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

Faced with Master Yu Ding's almost roaring questioning, the command tent fell into a deathly silence.

Only the wind outside the tent howled like a ghost's wail.

The Taoist Ran Deng sat on the commander's seat, his eyes darting around, not daring to meet Yu Ding's gaze.

He picked up his teacup, trying to hide his embarrassment, but found that the tea had already gone cold, and could only manage to squeeze out a dry remark.

"Nephew Yu Ding, this matter... was indeed due to my carelessness. I never expected that wicked creature would be so well-hidden, possessing even such a supreme innate treasure..."

"Unexpected?"

Master Yu Ding let out a bitter laugh, a laugh that was even more unpleasant than crying.

He turned his head and looked at Guang Chengzi, who had his head down and his face flushed.

"Senior Brother, even you didn't expect this?"

Guang Chengzi opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found that his throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and he couldn't utter a single word.

How do you explain this? Can you say you lost the Zhuxian Sword yourself and were too ashamed to mention it? Or can you say you suspected there might be a powerful treasure but didn't warn others to explore the area?

This is clearly impossible, since anyone with eyes can see just how terrifying the Chaos Bell's enhancement to Xiao Wuji was. Without the Chaos Bell, Puxian wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat when he was present.

silence.

This suffocating avoidance is itself the cruelest answer.

Master Yu Ding was a clever man, and even more so, a proud one.

Looking at the two high-ranking members of the Chan Sect in front of him, he suddenly felt extremely disgusted.

"I understand."

Master Yu Ding slowly nodded, the anger in his eyes gradually subsiding, replaced by an empty indifference.

"You dare not say that the Zhuxian Sword is lost; you dare not be sure that the Chaos Bell may exist, so you sent me and Senior Brother Taiyi to investigate."

"Now that the thunder has exploded, Senior Brother Taiyi is dead, and I've lost my arm, you've achieved your goal, haven't you?"

"Or are you saying that you know about the Chaos Bell, but you just covet it and are unwilling to share it?"

Randeng and Guangchengzi's expressions changed drastically. Just as they were about to explain, Yuding Zhenren raised his hand to interrupt them.

"No need to say anything more."

Master Yuding glanced at the headless corpse of Master Taiyi on the ground. His senior brother, who was usually short-tempered but extremely protective of him, was now just a cold shell.

He took a deep breath, as if to expel all the stale air from his chest.

"What a fine example of the Chan Sect, what a fine example of camaraderie among fellow disciples."

"Senior Brother Taiyi is dead, and I no longer care to distinguish right from wrong."

Master Yu Ding turned around, dragging his still throbbing arm, and walked step by step out of the tent.

"This great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods has nothing to do with me, so I will not participate this time."

"You can scheme and plot as you please, die however you want. I'm going back to Jade Spring Mountain for seclusion."

"Senior Brother Yu Ding!!" Jiang Ziya was shocked and rushed forward to try to stop him.

"Senior brother, please wait! Now is the time when we need manpower. If you leave, what will happen to Xiqi?"

Master Yu Ding paused slightly, but he didn't turn around. He simply uttered a cold sentence:

"Jiang Ziya, you'd better watch yourself. Following someone like that, your grand undertaking of bestowing titles upon the gods... ha!"

A cold laugh, filled with endless irony.

Then, a desolate blue light shot into the sky, tearing through the air without hesitation and disappearing in the direction of Kunlun.

He couldn't turn against them, after all, his master was still alive, and they were still fellow disciples. Given his master's favor towards Guang Chengzi, even if he argued endlessly, he would be powerless without solid evidence.

Inside the command tent, deathly silence fell once again.

This time, however, in addition to the deathly silence, there was also a deep sense of despair and desolation.

Manjushri and Cihang looked in the direction Yu Ding had left, then at the corpse on the ground. They exchanged a glance and saw the sorrow in each other's eyes.

Yu Ding left, Pu Xian was arrested, and Ju Liusun and Taiyi Zhenren were listed.

The Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect have actually fallen to this state, which is even greater than all the previous losses.

"How can we fight this battle?"

Jiang Ziya slumped to the ground, his hair turning noticeably whiter with worry.

The group began to analyze their opponent, Xiao Wuji, and the more they analyzed, the colder their hearts became.

The Chaos Bell above his head is a supreme innate treasure. Standing on it grants him an invincible position, and even quasi-saints would find it difficult to break through his defenses.

Wielding the Immortal Execution Sword, the most lethal weapon of Heaven, its attack power overflows; a mere graze will injure, and a single touch will kill.

There was also a Heaven-Turning Seal, and under his feet was a Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation that looked like a tortoise shell.

This configuration...

Let alone these Great Luo Golden Immortals, even if you put Randeng, a Quasi-Saint, in there, he probably wouldn't even make a splash.

"Let's go and invite our master..."

Cihang Daoren suggested in a trembling voice, "This situation can only be resolved by a sage."

"No!!"

Guang Chengzi suddenly looked up and almost roared as he rejected the proposal.

"Master was just furious about the Taiyi matter. To beg now would be tantamount to admitting our incompetence! Do you want Master to think we're all useless and then expel us from the sect?"

If a sage, high above all, can't even manage a gatekeeper and has to personally clean up the mess, where do all the Golden Immortals put their faces? Where do the Chan Sect put their faces?

"What should we do then?" Jiang Ziya asked anxiously.

"Are we just going to leave him like this? Senior Brother Taiyi's body is still warm!"

A somber mood hung heavy inside the tent.

Ran Deng sat on the commander's seat, eyes downcast, clearly having no intention of stepping forward again.

He was terrified this time, and if he wasn't absolutely certain of victory, he wouldn't dare to take another step near Jiepai Pass.

"Since even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal is no longer an option, the Vice Sect Leader is unwilling to take any more risks..."

Manjushri, the Heavenly Venerable of Vast Dharma, hesitated for a long time, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces, before finally cautiously probing:

"Perhaps there is another way."

All eyes immediately focused on him.

Manjushri swallowed hard and said in a low voice, "Why don't we go and invite our senior brother, the Antarctic Immortal?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere inside the tent instantly became strange.

Antarctic fairy.

That was the true senior disciple of the Chan Sect, who served Yuanshi Tianzun for many years and was highly regarded by the sage.

In terms of cultivation, he was a veteran mid-stage Quasi-Saint, even stronger than Burning Lamp; in terms of status, although he was not among the Twelve Golden Immortals, he was subtly half a head higher.

But the problem is...

Everyone's eyes instinctively turned to Guang Chengzi.

Everyone knows that Guang Chengzi has always considered himself the chief disciple of the Chan Sect and regards the Antarctic Immortal as his biggest rival who would steal his limelight. Although the two maintain a polite facade on the surface, they secretly refuse to concede to each other.

At this point, inviting the Antarctic Immortal would be tantamount to asking Guang Chengzi to offer his face for a slap, admitting that he, as the chief disciple of the Chan Sect, was a useless good-for-nothing who couldn't handle anything.

As everyone guessed, when Guang Chengzi heard the words "Antarctic Immortal," his face instantly turned a deep liver color, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

humiliation.

An unprecedented humiliation.

To make him beg that smiling old man all day? That would be worse than killing him!

but……

Guang Chengzi's gaze fell on the corpse of Taiyi Zhenren on the ground, and then looked at Jiang Ziya's expectant yet desperate eyes.

If we don't ask for help, how will we break through Jiepai Pass? How will we avenge this grudge?

If this drags on any longer, and his master holds him accountable, he, as the person in charge, will be in deep trouble.

The lesser of two evils.

"Huff... huff..."

Guang Chengzi was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, clearly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

After a long while, Guang Chengzi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and squeezed out a sentence, word by word.

"good……"

"This humble Taoist is going to the Antarctic Eternal Heaven now."

"Please...eldest brother, come out of seclusion!"