Jieyin never took the initiative to attack. Three bowl-sized relics on his head emitted boundless light to resist Tongtian's attacks. He only covered the attacks of the other two. The Azure Lotus Banner in his hand released hundreds of azure lotus flowers, which supported the Qingping Sword in Tongtian's hand and slowed its fall.
Zhunti stood to the side, holding the Seven Treasures Tree, wielding it to unleash streaks of seven-colored light. Each strike caused the Qingping Sword to pause briefly. Above his head, the Jieyin Banner protected him, blocking Tongtian's attacks.
Tongtian was incredibly fierce, with ten thousand acres of azure light above his head. Within the azure light, lotus flowers bloomed in four directions. Each time Laojun attacked, several lotus flowers would be shattered, and then several more would rise up, repeating the cycle. However, Laojun could not break through Tongtian's defenses for a while. He held a Qingping sword in his hand, which emitted a chilling sword aura. Wherever it passed, the void would shatter.
After a prolonged battle, even the mighty Tongtian would eventually succumb. After all, he had only enhanced his cultivation with the help of a special technique, and now, facing four saints who were unleashing their true power, even the fiercest Tongtian could not withstand it.
A moment later, Laozi deflected the Qingping Sword with his crutch. Zhunti quickly used the Seven Treasures Tree to restrain the sword, preventing it from moving. Meanwhile, Jieyin summoned a thousand blue lotus flowers to block the Purple Lightning Hammer. Tongtian roared with thunder, shattering the lotus flowers. The Purple Lightning Hammer then struck Zhunti, who withdrew. The sect leader attacked Zhunti again, but Zhunti retreated once more. Just as the sect leader was about to pursue, Laozi spotted an opening behind him and struck him in the back with his crutch. The sect leader stumbled forward. As he was about to get up, Yuanshi Tianzun swiftly unleashed several chaotic sword energies at Tongtian Sect Leader. Caught off guard, the sect leader was knocked to the ground again, rolling three times forward. Zhunti didn't let up either, quickly attacking the sect leader. The sect leader cursed angrily and slashed horizontally with the Qingping Sword. The Seven Treasures Tree struck the sword's spine. The spine of any sword is its weakest point. The Seven Treasures Tree, being comparable to the Qingping Sword, was struck in its most vulnerable spot and naturally broke.
The Qingping Sword was shattered by the Seven Treasures Tree, startling the sect leader. Caught off guard, Laozi attacked again, striking his left shoulder with his flat staff, causing the Purple Lightning Hammer to slip from his grasp. Seeing this, Zhunti quickly swung the Seven Treasures Tree at the Purple Lightning Hammer, only to be blocked by a flying ruler from afar. Enraged, Zhunti engaged the Seven Treasures Tree in battle. The ruler was none other than the Immeasurable Merit Ruler. After several exchanges, the Seven Treasures Tree, no match for the ruler's power, was shattered. Zhunti, heartbroken, quickly retrieved it.
The saints looked and saw a figure flying from afar—it was Xuan Tian. Xuan Tian put away the Measuring Ruler with one hand and picked up the Purple Lightning Hammer with the other, slowly walking towards the saints. He helped Tongtian Jiaozhu up, returning the Purple Lightning Hammer to him. Then, noticing the fragment of the Qingping Sword, he casually absorbed it into his hand. A beam of golden light of merit shot out, restoring the Qingping Sword to its original state. This item was forged from merit; it only required a little golden light of merit to repair. Zhunti and the others watched with heartache, regretting that they should have taken the Qingping Sword earlier.
Xuan Tian returned the restored Qingping Sword to Tong Tian. After doing all this, he bowed to the saints and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoists."
The other saints returned the greeting, except for Zhunti, whose expression was somewhat unfriendly. Xuantian ignored him and raised his hand to Laozi, saying, "May I ask, Brother Wen, are the names of the Three Pure Ones still valid?"
Lao Jun was taken aback by Xuan Tian's question, his face flushed slightly, he sighed, but remained silent.
Seeing that Laozi remained silent, Xuantian didn't take it to heart. He had expected this situation. He turned to Tongtian and said, "Master, shall we call it quits for today?"
The Tongtian Sect Leader's face turned ashen, his eyes bloodshot, and he looked like a madman. Hearing Xuantian's words, he glanced at the Four Saints and then said to Xuantian, "This defeat shows that the Four Saints have deceived my Jie Sect. I will simply change to another world, re-establish the earth, water, wind, and fire, and change the world."
Upon hearing this, all the saints were greatly surprised, but Xuan Tian remained calm and said, "This matter is inappropriate. Please reconsider, Master."
Tongtian's anger was hard to quell, and he said bitterly, "Is this matter settled? I swear I will not let them get away with this."
Xuan Tian smiled and said, "In that case, it would be best if the teacher could make the decision."
Before he finished speaking, auspicious clouds and auspicious omens appeared in the distance, accompanied by a fragrant aroma. A Taoist priest, holding a bamboo staff, approached. He recited a verse: "Lying high in the ninefold clouds, I attain the true Tao on my futon. Beyond the mysteries of heaven and earth, I shall be the supreme master. Pangu gave birth to Taiji, and the two polarities and four symbols followed. One Tao was passed on to three friends, and the two teachings, Chan and Jie, were established. The Xuanmen leads all the way, and the primordial energy transforms into Hongjun."
When Hongjun Daozu arrived, all the saints knew that their master had come, so they hurriedly stepped forward to greet him and bowed down, saying, "Disciples wish our master a long and healthy life! We were unaware of your arrival and failed to greet you from afar. Please forgive us."
Hongjun Daozu said, "The other day I bestowed the Investiture of the Gods, and you three religions jointly signed the Investiture of the Gods. Why are you fighting here today?"
The Tongtian Sect Leader said sorrowfully, "Reporting to Master: My two senior brothers have humiliated our sect, allowing their disciples to slander and curse us, and even slaughtering our followers. They show no regard for their own brothers and sisters, only bullying us. They are clearly treating Master as an enemy. I beg for your mercy!"
Hongjun Daoist said, “How could you have forgotten the Investiture of the Gods that the three religions jointly signed that day! Fame and fortune are what ordinary people strive for, and anger is what women and children do. Even immortals who haven’t severed their three corpses or attended the Peach Banquet must escape this torment. Who would have thought that you three are Primordial Golden Immortals, with bodies that have endured countless eons, and are the leaders of the three religions, yet you have become angry and foolish over trivial matters, indulging in these evil desires. Although it is the will of Heaven, it is also because you have not properly disciplined your disciples, and your faults are mostly yours. If I hadn’t come, when would the mutual revenge have ended? I have come here out of great compassion to explain the grievances to you, and to allow each of you to take charge of your respective religions and not cause any more trouble.”
The three Pure Ones all bowed down and repeatedly agreed.
Hongjun then said, "The three of you, come and kneel down." The three leaders knelt before him. The Taoist took out a gourd from his sleeve, poured out three pills, and gave one to each of them: "Swallow them, and I will have something to say." The three leaders obeyed their master's orders and each swallowed a pill. Hongjun said, "This pill is not something that cures illness and grants immortality. Listen to me: This pill has profound effects when refined, and each of you three must work together to achieve them."
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