At the sound of that voice, Jiang Ziya looked up into the sky, wild joy bursting from his eyes. He saluted and called out, "Disciple Jiang Ziya greets Senior Brother Yun Zhongzi!"
The void trembled, and immortal clouds surged.
Yun Zhongzi had not come alone. As the immortal light dispersed, he stepped forward, with four figures of immense presence standing shoulder to shoulder beside him.
Yun Zhongzi descended beside Jiang Ziya and solemnly introduced them. "Jiang Ziya, these four are Fellow Daoist Zhao Gongming of the Interception Sect and the Three Xiao Fairies—Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao. Hearing that the battle at Golden Rooster Ridge had reached an impasse, they came down from the mountains expressly to help Western Qi break through."
At those words, the great stone weighing on Jiang Ziya's heart finally fell away. Overjoyed, he hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed. "Thank you, fellow Daoists, for coming forth so selflessly and lending us your full support!"
Zhao Gongming had a bold, unrestrained bearing, while the Three Xiao Fairies possessed an ethereal grace. All four smiled and nodded.
"The Three Sects share one source, and our Dao lineages are united. The Chan Sect and the Interception Sect are one family, so naturally we should watch over and aid one another. There is no need for such ceremony."
But at that very moment, a crimson figure slowly walked out of Three Mountains Pass. He stood alone beneath the mountain fortifications, surveying Yun Zhongzi and the other four from afar.
He wore flame-red Daoist robes, with fiery Dao rhythms faintly circulating around him. Though he neither spoke nor moved, the pressure of a Dao Lord radiated from him, weighing heavily over the entire battlefield.
"Crimson Flame Dao Lord!"
The instant Yun Zhongzi, Zhao Gongming, and the Three Xiao Fairies recognized him,