Shi Feiyang had trapped Zhi Tong with an array, forcing him to try and contact his grandmaster, the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor.

He did so under the identity of Yue Yun, who once bore a grudge against the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor on Heaven Mountain for preventing him from seizing a paradise-like Iron Castle. Now that he had trapped the Ancestor's direct disciple, it was highly likely that the Ancestor might appear.

Zhi Tong had no idea where his grandmaster currently was. With one hand forming seals and casting spells, he struck out in all directions, attempting to use Wutai Sect spells to break the array, but he couldn't find a way out. After struggling futilely for the time it took to eat a meal, he achieved nothing.

Shi Feiyang was outside the array, tallying his gains from this venture: thirteen Flying Swords, among them the best were the "Frost Horn" from Le Sanguan and a "Qingming."

Both swords were ancient. He had had the Qingming Sword for a longer time, cultivating and refining it by his side for over a hundred years, whereas the Frost Horn Sword was only obtained recently, about a decade ago, but both were of extraordinary quality.

Shi Feiyang passed these two swords directly to Leng Yun and distributed the remaining swords to the disciples he found most agreeable.

Receiving the treasure swords of the Immortal family, they were all overjoyed, kneeling with both hands to accept the swords, thanking him repeatedly.

The Five Fire Divine Thunder was an excellent item, yet far beyond what these junior and underdeveloped disciples could control.

The pestilent gourd was also not bad, but it was not a treasure suitable for the use of the Mysterious Sect's orthodox Emei Sect, and with Yue Yun's personality, he would not bestow it upon his disciples to keep.

He taught ten people the Sword Refining Technique, instructing them to cultivate and refine it with dedication, only waiting for Zhi Tong to summon the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor.

Zhi Tong also wished to summon his grandmaster, but he was unable to do so; he had no idea where the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor was now.

Ever since the Star Constellations Sea incident, he had only seen his grandmaster once; the Ancestor suddenly appeared, gave him Daoist books and magical treasures, especially that gourd of Five Fire Divine Thunder, instructing him to diligently cultivate. After that, he never appeared again. Now that he had fallen into danger, he desperately hoped that his grandmaster would descend from the heavens to save him.

Zhi Tong remembered the situation when his grandmaster had appeared; it was after many days of silent prayer, perhaps moving his grandmaster, so this time he also prayed silently within the array, continuously begging his grandmaster for rescue.

Five days and five nights passed in this manner, and the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor was still nowhere to be seen.

Shi Feiyang asked him, "Why hasn't your grandmaster come yet?"

Zhi Tong, filled with hate and dejection, did not respond.

Shi Feiyang inquired further, "When was the last time you saw your grandmaster? How did he appear?"

Clenching his teeth, Zhi Tong somewhat explained, "The last time, I had an incense table, bathed and changed clothes, and then using the rites of my Wutai Sect, I prayed to my grandmaster. As a result of the sincere summons here, there was a response there, and he came to find me."

Shi Feiyang then had Leng Yun find him an incense table, thoroughly preparing a bronze censer with incense sticks and even made arrangements for rain to bathe and change him, allowing him to pray.

Zhi Tong performed the complete set of rites, bringing forth 120,000 parts of sincerity to light the incense and pray.

Another three days passed in this manner, still with no sign of activity.

Shi Feiyang knew the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor would not be coming.

Regardless of the reason, the Ancestor had decided to abandon this disciple.

It might be for the best for him to abandon them—none of the remnants of the old Wutai Sect should be left. If the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor could completely sever ties with the past and reorganize the doctrine, he could still manage the Wutai Sect well in the future and make it a great Mysterious Sect standing alongside Qingcheng, Snow Mountain, Emei, Kunlun, and Wudang.

But the signs from the divination did not look good.

Shi Feiyang left the Qingyang Palace and returned to the Jade Emperor Temple at the Golden Summit of Emei Mountain, delving back into his divinations. The signs indicated that the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor was searching for the final part of Chi You's Primordial Spirit. Should he find it and refine his Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword completely, it would undoubtedly bring an unparalleled calamity upon the entire world!

He must seize the sword before that happened!

Shi Feiyang, from atop Emei Mountain, subtly manipulated the array at Qingyang Palace, causing a small breach. Zhi Tong, having been trapped for many days, keenly found this gap and immediately escaped through it.

After his departure, Zhi Tong returned to his Fayuan Temple, his heart filled with immense irritation as he looked upon each of his disciples.

He had thought his diligent practice and efforts over the years had made him a contender against the Emei Sect, fearing no one but the Three Immortals and the Two Elders. He had not expected that suddenly someone with the surname Yue would cause him a crushing defeat—the four most outstanding disciples he had trained with great care, his Four Diamonds, were all slain more swiftly than chickens or ducks prepared for slaughter!

Now with an arm severed and the remaining disciples of little use, he estimated that even after decades more of practice, they still would not be a match for the Emei Sect.

Grandmaster, oh grandmaster, where in the world are you!

In fact, when the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor had initially given him Daoist books and magical treasures, it was to have him practice well and manage affairs, not to go out and fight with the Emei Sect.

After much consideration, Zhi Tong still felt that now, with the Emei Sect weakened by the pressure from the Blood Demon and their strength waning, was the best opportunity to crush the Emei Sect once and for all!

"To bring down Emei Sect, relying solely on his own strength was definitely not enough. The Wutai Sect was now controlled by that despicable Xu Feiniang, and there was no hope in that quarter.

After much contemplation, Zhi Tong decided to seek out his grand-uncle mentor, Mahayana Venerable Sikong Zhan. If he could persuade him to come out of seclusion, they could surely kill that man surnamed Yue and then exterminate all of Emei Sect's disciples outside the mountain. Next, they would seize control of Emei Mountain, find a way to lure the people inside out, and exterminate them with the help of the Blood Demon!

The more he thought about it, the more feasible he found this plan. Thus, he flew to Divine Light Cave on Yunmeng Mountain and requested an audience with Sikong Zhan outside the cave.

Since the last time the Secret Demon Divine Thunder of the Star Constellations Sea was taken away by the Buddhist sect, Sikong Zhan knew that even if he released the Big Thunder, it still would have been taken away.

That thunder was a nuclear weapons-grade Magical Treasure that he intended to use against the trials of both the Heavenly Tribulation and Human Tribulation, to desperately save himself in the end. That it was so easily taken away filled him with both hatred and dreadful fear.

He had studied the Dharma Collection of the Wutai Sect, which had been compiled by Shi Feiyang, and later returned to Yunmeng Mountain to enter seclusion and cultivate. Over the years, he never involved himself in the affairs of the Wutai Sect, leaving everything to Xu Feiniang to handle.

Sikong Zhan was inherently selfish and indulgent. He had finally taken in his sister-in-law Fang Yuhuan as well as twin sisters, spending his days in the cave enjoying the blessings of Immortality.

When told that Zhi Tong was seeking an audience outside his cave, Sikong Zhan estimated his intention with a slight calculation.

As Sikong Zhan had calculated, now indeed was the best time to completely bring down the Emei Sect. However, he was not the Sect Leader of the Wutai Sect. With the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor as his senior brother and Xu Feiniang behind him, it didn't behoove him to take a strong stance.

Moreover, he couldn't fathom the movements and intentions of the Blood Son, thus he couldn't judge whether the Blood Demon was only targeting the Emei Sect or everyone.

So even though he was internally itching to act, he was unwilling to make a move himself.

Zhi Tong waited outside the cave for a long time, and Sikong Zhan's disciple Liu Chao came out to tell him, "My master is currently crafting a Magical Treasure to prepare for the third swordfight in the future, and he cannot leave carelessly. He already knows everything you are contemplating. It seems feasible, but in reality, it's extremely difficult. There are countless complications that can't be explained in a short time.

He instructed me to tell you that if you really want to seek the misfortune of Emei and lack support, you can go to the Red River in the southwest, at the border of Dian and Myanmar, to the Naked Body Fort of the Bai Man Mountain in Chishi Village. Firstly, Zheng Yuan Gui is a traitor of Xiankong Island; when the Xiankong Ancestor came to the Central Plains to capture him, my master helped him to escape and they share a slight bond of goodwill. Secondly, the cave master Lie Baduo has deviated from his cultivation many years ago and has become rigid, unable to move. You can tell him about a thousand-year Immortal Herb recently acquired by the Emei Sect that has cultivated human form, is sentient, and capable of transformation. If captured and consumed, not only could it restore his body, but it could also add many years to his Dao Level."

Zhi Tong was an old hand in Jianghu, and he understood immediately. He knew Sikong Zhan didn't want to step forward and wanted him to seek out Lie Baduo and his disciples, to have them probe Emei as a test.

Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with Sikong Zhan's actions, at least the elder had given him a way out.

He then hurried to Bai Man Mountain.

There were originally two powerhouses on Bai Man Mountain: the Green Robe Ancestor and the Five Poison Heavenly King Lie Baduo.

Ever since the Green Robe Ancestor's Yinfeng Cave was provoked by Shi Feiyang, and he himself had gone to join the Western Sect at West Pole Mountain, Lie Baduo dominated the area alone, taking in many of the Green Robe Ancestor's disciples and expanding his power even further.

Since deviating in his cultivation years ago and becoming rigid, like a Zombie, he had been confined to his cave, only occasionally letting his Primordial Spirit travel to handle important matters.

Later, Zheng Yuan Gui betrayed the Xiankong Ancestor and came to seek refuge with him, bringing many Spiritual Medicines. With the aid of these medicines, he had restored some of his blood flow, allowing his upper body to move, but his lower half remained immobile.

After the establishment of the Emei Sect, he was close to facing tribulations. Over the years, he was careful and scheming, and he also bought many resources from the Mingyu Immortal Market. He actually managed to survive the tribulations and began to run rampant.

By the time Zhi Tong arrived, there were guests in his cave: the disciples of Grandmaster Ha Ha – Huo Wuliang, Huo Luqi, and Huo Xiuluo.

When Shi Feiyang had eradicated the Four Evils of the border mountains, these three brothers almost ended up confronting Shi Feiyang but were urgently stopped by Grandmaster Ha Ha, reluctantly retreating.

After much reflection, the brothers realized they were not strong enough. They refined many powerful Magical Treasures and Spells over the years, always prepared to take revenge on Shi Feiyang.

They were guests here now because the brothers had agreed to duel with Huo Wuhai and sought Lie Baduo's help, hoping to use his Seven Evil Black Spirit God Sword to slay Huo Wuhai and divide his Fire Essence, Primordial Spirit, and flesh amongst themselves to absorb the True Sun Fire and increase their Mana.

Lie Baduo interacted amiably with them because Grandmaster Ha Ha had also once become rigid from deviation, and he had since recovered. Lie Baduo wished to gain guidance from Grandmaster Ha Ha on how to fully recover.

As each needed something from the other, the Huo brothers brought Grandmaster Ha Ha's Cultivation Technique to Lie Baduo on this trip, planning to join forces to confront Huo Wuhai once Lie Baduo was restored.

After arriving, Zhi Tong first approached Zheng Yuan Gui. The little favor Sikong Zhan had done long ago was not enough to change Zheng Yuan Gui's attitude towards Zhi Tong, but the news of the thousand-year Immortal Herb stirred his interest.

The Huo brothers also told Lie Baduo that there were three sentient Immortal Herbs by Huo Wuhai's side, one of them being a Queen Mother Grass with profound Dao Level that could reanimate the dead and heal bones. If refined into an Elixir, it could increase one's Mana for at least a few hundred years! Another was a thousand-year-old Purple River Grass, which could greatly benefit the Nascent Soul once made into an Elixir.

The third herb, more than three thousand years old, was an Immortal's Violet, extremely toxic. It might be useless to others, but not to Lie Baduo, the Five Poison Heavenly King. If mixed with other poisons to create a hundred poisons, it could enhance the power of the Seven Evil Divine Saber.

Therefore, Lie Baduo decided to leave the mountain and join the Huo brothers in their reckless confrontation with Huo Wuhai.

Now with Zhi Tong's arrival, saying that Emei Mountain had a thousand-year Immortal Herb, he was tempted to go to Emei Mountain himself to snatch the Immortal Herb. Yet, worried about his own lack of power, he went to report to Lie Baduo.

Upon hearing this, Lie Baduo immediately thought of his own tribulations.

According to his calculations, the tribulation that he had avoided in the past few years was related to the Emei Sect. Since it was avoided and not transcended, there would be another tribulation in the future, also related to the Emei Sect!"

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