Mianchi City fell.
Ji Fa and the others suffered a rout in the morning, and by afternoon the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals mobilized en masse.
In barely the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Xi Qi captured Mianchi City.
The cultivation levels of Mianchi City's garrison commanders, the husband-and-wife duo Zhang Kui and Gao Lanying, were roughly around the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, and their combat prowess relied primarily on the divine arts they practiced themselves.
(Inferred from the fact that they survived fighting Yang Jian and lived.)
The biggest difference between the Chan Sect and the Interception Teaching lay in the differing focal points of their cultivation.
The Chan Sect focused more on cultivating magical power, supplemented by divine arts and spells, and relied mainly on magic treasures in combat.
As for the Interception Teaching, those with good natural aptitude were still just like the Chan Sect, while those with poor aptitude specialized mainly in divine arts and spells—using magic treasures in combat when they had them, and setting up formations when they didn't.
Zhang Kui primarily cultivated the Earth-Evasion Technique, and his mastery surpassed even Tu Xingsun's.
The advantage of specializing in divine arts and spells was formidable combat prowess, while the disadvantage was having a single-minded repertoire; encounter a nemesis and certain death awaited.
As it happened, Juliusun among the Twelve Golden Immortals excelled most at "turning earth to steel."
Without the slightest suspense, Zhang Kui and his wife were killed.
Originally, the Twelve Golden Immortals would not have entered the fray this early.
It was simply because Zhang Kui and his wife directly wiped out too much of the Chan Sect's momentum in a single battle.
Jiang Ziya, Han Dulong, and Xue Ehu died on the spot, and Huang Tianhua was captured