Chapter Summaries

After Nezha died to appease the Four Sea Dragon Kings, True Person Taiyi rebuilt him as a lotus incarnation and sent him back to kill Li Jing. Daoist Randeng stopped Nezha and gave Li Jing the Exquisite Ruyi Golden Pagoda, leaving Nezha struggling between his hatred and the consequences of patricide.

• Ao Guang called off the attack on Chentang Pass after Nezha's death and warned Li Jing to control his family.
• Nezha's remnant soul reached Golden Light Cave, where True Person Taiyi forged him a lotus body and gave him weapons and treasures.
• Nezha returned to Chentang Pass and attacked Li Jing, badly injuring him before Lady Yin rushed to his side.
• Daoist Randeng intervened, argued that Nezha should not kill his father, and gave Li Jing the Exquisite Ruyi Golden Pagoda to suppress Nezha if needed.
• After Randeng departed, Nezha felt uneasy about the pagoda and hesitated as he confronted the consequences of killing Li Jing.

Jiang Ziya obeyed Primordial Heavenly Venerate’s decree to descend from Kunlun and lead the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, then met Ji Chang at the Wei River and became Zhou’s Chancellor. Lu Yuan watched the tribulation intensify as Jiang Ziya stepped into the struggle between Shang and Zhou.

• Nezha remembered Li Jing’s threat with the Exquisite Pagoda and vowed to settle their blood debt after the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate ordered Jiang Ziya to descend the mountain, assist Ji Chang, and fulfill the Mandate of Heaven, giving him the Investiture of the Gods Scroll and the God-Beating Whip.
• Lu Yuan saw Jiang Ziya descend with the sacred treasures and observed the rising tribulation, Di Xin’s precarious rule, the Immortal-Slaying Sword’s challenge, and Nezha’s resentment.
• Jiang Ziya reached the Wei River and fished with a straight hook until Ji Chang recognized him as the worthy minister foretold by divination.
• Jiang Ziya revealed his name, accepted Ji Chang’s invitation to serve Zhou, and declared that Ji Chang was chosen by Heaven.
• Ji Chang appointed Jiang Ziya Chancellor of Zhou at the ancestral temple, and Jiang Ziya felt the treasures respond as he entered the heart of the tribulation.

Sect Master Tongtian recognized Shen Gongbao as the Child of the Tribulation and sent him to Zhaoge to aid Di Xin. Shen Gongbao presented four state policies, was appointed national preceptor, and joined Di Xin in preparing to resist the Saints’ designs.

• Sect Master Tongtian revealed that Shen Gongbao’s fate had become central to the Tribulation and asked him to fight for the Interception Sect and the Shang Dynasty.
• Shen Gongbao accepted the charge, received Shangqing Immortal Light from Sect Master Tongtian, and set out for Zhaoge.
• Lu Yuan observed Shen Gongbao’s rising calamity fortune and considered whether he would help Di Xin stabilize the Shang Dynasty or worsen its crisis.
• Di Xin welcomed Shen Gongbao, who advised him to contain Xi Qi, support Bi Gan’s reforms, build alliances with other races, and rely on the Interception Sect and Lu Yuan.
• Di Xin appointed Shen Gongbao national preceptor, and the ruler and minister pledged to restore the Shang Dynasty and resist the Saints.

Di Xin summoned the four great marquises to Zhaoge and confined them under court appointments, then accused Ji Chang of treason after Fei Zhong and You Hun reported his divinations. Ji Chang was sentenced to imprisonment at Youli, where he accepted the ordeal as a way to buy Xi Qi time.

• Di Xin issued an edict summoning the four great marquises to Zhaoge, and Ji Chang chose to obey despite Jiang Ziya's warning that the summons was a trap.
• Ji Chang entrusted Xi Qi to Bo Yikao and Ji Fa, instructing them to rely on Jiang Shang for state and military decisions.
• Di Xin accused the assembled marquises of wrongdoing, appointed them to court posts, then sent Chong Houhu back north to divide the group.
• Fei Zhong and You Hun told Di Xin that Ji Chang had used Fuxi's Eight Trigrams to curse the Shang Dynasty, and Ji Chang admitted divining the dynasty's fate while criticizing Di Xin's rule.
• The ministers and Shen Gongbao dissuaded Di Xin from executing Ji Chang, so Di Xin sentenced him to confinement at Youli.

The Western Teachings intervened in the North Sea to prevent Wen Zhong from crushing Yuan Futong’s rebellion, prompting Tongtian to mobilize Biyou Palace and Lu Yuan to send seven Daluo disciples to aid them. The Myriad Immortals Formation drove the Western forces back until Zhunti interfered from afar, and Tongtian prepared to confront him.

• Jieyin and Zhunti decided to send the Western Teachings’ forces to Black Wind Valley to prolong the North Sea conflict and weaken the Shang Dynasty and Interception Sect.
• Maitreya, Pharmacist, Great Strength Bodhisattva, Venerable Kinnara, and the Western Teachings’ Great Luo Dao Lords arrived at Black Wind Valley, giving Yuan Futong’s defeated rebels hope.
• Tongtian ordered Duobao, Jin Ling, Guiling, Wudang, Yunxiao, and the Interception Sect’s immortals to set up the Myriad Immortals Formation and crush the Western forces and Yuan Futong.
• Lu Yuan sent Honglu, Beiyuan, Yuanchu, Xuanhua, Gudao, Qingxiao, and Wanmu to aid Biyou Palace at the North Sea.
• Duobao’s Myriad Immortals Formation shattered the Western Pure Land’s defenses; Duobao defeated Maitreya’s cymbals, Jin Ling wounded Pharmacist, and Yunxiao’s Hunyuan Golden Bucket threatened Great Strength Bodhisattva.
• Zhunti used the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree to disrupt the formation from afar, and Tongtian responded by preparing to confront him.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate sent Yuxu Palace’s immortals to Black Wind Valley, turning the North Sea battle into a slaughter that threatened the Interception Sect and drained the Western Teachings. As Daoist Zhunti’s Three Corpses joined the fight, Lu Yuan appeared to shield Daoist Duobao and Saint Mother Jin Ling, stopping one Saintly attack and facing another.

• Primordial Heavenly Venerate rang the Gathering Immortals Bell and ordered Guangchengzi, the Twelve Golden Immortals, Yunzhongzi, and Bo Huangshi to reinforce the Western Teachings and draw the Biyou Palace immortals into the North Sea battle.
• Guangchengzi and the Western Teachings’ Maitreya and Pharmacist Buddha attacked Daoist Duobao, while the Yuxu immortals engaged the other Interception Sect Quasi-Saints and the wider battlefield descended into slaughter.
• Daoist Duobao revealed his Good and Evil Corpses and held off the combined assault, while the Western Teachings suffered heavy losses across Black Wind Valley.
• Daoist Zhunti sent his Good Corpse Bodhi and Evil Corpse Annihilation to break the Myriad Immortals Formation and attack Daoist Duobao and Saint Mother Jin Ling.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate blocked Sect Master Tongtian from intervening, but Lu Yuan appeared between the Three Corpses and their targets and caught Annihilation’s Blessing Divine Pestle with his Profound Yellow Great Dao.
• Bodhi swept the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree’s annihilating radiance toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan suppressed Zhunti’s Three Corpses with his Profound Yellow Dao Realm, forcing the Western Teachings and Chan Sect to retreat from the North Sea. The victory strengthened the Shang Dynasty and Biyou Palace, while Primordial Heavenly Venerate recognized Lu Yuan as the greatest threat to his plans for the Mandate of Heaven.

• Lu Yuan’s Profound Yellow Dao Realm assimilated Bodhi Daoist’s nirvana light and held off Nirvana Daoist’s attacks, while Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Sect Master Tongtian watched from afar.
• Lu Yuan summoned the Zhou Tian Stars to seal the Black Wind Valley battlefield, condemned the Western Teachings and Chan Sect for starting the conflict, and demanded their retreat.
• At Daoist Jieyin’s urging, Daoist Zhunti recalled Bodhi and Nirvana; Maitreya Buddha led the Western Teachings away, and Guangchengzi ordered the Yuxu disciples to withdraw.
• Daoist Duobao stopped the Interception Sect from pursuing the retreating armies, and Lu Yuan declared the North Sea settled as Shang Dynasty fortune surged and Biyou Palace’s standing rose.
• Lu Yuan returned to Biyou Palace with the Qingxuan Seven Sons, while Sect Master Tongtian left the battlefield and Primordial Heavenly Venerate resolved to continue pursuing the Mandate of Heaven despite Lu Yuan’s growing power.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate secretly clouded Fei Zhong and You Hun’s minds, prompting Di Xin to order Ji Chang’s execution. Ji Chang and Bo Yikao died, and Xi Qi’s grief became the grounds for Ji Fa to found the Great Zhou Dynasty and raise an army against Shang.

• Primordial Heavenly Venerate shifted the heavenly secrets and stirred murderous intent toward Ji Chang in Fei Zhong and You Hun.
• Fei Zhong and You Hun persuaded Di Xin to approve Ji Chang’s execution, and Ji Chang died in prison after realizing he had been manipulated.
• News of Ji Chang’s death reached Xi Qi, where Bo Yikao suddenly died amid the mourning and calls for revenge.
• Jiang Ziya urged Ji Fa to take the throne, and Ji Fa accepted the mandate to lead Xi Qi against Shang.
• At the King-Conferring Terrace, Ji Fa declared the founding of the Great Zhou Daoist lineage, and Zhou’s fortune rose as its subjects hailed him as King Wu.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Tongtian, Lu Yuan, Jieyin, and Zhunti reacted to the upheaval and the newly founded Zhou Dynasty.

Wen Zhong led Shang’s army and eight powerful allies toward Xi Qi, while Jiang Ziya prepared the newly founded Zhou for war and received reinforcements from Chan Sect. The first clash began when the Four Generals of the Mo Family attacked True Person Huanglong, who seized all four in his palm.

• Di Xin appointed Wen Zhong Great Marshal Pacifying the West and sent the Four Generals of the Mo Family and the Four Saints of Jiulong Island to join the campaign against Xi Qi.
• Wen Zhong assembled his army and marched west as Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Jieyin and Zhunti prepared their own moves in the spreading conflict.
• Jiang Ziya ordered Xi Qi to strengthen its defenses and prepare for Wen Zhong’s advance, while Ji Fa vowed to resist Shang’s army.
• True Person Huanglong arrived in Xi Qi with Yang Jian, Nezha, and Tu Xingsun to reinforce Zhou, and Wen Zhong warned his commanders to proceed cautiously.
• The Four Generals of the Mo Family attacked True Person Huanglong with their magical treasures, but he dismissed their assaults and captured all four in his palm.

After the Four Generals of the Mo Family fell, Huang Tianhua descended to Xi Qi with weapons and orders to aid the Chan Sect, but Shen Gongbao persuaded him to meet Huang Feihu, revealing his birth family. Huang Tianhua reunited with his father and turned against Qingxu Daode Tianzun, while Wen Zhong prepared the Shang army for another assault.

• True Person Huanglong killed the Four Generals of the Mo Family, and Wen Zhong ordered the Shang army to retreat from Xi Qi.
• Yuanshi sent Jin Zha and Mu Zha toward Xi Qi, while Qingxu Daode Tianzun equipped Huang Tianhua with treasures and the Jade Qilin and ordered him to assist Jiang Ziya.
• Shen Gongbao intercepted Huang Tianhua and convinced him that Huang Feihu was his birth father, then brought him to the Shang camp.
• Huang Feihu and Huang Tianhua recognized their blood bond and reunited, and Huang Tianhua began to doubt and reject Qingxu Daode Tianzun.
• Wen Zhong ordered Huang Feihu and Huang Tianhua to prepare for battle, while Shen Gongbao set out to recruit rogue immortals against Yuxu Palace.

The Qingxuan Seven Sons and the Ten Heavenly Lords arrived at West Qi to aid Wen Zhong, while the Western Saints planned to exploit the conflict between the Chan and Interception Sects. After True Person Huanglong killed the Four Saints of Jiulong Island, Biyou Palace summoned its myriad immortals to join the battle, and Wen Zhong prepared to welcome them.

• The Qingxuan Seven Sons and the Ten Heavenly Lords arrived at the Shang camp, promising that the Ten Absolute Arrays could defeat even Great Luo Dao Lords.
• Jieyin and Zhunti discussed how the Western Teachings could use the sects’ conflict to gain influence in the East and repay their karmic debt.
• True Person Huanglong killed Wang Mo, Yang Sen, Gao Yougan, and Li Xingba, sending their primordial spirits to the Investiture of the Gods Scroll.
• Daoist Duobao, Saint Mother Jin Ling, Saint Mother Guiling, Saint Mother Wudang, and Yunxiao decided to confront Yuxu Palace and summoned Biyou Palace’s immortals.
• Saint Mother Jin Ling ordered Wen Zhong to build thatched pavilions, and he prepared to receive the arriving immortals as Jiang Ziya noticed the preparations.

Biyou Palace sent its leading immortals to Xi Qi, restoring Shang’s morale and deepening the tribulation. Primordial Heavenly Venerate secured the Western Teachings’ support, and after their forces arrived, Tongtian vowed to defend the Interception Sect with the Myriad Immortals Formation and Zhu Xian Sword Formation.

• Wen Zhong and Huang Feihu welcomed Daoist Duobao, Saint Mother Jin Ling, Fairy Yunxiao, the other Biyou Palace leaders, and countless Interception Sect immortals to the Shang camp.
• Lu Yuan sensed the Interception Sect’s arrival strengthening Shang’s destiny and worsening the tribulation, then chose to wait and build his strength.
• Jiang Ziya saw Biyou Palace’s overwhelming force and went to Kunlun to ask Primordial Heavenly Venerate for help.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate persuaded Daoist Jieyin and Daoist Zhunti to join the conflict, promising them three thousand mortal souls to establish the Western Teachings’ influence.
• The Western Teachings’ Buddhas and Bodhisattvas arrived at Xi Qi, where their Buddhist light clashed with the Interception Sect’s immortal energy.
• Tongtian condemned Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Daoist Jieyin, and Daoist Zhunti, then declared that the Interception Sect would meet them with the Myriad Immortals Formation and Zhu Xian Sword Formation.

The battle at Xi Qi intensified as the Tribulation Qi threatened to spiral beyond control, while the Ten Absolute Arrays inflicted terrible losses on Yuxu Palace and the Western Teachings. Daoist Randeng ordered ten Taiyi immortals sacrificed to break the arrays, and their deaths violently destabilized the formations.

• The immortals of Biyou Palace, Yuxu Palace, and the Western Teachings clashed at Xi Qi as rising Tribulation Qi clouded minds and alarmed the Great Desolation's powerful figures.
• Sect Master Tongtian, Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Lu Yuan watched the battle and feared the calamity could grow beyond their control.
• The Ten Absolute Arrays devastated the allied forces of Yuxu Palace and the Western Teachings, killing countless immortals and leaving even Great Luo Dao Lords injured.
• Daoist Randeng proposed sacrificing ten Taiyi immortals at once to disrupt the arrays, and Maitreya and the other leaders accepted his plan.
• Randeng, Guangchengzi, Maitreya, and the others bound ten chosen Taiyi immortals and forced them into the formation gates, where their deaths unleashed torrents of Tribulation Qi and resentment.
• The blood sacrifice shattered the arrays' balance, causing the Ten Heavenly Lords to suffer deadly backlash as their formation diagrams and banners cracked.

The Ten Absolute Arrays fell, and the deaths of the Ten Heavenly Lords triggered a bloody clash between Biyou Palace and the allied forces of Yuxu Palace and the Western Teachings. As Heavenly Dao’s favor tipped the battle against the Interception Sect, Daoist Duobao ordered the survivors to break through and flee toward the East Sea.

• Daoist Randeng and the allied powers shattered the Ten Absolute Arrays, killing Qin Wan and the other nine Heavenly Lords and sending their true spirits to the Investiture of the Gods Scroll.
• Saint Mother Jin Ling, Daoist Duobao, Fairy Yunxiao, and the other Interception Sect immortals launched a furious counterattack, and both sides suffered heavy losses in the ensuing battle.
• Nezha died fighting Saint Mother Guiling, Tu Xingsun was crushed underground by Dao Lord Beiyuan, and White Lotus Bodhisattva, Indestructible Diamond Buddha, and National Preceptor King Bodhisattva also fell.
• The five Quasi-Sages of Biyou Palace struggled against their opponents while Wen Zhong watched the Interception Sect’s ranks weaken and grieved for the fallen.
• Heavenly Dao empowered the forces of Yuxu Palace and the Western Teachings, causing more Interception Sect Dao Lords to die and the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation to collapse.
• Daoist Duobao ordered the surviving disciples to break through, and the remaining immortals fled toward the East Sea as their comrades covered their retreat.

After the Interception Sect retreated and Wen Zhong died at Juelong Ridge, Di Xin appointed Huang Feihu to raise a new army while Shen Gongbao sought cultivator reinforcements and invoked Lu Yuan’s potential intervention. Lu Yuan prepared to emerge as a variable in the conflict, while Western Teachings figures quietly drew Chan Sect disciples toward their doctrines.

• Tongtian, Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti observed the battlefield and anticipated the coming Zhu Xian Sword Formation as the Interception Sect’s defeat weakened Shang.
• Jiang Ziya lured Wen Zhong’s retreating army into Juelong Ridge, where Yang Jian, Jin Zha, Mu Zha, and Lei Zhenzi killed Wen Zhong, whose loyal spirit entered the Investiture of the Gods Scroll.
• Lu Yuan analyzed the Heavenly Dao’s influence, concluded that the Saints’ confrontation was near, and declared that it was time for the variable to appear.
• Di Xin mourned Wen Zhong, appointed Huang Feihu Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition, and sent Shen Gongbao to recruit cultivators; Shen told Huang that Lu Yuan might be stirred into action.
• On Mount Qi, Randeng encouraged Juliusun to consider Western Teachings, and Juliusun admitted that their doctrines had stirred something in his cultivation.

Guangchengzi provoked Tongtian into declaring that he would set up the Zhu Xian Sword Formation before Jiepai Pass, while Primordial Heavenly Venerate and the Western Saints maneuvered to exploit the coming battle. As the Shang army retreated and the Xi Qi alliance advanced, Lu Yuan waited for the four Saints to gather, believing that moment would let hidden variables alter the course of fate.

• Primordial Heavenly Venerate allowed Western Teachings to tempt Yuxu disciples, treating their defection as both a way to cleanse his sect and payment for the Western Saints’ help against the Zhu Xian Sword Formation.
• Lu Yuan secretly merged a Profound Yellow seal into Shang Dynasty national destiny and told Stars Daoist to wait until Tongtian raised the Zhu Xian Sword Formation before intervening.
• Shen Gongbao recruited more than a hundred rogue cultivators for Shang, but Xi Qi’s Immortals and gods slaughtered them as Huang Feihu’s forces suffered defeats and retreated to Sishui Pass.
• Han Sheng and Han Bian used the Ten Thousand Blades Chariot to devastate Xi Qi’s vanguard, but Guangchengzi destroyed the chariot with the Fan Tian Seal, killing the brothers and enabling Xi Qi to take Sishui Pass.
• Guangchengzi visited Biyou Palace and urged Tongtian to make the Interception Sect submit; enraged, Tongtian announced that he would set up the Zhu Xian Sword Formation before Jiepai Pass and challenge the Saints to break it.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Jieyin and Zhunti welcomed Tongtian’s challenge, expecting the formation to bring the four Saints together and create an opportunity for the Western Teachings.

Before Jiepai Pass, Daoist Duobao challenged Daoist Randeng and Guangchengzi and defeated them with the Duobao Pagoda’s Myriad Treasures River. The Interception Sect celebrated the victory while Yuxu Palace’s forces reeled from the public humiliation.

• Sect Master Tongtian’s four disciples formed the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, leaving the gathered powers of Yuxu Palace and the Western Teachings afraid to test it.
• Daoist Duobao mocked Yuxu Palace and the Western Teachings, then challenged Daoist Randeng and Guangchengzi to fight him before the formation.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate watched from Yuxu Palace, while Sect Master Tongtian approved of Duobao’s challenge from Biyou Palace.
• Daoist Randeng accepted the challenge, and Guangchengzi attacked Duobao with the Fan Tian Seal as Randeng struck with the Spirit Coffin Lamp and Heaven and Earth Ruler.
• Daoist Duobao blocked their attacks with the Duobao Pagoda and unleashed the Myriad Treasures River, defeating Guangchengzi and forcing Randeng to retreat.
• The Interception Sect and Shang Dynasty forces cheered Duobao’s victory as Yuxu Palace’s allies fell silent and the Western Teachings watched with concealed satisfaction.

After Duobao defeated Randeng and Guangchengzi, Lu Yuan recognized that the Zhu Xian Sword Formation could bring four saints together and threaten the Interception Sect, while he remained unable to prove the Dao of Hunyuan. Primordial Heavenly Venerate and the Western saints prepared to break the formation for their own ends, leaving the coming confrontation on the verge of beginning.

• Maitreya consoled Randeng and Guangchengzi, but Guangchengzi nearly attacked him before Chijingzi and Pharmacist Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata calmed him.
• Lu Yuan watched the Zhu Xian Sword Formation from Ziwei Imperial Palace and realized that Primordial Heavenly Venerate had allied with the Western saints to break it, while he searched for the chance to prove the Dao of Hunyuan.
• Duobao challenged the Yuxu and Western forces before the formation, while Randeng held back and the Interception Sect's immortals prepared for the saints' arrival.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate told Immortal Elder Nanji that he would recruit Taiqing and the Western saints to break Tongtian's formation, using the conflict to destroy Biyou Palace and divide its followers.
• Jieyin and Zhunti welcomed Primordial Heavenly Venerate's plan, anticipating that the broken formation would let the Western Teachings claim three thousand souls and spread east.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate persuaded Sage Taiqing to join him at Jiepai Pass, where Sect Master Tongtian had raised the Zhu Xian Sword Formation against the Investiture of the Gods. After Tongtian rejected their demand to withdraw and the Three Pure Ones’ bond shattered, the two Sages entered the formation to seek its Formation Eye.

• Primordial Heavenly Venerate told Sage Taiqing that Tongtian had assembled the Interception Sect and was using the tribulation to pursue a breakthrough, then urged him to claim the sect’s destiny.
• Sage Taiqing summoned the Taiji Diagram, agreed to accompany Primordial Heavenly Venerate to Jiepai Pass, and said he would seek a Glimmer of Hope for Tongtian.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Sage Taiqing arrived at Jiepai Pass, where the Yuxu disciples and Western Teachings awaited them and Tongtian emerged with the assembled immortals of Biyou Palace.
• The auras of Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Sage Taiqing, and Tongtian tore open the sky, and Tongtian accused his senior brothers of joining forces to seize the Interception Sect’s destiny.
• Tongtian refused to withdraw the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, entered it, and led the Interception Sect’s immortals to strengthen its four gates.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Sage Taiqing entered the formation together to locate its Formation Eye.

Sect Master Tongtian used the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, fueled by Yin Shang’s national destiny and tribulation qi, to wound Primordial Heavenly Venerate and unsettle Sage Taiqing. The two Sages withdrew from the formation, and Sage Taiqing declared that it could only be broken by the Four Saints gathering.

• Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Sage Taiqing entered Tongtian’s Zhu Xian Sword Formation and found its shifting, tribulation-fueled foundation impossible to discern.
• Tongtian strengthened the formation’s attacks, and the Slaughter Immortal Sword wounded Primordial Heavenly Venerate while the Immortal-Trapping Sword stirred Sage Taiqing’s Dao Heart.
• Lu Yuan watched the battle from Ziwei Imperial Palace, judged that the two Sages could not break the formation alone, and continued pursuing his own Dao attainment.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Sage Taiqing retreated from the formation after recognizing they could not break it, while Tongtian challenged them to return with the Four Saints.
• Sage Taiqing told the gathered factions that the Zhu Xian Sword Formation could not be broken unless the Four Saints assembled, leaving Yuxu Palace shaken by the Sages’ defeat.