Aspiring to the Immortal Path

Tang Jie spoke of killing all of Wang Yao’s subordinates as if he was discussing what to have for lunch.

Xu Miaoran seemed unafraid of this heavy responsibility, simply raising an eyebrow. “Doing this is no easy feat. Does Husband want to use that?”

Tang Jie slowly passed Xu Miaoran something and said, “After this battle, everything is bound to be revealed, so it’s about time to use it.”

With a determined gaze, Xu Miaoran took the item. “I won’t let you down, Husband.”

“Right, how are Xuanyu and Meng’er doing?” Tang Jie asked.

This question immediately made the determined Xu Miaoran turn crestfallen.

Seven days ago, Wang Yao had finally returned Tang Xuanyu and Huangfu Meng to the Rosecloud Domain.

Xu Miaoran was naturally elated to see her son again.

But their conditions were not anything to celebrate.

Tang Xuanyu and Huangfu Meng had both ascended through the power of the Third Life Stone, reaching Immortal Platform. But their personalities had been greatly altered. It was even said that the two of them had been unwilling to return when Wang Yao had sent them back.

When Xu Miaoran saw her son, she had embraced him and wept in joy, but she received only coldness in return.

Those icy eyes had almost shattered Xu Miaoran’s heart.

Wang Yao had said that the Third Life Stone would make one into a mutant but that one’s sincere emotions would remain.

This was clearly not entirely correct.

Wang Yao had been able to retain his emotions because of his ancestor’s blessing, which had allowed him to avoid some of the side effects.

But Tang Xuanyu didn’t have this blessing, so he had become totally cold and indifferent.

He had not become a demon, nor did he become a villain who took killing as part of his nature, but he had become indifferent to life and affection, treating everything as if it didn’t matter. Perhaps the only thing he cared about was Huangfu Meng, who had already become his wife.

Huangfu Meng was in a slightly better state. She still listened to Xu Miaoran, but there was a lack of respect now, only a superficial courtesy.

This sort of reunion left Xu Miaoran in great pain. At times, she even felt like a dead son was better than the current one.

Tang Jie was much more open-minded. After he saw the state his son was in, he simply said, “Every person has their own Fate. At least he hasn’t become a demon. As for his cold personality, that’s fine. There are plenty of cold and aloof people among humans. Moreover, emotions can simply be nurtured again, and even someone with a cold personality knows to treat well the people who treat him well, and anyone with intelligence knows how to differentiate good and bad.”

These words made Xu Miaoran feel a lot better.

With Tang Jie bringing the topic up, Xu Miaoran sourly remarked, “Every day, I deliver him tea and refine pills for him to try and rebuild our relationship, but it doesn’t seem to have much of an effect.”

“You’re being too hasty,” Tang Jie replied. “The love of one’s parents has always been provided without seeking anything in return. The more concerned you are about his attitude toward you, the more he can sense it, and when he realizes that you have a motive behind all your kindness, he’ll ignore you. You have to take things naturally.”

“How do you know it will be like that?” Xu Miaoran grumbled.

Xu Miaoran had never objected to any argument from Tang Jie before. That she now objected showed just how heartbroken and concerned she was about her son.

Tang Jie laughed. “Have you forgotten how much time I spent with Ice Phoenix? Even demons can get sentimental if you live long enough with them, let alone him.”

While he hadn’t managed to pull Ice Phoenix back to humanity, long-term co-habitation had truly succeeded in greatly altering her attitude toward him.

In the end, demons were not completely emotionless. So long as one was willing to work at it, one could get along quite well with them.

Only then did Xu Miaoran relax a little.

Coincidentally, news from her side arrived.

A messenger flew over and kneeled before Tang Jie. “Domain Lord, Immortal Lord Posha desires an audience.”

“‘Posha’? Why did he come back?” Tang Jie was surprised.

Wang Posha and Cai Junyang were still stationed in the Primordial Fog Domain, tasked with observing Ice Phoenix and keeping the demons out of the Rosecloud Domain. Until now, they were still battling over in the Primordial Fog Domain, so why had he suddenly returned?

“Have him come see me,” Tang Jie said.

Soon, Wang Posha appeared at the roof of the pagoda, prostrating to Tang Jie. “Your disciple greets his master.”

“Rise. What is the situation in the Primordial Fog Domain?”

“Master, all is well, but I still feel great shame over being unable to find my junior brother.”

“There’s no need to keep looking. Your junior brother and sister have already returned to Rosecloud.”

“What?”

Tang Jie gave a rough summary of what had happened to Tang Xuanyu. Only when Wang Posha heard that Wang Yao had taken them away did he understand why he hadn’t been able to find any trace of them.

With his mastery of Time and Space, Wang Yao could come and go without leaving any trace, so tracking him down was absurdly difficult.

“Posha, what happened that made you come back personally?” Tang Jie asked.

“We have detected suspicious movements from Divine Phoenix Palace,” Wang Posha answered.

“Oh? What kind of suspicious movements?”

“All the subordinates of Ice Phoenix in Confusionem suddenly got together and departed without a trace.”

“What? More than a million demons disappeared all at once?”

“To be more precise, it’s three million,” Wang Posha answered. “Ice Phoenix has managed to develop her faction quite well these last few years.”

Three million demons! This number made Tang Jie take a deep breath.

Not even Libido’s army had been that large!

In so little time, Ice Phoenix had managed to grow this much?

Of course, the Rosecloud Domain was also many times stronger than before, and even six million demons would be nothing to fear. A lack of high-level combatants remained Ice Phoenix’s greatest weakness, but she was the one who had wanted to become a Demon Lord while only being a low-tier True Immortal, and this only because of Tang Jie’s help.

But if this force were suddenly turned on him, Tang Jie would still have a headache on his hands.

“Do you know where they went?” Tang Jie asked.

Wang Posha shook his head. “We’re not sure, only that they didn’t use our Spatial Gate, so it was presumably not the Rosecloud Domain. Before coming here, I made a personal visit to Divine Phoenix Palace. Only a few weak soldiers were left there, and when I interrogated a few of them, I confirmed that Divine Phoenix Palace received a sudden order and had to depart in haste, so this shouldn’t be some kind of diversion or feint.”

“How long have they been gone?”

“When I arrived, Divine Phoenix Palace had already been empty for 26 Dark Moon Nights, which is the equivalent of…”

“32 days,” Tang Jie and Xu Miaoran said in unison.

The two of them shared a look and smiled.

They knew what Nine Disaster was waiting for.

At this moment, the naive Yiyi also realized, clapping her hands and smiling. “I know where they went now!”

“Where?” Wang Posha asked.

“You’ll be seeing them soon,” Yiyi replied.

——————————————————

Before her was a prismatic haze, two walls in rainbow colors whizzing past her.

Only those proficient in the Dao of Time understood that this was the reversing of the River of Time. Starting from any one point on the River of Time and going upriver ten thousand kilometers was the equivalent of going back ten thousand years in time.

As Time stopped reversing, the colored bands faded away into a clear picture.

It was that Buddhist hall, clean and quiet.

A young monk was seated in the hall, reciting from “Inquiries to the Buddha”.

This young monk had compassion and benevolence written upon his delicate features, but if one took a closer look, one would find many similarities to that terrifying figure seated upon his lotus platform.

Was this the young Nine Disaster? He truly seemed like a virtuous high monk.

Tang Zixi, who had seen a portrait of Nine Disaster before, couldn’t help but sigh.

Standing in the Buddhist hall, she was like a ghost, unable to influence anything. Tang Zixi knew that none of this was happening now. Rather, her Dao Will of Time had activated some kind of powerful will hidden in the Buddhist text which had brought her to the scene of an event that had happened ten thousand years ago. She was a spectator and was powerless to influence anything.

Perhaps this event was the real reason that had made Nine Disaster a demon.

Tang Zixi thought to herself as she quietly waited.

She didn’t have to wait long. Soon, Nine Disaster stopped reciting and raised his head. “Who’s there?”

Tang Zixi looked at Nine Disaster in surprise.

Nine Disaster stood up and warily looked around. “Impossible!”

His eyes suddenly lost focus and he stopped moving, falling into some strange trance.

Tang Zixi wondered, What happened to Nine Disaster?

His body began to tremble, his face suddenly contorting in pain and then shifting between sorrow, joy, celebration, and anger.

After some time, Nine Disaster’s body finally stopped shaking.

Letting out a long breath, he brought his hands together and said, “This lowly monk understands. So this is this lowly monk’s destiny.”

He seemed to hear something and then said, “Yes, this lowly monk has decided. He is willing to depart to the other shore… yes… As Buddha said… if I do not descend to hell, who will… The Buddha is merciful…”

As Tang Zixi was listening, the scene suddenly blurred, and Nine Disaster’s voice became indistinct.

Tang Zixi realized that the Dao Will of Time was reaching its limit and the scene was about to collapse. Damn it! How could it start collapsing at such a critical moment!? She hastily tried to use the Dao of Time to extend the scene and slow the collapse.

But just as she did, a light erupted within the hall, and Nine Disaster suddenly raised his head and said, “Who dares to spy on me?”

This Nine Disaster was still a monk of average strength, known more for his prowess in the dharma than cultivation, but this question immediately sent a tremor through Tang Zixi’s mind, and the power of Time backlashed on her, sending her flying as she vomited blood.

Boom!

The scene collapsed, all turning to smoke.

As she returned to the present, she collapsed to the floor with a groan, but that copy of “Inquiries to the Buddha” was still giving off a strange glow…