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*****
"Master, shall we save them?" George asked as he watched the Four Saints of Nine Dragon Island prepare to make their final stand.
The Grandmaster of Heaven, Tongtian, shook his head dismissively. "They ignored my decree to stay out of the Investiture War and lost a fair duel to disciples of the Chan Sect. If they fall, then they deserve to have their names on the Investiture List."
In his view, this was a natural progression of the conflict, not yet a targeted scheme by his brothers. As the supreme leader of a sect, he could not bring himself to bully juniors. Furthermore, he couldn't let George intervene yet, fearing it would alert his brothers to their hidden presence. They needed to stay in the shadows to catch Yuanshi and Lao Tzu red-handed. If the two senior brothers broke the pact and personally targeted his disciples, Tongtian would not show them any mercy.
George said no more. He knew the perfect moment had not yet arrived—but it was coming.
Below, the Four Saints were no match for Wenshu, Puxian, and the other Chan masters. Their physical bodies were soon destroyed, and their souls flew toward the Investiture List. With the Four Saints gone, the Shang army crumbled, and their commander, Zhang Guifang, fell in battle.
When Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong heard of his fellow disciples' deaths, he was consumed by fury. He personally led a massive army toward Xiqi. Despite being a third-generation disciple, Wen Zhong was exceptionally gifted; his three eyes and martial prowess held the Zhou forces at bay.
"Wen Zhong... if he could only settle his mind and cultivate, he might have attained the Great Dao. Alas, his heart is too tied to the mortal world," Tongtian sighed from within the state of Secrecy.
"Martial Uncle, according to the original plan, it is now time for me to invite the Ten Heavenly Kings," Shen Gongbao reported, bowing low.
Tongtian nodded. He still harbored a faint hope that the Ten Kings would obey his earlier command to stay on their islands. However, when he saw Shen Gongbao lead them into the Shang camp a few days later, his mouth twitched in irritation.
"They are people of passion, Master. They do it for the honor of the Jie Sect," George comforted him. In truth, many Jie disciples were simply overconfident, believing that the Chan Sect would be the ones filling the List.
The Ten Heavenly Kings wasted no time, laying down the Ten Absolute Arrays. The battlefield was instantly engulfed in wind, fire, and lightning. Jiang Ziya was nearly killed, his soul temporarily snatched away by the Array of Falling Souls.
Tongtian's mood brightened as he watched his disciples crush the Chan opposition. He even took the time to explain the intricate mechanics of the arrays to George. However, the joy was short-lived. The Chan disciple Chi Jingzi appeared, wielding the Taiji Diagram—a treasure belonging to Lao Tzu—to rescue Jiang Ziya.
"Eldest Brother has truly intervened!" Tongtian's eyes flashed. While not a direct strike, lending such a supreme treasure was a clear violation of their unspoken agreement. It was proof that Lao Tzu was actively helping Yuanshi purge the Jie Sect.
As the Twelve Golden Immortals gathered, the battle turned against the Ten Kings. Sensing his disciples were in mortal danger, George proposed a move. "Master, you needn't strike personally. My four disciples are quite capable. They can reinforce the arrays."
Tongtian agreed. Since Wukong and the Yang siblings were already "marked" by the killing tribulation from their stint in Heaven, sending them in wouldn't raise further suspicion.
The entry of the "Havoc in Heaven" quartet stabilized the front. Sun Wukong and Yang Jian held the line, driving the Chan forces back once more. This prompted the arrival of the Chan Sect leader Randeng and a powerful loose cultivator named Lu Ya. Lu Ya's "Flying Dagger of Soul-Slaying" nearly decapitated two of the kings, only stopped by Yang Chan's Lotus Lantern.
Seeing his side pressured again, Wen Zhong sought out the Jie Sect's eldest outer disciple, Zhao Gongming.
Zhao Gongming arrived with his Twenty-Four Sea-Settling Beads, beating the Chan masters into a retreat. But the tide turned when two loose cultivators, Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao, used the Money of Falling Treasures to strip Gongming of his beads. To make matters worse, Lu Ya gave Jiang Ziya the Nail-Headed Seven-Arrows Book, a curse that would kill Gongming in twenty-one days.
"Go, fetch the Three Fairies!" Tongtian ordered urgently. He could stomach the loss of minor disciples, but Zhao Gongming was too dear to him.
George sent Yang Jian to the Three Immortal Islands. The sisters arrived with the Primal Chaos Golden Dipper and the Golden Dragon Scissors. They laid down the Nine-Turn Yellow River Array, demanding the return of Gongming's treasures in exchange for peace. The Chan Sect refused.
In the ensuing battle, the Three Fairies used the Golden Dipper to strip the divinity and cultivation from almost all of the Twelve Golden Immortals. Only Randeng, Wuliang, and Lu Ya managed to flee in terror.
Faced with the total defeat of their sect's elite, the sky suddenly filled with celestial music. Yuanshi Tianzun and Lao Tzu descended in person.
"Ha! Two shameless old men! You really are going to bully the juniors to plot against my sect!" Tongtian roared from his hidden position. He threw a token to George. "Go to Biyou Palace. Summon every disciple. Today, I will show them that the Jie Sect is not made of clay!"
George vanished instantly. As he left, Lao Tzu glanced toward their hidden spot, sensing a ripple in the heavenly mechanics, but he had no time to investigate. The Three Fairies were about to execute his juniors.
"Bold girls! How dare you not kneel before us!" the Great Supreme Elder's disciple, Xuandu, shouted.
The Three Fairies stood their ground. They knew these "uncles" had come to kill them; why offer respect to an executioner?
"Hmph! Insolent beasts!" Yuanshi Tianzun barked, his face dark with rage. "Even your Master bows to me, yet you dare stand tall?"
"We serve the Grandmaster of Heaven, not you," they replied in unison.
Lao Tzu produced the Universe Map. With a casual wave, the Golden Dipper and Dragon Scissors were confiscated. The three sisters were frozen in place, their lives at the mercy of the two Saints. But just as the killing blow was about to fall, four terrifying celestial swords streaked across the sky, parrying the Saints' attack.
"Master!" the sisters cried as the Zhu-Xian, Lu-Xian, Jue-Xian, and Xian-Xian swords took their positions.
Yuanshi and Lao Tzu's expressions shifted dramatically. They had not expected Tongtian to appear so early, completely shattering their carefully laid plans.
(End of Chapter)