Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"No more drinking, no more drinking. What good wine can you find in the army? Aren't you going to continue fighting? Go on."

"Since you don't want to stay, I won't force you to. I still want to thank you for saving my army from danger many times."

"Don't mention it. Oh, by the way, don't you still have the Red Sand Formation to break? Let the Antarctic Immortal stay and help you break it."

Li Xiuyuan waved his hand and transformed into a cloud, flying away, leaving behind a group of immortals who looked at him with admiration.

The Three Immortals' Nine Turns Yellow River Formation was broken, injuring themselves as well. Blood flowed from their eyes and mouths, and they collapsed to the ground, unable to get up. The three of them were heartbroken to see the formation destroyed and their years of hard work wiped out. "If we had known this would happen, we should have lived a peaceful life. Now we have nothing left!"

Having broken through the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, and with the assistance of the Antarctic Immortal, the group pressed on towards the Red Sand Formation set up by Shen Gongbao.

Although this Red Sand Formation is not as grand and imposing as the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, it has its own ingenious features. Red sand fills the sky in the formation, and seemingly useless sand grains can be transformed into the sharpest blades, capable of crushing people to dust.

The Old Man of the South Pole gazed at the red sand array that resembled a gaping maw, and silently calculated...

"A pinch of red sand reveals boundless Dao, the Eight Trigrams Furnace holds profound mysteries; all things are encompassed in one place, only then can one know that the Intercepting Sect possesses the primordial chaos."

"If one wants to pass through the Red Sand Formation, one must be a blessed person to pass through; if one is not blessed, one will surely be in danger of losing one's life."

"Whom does the immortal think is best to break the formation?"

"The current King Wu is benevolent and blessed, making him the perfect candidate to break the formation."

"His Highness King Wu is the ruler of a nation, yet he is not strong enough in martial arts. Doing this is too dangerous!"

"His Highness Prince Wu is a very fortunate man. The formation will surely be broken once he arrives. Besides, with me protecting him, there will be no danger."

The Old Man of the South Pole persuaded everyone to invite King Wu, Ji Fa.

"You all have fought bravely for our Great Zhou Dynasty. Now that there is a place where I am needed, how can I refuse? Let's set off now." Ji Fa then followed the Antarctic Immortal to break the formation.

Ji Fa was a man of great fortune. Wherever he went, the red sand avoided him and did not harm him. The two of them walked through the red sand formation as if they were in an empty place. Before long, they came to a fork in the road and did not know which way to go.

"Why don't we split up? Immortal Elder, you don't need to worry about my safety. There hasn't been any danger along the way. If we split up, we can break the formation faster," Ji Fa suggested.

The Old Man of the South Pole thought about it and agreed, so the two went their separate ways.

The Antarctic Immortal took the left path and after a couple of steps, he saw the Red Sand Formation's vital point and began to channel his energy to break it.

Ji Fa took the right path and soon encountered Shen Gongbao. Before he could react, Shen Gongbao, who had been waiting for him, stunned him with a spell and took him away.

Knowing that Jiang Ziya and his men were coming to break the formation, Shen Gongbao had already sent people to secretly gather intelligence. Knowing that Ji Fa was going to personally break the formation, he secretly infiltrated the Red Sand Formation early in the morning, intending to kidnap Ji Fa and reverse the tide of the battle!

The Antarctic Immortal broke the formation, but Ji Fa did not come to join him after waiting for a long time. He calculated with his fingers and his expression immediately changed.

Just then, a soldier came to report military intelligence, "Immortal, His Highness King Wu has been kidnapped by Shen Gongbao. Prime Minister Jiang requests that you return immediately to discuss countermeasures."

The Old Man of the South Pole hurriedly rode a cloud back.

"Immortal, you must already know what has happened. Shen Gongbao has sent word that we must immediately retreat to Xiqi and not commit this offense again for 20 years, or King Wu will become a vengeful ghost under his blade!"

"This is all my fault. If I hadn't separated from His Highness, Shen Gongbao, that villain, wouldn't have succeeded. The only thing we can do now is to delay Shen Gongbao and then find a way to save His Highness."

"Hahaha, I've wanted to deal with that scoundrel Shen Gongbao for a long time. Leave the rescue of His Highness Prince Wu to me!"

A hearty laugh came from outside the tent, and Yang Jian strode in.

"I have seventy-three transformations. I can transform into King Wu and bring him back. What's so difficult about that!" Yang Jian said softly.

Upon hearing this, the two also thought the plan was excellent, and they waited for a dark and windy night to bring Ji Fa back.

Chapter 1152 Yang Jian Teases Shen Gongbao

As darkness fell, Shen Gongbao's tent was pitched in a sheltered spot, with a few soldiers patrolling outside from time to time, making it pitch black.

Erlang Shen Yang Jian secretly sneaked in and released his celestial hound, Xiaotian, to search for Ji Fa's whereabouts. Xiaotian was a divine dog, with a nose far more sensitive than that of an ordinary dog. Before long, it found Ji Fa's tent.

Ji Fa was found trapped in a military tent, his hands and feet bound by iron chains, his mouth stuffed with a wad of cloth, his long black hair hanging down in a mess, and his body stained with blood.

Yang Jian was instantly enraged. "Shen Gongbao, I'll kill you with my own hands!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, wake up!"

Ji Fa was shaken awake by Yang Jian. His eyes were clear, and he showed no signs of being tormented or dejected.

"Yang Jian, you didn't encounter any danger on your journey here, did you?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I'm here to save you. Let's go."

Yang Jian blew a breath at Ji Fa, transforming Ji Fa into a small soldier, and said to him...

"Your Majesty, you should leave now. You are just a lowly soldier in Shen Gongbao's camp. No one will stop you. Once you leave safely, you will return to your original form."

"Aren't you coming with me? Shen Gongbao is a scoundrel, what is he doing here?"

“Shen Gongbao has captured our king, how can I just let this go? I’ll transform into your appearance and give him a good beating. You should go back now.”

Having no other choice, Ji Fa secretly slipped back, and Yang Jian, disguised as Ji Fa, waited for Shen Gongbao's arrival.

The next day, Shen Gongbao, with Yang Jian disguised as Ji Fa, confronted Jiang Ziya's army.

"Jiang Ziya, you should surrender obediently. If you submit to the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou will forgive and forget. Otherwise, Ji Fa's life will be in danger."

Jiang Ziya looked at Yang Jian, who was being held down, and laughed inwardly.

"Shen Gongbao, you despicable villain! You can't defeat our army, so you resort to such vile and underhanded tactics. The decline of the Shang Dynasty is inevitable. Why don't you join our Zhou Dynasty? Perhaps His Highness King Wu can give you a position as a gatekeeper!"

Shen Gongbao was so angry that his face turned pale, and he had no choice but to use Ji Fa as the wager.

"Hmph, Jiang Ziya, don't you dare cause trouble here. If you want Ji Fa to live, don't provoke me!" With that, he personally picked up Ji Fa and held a large knife to his neck.

Yang Jian disliked Shen Gongbao's arrogant demeanor and pretended to charge at Shen Gongbao's blade, as if determined to fight to the death. This frightened Shen Gongbao, who quickly sheathed his sword. If Ji Fa were to die at his hands, King Wu's army would probably crush him first.

As soon as Yang Jian saw Shen Gongbao sheathe his sword, he immediately made a hand gesture to trip him up. Shen Gongbao's legs went weak and he fell face-first into the mud in front of both armies, making the generals of both armies want to laugh.

At this moment, Yang Jian returned to his original form and hurriedly went to help Shen Gongbao up. Shen Gongbao stood up with a cry of "Ouch!", which startled him so much that he almost lost his mind.

"Yang Jian! It's you! Where's Ji Fa?"

"I am Ji Fa, don't you recognize me?"

Yang Jian swung his broadsword, slashing Shen Gongbao away. Only then did the Shang generals react, and one of them was knocked off his horse by Yang Jian. In an instant, the Shang army was thrown into chaos. Yang Jian took advantage of the confusion to fight back. Jiang Ziya also reacted and led the Zhou army to launch a surprise attack on them.

With the Shang Dynasty army's defeat inevitable, and seeing Jiang Ziya's well-trained army surrendering one after another, Shen Gongbao, realizing the situation was dire, fled alone.

The last Shang dynasty army was defeated, and Jiang Ziya's army marched in a mighty force toward Chaoge.

Seeing that the situation was dire, Shen Gongbao realized that once Chuanyun Pass was breached, only Tong Pass remained. Once Tong Pass was breached, they would march straight to Chaoge. Shen Gongbao was thrown into a panic and immediately flew to Biyou Palace to complain to the Tongtian Sect Leader.

Tongtian Jiaozhu has always been at odds with Li Xiuyuan. He is jealous of Li Xiuyuan's Taoist skills. Now, Li Xiuyuan has actually sent someone to break his disciple's Plague Immortal Formation. This is clearly a deliberate act of antagonism against him. Tongtian Jiaozhu is a narrow-minded person and already has many grievances against Li Xiuyuan's lofty cultivation. Coupled with Shen Gongbao's instigation, Tongtian Jiaozhu immediately decided to send his subordinates, Duobao Daoist and Jinling Shengmu, to set up the Immortal Slaughtering Formation in front of Tongguan.

Daji came to Shen Gongbao to inquire about military affairs: "Grand Preceptor, now that Chuanyun Pass has fallen and Lü Yue is dead, what should we do next?"

Shen Gongbao stroked his beard and said confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured. My grandmaster, Tongtian Jiaozhu, sent his disciple, Dadizi Duobao Daoren, to set up the Zhuxian Formation. This formation can kill gods and Buddhas alike. With this formation, the foundation of my Shang Dynasty is as solid as a rock, and no one can shake it."

On the other side, Li Xiuyuan calculated that the Tongtian Sect Leader had already set up the Zhuxian Town. He ordered the White Crane Boy to come and report, "Uncle-Master, the Heavenly Venerable has sent me to inform you that the Tongtian Sect Leader has ordered the Duobao Daoist and the Golden Spirit Holy Mother to set up the Zhuxian Town. Please, Grandmaster, quickly devise a countermeasure."

Jiang Ziya consulted with his ministers and decided to hold back for now. He and Yun Zhongzi set up a thatched pavilion in front of the Immortal Slaughtering Formation, carefully observing and searching for a way to break it. The Immortal Slaughtering Formation was filled with a boundless killing intent, soaring into the sky. What was meant by "slaughtering immortals"? The Immortal Slaughtering Formation was different from the Plague Immortal Formation. The Plague Immortal Formation only severely injured those who failed to break it, but the Immortal Slaughtering Formation was different. Every door in the formation was a death gate, a dead end. The chilling aura was palpable; anyone who failed to break it would surely die, their blood serving as a catalyst to nourish the Immortal Slaughtering Formation. This formation was truly extremely vicious.

After observing outside Tongguan for two days without anyone daring to approach, everyone hurriedly returned to discuss countermeasures. Jiang Ziya, along with his senior brothers Yun Chengzi and Guang Chengzi, observed the Zhuxian Formation from the air. A Zhuxian Sword hung at the central gate, while the other four gates were named Juexian, Shaxian, Xianxian, and Zhuxian, each one vicious and with bizarre magic. Seeing that Jiang Ziya dared not fight, Duobao Daoren took advantage of his observation of the Zhuxian Formation from the sky to send out a provocative voice: "Swords and spears, how can they escape the calamity of Zhuxian? Slaying demons and monsters, they only ignite the fire of ignorance. Great Luo Golden Immortals, life and death are in my hands, only to realize the evil of this matter when you turn back. The lock that pierces the heart, even at close range, stirs up a storm, making it difficult to escape. Alas, you all suffer torment."

Jiang Ziya, bewildered, shouted, "Who utters such arrogant words? Show yourself at once!"

Chapter 1153 Breaking the Immortal Slaughtering Formation

Suddenly, Daoist Duobao appeared and laughed loudly at Jiang Ziya: "Jiang Ziya, you insignificant fellows dare not come to accept the challenge, making people laugh your heads off."

Guang Chengzi said indignantly, "Daoist Duobao, you have set up such a treacherous and vicious formation. Where has all the benevolence and love that your Biyou Palace taught you when you were learning Taoism and cultivating immortality gone!"

Daoist Duobao scoffed, “You’re spouting nonsense! You’ve colluded with Li Xiuyuan, wantonly slaughtering my Tongtian Sect members. Is this your so-called benevolence and love?”

"You..." Guang Chengzi was furious and wanted to step forward to refute, but Jiang Ziya stopped him. Daoist Duobao provoked again, "I knew it. How could Li Xiuyuan be so young and already so self-taught? It turns out that what he taught you was all cowardly skills. You can only shout, but you dare not fight. Hahahaha."

Unable to bear the humiliation, Guang Chengzi flew into the Zhuxian Formation. Jiang Ziya and Yun Zhongzi cried out in alarm. As soon as Guang Chengzi entered the formation, thousands of sharp swords shot out from the four sword mouths, each sword exuding a chilling aura. Guang Chengzi managed to dodge them, but then encountered a fierce light. The light was incredibly fast, and Guang Chengzi could not escape. He was injured and fell to the bottom of the formation. Blood flowed rapidly from the wounds on his body, and he soon became critically ill.

Seeing this, Jiang Ziya disregarded his own safety and formed a protective circle around himself with a hand seal. He rushed towards the Zhuxian Formation and risked his life to save Guang Chengzi. He had lost most of his cultivation and was like a cripple.

In the following days, many young and ambitious generals and warriors, unable to withstand the provocation, repeatedly fought back, but all of them were wounded by the Immortal Slaughtering Formation and died from blood loss. The great cause of overthrowing Zhou was thus put on hold, morale plummeted, and no one had a way to break the formation.

Meanwhile, the Western Sect had been observing the battle between the Tongtian Sect and Li Xiuyuan at Yuxu Palace for a long time. They saw that when the two sides fought, the Western Sect would benefit. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Western Sect sent Maitreya Buddha and Medicine Master down the mountain to win people's hearts and expand their own power.

Since the great war between the Zhou and Shang dynasties, countless talented individuals have perished, resulting in a lose-lose situation and greatly diminishing the strength of both religions. With the Western Religion descending the mountain this time, Maitreya Buddha and Bhaisajyaguru Buddha have been constantly persuading others to submit to the Western Religion, which has greatly increased its strength for a time.

Suddenly, many talented and extraordinary individuals left, further weakening the army that was fighting against King Zhou. When Jiang Ziya awoke, they were already stationed at Tongguan.

It's the fifteenth day.

Jiang Ziya coughed twice and asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

“Junior brother, you have been sleeping for ten days,” Yun Zhongzi said.

"What, ten days?" Jiang Ziya was shocked and struggled to sit up in bed. "Then, has the Immortal Slaughtering Formation been broken?"

Everyone looked solemn and remained silent with their heads down. Jiang Ziya understood the situation and continued to ask, "Were there any casualties?"

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, in the past ten days, five of our soldiers, unable to withstand the provocation, entered the formation to break it, but all of them..." Jiang Ziya coughed violently a few more times upon hearing this. "In addition, many of the immortals that the Prime Minister invited to help break the formation have left without explanation."

Jiang Ziya was puzzled. He looked up at Yun Zhongzi, who sighed and said, "It's the Western Sect. The Western Sect persuaded everyone to leave the war and focus on cultivation. So, some of our fellow immortals took to the clouds and left."

"Alas," Jiang Ziya sighed, patting the bed board with his hand. "This Immortal Slaughtering Formation must be broken. If this formation is not broken, my army will be unable to advance and will be unable to complete the great cause of overthrowing King Zhou. If this formation is not broken, the countless soldiers who sacrificed their lives for this cause will cry out in injustice and will not be able to comfort their spirits in heaven. If this formation is not broken, King Zhou, Daji, and Shen Gongbao will continue to be tyrannical, and the people will live in misery. Men, quickly set up an altar. I want to offer sacrifices to heaven."

Jiang Ziya had no other choice at the moment. His own power had not yet been restored, so he could only seek help from Li Xiuyuan. He held a sacrificial ceremony, firstly to boost the morale of his soldiers, and secondly to burn incense and invite Li Xiuyuan. He believed that Li Xiuyuan was the only one who could break the Immortal Slaughtering Formation.

When Li Xiuyuan, who was in seclusion cultivating, learned that Jiang Ziya was in trouble, he calculated with his fingers and found out that he had learned a way to break the Zhuxian Formation. He closed his eyes and used his ability value to exchange for the formation of the Nine Heavens Star Formation. He immediately felt his whole body lighten up. He knew that his ability and realm had improved by another level. He quickly flew to Tongguan to help Jiang Ziya.

Jiang Ziya learned of Li Xiuyuan's arrival early in the morning and led a group of immortals to the Ninth Heaven to welcome him. Accompanied by the celestial music of flowing water and the fragrance of countless flowers and grasses, Li Xiuyuan arrived standing on the Lotus Platform. He was radiant with light, a handsome emperor, like the sun god of ancient times.

All the gods knelt down and said, "Greetings, Heavenly Venerable."