Secretly Cross the Chencang to Sacrifice Gongming, First Hearing the Bad News Ignites Fury

Deep within the ruins of Golden Ao Island, in an underground cave.

Tongtian sat cross-legged, his aura completely stabilized at the mid-stage Quasi-Saint. The phantom of his Primordial Dao Fruit slowly rotated within his dantian, absorbing pure Chaos Method Power and resonating with this world in a new way, free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao.

Saint Mother Wudang and Kui Niu stood guard nearby, their auras several times stronger than before, their eyes filled with hope. The nourishment from the Dragon Palace's resources had been significant.

"Master, what should we do next?" Saint Mother Wudang asked respectfully. Now that her Master had recovered some of his strength and received clandestine aid from the Dragon Clan, she believed he must have a plan.

Tongtian's gaze was profound, as if piercing through endless void to fall upon the Investiture of the Gods, which spun ceaselessly, guided by the power of the Heavenly Dao in the unseen realm.

"The Investiture of the Gods," he said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of icy chill, "is a shackle, but it is also a clue, a bridge."

He looked at Wudang, "Wudang, I recall that before Gongming's demise, he set up a small blessing formation on 'Moon Gazing Cliff' behind Golden Ao Island using imitations of three 'Treasure Dropping Gold Coins' to pray for his siblings fighting afar. Is that correct?"

Saint Mother Wudang's eyes flashed with remembrance and grief at his words. She nodded, "That is indeed correct. Senior Brother Zhao Gongming was very sentimental. Even though the war was tense then, he often worried about his junior sisters Sanxiao and nephew Wen Zhong. Although that formation was small, it contained a trace of his vital essence, spirit, and energy. Master, you mean..."

"The formation is destroyed, but its imprint may remain," Tongtian's gaze sharpened. "Using its residual imprint as a guide, praying with his True Name, and supplementing with Chaos Qi to isolate Heavenly Dao detection, we might be able to briefly communicate with his True Spirit, trapped on the Investiture of the Gods!"

Saint Mother Wudang's eyes lit up, but she immediately worried, "This method is brilliant, but extremely risky! The Investiture of the Gods was personally bestowed by the Dao Ancestor and is a treasured artifact of the Heavenly Court. Communicating with the spirits on it is extremely likely to be detected by Haotian Shangdi, who is in charge of the list!"

"That's why we need to be fully prepared," Tongtian's tone was steady. "Although Haotian is in charge of the list, he doesn't constantly monitor every True Spirit on it. Furthermore, we are not attempting to forcefully break into the list; we are merely using a secret technique for an extremely subtle induction, like searching for a specific star in a vast sea of stars. As long as the speed is sufficient and the timing is precise, there is a possibility of success."

He paused and continued, "Moreover, the Primordial Unity Dao I cultivate now has an aura that is vastly different from the Heavenly Dao, and the Chaos Bead can further confuse Heavenly Secrets. It won't be easy for Haotian to detect us."

Despite his words, Tongtian understood in his heart that this action was akin to dancing on the tip of a knife. If it failed, it would not only alert the enemy but could also cause Gongming's True Spirit to suffer a backlash.

But this was the method he could think of that had the highest chance of contacting his disciples on the list. He had to know their current situation, and he had to tell them that their Master had returned and had not abandoned them!

"Wudang, you will immediately go to the former site of Moon Gazing Cliff and search for any residual traces of the formation Gongming set up back then. Bring back a wisp of its energy."

"Kui Niu, you will guard outside the cave and be vigilant against any external prying."

"I need to prepare myself and refine a few small items to conceal Heavenly Secrets."

"Yes! Master (Lord)!" Saint Mother Wudang and Kui Niu accepted the orders and immediately split up to act.

Tongtian then took out several special materials obtained from the Dragon Palace's treasure vault: ten-thousand-year Nether Iron, Void Stardust, Bewitching Heart Demonic Lotus... Combined with his own vital blood and Chaos Qi, he began to refine three black banners, each about the size of a palm, covered in strange, twisted runes.

This was the "Heaven-Deceiving and Form-Concealing Banner" he had temporarily created by combining the formation knowledge provided by the System, the properties of the Chaos Bead, and his own insights into formations, specifically for this operation.

Several hours later, Saint Mother Wudang returned, bringing a wisp of extremely faint, almost dissipating pure energy, which contained a trace of Zhao Gongming's familiar, weak fluctuation.

Tongtian took the wisp of energy and carefully preserved it.

Half a day later, the three black banners were successfully refined. The banner surfaces fluttered without wind, emitting a strange power that distorted light and confused perception.

"Let's begin," Tongtian said in a deep voice. He walked to the center of the cave and, with a wave of his hand, the three Heaven-Deceiving and Form-Concealing Banners flew out and were placed in a triangular formation, covering the central area. Once the formation was complete, the light, aura, and even the flow of time within it seemed to become blurred and indistinct, as if temporarily "stripped" from this world.

He instructed Saint Mother Wudang to guard beneath the main banner and maintain the formation's operation. He himself walked to the center of the formation, took out the wisp of Zhao Gongming's energy, and produced several treasures imbued with incense and wish power obtained from the Dragon Palace as offerings.

He took a deep breath, forced a drop of vital blood from his fingertip, mixed it with a trace of Chaos Qi, and began to carve ancient and mysterious sacrificial runes on the ground. Each rune that fell caused the surrounding void to tremble slightly, establishing a faint, imperceptible connection with the Investiture of the Gods in the unseen realm.

Upon completion, the runes formed the phantom of a complex, small altar.

Tongtian placed Zhao Gongming's energy in the center of the altar and the incense and wish power treasures around it.

He sat down cross-legged, formed seals with his hands, and his eyes shone with Chaos divine light. In a deep and solemn voice imbued with Primordial Unity Magic Power, he chanted:

"Heavenly Dao above, Reincarnation bear witness (a feint, actually using the Chaos Dao Fruit to communicate with the origin of the Great Dao). Today, Tongtian of the Intercepting Sect, using old objects as a guide and incense and wish power as a bridge, remembers the past merits of disciple Zhao Gongming and hopes to see him."

His voice was not loud, but it contained a peculiar rhythm that pierced through layers of spatial barriers, following the faint connection between the wisp of energy and the Investiture of the Gods, extending towards the Investiture of the Gods suspended outside the Thirty-Three Heavens.

At the same time, the three Heaven-Deceiving and Form-Concealing Banners shook violently, emitting stronger distorting power to conceal everything. Above Tongtian's head, the phantom of the Chaos Bead (incomplete) appeared, casting down wisps of gray mist to further interfere with Heavenly Secrets.

The entire process appeared calm, but in reality, it was extremely perilous! Tongtian was fully focused, meticulously controlling every bit of power, like walking a tightrope over a bottomless cliff.

Saint Mother Wudang's palms were sweating with nervousness as she maintained the formation with all her might.

Time passed little by little. The energy on the altar flickered slightly, and the incense and wish power were slowly consumed, but there was no further reaction.

Just as Tongtian thought this attempt would fail and was about to increase his power output—suddenly! In the center of the altar, Zhao Gongming's wisp of energy flashed brightly!

Immediately after, an extremely weak, blurry voice, filled with pain and confusion, came intermittently, as if from the depths of an unfathomably distant seabed, seeping into Tongtian's Primordial Spirit perception:

"Who, who is calling... so painful... the Investiture of the Gods binds me... Master, save..." It was Zhao Gongming's voice! Although weak and distorted, Tongtian would never mistake it!

It succeeded! Tongtian suppressed the excitement in his heart and immediately transmitted his divine sense, mixing a wisp of his aura with Chaos Dao rhythm: "Gongming! It is your Master! Tongtian!"

The other side fell silent for a moment, then erupted with disbelief, mixed with ecstatic joy and immense pain: "Master?! Is it really you?! How can you hear me? No! Master, hurry and leave! Danger! The list has..."

His voice suddenly became hurried and terrified, as if he had seen something terrible. The communication became extremely unstable, intermittent.

"Gongming! Steady your mind! Make it brief! What is your current situation? Can you escape?" Tongtian urgently pressed.

"Escape? Haha, hahaha..." Zhao Gongming's consciousness transmitted a despairing bitter laugh. "True Spirit imprisoned, eternal servitude, drawing faith and merit for the Heavenly Court, pain... only the Investiture of the Gods Platform can temporarily alleviate it, but..."

His words were fragmented, but Tongtian could already imagine the terrifying scene. His True Spirit was permanently imprisoned on the list, like a battery providing power to the Heavenly Court, enduring endless pain. Only occasionally could he descend with a clone for a moment through the Investiture of the Gods Platform to gain a brief respite.

"Junior Sister Sanxiao..." Zhao Gongming's consciousness suddenly became agitated, filled with endless grief, indignation, and anxiety. "Master! Save them! They are even worse off..."

"What happened to Sanxiao?!" Tongtian's heart sank sharply, and he urgently asked.

"Junior Sister Yun Xiao is suppressed beneath Kirin Cliff, Qiongxiao is being tormented by the Mysterious Yellow Tower, Bixiao..." Zhao Gongming's consciousness became even more chaotic and fragmented due to emotional agitation. "Their True Spirits have been..." His words abruptly stopped, as if forcefully interrupted by a powerful force!

Immediately after, a vast, majestic, and cold Heavenly Dao power surged along that connection!

Haotian Shangdi had noticed! "Hmph!" Tongtian snorted coldly, having been prepared. He instantly severed that connection, while the Chaos Bead shone brightly, and his Primordial Dao Fruit operated to its extreme, diverting the incoming Heavenly Dao power and neutralizing it!

BOOM! The three Heaven-Deceiving and Form-Concealing Banners exploded simultaneously! The formation instantly shattered!

Tongtian's body flickered slightly, his face turning pale, but he wasn't injured. He quickly erased all traces and put away the Chaos Bead.

The cave returned to its quiet state, as if nothing had happened. But within Tongtian's heart, a monstrous wave and endless cold surged!

Through the brief and perilous communication just now, he not only confirmed the tragic plight of the True Spirits of disciples like Gongming, but also heard news that made his heart shatter!

Sanxiao were in trouble! And it seemed worse than being on the Investiture of the Gods! Yun Xiao was suppressed beneath Kirin Cliff? Grand Pure One Laozi's Mysterious Yellow Tower? What about the other two junior sisters? What were Gongming's unfinished words of despair?!

Saint Mother Wudang also heard fragments of the conversation. Her face turned deathly pale, and she trembled as she asked, "Master, Junior Sister Yun Xiao and the others..."

Tongtian slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his gaze was filled with terrifying killing intent, like a sea of corpses and blood, and the cold emanating from him was enough to freeze space!

He had never been so angry before!

Even when the Intercepting Sect was destroyed and ten thousand immortals perished, though he hated it, he knew it was the result of fate and the machinations of various powers.

But to hear that his disciples, especially his most beloved Sanxiao, had suffered such a great calamity, and their True Spirits might not even be preserved, the long-suppressed rage and killing intent could no longer be contained!

"Yuanshi, Laozi, Western Teachings, Haotian..." Names were squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with boundless hatred. "Good! Very good! This blood debt, I, Tongtian, will remember!"

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage that threatened to destroy everything, his eyes becoming incredibly cold and resolute.

"Wudang, Kui Niu."

"Disciple (Old Ox) is here!"

"Prepare yourselves." Tongtian's voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it contained a chill that could freeze a Primordial Spirit. "We will go to Kirin Cliff first."

"Some debts are due to collect some interest."