Outside the cave-dwelling, Immortal Qiu Shou's roar boomed like thunder, making the mountain walls tremble and shed dust.
"Xuan Chuan! Get out here and die!"
"You think getting the Purple Lightning Hammer means you can do whatever you please on Golden Turtle Island? Today, I'll teach you what it means to respect rank and seniority!"
Behind him, Immortal Lingya and the disciples joined in the clamor. Demonic qi and immortal light mingled together as they radiated menace, clearly determined not to stop until they had torn down the cave-dwelling.
Inside, Xuan Chuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze icy.
He had long expected this. After asserting his authority, retaliation was inevitable. How could those who had acted with impunity for so many years willingly accept restraints?
He did not rush outside. Instead, he formed hand seals with both hands and activated the restrictions he had long laid around the cave-dwelling.
"Buzz—!"
A deep hum rang out. Centered on Xuan Chuan's Cave-Dwelling, countless profound runes abruptly lit up across the ground within a hundred zhang!
The runes flowed, linking with the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, instantly forming an enormous formation that enveloped the area!
Within the formation, clouds and mist arose, obscuring vision. Space seemed twisted, while streaks of sharp sword qi lay concealed in the mist, emanating chilling killing intent!
It was the Lesser Heaven Cloudmist Sword Formation, which he had laid using his understanding of formations and the deductive power of the Creation Jade Disc Fragment!
Though far inferior to Master Tongtian's Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, it was more than enough to trap and punish a group of cultivators below Taiyi Golden Immortal!
"Not good! It's an ambush!"
"It's a formation! Retreat!"
Immortal Qiu Shou, Immortal Lingya, and the others changed expression drastically. They tried to retreat, but it was already too late.
The formation had taken shape. As clouds and mist churned, they felt the world spin around them. The scenery changed completely, and they could no longer find the way they had come. Even the figures of their companions nearby became blurry and indistinct.
"Tricks! Break for me!" Immortal Qiu Shou roared as he swung the Floral-Patterned Great Axe, sending a massive cyan arc of axe light crashing into the clouds and mist!
Yet the axe light sank into the mist like a stone into the sea. It stirred only a few ripples before vanishing without a trace. Instead, it triggered the hidden sword qi within the formation!
"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss—!"
Dozens of invisible sword qi streaked in from every direction, swift as lightning and viciously unpredictable!
"Ah!"
"My arm!"
"Senior Brother, save me!"
For a time, screams rang continuously through the formation. The True Immortal and Mysterious Immortal disciples who had followed them could not withstand the fierce sword qi at all. In an instant, many were wounded and left in a miserable state.
Even Immortal Qiu Shou and Immortal Lingya were forced into a flustered defense by the sword qi. Their Daoist robes were slashed open in several places. Though they had not suffered serious injuries, they had lost all face.
They possessed the cultivation of Taiyi Golden Immortals, yet within this carefully arranged formation, they were like wild bulls trapped in a swamp, with strength but nowhere to use it!
Xuan Chuan's figure silently appeared above the formation. Looking down at the crowd scurrying about like headless flies, his eyes were cold and indifferent.
"Immortal Qiu Shou, Immortal Lingya, you gathered a mob, caused trouble, attacked the Chief Disciple's cave-dwelling, and openly defied the Master's decree. What crime should you be charged with?"
His voice passed through the formation and rang clearly in every ear.
"Xuan Chuan! You're despicable! If you have the guts, remove the formation and fight us openly and fairly!" Immortal Qiu Shou raged, throwing back his head with a furious roar.
"Openly and fairly?" A mocking curve touched Xuan Chuan's lips. "You gathered a crowd to besiege me, and that was openly and fairly? Today, I'll let you taste the Purple Lightning Hammer and set the sect rules straight!"
He raised the Purple Lightning Hammer. Lightning began to gather around it, and a terrifying pressure locked onto Immortal Qiu Shou and Immortal Lingya below.
If that hammer came down, even if the two did not die, they would certainly be stripped of a layer of skin and follow Ma Yuan's example!
At that critical moment—
"Hold your hand!"
A clear shout came from afar. A streak of golden light crossed the sky and landed outside the formation.
The newcomer wore a golden Daoist robe and had handsome features. His brows carried an innate air of boldness, while faint treasure light shimmered around him, marking him as extraordinary.
He was Zhao Gongming, chief disciple of the Jiejiao Outer Sect, from Luofu Cave on Mount Emei!
Zhao Gongming looked at the mist-shrouded formation filled with chilling sword qi, then at Immortal Qiu Shou and the others trapped within it in a miserable state. Finally, his gaze fell upon Xuan Chuan, who held the Purple Lightning Hammer and radiated killing intent. He frowned slightly.
"Senior Brother Xuan Chuan, must it come to this?" Zhao Gongming asked in a steady voice.
"Though fellow disciples may have disagreements, why resort to such methods? Immortal Qiu Shou and the others may be at fault, but a small punishment to serve as a warning would suffice. Isn't trapping and killing them with such a formation going too far?"
He had heard that Xuan Chuan had received their Master's decree to reorganize sect affairs, and that he had whipped Ma Yuan. He had already been keeping an eye on the matter.
Seeing this scene now, he instinctively assumed Xuan Chuan was abusing his authority to eliminate dissidents.
Xuan Chuan looked at Zhao Gongming, and his heart stirred. This man was one of Jiejiao's foremost combatants, loyal and devoted to friendship. If he could win him over, it would be enormously significant.
He dispersed the lightning gathered in his hand, but did not withdraw the formation. He merely said in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Gongming, you came at the right time.
"It is not that I, Xuan Chuan, am cruel. It is that Immortal Qiu Shou and the others scorned the Master's decree and gathered a mob to attack the Chief Disciple's cave-dwelling. Their actions are no different from rebellion! If they are not severely punished, where will the sect rules stand? Where will our Master's dignity stand?"
His tone shifted as he fixed Zhao Gongming with a blazing gaze. "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 taken aback. "Why?"
Xuan Chuan took a deep breath, knowing this was the key to convincing Zhao Gongming. He could not directly reveal the events of the Investiture of the Gods, so he could only rely on "divination" and "sensing."
"During my seclusion, my mind happened to resonate with the Heavenly Dao, and I glimpsed a fragment 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 aimed at Xuanmen, and especially at Jiejiao, is already close at hand!"
"Under this tribulation, the deeper one's Karmic Force and the heavier one's karma, the more miserable one's end will be!
"Being listed in the Investiture of the Gods would already be fortunate. More would perish body and soul, their true spirits annihilated! It might even... bring calamity upon family and friends, implicating one's lineage!"
As he spoke, his gaze seemed to sweep casually over Zhao Gongming. His tone carried deep meaning.
"For someone like Junior Brother, whose cultivation is profound and who values loyalty and affection, if you do not cleanse yourself early and sever evil causes, I fear you may not escape the tribulation's entanglement. There may even be... 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, with whom he shared an extremely deep bond. They were his greatest concern!
Zhao Gongming's expression changed slightly, and his eyes sharpened. "What do you mean by that, Senior Brother? Can you explain it clearly?"
"Heaven's secrets cannot be fully revealed." Xuan Chuan shook his head. "I can only say that tribulation arises from Karmic Force, and disaster comes from karma.
"Reorganizing sect affairs is not a bid for power. It is scraping poison from the bone and cutting off the tail to survive! It is to preserve more of Jiejiao's strength and leave us another thread of survival when the Killing Tribulation descends!"
He pointed at Immortal Qiu Shou and the others trapped below. "People like them are wrapped in Karmic Force without realizing it, yet they still persist in doing as they please. In the future, they will surely become ashes beneath the tribulation!
"My severe punishment today may seem heartless, but in truth, it is meant to wake them up. It is also meant to save them!"
Zhao Gongming fell silent. He looked at Xuan Chuan's grave expression, which did not seem feigned. He sensed the Purple Lightning Hammer's power, which made even his heart quiver faintly. Then he recalled the rumors that Xuan Chuan had endured a Sage's wrath and survived. He was already five or six parts convinced.
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... words alone are not proof. How can you convince the myriad immortals?"
Xuan Chuan knew Zhao Gongming had wavered, but still needed evidence.
"Time will prove everything."
Xuan Chuan said gravely, "If my divination is wrong, and Jiejiao remains unharmed within a hundred years, then 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 calamity arrives as foretold..."
His eyes blazed as he stared at Zhao Gongming. "Then I hope Junior Brother Gongming will lend me your strength, and together we will hold up the collapsing heavens!"
Looking into Xuan Chuan's resolute eyes, Zhao Gongming could not help but feel a surge of boldness and responsibility.
He nodded heavily. "Good! If Senior Brother's words are true and calamity truly descends, then I, Zhao Gongming, will certainly give my full support and protect Jiejiao's lineage!"
After saying that, he spoke no more. He cupped his hands toward Xuan Chuan, glanced once more at Immortal Qiu Shou and the others, who were still cursing within the formation, then shook his head and transformed into a streak of golden light as he departed.
He needed to return and think carefully. He also needed to warn his three younger sisters.
Xuan Chuan watched Zhao Gongming leave, and his 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 fools.
Before you continue