Taiyi Golden Immortals were already the backbone of the current Primordial World. They had already touched upon the existence of the Dao, and only needed to fully comprehend one Dao to five tenths to achieve the fruit status of a Daluo Golden Immortal. Their battles were bound to be earth-shattering.
What surprised Tongtian among the Taiyi realm matches was the Gold-Hoop Immortal. With his mastery of the Dao of the Gold-Hoop Sealing, he battered the other immortals until they fled in panic, winning the victory in the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.
Watching the performance of the Gold-Hoop Immortal Mayi, and thinking of his actions in the Myriad Immortals Formation in the future, Tongtian understood in his heart that this was a fellow who liked to hide his capabilities and was a total taciturn.
Aside from Qiongxiao, those at the Taiyi level were mostly the six attendant immortals. Unwilling to contend with her several senior brothers, Qiongxiao withdrew from the competition early on. Most of these immortals belonged to the Demon race; when caught up in the heat of battle, they would even reveal their true forms to fight, making the scene so earth-shaking and vivid. Yet who would have thought that Mayi, this quiet person, would not utter a single sound, bringing out his golden hoop to snare one junior brother after another, catching each one off guard and leaving them silent? He easily secured the victory. As it turned out, having spent all these years living and breathing together, Mayi had never displayed this trump card before, so no one had the slightest idea about it. That was how they were caught unawares and taken advantage of by Mayi. But could they truly have blocked it had they known? That no one could say for sure, and at least none of them dared to guarantee it themselves.
In the first match of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm, Wuyunxian faced Zhao Gongming. Both were true immortals of the Dao, suspended on either side of the arena. After exchanging greetings, Zhao Gongming immediately summoned the twenty-four Sea-Suppressing Pearls, which orbited around him.
The Sea-Suppressing Pearls, according to legend, numbered thirty-six in total. A single pearl was a lower-grade Xiantian spiritual treasure, while all thirty-six gathered together formed a top-grade Xiantian spiritual treasure. Unfortunately, twelve of them had gone missing since the creation of the world. When treasures were distributed at Purple Cloud Palace, Tongtian obtained twenty-four of them on the Treasure-Dividing Cliff. Together, they formed an upper-grade Xiantian spiritual treasure, which Tongtian bestowed upon Zhao Gongming when he took him as a disciple. However, whenever Tongtian thought about how this disciple had been killed by this very set of treasures during the Investiture of the Gods and ended up on the Investiture list, anger would involuntarily well up inside him. For so many years, Zhao Gongming had failed to discover the inner worlds within the Sea-Suppressing Pearls, merely using them as tools to smash people. Still, the Sea-Suppressing Pearls were shockingly useful for smashing people. Ordinary people truly could not withstand them, and would be beaten until their heads were covered in bumps. Need one look further than Randeng, Guangchengzi, and the others, who had all been battered into scurrying away in panic by Zhao Gongming? If not for that Auspicious Treasure Money—the Auspicious Treasure Money! Tongtian remembered that the Auspicious Treasure Money had not yet manifested in the world. He then pinched his fingers to calculate, discovering that the heavenly secrets were obscure, which clearly indicated that divine objects conceal their own brilliance. The time for it to emerge had not yet arrived, but it faintly maintained a connection with Zhao Gongming; perhaps he could send Zhao Gongming to search for it, which would also count as a stroke of good fortune.
Then looked at Wuyunxian, the highest in cultivation and the most loyal among the Seven Attendant Immortals. In the end, however, he had been beaten back to his original form by Zunti with the Six-Aromatic Bamboo and ferried over to the West. The mere thought of this made Tongtian burn with anger, and he contemplated finding an opportunity to give Zunti a thorough beating to vent his spleen, or he would die of frustration.
Wuyunxian possessed a formidable physical body, born from a divine beast with boundless strength, yet he lacked any good magic treasures and could only rely on his physical body to hard-resist the Sea-Suppressing Pearls. It worked for a short while, but the Sea-Suppressing Pearls were, after all, Xiantian spiritual treasures. Once unleashed, they were shrouded in five-colored light and specialized in breaking physical divine powers. Unable to launch a prolonged attack, Wuyunxian could not break through the blockade of the Sea-Suppressing Pearls. Just as he was about to reveal his true form and make a fierce charge, Zhao Gongming suddenly withdrew his magic treasure and said, "Senior Brother Wuyun, Junior Brother has taken advantage of the magic treasure. How about we call it a draw?"
Wuyunxian was stunned for a moment, nodded, and flew back without a word. Seeing this, Tongtian thought to himself that this kid was another problem child, a total introvert. It was said that he even had a bit of a fancy for Guiling, yet with a disposition where he could barely squeeze out three sentences, he still wanted to romance women? Tongtian shook his head inwardly, thinking that he would still have to take matters into his own hands.
The two stepped down from the arena and declared their withdrawal from the subsequent matches.
Yunxiao against Wudang, Duobao against Jinling.
Yunxiao and Wudang were already close friends. In their usual discussions and exchanges on the Dao, they shared what they had, and each was well aware of the other's strength. Yunxiao smiled and said, "Senior Sister, this younger sister recently comprehended a formation named the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation. Would Senior Sister care to enter the formation and try it out?"
Wudang nodded, after which Yunxiao deployed the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation.
As the saying goes about the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation: The wicked Yellow River formation follows the Three Talents; in this calamity, all immortals suffer disaster. Within the ninety-nine turns, creation is concealed; inside the thirty-three bends, wind and thunder are hidden.
Idle talk of those who cultivate truth in the Jade Garden, who says sagely embryos are formed within the spiritual altar? Meeting this compels one to shed their bones anew, only to know that heterodox ways are unworthy of reliance.
Where does it start, where does it end? Inside it conceals primordial secrets and the mechanisms of life and death; outside it follows the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, with gates for entering and exiting, advancing and retreating in linked chains, all in perfect order. Though there are no more than six hundred people, its profundity is no less than a million-strong army. Even if immortals enter this, their divine souls and spirits will dissolve and disperse.
Yunxiao said, "This formation follows the Three Talents internally, encompassing the marvels of heaven and earth; within it are the Immortal-Confusing Pill and the Immortal-Sealing Formula, which can cause immortals to lose their divine awareness, dissolve their souls, trap their physical forms, impair their vital energy, ruin the primordial roots of deities and immortals, and damage their limbs. Immortals who enter this become mortals, and mortals who enter this immediately perish. Within the nine bends there are no straight paths; the bends exhaust the wonders of creation and lay bare the secrets of immortals. The formation arrays heaven and earth, its momentum laid out like the Yellow River. Chilling winds howl to invade people, and black mists billow to obscure the sun and moon. Drifting and wandering, dark and dim. Grievous vapors pierce the heavens, and gloomy mists permeate the earth. Destroying souls and scattering spirits, no matter a thousand years of cultivation, it all becomes a painted dream; damaging divinity and draining vigor, even if you escape ten thousand trials and hardships, you still stumble. Senior Sister, please enter the formation to test it."
Seeing this from the side, Duobao and Jinling found it immensely interesting and eagerly expressed their desire to enter the formation for a look. With that, they flew into the formation.
Now, as the three immortals entered the formation, they were separated and landed in different spatial domains of the formation. In an instant, yellow sand filled the air, and the Yellow River surged past in torrents. The three of them felt their spiritual altars go dark, nearly washing away a hundred years of their Dao cultivation. Hastily summoning their protective spiritual treasures, they no longer dared to underestimate this formation.
Seeing their behavior, Tongtian almost laughed out loud. The Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation was designed specifically to strike down Daluo Golden Immortals; wasn't entering it a one-way trip? It seemed the first place in this grand competition belonged to Yunxiao.
Before long, Duobao and the others were released by Yunxiao, remaining dazed for a long time and unable to gather their wits. Duobao was the first to snap back to reality, and he said to Yunxiao, "Many thanks to Junior Sister for showing mercy. This formation is truly extraordinary. This elder brother concedes his inferiority." Yunxiao repeatedly claimed she dared not presume, saying, "Junior Sister merely took advantage of the formation. Once Senior Brother understands the formation, you won't speak thus."
Although she said this, they understood that while they still had trump cards they hadn't revealed, could Yunxiao be any different? Did this formation really have no other variations? Of course, only they themselves knew that.
Maintaining the dignity of the senior disciple, Duobao declared that the first place in this grand competition should undoubtedly be Junior Sister Yunxiao, and asked if any of the fellow apprentice-brothers had objections.
Everyone chimed in with continuous agreement. Who would dare to test this formation? One trial and you're left completely speechless.
Once first place was settled, everyone instantly harmonized. Gone was the previous bristling hostility; they transformed back into the affectionate Jiejiao brothers who were fond of their peers, respectful to their elders, and on the best of terms with one another.
However, the remaining rankings were still something everyone had to contend for.