Aspiring to the Immortal Path - Chapter 309

Chapter 309: The Return of the King

Run!

Run for all he was worth!

Tang Jie sprinted away, and a large number of ghost-possessed corpses gave chase.

The corpses didn’t run very quickly, and Tang Jie could certainly outrun them, but the corpses had some unknown method of catching up to him no matter how far he ran. Tang Jie would frequently run until he couldn’t see any corpses behind him, but when he sat down to rest for a while, a large pack of corpses would appear in the distance, and Tang Jie would have to continue running for his life.

In the short term, this was nothing, but if this kept going, and if Tang Jie didn’t even get any time to rest, he would ultimately be exhausted to death.

This thought made Tang Jie want nothing more than to give himself two slaps.

In the end, his joy had made him lose his sense of reason.

Tang Jie had only considered that the fourth formation could be passed by someone at the Spirit Platform Realm, forgetting that it was actually “someone at the Spirit Platform Realm who meets the conditions” that could pass.

As for those who didn’t meet the conditions, even if they were at the Immortal Platform Realm, they still wouldn’t be able to pass.

The legacy left behind by the Martial Lord actually required the successor to spend a lot of time studying and mastering each part before continuing.

This had been the case for the Parting Classic, the Martial Mirror, and the Visceral Manifestation Classic.

Tang Jie had already learned all the things provided by the first two formations, so he had passed straight through, not needing to wait.

But he had not learned anything concerning the Ninedark Mantra of the third formation. He had thought that the Ninedark Mantra’s method of entering the Spirit Platform Realm wasn’t different from other methods, but it was now clear that it was this mistaken idea that had led him into danger.

The Ninedark Mantra was the Martial Lord’s supreme technique, focusing on boundless strength. If one cultivated the Ninedark Mantra, then one could possess immense strength, even while one was at the Spirit Platform Realm. When breathing out and making noise, one could shake the world. With the Jewel Body and the Sonic Quake spell, he would need only a few roars to jolt the ghosts out of these corpses and resolve the danger.

But he had yet to cultivate the Ninedark Mantra, so he couldn’t use this kind of sonic spell.

Looking back at that lingering pack of corpses, Tang Jie took out the Ninedark Mantra and began to study as he ran.

But the Ninedark Mantra was profound, and in normal circumstances, it would be read after bathing and amidst the smell of calming incense. It wasn’t something that one could just dive into, and this wasn’t even considering that he was currently running for his life.

As he was failing to make any headway in the text, he spotted several figures in the distance.

“Chase!”

When He Chong saw Tang Jie attacking the second formation wall, he knew that the critical moment in Godhead Palace’s dream had come.

If they could capture Tang Jie and get back the Martial Mirror, Godhead Palace’s grand designs had some hope. On the other hand, if Tang Jie were allowed to leave, everything would come to an end.

His long sleeves unfurled, and He Chong produced a small boat.

This boat grew larger in the wind, instantly becoming the size of a real ship. He Chong pulled Duan and Deng onto the ship, and the ship set off for the formation wall, moving as quickly as lightning.

But no matter how fast it was, it couldn’t be faster than the speed at which Tang Jie broke through the formation wall.

They could see Tang Jie crazily smashing away at the spirit wall, tearing open the spiritual membrane and going through.

Duan Fourth shouted, “He’s broken the wall!”

“Don’t even think about running!” He Chong snorted, pointing a finger at Tang Jie’s back.

A light pursued Tang Jie, but just when it was about to hit him, it collided with the rapidly healing spirit wall.

“The formation wall is automatically healing!” Deng Yuqing cried out in alarm.

Upon seeing this, the three of them stopped holding back and threw all kinds of spell arts at the damaged spirit wall.

But the spirit wall was made of some material that made it nigh impervious, and it continued to heal.

The damaged area continued to shrink. In panic, He Chong let out a crazy shout and threw something at it: a copper coin.

The copper coin expanded in the air, and it flew into the gap, surprisingly stopping the spirit wall from healing.

“The Unfixed Coin!” Deng Yuqing cried out in shock. “True Person, that’s your life-saving treasure!”

“Shut it!” He Chong roared. “If we can’t get the Martial Mirror, everything ends!”

He slapped the boat, which picked up speed.

The coin was made of some incredibly tough metal that prevented the spirit wall from making any headway, keeping the gap open. As the coin radiated light, it gradually began to deform.

The boat got closer and closer.

He Chong grabbed Deng Yuqing and Duan Fourth, and yelled, “Go!”

The three of them turned into puffs of smoke and flew through the hole in the middle of the coin.

(TN: Traditional Chinese coins have a square hole in the middle of them.)

Right after the three of them flew through, there was a bang! The spirit wall crushed the coin into countless shards.

When the three of them landed, they found themselves on a battlefield. When they turned back, they saw that the spirit wall was no longer there.

“Sir!” Duan Fourth shouted in panic.

He Chong exhaled and closed his eyes. After a long while, he finally said, “I see now… The true formation wasn’t in Ten Direction Valley. Ten Direction Valley is just a path to the Immortal Realm.”

“So where are we now?” Deng Yuqing asked.

He Chong looked at the sky, which was gray and cloudy, devoid of any identifying features.

He shook his head and replied, “I’m currently not sure. However, while this place is rich with spiritual energy, it flows rather slowly. Seeing as how these corpses have gone ten thousand years without decaying, while this is partially because of the Spirit Essence Barriers, it is also an indicator that the seal on this ground is extremely strong. I’m guessing that we are most likely no longer in the Rosecloud Domain.”

“‘Not in the Rosecloud Domain’?” Deng Yuqing and Duan Fourth gasped. “How is that possible?”

“Nothing is impossible.” He Chong smiled. “Although only Immortal Platform Titans can resist the Domain Astral Winds and ascend beyond the domains, that doesn’t mean that only those of the Immortal Platform can break the domain, nor is there only one solution. The Martial Lord was a sovereign of his generation and had formidable methods. It is nothing strange if he was able to lay down a formation in a boundary crack.”

“‘A boundary crack’? True Person, are you saying that the Nine Executions Immortal Formation is not set up in any domain, but in a boundary crack?”

“Mm. Look at the sky. That gray and overcast layer is suffused with a faint gold, which is a circumstance unique to the void outside of domains. Only someone in the void and close to a domain boundary can see it. In addition, while this place is not in Ten Direction Valley, it has a path linking it to Ten Direction Valley. The dispersion of spiritual energy outside of Ten Direction Valley is proof that these two areas are linked and can exchange spiritual energy.”

He Chong was a Celestial Heart True Person, and he was also Godhead Palace’s formation expert. He might have been confused at first, but once he jumped beyond the limits of his mindset, he was no longer so easily tricked. He had far more experience and insight than Tang Jie.

For this reason, not long after he arrived, he had a basic understanding of where he was.

Alas, no matter how much he understood, he would have to suffer what he needed to suffer.

While they had been speaking, Duan Fourth had seen the treasures littering the ground, and he delightedly went to pick them up.

He was greedier and also more discerning than Tang Jie, and so he spotted a treasure in the distance: the Vermillion Bird Hoop.

As he tried to seize it, there was a resounding bird cry, and a bird of flames appeared over the Vermillion Bird Hoop.

This firebird was even fiercer than the golden dragon. The moment it appeared, it created a vast sea of flames that surged toward the trio.

The countless art relics in the surrounding area immediately cried out, flaunting their power in unison and stunning the world.

Even though this trio consisted of one True Person and two Spirit Masters, they were so scared that they immediately turned and ran.

But while the three of them didn’t have the Weapon Mantra like Tang Jie, their strength was not to be underestimated. When He Chong saw that the Vermillion Bird Hoop wasn’t giving up, he hardened his heart and decided to turn around and fight.

Though this Vermillion Bird Hoop was an Immortal weapon from High Antiquity, it had been slumbering for ten thousand years, and much of its energy had been consumed. It lost in this battle and was subdued by He Chong.

He Chong was delighted at the unexpected gain of an Immortal weapon. He thought to himself, This Nine Executions Immortal Formation really is something else. I was able to just randomly run into a treasure like the Vermillion Bird Hoop. While the bird sealed in here isn’t a real Vermillion Bird, given its power, it must be a divine bird soul with the bloodline of a real Vermillion Bird.

But while he was excited, the three of them didn’t dare to provoke the rest of the treasures scattered around.

As they began to roam the battlefield in search of Tang Jie, they felt the formation shudder…

“He Chong!” Tang Jie saw the three figures in front of him and locked onto He Chong’s figure.

It was this person that had chased Xu Muyang down and inflicted heavy injuries on him. It was also this person who had brought over Shi Wunian, causing Xu Muyang’s death.

Without him, he might not have had a chance to get to know Xu Muyang, nor would he have had a chance to stand here, and for this “assistance”, all Tang Jie could do was kill him to avenge Xu Muyang.

Tang Jie was actually delighted that his foe had chased him into the formation. Laughing, he turned into a bolt of violet lightning and charged in He Chong’s direction. At the same time, he threw out several punches, sending bolts of wind at the ground in front of him and stirring up a cloud of dust.

The sand obstructed their vision, and they could only see someone running at them, but not who it was.

But as the figure got closer, they were finally able to make out Tang Jie’s figure. Duan Fourth shouted, “It’s Tang Jiye!”

The three of them were delighted, and went to confront him.

Tang Jie saw them coming, and laughed. “Perfect!”

He threw out several more punches, creating a furious sandstorm in the area for several hundred meters around him as he turned in the other direction.

He Chong thought that he was taking this chance to run, and snorted, “A lowly trick! I would be disgracing my Celestial Heart if I let you run today!”

He reached out his hand, and a giant claw phantom appeared to seize Tang Jie.

The Azure Light Sword erupted, clashing with the claw in a loud clang, and then Tang Jie flew backward like a stringless kite.

He Chong bellowed, “Hand over the Martial Mirror!”

“You want the Martial Mirror?” Tang Jie laughed and took it out. “You’re talking about this?”

“The Martial Mirror!” The eyes of He Chong and the other two glowed.

He Chong made a snatch at the mirror.

But despite his speed, he couldn’t move faster than Tang Jie.

Tang Jie flipped his wrist. “Don’t even think about it!”

The Martial Mirror went sailing out behind him.

Grabbing only at empty air, He Chong roared, “Bastard!”

As he went to find the Martial Mirror, he heard an intense tremor.

Startled, he focused on the horizon and saw hazy black silhouettes in the distance.

He Chong grunted, “I see now. Is that what you’re relying on? Hmph, just some ghosts trying to flaunt their power.”

He was sure that Tang Jie had lured over something, and out of caution, he did not want to draw its attention. But since Tang Jie had now thrown out the Martial Mirror, he had no choice but to concern himself with it.

In any case, given how Tang Jie was running for his life, it probably wasn’t anything formidable. If Tang Jie could flee this pursuit, then he, He Chong, could run from it as well.

In this aspect, He Chong actually wasn’t wrong.

The corpses couldn’t catch Tang Jie, so they naturally couldn’t catch He Chong.

The problem was that Tang Jie wasn’t intending for the ghosts to catch He Chong.

A moment later, He Chong took out his new treasure, the Vermillion Bird Hoop, and threw it forward. The vermillion firebird erupted from the hoop and spat out a large ball of flame that swept forward like a flood.

There was a bitter screech as the flames ignited the corpses. Blood and flesh popped and crackled, but the movement of the corpses was unaffected.

One burning corpse after another ran out of the sea of flames and angrily jumped at He Chong.

These corpses had simple mindsets with no intelligence. They would attack anyone who attacked them.

They had first attacked Tang Jie because Tang Jie was the only living person. Now that He Chong had suddenly appeared and let out a large-area attack, he had basically taken the heat off Tang Jie, instantly becoming the target of their hatred. The corpses charged in en masse, completely ignoring Tang Jie.

Not even Tang Jie had expected He Chong to strike with such power and range. He stared in shock for a few moments before giving a big thumbs-up. “Such self-sacrifice.”

This attack had helped to draw the vast majority of the corpses away from Tang Jie.

He Chong’s group hadn’t realized how terrifying these corpses chasing them were. Upon seeing the corpses approach, Duan Fourth and Deng Yuqing attacked. As there were many targets, they used wide-area attacks. Countless lights descended upon the corpse horde, and the ghosts wailed amidst the explosions.

Tang Jie couldn’t help but cover his eyes. “You brought this on yourself!”

Furious cries arose from the corpse horde.

Spell arts emerged from the corpse horde, and many of the corpses picked up speed, abandoning their leisurely pace.

This was the inevitable result of increased hatred. These corpses had the ability to cast spell arts, but their spell arts would be much weaker than normal. Tang Jie had already learned this. But other than spells meant for capture like the Dragon Vortex Hand, they would not cast spells unless they were driven by sufficient hatred.

When someone truly provoked them, they would unleash unprecedented strength, even growing faster. This speed came from spell arts, so it was no good for pursuit. It was, however, enough for a charge.

One possessed corpse threw back its head and roared, and then it charged out of the horde. In a flash, it appeared in front of Duan Fourth, clawing at him.

Duan Fourth smiled. “Scram!”

He thrust out a palm, his Blood Corrosion Palm causing that corpse’s hand to melt with a hiss. But Duan Fourth’s palm was now sporting five bloody holes from the strike of the corpse.

Duan Fourth was startled by this surprise wound, and then he howled in immense pain.

The corpse clawed at Duan Fourth’s eyes.

Fortunately, Deng Yuqing gave a timely kick, knocking the corpse back, but this left his own foot in terrible pain. He paled in shock at the toughness of the corpse.

Even more corpses charged out.

They pushed through the sea of flames, the corrosive blood, and the sandstorm, and while all these things hurt them, they lunged at the three nonetheless. The chilling power they radiated filled the world, forming a tide of terror.

This pressure made even He Chong pale in shock.

Only now did he finally see what these things were.

These were clearly figures from High Antiquity who had died ages ago on this battlefield, but now, they had come back as if they were reenacting the Return of the King!

Even more corpses surged forward.

He Chong sent one flying with a chop of his palm, and he saw that corpse flip to its feet and continue charging at him as if it was perfectly fine.

“Fire in the ten directions, the heavens and earth wither: Immovable True Flame!” He Chong formed signs with his hands, and then a dark blue flame shot out from his palm. Upon landing, it created a great mass of blue flames that attached itself to the corpses. The stench of burning flesh instantly filled the air.

At the same time, the Vermillion Bird Hoop’s firebird reappeared, spitting flame at the corpses down below.

The corpses finally reached their limits under the twin flames. They staggered a few times in the sea of fire before finally collapsing into ash.

Deng Yuqing and Duan Fourth sighed in relief, saying in unison, “True Person He’s Immovable True Flame’s power is without peer!”

He Chong’s face twitched. Despite their praise, his heart still winced in pain.

He had spent fifty years scrounging up this little ember of Immovable True Flame, and that attack just now had consumed 5% of it—two and half years of effort.

For some reason, these corpses were so extremely tough that only an Astral Flame like the Immovable True Flame was able to kill them.

He Chong was deeply pained by the heavy price he had to pay, and he glared at the nearby Tang Jie.

Tang Jie had already taken off his veiled hat, revealing his face.

He Chong grunted, “Tang Jie… it really was you. I can’t believe you even had the idea of disguising yourself as You Shaofeng. Now, I will…”

Before he could finish, Tang Jie waved his hand and said, “Hey, hey, you don’t think everything is over, do you? In the Nine Executions Immortal Formation, each formation is more dangerous than the last. I’m sure you understand this, yes? I’ve already opened the fourth formation, and these possessed corpses are the guardians of this formation. And when did the fourth formation become something a single Celestial Heart True Person like you could contend against?”

He Chong was startled as Tang Jie went on, “These corpses can move because ghosts have entered them. Where do you think these ghosts came from?”

He Chong was stunned. “Could it be… the souls of these deceased?”

Tang Jie nodded. “The Infinite Illusion Zone can preserve souls, and after death, they become ghosts, so why can’t the same happen with this ancient battlefield? But there’s one thing that’s different. The bodies of these corpses are still around.”

He Chong paled, having a vague idea of what Tang Jie was getting at.

Sure enough, Tang Jie said, “I saw for myself how they acted. As they floated around, they didn’t choose just any random corpse to possess, instead searching through them before picking one. I’m thinking that they’re looking for their own corpses. But as they lack intelligence, most of them can’t find it, so they rely on feeling. Most of them find the wrong one, instead possessing a corpse that had a cultivation similar to theirs. But there are so many corpses and so many ghosts that some of them will inevitably get it right by chance.”

He Chong shivered.

Tang Jie casually went on, “These corpses were mostly Violet Palace in life, and if their souls were to return to their bodies, even if they couldn’t use the strength they had in life, Celestial Heart presumably wouldn’t be much of a problem for them. They… are the real attack force here.”

As Tang Jie spoke, the dust settled.

Another group of possessed corpses appeared in the distance.

Unlike the previous corpses, these ones were clearly more nimble.

They stood like humans, their eyes glinting with intelligence. As they looked at He Chong, two of the corpses opened their mouths, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

This was a threat, a warning.

And in the distance, even more possessed corpses were gathering from all around, gathering behind these corpses in an awesome horde.

Compared to this army, the several dozen corpses that He Chong had destroyed just now were just a small vanguard.

He Chong’s trio felt their bodies grow cold.

Tang Jie backed away a few steps. “Good luck.”