Tongtian vs. Zhunti (Part 1)

The moment Zhunti finished speaking, Yun Xiao's expression darkened completely.

She was not a three-year-old child. She would not naively believe that this late-stage Golden Immortal of Daluo was sincerely inviting them to the West as guests.

Everyone knew that the West was a barren land. Even if she truly had fate with it, she had no desire to go there.

"You jest, Senior."

Yun Xiao shielded Qiong Xiao behind her, forcing her weakened body to remain upright as she replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "We have our own dojo in the East Sea and have no plans to go to the West for now."

"Is that so?"

At her words, not a ripple crossed Zhunti's gaunt face. His gaze shifted from Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao to the old man at the peak of the Golden Immortal of Taiyi realm.

"Were you trying to seize an innate spiritual treasure?"

The old man, who had been grinning viciously as he prepared to intensify his attack and kill the two women, froze the instant he saw Zhunti.

Especially after Zhunti looked at him and spoke, a trembling terror from the depths of his soul swept through his entire body. Even the fingers gripping his whisk shook uncontrollably.

"S-Senior, spare my life! This junior failed to recognize greatness! I'll leave at once!"

How could the old man still dare covet any innate spiritual treasure? He decisively turned around, intending to use an escape technique and flee.

"Since you've come, why be in such a hurry to leave?"

Zhunti Daoist's tone was utterly calm. He gently raised his right hand, formed his fingers into a sword, and pointed distantly at the old man.

The gesture was casual, as though he were merely brushing dust from his clothes.

Yet the old man at the peak of the Golden Immortal of Taiyi realm seemed to have been struck by lightning. His entire body stiffened in midair, spiritual light flashing wildly around him, but he could no longer move an inch.

"S-Senior!"

The old man's face turned deathly pale, his entire body trembling like chaff in the wind. No longer caring about his pride, he repeatedly begged, "This junior truly knows his mistake! Please, Senior, be merciful and spare this junior's life!"

Zhunti remained unmoved. A thread of golden Buddhist light condensed at his fingertip.

Though it was only a single wisp, it contained a terrifying power capable of destroying heaven and earth. Under its illumination, the surrounding space itself seemed to silently collapse and melt away.

"Though this poor Daoist dislikes killing, you intended to kill these two fellow Daoists who have fate with the West. That makes you this poor Daoist's enemy."

As the words fell, the thread of golden Buddhist light shot forth.

"No—!"

The old man let out a desperate howl and frantically mobilized all the mana within his body, bringing out several defensive spiritual treasures.

Before the Buddhist light, the treasures were like paper. One after another, they shattered and crumbled.

The Buddhist light pierced through layer upon layer of defenses and entered the old man's glabella.

The old man's struggles came to an abrupt end.

The light vanished rapidly from his eyes, while the terror and unwillingness on his face froze into an eternal expression. A breeze passed by, and his body turned into countless golden specks of light, dispersing into the void.

Body and soul were utterly destroyed.

Watching this scene, Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao felt a bone-deep chill rise in their hearts.

An expert at the peak of the Golden Immortal of Taiyi realm had not even possessed the right to resist before this Daoist.

The terror of a late-stage Golden Immortal of Daluo was far beyond their imagination.

Zhunti withdrew his finger as though he had merely done something insignificant. He looked again at Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao, a gentle smile appearing on his gaunt face.

"The nuisance has been dealt with."

He slowly stepped forward. Golden Buddhist light bloomed beneath his feet, lotus flowers appearing with every step, solemn and sacred.

"Now, we can have a proper talk."

Qiong Xiao instinctively tightened her grip on the Dragon-Binding Rope, her knuckles turning white. Yun Xiao stared fixedly at Zhunti, rapidly calculating a way to escape.

Yet the disparity in strength was like an impassable chasm. Any scheme was futile before such absolute power.

Just then, a fierce sword intent cut across the sky, forcibly halting Zhunti's advance.

"Fellow Daoist Zhunti, why have you come to my East when you should be staying properly in your West?"

Before the words had faded, an incomparably domineering sword intent descended from the heavens. Like an invisible heavenly sword, it cleaved apart the Buddhist light circulating around Zhunti.

Zhunti paused, and at last a trace of gravity appeared on his gaunt face.

He slowly raised his head and looked toward the horizon.

A figure stepped out from the void, clad in a dark Daoist robe. His features were cold and stern, his eyes deep as an abyss, and an extremely sharp sword intent coiled around him.

Unlike the blatant sharpness of his disciples' sword intent, his was steady and restrained, yet even more unfathomable, as though it held supreme power capable of severing all things between heaven and earth.

It was Tongtian.

Two figures followed closely behind Tongtian.

The gravity on Zhunti's face was quickly replaced by a gentle smile. He put away the Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree, pressed his palms together, and gave a slight bow.

"Fellow Daoist Tongtian, it has been a long time. I trust you have been well."

Tongtian did not respond. He merely looked at him coldly.

Zhunti did not mind and continued on his own, "This poor Daoist has been traveling the four directions and happened upon these two fellow Daoists. Seeing from their appearances that they have fate with my West, I wished to invite them there to cultivate. This was only an act of goodwill on this poor Daoist's part. Why must Fellow Daoist be so angered?"

"Goodwill?"

A cold smile curled at Tongtian's lips. "Forcibly abducting people is goodwill? If it truly is goodwill, why are they unwilling?"

Zhunti shook his head and sighed. "They are young and ignorant, unaware of the profundities of the great teachings of the West. It is only natural for them to be unwilling for the moment. This poor Daoist merely wishes to take them there for a look. If they truly dislike it, this poor Daoist will naturally send them back."

He made it sound utterly righteous, as though he truly had Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao's best interests at heart.

"That won't be necessary."

Tongtian's voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable pressure. "They have the fate of master and disciples with me. My disciples have no need to visit the West. Zhunti, please return."

"The fate of master and disciples?"

Zhunti's gaze swept over Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao before settling on Bi Xiao behind Tongtian, and his expression shifted repeatedly.

If it were only Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao, though he had taken a fancy to their foundations and fortune, he would not have minded giving Tongtian some face.

But Qiong Xiao still held a high-grade innate spiritual treasure in her hand. Even for the sake of that high-grade innate spiritual treasure, Zhunti could not possibly give up.

I should have taken the Dragon-Binding Rope first.

"Fellow Daoist Tongtian, since neither of us can persuade the other, how about we fight? Whoever wins can take them away."

Zhunti was still very confident in his own strength. After all, the Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree in his hand was a fully refined supreme-grade innate spiritual treasure, granting an enormous boost to his combat power.

Nor had he heard that Tongtian possessed any powerful innate spiritual treasure.

"A fight?"

At those words, an unparalleled sword intent that looked down upon all under heaven suddenly erupted from Tongtian's deep eyes.

That sword intent shot straight into the nine heavens, cleaving a massive rift through the sea of clouds overhead. Even the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars was eclipsed by its sharpness.

"Since you wish to fight, then fight. If you lose, get back to the West."