Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation? The Six Souls Banner Appears! Jieyin: A Misunderstanding, a Misunderstanding!

Amidst chaos,

sword energy crisscrossed in every direction.

Even with their saintly bodies and the protection of the Twelve-grade Golden Lotus, Jieyin and Zhunti still felt their hearts pound with fear in the face of the omnipresent sword energy within the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.

"Damn it, why does it feel like he's gotten even stronger?!"

After summoning the Green Lotus Treasure Banner to protect himself and trying to withstand a few blasts of sword energy, Jieyin felt as though everything had gone wrong.

Had all the years he'd spent cultivating been for nothing?

That couldn't be right!

While they'd spent every day and night refining the power of faith, that old Tongtian had been shut away in Biyou Palace, reflecting on his mistakes.

How could that fellow have made greater progress than them?

"Brother, something's wrong!"

Zhunti had clearly noticed the same problem, but he'd thought it through a little more. After carefully sensing the situation, his expression changed dramatically.

"It's not that he's gotten stronger. It's us—our power of faith is gone!"

"What?!"

Jieyin was shocked. He hurriedly tried to draw on the power of faith within his body, and after a long moment, murmured with a face of livid fury:

"How could this happen?"

"How could this happen!"

"How could those damn mortals be so fickle? They can even change their faith? I—I'm going to kill them!"

As Jieyin grew more and more furious, murderous intent filled his eyes. He looked ready to return to the primordial world and slaughter his way through it.

"..."

Zhunti's mouth twitched. He hurriedly stopped Jieyin and reminded him helplessly, "Brother, now's not the time to settle scores. The key is figuring out how we can break the formation!"

"Break the formation? What's the rush?"

Jieyin came to his senses and glanced at the sword energy crisscrossing around them, his expression dark. "We're not the only ones in a hurry. Aren't his two senior brothers just as anxious as we are?"

"Just wait!"

"They'll be here before long. Then we'll attack him from both sides and make that old bastard go back into seclusion!"

"Uh...?"

Zhunti was dumbfounded. He didn't quite understand Jieyin's reasoning. "Brother, Taishang and Yuanshi would be lucky if they didn't clap their hands and cheer when they saw us fighting. Why would they come help us?"

"If they don't help, then they're done for!"

Jieyin's expression didn't change, but his tone was exceptionally firm. "If they refuse to help us, then we'll make peace with Tongtian and show them what happens to traitors!"

"???"

Zhunti stared blankly for a moment. After thinking it over, he gave Jieyin a thumbs-up.

"Brother, this is exactly why you're my senior brother!"

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"Let's do it!"

"If those two brothers don't come help us, we'll make peace with Tongtian and let them get a taste of being suppressed too!"

"Then..."

Thinking of the territory Chanjiao and Renjiao held in the east, Zhunti swallowed with some difficulty. He was almost too eager to get started.

Unfortunately, before he could decide how they'd divide the territory, a familiar figure appeared in his spiritual sense.

"See? Here he comes!"

At the sight of him, Jieyin's lips curved upward. Relieved, he called out in a clear voice, "Fellow Daoist Tongtian, don't waste your effort. The four of us took you down last time, and we can do it again!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Sect Leader Tongtian, who was controlling the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, smiled without committing either way, then turned to look at the figure rushing toward them in the distance.

"Brother Yuanshi, it's been a long time. I hope you've been well!"

"???"

Hearing that familiar voice, Yuanshi Tianzun checked with his spiritual sense again. With a screech, he slammed on the brakes, almost getting thrown off by the tremendous momentum.

"W-why is it you?!"

Staring at the figure surrounded by sword energy in the distance, Yuanshi Tianzun was utterly dumbfounded. His voice held three parts surprise and seven parts confusion.

Was Tongtian really the one fighting Jieyin and Zhunti?

Then who had that been just now?

A clone?

Impossible!

With his and Taishang's strength, how could any clone have escaped their notice?

Unless...

Yuanshi Tianzun looked up and studied Sect Leader Tongtian. Before Tongtian could even reply, he turned around and left.

"Hey? Hey??"

Sect Leader Tongtian hadn't even spoken when Jieyin and Zhunti, who'd witnessed the scene, were left dumbfounded. They hurriedly called after him:

"Brother Yuanshi! Brother Yuanshi... where are you going?!"

"Shut up!"

Already feeling vexed—and perhaps even guilty—Yuanshi Tianzun waved a hand without looking back.

"I was merely passing by. Settle your own grudges and scores."

"You?!"

Jieyin and Zhunti's expressions changed. "Brother Yuanshi, don't forget that you were the ones who came to us in the first place!"

"..."

Yuanshi Tianzun, already far away, ignored them completely.

As if!

It was true they'd been the ones to approach him back then, but Buddhism was now destined to flourish. What could they do about that?

"Heh..."

Seeing this, Sect Leader Tongtian wasn't the least bit surprised. Instead, he smiled and stopped the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.

"Brothers, you're already out of tricks? Looks like you haven't been working very hard these past years."

Without waiting for them to argue, Sect Leader Tongtian continued, "How about this? Come over and kowtow to me a few times, and I'll let you off this once. What do you say?"

"Y-you bastard!!"

Jieyin and Zhunti had still been trying to figure out how to talk things over with Tongtian, but at those words, their faces instantly flushed. Even the magic treasures in their hands shone brighter.

"Tongtian, a saint cannot be insulted! You're asking for death!"

"Brother, why waste words on him? Let's fight!"

"Tongtian, you old bastard! Today I'll show you just how much I've accomplished through cultivation over the years!"

"Die!!"

With Jieyin and Zhunti's furious shouts, attacks capable of shaking the heavens and destroying the earth churned the chaos into surging waves. Deep black holes even formed in many places.

"Bring it on!"

Tongtian's expression turned cold. He'd come to beat these two bastards into submission. How could he let them get away halfway through?

With one hand, he controlled the Four Immortal Slaying Swords. With the other, he brought out a small, pitch-black banner.

"Go!"

Sect Leader Tongtian tossed it casually. The little banner unfurled in the wind, and in an instant, it had become a vast black banner that blotted out the sky.

"The S-Six Souls Banner?!"

"That's impossible!"

"Wasn't the Six Souls Banner taken back by the Dao Ancestor? How—how could it still be in your hands?!"

Looking at the banner, so dark that even the chaos couldn't dim its blackness, Jieyin and Zhunti turned deathly pale.

They panicked!

They were completely panicked!

The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation alone had been hard enough to break. How had another life-taking Six Souls Banner appeared?

They knew that in Tongtian's hands, this thing could directly harm even saints like them!

"F-Fellow Daoist Tongtian, let's talk this out, let's talk this out!"

Jieyin's face was ashen, and there was a hint of panic in his eyes. He instinctively stopped what he was doing and spoke sincerely:

"There may have been some misunderstanding. Why don't we sit down and talk it over?"

"That's right, that's right!"

Zhunti had stopped at almost the same time as Jieyin. He nodded in agreement. "If we fight, we'll both suffer. We can't let someone else take advantage of the situation!"

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