Before Dao Ancestor Hongjun, Sect Master Tongtian swung his sword and slashed at Saint Zhunti, stunning everyone.
"Insolence!" Dao Ancestor Hongjun shouted. Borrowing the power of the Heavenly Dao, he easily blocked Sect Master Tongtian and sent him flying a million li away.
"During the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, your Jie Teachings fell apart, leaving a knot in your heart. I naturally know of your resentment and rage. But the Heavenly Dao Tribulation is ordained by Heaven, and no one may defy it. Even as the Heavenly Dao's spokesperson, I cannot interfere."
Dao Ancestor Hongjun remained expressionless, his tone incomparably cold.
"Tongtian fought the Grand Pure Saint, shattering the Primordial Continent and bringing misery to countless living beings. He also insulted his elders and defied the Heavenly Dao."
"The Four Immortal Slaying Swords are hereby confiscated. Receive one strike of Heavenly Punishment, then reflect upon your sins on Golden Ao Island for a thousand years!"
Dao Ancestor Hongjun coldly listed Saint Tongtian's crimes and pronounced his punishment.
As soon as he finished speaking, Hongjun waved his hand. The Four Immortal Slaying Swords, including the Immortal Slaying Sword and Slaughtering Immortal Sword, broke free from Sect Master Tongtian's grasp and were taken into Hongjun's sleeve.
It happened so quickly that Tongtian had no time to resist.
"Heavenly Punishment."
Hongjun spoke coldly.
Heavenly Punishment!
The expressions of all the Saints changed, and they retreated billions of li away.
High above the nine heavens, a colossal black-and-white eye emitted a suffocatingly terrifying aura. Its black and white colors slowly turned purple.
The aura grew increasingly terrifying. All living beings of the Primordial Continent prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling so hard that they did not dare breathe.
Even the Saints billions of li away felt that supreme pressure. They silently circulated their Saint's Power, quietly resisting the invisible pressure of the Heavenly Dao.
As for the Heavenly Dao's pressure, Sect Master Tongtian, standing directly beneath the Eye of Heavenly Punishment's gaze, felt it even more deeply.
Even as he fully circulated his Saint cultivation technique and summoned all his power, Sect Master Tongtian's bones creaked beneath the invisible pressure.
The Eye of Heavenly Punishment seemed intent on crushing him—and forcing him to kneel!
But Sect Master Tongtian was unyielding. His hair whipped wildly through the air as he clenched his teeth and glared up at the Eye of Heavenly Punishment. "Come!"
Boom!
The void shattered like a mirror.
A purple bolt of lightning ten thousand zhang wide crashed down onto Sect Master Tongtian.
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
The lightning swallowed Sect Master Tongtian's body. Even the Saints could not clearly see Tongtian as he suffered the Heavenly Punishment.
All they could hear were Sect Master Tongtian's agonized cries.
Those cries of pain echoed throughout the Primordial Continent.
After the Heavenly Punishment ended, Sect Master Tongtian's clothes were in tatters, his skin and hair charred black, smoke still rising from him. His primordial spirit had been badly damaged, and his cultivation had greatly declined.
His recently restored mid-Saint realm had been directly struck down to the first level of the early Saint realm.
His cultivation of countless millions of years had vanished in the blink of an eye.
"The Journey to the West shall resume. It must not be defied."
"For one thousand years, Saints may not act."
After the Heavenly Punishment ended, Hongjun issued two decrees in succession before vanishing.
The Eye of Heavenly Punishment also concealed itself and disappeared.
The invisible pressure of the Heavenly Dao vanished instantly, and the skies quickly became clear and bright.
"Farewell, Dao Ancestor!"
The Grand Pure Saint, Saint Nuwa, Junti, Jieyin, the heavenly gods, and the other Saints all bowed in salute.
The human world.
Zhang Yifan also saw the incomparably enormous Eye of Heavenly Punishment and that ten-thousand-zhang bolt of lightning.
"This Heavenly Punishment really pulled no punches."
Zhang Yifan rubbed his chin. "Looks like it wanted to teach Sect Master Tongtian a profound lesson, so he'll behave himself in the future."
Poor Little Tongtong.
Yang Jian shook his head and sighed from the side, then spotted Qilin Old Ancestor Big Black Dog nearby.
An idea suddenly came to him, and a wicked grin appeared on his face.
Even Old Ancestor Qilin felt a chill at that grin. He sent Yang Jian a voice transmission. "What are you plotting, kid?"
"What am I plotting? Naturally, I'm avenging Little Tongtong."
"If Master doesn't act, can you beat Dao Ancestor Hongjun?"
"It's not time to take on Hongjun yet. But we can deal with Old Zhunti."
Yang Jian sneered. "That old bastard Junti actually humiliated Brother Tong. Not only are we going to deal with him, we're going to tear down his Spirit Mountain too!"
"You're only an Early Quasi-Saint."
Qilin Old Ancestor Big Black Dog rolled his eyes.
"But you're a Primordial Chaos Grand Unity Golden Immortal."
Yang Jian grinned wickedly and scooped Qilin Old Ancestor Big Black Dog into his arms. No matter how he struggled, he could not break free.
My hair!
Qilin Old Ancestor Big Black Dog glared furiously at Yang Jian. But with Zhang Yifan nearby, he did not dare act too outrageously. "You little brat, if we're doing this, then let's do it. Why are you holding me? Let me make this clear first: this ancestor only likes women! I have no interest in men! No matter how handsome you are, if you dare hug me again, I'll bite you to death."
"Fine, fine. You make it sound like I like men."
Yang Jian tossed Big Black Dog aside. "For this job, we'll need to call the Dragon Ancestor too. And those Nine Golden Crows."
"That's a must. Saint Zhunti and Saint Jieyin are two Saints. It definitely won't work if I go alone. The Dragon Ancestor, like me, is also a Primordial Chaos Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Two against two is just right."
Gasp!
The Dragon Ancestor was also a Primordial Chaos Grand Unity Golden Immortal?
Yang Jian sucked in a cold breath. He had not expected this small courtyard to contain so many Saint-like beings!
So Big Black Dog ran to the pond and barked at it a few times.
In the pond, the Dragon Ancestor surfaced. His fish head nodded, indicating his agreement.
The Nine Golden Crows also chirped a few times, indicating their agreement.
"Yang Jian, to be safe, borrow a hoe from Master. Just watch me hoe Old Zhunti to death with one strike."
"Alright!"
Yang Jian's face was full of excitement as he eagerly went to borrow a hoe from Zhang Yifan. "Grandpa, I want to go dig up some wild vegetables outside so I can add a dish for Grandpa tonight. Could you lend me a hoe?"
"Oh? You brat actually know how to gather wild vegetables? Take that hoe and use it." Zhang Yifan laughed happily. What a filial grandson.
With Zhang Yifan's approval.
Yang Jian easily lifted the hoe. Unlike last time with the kitchen knife, he could wield it now.
Then the Dragon Ancestor transformed into a streak of golden light and hid on Qilin Old Ancestor Big Black Dog. Big Black Dog ran ahead, Yang Jian followed behind, and the Nine Golden Crows flew out of the house as well.
"You just wander around the courtyard and gather some wild vegetables. We'll be back soon."
Old Ancestor Qilin instructed Yang Jian, then obscured the secrets of Heaven and transformed into a streak of light, speeding toward the Western Teachings' sacred land, Spirit Mountain.
Western Teachings, Spirit Mountain.
Dao Ancestor Hongjun had personally descended, and Heavenly Punishment had fallen.
All Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats were deeply shaken.
"The Journey to the West has resumed. What a joyous occasion! Congratulations, Saint! Congratulations, Buddha!" The Bodhisattvas and Arhats were overjoyed and all stepped forward to congratulate Tathagata Buddha.
Tathagata Buddha smiled and nodded.
But suddenly, Tathagata's smile froze, and his expression turned furious. "You dare!"
The Bodhisattvas and Arhats also felt their hairs stand on end as they watched in horror. A massive hoe, as huge as a mountain, descended from the sky as though hoeing weeds!
Tathagata Buddha struck like lightning, unleashing vast power against the hoe.
Boom!
At that single strike of the hoe, Tathagata Buddha spat blood and flew a million li away, his meridians shattered!
He could not block it in the slightest!
The hoe came down and dug away an entire peak of Spirit Mountain as easily as digging up bamboo shoots!
Damn it!
Tathagata Buddha, coughing blood, felt his eyelids twitch. If he had not dodged quickly just now, he felt that he would have died beneath that hoe!
It was too terrifying!
Tathagata Buddha escaped disaster, but the Arhats and Bodhisattvas were not so fortunate.
The many Arhats and Bodhisattvas struck by the hoe died on the spot, their souls scattered and extinguished.
"Damn it, I'll hoe all you bald monks to death! You dared bully my Master's eldest grandson!"
Old Ancestor Qilin swung the hoe, digging viciously. With one strike, he destroyed one mountain peak, severing Spirit Mountain's spiritual roots and earth veins inch by inch! He also hoed tens of thousands of Arhats and Bodhisattvas to death, one strike at a time.
Rumble!
The earth veins and spiritual veins ruptured. Enormous pillars of light shot into the sky, drawing the attention of the great figures across the Primordial Continent.
Saint Zhunti, Saint Jieyin, the Grand Pure Saint, Saint Nuwa, and Primeval Lord of Heaven all turned toward the western lands.
The Jade Emperor and the heavenly gods also looked toward Western Spirit Mountain.
Everyone wore strange expressions, curious and speculating.
"Bastard! Tongtian! You destroyed my Spirit Mountain! I will not rest until one of us is dead!"
Saint Zhunti was so furious that he spat blood. While angrily cursing Sect Master Tongtian, he raised the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree and rushed toward Spirit Mountain.
Saint Jieyin did not delay either, transforming into a meteor and plunging toward the west.
"Hahaha! Spirit Mountain's destruction is simply Heaven's ordained fate. What does it have to do with me, Tongtian?" Sect Master Tongtian threw back his head and laughed.
Pfft!
Hearing Sect Master Tongtian's mockery.
Saint Zhunti spat out another mouthful of old blood. He had not expected to drop a stone on his own foot.
At the Heavenly Court.
Nuwa frowned and asked in confusion, "Who would dare launch a sneak attack on Spirit Mountain? And with such vicious methods, severing all the western spiritual veins and earth veins, slaughtering tens of thousands from the Western Teachings?"
"Someone has concealed the secrets of Heaven. We should go take a look, and then we will naturally understand." The Grand Pure Saint shook his head.
Even the Grand Pure Saint, who was most skilled in divining the secrets of Heaven, could not calculate anything at this moment. The heavenly secrets were utterly obscure.
The Jade Emperor and the others were also deeply puzzled. Who exactly was acting?
The great figures of the Primordial Continent were equally puzzled.
Naturally, they did not believe Sect Master Tongtian was behind it.
Sect Master Tongtian had just received Heavenly Punishment and was severely weakened. How could he possibly destroy Spirit Mountain right under everyone's noses?
"Let's go."
The Grand Pure Saint, Saint Nuwa, and Primeval Lord of Heaven instantly vanished from where they stood, chasing after the two Saints, Jieyin and Junti.
The Jade Emperor and the other gods did not join the excitement. Instead, they ordered people to rebuild the palace complexes destroyed in the Heavenly Court.
It's time to go see Father. The Jade Emperor silently pondered.
The west, Spirit Mountain.
Spirit Mountain's peaks had all been shattered.
The entire Spirit Mountain looked as though it had been plowed over by an ox. It was fragmented, without a single intact area.
Holy shit!
Damn it!
"Aaaahhh! Which shameless bastard was it? Get the hell out here!"
Saint Zhunti spat blood and cursed in fury, but he could not find the one who had struck from the shadows.
Saint Jieyin's heart was bleeding as well. He was so enraged that he jumped about in fury, his killing intent surging as he wanted to murder someone.
The methods had been so vicious that the Western Teachings' headquarters had been completely wiped out!
This was utterly outrageous!
Utterly outrageous!
"It was your Grandpa Black! Take a hoe from me!"
A sudden shout rang out. A hoe hung in the sky like the sun and moon, blotting out the heavens as it dug toward Old Zhunti's forehead!
The aura of death rushed toward him!
Saint Zhunti's eyes widened in fury. His scalp went numb, and his eyelids twitched wildly!
Before you continue