Chapter 330: The Confidence of Tongtian Jiaozhu!

Chapter 330: The Confidence of Tongtian Jiaozhu!

Tongtian Jiaozhu ranking sixth on the list had clearly left him puzzled. With his level of power, he believed his rank should have been much higher.

This sentiment wasn't unique to him. Saints such as Laozi, Jieyin, and Houtu shared similar thoughts. They were highly confident in their magical abilities and supernatural techniques, believing them to be among the strongest in the vast Primordial world. Weaker beings couldn't possibly possess techniques capable of surpassing theirs.

The only possibility would be if another Saint had concealed some extraordinary method. However, Saints were intimately familiar with one another. While minor tricks could be hidden, concealing an immensely powerful technique was almost impossible—it would require an exceptional level of subterfuge.

Though they didn't yet know the details, the rankings on the Golden List suggested that there were unknown divine powers and spells above them at ranks five, four, and three.

[Houtu: Tongtian Jiaozhu's Immortal Execution Swordsmanship is ranked seventh, and its true power likely exceeds this position!]

The Immortal Execution Swordsmanship earned its name due to the Sword of Immortality. Without the sword, the technique couldn't be considered the strongest swordsmanship.

Houtu's comment stemmed from her knowledge that the original Four Swords of Immortal Execution, once innate supreme treasures, had fused into the Sword of Immortality, elevating it to an even higher level. The Sword of Immortality had always been among the top-tier treasures in Primordial World, and its recent transformation had propelled it even further.

Tongtian Jiaozhu's Immortal Execution Swordsmanship, initially designed for the Four Swords of Immortal Execution, remained unchanged in form but experienced a substantial increase in power due to the transformation of the sword. Moves that previously required full effort could now be executed with half the energy, yet their destructive power was even greater. This enhancement was something no amount of swordsmanship refinement could achieve—it was purely the result of the Sword of Immortality's upgrade.

Houtu understood that while her Six Paths of Reincarnation technique was formidable, it would struggle to withstand the might of Tongtian Jiaozhu's Immortal Execution Swordsmanship. Few treasures or techniques in Primordial World could counter its immense power.

While her Six Paths of Reincarnation was rarely contested among Saints, Tongtian Jiaozhu's sheer strength and ability to overpower it left her vigilant. Similarly, other Saints wore serious expressions.

Tongtian Jiaozhu's enhanced power was not a welcome development. He had often been at odds with them and had clashed with most Saints during the Investiture of the Gods.

In that war, Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, Zhunti, Jieyin, and Nuwa joined forces against Tongtian Jiaozhu in a massive battle. The conflict was unprecedented in its scale, number of participants, and duration, surpassing even the ancient battles of the Wu and Demon races or the Dragon-Phoenix-Kylin War.

Unlike previous wars, the Investiture of the Gods saw six Saints personally enter the fray. Previous battles, even those involving Saints, had them acting behind the scenes rather than engaging directly.

During the Investiture of the Gods, Tongtian Jiaozhu, no matter how strong, couldn't fight against five Saints at once. The five weren't weaker than him individually, and his only recourse was to rely on his Immortal Execution Sword Formation and the desperate efforts of his Jie Sect disciples. However, the outcome was inevitable.

If five Saints couldn't subdue Tongtian Jiaozhu, his power would have rivaled that of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun himself.

This war created lasting grudges. Defeated, Tongtian Jiaozhu lost the Four Swords of Immortal Execution to Laozi, while many of his disciples either perished or defected to the Western Sect. The Jie Sect fell from its former glory and nearly faced extinction.

While Laozi eventually returned the stolen treasures, Tongtian Jiaozhu's pride and ambition wouldn't let go of the resentment.

Despite originating from the same source as Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun, the rift between them was irreparable. As for Zhunti and Jieyin, opportunistic as ever, Tongtian's anger extended to them as well. Only Nuwa escaped his ire, having played a minor role in the conflict.

Nuwa had gained little from the war and was merely called upon for assistance. Although she contributed to breaking the Immortal Execution Sword Formation, Tongtian didn't hold her accountable. Nuwa's protective merits made her difficult to confront, so Tongtian prioritized other Saints as his targets.

For now, Tongtian Jiaozhu bided his time. His diminished power and influence prevented retaliation against the other Saints, and their neutrality towards him was already a blessing.

As long as he stayed alive, his Saint-level status ensured that the others wouldn't dare kill him. He awaited opportunities to rebuild his strength and gain an advantage.

That opportunity had now arrived. With the Sword of Immortality's elevation and several rewards enhancing his power, Tongtian Jiaozhu felt confident about contending with the other Saints.

However, he was well aware that the Golden List had similarly rewarded the other Saints, improving their power as well. Though not as dramatically as his, their gains still made them challenging adversaries.

Laozi, in particular, had grown only marginally stronger, but his advantage lay in his disciple Grandmaster Xuandu, who had ascended to Saint-level. This made Laozi even more formidable.

Still, Tongtian Jiaozhu remained confident. His enhanced strength and mastery of the Immortal Execution Sword Formation gave him the confidence to face any Saint head-on.