The Hedgemon Dart shot out, transforming instantly into a serpent with wings of void-black scales, hissing as it lunged toward Wuyun Xian’s flank.

Wuyun Xian waved a dismissive hand, and a beam of Shangqing Immortal Light flew out, catching the serpent steadily. Then, he exhaled a crimson lotus. Within the flower, a mountain range of sword energy surged, easily grinding the venomous snake into dust.

Qiamenduo’s body jolted. Her dart destroyed, she stumbled back a few steps, gazing at Wuyun Xian with a mixture of shock and terror.

Wuyun Xian chuckled, fixing Qiamenduo with a cold glare. Their eyes met precisely. Qiamenduo shrieked, “Wuyun Xian? You old turtle, how are you still alive? Didn’t Guangfa Po-Feng Heavenly King smash your shell and kill you back then?”

Narrowing his eyes into a faint smile, Wuyun Xian stated blandly, “Are you referring to that twin-winged, four-armed Golden Web Ape? His cultivation is indeed astonishing; this immortal is certainly inferior to him. However, to slay me requires the assent of my Sect Master.”

With a cold sneer, Wuyun Xian pointed the Six Soul Banner at Qiamenduo and snapped, “What about you, Qiamenduo? Weren't you slain by the Mingxing Ruwei Qingfa Ningdao Heavenly Maiden? How is a mass murderer like you alive and well here?”

Qiamenduo let out a strange, cackling laugh, her form abruptly soaring to about a thousand zhang. She jeered, “That stinking woman could kill me? She was taken as a concubine by Poya long ago, and later, unable to bear Poya’s fierce vigor, she self-immolated her primordial spirit in bed.”

Stomping her foot fiercely, Qiamenduo began to leap and dance a war jig, roaring, “Enough nonsense! Since you have come here and seen through our defenses, you won't be leaving today! Hmph hmph, regardless of why you feigned death to remain in this realm, you die today!”

With a sound of tearing air, Qiamenduo’s battle-axe swept out, trailing a streak of black light toward Wuyun Xian.

Wuyun Xian expelled a crimson lotus that intercepted the axe. The lotus shattered, and the axe violently recoiled. Both Wuyun Xian and Qiamenduo convulsed powerfully. Qiamenduo’s thousand-zhang form was violently knocked back several hundred li into the sky. The spirit turtle Wuyun Xian rode on was driven several zhang downward into the water.

Roaring to the heavens in excitement, Qiamenduo flickered, transforming into her true form: four heads, four faces, and eighteen arms. Wielding sixteen weapons alongside the wine bowl she used for drinking and the conch shell she used to blow war horns, she descended upon Wuyun Xian like a raging tempest.

Qiamenduo shrieked loudly, “Back then, the Buddha forced us myriad heavens to submit to Buddhism. We acknowledged the Buddha’s boundless power; we were no match for him! But today, we shall see what profound mysteries your Eastern Daoism holds that allow it to stand against us gods!”

Wuyun Xian tightened his grip on the Six Soul Banner and laughed coldly.

Yuanluo Tianzun, standing beside Wuyun Xian, having just absorbed countless immense benefits, was eager to earn merit. Seeing Qiamenduo swoop down upon them, Yuanluo Tianzun immediately shouted, “A mere heretical demon is hardly worthy of Master’s personal attention! Qiamenduo, this Heavenly Venerable shall face you!”

Yuanluo Tianzun had acquired the Innate Sacred Body from the new outer universe, and his divine transformations had reached an astounding level. His body expanded until he towered a thousand zhang high, matching Qiamenduo’s stature. He seized the void with both hands, and inexhaustible primal forces of earth, water, fire, and wind surged toward him, rapidly condensing in his hands into two brilliant Longquan Swords, which lashed out toward Qiamenduo amidst a sky filled with firelight.

Clang, clang-clang, after a series of sharp impacts, Yuanluo Tianzun’s manifested form exchanged three thousand six hundred blows with Qiamenduo. Suddenly, he exposed a flaw, and Qiamenduo struck him under the armpit with a Demon Subduing Pestle. With a pained roar, Yuanluo Tianzun spewed a stream of white vapor toward Qiamenduo.

Qiamenduo, proud of injuring Yuanluo Tianzun with her pestle, was laughing maniacally when she realized Yuanluo Tianzun could counterattack despite the blow. She was instantly struck in the face by the white vapor, her massive body sent hurtling backward. More than half of one head was blown apart, unleashing torrents of blood. Each drop that struck the sea instantly burst into blazing crimson flames that burned fiercely.

Qiamenduo’s original form, the Near-Unapproachable Mother, was legendarily born from the concentrated wrath of the Twenty Heavenly Gods protecting Buddhism. Qiamenduo herself sprang from the brow of the Near-Unapproachable Mother as a Goddess of Demon Subduing; thus, the blood within her body was also the condensed fury of those heavenly spirits. As her blood sprayed forth, it instantly transformed into boundless flames, engulfing Wuyun Xian’s small world, cracking the very earth, reducing forests to ash, and causing all the rare insects and fish Wuyun Xian had collected over the ages to have their souls scattered. Wuyun Xian angrily stuffed a strand of his goatee into his mouth, gnawing fiercely on the hair with his row of white teeth. His large, round, bright eyes spun rapidly, presumably hatching some wicked scheme.

Yuanluo Tianzun, having two ribs broken by the Demon Subduing Pestle, staggered backward in pain, tears streaming. However, the 'Extinguishing Primordial Spirit Barrier,' the innate divine ability of the monstrous beast contained within the Nine-Turn Spiritual Elixir he had ingested, was unleashed during his injury, also wounding Qiamenduo. The exchange was perfectly even.

Retreating, Yuanluo Tianzun shouted wildly, “Master, look! This woman is no match for your disciple.”

Wuyun Xian sneered dryly, “Disciple, do not be careless. Qiamenduo is not so easily managed.”

Before the words left his mouth, Qiamenduo began to leap as if maddened. Her beautiful face gradually twisted until it morphed into an utterly terrifying face of a Ghost Mother. Her complexion was pitch black, her eyes bulged like bronze bells, and long, uneven fangs protruded from her mouth, dripping with viscous blood plasma.

Assuming this hideous visage, Qiamenduo let out a wild roar, and her body began to swell. Enveloped by black smoke and vermillion fire, she gradually transformed into a monstrous figure with nine heads, thirty-six arms, and four feet. She now wielded several more weapons; various magical implements radiated dazzling black light, and boundless dark energy surged outward, shaking the world Wuyun Xian occupied.

Yuanluo Tianzun gasped when he witnessed this transformation. He formed a Daoist seal with both hands, and the Shangqing Divine Thunders howled down from the firmament, bombarding Qiamenduo’s body indiscriminately.

This Shangqing Thunder Technique was vastly different from the lightning arts Yuanluo Tianzun had grasped himself. His self-comprehended lightning arts yielded only tenfold destructive power for every unit of mana expended. In contrast, the Shangqing Thunder Technique yielded a tenfold thousand times the destructive power for the same mana cost. Furthermore, as comprehension of the thunder art deepened and refinement of the marvelous Shangqing methods advanced, the power of the lightning would only grow.

Each bolt of thunder was like the heavy axe of an enraged celestial god, exploding against Qiamenduo’s body and leaving bloody wounds. Every thunderbolt tore a chunk of flesh from her. Yet, Qiamenduo chanted an esoteric mantra, continuously pouring the exquisite wine from her bowl into her mouth. She ignored the rain of lightning that tore her skin and flesh to shreds.

Once Qiamenduo was saturated with a thick aroma of wine, her eyes turned red as she let out a hideous, grating laugh. She bounded toward Yuanluo Tianzun in a frenzy, wielding her thirty-six arms. Despite the bombardment of thunder, her wounds began to heal. Soon, the heavenly lightning struck by Yuanluo Tianzun only left shallow crimson marks on her skin.

Yuanluo Tianzun paused in shock, and Qiamenduo rushed before him.

With several muffled thuds, the weapons in Qiamenduo’s hands—the Demon Subduing Pestle, Vajra Scepter, staff, blade, luminous pearl, and treasure wheel—rained down upon Yuanluo Tianzun. He was beaten until his face was bloody, his ethereal features bruised and swollen like a ghost’s, and half his teeth knocked out. His shoulder, arm, and rib bones all snapped. Finally, Qiamenduo delivered a vicious knee strike that sent him flying backward.

With a sharp crack, a subtle sound of something vital breaking echoed from the area between Yuanluo Tianzun’s legs. The surrounding immortals of the Crimson Blood Demon Ancestor instinctively clamped their thighs together, watching the howling, retreating Yuanluo Tianzun with a mixture of terror and pity.

Covered in blood, Qiamenduo raised her thirty-six arms, cackling menacingly toward Wuyun Xian, challenging him, “Old turtle, is there any other disciple of yours who dares step forward to fight me? Hee hee, your Eastern Daoism can’t handle us!”

Wuyun Xian held the Six Soul Banner across his chest, sneering indifferently, “Of course Eastern Daoism can handle you; it’s just that Yuanluo and the others are still unskilled. They grasped this sect’s profound methods for only an hour, and managing to injure you, Qiamenduo, is already their pride—and your shame!”

Yuanluo Tianzun rose from the distant seawater with a strange laugh and slowly floated up. Dragging himself with effort, Yuanluo Tianzun drifted before Qiamenduo, pointing at her and chuckling strangely, “Master speaks the truth. Had I studied the Shangqing profound methods for a few more days, this demoness would surely have bowed in submission today.”

Qiamenduo’s expression grew grim. She fiercely bit down on her messy, protruding fangs and said with a forced smile, “Very well, let’s see who lives and who dies today! Wuyun Xian, if you run away with your disciple today, you’ll truly be a thousand-year-old turtle!”

Hearing Qiamenduo’s insult, Wuyun Xian raised his head dismissively, “What my original form is does not require your reminder. What is a thousand-year-old turtle? Bah! I was born when the Primordial Chaos first opened; I have existed for countless eons since I attained the Dao. A thousand-year-old turtle? Pah! Not even worthy of being my grandson!”

Faced with someone as thick-skinned as Wuyun Xian, Qiamenduo was momentarily speechless and at a loss. Angrily glaring at Wuyun Xian, she suddenly let out a strange cry toward the sky. A small fissure ripped open in the void, and Qiamenduo’s cry traveled far into the distance.

Yuanluo Tianzun cried out in alarm, “Master, she’s calling for backup!” Wuyun Xian laughed casually, “What of it? Let them come! You lot can hold them off now!”

Observing the slightly uneasy expressions of Yuanluo Tianzun and the other immortals, Wuyun Xian sternly commanded, “Wake up! You are now disciples of the Jie Sect! Having obtained the Innate Sacred Body, immense power, and our sect’s supreme secret arts, must you fear these fringe paths?”

Hitting his own body sharply, Wuyun Xian declared arrogantly, “These demons—the Buddhist sect could only coerce them into becoming guardians back then. My Jie Sect once stood alone against the Three Teachings. Are we truly afraid of them?”

Yuanluo Tianzun and the others recalled the glorious tales sung across the Three Realms, and their eyes lit up. Indeed, their current patron was the Jie Sect, and Wuyun Xian’s nonchalant demeanor suggested he held some trump cards in reserve. If so, what did they have to fear?

Taking a deep breath, the primal energy of heaven and earth surged into their bodies, and Yuanluo Tianzun’s injuries healed rapidly. He cheered happily, “Wonderful, marvelous! This Innate Sacred Body is truly extraordinary. Hahaha, if our immortal bodies suffered such severe trauma, it would take one or two yuans to recover!”

Seeing Yuanluo Tianzun so elated, the immortals of the Crimson Blood Demon Ancestor also became eager to join in beating Qiamenduo.

Qiamenduo, though bloodthirsty and warlike, was no fool. As soon as she saw the Crimson Blood Demon Ancestor and others displaying their divine forms to enhance themselves, she hastily retreated. She rapidly withdrew nearly ten thousand li, almost reaching the edge of Wuyun Xian’s small world.

She pointed at the Crimson Blood Demon Ancestor and the others, shouting angrily, “You Jie Sect immortals—do you only fight by overwhelming numbers?”

Wuyun Xian rolled his eyes, holding the Six Soul Banner close, and muttered quietly, “Nonsense. My Jie Sect disciples have always been the target of overwhelming force. Otherwise, why would this immortal bother expending so much effort recruiting these disciples? Alas, I wonder how useful these cheap disciples will prove to be.”

Chuckling a few times, Wuyun Xian shook his neck merrily, “However, since this is a matter concerning my esteemed seniors, I shall comply.”

The void trembled again, accompanied by a thunderous roar. A hundred-li-long fissure was torn open in Wuyun Xian’s small world. A gigantic silhouette, the Kuai Jiao and Shuai Shan... was forcefully squeezed into this realm. Behind this massive figure were thousands of ferocious-looking Asura demon gods, each having three, five, or nine heads, wielding four, six, or eight arms, roaring furiously at the sky.

Qiamenduo looked coldly at the giant figure squeezing into this world and asked icily, “Poya, are you alone?”

Poya, ten thousand zhang tall, entirely black, clad in armor of cyan, yellow, crimson, and black, with thick necklaces of massive, colorful beads, possessing nine heads, a thousand eyes, and one hundred and eight arms, gave Qiamenduo a detached glance. “Isn’t that enough? The enemy you cannot defeat, I can; the enemy you cannot crush, I can. Qiamenduo, you are inferior to me!”

Qiamenduo trembled with rage, roaring madly, “Poya, do you wish to die?”

Poya glanced contemptuously at Qiamenduo and stated plainly, “If the Near-Unapproachable Mother herself were present, I might fear her somewhat. But you? Qiamenduo, you mere splinter of a lesser aspect—a so-called Goddess of Demon Subduing—can you possibly subdue me?”

He shook his head in disdain, ignoring Qiamenduo. Instead, he ordered an Asura general beside him—a general with three heads, six arms, and a black snake coiled around his neck— “Chihua, let Qiamenduo witness the strength of the new generation of our Asura generals.”

This Asura general, radiating restless energy and whose muscles constantly twitched, let out a wild laugh and charged toward Yuanluo Tianzun like a gale. As his six arms swung, mountains thousands of meters high roared down from the sky toward Yuanluo Tianzun.

Yuanluo Tianzun watched the descending mountains with cold eyes and laughed coldly, “A mere speck of dust dares to radiate light!”

He casually tossed out a crimson lotus, then expelled a stream of Shangqing Immortal Light to shield himself. Following this, he pointed a finger, unleashing a torrent of sword energy.

The thousands of roaring mountains descended, each imbued with countless Asura demonic curses. Every mountain was harder than diamond, hundreds of times tougher than Golden Web Stone, and each was so heavy that striking a person with it would feel heavier than the mythical Mount Sumeru.

The single crimson lotus casually tossed by Yuanluo Tianzun managed to shatter only three mountains before being obliterated by the following barrage. The mountains rained down upon Yuanluo Tianzun like a storm. Every mountain exploded into a massive mushroom cloud upon contact with Yuanluo Tianzun’s protective immortal light. The careless Yuanluo Tianzun’s protective light shattered instantly, and he was hammered by dozens of mountains, spitting blood as he was sent flying backward.

Chihua let out a triumphant roar, repeatedly beating his six arms against his chest.

Pfft, the sword energy shot out by Yuanluo Tianzun pierced through Chihua’s wounded lower abdomen. Tongtian Jiaozhu, the Supreme Heavenly Venerable of Shangqing Lingbao, was the master of sword control; the Immortal Slaying Formation was renowned throughout the Three Realms, a formation even Sages dared not easily provoke. The sword-energy transformation technique from the Shangqing Lingbao Scripture he passed down was naturally sharp and intensely lethal. Chihua, caught off guard, was wounded by Yuanluo Tianzun’s sword energy, causing a severe disruption in the energy flow within his body.

Yuanluo Tianzun staggered back, spitting blood, while Chihua clutched his lower abdomen, fleeing in a disheveled state with a pale face. The Shangqing sword energy was not easily endured. Chihua cried out in pain, tears flowing, nearly bursting into loud wails.

Qiamenduo laughed joyfully, dancing wildly, “Is this the strength of the new generation of Asura generals? Does crying count?” Poya yelled and cursed in fury. He swung one arm down hard, and the chain-flail in his hand smashed three of Chihua’s heads into pulp, simultaneously crushing half of his body. Chihua died miserably, and the Asuras behind Poya were terrified, their faces white, none daring to utter a sound.

Poya roared, “Trash! Those who disgrace the honor of our Asuras must die, can only die! Attack! Slaughter them all!”

“Hahaha!” Poya roared a few times, sharp flames of rage spewing from his eyes. He surged forward like a tide with thousands of Asuras toward Wuyun Xian and his newly recruited disciples.

The Crimson Blood Demon Ancestor and the others, stirred by the killing intent from the wine-fueled revelry, felt their own battle lust surge, and they transformed their forms, preparing to meet the attack.

Wuyun Xian, who had been squatting calmly on the ground all this time, suddenly chuckled. He muttered quietly, “Such a bunch of foolish children. Alas, our Jie Sect has learned to be clever now. We don’t need to fight and kill ourselves anymore.”

With a loud laugh, Wuyun Xian casually tossed out a black meteor hammer the size of a rice jar. This inconspicuous hammer shot forth with a piercing sound of tearing air, smashing violently into Poya’s chest.

Caught completely off guard, Poya let out a miserable shriek. The armor on his chest was smashed to pieces by the astonishingly powerful meteor hammer. The hammer then refracted off Poya’s chest and pelted Qiamenduo head-on.

Crack! Qiamenduo’s lumbar spine was struck by the hammer.

Wuyun Xian laughed wildly and rose, sweeping his wide sleeve to recall the meteor hammer. He cheerfully waved the Six Soul Banner, instantly plunging the surroundings into darkness.

Yuanluo Tianzun and the others heard a faint command: “Go!” They felt their bodies become light, lifted by a benevolent glow. When they opened their eyes again, they were standing before the gate of Yuanluo Palace, Yuanluo Tianzun’s old lair.

Poya and Qiamenduo felt a flash of light before their eyes, and their bodies felt weightless, drifting aimlessly. When they finally opened their eyes, they found themselves facing the astonished group led by Gu Yechen.

Qiamenduo recognized Gu Yechen instantly and cried out, “Evil Dragon Venerable Gu Yechen? Ha, you delivered yourself right to us?”

Gu Yechen frowned, his gaze suddenly locking onto the dart held in one of Qiamenduo’s arms.

“My disciple from the Nine Nether Dao—was it you who killed him?”