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

Inside Jiepai Pass, crimson blood rained down with bits of flesh, pouring down like a torrential downpour onto the scarred bluestone ground.

The air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood, and even the billowing malevolent energy was tinged with a dark red.

Xiao Wuji held the Chaos Bell, which he had lost and then regained, in one hand, panting heavily.

The combined attack drained most of his life force. But in his dark eyes, the killing intent burned ever brighter, like a raging fire.

"Strike while the iron is hot!"

Without further ado, he took a deep breath, and the phantom of Pangu raised its two chaotic giant hands once more, about to strike the bell and completely annihilate this group of barely surviving high-ranking members of the Chan Sect.

At that moment, a sudden change occurred!

Below, in the desolate ruins cleaved by the giant axe that opened the heavens, a dazzling blue light burst forth from the depths of Guang Chengzi's weakened, almost transparent primordial spirit.

That is the holy light of Jade Purity!

As soon as the light appeared, it was as if a melodious celestial melody resounded throughout the world.

An overwhelming aura of a supreme Primordial Saint swept across the entire array space. Even the violent baleful energy emanating from the Pangu phantom was forced back a hundred feet in the face of this holy light, emitting an uneasy buzzing sound.

If the holy light possessed sentience, it transformed into an indestructible inverted cocoon of light.

One roll, one wrap.

Everyone was completely enveloped, and even the demon master Kunpeng, who only had half a body left, was not overlooked.

"Sizzle—!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the holy light transformed into a blade of light, directly tearing apart the spatial barrier above Jiepai Pass.

The light flashed and disappeared in an instant, and the group vanished into the depths of the void rift, leaving behind only a mess and the lingering aura of sainthood in the air that sent shivers down one's spine.

Xiao Wuji, holding the Chaos Bell, stood in the howling wind and paused for a moment.

He clearly sensed the aura belonging to the Primordial Celestial Venerable within that ray of light.

"Tsk, that's fast."

Xiao Wuji put away the ancient bell, looked at the slowly closing spatial rift, and a mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Guang Chengzi, Guang Chengzi, you truly deserve to be the head of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect. The Primordial Heavenly Venerable's favoritism is truly outrageous."

"To bestow upon him such a powerful weapon as the Heaven-Turning Seal is one thing, but to even seal the deepest part of his primordial spirit with a protective holy light is another. Even the Antarctic Immortal would be envious of such treatment, wouldn't he?"

He shook his head. Although he hadn't managed to annihilate them all and achieve victory in one battle, which was a bit of a pity, the broken magical artifacts on the ground and the rain of blood made the outcome already quite glorious.

Cihang perished, leaving no trace; Guangchengzi exploded, leaving only a remnant soul; Antarctica and Randeng suffered severe damage to their origins; and the ancient demon master Kunpeng was even cleaved in two.

Most importantly, the Chaos Bell was restored to its original position, and the Treasure-Losing Coins were now in his possession.

"Today, I have completely broken the backbone of the Chan Sect."

Xiao Wuji sheathed his sword, waved his sleeve, and turned to walk down the ravaged city wall.

……

Meanwhile, at the Xiqi camp thirty miles away.

Night fell, and a cold rain fell softly.

The recent series of crushing defeats have left the once invincible Xiqi camp lifeless, with even the night patrolling soldiers looking like zombies.

"boom--!"

Suddenly, a blinding blue light, like a falling meteorite, crashed in front of Jiang Ziya's central command tent, stirring up mud and water several feet high.

Jiang Ziya's heart pounded wildly, and he hurriedly led Yang Jian and the other generals out of the tent.

When the smoke and rain cleared and the scene on the ground became clear, Jiang Ziya's legs suddenly went weak, and he felt a dizzying sensation.

God, collapsed.

Tragic! Absolutely tragic!

The so-called Antarctic Immortal, who was said to have boundless blessings and longevity, was now covered in blood, barely breathing, and his coiled dragon staff was covered with fine cracks.

The Vice Master of the Burning Lamp Sect's robe had turned into tattered strips, resembling a withered tree. (Latest plot update: Click to follow.) He seemed to have aged ten eons in an instant.

And the ancient demon master Kunpeng, on whom they had placed so much hope... was now only left with his upper body!

Golden demon blood mixed with mud and water flowed all over the ground. Kunpeng was desperately supporting the ground with his hands, panting and howling in pain.

What terrified Jiang Ziya most were the two weakened primordial spirits in mid-air, seemingly on the verge of extinction. Those were his senior brothers, Guang Chengzi and Manjushri, whose physical bodies had been blasted apart!

As for Cihang Daoren... he's disappeared, the outcome is obvious.

"Uncle-Master Ran Deng... Senior Brother Guang Chengzi..."

Jiang Ziya's lips trembled, and he scrambled forward, tears streaming down his face.

The guards scrambled to carry the powerful figures into the dimly lit command tent.

Inside the tent, the pungent smell of blood mixed with the earthy smell of rainwater created a suffocating atmosphere.

Kunpeng forcibly sealed the smooth break with his demonic magic, his sinister face now as black as the bottom of a pot. He stared intently at Ran Deng opposite him, his eyes spitting out a fury powerful enough to incinerate the heavens and destroy the earth.

"Randeng! How dare you betray our ancestor!!"

Kunpeng's voice became sharp and distorted due to extreme anger and pain, like the cry of a night owl.

"The power unleashed by that formation clearly touched the threshold of a Primordial Saint! The price of that Treasure-Dropping Coin was fortune, yet you dare to conceal this!"

"The fortune I accumulated over half my life was drained by the Falling Treasure Coin, now..."

"The fortune I've accumulated over half my life has been drained by the Falling Treasure Coin. If the Chan Sect doesn't offer sufficient compensation, this matter will not be over between me and you!!"

Faced with Kunpeng's anger and demands for compensation, Randeng felt a bitter taste in his mouth, as if he had a handful of bitter herbs stuck in his throat.

Compensation? With what? He's practically already lost everything!

Little did he know that Xiao Wuji was so monstrous, not only wielding the Chaos Bell but also able to sacrifice formations to unleash such a world-destroying attack.

He was speechless for a moment, and could only close his eyes and pretend to be dead.

Just as Kunpeng was preparing to launch another attack, in the corner, the heavily injured Antarctic Immortal slowly opened his eyes.

Let's stop here.

His voice was soft and weak, yet it conveyed a deep sense of powerlessness and despair.

In mid-air, Guang Chengzi's primordial spirit, with the help of the spiritual energy inside the tent, barely managed to condense into an ordinary spiritual physical body.

His face was ashen, and his eyes no longer held the pride and arrogance of the past, only deep fear remained.

"Senior Brother is right... Indeed... It's time to stop here."

Guang Chengzi gave a bitter laugh, the sound of which seemed particularly desolate in the silent tent.

"This Jiepai Pass, and that Xiao Wuji, are no longer things that we can break through."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the tent fell silent.

They exchanged bewildered glances. In that exchange, everyone understood a cruel truth: their conventional fighting force was completely exhausted. The only way out was to ask their master to personally intervene.

Upon hearing these words, Kunpeng, who was preparing to continue demanding compensation, twitched violently at the corner of his eye a few times.

He has lived through countless cycles of time and is more astute than anyone else; how could he not understand the implied meaning?

The Chan Sect is going to invite Yuanshi Tianzun, so who can they ask for help with this messy debt? They can't exactly block the entrance of Yuxu Palace to demand payment from a sage, can they? That would be asking for trouble.

Now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to swallow this bitter pill, even if he doesn't want to.

"Good...good Chan Sect! What a great deal!" Kunpeng laughed in anger.

Too lazy to waste any more words, he rolled up the Hetu Luoshu, dragged his miserable half-body, and transformed into a faint black light, soaring into the sky.

Inside the tent, only the members of the Chan Sect remained.

Guang Chengzi, the Antarctic Immortal, and Randeng, the three strongest warriors of the Chan Sect, exchanged a glance. There was no anger, no resentment, only an overwhelming sense of grief, powerlessness, and humiliation.

Without saying a word, the three of them braced themselves with their broken bodies, mounted their escape lights, and flew towards the direction of the Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain.