Chapter 129: The Final Battle of Spirit Explication (Part Two)

Tongtian was also filled with astonishment. How could the Four Sages have broken away from the battlefield so quickly? Could it be the work of the Heavenly Dao? Yes, it was indeed the Heavenly Dao. Previously, in order to stall Taishang Laojun and the others, Tongtian had used the Immortal Execution Sword Formation and the Five Directions and Five Spirits to pin them down, while he himself descended to the mortal realm to rescue his disciples and repel the joint attack of the four sects.

But today, this plan had been thwarted by the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao had been lurking around the battlefield from the very beginning; only after Tongtian had departed did it manifest its true form to immobilize the Five Spirits and dissolve the karmic ties they held against Tongtian, thereby allowing Taishang Laojun and the others to escape.

"Tongtian, since you are so obstinate, then you shall taste the 'benefits' of provoking us!" Taishang Laojun’s voice trembled with rage. His evil incarnation had been slain by Tongtian, and his sage’s heart was unsettled. Taishang Laojun began to fly into a fury.

Empress Nuwa threw her Red Hydrangea toward Holy Mother Jinling and the others, who were still attacking the demon race. "Jinling, watch out!" Tongtian, seeing the Red Hydrangea hurtling toward Holy Mother Jinling, cried out in alarm. There was no time to lose, and Tongtian prepared to use his divine power to save her.

Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun would not let this distraction pass; each struck Tongtian with a punch, sending him flying. Boom! The Red Hydrangea struck the ground like a meteorite, crushing Holy Mother Jinling’s true form—the Treasure-Dividing Cliff.

Taishang Laojun withdrew his Taiji Diagram and flew before Holy Mother Jinling, channeling the energy of life and death into the shattered Treasure-Dividing Cliff. "Master!" A roar of rage jolted Tongtian awake. "Jinling! Jinling!" With a wave of his hand, Tongtian snatched the Six-Soul Banner from the hands of the praying Daoist Duobao. Black mist erupted across the battlefield.

"Second Junior Sister!" Daoist Duobao’s eyes were bloodshot; with Jinling gone, his heart was dead. Within the Ling Sect, Daoist Duobao had been deeply fond of Holy Mother Jinling, though Holy Mother Wudang and Holy Mother Guiling also favored him for his handsome appearance. Yet, in Duobao’s heart, it was always Jinling. Ignoring the hierarchy, Duobao unleashed his Multi-Treasure Pagoda, raining down ten thousand treasures upon Taishang Laojun.

"A mere Duobao dares to be so insolent?" Taishang Laojun’s Heaven and Earth Linglong Pagoda absorbed all the treasures, and with a sweep of his Taiji Diagram, he captured Daoist Duobao.

"Duobao!" Tongtian, now consumed by rage, tried to command the black mist to save him, but he was blocked by the other four sages.

"Take this and set up the Immortal Execution Formation!" Taishang Laojun threw the sword formation to Guangchengzi and the others. The death of Holy Mother Jinling and the capture of Daoist Duobao incited the emotions of the entire Ling Sect. To join the Ling Sect, one had to be righteous; without loyalty, one could not be a member. Seeing that the sect was on the verge of destruction, Chang-er Dingguangxian shouted, "The Ling Sect is defeated! The Ling Sect is defeated!"

Before he could utter a third word, Holy Mother Wudang, who had been watching closely, decapitated him with a single sword stroke! The disciples who had participated in the rebellion were slaughtered, while the remaining loyal disciples cried out, "We shall perish with the Ling Sect!"

With Zhunti Venerable presiding and Tongtian pinned down, Guangchengzi and his group deployed the Immortal Execution Formation, turning the battlefield into a one-sided massacre. Sword energy flew, and the Ling Sect disciples fell one by one, wiped out entirely. Three thousand disciples vanished from the world, becoming vengeful spirits within the formation. Their bodies did not bleed, for they were eroded by the turbid energy of the formation.

Tongtian could not reach out to save them, for he was being swarmed. Tongtian had become a sage through slaying the three corpses and accumulating merit. A couple of sages would have been no problem, but with five sages attacking at once, he was battered from the sky to the earth and back again. Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun were the primary aggressors, while the others assisted, keeping their future interests in mind.

With the East in such chaos, the West, though barren, was united and continued to "recruit" disciples during the Great Tribulation; the rise of the West was not far off. The disciples of the Ling Sect were a massive prize, and Zhunti, the master of poaching, would not miss this opportunity. Watching the fighting, Zhunti waved his sleeve, and all the remaining Ling Sect disciples were sucked inside. Even Holy Mother Guiling was sealed within the Twelve-Petaled Lotus Platform.

Tongtian had been relying on the black mist from the Six-Soul Banner to endure the suffering, but why was the mist now gradually fading? Had something happened in the Underworld? At that moment, auspicious clouds appeared in the sky, and all resentment vanished—Ancestor Hongjun had descended!

"The Investiture of the Gods is at an end. All of you, cease at once." Ancestor Hongjun’s majestic aura enveloped everyone, daring none to harbor dissent. Yet, there were those who would not listen. Zhunti, Jieyin, and Nuwa had already approached Hongjun to pay their respects, but the Three Pure Ones continued to strike at each other.

"Enough!" Hongjun waved his hand, separating them.

"They are all disciples of the Three Pure Ones. As their master, how could you be so ruthless?" Tongtian, his emotions completely unhinged, roared at Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun.

"They are nothing but creatures of egg, womb, moisture, and heat!" Yuanshi Tianzun retorted.

"Enough! What about your own disciples, Huanglong and Yuding?" Tongtian pointed his sword at Yuanshi Tianzun.

"The Great Zhou is destined to prosper, and the Shang Dynasty’s fate is exhausted. You assisted a tyrant and must be punished!" Taishang Laojun rebuked him.

"Since the Investiture is over, the affairs of the human race should be settled by the humans themselves! We cultivators must no longer interfere!" Tongtian bowed to Ancestor Hongjun.

"Indeed, the Investiture is over. All cultivators shall return to their own caves to practice; there shall be no mistakes!" Hongjun said, eyes narrowing. "Follow the master's decree!" the sages replied respectfully.

"This Great Tribulation has caused great suffering. It was intended for the three of you to fill the Heavenly Court with three hundred and sixty-five deities, and then for the tribulation to end. I did not expect the three thousand souls of the Ling Sect to be slaughtered," Hongjun said, looking at Tongtian.

"I beg the Master to preside over justice!" Tongtian knelt, pleading. He lacked the strength for vengeance now; with the Great Immortal Yangmei and Gu Pan in critical moments refining artifacts to resist the Heavenly Dao, he had to submit for now.

"Hmph, was it not you, Tongtian, who created the three prohibitions, leading to constant disasters in the Primordial Land and the heavy losses of your disciples? It is all your fault. Take this pill, all three of you, for I have more to say," Hongjun said expressionlessly.

What was this? Tongtian’s hands trembled as he held the pill. In his past life, he had read the *Investiture of the Gods*, where Hongjun bestowed a pill that the Three Pure Ones consumed, only for Hongjun to reveal: "This pill is not for longevity, but for discipline: 'This pill is refined with mysterious power; because you three fought, if you change your intent, the pill within your belly shall kill you instantly.'"

Remembering the power of the pill, Tongtian felt a chill in his heart. He had not expected such a weapon against sages to appear. "Do not eat it!" Tongtian snatched the pills from the hands of Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun and stuffed them all into his own mouth!

Had Tongtian gone mad? Even he did not know what he was thinking, but faced with his enemies, this was his choice.