"You’re different. If I don’t kill a couple of ruthless ones to set an example, these Taoist patriarchs won’t believe it."

"..." Zhao Zhibi.

The Butcher stepped into the pool of blood, saying, "My knife is very sharp. When slaughtering pigs and dogs, it only becomes even sharper. Whether you choose to stay or leave, make your decision quickly."

"Oh, and I must tell you, don’t expect your ancestors to come back and save you. They’re entangled by my friend Zhou Xuan and can’t return."

With that said, the Butcher raised his right hand, counting down with his fingers: "Ten... nine..."

Clearly, once the Butcher reaches "zero," he will start the massacre,

Some disciples with clear heads no longer cared about their appearance, hastily lifting their Daoist robes and embarrassingly ran towards the mountain gate.

Once some people started running, naturally others followed.

The mountain gate, previously packed with disciples, was reduced to less than one-tenth by the time the Butcher counted to "three."

Furthermore, among those remaining one-tenth of the disciples, many still appeared conflicted,

"Two... one... zero!"

More disciples fled, leaving only seventy or eighty people in front of the mountain gate.

These people, however, were resolute.

"I will live and die with the mountain gate," one disciple shouted loudly.

"Splutter!"

A head spun on the ground.

The head had barely hit the ground, causing the surrounding disciples to "snap out of it" and scramble to escape,

but the Butcher emotionlessly raised and swung his knife, heads spinning one after another, rolling to the ground.

His eyes were deep red.

Initially, the Butcher suppressed his demonic nature, but at this moment, he was truly possessed, eyes deep red, unleashing his full perception,

As he walked towards the summit of Tunnel Armor Mountain, whenever he sensed someone inside a structure, he would drag them out from hiding spots like cabinets or under beds, then raise his knife,

Just like the bloodbath on Wuwen Mountain back in the day...

...

The Hulu Taoist felt something was amiss.

Their six ancestral patriarchs fled separately, they even used Space Law,

On a normal day, he could return to the Capital Mansion in just two steps, but today, no matter how he tried to evade, he couldn’t leave Mingjiang Prefecture,

It was as if he were spinning in a maze.

"Something’s not right, something’s not right."

The Hulu Taoist cursed twice when suddenly, he noticed a turtle shell pattern before him.

This was the secret letter from Dun Jia Hall,

He broke it open and Zhao Zhibi’s voice came through: "Ancestor, The Butcher’s at the mountain, return quickly."

"He really went! The Butcher wants to destroy our Tunnel Armor Mountain’s gate?"

An overwhelming feeling of imminent death loomed over the Hulu Taoist’s heart; the mountain gate was far too important.

The mountain gate was linked to the fate of their six patriarchs; they each had a wisp of soul hidden within it.

As long as this wisp remained, even if they died in Mingjiang Prefecture, they could barely preserve their lives with this remnant, only their cultivation would vanish.

But better a live dog than a dead lion, as long as they lived, there’s hope for the future.

Yet once the mountain gate is destroyed, the six patriarchs would genuinely die.

"The Butcher is going to destroy the mountain gate."

The Hulu Taoist condensed six secret letters, sending the dire news to his fellow disciples.

But the letter dispersed into pools of indistinct blood upon being sent, flowing downward erratically.

Meanwhile,

Peach blossoms and willow catkins floated in the sky.

"Where are these peach blossoms and willow catkins coming from?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The Hulu Taoist looked around but saw only, in the boundless wilderness, a massive tree rising.

This tree was clearly composed of two trees intertwined, one willow and the other peach.

The branches of the willow and peach trees grew swiftly, faster than the fleeing Hulu Taoist.

Soon enough, the tendrils of the branches pulled at the Hulu Taoist’s ankle, and with the forceful tug, other branches swarmed, wrapping tightly around the Hulu Taoist like silk threads.

"I possess righteous energy; you can’t harm me."

The Hulu Taoist chanted words from his mouth, and the gourd on his back automatically popped open, releasing a pale blue aura from within that shielded the Taoist’s form.

The willow and peach tree raised two branches akimbo, their leaves rustling as if to say, "Who wants to harm you? We are merely responsible for delivering you to Xuanzi’s stage."

...

When the Hulu Taoist awoke, he had already appeared on the "Battlefield Stage."

Surrounding him were carvings of fierce beasts, above was a holy-eyed gaze,

Zhou Xuan, Yun Ziliang, and Li Changxun sat on the second level of the "Battlefield," overlooking the disciples of the Tunnel Armor Sect, as well as the Six-Eared Warriors from Buddha Country.

The Six-Eared Warrior was uncertain of the situation and crouched quietly in the corner of the battlefield, quietly observing.

While all the Tunnel Armor disciples stood in the battlefield’s sandy terrain, exchanging puzzled glances.

"Everyone, we meet again, and this is the battlefield I’ve arranged for you."

"Within this battlefield, there are three factions: us, the Buddha Country, and the Tunnel Armor disciples. We fight one-on-one here and will continue until only one faction remains alive, and then you can leave."

"This is the rule I’ve set for the battlefield."

Zhou Xuan said coldly.

"Three-way chaos, only the last survivor can leave."

Upon surveying the surroundings, the Hulu Taoist suddenly grew joyful and said, "I can sense it, this is the Spirit Realm. Since it’s a Spirit Realm, Zhou Xuan cannot rely on the great influence of Mingjiang Prefecture."

Without the great influence of Mingjiang Prefecture, what confidence does Zhou Xuan have to leave here alive?"

The Hulu Taoist became increasingly smug. His original plan was to pull Zhou Xuan into the Spirit Realm and kill him when Zhou Xuan rebuilt Mingjiang Prefecture, causing the new Spirit Realm to appear.

Inside the Spirit Realm, Zhou Xuan couldn’t use the "Valley True Scripture’s" "World Technique," so the Hulu Taoist need not fear Zhou Xuan.

As for Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun, the Hulu Taoist believed that with the six patriarchs united, the Tunnel Armor Sect still had a very good chance of winning.

Zhou Xuan snapped open the folded fan with a "snap," saying calmly, "Hulu Patriarch, I must remind you that while this is indeed the Spirit Realm, it’s also the Battlefield Stage I built using the art of colored performance."

"As with all stages, they have their own boss, so foolish Hulu Taoist, in the upcoming death match, please be sure to show me respect and address me as—Boss Zhou."