Aspiring to the Immortal Path

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

As the treasure light appeared in the south, several pillars of light also shot up from the north and the west.

A count revealed that the south had one, the west had three, and the north had two. Including the Basking Moon Sect's two, there were eight in total. The ninth was the Taiyi Profound Clarity Cup, meaning that there was still one treasure missing.

But this wasn't important. So long as they could defeat the other teams, the last one would end up in the hands of the victor.

Upon seeing the three sides each releasing their treasure lights, Peng Yaolong laughed and said, "Let's show our own!"

He took out a bronze mirror from his Mustard Seed Bag. This was the Water Diffraction Mirror, which could be used to defend against large-scale spell arts, but it only worked on purely spiritual energy attacks. It meant little for Peng Yaolong, but it was still better than the other art relic.

On the other end, Zhu Fengdao took out a vase of white jade. This jade vase was the Sundew Vase. If it were used to water a spirit field, the plants would grow better. If one watered it every day, a two-year spirit plant would have the medicinal power of a three-year plant. But there was too little dew to cover much of an area. And while the vase was nice, it had no use in battle, so it was no wonder that Peng Yaolong had chosen the Diffraction Mirror.

The radiance unleashed by thel eight treasures indicated that the war had begun.

Of course, everyone could choose to defend their positions, not attack each other, and leave with what they had.

But this was basically impossible.

The first reason was that this competition was a game where the strongest won, where the victor was king. The stronger side would never be able to accept a situation that wasn't to their advantage. The alliance of the Basking Moon Sect and Thousand Passions Sect had twenty people, clearly stronger than the sixteen people of the Horizon Ocean Pavilion/Seven Absolutions Sect alliance, but they only had four treasures. They had no reason to let the other side be. Secondly, a treasure protector was different from a discoverer. For example, Yun Wuji hadn't been the one to find the Taiyi Profound Clarity Cup. Rather, a Godhead Palace student had found it and handed it to him. If Yun Wuji had succeeded in guarding the treasure, he would have given the discoverer a reward. The same was true for the Basking Moon Sect's Water Diffraction Mirror and Sundew Vase. The former had been found by Qing Yuan and given to Peng Yaolong, while the latter had been found by Zhu Fengdao, and he had not given it to anyone yet. If everyone just held their positions and didn't attack, Zhu Fengdao could keep the treasure and become one of the top ten. For elites like Peng Yaolong, this was unacceptable, and it was liable to end up in internal strife.

Battle against others was the best choice to avoid this internal strife.

Thus, whether it was for the sect or the individual, everyone would choose to go on the attack.

Zhu Fengdao took out the white jade vase and looked at Ye Tianshang. Ye Tianshang thought it over and finally accepted it. His original plan had been to abandon this item and seize a more suitable one, but since Tang Jie was set on the Stop Gate Banner, Ye Tianshang decided to leave that chance for him.

With the ownership of the Sundew Vase decided, Peng Yaolong shouted, "Since nine of the ten treasures have appeared, what are we waiting for? Go!"

"Let's go!" all the students bellowed, taking to the sky. Only Wei Tianchong and Qi Shaoming were left on the ground.

These were the only Spirit Platform students left in the Basking Moon Sect group. One had been recommended because of his nine-cycle Jade Gate, while the other had been allowed in as an exception because he was Changfeng's True Inheritor. Tang Jie should have been with them, but now that Tang Jie had shed his mortality, the two of them had to rely on themselves.

"Hey, hey, don't forget us!" Wei Tianchong jumped frantically once he saw his senior brothers take flight.

Tang Jie laughed and pointed at Wei Tianchong's feet, and a vortex bore Wei Tianchong aloft. On the other end, Ye Tianshang threw out his Sandstream Sword, which took Qi Shaoming into the air.

At the same time, the treasure lights of the other three sects moved, beginning to approach each other.

The difference in strength caused the students to fly in different directions.

The Thousand Passions Sect moved from the north to the east, clearly planning to group up with the Basking Moon Sect so that they could fight together.

Horizon Ocean Pavilion to the west pursued the Thousand Passions Sect. For them, a joint battle wasn't beneficial. As the Thousand Passions Sect and Horizon Ocean Pavilion had around the same number of people, and Horizon Ocean Pavilion had Lan Yu while the Thousand Passions Sect had lost Li Zhiping, Horizon Ocean Pavilion had the slight advantage. Besides that, the two sects were opposed to each other. Thus, Horizon Ocean Pavilion sought a one-on-one battle with the Thousand Passions Sect.

The Basking Moon Sect moved straight toward the Seven Absolutions Sect.

As the strongest side, Peng Yaolong and company preferred to attack the Seven Absolutions Sect while the Thousand Passions Sect fought with Horizon Ocean Pavilion, rather than joining together in battle. The greatest benefit of this was that once Horizon Ocean Pavilion defeated the Thousand Passions Sect, the Basking Moon Sect, which would have defeated the Seven Absolutions Sect, wouldn't have to attack the Thousand Passions Sect, nor would it have to split the spoils.

For the side with the absolute advantage, even dividing the spoils based on strength still wasn't fair. For Peng Yaolong, the best ending was for them to defeat the Seven Absolutions Sect, Horizon Ocean Pavilion to defeat the Thousand Passions Sect, and the Basking Moon Sect to clean up and take all the treasures. If they succeeded, the Wandering Palace would belong to the Basking Moon Sect.

When it came to strength, this was entirely possible. Even if Horizon Ocean Pavilion didn't defeat the Thousand Passions Sect and had the tables turned on it, the Thousand Passions Sect wouldn't have many people left after eking out a victory, and the Basking Moon Sect had sufficient reason to not give the Thousand Passions Sect a chance, or perhaps give them one treasure for the sake of their dignity.

No matter what the result was, it was still better than joining together.

This was precisely why Peng Yaolong's group was ignoring the "pursuit" of the Thousand Passions Sect and chasing only after the Seven Absolutions Sect.

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The only thing surprising was the Seven Absolutions Sect's reaction.

They should have immediately joined together with Horizon Ocean Pavilion. After all, splitting up and fighting separately was extremely disadvantageous to the Seven Absolutions Sect, as they had to face the strongest faction, the Basking Moon Sect.

But the Seven Absolutions Sect didn't do this, instead moving to the southwest, with a slight turn to the north. This direction was neither toward Horizon Ocean Pavilion nor toward Basking Moon and Thousand Passions. It was more like they planned to move around on their own.

"Huh? Weird. What are those guys of the Seven Absolutions Sect doing?" As he flew, Peng Yaolong was deeply confused as to the direction the treasure light was moving.

"Perhaps they know that they're no match and plan to run around and buy time," a student said.

Qi Shaoming shook his head. "Then it would be better to just join up with Horizon Ocean Pavilion. The four sects are unequal in strength. The Thousand Passions Sect is closer in strength to Horizon Ocean Pavilion, and our Basking Moon Sect is stronger than most. If they worked together, at least Horizon Ocean Pavilion would be able to share some of the burden."

Tang Jie replied, "Don't forget that the treasure light can only confirm the direction the treasure is moving, not the people. If I were Mu Yi, I would use the treasure light to make a feint. One Seven Absolutions Sect student would run off with the treasure while the rest of the Seven Absolutions Sect students would secretly meet up with Horizon Ocean Pavilion, after which they could take down the Thousand Passions Sect, leaving us the disadvantaged side."

Everyone was alarmed by this suggestion.

If this really happened, the Basking Moon Sect would be in trouble. The Thousand Passions Sect was no match for the two sects. If the two sects were allowed to eliminate the Thousand Passions Sect, the Basking Moon Sect would go from having the advantage to the disadvantage.

Fortunately, Tang Jie added, "But this plan is founded on us not going to help the Thousand Passions Sect. Otherwise, it's just a joke. Senior Brother Peng, I recall you saying that you fought with them a few times. At that time, did you ever avoid working together with the Thousand Passions Sect?"

"Not at all," Peng Yaolong immediately replied.

As it hadn't been the final battle, everyone hadn't been as cautious, so they hadn't avoided working together with the Thousand Passions Sect. It was only when the treasure lights went up all around, heralding the final battle, that such a situation had appeared.

"Then this possibility isn't large," Tang Jie immediately replied.

Everyone sighed in relief. Wei Tianchong said, "Then why do you think they're doing this?"

Tang Jie thought it over and replied, "The other possibility is that they're baiting us and buying time so that Horizon Ocean Pavilion can fight with the Thousand Passions Sect. Horizon Ocean Pavilion is a little stronger than the Thousand Passions Sect, so if they can beat the Thousand Passions Sect and maintain an advantage of three people, then turn around and aid the Seven Absolutions Sect, they have a chance at turning the tables."

The way of war was to use the strong to bully the weak, to use strength to strike at weakness. It was common to turn a local advantage into a complete advantage. For the Seven Absolutions Sect, the second option was the preferable one, and if they handled things well, they could replace the Basking Moon Sect as the biggest winner.

In truth, Tang Jie could use the Celestial Eye to go and look, but he still couldn't use the eye while flying, and stopping to look would definitely draw attention. Of course, things were entirely different now that he knew that people outside were watching. Tang Jie naturally wasn't willing to take this risk now.

As Tang Jie spoke, everyone nodded in agreement.

Now that they knew the Seven Absolutions Sect's plans, they chased them down with everything they had.

While the Langya Blessed Land was large, the treasure lights meant that no matter how one ran, the pursuer would always be able to find the shortest route, and once someone was forced into a corner, there was no retreating. Perhaps for this very reason, after they had flown for a while, the Seven Absolutions Sect's treasure light finally stopped. It was clear that they had given up on avoiding battle.

The treasure light was coming from the summit of a small mountain.

As Tang Jie's group flew over, they saw all nine of the Seven Absolutions Sect's students standing on the mountain, coldly looking at them.

The Basking Moon Sect students cheered when they saw that all nine students were here.

Peng Yaolong laughed when he saw that the Seven Absolutions Sect people weren't running. "Mu Yi, you've had your fill of the fruits of the Langya Blessed Land. There's no point in staying around. It's time to settle things."

Standing on the peak, Mu Yi coldly snorted, "That truly is the case. My Seven Absolutions Sect was already sick of waiting. Both of the treasures are here. Senior Brother Peng, come and get it if you can."

He pointed at the large boulder in front of him, upon which the Seven Absolutions Sect had placed two treasures. One was the Taiyi Profound Clarity Cup, and the other was the Wind Dragon Firepart Fan. Alas, there was no Stop Gate Banner, so was it in the hands of Horizon Ocean Pavilion or the Thousand Passions Sect?

Peng Yaolong's eyes flashed. "Then I won't be polite. Go!"

As he shouted, the Basking Moon Sect students charged. It was their thirteen to the Seven Absolutions Sect's nine, and the Seven Absolutions Sect was the weakest in terms of combat power. It seemed like the victory was decided.

All of the Seven Absolutions Sect students except Mu Yi moved in unison, eight swords taking to the sky. Each sword became two, two became four, and four became eight, constantly growing in number. Countless tiny swords collided in the air, creating a net of swords.

This was the Seven Absolutions Sect's famous Many Mountain Sword Formation. Each of the small swords that made up this formation was real. They had countless variations, and they would increase in power with the number of people.

While there were only eight people, there were thousands of swords flying around in the air, their sharp sword radiance engulfing the entirety of the mountain.

This was the Seven Absolutions Sect's most defining attribute. In a one-on-one situation, the Seven Absolutions Sect didn't have an advantage against the other sects, but in battles with more people, the Seven Absolutions Sect was often able to display strength greater than usual, making it so that one plus one ended up being greater than two.

Peng Yaolong simply laughed when he saw this sword formation, and he shouted, "Let me!"

Standing in front of the mountain, he began to form various hand signs.

Tang Jie was alarmed when he saw these hand signs, almost crying out.

Heavenly King Mara's Incantation!

Peng Yaolong was using none other than the incantation that Tang Jie had once used.

But the incantation was a secret art of the Divine Firmament Sword Classic, so how did Peng Yaolong know it? Didn't he only know the Apex Combat True Astral?

A moment later, Tang Jie understood that Peng Yaolong must have accumulated enough contribution points over the last two years that he had gotten another chance to read the classic. It was just that he had kept it a secret this whole time, only to reveal it now.

As Peng Yaolong activated this secret art, a giant appeared in the sky—an image of Peng Yaolong that was majestic and dignified. It was so huge that it stood taller than the mountain, and the moment it appeared, it brought down a giant hand toward the mountain.

"Rise!" a Seven Absolutions Sect student shouted.

The sword formation over the summit erupted with light and moved to meet the giant hand. There was a blinding explosion of light as the giant hand was obliterated.

Peng Yaolong was clearly the weaker side of this clash, but he didn't care. His Heavenly King Mara Incantation was much stronger than when Tang Jie had used it, and as he made another hand sign, a new hand manifested and pressed down toward the sword formation.

At the same time, Ye Tianshang threw out his Sandstorm Sword, which immediately grew in size and charged at the sword formation, unleashing a giant wave of azure energy.

The other students followed up, aiming various spell arts at the mountain. Compared to the unity of the Seven Absolutions Sect, the Basking Moon Sect side was much more disorderly, but their power was not to be underestimated. In a flash, both sides were engaged in a spectacular battle.

This was the true way Immortals fought. Compared to this battle, Tang Jie felt like his previous battles were nothing more than child's play.

In these circumstances, the spell arts that the likes of Wei Tianchong and Qi Shaoming could use weren't very helpful. While Wei Tianchong's Fireball was fierce, it was only usable in close combat. In long-distance battles, it immediately became pitifully weak. Even Qi Shaoming's phantom clones couldn't contribute much.

The same was true for Tang Jie. Though he had entered the Mortal Shedding Realm, as he hadn't returned to the academy, he hadn't officially cultivated an art. Thus, all he had was the cultivation realm, without any powerful arts.

Of course, it wasn't like he was completely bereft. For example, he knew the Heavenly King Mara Incantation, but alas, this was part of the Divine Firmament Sword Classic, so he couldn't use it openly.

But this was fine. Tang Jie was happy to sit on the sidelines, and he fell back to the rear. In actuality, he was using Insight to look around.

For some reason, he found this battle very strange.

Seeking out a decisive battle and using a sword formation to fight in the open was already above the strength that the Seven Absolutions Sect should have.

After his previous interaction with them, Tang Jie had already become suspicious. But he was so focused on charging at Mortal Shedding that he had ignored it. Now that the war had begun, the suspicion returned, and he could no longer ignore it.

His vision gradually widened, and he took in everything on the periphery of the battlefield, but he didn't see anything wrong.

The clashes in the sky continued. While the Seven Absolutions Sect's Many Mountain Sword Formation was powerful, it was gradually giving way under the relentless attacks of Peng Yaolong and Ye Tianshang.

The sword light began to weaken under the explosions, and all that could be seen in the sky was Peng Yaolong's phantom battering away. Once the sword formation broke, the Seven Absolutions Sect students would be powerless to fight back and would be utterly routed. Peng Yaolong could already see the light of victory, and his laughter resounded across the sky.

But the more this was the case, the greater the unease in Tang Jie's mind grew.

On the summit, Mu Yi was still proudly standing, his boyish and honest face cold and emotionless. He simply observed the battle while exuding an inexplicable self-confidence.

This self-confidence made Tang Jie uneasy, but he couldn't find out where the problem was, which left him vexed.

Gritting his teeth, he decided to seek a higher vantage point. Since he couldn't find the problem, he would just expand the map!

But this was extremely dangerous for Tang Jie. While he was observing the battle from above, his consciousness would have essentially left his body. If someone made a sneak attack on him, Tang Jie wouldn't be able to strike back.

As his vision drew higher, almost all of the Langya Blessed Land appeared before him.

He saw the western and northern ends of the blessed land. Horizon Ocean Pavilion was on the verge of catching up to the Thousand Passions Sect, and the two sides were both flying as quickly as they could with their treasures, drawing out dazzling arcs in the air.

But this glimpse allowed Tang Jie to notice that none of these five treasures was the Stop Gate Banner.

He hadn't expected that the last treasure that had not appeared would be the Stop Gate Banner that he was so desperately after.

Tang Jie suddenly realized something.

Countless images appeared in his mind.

The exchanged refined beasts and Godhead Armors.

The Black Cloud Banner that was bought at a heavy price.

Mu Yi's composed gaze despite the desperate straits he was in.

The Stop Gate Banner which had yet to appear…

An idea suddenly occurred to him, and his heart trembled.

It was an unbelievable idea, but his reason told him that it was the closest to the truth.

A moment later, Tang Jie's perception shot off into the horizon. If someone used this time to launch an all-out assault on Tang Jie, then he would die for sure. But Tang Jie didn't care. His mind shot upward, breaking out of the cage and leaving the Langya Blessed Land, once more looking down over the world at the spectator stand.

This time, Tang Jie turned in the direction of Godhead Palace.

He finally found that familiar figure.

"Aaaah!"

Tang Jie suddenly cried out and threw up blood.

Wei Tianchong and Qi Shaoming, who were spectating along with him, were aghast. Helping him up, they asked, "Are you okay?"

Tang Jie raised his head, a bloody light in his eyes as he bitterly cried out, "It's a trap! The Seven Absolutions Sect has laid down a great formation here! We need to retreat!"

Peng Yaolong frowned. "Tang Jie, what nonsense are you saying? The Wandering Palace forbade anyone to bring in formation materials. Even if the Seven Absolutions Sect excels in the four auxiliaries, they can't lay down a formation that could threaten us."

Tang Jie grabbed Wei Tianchong and Qi Shaoming and ran, shouting, "They didn't use materials that they brought in to lay down formations! They used materials that they found here! They have the Stop Gate Banner, and they're using it to control the formation! Run! Run!"

As Tang Jie spoke, there was a boom, and the entire world darkened!