"She has arrived," Old Man exclaimed, his face flickering as Long Yao swept past. All the chains binding the Tianpa Winged Dragon were severed.

He leaped onto the Tianjing Winged Dragon. Ji Changkong, riding the Tiankuang Winged Dragon, cut down every Mani Sect expert blocking their path within the mountain belly, bursting out with the Tianbao Winged Dragon.

After circling briefly above the Luminous Sacred Mountain, he suddenly shot skyward. As the Tianjing Winged Dragon ascended above the Luminous Sacred Mountain, a continuous, massive roar echoed from within the Mani Sect's holy site.

Amidst the overwhelming din, the Mani Sect's Luminous Sacred Mountain began to tilt. Many Mani Sect members, along with the masters from the Eastern Sea who had followed the Blood Emperor, remained atop the Luminous Sacred Mountain.

They were locked in fierce combat inside, the ground littered with corpses, souls dying above the Sacred Mountain before flickering out and fleeing in all directions. Ji Changkong, who was preparing to immediately leave the Luminous Sacred Mountain, casually tossed out the Tian Yuan Bead, dropping it into the sky above the Holy Mountain.

"Come up!" At the same time, Ji Changkong called softly toward the grey, ominous clouds overhead. Ayiguli, who had been waiting in the dark clouds, descended instantly, landing on the Tianpa Winged Dragon.

Overwhelmed with excitement, she pointed at the Luminous Sacred Mountain and shrieked, "It—it’s collapsing slowly! It’s collapsing slowly!

Did you see?!" Ayiguli was tremendously exhilarated, trembling right there on the Tiankuang Winged Dragon. If the perch on the Tianpa Winged Dragon hadn't been so narrow, she might have been dancing with joy.

She could never have imagined that, thanks to Ji Changkong’s meddling, the sacred land of the Mani Sect would be reduced to such a state! For thousands of years, the Luminous Sacred Mountain had been revered by the people of the Western Regions.

All the Tian Shi sects in the West claimed this Mani Sect Holy Mountain was a mystical place no one could enter. A place where outsiders could barely gain entry even with permission—yet today it was ruined like this!

Ayiguli had every reason to be thrilled. Being part of the Oro Divine Cult, she had viewed the Mani Sect as her greatest enemy since childhood, driven by an ingrained desire to utterly destroy them.

Furthermore, all of Ayiguli’s relatives had been killed by people from the Mani Sect. To select a new Saintess, the Mani Sect often committed atrocities too dreadful to name.

Ayiguli’s hatred for the Mani Sect had already reached an unbearable depth. And today, because of Ji Changkong’s disturbance, the Luminous Sacred Mountain, proclaimed unbreakable, had suffered such a monumental shift; not only were many Mani Sect masters slain, but the mountain itself was on the verge of collapse.

Such an act of battle was nothing short of glorious. "Let's go.

We must return to the Grand Sanctuary immediately! That woman will return soon, and I believe she will stop at nothing to deal with you.

Go back now, tell all the outer disciples to cease all activities, and if possible, return to the Grand Sanctuary!" Ji Changkong urged Ayiguli. Ayiguli nodded repeatedly.

"I’ll listen to you." Having suffered such a severe blow, the Holy Mother Youlan would surely not let this go. She would undoubtedly seek revenge against the Oro Divine Cult within a short time, otherwise, the Mani Sect’s prestige in the Western Regions would be shattered, making it difficult for them to maintain footing there in the future.

To restore the Mani Sect’s authority, Youlan needed to act decisively and swiftly; the best target was clearly the Oro Divine Cult's Grand Sanctuary. Only by utterly destroying the Oro Divine Cult’s Grand Sanctuary and eliminating Ji Changkong, who dared to invade today, could the Mani Sect retain its supreme position in the Western Regions!

Ayiguli understood this, and Ji Changkong understood this. Once today’s events were exposed, all the Tian Shi sects in the Western Regions would understand it too.

Riding the Tianjing Winged Dragon, Ji Changkong and Ayiguli flew directly toward the Oro Divine Cult’s Grand Sanctuary. After soaring to an extremely high altitude where the black clouds gathered, Ji Changkong suddenly paused, waiting silently for something.

"What is it, Cult Master?" Ayiguli asked. "Nothing, just wait a moment, it will happen soon," Ji Changkong smiled, beginning to probe the distant scene with his soul.

BOOM! An earth-shattering explosion erupted from the Luminous Sacred Mountain.

The Luminous Sacred Mountain, which had stood for a thousand years in the Western Regions—this place revered by the common folk as sacred ground—finally succumbed to the blasts originating from within. It collapsed completely.

The Luminous Sacred Mountain was ruined. Tian Shi masters with sinister visages and dense, evil auras fought alongside those with sanctimonious appearances and an air of detachment, battling atop the ruins of the Sacred Mountain.

Across the rubble of the Luminous Sacred Mountain lay countless corpses, and unknown numbers were buried within the collapsed structure. Pilgrims who had come to the Luminous Sacred Mountain nearby stood at its base, bewildered, watching the ruins.

Many people... Some were struck dumb with terror, while others immediately prostrated themselves, weeping toward the crumbling mountain, claiming the heavens had abandoned the Western Regions, uttering ethereal nonsense.

At that moment, they saw many people still fighting above the Luminous Sacred Mountain. Fierce energy beams shot out in all directions, and many battle aftershocks struck outward.

Some pilgrims who were too close were killed instantly, cut down on the periphery. The Mani Sect was divided into the Light Faction and the Dark Faction.

The Dark Faction had always been led by the King of Darkness, while the Light Faction served Youlan. The Mani Sect masters of the Dark Faction inside the Luminous Sacred Mountain understood they were part of the Mani Sect and were aware of the relationship between Darkness and Light.

However, very few masters of the Mani Sect’s Light Faction knew that the Dark Faction existed deep within the Luminous Sacred Mountain. Youlan had never revealed the existence of the Dark Faction to them, wishing them to maintain inner light and focus on mastering the Mani Sect's profound arts.

The various techniques of the Mani Sect's Light Faction required unwavering faith, believing their actions were righteous. Because of this requirement, even the Four Great Dharma Kings and the Saintess were only informed of the Mani Sect's Dark Faction after mastering the basic techniques and reaching a certain realm by Youlan.

Because the dark disciples operated via secret passages beneath the mountain belly, coupled with various barriers within the mountain concealing their aura, the Light Faction disciples were completely unaware of the Dark Faction's existence. Therefore, when the Luminous Sacred Mountain collapsed and the Dark Faction masters emerged from within, the masters who meticulously practiced Light powers instead perceived these sinister-looking figures as enemies, believing their existence was the cause of the tragedy afflicting the Luminous Sacred Mountain.

Among both the Light and Dark factions, many had fallen victim to Ji Changkong’s Soul Driving skill, and these individuals ran wild, unleashing slaughter upon anyone near them! Consequently, when the Luminous Sacred Mountain was destroyed, the Light Faction masters immediately treated the Dark Faction members as enemies and launched retaliatory attacks.

The Dark Faction members knew they were allies and tried to explain, but under the frenzied assault from their comrades afflicted by the Soul Driving skill, their claims of being "family" became a cruel joke. The Mani Sect descended into utter chaos.

The masters of the Dark and Light factions engaged in a savage melee. Since some afflicted by the Soul Driving skill were interspersed, Light Faction members also fought Light Faction members, and Dark Faction fought Dark Faction.

Chaos! Absolute, total chaos!

Mani Sect masters died unknowingly at the hands of their own kin, their souls soaring upward, promptly devoured by the Tian Yuan Bead. The frenzied Mani Sect members never noticed the bead’s presence.

Though Ji Changkong had already departed, the Tian Yuan Bead was reaping massive benefits here. Only when the aura of Holy Mother Youlan truly manifested near the Luminous Sacred Mountain did the Tian Yuan Bead stealthily withdraw, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

Absorbing every detail of the scene through the Tian Yuan Bead, Ji Changkong’s lips curved into an icy smile. He said to Ayiguli beside him, "Watch this.

After the massive upheaval today, it will take the Mani Sect a hundred years just to recover its vitality." "How many died?" Ayiguli asked excitedly. "Cult Master, did the Mani Sect lose a great many masters this time?" "At least half," Ji Changkong replied with a smile.

"Those cultivating within the Luminous Sacred Mountain were the true core experts of the Mani Sect. The Light and Dark Faction masters slaughtered each other; half the experts are dead just like that.

Heh heh, I have them to thank; otherwise, I truly wouldn't have been able to breach the Mani Sect's Light-Dark Sacred Realm!" The defense of the Mani Sect's Light-Dark Sacred Realm was not much inferior to the Oro Divine Cult’s Divine Punishment. Even Ji Changkong’s Nine Palaces Heavenly Realm cultivation couldn't shake the Sacred Realm in the slightest; even exerting his full power left the Light-Dark Sacred Realm unmoved.

This Light-Dark Sacred Realm was indeed formidable—but only against outsiders. "Indeed, I suspect the ancestors of the Mani Sect never dreamed the Light-Dark Sacred Realm would ultimately be destroyed by the power of its own kin," Ayiguli chuckled, her beautiful eyes shining brilliantly.

"Cult Master, you are truly beyond belief." "Let's go back, we are leaving," Ji Changkong said noncommittally, smiling as he retrieved the Tian Yuan Bead into his palm. "Return to the Oro Divine Cult; we shall await the esteemed arrival of Holy Mother Youlan." To know what happens next, please visit [website placeholder], for more chapters, support the author, and enjoy legitimate reading!