"Brother..." Zhunti said, his voice tinged with trepidation, his face exceptionally solemn.
Jieyin, however, merely smiled with the air of a man who held all the pearls of wisdom. He spoke slowly, with absolute confidence.
"It is highly unlikely. Ling Xiao's actions are intended to pick us off one by one. This proves he fears the combined strength of the Saints. As long as we brothers stay together, he won't come looking for trouble."
"In my view, his next target is either Laozi or Tongtian, or he has already fled. Since we are together, he won't dare show his face."
Jieyin's analysis was methodical, logical, and supported by facts—or so he thought. Zhunti listened and felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"Brother, you're right..."
BOOM!
A titanic explosion rocked the firmament, followed by an infinite, crushing pressure. Zhunti's next words were literally frightened back into his throat.
"Ling Xiao! You actually dare to come here?!"
Jieyin froze, staring at the silhouette emerging from the Void Realm (Void Realm). His face was a mask of disbelief and wounded pride. It was a slap to the face—a physical, undeniable slap. He had just finished explaining why Ling Xiao wouldn't come, and the man had arrived a second later.
Did he hear us talking behind his back or what?
"I know you've been itching for revenge," Ling Xiao said as he stepped through time and space, standing before them. "So, I decided to deliver myself to your door!"
"Bold!" Jieyin roared in fury. "Ling Xiao, we brothers are both here. We won't be handled as easily as Yuanshi. If you think you can take us both, you are gravely mistaken!"
"The seeds sown in the past shall be harvested today! Pay back your debts!" Zhunti shouted, his eyes flashing with cold light as he recovered from his shock.
The Massacre at Mount Sumeru
The battle erupted instantly. There was no preamble, only absolute violence.
Zhunti surrounded himself with three thousand six hundred divine halos. A thousand golden wheels radiated from the back of his head, illuminating the Major Thousand Worlds. The sound of ten thousand Buddhas chanting sutras echoed through the void. In his hand, the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree (seven treasures wonderful tree) bloomed with thirty-six layers of auspicious light—infinite wisdom, infinite brilliance, seeking to "brush away" everything in its path.
Jieyin manifested his Sixteen-Foot Golden Body. His left hand held the twelve-layered Welcoming Treasure Pavilion, encrusted with pearls and relics that lit up the ten directions of the void. His right hand held a fly-whisk; with every movement, golden flowers fell to the ground.
They held nothing back. They knew that if Ling Xiao could kill Yuanshi, his power was no joke.
In an instant, the minor world they had just carved out was shattered by the Saintly pressure. Chaos lightning crackled as the area was returned to a state of primal void.
Ling Xiao stood atop the Hongmeng Cauldron, his position absolute as he stabilized the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. With every gesture, the Great Dao Laws roared. He struck out with his palm, and Five-Colored Divine Light (Five-Colored Divine Light) erupted from his fingers.
The Two Sages were horrified. They felt their magic treasures becoming unresponsive for a split second. In that tiny opening, Ling Xiao's hand swept through the air. It was a strike capable of reshaping heaven and earth, and it landed squarely on Zhunti's face.
SLAP!
A sound like the bursting of the primal Chaos egg echoed—the first thunderclaps of a new era.
Zhunti's halos shattered. The thousands of Buddha-lands surrounding him were annihilated. Under the might of that hand, even Major Thousand Worlds would cease to exist. Blood splattered across the Chaos void as Zhunti's head was crushed, his Dharma Body (Dharma Body) growing dim and lifeless.
"Junior Brother!" Jieyin screamed. In that moment, he realized things were going horribly wrong.
Ling Xiao didn't give them time to breathe. He moved with total efficiency, striking at Zhunti's broken form. At their realm, a single thought could create or destroy universes. Space shattered, time flew in reverse, and the Unquenchable Fires of Antiquity ignited the Chaos.
Under Ling Xiao's full-strength assault, Zhunti was utterly obliterated. Nothing remained but a sea of Saint Essence Blood floating in the void.
The Observers
"Zhunti is gone too!" Laozi and Tongtian watched with grim faces. The scene was an exact replica of Yuanshi's downfall. They hadn't expected Ling Xiao to move so quickly against the Western Duo.
"We must go and support them. If Jieyin is killed, we are next," Laozi said, rising from his prayer mat and stepping out of his heaven.
"Brother is right. Let us meet this Ling Xiao," Tongtian followed, the Four Swords of Slaughtering Immortals (four swords of slaughtering immortals) floating around him, their killing intent piercing the Chaos.
Meanwhile, at Empress Wa Heaven, Nuwa's phoenix eyes twinkled with a mix of amusement and shock. She knew Ling Xiao was strong, but this was unprecedented. Two Saints "slain" in the time it took to brew a cup of tea.
"Is this the power of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal Saint?" she murmured. There was a fundamental difference. Ling Xiao cultivated his own body—he was powerful regardless of where he stood. But a Karma Saint relied on the Heavenly Dao. In the Chaos, away from the Dao's direct control, their combat power was significantly nerfed.
Nuwa smiled. It wasn't a surprise that Yuanshi and Zhunti had suffered. The Chaos was Ling Xiao's home field.
"Oh? Laozi and Tongtian are heading there. Are they going to team up?" Her eyes followed their movement. With the addition of the elder brothers, the outcome was no longer certain.
The Hunter and the Prey
Ling Xiao gathered the drifting Saint Essence Blood and sealed it within the Chaos Pearl. He then turned his gaze toward Jieyin. There was a look in his eyes that made Jieyin's skin crawl—he felt like a prize animal being appraised for its meat.
"Ling Xiao... what are you trying to do?" Jieyin shouted, his voice high with alarm. "Why are you collecting that blood? Do you truly view us as prey?"
Ling Xiao merely smiled. He struck again. Though Jieyin's magic power was deeper than Zhunti's, he was still no match. After a brief, violent exchange, Jieyin's head was nearly crushed.
Just as Ling Xiao prepared the finishing blow, he suddenly stopped. Without a word of explanation, he turned and vanished into the void.
A massive hand, formed from the primal Chaos itself, tore through time and space, surging toward the battlefield with a world-ending force.
"Teacher?!" Jieyin cried out in a mixture of joy and relief.