Chapter 33

The remark immediately drew teasing from the gathered experts.

"Since Fellow Daoist Styx puts it that way, I'd say he has a thirty percent chance of winning!"

"A mere Taiyi Realm cultivator, with less than a thousand years of cultivation. Truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers."

"Styx, have you been drinking too much and muddled your eyes?"

Everyone knew that the Western Teachings had shallow foundations. Producing two Saints was already a stroke of luck. He had only just entered the Taiyi Realm—what was so remarkable about that?

Yet Styx narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "I happen to think he can do it."

"How about wagering a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure? Do you all dare accept?"

His words stirred everyone's interest. In the blink of an eye, spiritual treasures and spiritual roots had piled up like mountains, all wagered against Styx.

The one standing in the arena was Lu Tian.

True Person Huang Long had taken the lead before, so this time, Lu Tian naturally had to step forward.

The mountain wind drifted gently.

The gazes of the immortals were as sharp as torches, all fixed upon the seemingly ordinary Western Teachings cultivator.

No one knew why Styx alone favored this man, so they could only wait and see.

Lu Tian cupped his fists toward Zhao Gongming. The two exchanged smiles, appearing quite amicable.

Zhao Gongming had never deceived him, so Lu Tian naturally bore no resentment toward him.

But he knew—

This peace would vanish in an instant.

His years in the Jie Sect were like a thorn lodged in his throat.

Today, he had come to pull out that thorn.

Before they even began fighting, Lu Tian suddenly gave Tongtian Jiaozhu, seated above, a solemn bow.

"Lu Tian pays respects to the Sect Master."

Tongtian's gaze shifted slightly.

He had long glimpsed the karma involved. Lu Tian had also played a part in arranging this Mystic Gate Grand Ceremony.

This action now surprised even the Saint.

"Very well," Tongtian replied calmly.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Lu Tian's voice was heavy as iron.

"I have an ungranted request. I hope Sect Master will fulfill it."

"Speak."

"I bear a mortal grudge against several members of the Jie Sect's outer sect. After this battle, I ask Sect Master to allow me to settle this karma."

The words "mortal grudge" plunged the entire gathering into silence.

The great powers of the primordial world stopped their conversations, their burning gazes fixed upon the arena.

The weight of those gazes alone made Lu Tian feel as though he carried a thousand mountains.

Tongtian Jiaozhu did not answer immediately.

A trace of displeasure flashed through his eyes before quickly settling.

Conflict would ultimately damage their reputation.

Fortunately, Lu Tian said nothing further.

Otherwise, the Jie Sect's prestige might have been utterly ruined!

After a moment of silence, Tongtian finally spoke. "If you win, I will grant you this opportunity."

In the primordial world, strength was the foundation of everything.

His words instead aroused the interest of the gathered experts.

Interesting...

"Styx, do you know the details? Why not tell us?"

"Could it be that Fellow Daoist Styx knows some hidden truth?"

"This child's heavenly secrets are muddled. Jieyin has clearly concealed them deliberately; no deduction can reveal anything at all!"

The great powers of the primordial world all turned their attention toward Styx.

Yet Styx leisurely sipped his tea and replied perfunctorily, "I don't know much. I simply find him pleasing to the eye."

"Do not ask any further. I truly do not know."

He kept his lips tightly sealed, unwilling to reveal even the slightest thing.

The gazes of the great powers gradually deepened with meaning.

If Styx merely thought highly of Lu Tian, it was understandable for him to wager an Innate Spiritual Treasure—after all, Styx possessed deep reserves.

But there was clearly something hidden here. Styx's evasiveness only whetted everyone's curiosity!

"Many thanks to Tongtian Jiaozhu for granting this."

Lu Tian gave another solemn bow.

The Jie Sect's outer sect still belonged to the Jie Sect.

Even though the gap in their strength was now immense, he could not rashly harbor killing intent.

By making this request before everyone, and with Tongtian having already agreed, there was no longer any room for reversal.

After all,

Lu Tian held no old grudge against Tongtian or the other members of the Jie Sect.

When Tongtian had accepted him as a disciple, he had even bestowed the grace of teaching upon him.

Lu Tian had always distinguished gratitude from resentment. He would not hate Tongtian over this.

However...

This grudge had to be avenged!

If conflict arose during the process and caused further consequences, that would no longer be Lu Tian's concern.

After steadying his mind,

Lu Tian stood with the Moon Washing Blade in hand, his entire body radiating sharpness.

"Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist!"

Zhao Gongming's face was dark as water, and he remained silent.

He had already received Tongtian's secret order—

In this battle, he had to go all out and ensure victory!

Thus, Zhao Gongming abruptly launched his attack!

His figure suddenly vanished, fleeing into an unfathomable dimension.

Lu Tian gave a cold snort.

Without any visible movement, that snort alone froze the surrounding space!

Layers of space sealed shut, forcing Zhao Gongming to reveal himself as he swung his golden whip down in a brutal strike!

Lu Tian turned his blade, slashing out an arc of light like moonbeams.

This move caused the watching experts' expressions to sharpen!

Zhao Gongming neither dodged nor retreated, raising a hand to shatter the blade light!

Having just won a battle, his fighting spirit was at its peak!

The Dragon-Binding Rope suddenly shot from his sleeve, winding toward Lu Tian in the blink of an eye.

Lu Tian flipped his hand and summoned the Plain Cloud Boundary Banner.

The banner's shadow rolled and surged, instead locking the Dragon-Binding Rope firmly in place and rendering it unable to move!

Back when he was only in the Golden Immortal Realm, he had used this banner to suppress Taiyi Zhenren's Golden Brick. Now that he had advanced into the Taiyi Realm, his mana was even more abundant, and the Dragon-Binding Rope was completely suppressed!

That sight alone caused the expressions of the gathered experts to change drastically.

At their level, there was little difference in one's use of spiritual treasures. The power of top-grade and high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures was nearly equal, making it difficult to fully display their true disparity.

There was only one explanation for Lu Tian using the Plain Cloud Boundary Banner to suppress the Dragon-Binding Rope—

His mana was more immense!

Yet...

His cultivation was clearly lower, and he had entered the Taiyi Realm less than a thousand years ago!

Though the Dragon-Binding Rope had been restrained, Zhao Gongming showed no panic. With a flash, he closed in on Lu Tian, his golden whip crashing down with the force of ten thousand tons!

Clang! Boom!

The golden whip collided with the Moon Washing Blade, and the power that erupted instantly tore apart space. The shockwaves shattered the surrounding void and earth!

In the time it took for sparks to fly from flint, the two had exchanged hundreds of blows!

The ground split apart in webs of cracks, leaving devastation everywhere.

The speed of their fierce battle made the Western Teachings disciples' hearts pound in terror!

Suddenly—

With a wave of Zhao Gongming's hand, twenty-four spiritual pearls appeared around Lu Tian!

Twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Beads!

Lu Tian's heart jolted!

He had not even noticed when Zhao Gongming had secretly laid out these treasures, enduring until now before finally activating them!

Each Sea-Calming Divine Bead contained the power of an entire world!

When all twenty-four pearls emerged, it was the combined force of twenty-four worlds!

Only now did Lu Tian understand that Zhao Gongming's use of these treasures to defeat Randeng during the Investiture of the Gods had been no accident.

The twenty-four pearls formed an array, trapping Lu Tian at its core.

The formation was incomparably profound, fusing the force of twenty-four worlds into one and making Lu Tian feel as though he bore ten thousand tons upon his body!

This was no small world casually created like a Buddha Kingdom in Palm.

It was a true Greater Thousand World!

Boom!

Lu Tian's knees buckled, and he nearly fell to them!

The sudden appearance of the Sea-Calming Divine Beads instantly reversed the battle!

Zhao Gongming drifted away, retreating far in an instant.

As Lu Tian focused all his strength on resisting the pressure, Zhao Gongming suddenly reclaimed control of the Dragon-Binding Rope the moment Lu Tian's attention wavered. The golden rope twisted like a living serpent, one end wrapping around the Plain Cloud Boundary Banner while the other was tightly clenched in Zhao Gongming's palm.

"Ha!"

Zhao Gongming let out a furious roar, mana surging around him as he tried to forcibly wrench away the Plain Cloud Boundary Banner!

Lu Tian quickly regained his focus and urged the treasure banner into a defensive stance. It shielded him while also resisting Zhao Gongming's attempt to seize it. With this Innate Spiritual Treasure protecting him, he was safe for the moment.

In an instant, the twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Beads became streams of light and blasted toward Lu Tian from every direction!

He did not dare be careless. Wielding the Moon Washing Blade, he sent out frigid blade light to intercept the divine pearls filling the sky. The battle had changed abruptly, forcing Lu Tian onto the defensive—he had to withstand the formation's pressure, block the Sea-Calming Divine Beads, and spare attention to stabilize the Plain Cloud Boundary Banner.

Even so, there was not the slightest trace of fear in his eyes.

His most urgent task was to break this great formation!

But formations were not his specialty, much less a formation created by the Jie Sect.

The Western Teachings' secret arts were profound, but the Jie Sect's formations stood supreme in the primordial world! The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation's baleful aura pierced the heavens, the Ten Absolute Formations held countless transformations, and the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation devoured heaven and earth... Which of the Jie Sect's vicious formations had not shaken the ages?

Though Zhao Gongming's formation could not compare to those peerless killing formations, it was still exceedingly troublesome. Now that he was using it with all his strength, its power surpassed even that of his battle against True Person Huang Long!

A cold glint flashed through Lu Tian's eyes.

Since he did not understand the principles of formations, only one path remained—

Break the formation with force!

Bearing the overwhelming pressure, he forcibly took a step forward.

Zhao Gongming's pupils contracted sharply. Trapped in such a desperate situation, this man was advancing instead of retreating?

Boom!

Lu Tian suddenly revealed a Vajra Dharma Form with four heads and two arms!

He had ascended Kunlun to avenge his hatred; he could not retreat—

He feared that one step back would lead to step after step of retreat, until, because of the Jie Sect's prestige and the Saint's dignity, the obsession in his heart would be erased.

The Twelve-Grade Void Clarity Spiritual Lotus bloomed with clear radiance, the Nine Dragon Fire Cover spewed blazing flames, and the Kunyuan Dao Robe drew upon the earth veins! Three Innate Spiritual Treasures emerged together, forming a thick barrier.

Zhenyuanzi, watching from the mountaintop, was moved by the sight.

This treasure had exactly the same effect as the Earth Book in his possession!

The two Saints, Jieyin and Zhunti, had been so generous!

Five top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures in total?!

This... Had Jieyin and Zhunti lost their minds?!

Every Quasi-Saint present was utterly shocked!

Together with the Moon Washing Blade and the Plain Cloud Boundary Banner, five supreme treasures upon his person made the Quasi-Saints present tremble with alarm!

One had to know that most of them found it difficult to possess even a single top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!

Many experts stared at Lu Tian's Vajra Dharma Form, profound meaning flickering in their eyes.

Even the watching great powers were so shocked. Zhao Gongming, who was directly fighting Lu Tian, was even more dumbfounded!

That dazzling treasure light nearly made him unable to look directly at it!

"Fellow Daoist, your fortune is truly immense!"

Zhao Gongming forced the words through clenched teeth, while the twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Beads launched an even fiercer assault!

Lu Tian sat steadily upon the Twelve-Grade Void Clarity Spiritual Lotus, paying Zhao Gongming no heed.

He was gathering all his strength to break the formation!

The Kunyuan Dao Robe and Plain Cloud Boundary Banner formed a perfect defense, shielding Lu Tian without a single gap.

The Nine Dragon Fire Cover suddenly activated, and nine flaming divine dragons roared forth, precisely biting onto the incoming Sea-Calming Divine Beads!

The nine divine beads were firmly locked by the dragon fangs, utterly immobile.

This was precisely the power of the formation's enhancement.

In terms of rank alone, the twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Beads were no match for the Nine Dragon Fire Cover. Only by gathering all thirty-six could they suppress it.

But with the grand formation's support, the nine fire dragons could only restrain nine divine beads.

Of course...

This was also because Lu Tian was activating several spirit treasures at once, preventing each one from displaying its full power.

After all, he was only a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

Zhao Gongming sneered and formed a hand seal, intending to recall the Dragon-Binding Rope and bind the fire dragons.

All dragon-shaped Dharma treasures were restrained by it.

How could Lu Tian let him have his way? The Plain Cloud Boundary Banner unfurled once more, tightly entangling the Dragon-Binding Rope.

Zhao Gongming remained calm and unhurried.

Though he had initially been startled by these treasures, he had now seen through them—their defenses were strong, but their offensive power was lacking.

With the grand formation's support, the remaining fifteen Sea-Calming Divine Beads could still suppress Lu Tian!

Suddenly...

Every hair on his body stood on end as he sensed a deadly crisis descending!

It was not just him.

Every great power atop the peak felt their hearts tremble violently at the same time!

Everyone clearly sensed...