Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin!

"What is this..."

Sect Master Tongtian was shocked.

Who was it?

Who was secretly acting to protect his disciples?

Could it be Master Hongjun?

Impossible. Master always preached the balance of the Heavenly Dao and wouldn't favor any side.

Was it Senior Disciple Brother Taishang?

Even more impossible. It would be a miracle if he didn't add insult to injury.

Was it Junior Disciple Sister Nuwa?

She had been living in seclusion in Wa Huang Palace since the Witch-Monster Calamity and had not concerned herself with worldly affairs.

Sect Master Tongtian thought of all the Saints in the Primordial Era but couldn't find an answer.

This power did not belong to any of them.

"Could it be... the Great Dao has fifty, its Heavenly principles have forty-nine, and one escapes?"

Sect Master Tongtian thought of a possibility.

Beneath the Heavenly Dao, there was still a sliver of hope.

Could it be that this sliver of hope rested upon his Intercepting Sect?

"Master?"

Duobao Daoist watched his Master's expression shift uncertainly, his heart growing more worried.

Sect Master Tongtian slowly opened his eyes. The sharp sword energy within them receded, replaced by a thoughtful gaze.

"Duobao."

"Your disciple is here."

"Issue my decree. Order all Intercepting Sect disciples who are traveling outside to immediately return to Golden Ao Island and enter secluded cultivation. They are forbidden from leaving."

"Ah?" Duobao was taken aback. "Master, why so sudden? Many junior brothers and sisters are still out seeking opportunities..."

"The Calamity has begun. Danger lurks everywhere outside. Where are there any more opportunities?" Sect Master Tongtian's voice turned cold. "Those hypocrites from the Heavenly Origin Sect are just looking for an excuse to attack my Intercepting Sect disciples. Going out now is no different from seeking death."

"As you command!"

Duobao dared not ask further and quickly took his leave.

"Golden Spirit."

"Your disciple is here."

Golden Spirit Holy Mother stepped forward.

"Take my Qingping Sword and guard the mountain protection formation on Golden Ao Island. From this day forward, the formation shall be fully activated. Without my token, no one is to enter or leave without authorization. Even if a Heavenly Origin Sect Golden Immortal comes to visit, you are to refuse them."

Sect Master Tongtian handed his personal sword to Golden Spirit Holy Mother.

The Qingping Sword was a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure and a symbol of a Saint's status.

Using it to suppress the formation's core showed how much importance Sect Master Tongtian placed on this matter.

"Master, are we... completely falling out with the Heavenly Origin Sect?" Golden Spirit Holy Mother asked, taking the sword and speaking in a deep voice.

"Falling out?" Sect Master Tongtian sneered. "Their Twelve Golden Immortals committed a killing tribulation and want to use my Intercepting Sect disciples to fill it. That pretense of civility was lost long ago."

"I just don't understand, as fellow disciples of the Dao Ancestor, why Second Senior Disciple Brother would bully us so relentlessly!"

Sect Master Tongtian's tone carried a hint of anger and confusion.

The Intercepting Sect he founded accepted all disciples regardless of their background, with myriad immortals coming to pay homage, bringing so much vitality to the Primordial Era.

Why, in Venerable Yuanshi's eyes, did it become "beings born of moisture and eggs, with fur and horns"?

"Enough."

Sect Master Tongtian waved his hand, appearing somewhat dispirited.

"You may all leave. I need to go into seclusion to meditate on a method to break this tribulation."

"Yes, Master."

The disciples bowed and retreated.

Inside the great hall, only Sect Master Tongtian remained.

He looked at the empty hall, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

Where was that sliver of hope?

Who was that mysterious being who had secretly aided them?

He couldn't figure it out.

But he knew he had to do something.

No longer could he stand idly by like before, watching his disciples go to their deaths one by one, only to be forced into setting up the Myriad Immortals Formation and suffering a crushing defeat in the end.

"The Investiture of the Gods..."

Sect Master Tongtian murmured.

The root of everything lay on that Investiture of the Gods.

As long as the slots on the list were filled, the Calamity would naturally pass.

"Since my second senior brother insists on a fight, then I shall accompany him to the very end."

"It's just that this time, who ends up on the list, is yet to be determined."

A fighting spirit reignited in Sect Master Tongtian's eyes.

The dignity of a Saint could not be challenged.

The myriad immortals of the Intercepting Sect were not lambs to be slaughtered!

Within the Investiture of the Gods Space.

Shen Zhaochi "watched" everything that happened in Biyou Palace, a smile of a plan coming to fruition on his face.

He had just used his control over the Investiture of the Gods, consuming a large amount of Divine Power, to send a trace of "Heavenly Secrets warning" into Sect Master Tongtian's perception.

He didn't directly tell Tongtian what would happen in the future.

Because if he did, Tongtian might not believe him, and it could even attract the Saint's scrutiny, exposing himself.

He merely vaguely showed Tongtian the result: "A glimmer of hope for the core disciples of the Intercepting Sect."

That was enough.

With Sect Master Tongtian's wisdom and suspicion, he would naturally think and change.

As long as he started to change and no longer passively responded as in the original story, then the fate of the Intercepting Sect would have a turning point.

Shen Zhaochi's goal was not to replace Tongtian and command the Intercepting Sect.

He didn't have that qualification yet.

What he wanted to do was to be a qualified "support."

To clear some obstacles and provide some help for the Intercepting Sect from the shadows.

For example, let the people from the Heavenly Origin Sect taste the flavor of being entangled by karma first.

Shen Zhaochi turned his gaze towards Kunlun Mountain.

He could feel that the three names he had written on the list, Guangchengzi, Chijingzi, and True Lord Taiyi, were now experiencing a further intensification of karma due to the changes on Sect Master Tongtian's side.

The Heavenly Dao was balanced.

If the Intercepting Sect gained a glimmer of hope, then the Heavenly Origin Sect would naturally have a corresponding increase in death qi.

"Very good."

"Next, it's time to find some fun for Daoist Randeng."

Shen Zhaochi's consciousness locked onto Daoist Randeng, who was returning to his dojo from Jade Void Palace.

This future traitor of the Heavenly Origin Sect, the ancient Buddha Randeng of the West, his journey of bad luck, now officially begins.

Daoist Randeng rode his cloud and left Kunlun Mountain.

He was still pondering the sudden premonition he had just experienced.

He felt like something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Forget it, perhaps it's just the approaching Calamity causing unease."

He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

His destination was an immortal island on the coast of the East Sea, which was his dojo, Lingjiu Mountain Yuanjue Cave.

As he flew, a dense mass of dark clouds suddenly appeared ahead.

Within the dark clouds, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and an aura of destruction assailed him.

"Nine Heavens Divine Thunder?"

Randeng frowned.

This divine thunder was immensely powerful and was only unleashed by the Heavenly Dao to punish those with deep sins.

Why would it appear here for no reason?

He didn't think much of it; a Quasi-Saint's might could move mountains and fill seas with ease, a mere thundercloud could be bypassed.

However, just as he was about to change direction.

The thundercloud seemed to have eyes and moved with him.

He went left, and the thundercloud went left.

He went right, and the thundercloud went right.

It was dead set on locking onto him.

"How dare you!"

Randeng was somewhat annoyed.

As a distinguished guest of the Purple Firmament Palace and the Vice Sect Master of the Heavenly Origin Sect, how could he be toyed with by a mere patch of thunderclouds?

He stopped in his tracks and summoned his companion spiritual treasure—the Lingjiu Lamp.

The lamp's flame flickered, emitting a faint glow that protected his body.

"Let's see what you can do, lightning!"

BOOM!

As soon as the words left his mouth, a purple divine lightning bolt as thick as a bucket, carrying world-destroying might, fiercely struck down.

It hit the protective divine light of the Lingjiu Lamp directly.

CRACK!

The divine light shook violently, and a crack actually appeared.

Randeng was greatly alarmed.

The power of this divine lightning was far greater than he had imagined!

The Lingjiu Lamp was a top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure with astonishing defensive capabilities; even a full-power strike from an ordinary Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal might not be able to shake it.

How could it be cracked by a single bolt of lightning?

Before he could react.

RUMBLE!

Hundreds and thousands of divine lightning bolts, like rain, poured down from the sky, covering everything.

"Not good!"

Randeng's face changed drastically, and he quickly urged the Lingjiu Lamp with all his might.

At the same time, another magical artifact, the Qiankun Ruler, was also summoned by him, transforming into a barrier to protect his head.

Even so, he was still struck by this sudden lightning storm, leaving him scorched and disheveled, in a sorry state.

A full incense stick's worth of time passed.

The thunderclouds slowly dispersed.

Randeng was covered in black soot, his daoist robe tattered, and a trace of blood hung at the corner of his mouth.

He was actually injured!

Although it was only a minor injury, it was enough to make him lose all face.