Zhao Gongming's return to Golden Ao Island was nothing short of a triumphant spectacle.
He made no effort to hide his whereabouts. Wherever he went, the radiance of the Sea Calming Divine Beads illuminated the four directions, while the might of a Quasi-Saint pressed down over the entire region.
Throughout the Primordial Era, countless mighty figures sensed his presence, along with the auras of the several top-tier magic treasures he had just acquired.
"Gasp! Aren't those Guangchengzi's Sky-Turning Seal and Chijingzi's Yin Yang Mirror? How did they both end up in Zhao Gongming's hands?"
"That's not all! Didn't you sense it? He's also got Daoist Randeng's Qiankun Ruler! My heavens, did he just wipe out the Sect of Explanation's leadership?"
"That's incredible! Zhao Gongming is defying the heavens!"
"The Sect of Explanation has lost all face this time. He killed two Golden Immortals and even took the vice-leader's magic treasure. Venerable Yuanshi must be furious!"
For a time, all of the Primordial Era buzzed with discussion.
On this day, Zhao Gongming's fame reached its peak.
The Interception Sect was all the prouder for it.
When Zhao Gongming returned to Golden Ao Island and recounted his exploits, all of Biyou Palace erupted in excitement.
"Hahaha! Senior Brother Gongming is mighty!"
"Well done! I've long had enough of those hypocrites from the Sect of Explanation!"
"He took on three enemies alone and defeated three of the Sect of Explanation's top experts! Senior Brother Gongming is truly the Interception Sect's greatest warrior!"
Countless disciples of the Interception Sect surrounded Zhao Gongming, cheering and celebrating.
Even after hearing what had happened, Sect Master Tongtian only cautioned him not to be careless. Still, he couldn't hide the proud smile on his face.
His disciple had made him proud!
He gazed at Zhao Gongming, who was brimming with confidence, and felt his own spirits soar.
"What are the Sect of Explanation's Golden Immortals? In front of my Interception Sect's disciples, they're no more than chickens and dogs!"
However, while the Interception Sect basked in the joy of victory,
the atmosphere at Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain had already grown oppressively tense.
After Daoist Randeng, who had "returned gravely wounded," tearfully recounted how he had fought with all his might but ultimately been defeated by Zhao Gongming, and how his "tragic" ordeal had ended with his companion spirit treasure, the Qiankun Ruler, being taken from him,
the remaining ten Golden Immortals fell utterly silent.
They had been shaken.
Guangchengzi was dead.
Chijingzi was dead.
Now even Daoist Randeng, a Quasi-Saint, had suffered a crushing defeat and lost his magic treasure.
Was Zhao Gongming really that powerful?
Powerful enough to leave them feeling despair!
"Master..."
Daoist Cihang (the future Bodhisattva Guanyin) looked at Venerable Yuanshi, his voice strained. "What... should we do?"
Yes. What should they do?
They couldn't win in a fight, and they couldn't win an argument.
Were they supposed to watch helplessly as the Interception Sect strutted around, while the Sect of Explanation's reputation became the laughingstock of the Primordial Era?
Venerable Yuanshi sat on his cloud couch, his face livid, and said nothing.
He, too, was considering the problem.
Should he intervene personally?
He couldn't. Randeng was right: if he moved, Tongtian would move as well. A war between Saints would have unimaginable consequences.
Then should he let it go?
Even less so! He couldn't afford to lose face like that!
Just as utter silence settled over the hall,
a voice broke through it.
"Master! I refuse to accept this!"
Taiyi Zhenren abruptly stepped forward, fists clenched and eyes bloodshot.
"Zhao Gongming is powerful. In a one-on-one fight, we might not be his match! But Zhao Gongming isn't where this all began!"
"It began with those four fools from Nine Dragon Island!"
"If not for them, Senior Brother Guangchengzi wouldn't have gone down the mountain! If not for them, none of this would have happened!"
"We can't deal with Zhao Gongming for now, but does that mean we can't deal with four minor rogue cultivators from Nine Dragon Island?"
Taiyi Zhenren grew more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice rising with every word.
"I volunteer to go! I'll head to Nine Dragon Island and tear Wang Mo and the others limb from limb, then refine their souls! I'll avenge Senior Brother Guangchengzi and collect the first debt owed to our Sect of Explanation!"
His words were like a bolt of lightning, splitting the gloom in everyone's hearts.
That was right!
If they couldn't beat Zhao Gongming, surely they could beat those four nobodies?
When picking a target, go for the weakest!
"Junior Brother is right!"
"Let's strike those four from Nine Dragon Island first!"
"Let them learn what happens when they offend our Sect of Explanation!"
The other Golden Immortals voiced their support, and their fighting spirit blazed anew.
Venerable Yuanshi looked at Taiyi Zhenren, his gaze complicated.
He hesitated.
He'd already been spooked.
The examples of Guangchengzi and Chijingzi were still fresh in his mind. Now, whenever he considered sending someone down the mountain, his heart began to pound.
Taiyi had a fiery temper and flew off the handle at the slightest provocation. He was even more impulsive than Guangchengzi. Was it really wise to send him down the mountain?
But Taiyi's words had struck a chord with him.
Right now, he desperately needed a victory to restore the Sect of Explanation's reputation and lift his disciples' spirits.
And the Four Saints of Nine Dragon Island were undoubtedly the best place to start.
"Very well."
After weighing his options again and again, Venerable Yuanshi finally decided to take a chance.
"Taiyi, be extremely careful on this journey. Nine Dragon Island may well be a den of dragons and tigers now."
"You may take my Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover with you. This treasure is immensely powerful and should keep you safe. Remember: strike quickly and decisively. Once you've killed those four, return to Kunlun immediately. Don't get caught up in a prolonged fight, and don't provoke Zhao Gongming!"
"I obey!"
Taiyi Zhenren accepted the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover, overjoyed.
With his master's treasure, his confidence soared.
He could already picture himself using divine fire to burn Nine Dragon Island to the ground and turn Wang Mo and the others to ashes.
He accepted his master's decree and eagerly left Jade Void Palace, riding the clouds straight toward the Eastern Sea.
Inside the Investiture of the Gods Space,
Shen Zhaochi took it all in.
"The third one's on his way, too."
His gaze fell on the four characters "Taiyi Zhenren" on the list.
They, too, had begun to darken with a faint black aura.
"Taiyi Zhenren, Nezha's overprotective master, is a ruthless one. The Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover is indeed formidable."
"But no matter how powerful fire is, it's still afraid of water."
"Especially Primordial Heavy Water."
A cold smile tugged at Shen Zhaochi's lips.
He had prepared a "grand gift" for Taiyi Zhenren long ago.
His will swept rapidly over the Eastern Sea, soon locking onto a particular stretch of water.
Beneath that sea lay a submarine volcano that had been dormant for ten thousand years. At its base was a vein of terrestrial turbid energy, containing a trace of exceptionally pure Primordial Heavy Water.
Primordial Heavy Water was one of the innate true waters. A single drop weighed ten thousand jun and could extinguish most divine fires in heaven and earth.
"This is the place."
Shen Zhaochi chose the site for his ambush.
He didn't go straight to inform the Four Saints of Nine Dragon Island, since that would make his target too obvious.
What he needed to do was let Taiyi Zhenren "find" the place on his own.
Shen Zhaochi channeled his divine power and conjured, above the submarine volcano, the aura of a faint but exceptionally pure fire-type spirit treasure about to emerge.
The aura might not have attracted much attention from others.
But to someone like Taiyi Zhenren, who specialized in fire-based cultivation and carried the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover, it was irresistible.
Sure enough,
as Taiyi Zhenren hurried toward Nine Dragon Island, he suddenly felt something as he passed over the waters and came to a halt.
"Hmm? Such pure fire essence!"
His eyes lit up as he sensed the aura rising from the waters below.
"Could a fire-type spirit treasure be about to emerge?"
He tried to divine the Heavenly Secrets, but they were a blur.
He hesitated.
Should he search for the treasure first or seek revenge?
"Revenge can wait! If I can get a suitable fire-type spirit treasure here, won't I be more certain of defeating those four from Nine Dragon Island?"
"This must be Heaven's will! The heavens themselves are helping our Sect of Explanation!"
Taiyi Zhenren found the perfect excuse for his greed.
Without hesitation, he changed course, concealed his aura, and plunged straight toward the source of the energy.
He didn't know that the moment he entered the water, a web woven from misfortune and death had already begun to close around him.
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