ju Liusun, severing his three flowers, thus displaying the divine might of our Jie Sect!"

The Tongtian Sect Leader's fingers, which were deducing the formation, paused slightly. A hint of surprise flashed in his tired eyes, which then turned into a relieved smile.

"Wuji is a thoughtful child."

"I thought his meager skills had long since vanished with the army's defeat, but I never expected him to awaken such abilities in such dire straits. He didn't disgrace the Three Immortals, nor did he disgrace my Jie Sect."

But that smile quickly vanished. The Tongtian Sect Leader looked at the thousands of disciples practicing formations outside the main hall, his heart filled with bitterness.

What good is winning at Jiepai Pass?

Even if Xiao Wuji kills all twelve Golden Immortals, if the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation fails, the Jie Sect will still face annihilation.

Below the level of sages, all are but ants. Ultimately, it is these Primordial Sages who will determine the course of this great calamity.

"Teacher, Jiepai Pass is currently outnumbered and outgunned. Should we send a disciple to provide support and protect this spark of hope?" Jinling Shengmu asked anxiously.

The Master of the Heavenly Sect remained silent for a long time before finally shaking his head.

"No need."

"The overall situation hinges on the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. Dividing our forces now will only allow the Chan Sect to defeat us one by one. Besides, the fact that Yuanshi hasn't personally taken action shows that he doesn't take Jiepai Pass seriously at all."

The Master of the Heavens sighed, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and determination.

"Let Wuji guard it. This is his tribulation, and also his destiny."

"If he survives this storm, that's his good fortune; if he doesn't... that's fate."

"Our current energy can only be focused on the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. Only by setting up the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation as soon as possible can we turn the tide."

"How many disciples have arrived? Is it time to open?" Tongtian asked, looking down at the Holy Mother Wudang.

Upon hearing this, Wu Dang immediately bowed and then said, "Of the disciples who have arrived, besides Lü Yue and..."