Before anyone else could react, Pi Lu Xian had already charged straight at Hong Ze.
With both hands formed into palms, he gave what looked like an ordinary push outward. A vast surge of Immortal Spiritual Power struck directly toward Hong Ze.
Hong Ze had not expected Pi Lu Xian to suddenly attack him. At that moment, it was already impossible for him to dodge.
He could only circulate his magical power throughout his body and prepare to take Pi Lu Xian's blow head-on.
After all, Hong Ze did not believe Pi Lu Xian would dare to kill him.
What was more, he wore the Water Fire Daoist Robe Master Tongtian had bestowed upon him, a top-tier defensive Dharma treasure.
At the same time, everyone was stunned by Pi Lu Xian's actions.
Holy Mother Gui Ling directly shouted, "Pi Lu Xian, are you courting death?"
As she spoke, she prepared to step forward to save Hong Ze. After all, she knew better than anyone that Hong Ze's cultivation truly was only at the Heavenly Immortal realm.
Unfortunately, Duobao Daoren intervened at that moment and directly blocked Holy Mother Gui Ling.
At this point, Holy Mother Gui Ling no longer cared that Duobao Daoren was her senior brother. With a casual wave of her hand, a vast burst of Immortal Power erupted instantly.
Duobao Daoren was forcibly knocked back several zhang by Holy Mother Gui Ling before he barely managed to steady himself.
At the same time, his blood and qi churned violently, and he nearly spat blood on the spot.
Duobao Daoren could not help but be secretly shocked. So a Great Luo Golden Immortal truly is no joke.
Although Holy Mother Gui Ling had sent Duobao Daoren flying with one move, it was already too late for her to save Hong Ze.
She could only watch helplessly as Pi Lu Xian's twin palms struck Hong Ze's body.
But in the very next instant, something happened that no one had expected.
Dao essence flowed around Hong Ze's entire body, and a powerful pressure so overwhelming that it made breathing difficult suddenly erupted.
It directly blasted Pi Lu Xian backward, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Yet that was not the most shocking part. The most shocking thing was that Pi Lu Xian's cultivation actually began to fall.
From the early Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, it plummeted all the way to the early Heavenly Immortal realm before finally stopping.
The cultivation realms of prehistoric cultivators, from lowest to highest, were Earth Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, True Immortal, Mysterious Immortal, Golden Immortal, Taiyi Mysterious Immortal, Taiyi Golden Immortal, Great Luo Golden Immortal, Quasi-Saint, Saint, Heavenly Dao Sage, and Great Dao Saint.
There were twelve major realms in total, and each major realm was further divided into early, middle, late, and peak stages.
In other words, Pi Lu Xian had fallen five whole major realms. Aside from heavenly punishment, there was likely nothing else with such terrifying power.
Even Hong Ze had not expected that not only would he remain completely unharmed, but Pi Lu Xian's cultivation would also fall to the Heavenly Immortal realm.
Although Hong Ze did not understand why this had happened, he could not neglect the outward appearance.
Hong Ze looked at Pi Lu Xian with a face as dark as water and said, "This is a lesson for you. If there is a next time, I will grind your bones to dust and destroy your soul."
After saying that, he snorted coldly, turned, and left, heading toward the back mountain of Golden Turtle Island.
As they watched Hong Ze slowly vanish from sight, all the Jie Sect disciples stood frozen in place.
Only after they could no longer sense Hong Ze's aura did someone come back to their senses.
"Isn't Eldest Senior Brother far too powerful? He did not even make a move, yet he directly reduced Pi Lu Xian to a Heavenly Immortal."
"Eldest Senior Brother was probably holding back. Otherwise, Pi Lu Xian's entire cultivation would likely have been completely crippled by now."
"Terrifying indeed. Luckily, I chose to support Eldest Senior Brother. It looks like my good days are finally coming."
While the Jie Sect disciples whispered among themselves, Golden Spirit Mother spoke directly.
"Senior Brother Duo Bao, I do not wish for anything like today to happen again. Otherwise, I will certainly inform Master."
After saying that, she did not forget to snort coldly before turning and returning to her cave dwelling.
Holy Mother Gui Ling and Mother Wu Dang followed her into Golden Spirit Mother's cave dwelling.
Duobao Daoren stood rooted to the spot, unable to believe what had just happened.
He muttered to himself, "How could this be? How could there be a Saint's aura?
Could Eldest Senior Brother have long since Proven the Dao and Become a Saint? Was the Heavenly Immortal cultivation he displayed merely a disguise?"
As Duobao Daoren muttered to himself, the group of Jie Sect disciples behind him quietly dispersed.
In the end, Duobao Daoren left with a desolate expression, as though even his own cultivation had fallen.
As for Pi Lu Xian, he was in an even more miserable state. Chang Er Ding Guang Xian could only support him as they followed after Duobao Daoren.
At the same time, Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao Maidens were thoroughly shocked as well.
They had chosen to support Hong Ze, but it was not because Golden Spirit Mother and the other two Great Luo Golden Immortals supported him.
Rather, they believed that since their master had appointed him Eldest Senior Brother, they had no right to change that.
Even if Hong Ze's cultivation had truly been only at the Heavenly Immortal realm, or even if he had been an ordinary mortal, Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao Maidens would not have objected in the slightest.
But the four siblings had never imagined that their Eldest Senior Brother, who appeared to possess only Heavenly Immortal cultivation, would be so terrifying.
The four siblings nodded to one another, then headed toward Golden Spirit Mother's cave dwelling.
As for the other Jie Sect disciples, they naturally returned to their own Cave Dwellings to cultivate, each harboring their own thoughts.
Inside Golden Spirit Mother's cave dwelling, Golden Spirit Mother spoke with a smile.
"It seems Wu Dang and I were not wrong. Eldest Senior Brother's cultivation is not at the Heavenly Immortal realm at all.
What I did not expect was that Eldest Senior Brother's strength had already reached the Saint realm."
Holy Mother Gui Ling said proudly from the side, "I knew Master would not make a Heavenly Immortal the Eldest Senior Brother. Now you have seen it, haven't you? Eldest Senior Brother had long since Proven the Dao and Become a Saint."
Mother Wu Dang nodded repeatedly. Even now, she had been unable to calm the shock in her heart.
At that moment, Bi Xiao asked with a puzzled expression, "Senior Sisters, if Eldest Senior Brother is so powerful, why did he deliberately pretend to be a Heavenly Immortal?"
Bi Xiao's question stumped everyone, for no one could give her a satisfactory answer.
In the end, Bi Xiao gave herself an answer, one she considered absolutely perfect.
"Although I do not know what the Senior Sisters think, I believe Eldest Senior Brother has been concealing his cultivation for the Three Sects Dao Debate Assembly a thousand years from now.
When the time comes, he can shine brilliantly at the Three Sects Dao Debate Assembly and let our Jie Sect completely suppress the Human Sect and Elucidation Sect, becoming the foremost of the Profound Gate Three Sects."
Although Bi Xiao's explanation was somewhat wishful thinking, it received everyone's unanimous approval.
After all, they could not think of any other reason.
At that moment, Yun Xiao asked Golden Spirit Mother, "Senior Sister Jin Ling, I am afraid that you and the other two Senior Sisters being able to attain the Grand Luo Dao Fruit is also inseparably connected to Eldest Senior Brother, isn't it?"
Before you continue