Chapter 21

They instantly understood that Gonggong's furious collision with Buzhou Mountain might have been a scheme of the Heavenly Dao.

"So the ancestral shaman Gonggong's earlier actions were actually part of the Heavenly Dao's arrangement?"

All Saints understood at once, grasping the deeper meaning behind the Heavenly Dao's command.

Though they understood perfectly well, there was nothing they could do.

At that moment, all eyes turned to Li Er.

The Heavenly Dao's command had been issued only to the five saints, yet Li Er had been overlooked.

If Li Er stopping Gonggong from crashing into Buzhou Mountain earlier had been a coincidence, then this time undoubtedly stretched coincidence beyond its limits.

The most crucial question was how to carry out the Heavenly Dao's command—to erase all traces of Buzhou Mountain.

This was undoubtedly an arduous task.

Faced with Li Er, making him yield was practically impossible.

The only option was to meet the challenge.

Zhunti spoke. "Senior Brother Laozi, what command did the Heavenly Dao Will give us?"

He had deftly steered the conversation toward the heart of the matter.

Li Er smiled calmly. He already understood why the Heavenly Dao had not issued him a command.

It was because he had attained Dao through Slaying Three Corpses and was not restrained by the Heavenly Dao, fundamentally different from the five saints who had attained the Dao through Merit.

This meant he could remain free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao's commands.

The other five saints, such as Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, and Jieyin, could not do the same.

This was the limitation of Heavenly Dao Saints, but it did not apply to Li Er.

Li Er had already prepared himself after deciding to preserve Buzhou Mountain in the face of the Heavenly Dao's command.

The Heavenly Dao's schemes had always followed the natural course of events, but Li Er, an existence beyond its control, had shattered that pattern.

Thus, under the fate that had long been set, the Heavenly Dao had issued a command at all costs to preserve its own authority, demanding that All Saints not retain Buzhou Mountain.

This caused the situation, which had already dispersed, to grow tense once more, much like the atmosphere when they had fought over the Chaos Bell.

But unlike the earlier chaos, the five saints now had to join forces against Li Er, force him to yield, and completely destroy Buzhou Mountain.

Li Er had long anticipated this situation and made his preparations.

Buzhou Mountain had a deep connection with him. He could never allow the Pangu Imprint to vanish.

This concerned his Dao.

Li Er had long had a countermeasure for the other five saints' doubts and hesitation. He knew deeply that preserving Buzhou Mountain was inseparably tied to his Dao.

Li Er had transmigrated here, attained Dao through Slaying Three Corpses, and walked his own path rather than following in his predecessor's footsteps.

He knew the consequences of defying the Heavenly Dao Will, yet even when facing the siege of five saints, he remained incomparably resolute.

Could the five saints working together truly shake him? Li Er wanted to find out.

The atmosphere among All Saints was silent. They had not expected Li Er to be so unyielding.

They guessed that if they obeyed the Heavenly Dao's command, they would inevitably face Li Er. The strength of a single saint might not be enough to oppose him; perhaps several saints would have to join forces.

Though the answer lay before them, they still clung to a faint hope. After all, one against five was simply too shocking.

Li Er's words made them understand that once they accepted the fight, a storm among saints would be unavoidable.

After their silence, All Saints decided to fight. As they looked toward Li Er, Venerable Yuanshi became the first among the five saints to act. He respected Li Er, but among the Three Pure Ones, he was also the one most determined to surpass Li Er and prove himself.

Venerable Yuanshi unleashed endless Jade Pure qi. Holding the Innate Supreme Treasure Pangu Banner, he shrouded half the void in the apricot-yellow radiance of Jade Void.

Yet Li Er remained calm, raising his brow only for an instant when Yuanshi brought forth the Pangu Banner.

Beneath Li Er's calmness, Yuanshi's fighting spirit surged ever higher.

He was determined to prove himself, striving to rise beyond merely being the second of the Three Pure Ones and declare his identity—Venerable Yuanshi.

Yet in the face of Yuanshi's fierce attack, Li Er could only be described as "casual."

Li Er did not use the Innate Supreme Treasure Taiji Diagram, nor did he raise the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda for defense.

Facing Yuanshi's Pangu Banner, he merely met it with both hands. Yang qi rose from his left hand, while yin qi surged from his right, revealing the Dao of Taiji.

The aura Li Er released was more powerful than ever before. Between his hands, Taiji seemed to circulate as yin and yang fell into disorder.

The Pangu Banner's attack intertwined with the Dao of Taiji, instantly flooding the entire void.

The remaining four saints—Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti—could not see the battle clearly and could only guess at the outcome.

Yet a figure was sent flying backward from the fierce clash, staining the azure sky with blood. It was Yuanshi.

The four saints were shocked. They had not expected Yuanshi, even after going all out, to lose so thoroughly, while Li Er had not used any supreme treasure at all.

Yuanshi's heart was filled with uncertainty. He had attained Dao through Merit, while Li Er had attained Dao through Slaying Three Corpses. In essence, Li Er's cultivation was already comparable to the late stage of sainthood, while Yuanshi was merely at the early stage.

Therefore, it would have been truly surprising if Li Er had brought out a supreme treasure.

Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti exchanged glances as well, stunned by the result of this battle.

They had assumed the clash between the Supreme Pure and Jade Pure would last for a long time, but the result had come so swiftly and unexpectedly.

Above the void, Li Er stood tall.

He wore a Daoist robe, his long hair drifting in the wind, and an indescribably terrifying aura radiated from his body.

That aura seemed to make him a symbol of invincibility.

Holding an unknown Dharma treasure, Li Er displayed power like that of a saint among saints.

His attack contained the ultimate essence of the Dao of Taiji, its might incomparable.

A wild laugh rang out from the void, followed by an extremely sharp sword intent filled with madness and slaughter.

That sword intent was powerful enough to cleave the void apart.

In all the primordial world, only one person could possess such an aura—Tongtian.

After Yuanshi's defeat, Tongtian appeared opposite Li Er.

The Immortal-Slaying Four Swords circled around him, their killing aura even heavier.

Yet Li Er did not retreat before Tongtian's attack.

With a thought, the great art of yin and yang in his hands surged in power.

At that moment, his attack reached its peak.

Facing Tongtian's Immortal-Slaying Four Swords, Li Er charged forward without fear.

The void trembled, unable to withstand their attacks.

Tongtian's heart was filled with shock. He felt the terror of Li Er's strength.

In the end, Tongtian too was sent flying by a single strike from Li Er. Only after his Immortal-Slaying Four Swords plowed four rifts through the void did he finally stop.

This scene once again proved Li Er's formidable strength. He had actually defeated two saints with one hand.

Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti watched Taishang defeat the two Pure Ones in succession with a single hand, and their hearts were shaken to the extreme.

They thought in disbelief, Who in the world could rival Taishang's might?

The power Taishang displayed at this moment far exceeded their imagination.

After the successive defeats of Jade Pure and Upper Pure, the three saints no longer dared challenge Taishang alone.

After exchanging looks, they decided to attack together, each bringing forth a top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Though their display was immense, before Taishang, it appeared insignificant.

Even with the three saints joining forces, Taishang felt no pressure.

Having attained Dao through Slaying Three Corpses, his cultivation had already surpassed that of the five saints. Naturally, he had no need to rely on supreme treasures to suppress them.

In his earlier battles with Yuanshi and Tongtian, Taishang had held back out of consideration for the bond among the Three Pure Ones.

But when facing Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, he no longer had any reservations.

Taishang's gaze flashed like lightning. Without hesitation, he swung his arm and attacked them.

His methods aligned with the Great Dao, like the Heavenly Dao reappearing as it blasted toward the three great saints.

Facing Taishang's attack, the three great saints vomited blood and retreated at the same time, their eyes full of horror.

The three great saints had joined forces, yet they had still lost.

Taishang's consecutive defeat of Jade Pure and Upper Pure had already shocked everyone greatly.

Now, his single-handed repulsion of five great saints was even more earth-shattering.

To fight one against five and still win—Taishang's strength inspired both terror and helplessness.

The only thought in the hearts of Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti was: Just how powerful was Saint Li Er? As saints, they each had their own ideals and goals, hearts that believed themselves invincible. They could look down upon all living beings and feared no challenge.

Though Li Er's cultivation far surpassed the five of them, it did not make them lose their fighting spirit.

After receiving the Heavenly Dao's command, they had even looked forward to fighting Li Er and using the battle to gauge the gap between them.

But after truly fighting him, they discovered that the gap was enormous, and their fighting spirit was utterly crushed.

Even remembering that Li Er had not used a single Innate Supreme Treasure during their clash, they still could not deny the terror of his strength.

Li Er possessed numerous supreme treasures, and every one of them was among the most powerful treasures in the primordial world.

Amid their shock, Yuanshi and the others could not help asking themselves, The five of us joined forces, yet we were no match for Li Er alone?

Just how terrifying had his Way of Taishang become?

The five saints—Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti—stared solemnly at Li Er.

If they had not been acting under the Heavenly Dao's order today, they would never have joined forces.

The saying that victory gained through numbers was dishonorable had become a joke to them today.

For even after joining forces, they still could not defeat Li Er and had instead suffered heavy injuries.

This was a situation they had never imagined.

Li Er stood before Buzhou Mountain with an otherworldly bearing, calm and composed.

Yet in the eyes of the five saints, he was a terrifying existence between Heaven and Earth, utterly unmatched.

No matter how proud they were, the result of this battle had told them that if they wished to destroy Buzhou Mountain and erase the Pangu Imprint, Li Er was an obstacle they could never overcome.

"Taishang truly deserves to be called Taishang!"

A voice of praise rose.

Knowing they were inferior to Li Er, the five saints chose to retreat before his invincible might.

This decision meant that the Heavenly Dao's first command had ended in their failure.

The price of failure would be provoking the majesty of the Heavenly Dao, and the consequences would be even more severe.

Just as they expected, the instant they abandoned the battle, a supreme heavenly secret quietly descended from the depths beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Beneath the Heavenly Dao's aura, the four among the five saints other than Li Er all felt their primordial spirits tremble.

At that moment, they sensed an aura of majesty like the judgment of the Heavenly Dao, as if they were being subjected to irresistible restraint and suppression.

Even in the face of this sudden aura, the five Heavenly Dao Saints could not help but feel fear.

The power of the Heavenly Dao held a supreme position in their hearts, just as Primordial Violet Qi represented the Heavenly Dao's will and ruled over every saintly Dao.

Thus, the Heavenly Dao held a status in their hearts far beyond the Dao of saints.

At that moment, the Heaven and Earth before Li Er began to ripple faintly within the void.

Then, an ancient figure appeared before everyone. It was Hongjun, the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao.

Though Hongjun had said when he merged with the Dao last time that he would not appear easily unless a great calamity struck Heaven and Earth,

not much time had passed since Li Er had refused to establish the Human Sect, yet Hongjun had appeared in the primordial world once again.

Facing the five saints, Hongjun's words revealed deep disappointment and anger.

"Five dignified saints, yet you could not even complete the Heavenly Dao's command!"

Though his words were calm, they revealed the Heavenly Dao's fury and disappointment.

For the five saints, including Yuanshi and Tongtian, silence was the only response they could offer at this moment.

For they understood that today's defeat was an established fact, and any explanation would be futile.

With Hongjun, the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, having appeared in person, the gravity of the situation needed no further explanation.

Though dissatisfied with the performance of these five Heavenly Dao Saints, Hongjun also knew that today's situation could no longer be salvaged.

Even so, he still needed to step forward and uphold the Heavenly Dao's authority and order.