Aspiring to the Immortal Path

Chapter 320: Using a Siege to Bait Reinforcements

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Tang Jie had used the Blazing Sun Wheel to strike him from the back, severing his spine.

He didn’t even have time to struggle before dying. It was a death that was neither heroic nor hotblooded.

But compared to the death of the red wheel student, the death of the black sword student drew the greater reaction.

In this battle of one versus two, Tang Jie had truly illustrated everything he had besides his cultivation, leaving those illustrious figures watching deeply moved.

“Using a soul weapon as bait to divide the enemy, fighting to the death with his life on the line, and then playing dead for a final sneak attack, thus defeating two Mortal Shedding students at Spirit Sea! He truly has both wits and courage!” Madam He of Horizon Ocean Pavilion nodded in praise. “The Basking Moon Sect has another genius!”

This Madam He was known in Horizon Ocean Pavilion for being very proud. Even Lan Yu and his nine-cycle Jade Gate had only earned the evaluation of “a talent worth working on”, not a genius. Unexpectedly, Tang Jie’s performance today had earned this appellation from her.

Despite this, her words drew no objection. Even the elder from the Thousand Passions Sect, Horizon Ocean Pavilion’s longtime foe, Dazzling Demon Li Qiuyue, nodded in agreement. “Remaining calm in the face of a foe is a sign that he has wits, and fighting to the death is a sign that he has courage. But besides that, he can also hurt himself to fool the enemy, showing that he is ruthless. Unconventional plans come with their own risks. If his feigned death didn’t work, with the heavy injuries he had inflicted on himself, his death would be certain. But this kid did it without hesitation, showing that he has resolve. There are many people in the world with wits and courage, but few that have such ruthlessness and resolve. He truly is a genius!”

Ming Yekong laughed. “A brat who doesn’t cultivate his realm and focuses only on deception. This is no long-term plan. I’m afraid that the two of you overpraise him.”

“You can’t say that. If cultivation level was everything, what would we all be competing for? We could just stand together and state our cultivation levels to settle things. True geniuses can only be identified through real combat,” the green-robed elder of the Seven Absolutions Sect chuckled. “Regardless, in a one versus two, weak versus strong, he was able to win. In my view, this battle is something that should be taught in class.”

There were ulterior motives to these words.

The Seven Absolutions Sect was sworn enemies with Godhead Palace. Now that two of Godhead Palace’s Mortal Shedding students had fallen for Tang Jie’s scheme and been slain, suffering a most unworthy death, if this were turned into a classic case study, wouldn’t it have to be passed on every day at school?

From then on, Godhead Palace would have one more thing the entire world could jeer at them about.

Elder Ke of Godhead Palace snorted, an unhappy look on his face.

Alas, on this matter, Godhead Palace could, at best, persuade the other four sects. It had no control over the actions of the Seven Absolutions Sect.

In other words, Tang Jie was bound to end up in the textbooks of Seven Absolutions Institute.

Elder Ke grew angrier and angrier at Tang Jie.

Such was the reaction of the six major sects. The wandering cultivators from all around had their own opinions.

While the Immortal Fortune Conference was an opportunity for the six sects to vie for the Wandering Palace, it was also for the six sects to present their students to the world. Whoever stood out would be bound to enjoy greater status and attention. From a certain perspective, these students represented the potential of the various sects. The more outstanding the student, the greater the sect’s potential. Perhaps there was even a chance of breaking the current power balance.

Tang Jie’s victory against two opponents had finally caused a stir within the audience.

Though he had already drawn eyes before, no previous incident drew more eyes than this one. Battles of life and death were always of utmost importance to cultivators. All other outstanding traits only meant something if one could survive.

Tang Jie had won a battle that everyone had thought unwinnable, and he earned the crowd’s praise. At this moment, he had finally been acknowledged, an acknowledgment that made no regard for realm or tier. Even a Celestial Heart True Person would nod and smile at him in praise.

“This kid isn’t simple. If he doesn’t die, great things lie ahead of him.”

“If you run into this guy, you can only make friends with him, not enemies. If you do make an enemy of him, you had best put your all into it. You absolutely can’t underestimate him!”

“With this kid’s personality, once he graduates, he’ll be known throughout the cultivation world!”

The crowd was in an uproar with commentary.

Tang Jie’s name had truly entered the minds of most cultivators, thus entering the Rosecloud Domain!

Tang Jie knew nothing about the outside world’s reaction. He was currently digging through the Mustard Seed Bags of the two students.

According to the rules, the Wandering Palace placed no claim on the items taken from slain students. Thus, everything those two students had left behind was his.

Tang Jie hopefully searched through the bags for spirit plants that could boost spiritual energy, but as this was only the first day in the blessed land, the students were limited in what they could have gathered. In contrast, there were quite a few life-saving items here.

Tang Jie emptied the two bags and found two upper-grade art Gold Bell Talismans, one escape art talisman, and two high-level Clear Heart Talismans. Besides that, there were two bottles of Energy-Blood Restorative Pills, a decent medicine for treating injuries that was meant for Mortal Shedding Realm cultivators to use. Using them on a Spirit Sea Tier student like Tang Jie was clearly a waste.

Alas, there was not a single medicine linked to cultivation.

The most valuable were the two weapons.

The Blazing Sun Wheel was secondary, as it was only an upper-grade spell weapon. That student had probably taken it because he lacked money.

But the black sword was called the Profound Yin Sword, and it was a lower-grade art relic. When it was activated, a chill wind would stir that would affect everything within several hundred meters. The body would feel like it was in a snow-ridden land and find it difficult to move.

Tang Jie’s Heartbreak Saber was actually far more valuable than the Profound Yin Sword, for it was a soul weapon. But in terms of strength, as the Heartbreak Saber was still a spell weapon, it could not compare to an art relic.

That student hadn’t been satisfied with his own treasure and had sought Tang Jie’s soul weapon, and in the end, he ended up giving away his treasure, which drew many sighs. There were already people in the crowd pointing at the black sword student and telling their juniors to take this as an example and not be too greedy.

As for Tang Jie, as he hadn’t reached Mortal Shedding yet, he still couldn’t use the full power of the Profound Yin Sword, so in his hands, he could only swing it around like an ordinary weapon. As he was ruefully sighing about this, he saw someone flying through the air. His eyes brightened, and he shouted, “Tianshang!”

A sword flashed, and Ye Tianshang flew over.

The sword stopped next to Tang Jie, and Ye Tianshang dismounted in front of him and laughed, “I’ve finally run into a comrade! Why are you here?”

Tang Jie pointed at the bodies.

Ye Tianshang glanced over and sneered, “So it was Godhead Palace’s people? Daring to try and kill you with just two people? It seems like they got tired of living.”

The mantra he had learned from Tang Jie had caused his strength to soar, allowing him to defeat two Seven Absolutions Sect students. Thus, in his view, it was only natural that Tang Jie could defeat two students from Godhead Palace.

Tang Jie inwardly grumbled, You have no idea how hard it was for me to win. I even wagered my life!

But he could only say, “You can’t say that. These two were quite strong, and I was even injured.”

He pointed at the wound on his body.

This was the worst wound he had suffered in this battle, but amusingly, it was the one he had inflicted on himself.

Ye Tianshang casually waved his hand. “You think I don’t know you? A little injury like this is nothing to you. Hasn’t it already gotten much better?”

Tang Jie’s wound truly was much better, but this was because he had used medicine and not because of his freakish constitution.

Ye Tianshang added, “Right, did you get anything from killing these two bastards?”

Tang Jie waved the sword around. “This was the only decent thing.”

Ye Tianshang’s eyes glowed. “An art relic?”

He was in the Mortal Shedding Realm, but as he was diligently cultivating, he used all his money on improving himself, leaving none for buying an art relic. Thus, just like the red wheel student, he was forced to use a spell weapon.

Now that he saw an art relic in Tang Jie’s hand, his heart began to tremble in excitement.

Tang Jie threw the Profound Yin Sword to Ye Tianshang. “Want to see if it suits you?”

Ye Tianshang spun the sword over his head, unleashing a chill over the area that was even greater than that unleashed by its former owner. This was a sign of how strong Ye Tianshang was.

Ye Tianshang nodded in satisfaction. “It’s not bad. Though it’s not something like the Sandstream Sword that can raise sword energy and increase the sword’s speed, the cold wind and Yin energy give it a different kind of power.”

While the Profound Yin Sword didn’t exactly suit him, it was still an art relic.

When Ye Tianshang used it, while it might have a weaker illusory effect, the damage would only be greater. In sum, the Profound Yin Sword would still be a boost for him, so he was somewhat unwilling to give it back to Tang Jie.

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Tang Jie knew what he wanted and smiled. “If you like it, I can give it to you!”

“‘Give it to me’?” Ye Tianshang was shocked. “This is an art relic, worth a lot of money.”

After getting the Twelve Hidden Whirlpools from Tang Jie, to now receive an art relic would leave Ye Tianshang with a burden that was too much even for him.

Tang Jie shrugged. “If you think it’s too much, help me pick some spirit plants!”

“What do you need?” Ye Tianshang hastily asked.

“Thousand Bell Grass, Congealed Jade Incense, Yellow Vigor Fruit, Jade Return Grass, Heavenly Aroma Grass, Ghostface Ginseng…” Tang Jie recited a list of plants.

His goal was now clear. He was trading Ye Tianshang’s blessed land quota for the art relic.

Although Tang Jie could break the rules and gather on his own, he knew how important it was to not overdo things. Picking an extra one or two, picking an extra several dozen, and scouring the land clean all had different consequences.

This was similar to how the punishments levied on a pickpocket were completely different from those levied on a bandit.

Tang Jie needed too much, and with his quota, the amount he needed would be akin to a bandit looting a village. That being the case, it would be better to share the blame. Moreover, good plants were hard to find, and even Tang Jie would need some time to find them.

Ye Tianshang quickly nodded. “Deal. I’ll get you three of each.”

He immediately agreed to give three of each, but spirit plants like Ghostface Ginseng and Yellow Vigor Fruit were rarities even in the Langya Blessed Land, their value far above the Profound Yin Sword. Ye Tianshang had subconsciously ignored the value of these plants. In comparison, the Profound Yin Sword could boost his combat strength and allow him to put on a better performance in this contest, so he liked it more.

The two of them were both satisfied by this deal.

Ye Tianshang said, “Given the situation, it seems like it was someone from Godhead Palace who got the first treasure.”

“Mm.” Tang Jie gave a summary of what happened.

When he heard that some Basking Moon Academy students had fallen into Yun Wuji’s hand, Ye Tianshang couldn’t help but frown. “Who were they?”

“Qian Hanjiang and Yang Qiu,” Tang Jie replied.

“Those two good-for-nothings!” Ye Tianshang stomped his feet in anger. Qian Hanjiang meant little to him, but Yang Qiu was a schoolmate in his year, someone he was on pretty good terms with. He couldn’t just watch as they were taken captive by Godhead Palace.

Moreover, from a moral perspective, it wasn’t right to ignore a classmate that he was on good terms with.

Ye Tianshang pointed at the corpses and said, “It would have been better if you had left them alive.”

Tang Jie smiled. “You have a really high opinion of me, expecting me to fight against two people and even leave them alive.”

Ye Tianshang thought about it and realized that not even he would have been capable of such a feat. He resentfully said, “Then what do we do now?”

“Unless you want Hanjiang and Yang Qiu to die, even going over is pointless.”

“So are we going to just let them use our people to threaten us?” Ye Tianshang glared.

Tang Jie indifferently said, “They didn’t capture anyone from the Seven Absolutions Sect.”

“The Seven Absolutions Sect?” Ye Tianshang froze. “Did none of them show up?”

Tang Jie nodded. “None.”

Ye Tianshang narrowed his eyes. “When I was coming, I ran into two members of the Seven Absolutions Sect. They tried to use their numbers to beat me, but I took care of them. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but those two guys were together even though they had entered the blessed land not too long ago. It might not be a coincidence. They seemed to be in a rush, as if they were heading somewhere. Perhaps…”

“Perhaps they were meeting up,” Tang Jie continued. “The Seven Absolutions Sect is of average strength, but they have never lacked for schemes and tricks. I wouldn’t find it strange if they had some way to communicate. If I were in the Seven Absolutions Sect, I definitely wouldn’t try to fight on my own. Rather, I would use all the advantages I had at my disposal, including terrain and manpower, which means moving together.”

“It’s very possible.” Ye Tianshang nodded. “So what are you implying?”

Tang Jie replied, “So long as the Seven Absolutions Sect finishes assembling, it will definitely use its advantage in numbers to attack Godhead Palace. They don’t have any of their people taken as hostages and so have nothing to fear.”

“That’s true, but does that mean we can only watch?”

Tang Jie replied, “Of course not. Now that the treasure light has appeared, everyone will be coming this way. Godhead Palace and the Beast Refining Gate are also gathering their people, and when it comes to numbers, Godhead Palace and the Beast Refining Gate have more people when put together…”

Ye Tianshang’s eyes glowed as he understood what Tang Jie was getting at. “So what we actually need to do isn’t to cause trouble for Yun Wuji, but to intercept his reinforcements!”

“Correct!” Tang Jie smiled. “Besiege a point to lure out reinforcements. If we can get hostages of our own, we can make an exchange. Even if we can’t get any, we will create an opportunity for the Seven Absolutions Sect.”

“Then if the object falls into the hands of the Seven Absolutions Sect?”

“What about it?” Tang Jie casually said. “The treasure can easily change hands, and the timer resets, so the Seven Absolutions Sect won’t be able to take it away that quickly Moreover, in this contest of the six sects, the sects are not of equal strength. At present, the strongest are the Beast Refining Gate and the Basking Moon Sect. Godhead Palace has joined hands with the Beast Refining Gate. Our strategy of getting at the reinforcements should focus on getting at the stronger of these two sects, and then when we go against the Seven Absolutions Sect and Horizon Ocean Pavilion, we stand a better chance of emerging victorious. As for the Taiyi Profound Clarity Cup, what does it matter if the Seven Absolutions Sect really manages to take it away? There are ten treasures, and this is only the first. Isn’t it worthwhile to sacrifice the first to buy a better position?”

Ye Tianshang nodded in agreement. He pointed at Tang Jie and laughed, “You’re really good at this!”

Tang Jie’s strategy of striking at reinforcements was truly vicious. Not only did it break Yun Wuji’s hostage strategy, it also greatly weakened the two sects.

But this wasn’t what was most important. What was most important was that his goal had never been the treasure, but the people!

He was borrowing the appearance of the Taiyi Profound Clarity Cup to clean out Godhead Palace and the Beast Refining Gate, after which he would then think of a way to deal with Horizon Ocean Pavilion and the Seven Absolutions Sect. It was only then that he would seek out a confrontation with the Thousand Passions Sect.

As for fighting over the treasure, Tang Jie didn’t care one bit.

When the students from all the other sects had been defeated, there would be no need to search for the remaining treasures. It would naturally all belong to the Basking Moon Sect.

This was like a war; the students, soldiers; and the treasures, cities. Soldiers besieged cities to seize them, but it was oft forgotten that soldiers were the foundation. Eliminating the army would always be of greater strategic significance than taking a city.

Of course, in this process, some treasures would inevitably fall into the hands of the students from the other five sects, giving other people a chance.

Thus, what Tang Jie sought to do was to prevent the other outstanding students from getting treasures if he couldn’t have them for himself.

Like Lan Yu.

“Then… Senior Brother Ye, let’s split up and contact the other four sects to have them assist with this plan.”

“Naturally,” Ye Tianshang agreed.

Just as he was about to leave, Tang Jie called out, “Right, Senior Brother Ye.”

“What is it?”

Tang Jie said, “If you run into Lan Yu… let him through.”

Ye Tianshang narrowed his eyes.

He chuckled, “Understood.”

Time for Tang Jie to have a mano-a-mano with Lan Yu? To decide who will get Xu Miaoran’s hand once and for all?