" Tongtian, that's enough."
Taishang's voice was icy, and his gaze toward Tongtian was filled with murderous intent.
"Enough?" Tongtian sneered repeatedly. "What? You're afraid others will know about the despicable things you've done?"
" Taishang then, when my and Yuanshi's spiritual intelligence was not yet awakened, you secretly extracted half of our original essence. Do you dare deny this?!"
Yuanshi stood frozen in place, utterly astonished. He looked at Taishang, then at Tongtian: " Tongtian, what... what did you say? My elder brother..."
"What did I say?" Tongtian turned to look at Yuanshi, his eyes filled with pity. " Yuanshi, my dear second brother, don't you understand yet? Our dear eldest brother has been scheming against us since the very beginning of our lives!"
He pointed his sword at Taishang: "Back then, the Great God Pangu split into three, which became our Three Pure Ones. Examine your own origin carefully; is there a slight gap?"
Yuanshi shuddered, instinctively closing his eyes and concentrating his mind, his primordial spirit power sinking into the depths of his origin.
Yuanshi cultivated for countless eons, yet never considered thoroughly investigating his origin. Who would doubt that there was a problem with his own origin?
At that moment, Yuanshi discovered a tiny, almost imperceptible crack at the very core of his origin.
"This!!!"
Yuanshi was struck dumb, his eyes snapping open in disbelief.
He looked at the Taishang, his lips trembling. "Elder Brother... you... you really?"
Clearly, what Tongtian said was true!
Taishang looked at Yuanshi's shocked expression, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
He took a deep breath and said slowly, " Yuanshi, I had no choice but to do that..."
"Haha, how ridiculous!" Tongtian laughed wildly. "What's your predicament? Are you afraid that our strength will surpass yours? Or do you want to always be the boss and suppress us forever?"
" Taishang, you are nothing but a hypocrite! Everyone has been deceived by your seemingly indifferent exterior! Who would have thought that the most cunning and calculating one is actually you!"
"Shut up!" The Taishang finally erupted in anger, his Saintly Might exploding so powerfully that even the Four Swords of Execution trembled slightly. " Tongtian, what do you know?! Back then..."
"Back then what?" Tongtian sneered, "Back then you were the first to take human form, and you stole our essence while we were still ignorant!"
"Then we'll pretend nothing happened, watch us transform, watch us respect and revere you, watch us treat you like a fool, like our closest older brother!"
He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his eyes turning bloodshot. "Do you know what I hate most? What I hate most isn't that you stole my essence, I, Tongtian, don't care!"
"What I hate most is... that you lied to me! You lied to me from beginning to end! You pretended to be a brother, putting on an air of detachment, while secretly doing such despicable things!"
" Taishang!" Tongtian roared, "You disgust me!"
Yuanshi stood to one side, his face deathly pale.
He looked at the Taishang, at this elder brother whom he had respected for countless ages, and felt something within him crumble.
That elder brother who was always calm and composed, mediating their conflicts and guiding their spiritual practice!
The eldest brother who said during their argument that the Three Pure Ones were one and should not fight amongst themselves!
That eldest brother he thought was the most trustworthy!
So... it was all fake?
"Elder brother..." Yuanshi's voice was hoarse, "Why is that?"
Taishang at the pained expression in Yuanshi's eyes, Taishang opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to speak.
What could he say?
Is what Tongtian said true?
"Junior Brother Yuanshi ..." Taishang with difficulty, "This matter... is not as simple as you think. I..."
"Enough!" Tongtian interrupted him. " Taishang Lord, put away your hypocritical rhetoric! Today, let me see just how strong you really are!"
Before the words were even finished, the Immortal Execution Sword Formation was activated at full power!
"Clang--!"
Four swords rang out in unison, their sword energy surging like a tide!
The Immortal Execution Sword Formation, known as the number one Killing Formation in the Primordial Wilderness, is now displaying earth-shattering power in Tongtian's hands!
It directly enveloped the Taishang.
His expression changed Taishang.
He unleashed all his magical treasures, and the Xuanhuang Qi of the Exquisite Pagoda above his head surged wildly, causing the Taiji Diagram to tremble. However, he could feel that the power of the sword formation was constantly increasing, and each sword qi contained Tongtian and powerful killing intent!
" Yuanshi Brother Yuanshi!" Taishang shouted urgently, " The Tongtian Sword Formation is complete. We must work together to break the formation first!"
But Yuanshi did not move.
He stood there, his mind filled with memories of the past.
It turns out... my older brother had been lying to them all along.
It turns out... all those days of brotherly love and harmony were built on lies.
"Elder brother..." Yuanshi murmured, "Why... why did you lie to me?"
"Now is not the time to talk about this!" The Taishang's face was grim as he withstood a wave of sword energy attacks. "Break the formation first! After you break the formation, I will explain to you!"
"An explanation?" Yuanshi laughed, a sorrowful laugh. "What's there to explain? Elder brother, are you trying to say that you stole our origin so that... you could forever keep us in check?"
Taishang face darkened completely.
Tongtian was right; he stole half of the source material precisely to comprehend Supernatural Power.
He combined the three origins of Taiqing, Yuqing, and Shangqing to create the Pangu's Primordial Spirit, but unexpectedly, he made a mistake and had to transform the origins into three incarnations with the same strength as the original!
This was his last trump card.
But now, it has been completely torn apart by Tongtian!
"Since you insist on forcing me..." A glint of madness flashed in Taishang's eyes, "Then... I'll show you Taishang true power!"
He held nothing back; his pure energy surged wildly, and his Saintly Might surged!
" One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones —Appear!"
Three figures emerged from the pure energy, each bearing a seven-tenths resemblance to the Taishang, yet each distinct from the other.
The first figure was dressed in a dark yellow Daoist robe, holding a flat cane, with a kind face.
The second figure was dressed in a purple-gold Daoist robe, holding a whisk, and had a dignified expression.
The third figure was dressed in a water and fire Daoist robe, with an indifferent expression.
The three incarnations each possess the strength of a Saint at the second level of Heaven!
With the addition of his own sixth-level Saintly Realm cultivation, the Taishang at this moment is equivalent to four Saints working together!
"As expected... just as I thought..." Tongtian stared at the three avatars, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. " Taishang, you hypocrite! These three people possess the primordial aura of me and Yuanshi! You stole our primordial aura just to refine these avatars!"
Yuanshi also saw it.
He stared intently at the three avatars, sensing his own primordial aura from one of them!
"Elder brother..." Yuanshi's voice trembled, "Is this... your purpose in absorbing our essence? Are you so afraid... that our strength will surpass yours?"
He clenched his fists, his heart aching terribly.
It's all Tongtian's fault!
It was all Tongtian's doing!
If Tongtian hadn't exposed this matter, if Tongtian hadn't set up a sword formation to force him to make a move, how could he have revealed his trump card?!
Since we can't hide it, then we won't hide it anymore.
Four figures attacked simultaneously!
The Taishang and his three incarnations each headed in one of the four directions of the sword formation.
The combined power of four Saint-level warriors caused the Immortal Execution Sword Formation to tremble violently!
Tongtian's expression was solemn as he fully activated the sword formation.
The four killing swords shone brightly, their sword energy like dragons, as they fought against the Four Saints incarnations.
Within the sword formation, the sky collapsed and the earth cracked, and space and time were distorted. If it weren't for the Taishang using his magic power to protect the entire Shouyang Mountain, the entire region would probably have been razed to the ground by the aftershocks!
Not long after.
"Boom!"
The Immortal Execution Sword Formation was forcibly torn open, creating a gap!
Then, the second, the third... the Four Saints avatars joined forces and finally shattered the sword formation completely!
The four killing swords let out a mournful cry and flew back to Tongtian's side. Tongtian staggered back three steps, a trace of golden blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his face pale.
But he was smiling.
"Hehe... hahaha..." Tongtian laughed heartily, his laughter filled with delight. " Taishang, your trump card... you've finally revealed it. Very good... very good..."
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Yuanshi: " Yuanshi, did you see clearly? What is the true face of this good brother?"
"Elder brother..." Yuanshi slowly began, "No, Taishang Elder brother. From this day forward, you and I... are merely fellow disciples."
Taishang's expression changed. " Yuanshi, you..."
"I'm tired," Yuanshi interrupted him, his voice icy. "Farewell."
Before Taishang could react, Yuanshi transformed into a beam of Jade Purity Immortal Light and disappeared into the sky.
Tongtian looked in the direction Yuanshi had left, then at Taishang, and sneered, " Taishang, my purpose has been achieved. From now on, you go your way, and I'll go mine. The bond between the Three Pure Ones... is severed completely today!"
Having said that, he sheathed the Four Swords of Execution, transformed into sword light, and headed towards the East Sea.
Above Shouyang Mountain, only the Taishang and his three incarnations remained.
Taishang expression shifted constantly, his face remaining icy cold.
He wanted to keep Tongtian and completely suppress Tongtian, but if he killed Tongtian now, the news would spread...
" Tongtian..." Taishang gritted his teeth, his voice filled with hatred, "You're simply... courting death!"
He withdrew his three avatars, gazing in the direction Tongtian had departed, his eyes flashing with cold light.
And... Dao Venerable Lin Tian.
" Dao Venerable Lin Tian..." The Taishang clenched his fist, and his Saintly Might erupted uncontrollably. Within a radius of ten thousand miles of Shouyang Mountain, the sky and earth changed color, and all living beings knelt in submission.
"I will remember this grudge!"
He turned around and stepped back into the Eight Sceneries Palace.