The Attack

Within the Zhou Clan Tribe.

Zhou Yu had just left his quiet chamber after completing the simulation when he received word from his clansmen that the Marquis of East Sea had arrived with a Celestial Immortal.

When Zhou Yu reached the tribe's front courtyard, he saw the Void Returner Earth Immortal Marquis of East Sea standing there with a Celestial Immortal clad in a golden flood-dragon robe.

The moment Zhou Yu saw what the Celestial Immortal was wearing, he understood. The visitor was not merely a Celestial Immortal, but a royal prince.

"Senior Ganyu, we meet again." The Earth Immortal Marquis of East Sea cupped his hands in salute.

"You are too polite, Marquis of East Sea."

Zhou Yu smiled faintly. The Zhou Clan Tribe had been able to establish itself in Donghai Commandery for three million years partly because it had maintained a good relationship with the Donghai Qingmu Clan.

However, the Marquis of East Sea had never been so deferential to him before. It seemed his previous intervention had frightened the Qingmu Clan as well.

"Senior Ganyu, this is Prince Qi." The Marquis of East Sea immediately introduced the Celestial Immortal who had accompanied him.

"Immortal Ganyu, I have come under His Majesty's orders. Might we speak in private?" Prince Qi cupped his hands politely.

In his view, Zhou Yu was likely backed by some Empyrean God or True Immortal, and that Empyrean God or True Immortal treated Zhou Yu quite well, stepping in to help him time and time again.

Their relationship was clearly far from ordinary.

"Please." After some thought, Zhou Yu agreed.

When he had acted before, he had anticipated that it would draw the attention of the Seamless Gate and the Xia Emperor. It was only natural for the Xia Emperor to send an envoy.

Prince Qi had come for two reasons. First, to warn Zhou Yu that the Celestial Immortal Zhumu whom he had killed belonged to the Seamless Gate, a terrifying force within the Three Realms. Since he had killed one of the Seamless Gate's Celestial Immortals, they certainly would not let the matter rest.

Second, Prince Qi had come to invite Zhou Yu to join the Xia Emperor's ranks. That way, if the Seamless Gate retaliated, the Xia Emperor would naturally lend his aid.

"I actually know all that you have said, Prince Qi. But I still have some confidence in dealing with the Seamless Gate." Zhou Yu naturally refused.

Before this simulation, he might have accepted. With the Xia Emperor's help, resisting the Seamless Gate would have been much easier, and he would not have needed to reveal more of his trump cards.

But now... there truly was no need.

After the invitation was rejected, Prince Qi said no more and soon took his leave.

When the Xia Emperor received the news, he merely nodded. He was also rather curious about which Empyrean God or True Immortal stood behind Zhou Yu.

Since Zhou Yu had chosen to resist head-on, everything should soon come to light.

The Seamless Gate's retaliation came swiftly.

Not long after Prince Qi departed, thirty-six figures suddenly appeared within Donghai Commandery.

All thirty-six figures were Celestial Immortals, and all were extraordinarily powerful. Not one was weaker than Celestial Bamboo Wood.

They were the true trump card in the hands of True Immortal Blood Hand.

When these thirty-six Celestial Immortals joined forces to form an array, they could slaughter nearly any Celestial Immortal.

Yet after appearing, the thirty-six Celestial Immortals did not attack immediately. Instead, they flashed to the foot of a colossal mountain roughly a thousand li tall.

Ascension Peak was the tallest mountain in Donghai Commandery, majestic and towering like a Divine Sword.

"This is the place."

The Celestial Immortals moved with perfect coordination. One gray-robed figure began chanting an incantation and immediately unleashed the Mountain Moving Technique.

Rumble!

The vast, towering mountain began to shake violently. Under the immense divine power of the Celestial Immortal, the entire mountain was about to be uprooted.

At the critical moment, streams of light burst forth from beneath the mountain, seeking to stop it all.

"So there really is an array protecting it."

The other Celestial Immortals instantly acted to suppress the array. In the blink of an eye, the towering mountain was uprooted and shifted a thousand li away.

For a time, the natural energy throughout Donghai Commandery fell into turmoil. Countless Immortal cultivators felt their hearts tremble with unease, though they obviously had no idea what had happened.

At this moment, in an inconspicuous little city outside Donghai Commandery, True Immortal Blood Hand, the master of Blood Cloud Tower, had disguised himself as an old man drinking tea and was observing everything happening in Donghai Commandery from afar.

"Once one of the key array foundations of this Heaven and Earth Great Array is destroyed, let's see how Immortal Ganyu can resist my subordinates." True Immortal Blood Hand sneered inwardly.

The Heaven and Earth Great Array was indeed a terrifying formation, but its weakness was equally obvious: it was easily damaged.

The Seamless Gate also had experts skilled in the Dao of formations. After having someone make a brief calculation, he had located several foundations of the great array in Donghai Commandery.

Every time one was destroyed, the array's power would drop by thirty percent.

In True Immortal Blood Hand's eyes, Zhou Yu himself was no longer worth mentioning. What remained was to see whether they could force out the Empyrean God or True Immortal behind him.

True Immortal Blood Hand had appeared here specifically to deal with that potentially emerging Empyrean God or True Immortal. In fact, he had not come alone. He had also notified the other two True Immortals of the Seamless Gate responsible for invading the Great Xia World.

After all, the Xia Emperor might intervene as well. The Xia Emperor was extremely powerful among True Immortals, and more importantly, he possessed too many treasures. True Immortal Blood Hand would find it difficult to withstand him alone; he needed assistance to ensure nothing went wrong.

"Move."

"To the next array foundation."

The thirty-six Celestial Immortals did not hesitate. Each used an evasive technique and headed toward the next array foundation.

But at that moment—

A massive vortex suddenly appeared above the Celestial Immortals, and endless natural energy began to gather frantically.

"Haha, have you discovered us?"

"Too bad, it's already too late!"

"Form the array!"

The thirty-six Celestial Immortals laughed loudly. They instantly joined together, and a gigantic one-legged beast appeared between heaven and earth.

The Kui Ox Formation.

With thirty-six Top-Tier Celestial Immortals serving as the array foundations, this formation had reached the threshold of an Empyrean God or True Immortal in power.

That was why these thirty-six Celestial Immortals, when united, could kill any Celestial Immortal.

Even a Peak Celestial Immortal like the Celestial immortal of Sacred Fire would be utterly unable to withstand their combined assault.

At this moment—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless attacks descended from the heavens, but the Kui Ox easily blocked them all.

In truth, even against the intact formation, these thirty-six Celestial Immortals had been confident they could withstand it. Now that the formation's power had fallen, it was even less of a concern.

The Kui Ox endured wave after wave of attacks and soon arrived at the next array foundation, easily destroying it.

The great array's power declined once more, and the Kui Ox turned toward yet another array foundation.

"When immortals fight, mortals suffer."

At this moment, within Donghai Commandery's capital, the Celestial Immortal patriarch of the Qingmu Clan personally activated and presided over the massive formation the Qingmu Clan had laid down over countless years, guarding against being caught in the battle.

"That Immortal Ganyu never seemed especially remarkable before. Yet now he has provoked such a powerful enemy. I wonder whether he can withstand it." The Qingmu Clan patriarch pondered inwardly.

Very soon, every array foundation in Donghai Commandery had been destroyed. The Kui Ox then arrived above the plains where the Zhou Clan Tribe was located.

Zhou Yu had already arrived outside the tribe and was waiting.

"Immortal Ganyu, you have quite the nerve. You still haven't fled at a time like this?" the leading Celestial Immortal asked with a cold laugh.

"Although you destroyed my formation, are you really so confident that you can deal with me?" Zhou Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm as he asked.

Seeing how composed Zhou Yu remained, the thirty-six Celestial Immortals could not help but feel alarmed. They naturally knew that Immortal Ganyu might have an Empyrean God or True Immortal backing him. Could that person have already arrived?

Of course, that alone was not enough to frighten them.

The greatest strength of the Kui Ox Formation was its resilience. Even if a genuine Empyrean God or True Immortal attacked, it would take time to tear apart their formation.

With that time, True Immortal Blood Hand behind them would have long since rescued them.

"Empty threats won't scare us. If you have any ability, show it. If not, go join Zhumu in the grave!" The thirty-six Celestial Immortals showed no courtesy. Controlling the Kui Ox, they sent one enormous hoof crashing down.

Rumble!

Heaven and earth shook.

At that instant, space completely froze. It was as though nothing remained between heaven and earth but that immense ox hoof.

"How terrifying. If it were me, I would probably die instantly." The Celestial Immortal patriarch of the Qingmu Clan felt the power of that strike from afar and broke out in a cold sweat.

He understood that if no one stepped in to help, Immortal Ganyu was doomed.