The people above understood what was going on, but the folks below were completely dumbfounded. The other Immortals who had come with Zhan Ying wiped the bits of flesh and brain matter off their faces, their minds unable to process what just happened. Since when was Brother Eagle this bold?

You think that's the end of it? Not even close.

Just after Zhan Ying self-detonated, a few strange demons suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They threw themselves onto the pile of Bird Immortal's scattered remains and began wailing.

"Brother Eagle, your death is too tragic!"

"Why did you suddenly leave us? What about the spirit stones you owe me?"

"My dear brother, your wife and kids will be cared for by me—worry not!"

"Waaah! What are you doing?!"

"It's all your fault! Your fault! It's all your fault that Brother Eagle was harmed…"

…

The originally sacred and solemn atmosphere of the sermon was instantly shattered by the absurdities of these wailing demons. Duobao's expression darkened; he truly hadn't expected anyone to pull off this kind of ridiculous stunt.

Even Nezha was seeing it for the first time. If the occasion wasn't so inappropriate, he truly felt like grabbing a handful of peanuts and pouring himself a drink. Wasn't this more entertaining than the Spring Festival Gala?

The mastermind behind this shouldn't waste their talents on cultivation—they should direct the Gala instead!

His disciple, the hot-tempered Fire Spirit Saint Mother, was immediately enraged and wanted to fry the insolent demons on the spot and turn them into ash. But Duobao stopped her with a glance. This was his sermon. How would it look if the very attendees were turned to dust on the spot?

Whoever orchestrated this was a real genius. Truly, Duobao had never anticipated this kind of scenario.

In the end, with no other choice, he spoke in a low voice: "The sermon will pause for half a month."

After saying this, he closed his eyes to rest, adjusting his mood and focus. The big shots present exchanged glances, each wanting to see who had come up with this whole scene. Such creativity was extraordinary!

With the lecture paused, Fire Spirit Saint Mother led a group of Jie Sect disciples to drag those demon immortals out. Ostensibly, they claimed they would take them somewhere to properly hold a mourning ritual for Zhan Ying. But more likely, they planned to soul-search them thoroughly and then send them to meet Zhan Ying in the underworld.

In truth, Nezha had the deepest ties to the Demon Clan in attendance. However, the high-level Jie Sect members all knew that Nezha had recently been staying at Jin Ling Saint Mother's place. They wouldn't distrust Nezha, let alone their own eldest senior sister. Jin Ling Saint Mother's character was rock solid.

Fire Spirit Saint Mother was efficient in her task. She rushed out and quickly returned, reporting briefly to her teacher before quietly resuming her seat.

Now, regardless of whether they found the culprit or not, Duobao couldn't deal with the situation immediately and instead could only wait until later to address it.

Half a month passed in a flash. When it was time for Duobao to resume his lecture, it was evident he had grown wiser. Not only did he activate external warding arrays, but he also set up numerous internal ones. As he lectured, he spread his mana to prevent some prankster from reenacting the previous debacle.

This time, Duobao spoke on the realms of True Immortals and Profound Immortals—knowledge of an extremely high level for Primordial-era immortals. Even Yang Jian, a Golden Immortal, found it highly beneficial to listen.

Duobao spent more than a decade completing the discussion on this section and was about to move on to the topic of Golden Immortals. His ultimate goal was to finish discussing the Daluo realm. This time, Duobao had learned his lesson—there would be no Q&A session, absolutely not!

But you think that solved the problem? How could it be that simple?

In the third year of Duobao's explanation of the Golden Immortal Dao, when a group of immortals was completely engrossed, a sudden voice interrupted everyone's thoughts.

"I am Nether River, here to challenge the Jie Sect to a duel of swords!"

Outside the Golden Turtle Island, the Ancestor of Nether River, clad in a blood-colored Daoist robe and holding a long sword, looked entirely different from his previous deranged self. He was polished and composed, bowing courteously in the direction of the Biyou Palace before announcing, "Duobao, if you seek to prove your path, how can you retreat?"

Duobao let out a resigned sigh, the sermon disrupted once again.

Teaching the Dao was his responsibility; Tongtian Sect Master could not possibly intervene personally. After all, was Duobao proving his Dao or was Tongtian proving it? Moreover, Nether River had come openly, calling Duobao out by name for a duel. No matter the circumstances, whether in principle or practicality, Tongtian Sect Master could not step in personally.

Sitting on the Cloud Platform, Nezha glanced at what seemed to be a perfectly rational Ancestor of Nether River, then subtly shuffled himself behind Jin Ling Saint Mother. He had a nagging feeling that this Ancestor of Nether River wasn't as sane as he appeared. Besides, after ransacking Nether River's place, he was slightly terrified of a confrontation about the loot.

With no other choice, Duobao was forced to pause the sermon once more and step out to face the challenge. After being interrupted twice in a row, he was already seething with pent-up frustration. He immediately stood, grabbed the Slaying Immortal Sword, and charged out.

At this point, it wasn't even about whether they held grudges. You either succeed, or I get the opportunity. If their roles were reversed, Duobao reckoned he'd do the same thing. There was nothing to discuss—only action.

The Ancestor of Nether River, gripping Yuan Tu, had a glint of murderous intent flash in his eyes. An arc of sword light imbued with the Path of Slaughter slashed straight toward Duobao. As a disciple of the Tongtian Sect Master, Duobao's Sword Dao was top-notch. Wielding the Slaying Immortal Sword, he unleashed surging sword rays imbued with annihilation, fiercely counterattacking the Ancestor of Nether River.

The two immediately engaged in a head-on duel, exchanging blows for a hundred rounds without a clear victor. Considering Nether River was of the same generation as the Three Pure Ones, managing to even the score to this point already constituted a kind of loss for him.

After another series of interweaving sword strikes, the Ancestor of Nether River's Daoist robe was shredded by the black sword Qi of the Slaying Immortal Sword, signaling Duobao's victory. The two combatants stepped apart, with Duobao staring grimly at Nether River.

"You've lost," he declared.

The previously composed Ancestor of Nether River suddenly seemed to suffer a mental breakdown.

"I've lost? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

His mana surged wildly, and the Yuan Tu sword in his hand radiated an overwhelming killing intent.

"Hahaha! How could this ancestor possibly lose? The ancestor never loses! I've already completed my Dao—how could defeat be an option?"

Even someone as composed as Duobao was beginning to reach his limit dealing with a madman. Seeing the increasingly dangerous aura radiating from the Ancestor of Nether River's sword, his expression turned dark. Abandoning all notions of dignity, he unleashed hundreds of magical treasures that hovered like countless stars, encircling Nether River. At the same time, the Duo Bao Tower positioned itself to suppress him from above.

Laughing maniacally, the Ancestor of Nether River adopted a stance with his sword raised to the sky. Crimson light and wild Sword Qi erupted outward in a storm, as his surging mana formed a massive blade storm.

"Hahahaha, taste my ultimate move, Heaven and Earth Longevity!"

With that, his entire body's blood energy ignited and merged into his sword. A crimson arc of Sword Qi burst forth, breaking through the suppression of Duo Bao Tower's enchantment. The beam streaked toward Duobao with incredible speed, breaking through his layers of magical defenses. The endless force of slaughter chipped away at the treasures, closing in on Duobao.

Duobao's expression shifted. Retrieving Duo Bao Tower for defense, he channeled all his mana into the Slaying Immortal Sword, leveling it in front of him to meet the attack. The crimson light collided with the barrier of artifacts shielding Duobao, but its relentless advance continued unabated. Duo Bao Tower let out a sorrowful wail as a chunk of it was cleaved off. The crimson light pressed on, and Duobao thrust his sword forward without hesitation.

Clang!

An explosion of terrifying Sword Qi erupted as the clash of forces sent shockwaves outward. In the surrounding region, the sea stretching thousands of miles was cut into chaotic shapes by the Sword Qi. The creatures in the ocean didn't even have a chance to react before being obliterated, their souls extinguished. The pervasive Sword Qi tore through space, leaving dense black tears in the fabric of reality—an utterly horrifying sight. The resulting damage was so immense that even Golden Immortals would struggle to traverse the zone safely.

This was the aftermath of two Quasi-Saints dueling under the suppression of the Heavenly Dao. And this wasn't even them fighting to the death.

Onlookers across Golden Turtle Island, from veterans to novices, were all dumbfounded. The lower-ranked immortals truly realized for the first time just how vast the gap was between them and the peak-tier figures. While they could still sort of follow the earlier exchanges, everything toward the end of the duel was an incomprehensible blur.

The higher-ranked cultivators, meanwhile, were filled with awe. Duobao Daoist's ferocity was unsurprising to them, but the Ancestor of Nether River, living in such dire straits, could still unleash such power. Indeed, he deserved his place among the most ancient Great Experts.

Yang Jian, however, felt the strangest of all. That was because the move "Heaven and Earth Longevity" was something he also knew!

Even though he couldn't make sense of the latter parts of their duel, when he heard the words "Heaven and Earth Longevity," Yang Jian was completely certain he hadn't misheard them.

His mind was now flooded with thoughts like, "Isn't that the technique I know?" and "Why does it feel so different though?" He frequently glanced at Nezha as though itching to ask questions, but he also knew the timing wasn't right.

Similarly, Nezha was just as baffled when he heard the Ancestor of Nether River evoke that ultimate move. "This guy legit learned the real technique? Please, just don't come chasing me to demand extra tuition fees."

Those fees are mine—rightfully earned!

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