The Formation Subdues the Immortals, Gongming Comes to Aid

Outside the cave abode, Qiu Shou Immortal's roar was like thunder, shaking the mountain walls until dust pattered down.

"Xuan Chuan! Get out here and die!"

"You think that just because you obtained the Purple Lightning Hammer, you can run wild across Golden Turtle Island? Today, I'll teach you what it means for rank and status to be kept in order!"

Lingya Immortal and the disciples behind him joined in the clamor, their demonic aura and immortal radiance mingling together. They were fierce and imposing, clearly unwilling to leave until they had torn down the cave abode.

Within the cave abode, Xuan Chuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze icy.

He had long expected this move. After establishing his authority, retaliation was inevitable. How could these people, accustomed to acting however they pleased for so many years, willingly accept restraint?

He did not rush outside. Instead, he formed seals with both hands and activated the restrictions he had long ago laid around the cave abode.

"Bzz—!"

A deep hum rang out. Centered on Xuan Chuan's cave abode, countless profound runes suddenly lit up across a hundred-zhang radius!

The runes flowed, linking with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, instantly forming a vast formation that enveloped the surroundings!

Cloud and mist arose within the formation, obscuring sight. Space seemed to twist, while streams of sharp Sword Qi lay hidden within the mist, radiating chilling killing intent!

It was precisely the Lesser Heaven Cloudmist Sword Formation he had set up by combining his understanding of formations with the deductive power of the Creation Jade Disc Fragment!

Though it was far inferior to Master Tongtian's Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, it was more than sufficient to trap and punish a group of cultivators below the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm!

"Not good! It's an ambush!"

"It's a formation! Retreat!"

Qiu Shou Immortal, Lingya Immortal, and the others changed expression sharply. They tried to withdraw, but it was already too late.

The formation had taken shape. As the clouds and mist churned, they felt the world spin around them. The scenery changed drastically, and they could no longer find the way they had come. Even the figures of their companions nearby became blurred and indistinct.

"Such petty tricks! Break for me!" Qiu Shou Immortal roared, swinging his Floral-Patterned Great Axe and fiercely cleaving a massive green axe-light into the clouds and mist!

Yet the axe-light vanished into the mist like a clay ox entering the sea. It raised only a few ripples before disappearing without a trace. Instead, it triggered the hidden Sword Qi within the formation!

"Hiss, hiss, hiss—!"

Dozens of invisible streams of Sword Qi shot in from every direction, swift as lightning and viciously unpredictable!

"Argh!"

"My arm!"

"Senior Brother, save me!"

For a time, screams rang out continuously within the formation. The True Immortal and Mysterious Immortal disciples who had followed them simply could not withstand such fierce Sword Qi. In an instant, many were wounded and bloodied, reduced to a miserable state.

Even Qiu Shou Immortal and Lingya Immortal were driven into a frantic scramble by the Sword Qi. Their Daoist robes were sliced open in several places. Though they had not suffered serious wounds, they had lost all face.

They possessed the mana of Primordial Unity Golden Immortals, yet within this carefully arranged formation, they were like savage bulls trapped in a mire—strengthy, but with nowhere to use their strength!

Xuan Chuan's figure silently appeared above the formation. Looking down at the people darting about below like headless flies, his eyes were cold and indifferent.

"Qiu Shou Immortal, Lingya Immortal, you gathered a crowd to cause trouble, stormed the chief disciple's cave abode, and openly defied the Sect Master's decree. What crime should you be charged with?"

His voice passed through the formation and entered every ear with perfect clarity.

"Xuan Chuan! You're despicable! If you have the guts, remove the formation and fight us fair and square!" Qiu Shou Immortal was so enraged that the three corpse spirits in his body leaped violently. He raised his head and roared at the sky.

"Fair and square?" A mocking curve touched Xuan Chuan's lips. "Gathering a crowd to besiege me is fair and square? Today, I'll let you taste the Purple Lightning Hammer and use it to set the sect rules right!"

He raised the Purple Lightning Hammer. Lightning began to gather, and terrifying pressure locked onto Qiu Shou Immortal and Lingya Immortal below.

If that hammer fell, even if the two did not die, they would certainly be stripped of a layer of skin and follow in Ma Yuan's footsteps!

Just as the situation hung by a single thread—

"Hold your hand!"

A clear shout came from afar. A streak of golden light crossed the sky and descended outside the formation.

The newcomer wore a golden Daoist robe and had handsome features. His brows naturally carried a bold, heroic air, while faint treasure-light shimmered around him. He was clearly extraordinary.

It was none other than Zhao Gongming, eldest disciple of Jiejiao's Outer Sect, from Luofu Cave on Mount Emei!

Zhao Gongming looked at the formation wreathed in clouds and mist, its Sword Qi grim and murderous. Then he looked at Qiu Shou Immortal and the others trapped within, battered and wretched. Finally, his gaze settled on Xuan Chuan, who held the Purple Lightning Hammer and radiated Sha Qi. His brows furrowed slightly.

"Senior Brother Xuan Chuan, must it go this far?" Zhao Gongming asked steadily.

"Though fellow disciples may have disagreements, why resort to such methods? Qiu Shou Immortal and the others may indeed be at fault, but a small punishment to serve as a stern warning would be enough. Using such a formation to trap and kill them—is that not excessive?"

He had heard that Xuan Chuan had received their master's decree to reorganize sect affairs and had whipped Ma Yuan, so he had already been paying attention.

Seeing this scene now, he instinctively assumed that Xuan Chuan was abusing his authority to eliminate dissidents.

Xuan Chuan looked at Zhao Gongming, his heart stirring slightly. This man was among Jiejiao's foremost fighting powers, loyal and deeply devoted to friendship. If he could win him over, it would be of tremendous significance.

He dispersed the lightning gathered in his hand, but did not remove the formation. He merely said in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Gongming, you came at just the right time.

"It is not that I, Xuan Chuan, am cruel-hearted. Rather, Qiu Shou Immortal and the others scorned the Sect Master's decree, gathered a crowd to storm the chief disciple's cave abode, and acted no differently from rebels! If they are not severely punished, where are the sect rules? Where is our master's authority?"

His tone shifted as he looked intently at Zhao Gongming. "Moreover, Junior Brother Gongming, do you know why I issued those seemingly harsh sect rules? Why I was so eager to reorganize sect affairs and reduce Karmic Force?"

Zhao Gongming was startled. "Why?"

Xuan Chuan took a deep breath. He knew this was the key to persuading Zhao Gongming. He could not directly reveal the Investiture of the Gods, so he could only rely on "deduction" and "sensing."

"During my seclusion, my mind happened to resonate with the Heavenly Dao, and I glimpsed a corner of the future!" Xuan Chuan's voice was low, carrying an inexplicable heaviness.

"I saw Karmic Force above Jiejiao like a Blood Sea, and Tribulation Qi like dense clouds! A Measureless Killing Tribulation targeting Xuanmen—especially Jiejiao—already stands before us!"

"Under this tribulation, the deeper one's Karmic Force and the heavier one's cause and effect, the more miserable one's end will be!

"Being listed in the Investiture of the Gods would already be fortunate. More would have their bodies perish and their Dao vanish, their true spirits wiped out! It might even... bring calamity upon relatives and friends, dragging down one's lineage!"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Zhao Gongming, seemingly by accident, while his tone carried profound meaning.

"For someone like Junior Brother, whose cultivation is profound and who treasures loyalty and righteousness, if you do not cleanse yourself early and sever evil causes, I fear even you will struggle to escape the entanglement of tribulation. There may even be... the misfortune of calamity befalling your closest kin!"

The words "calamity befalling your closest kin" struck Zhao Gongming's heart like a heavy hammer! He had three younger sisters, the Three Xiao Sisters, and their bond was exceedingly deep. They were his greatest concern!

Zhao Gongming's expression changed slightly, and his gaze sharpened. "What do you mean by that, Senior Brother? Can you make it clear?"

"Heavenly secrets cannot be fully revealed." Xuan Chuan shook his head. "I can only say that tribulation arises from Karmic Force, and disaster comes from cause and effect.

"Reorganizing sect affairs is not a grab for power. It is scraping poison from the bone and cutting off the tail to survive! It is to preserve a little more vitality for Jiejiao and gain one more thread of survival when the killing tribulation descends!"

He pointed at Qiu Shou Immortal and the others trapped below. "People like them are wrapped in Karmic Force without realizing it, yet still insist on doing as they please. In the future, they will surely become flying ash beneath the tribulation!

"My severe punishment today may seem merciless, but it is actually meant to wake them with a blow. It is also meant to save them!"

Zhao Gongming fell silent. He looked at Xuan Chuan, whose grave expression did not seem feigned, then sensed the faintly terrifying power of the Purple Lightning Hammer. Recalling the rumors that Xuan Chuan had endured the wrath of a Saint and survived, he already believed five or six parts out of ten.

In particular, the words "calamity befalling your closest kin" cast a shadow over his heart.

After a long while, he raised his head and looked at Xuan Chuan, his tone much gentler. "I have learned from Senior Brother's words. But... empty words alone cannot convince the myriad immortals. How will you prove this?"

Xuan Chuan knew Zhao Gongming had wavered, but still needed solid proof.

"Time will prove everything."

Xuan Chuan said solemnly, "If my deduction is wrong, and Jiejiao remains unharmed within a hundred years, I, Xuan Chuan, will willingly accept any punishment. I will be listed in the Investiture of the Gods without a word of complaint! But if the tribulation arrives as foretold..."

His eyes blazed as he stared at Zhao Gongming. "Then I hope Junior Brother Gongming will lend me a hand, and together we will hold up the sky when it collapses!"

Zhao Gongming looked at Xuan Chuan's resolute eyes, and a surge of heroic spirit and responsibility rose within him.

He nodded heavily. "Good! If Senior Brother's words are true, and the tribulation truly descends, I, Zhao Gongming, will certainly give my fullest support and protect Jiejiao's lineage!"

Having said this, he spoke no more. He cupped his hands to Xuan Chuan, glanced once more at Qiu Shou Immortal and the others still cursing within the formation, shook his head, and turned into golden light as he departed.

He needed to return and think carefully. He also needed to warn his three younger sisters.

Watching Zhao Gongming depart, Xuan Chuan's heart settled somewhat.

The first step had finally been taken.

Then his cold gaze fell upon the formation below once more.

Now, it was time to deal with these stubborn, incorrigible fools.