"What?!"
Wang Mo and the others were stunned by Guangchengzi's words, exploding with outrage on the spot.
They had already been seething over Guangchengzi's arrogant attitude. Now he was actually here to persuade them to surrender, and was doing so with such self-righteousness. He was simply going too far!
"Guangchengzi! Explain yourself! What do you mean by 'abandoning darkness and turning to the light'?" Gao Yougan, the most hot-tempered of them, pointed at Guangchengzi's nose and cursed. "We're friends with our fellow cultivators from the Interception Sect because we share the same ideals. How did you get 'darkness' out of that? Your Sect of Explanation claims to be righteous, but I'd say you're the epitome of hypocrisy!"
"Exactly!" Yang Sen said angrily. "We live freely on Nine Dragon Island and have never interfered with your Sect of Explanation. What gives you the right to come here and boss us around? Is this how Venerable Yuanshi taught you to behave?"
After the four of them took turns dressing him down, Guangchengzi's face turned livid.
His luck had been rotten all the way here, and he was already in a foul mood. Now these "country bumpkins" in his eyes actually dared to talk back. How could he put up with that?
"Impudent!" Guangchengzi bellowed. The aura of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal bore down on the four without restraint. "What are you supposed to be? You think you're worthy of lecturing me about manners?"
Pointing at Wang Mo and the others, he sneered. "My Sect of Explanation is the orthodox lineage of the Daoist school. My master was formed from Pangu's primordial spirit—how exalted is his status! We disciples cultivate the Immortal Methods of the Shangqing lineage and follow the righteous path!"
"Look at the sort of people you associate with! The Interception Sect! Hmph, just a bunch of beasts born from the wet and hatched from eggs, covered in fur and bearing horns! A rabble unfit for decent company! To consort with them is to debase yourselves!"
"I came here today because I pitied how hard you've worked to cultivate and wanted to show you the right path. Instead of being grateful, you dare roar at me? You're asking for death!"
Guangchengzi's tirade was a full-blown attack on everyone in sight.
He hadn't merely reduced Wang Mo and the others to nothing; he'd insulted the entire Interception Sect as well.
Wang Mo and the others were so furious that their hair stood on end and their bodies trembled.
They weren't formal disciples of the Interception Sect, but they were close friends with core disciples like Zhao Gongming and Sanxiao. Their bonds ran deep. Guangchengzi's insults against the sect were harder for them to accept than insults against themselves.
"Good! Very good, Guangchengzi! What a sharp tongue!" Wang Mo nodded repeatedly in rage, his eyes already filled with murderous intent. "I thought you were merely arrogant. I didn't realize you were so spiteful and utterly lacking in virtue! Today, I'll see just how capable a disciple of the orthodox Daoist school really is!"
"Why waste your breath on this hypocrite? Hit him!" Li Xingba had already lost patience. He summoned his magic treasure, the Primordial Pearl, and sent it flying straight at Guangchengzi's head.
"Attack!"
Wang Mo, Yang Sen, and Gao Yougan struck at the same time.
Wang Mo summoned the Sky-Opening Pearl, Yang Sen the Earth-Splitting Pearl, and Gao Yougan the Primordial Treasure Pearl. The four powerful pearls streaked with light from four directions, sealing off every escape route.
"Flecks of light daring to rival the sun?"
Guangchengzi sneered at the sight.
He didn't take the four of them seriously at all.
A cloud of auspicious energy appeared above his head, with Myriad Golden Lamps and Beaded Necklaces guarding him from every side. At the same time, he swept out his sleeve, and an ancient little flag appeared in his hand. It was one of his signature treasures—a replica of the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner. Though not the original, it was still a top-grade Houtian Spiritual Treasure, with astonishing defensive power.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The four pearls struck the golden light protecting Guangchengzi and rang out in a series of crisp impacts. Yet it was like scratching an itch through a boot; they couldn't shake him in the slightest.
"Is that all you've got?" Guangchengzi taunted. "Looks like you crooked cultivators are only capable of this much. Today, I'll show you what real Immortal Methods look like!"
With that, he waved the replica Apricot Yellow Flag in his hand. Ten thousand beams of golden light shot out, flying back at Wang Mo and the others.
The four men were alarmed. They hurriedly recalled their pearls and did their utmost to defend themselves.
For a time, dazzling magic light filled the sky above Nine Dragon Island as power surged and clashed. The two sides were evenly matched.
Inside the Investiture of the Gods Space.
Shen Zhaochi watched the battle below and rubbed his chin.
"Guangchengzi really does deserve his place at the head of the Twelve Golden Immortals. He's got some skill. Wang Mo and the others will have a hard time taking him down on their own."
"But that's all right. When skill falls short, luck can make up the difference."
Shen Zhaochi's attention locked onto Guangchengzi once more.
"Calamity energy clings to you, and nothing goes your way... Let's have some of that!"
He channeled a wisp of divine power and quietly merged it into the laws of heaven and earth surrounding the battlefield.
As Guangchengzi fought Wang Mo and the others, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.
The flow of power inside him had grown slightly sluggish, nowhere near as smooth as usual.
"What's going on?"
His heart skipped a beat. He thought he might have exhausted himself by rushing over too quickly.
In that moment of distraction, Wang Mo spotted his chance and hurled the Sky-Opening Pearl with all his might.
The Sky-Opening Pearl had been formed from a spark of spiritual light at the dawn of primordial chaos. It was incredibly heavy and immensely powerful.
Under normal circumstances, Guangchengzi would have dodged it with ease.
But today, by some inexplicable twist, he was half a beat too slow.
He watched as the pearl broke through his protective golden light and slammed into his left shoulder.
"Crack!"
A sharp snap rang out. Pain shot through Guangchengzi's left shoulder, and his entire arm went numb.
He was injured!
"Ah!"
Guangchengzi roared, shocked and furious.
He couldn't understand it. He had clearly seen the trajectory of the attack, so why hadn't his body reacted in time? It was as if something had suddenly tripped him.
But when he looked down, there was nothing at his feet.
"It must have been a fluke!"
Fury clouded Guangchengzi's mind, and he couldn't be bothered to think about what was so strange.
He was completely enraged.
"You four ants actually dare to injure me! None of you will leave here alive!"
He stopped holding back. His gaze turned cold and merciless.
He opened his mouth and spat out a massive seal. It swelled in the wind, growing as large as a mountain in an instant and radiating a terrifying pressure capable of destroying the heavens and earth.
It was his most powerful magic treasure: the Houtian Merit Supreme Treasure—the Sky-Turning Seal!
Venerable Yuanshi had forged this seal from half of Mount Buzhou. Its weight was boundless, its power immeasurable, and it was designed to strike the crown of its target's head. Even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal struck by it would suffer a burst skull and a shattered primordial spirit.
"Die!"
Murderous intent shone in Guangchengzi's eyes as he drove the Sky-Turning Seal down at Wang Mo and the others with all his might.
The space beneath the seal shattered inch by inch under its pressure. Wang Mo and the others felt an irresistible force descending from the sky, pinning them firmly in place so that they couldn't even move a finger.
Despair showed on all four faces.
They knew that this time, they were doomed.
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