Three Pure Ones Gather, Xuanmen Grand Tournament

"We shall obey Master's sacred decree! We will never disgrace the mighty name of our Interception Sect!"

Led by Duobao Daoist, the countless, densely packed disciples of the Interception Sect all shouted in unison.

"Enough. You may withdraw!"

Only when Tongtian Cult Master's voice rang out did the many Interception Sect immortals seem to awaken from a dream, rising to their feet one after another.

Some rode undying rainbows, while others stepped upon auspicious clouds, departing Jade Tour Palace in groups.

Ten thousand immortals left the island, creating a spectacular sight.

The once exceedingly bustling Golden Ao Island gradually returned to tranquility.

Xuan Liu did not linger long on Golden Ao Island.

He knew well that having just broken through, what he needed most was to stabilize his foundation.

Thus, he once again employed a great divine ability and hurried back to Penglai Immortal Island.

The moment he returned to Penglai Immortal Island, he entered secluded cultivation, not daring to slacken in the slightest.

His master had valued him so highly, accepting him as the Interception Sect's fifth direct disciple and bestowing upon him the high-grade innate spiritual treasure, the Purple Lightning Hammer. He absolutely could not disappoint him.

He would properly consolidate his foundation, make a name for himself at the Grand Tournament of the Three Sects, and bring glory to the Interception Sect's lineage.

Years went uncounted in the Primordial World, and time flew like a white colt passing through a crack.

Kunlun Mountain.

As the supreme ancestral vein of the Primordial World, this place bordered the vast ocean to the east and connected to endless mountain ranges in the west.

Pangu's lingering blessing had formed the most unimaginable innate blessed lands in this region.

As far as the eye could see, enormous divine peaks pierced the nine heavens like sharp swords.

Above every peak, countless streams of innate purple qi coiled and swooped like long dragons.

At this moment, the laws of heaven and earth condensed into tangible immortal mist, forming layer upon layer of rolling seas of clouds.

At the heart of those clouds, three towering figures who seemed to bear the entire river of time upon their shoulders sat side by side on a dharma platform, their expressions serene.

The man in the middle wore a Taiji Yin-Yang Daoist robe. His hair was white, his face lean, and his eyes slightly closed, as though they held the birth and death of all things and the turning of karma.

This was the Human Sect's leader, Supreme Elder Laozi!

The man on the left wore an incomparably noble Jade Purity Black-Yellow Dragon-Pattern Robe. His face was imposing, and his brows resembled swords.

His entire body emanated the supreme principles of conforming to the Heavenly Dao and expounding all truths, making others unable to meet his gaze directly.

He was the Expounding Sect's leader, Primordial Heavenly Venerable.

The man on the right was naturally the Interception Sect's leader, Tongtian Cult Master.

He wore a supreme black-and-cyan sacred Daoist robe, with the Green Duckweed Sword strapped across his back.

His long black hair drifted freely amid the fierce winds.

Below the Three Pure Ones, the disciples of the Human Sect, Expounding Sect, and Interception Sect had all gathered. The scale of the scene was simply unimaginable.

Xuan Liu stood firmly at the very front of the Interception Sect's formation, alongside Duobao Daoist and his three senior sisters, Jinling, Wudang, and Guiling.

Behind him stood countless outer disciples and registered disciples, such as Zhao Gongming, the Three Cloud Fairies, and Black Cloud Immortal.

On the other side of the dharma platform, the Expounding Sect's ranks appeared perfectly orderly.

At their head stood Burning Lamp Daoist. Behind him, Guang Chengzi, Chijingzi, Jade Cauldron True Person, Taiyi True Person, and the other twelve Golden Immortals of the Expounding Sect stood in a single line.

Each had a Jade Purity auspicious cloud manifested above their head. They possessed immortal poise and extraordinary origins.

Yet, when they looked toward the Interception Sect, their eyes all carried, to varying degrees, an undisguised arrogance.

The Human Sect's side was the strangest of all, with only a single solitary figure.

He was a young man dressed in a simple Daoist robe. His expression was somewhat dull, yet his Dao rhythm seemed naturally perfect, and faint transformations of heaven and earth could be seen within his eyes.

He was the Human Sect's sole disciple and the eldest senior brother of the three Xuanmen sects, Xuandu the Grand Magus.

"As expected of the grand tournament of the three Xuanmen sects. This spectacle truly beggars belief."

Xuan Liu stood with his hands behind his back, unable to stop himself from sighing inwardly.

Yet after his initial amazement, his divine sense secretly assessed the true strength of the Expounding Sect's twelve Golden Immortals.

Guang Chengzi was already at the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm, only a step away from its middle stage.

Taiyi True Person, Jade Cauldron True Person, and the others were likewise at the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm.

"The foundations and innate endowments of these Expounding Sect fellows are indeed solid."

Xuan Liu murmured to himself.

His own foundation was now stable, and he also possessed the Willow God Art.

Within the middle stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm, he would rarely have an opponent.

The momentum was already in his favor, and all his trump cards were ready.

In this battle, he, Xuan Liu, would surely make a stunning name for himself!

Just as Xuan Liu pondered, at a critical moment when the scene was utterly silent and deathly still—

"Buzz!!!"

All of a sudden, Supreme Elder Laozi, who had been seated motionlessly atop the platform, slowly opened his saintly eyes.

Supreme Elder Laozi rose from before the seats of the Three Pure Ones and took a single step forward.

The instant that step fell, the spiritual qi of the entire Kunlun Mountain froze, and time and space seemed to come to a complete standstill.

"Today, the three sects have gathered at Kunlun. The purpose of this tournament is to verify the ultimate truths of the Dao, without harming the bonds between fellow disciples."

Supreme Elder Laozi brushed his plain-colored sleeve and began speaking unhurriedly. "This tournament between the three sects consists of three trials: comprehension, physical body, and finally, combat methods."

"My Human Sect has always valued tranquility and nonaction, and has few disciples. Therefore, only Xuandu shall participate in this tournament on behalf of the Human Sect."

"Thus, the disciples of the Expounding Sect and Interception Sect shall compete first. The winning side shall then send a disciple to battle Xuandu at the same realm. The victor shall become the champion of this Xuanmen Grand Tournament."

The Human Sect was first removed from the competition, allowing the Expounding Sect and Interception Sect to fight. Then, the winner would face Xuandu at the same cultivation realm.

These rules were exceedingly fair, and no one dared raise an objection.

"We shall remember Eldest Uncle-Master's sacred decree! We shall never forget!"

In an instant, Guang Chengzi and Duobao Daoist both stepped half a pace forward.

Together with the immortals of the Expounding Sect and Interception Sect behind them, they bowed deeply toward Supreme Elder Laozi atop the dharma platform.

Their resounding voices echoed layer after layer through the heavens.

"Good."

Supreme Elder Laozi gave a faint word of approval.

Then, his thin right hand slowly emerged from the Taiji Eight-Trigrams Sleeve, and he casually drew a line with two fingers.

"Riiip!"

As the saint's finger descended, the space at the center began twisting and collapsing wildly.

As far as the eye could see, countless visible black-and-white Taiji lines emerged from the void and rearranged themselves.

Those black-and-white lines swiftly carried surging supreme Dao intent.

Upon the ground, they forcibly formed an incomparably vast supreme formation, where Yin and Yang alternated within, unfathomable and obscure!

Upon the formation, the Two Forms stood side by side, the Four Symbols evolved, and its Dao rhythm was profound to the extreme.

"The first trial shall test your comprehension and fortune."

Supreme Elder Laozi withdrew his right hand and looked serenely down at the disciples of the two sects. "This formation is called the Yin-Yang Twofold Ritual Formation. I created it by combining the principles of Great Purity Taiji with the transformations of the tiniest particles of heaven and earth."

"Any core disciple of the Expounding Sect and Interception Sect may enter the formation. Whichever side first sees through the changes of the formation and sends the first person out of the Twofold Ritual Formation shall be deemed the victor of this first trial."