"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Four muffled crashes rang out almost simultaneously.
The terrifying pressure of the deep sea had slowed the four magic treasures considerably, but they still carried all the power of Wang Mo and the others, along with their boundless hatred, and slammed squarely into Taiyi Zhenren.
At that moment, Primordial Heavy Water had crushed Taiyi Zhenren's immortal body and stifled his magic power. He couldn't even raise the most basic Body Protection Immortal Light. He was nothing but a sitting duck.
"Pfft..."
He couldn't even scream. It was as if four mountains had smashed into him head-on, and in an instant, he was reduced to a mangled heap of flesh and blood.
A dim True Spirit fled in terror from his shattered immortal body, trying to escape.
"Trying to run? Too late!"
A vicious glint flashed in Wang Mo's eyes. Enduring the immense pressure of the heavy water, he urged the Sky-Opening Pearl once more and hurled it at the fleeing True Spirit.
"Bang!"
Taiyi Zhenren's True Spirit, along with the last trace of his life force, was utterly obliterated.
Another Golden Immortal of the Sect of Explanation had fallen!
A True Spirit appeared in the void, beyond its own control. Filled with boundless resentment and regret, it was seized by an invisible force and vanished in an instant into the depths of the East Sea.
When it was over, the four of them were all completely drained, their magic power exhausted. They looked at the black divine water around them, as dark as ink and radiating an intensely chilling, crushing aura, and felt a wave of lingering fear.
"What... what kind of water is this? How can it be so powerful?" Gao Yougan asked, still shaken.
"I don't know. But if that volcano hadn't suddenly erupted and spewed out this divine water, disabling Old Man Taiyi's Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover, we'd be the ones dead today," Yang Sen panted.
Li Xingba looked at the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover, now completely devoid of spiritual power, and the remains of its nine fire dragons. A greedy glint flashed in his eyes. "This is a fine treasure. It's been ruined, but the materials are still intact. If we take it back and reforge it, maybe..."
"Don't touch it!" Wang Mo immediately stopped him. "This place is far too strange. Surviving at all is a blessing! The volcano's eruption was suspicious, and so was the appearance of this divine water. There must be some hidden cause we don't know about! Let's go, before anything else happens!"
Wang Mo was, after all, the leader of the four, and more cautious than the others. He couldn't shake the feeling that everything had been arranged in advance. Senior Brother Gongming had sent them here to lie in wait, but surely even he couldn't have predicted the volcano would erupt?
Wang Mo didn't dare think about it any further. He didn't even bother to collect their spoils. With the last of their strength, he led the other three in a hasty retreat from that terrifying stretch of sea.
Inside the Investiture of the Gods Space.
Shen Zhaochi watched another True Spirit light up on the list, his expressionless.
"Taiyi Zhenren, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Sect of Explanation. Hot-tempered, and fiercely protective of his disciples. Too bad he wasn't very bright—greedy and impulsive. Who else would die if not him?"
He raised the vermilion brush in his hand.
"Very well. For the sake of your disciple Nezha, I'll give you a decent divine office."
The brush touched the page, and golden light flowed.
"Taiyi Zhenren, Golden Immortal of the Sect of Explanation. By the will of Heaven, you are destined for the list. You are hereby appointed Great Emperor Qinghua of the East Pole, in charge of all living beings and the salvation of all."
This divine office carried considerable status in the Heavenly Court, far higher than the Star Lord positions held by Guangchengzi and Chijingzi.
"That's three. Done."
Shen Zhaochi set down the brush and rubbed his wrist.
Even as the one who wielded the Investiture of the Gods, sending three Grand Unity Golden Immortals to the list in a row had left him mentally exhausted.
Still, seeing those three names shining like gold on the list filled him with an incomparable sense of accomplishment.
"Old Man Yuanshi must be furious by now. I wonder how much longer he can hold out."
Shen Zhaochi's gaze pierced the endless void and once again fell upon Kunlun Mountain.
He was eager to see the look on Venerable Yuanshi's face when he discovered that his most impulsive, most fiercely protective disciple had met the same fate as the others.
Kunlun Mountain, Jade Void Palace.
The atmosphere could no longer be described as dead silence.
It was a suffocating oppression, mixed with despair, fear, and madness.
"Crack!"
The glazed jade lamp representing Taiyi Zhenren's life essence shattered before all eyes, meeting the same fate as the two senior brothers before him. It broke into a heap of glittering fragments.
Not a sound stirred in the great hall.
The remaining nine Golden Immortals, along with Daoist Randeng and Baihe Boy, stood frozen in place as if under a binding spell.
Their eyes were vacant. Their minds had stopped working.
Another one...?
Senior Brother Guangchengzi was dead.
Senior Brother Chijingzi was dead.
And now even Senior Brother Taiyi, with his many magic treasures and decisive ways, was dead?
How long had it been since they'd gone down the mountain?
An hour? Two?
He'd left in high spirits, carrying the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover bestowed by their master and confidently vowing to crush Nine Dragon Island and avenge his senior brothers.
Yet he hadn't even reached the island. He was already dead?
What was happening?
What manner of dragon's den and tiger's lair was the East Sea? What kind of demonic heretics were the Interception Sect?
An unprecedented terror, like the most cutting winter wind, began to grow in the depths of every heart and swept through them in an instant.
They were afraid.
Truly afraid.
They had once prided themselves on being disciples of a Sage and orthodox heirs of the Mystic Gate. Wherever they went in the Primordial Era, everyone had shown them respect. They were exalted Golden Immortals, looking down on all living beings.
But now, they felt like ordinary livestock penned for slaughter, dragged out one by one by an unseen butcher to be killed and bled.
Who would be next?
Me?
Or him?
"Ugh... hrr..."
A growl like a beast choking came from the cloud bed.
Venerable Yuanshi's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the fresh pile of fragments on the ground. His body trembled violently—not from anger, but from an emotion he himself could hardly believe.
Fear. Bewilderment. Self-doubt.
Why?
Why was this happening?
He was a Sage! Formed from Pangu's primordial spirit, one of the highest beings beneath the Heavenly Dao!
He had divined the Heavenly Secrets. According to the Investiture of the Gods, his disciples of the Sect of Explanation were destined to enjoy worldly riches, while the disciples of the Interception Sect would be listed and made to serve the Heavenly Court.
But what was happening now?
His disciples were being sent to the list one after another!
And he, a dignified Sage, couldn't even divine how they had died!
Every time he tried to divine the truth, the Heavenly Secrets were shrouded in chaos, as if an invisible wall stood between him and the answers.
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