The sky above the East Sea roiled with surging magic power and raging waves.
Zhunti swung the Sky-Turning Shovel like the wind. Every strike carried the terrifying force to split mountains and shatter rocks. Golden light flashed as the void itself was torn open by cracks.
Ancestor Chi Xia was driven backward again and again. His sinister old face was filled with shock.
That bald man was ridiculously strong.
"Brat, you think you can defeat me with a single spiritual treasure?"
Ancestor Chi Xia snorted. The Purple Gold Gourd at his waist suddenly shook, spewing a blood-red pillar of light that transformed into a downpour of blood and swept toward Zhunti.
The blood seemed weak, but every drop contained a deadly poison that could corrode the primordial spirit. A single touch would inflict serious injury.
Zhunti furrowed his brow and swept the Sky-Turning Shovel across. Its golden light formed a barrier, blocking all the blood rain.
Seizing the opening, Daoist Qingyun launched an attack from the flank. The Jade Ruyi in his hand transformed into a giant blue dragon, which lunged at Zhunti's back, claws bared.
"Watch your back."
Jieyin's voice rang out. The Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit flashed, and a beam of golden light shot out, severing the azure dragon in half.
Daoist Qingyun's expression darkened. He shifted his target to Jieyin.
He and Elder Changchun joined forces. One used the Jade Ruyi's dragon-transformation technique, while the other wielded the Immortal Peach Wood Staff to summon countless vines. Their powers intertwined like a net from which none could escape, pressing down on the golden lotus.
Jieyin sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, his face full of suffering, yet calm.
The Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit was his companion treasure. Its defenses were reputed to be unbreakable by anyone short of the Four Saints. For two mere Peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals to try to break through it was pure foolishness.
Brilliant golden light neutralized every attack.
For a time, the battle reached a stalemate.
Zhunti and Ancestor Chi Xia were evenly matched, while Daoist Qingyun and Elder Changchun kept Jieyin pinned down. They traded blows, and the aftershocks of their clashing magic power raised hundred-foot waves around them.
Nuwa stood in the center of the island. The red silk formed from the Red Embroidered Ball shielded the terrified members of the Human Race, and anxiety filled her lovely face.
She wanted to help, but she didn't dare leave them for even a moment.
The newly born humans were too fragile. The slightest stray shockwave could hit them, destroying the children she had worked so hard to create.
East King Duke watched it all, a sinister smile curling his lips.
He didn't rush to join the battle. Instead, holding the Dragon Head Cane, he quietly circled around the combatants and steadily approached Nuwa.
"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, you can protect them for a while, but not forever."
East King Duke's voice was ominous. He twirled the Dragon Head Cane in his hand, and a heart-pounding pressure radiated from it.
"Today, I'll show you what it means to pit your strength against the inevitable."
Nuwa's expression changed, and she hurriedly brought out the Mountain and River Diagram.
The Innate Spiritual Treasure unfurled and became a miniature world, taking all the humans inside and cutting them off from the dangers outside.
The Human Race was safe, but maintaining the Mountain and River Diagram took up most of her attention, greatly diminishing her combat strength.
East King Duke was delighted by the sight. He swung the Dragon Head Cane, and a dragon of Pure Yang True Fire lunged at Nuwa.
Nuwa could only struggle to defend herself, with no chance to help anyone else.
The tide of battle began to turn against them.
Zhunti was brave, and the Sky-Turning Shovel was indeed formidable, but Ancestor Chi Xia was a Peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, with years of experience and an endless array of tricks.
Blood poured from the Purple Gold Gourd without end. Each wave was more violent than the last, and Zhunti was gradually unable to hold his ground.
"Damn it."
Zhunti clenched his teeth and burned through his magic power. The Sky-Turning Shovel shone brighter and brighter, but he was finding it harder to keep going.
After all, he was only a Perfected Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. There was still an insurmountable gulf between him and the peak.
As the fight dragged on, his magic power dwindled, and his movements began to slow.
Ancestor Chi Xia keenly spotted the opening. A cruel smile curled his lips as he shook the Purple Gold Gourd. A streak of blood-red immortal light shot straight at Zhunti's chest.
The attack was swift and vicious. Zhunti had no time to dodge.
"Pfft."
The immortal light pierced Zhunti's protective golden aura and slammed into his chest. He spat out a mouthful of golden blood and was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, his form stumbling through the air.
"Third Brother!"
Jieyin was horrified. He hurriedly sent a beam of golden light to catch Zhunti.
For that instant, his attention wavered, and a flaw appeared in the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit's defenses.
Daoist Qingyun and Elder Changchun had been waiting for exactly this chance.
They exchanged a glance and unleashed their strongest attacks at the same time. The Jade Ruyi's dragon and the Flat Peach vines intertwined, forming a world-destroying torrent that slammed into the flaw in the golden lotus.
Boom!
The golden lotus shuddered violently. Jieyin grunted, his face turning deathly pale.
His defenses had held, but he had still suffered serious internal injuries.
"Hahaha! Is that all?"
East King Duke laughed loudly and swung the Dragon Head Cane again, forcing Nuwa backward.
"The Western Sect is nothing but a pair of useless fools. Today, I'll show you what happens when you offend the Head of Male Immortals."
Zhunti clutched his chest. Golden blood ran through his fingers, staining his ornate Daoist robe red.
He looked at the four men bearing down on him, then at Jieyin, who was injured, and Nuwa, who was being held at bay. A deep sense of helplessness welled up inside him.
They couldn't win.
They really couldn't win.
The three of them were no match for four Peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals.
"Elder Brother..."
Zhunti murmured, his eyes full of unwillingness.
If only Elder Brother were here.
Elder Brother was so powerful. He'd surely know how to deal with these bastards.
Just then,
a lazy sigh drifted down, as if from the highest heavens, and rang clearly in everyone's ears.
"Haah... I knew you two would be nothing but trouble."
"You've barely been gone any time at all, and they're already about to beat our entire fortune out of you."
"Honestly, I can't even get an uninterrupted nap."
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, instantly drowning out every sound on the battlefield.
Everyone stopped moving and turned toward the voice in unison.
A figure had appeared in the middle of the battlefield without anyone noticing.
He wore a Moon-White Dao Robe and had a handsome, refined face. His eyes were gentle as jade, and beneath his feet rested a small subsidiary lotus of the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit, sent by Jieyin.
He was even yawning, rubbing his bleary eyes with one hand. He exuded the lazy air of someone who had just woken up, as though this weren't a battlefield where lives were at stake, but his own backyard.
Taiyuan.
Zhunti's eyes lit up. His helplessness vanished in an instant, replaced by boundless relief and confidence.
Elder Brother had arrived.
Now everything would be fine.
East King Duke's pupils contracted. He instinctively tightened his grip on the Dragon Head Cane.
How had this man appeared?
He hadn't sensed him at all.
Taiyuan didn't even glance at the overseas immortals. His gaze fell straight on East King Duke, who was about to attack the Human Race. He tilted his head.
"Those are my people, and that's my business. Who gave you the nerve to lay a hand on them?"
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