Aspiring to the Immortal Path - Chapter 507:

Chapter 507: The Will of the Heavens

The moment the battle began, it no longer shifted according to human will. Strength decided everything!

In the white fog, it was impossible to tell east from west, friend from foe. The only thing that flourished here was slaughter and death.

“Raaa!”

With a sonorous roar, a massive metal claw closed, crushing the head of a supreme-rulerhead Palace disciple as if it was a watermelon.

Taking back his blood-drenched hand, the original Tang Jie smiled. 6444

A flying sword shot at him from an angle, but Tang Jie simply punched at it without turning his head. Upon impact, that middle-grade art relic flying sword was pulverized, and the steely fist slammed into that disciple’s chest. The immense strength rammed into the body of that Bloodbath Hall disciple like a mountain.

“You…” That disciple stared at Tang Jie in shock, not understanding how he had known that an attack was coming from behind, and then he was blown into bits.

Killed in one strike!

Slowly drawing back his fist, the original body snorted and turned his head. Nearby, the avatar Tang Jie finished cutting down a Bloodbath Hall disciple with the golden blade and exchanged a look with the original body.

There was no need for any conversation. As one soul sharing two bodies, they did not require words to communicate. They were natural partners, the finest duo.

Not far from the pair, an army of bean soldiers was in the middle of a silent slaughter. With their immense numbers, their formations, and the cover of the white fog, they were killing almost as quickly as Tang Jie. The ghost guard was protecting them, guarding their flanks and minimizing the counterattacks the bean soldiers sustained.

The battle had been one-sided from the opening blow.

Using the terrain and his formation, Tang Jie had mobilized all of his strength and was hunting down his foes.

The death of each supreme-rulerhead Palace disciple was like sweet dew on the cracked soil of Tang Jie’s soul, filling him with indescribable pleasure.

This feeling of pleasure wasn’t obvious at first, but as more and more supreme-rulerhead Palace disciples died at his hand, it became more and more distinct.

Tang Jie found this strange, and he couldn’t figure out what was going on. But since it was a good thing, he didn’t pay any attention to it and went on with his killing.

In a flash, another team of five Bloodbath Hall disciples was annihilated without sound or notice. The two Tang Jies and the ghost guard retreated back into the white fog, but that bean king was always the slowest, yelling and shouting and refusing to leave. In the end, the ghost guard had to grab him and carry him away, and the army ran off in pursuit. These bean soldiers didn’t have any mental connection to Tang Jie, but they did have one with their king.

“The sixth team has been slain!” A new report arrived.

Nan Ningjiang’s complexion was already ashen.

In all of his plans, Nan Ningjiang’s only mistake was to underestimate Tang Jie’s strength. This shouldn’t have been a big deal, because no matter how badly he underestimated Tang Jie, supreme-rulerhead Palace would always be above Tang Jie in terms of actual strength. This was like taking a vast army and pitting it against a single opponent. Whether this opponent was a mouse or a lion was irrelevant, for anything would be trampled equally under the iron hooves of that army.

But for people who wanted to exploit it, this gap could lead to an immense mistake: five-man teams.

Even though Tang Jie had killed so many before this, defeating numerous foes stronger than him, supreme-rulerhead Palace had still not taken him as a truly terrifying adversary.

His cultivation realm had fooled everyone, and given that he had also been intentionally hiding his strength, everyone thought that even if Tang Jie was stronger, his strength had to be limited.

Even though he had defeated foe after foe, this only proved that he was cunning and smart. supreme-rulerhead Palace’s assessment of Tang Jie contained the words “troublesome”, “cunning”, “perceptive”, “fierce”, and “unscrupulous”, but it didn’t contain the word “powerful”.

All of Nan Ningjiang’s plans and arrangements revolved around surrounding Tang Jie. From start to finish, Nan Ningjiang had never considered the problem of whether he could beat Tang Jie.

For this reason, Nan Ningjiang and the others were under the impression that five-man teams of Bloodbath Hall disciples might not be able to defeat Tang Jie, but they could hold him down for a time without a problem. After all, supreme-rulerhead Palace’s greatest expertise was in defense, so buying time should have been easy.

If one team could delay Tang Jie for a while, Tang Jie wouldn’t be able to escape, and then reinforcements would come in from all sides and surround Tang Jie.

But the mistaken assessment of Tang Jie’s strength had made Nan Ningjiang suffer a huge loss. Not even in his dreams would he have imagined that Tang Jie’s full strength would be this terrifying. The five-man teams of Bloodbath Hall disciples couldn’t even last one clash against Tang Jie, and the moment they screamed was the moment they were sent to the underworld. Tang Jie was like a ghost, flitting through the fog and reaping souls. The Thousand Illusion Fog Formation had never been meant for illusions. It was simply there to provide the fog cover.

He had sacrificed the spell art function for the tactical function.

“Change formation! Ten men to a team!” Upon comprehending this principle, Nan Ningjiang roared his order. “Have the flanks quickly close! Gather all the cultivators as quickly as possible!”

What? Everyone paled at this order.

Nan Ningjiang’s order was undoubtedly an admission that the people they had brought weren’t enough to capture Tang Jie. If the five-man teams became ten-man teams, it would reduce the power of their blockade. While Tang Jie would have fewer chances to kill, he would have a much higher chance of escaping.

This was also why Nan Ningjiang had no choice but to call on the cultivators locking down the flanks, even calling on the cultivators from various sects who had only participated in the search. At that moment, he had essentially given up on making any major achievement, displaying a willingness to share the merit with everybody.

In terms of daring and decisiveness, Nan Ningjiang was pretty good. His decision was better late than never and hadn’t been too delayed.

But not everyone thought the same as he did. Some people didn’t even share the same evaluation of Tang Jie’s strength.

At least Master Xuan Zhong didn’t like this answer.

“What did you say?” he yelled. “You think this old man can’t deal with this little beast?”

Nan Ningjiang grimaced, thinking, Old man, of course you can deal with him. The problem is that Tang Jie won’t fight you.

What he wanted was to constantly kill the weaker Bloodbath Hall disciples. As for people like Master Xuan Zhong, Elders Gold and Silver, and He Yueyang, he wouldn’t even touch them. He might even choose to avoid Spirit Ring True Persons.

Master Xuan Zhong threw his head back and roared, “Heaven and Earth, restore my vision!”

A light erupted from his body, spreading outward like a cloud. Wherever it went, the fog cleared and vision was instantly restored.

Ling Tianqi had spent ages and still not undone the formation, but this old man had broken it through sheer force.

But breaking the formation in this way was a rather heavy burden on Master Xuan Zhong, and his face momentarily flushed. A moment later, he barked, “What are you standing around for? Find Tang Jie and kill him!”

What could Tang Jie do now without the fog formation?

But a moment later, as the white fog dissipated, a gale howled, and black smoke began to rise.

The white fog hadn’t even fully retreated before the black smoke engulfed the forest.

Master Xuan Zhong was stunned, and then he erupted in anger, bellowing, “Little cub, when are you going to give it a rest?”

“Give it a rest… give it a rest…” The voice blasted through the forest in a massive sound wave, but all it got in return was Tang Jie’s smug laugh.

Tang Jie had long ago learned that there was a Soul Transformation True Person among his pursuers, so how could he not take precautions against him? The best method of dealing with a Soul Transformation True Person like Master Xuan Zhong wasn’t to go blow for blow, but to lay down layer after layer of obstruction, not giving him the chance to get close. In this way, he would have all that supreme power but nowhere to use it.

Taking in a deep breath, Master Xuan Zhong grunted, “This old man wonders how many formations you have here.”

This old man was very temperamental, and in rage, he flew into the sky.

As he ascended, his hands began to turn like a millstone, aimed at the ground in the distance.

As he turned his hands, the black smoke began to roil, gradually forming into a black vortex that covered the forest.

“Entering the formation heart through the Celestial Heart!” Tang Jie, who was linked to the formation, immediately sensed what was going on. The formation was gradually escaping his control and following Master Xuan Zhong’s will.

To make one’s will the will of the heavens was the ultimate aim of all cultivators, the origin of the Divine Connection and the foundation of the Violet Palace.

As a Soul Transformation cultivator, Master Xuan Zhong had already taken the first step past this threshold. At this moment, he was displaying the Divine Connection ability of Immortals!

A spell could only influence a small area of land.

An art could influence half a city.

A Divine Connection was to link one’s mind to the world. It was capable of anything, able to reverse the rivers and overturn the seas. It was a titanic power and the basis of a Violet Palace cultivator’s dominance.

Master Xuan Zhong’s power had already entered the realm of Divine Connections. Although it was the lowest of Divine Connections, it already possessed a shocking power.

“My will is the Heavenly Dao, all arts within my mind! Reverse the heavens and earth!” Master Xuan Zhong brazenly roared. The black smoke vortex spun faster and faster, and as the vision of the supreme-rulerhead Palace disciples cleared, Tang Jie found his vision getting blurrier.

It had to be understood that this was a Grade 5 formation, capable of dealing with Heart Demon True Persons, the absolute limit of what Tang Jie was capable of. But as Master Xuan Zhong exerted his might, it was rendered powerless and was even seized, seemingly submitting to Master Xuan Zhong.

If this continued, the black smoke would no longer be let out against supreme-rulerhead Palace, but against Tang Jie, and he would truly be a turtle in a jar.

This was a Divine Connection, one’s will becoming the will of the heavens and taking control of all spiritual energy currents in the surroundings. No matter how powerful one’s spell arts were, they were all subject to the will of the one with the Divine Connection.

A single Soul Transformation True Person was capable of obliterating Tang Jie’s meticulous plan. In front of absolute strength, all schemes were futile.

But Tang Jie’s eyes had no fear, only a cold indifference.

He looked up at the skyborne Master Xuan Zhong and whispered, “You… are too arrogant… You will suffer the wrath of the heavens.”

Boom!

There was a boom of thunder.

It was a bizarre thunder, and as it exploded, Master Xuan Zhong shuddered and threw up a large mouthful of blood.

“Lord!” The people down below all jumped up in fright.

Master Xuan Zhong stopped moving his hands and looked around in shock.

A moment later, a howling wind passed over the forest and blasted into Master Xuan Zhong.

It seemed like a simple gust of wind, but it sent Master Xuan Zhong flying.

Master Xuan Zhong fell from the earth like a comet as he cried out in fear, “The Great Mountain… the Great Mountain…”

“Linking one’s will to the will of the heavens…” Tang Jie faintly smiled. “But the worst thing is if you try to link to the wrong will.”

The Great Mountain had a soul and was not to be provoked.

Even Violet Palace and Immortal Platform Titans didn’t dare to act so brashly in the Spirit Mountains, yet Master Xuan Zhong had dared to fly into the sky and take control of the will of the world through a Divine Connection. It would be far stranger if he hadn’t offended the Great Mountain.

Of course, it was impossible to say anything unless one had experienced it. In the past, there were people who had used Divine Connections and not suffered the wrath of the heavens. The Spirit Mountains were strange and mysterious, and nobody knew what offended the mountain and what didn’t.

For Tang Jie, this had been extremely risky. Although he had a way of escaping if his risk didn’t pay off, he would have lost this opportunity to fight. But if he won, he would still have some time to flex his muscle.

As he watched Master Xuan Zhong fall, Tang Jie roared, “Let’s see what else you can do.”

With the black smoke under his control, Tang Jie plunged back into the formation and began to reap the lives of the supreme-rulerhead Palace disciples.

As those supreme-rulerhead disciples died at his hand, that strange sensation reemerged.

This strange and inexplicable sensation astonished Tang Jie. He didn’t understand why he was feeling this way.

A supreme-rulerhead disciple charged at him, fiercely stabbing his sword. Tang Jie casually dodged and swung the golden saber down at the sword. The sword broke, and Tang Jie continued the swing, slicing through that disciple’s armor and into his body, annihilating his life force. Tang Jie then saw something emerge from the body and enter his own body, restoring the strength he had lost and condensing his energy.

This made his hand more steady and his heart more ruthless. Whenever he killed someone, he would be completely unaffected, feeling only satisfaction.

A sense of endless satisfaction.

As he was on this enjoyable killing spree, a powerful blast of palm wind stopped him, and then a young man appeared.

Unusually, this man wasn’t afraid of Tang Jie, grunting as he thrust his sword at Tang Jie. This stab seemed simple, but Tang Jie sensed danger and immediately used the Chaoswind Step to dodge.

This was the first time he had fallen back in the face of a supreme-rulerhead Palace disciple.

“A Spirit Ring True Person?” Tang Jie muttered.

“The one who will kill you is the eighth brother of the 12 Hawks, Qin Chen!” the young man coldly declared.

Tang Jie chuckled. “You can’t kill me.”

He rapidly fell back.

Even though Tang Jie had gotten stronger, to be honest, the avatar, even with the golden blade, would still have a tough time against a Spirit Ring True Person. While victory was still possible, a swift one was out of the question. And this battle emphasized one-hit kills and swift retreats. He could not get stuck on any one opponent, or else more supreme-rulerhead Palace people would surround him and cut off his escape.

Upon seeing that this was a True Person, Tang Jie beat a rapid retreat.

Qin Chen naturally couldn’t let him go. He let out a deep roar to notify everyone else to quickly converge on his position, and then he unleashed a dazzling wave of light from his sword. There was a cold glint in his eyes, as if he was saying, Let’s see how you run from this!

A worried look appeared on Tang Jie’s face, while delight appeared on Qin Chen’s.

All of their humiliation would be returned twofold.

At this moment, a large figure charged out from the side, raising a hand at Qin Chen and unleashing a blast of ice and fire at him.

Qin Chen had seen this move before, the very same move that had held off the 12 Hawks back at Celestial Flower Pavilion. It was in that battle that they realized that Tang Jie had another partner besides True Person Gui, a mysterious giant of a man. But if judged by the methods he had used at the time, he had nothing but an imposing figure and voice. His real cultivation level was somewhere between Hundred Refinement and Nine Revolutions—nothing to be scared of. There was an extremely high chance that he was one of the Basking Moon Sect’s local spies.

The one who had appeared was probably that mysterious giant man.

Qin Chen, having some idea about this man’s power, didn’t take the attack seriously, waving his hand and unleashing a torrent of spiritual energy to neutralize the ice and flames while he continued to chase after Tang Jie—no matter what, he had to hold down Tang Jie and not let him run off.

Perhaps because he saw that his spell art couldn’t stop his foe, that mysterious man opened his arms and tried to hug Qin Chen.

Qin Chen snorted. “A mantis trying to stop a carriage.”

He waved his hand again, seeking to push away the giant man. But to his surprise, his move failed to do anything, and that man continued to rush toward him.

Qin Chen was startled. He saw that this man was prepared to die and roared in anger, “Seeking death!”

He thrust a palm at the giant man.

Boneshatter Hand!

This palm strike that could shatter a body made of metal struck the giant man with a loud bang.

But rather than the expected shattering, there was a loud thump, and that giant man charged forward and caught him in a bear hug.

A moment later, Qin Chen felt an immense strength seizing him and rendering him immobile.

“No!” Aghast, Qin Chen had his body explode with spirit power.

He was a Spirit Ring True Person, and also a capable expert of supreme-rulerhead Palace, and his strength could not be compared to that of some wandering cultivator. The eruption of all his spiritual energy was enough to flatten a small mountain, yet it couldn’t break the grip of this giant man.

Amid the frenzied torrents of energy, Qin Chen heard a cracking sound, the sound of his bones breaking. Immense pain robbed him of his rationality, but at the last moment of his life, he finally realized something and shouted with all his might, “You’re a body refiner…”

Alas, his voice was as weak as the buzzing of a fly and went nowhere.

Crack.

Tang Jie let go.

A corpse fell to the ground.

He coldly looked at Qin Chen and said, “This time, you were right.”

In a nearby forest, Nan Ningjiang suddenly shuddered.

The 12 Hawks had a special connection between them, so he immediately sensed that link breaking and cried out, “Little Eight!”