Aspiring to the Immortal Path

Chapter 336: Defeat

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An Arclight Slash landed in front of him, the shockwave of the blast sending Tang Jie a little higher.

The fierce explosion worsened Tang Jie’s wounds, and a few cracks appeared on the Heartbreak Saber.

Xiao Wen was growing more and more immersed in the assault, his heart leaping with joy.

Only the person experiencing it could know how refreshing it was to just brainlessly blast away. For Xiao Wen, each time he used the Wuji Diagram to blast his opponent was a joyous moment in his life.

What he didn’t know was that Tang Jie’s mind was working away during this time, trying to think his way out of this unfavorable situation.

The Wuji Diagram truly was formidable, but there was no spell art in the world that was invincible. Wasn’t the Seven Absolutions Sect still the weakest of the six major sects after all this time? The Wuji Diagram alone wasn’t enough for them to turn the tables.

But how exactly had his seniors dealt with the Wuji Diagram?

Tang Jie racked his mind.

But he had never paid attention to cases like these before, and he momentarily couldn’t think of any examples.

Unable to find an answer, Tang Jie clenched his teeth and bluntly asked, “Xiao Wen, have you ever used the Wuji Diagram against anyone else?”

“Hm?” Xiao Wen was taken aback by his question. “What’s the point in asking that?”

“I’m just asking. You seem so happy just blasting me everywhere, it’s like you’ve never done this before.” Tang Jie swiped his saber to block an Arclight as he tumbled through the air.

“Hmph, of course not. Everyone runs as soon as they see me finish the Wuji Diagram! So boring!” Xiao Wen gruffly said.

“In other words, you’ve never seen a target as good as me?” Tang Jie asked.

“…I guess,” Xiao Wen casually replied, finding such a question pointless.

Tang Jie’s eyes narrowed. “I see. It’s no wonder I can’t see the weakness of the Wuji Diagram. It’s because its weakness is that you slow down while it’s being maintained.”

Xiao Wen was aghast.

As Tang Jie tumbled through the air, he laughed, “Yes, yes, that must be the case. The reason you can blast me around like this is that I’m in the formation.”

The Fire Beacon Smoke Net Formation was awash with traps, making movement difficult. Even though Tang Jie had already seen through the formation, he still needed to be careful of all the traps as he moved around.

This was exactly why Tang Jie hadn’t really been able to speed up. His so-called divine formation-breaking speed was only true in a relative sense, like comparing the divine speed of a turtle to that of a snail. In the end, they couldn’t compare to a human.

Tang Jie’s speed had been restrained by the formation, so Xiao Wen couldn’t show the Wuji Diagram’s flaw of lowered speed. It was no wonder he seemed so invincible. If Tang Jie hadn’t had such a profound understanding of the formation and Xiao Wen himself hadn’t had to pay attention to the workings of the formation, Tang Jie would have been blasted to the high heavens by Xiao Wen long ago.

Even so, he would never beat Xiao Wen like this.

But now that he knew the problem, Tang Jie understood what to do.

He dodged an Arclight Slash and laughed. “You hate speed, right? Then did you know? Speed can be used to escape, but it can also be used to attack.”

Xiao Wen’s heart shivered, and he instantly felt like something bad was going to happen.

Tang Jie suddenly stopped, arched like a leopard at Xiao Wen, and then roared, “Try this!”

Activating the Violet Lightning Lunge, he shot at Xiao Wen like an arrow.

This time, he didn’t use his understanding of formations to avoid the traps, instead forcing his way through with sheer speed. As he passed through seemingly empty ground, flames, sharp leaves, lightning, and wind blades came to life and barraged him.

But Tang Jie’s speed at that moment was just too fast, so fast that those traps couldn’t keep up and could only follow him like a shadow, creating an enormous wave.

At the same time, two powerful Arclight Slashes shot toward him.

The Heartbreak Saber flew out of Tang Jie’s hand, striking one of the arcs, and his body charged at the other.

In a bang, the Arclight Slash broke through the Aquagel Shroud and tore apart the Formless Golden Body, leaving a long and bloody wound on Tang Jie. But Tang Jie wasn’t pushed back, continuing to charge. In a flash, he had covered the long distance between the two. He grabbed Xiao Wen and shouted, “If you want to die, we’ll die together!”

Boom!

The vast wave of wind, fire, and lightning crashed into them, and blood erupted from their bodies.

Both of them groaned as they were sent flying and crashed into the ground. For a moment, neither of them could move.

The traps of the smoke net formation weren’t powerful, mostly relying on numbers, but with all of the traps that Tang Jie had drawn over, even the weak became strong.

They were both badly injured and momentarily unable to stand.

Lying on the ground, Tang Jie gasped for breath. “Count it as a draw?”

Xiao Wen turned his body up to the sky and laughed. “‘A draw’? Tang Jie, I acknowledge that you’re ruthless, thinking of this way to break my Wuji Diagram, but if you think this is a draw, you’re gravely mistaken. Did you forget what sort of sect my Seven Absolutions Sect is? You’re no match when it comes to formations, and also when it comes to medicines!”

He pulled out his Mustard Seed Bag with some difficulty, took out a bottle of pills, and poured out a red pill.

Holding this pill, Xiao Wen laughed, “This Naturalife Pill is a secret product of my sect, able to restore even the worst of wounds, let alone wounds like these. Tang Jie, you’re quite something to force me to use this.”

He made to swallow it.

Tang Jie tossed something out of his hand, and Xiao Wen froze.

“A Mindseizer, a treasure that can possess minds. A lot of people need to die in order to refine a single one. It’s just as valuable as yours, you know, so let’s trade,” Tang Jie mumbled as he got up and grabbed the bottle out of Xiao Wen’s hand.

He poured out a pill and had one himself. He looked inside and saw that there were still two, so he kept them. Luo Yin’s destroyed face could only be healed with this pill, and now that he had it, he could finally dispel this worry.

Looking back, he saw that Xiao Wen was still in a trance, so he slapped Xiao Wen on the head, sending in spiritual energy that slew the Mindseizer. Xiao Wen immediately came to his senses, but before he could do anything, Tang Jie gave him a chop to the back of his head, knocking him out.

“This should be enough to trade.” Tang Jie exhaled and then activated Xiao Wen’s teleportation token.

If the Basking Moon students were still around, they would see the teleportation beam, which would increase their confidence and convince them to carry on.

Now, he just needed to make his way to the Stop Gate Banner, seize control, and thus successfully break the formation.

Tang Jie felt much more relaxed when he thought this. Getting to his feet, he began to stride toward the Stop Gate Banner.

Elsewhere in the smoke net formation, a battle continued.

Even though Peng Yaolong and company were attacking with everything they had, the five Seven Absolutions Sect students were as tough as bedrock, creating an impassable zone.

Ye Tianshang charged over and shouted, “Great Brother, this can’t continue! Mu Yi’s Animitta Music gets stronger the more time passes. If he finishes playing that song, we’ll be finished. We have to stop him!”

“But how?” Peng Yaolong tersely replied. “We can’t get at him.”

Ye Tianshang looked ahead and suddenly whispered, “Mu Yi is good at group battles, not duels. Use your Apex Combat True Astral to send me over so I can make a sneak attack on him.”

Peng Yaolong frowned. “While that’s true, don’t forget that he still won five matches on the stage. This guy’s flute sword is pretty good.”

“He just didn’t get a competent opponent.” Ye Tianshang was confident that he could defeat Mu Yi so long as he got up close, but he also knew that this was an important battle, so he added, “But I’m tired from prolonged battle, and it won’t be easy to deal with Mu Yi, who’s still fresh. Let’s do this. Have Wei Tianchong use his puppet to help me. When I get close, have Long Dao fire his Sirius Arrow. The three together should be able to beat him.”

“Alright, we’ll do it!” Peng Yaolong gave a fierce nod and then turned to give orders to Wei Tianchong and Long Dao. He shook his arms, his entire body surging with wild strength as he once more used his old stand-by, the Apex Combat True Astral. This art endowed him with a formidable defense, but it also took a lot out of him. After using it, Peng Yaolong charged at the Seven Absolutions Sect like a bull.

Lightning and flames battered him, but they barely made him itch, as if they were nothing more than flashes of light.

“Join together!” Lin Wang shouted.

Four Seven Absolutions Sect students fell back in unison and placed their hands on Lin Wang’s back. Lin Wang’s jade ruler fired off a dazzling light at Peng Yaolong. With the power of five people aimed at Peng Yaolong, Lin Wang believed that this had to be enough to knock him away and that this guy would dodge if his brain was still working.

But Peng Yaolong was unafraid. In the face of this joint attack, Peng Yaolong threw his head back and roared, all of his muscles bulging and even his eyes popping out of their sockets. A berserk fighting intent stirred up the world’s mightiest power, and Peng Yaolong punched at the beam of light unleashed by the jade ruler. The two powerful energies collided in a resplendent light show, and while Peng Yaolong was sent flying back, Lin Wang’s group of five also staggered back a few steps.

The tight defense finally showed signs of loosening.

Ye Tianshang instantly shot past the defense line like a bolt of lightning, his Sandstorm Sword surging with light. At the same time, Wei Tianchong’s combat puppet suddenly emerged from the darkness, attacking Mu Yi from the side. As for Long Dao, he pulled back his bow and unleashed a mighty Sirius Arrow.

Even Lan Yu could only fall back in the face of such an offensive. Even original-body Tang Jie with the Formless Golden Body wouldn’t dare to receive these attacks.

The exposed Mu Yi was instantly in mortal peril, and it would not have been surprising if he were slain here.

Mu Yi, who had been playing on his flute the entire time, finally raised his head.

He looked at Ye Tianshang, his eyes calm.

But this calmness made Ye Tianshang’s heart tighten.

He saw Mu Yi raise the bamboo flute and swing it at him.

Using the bamboo flute against the Sandstorm Sword!

The small flute seemed to be made of steel, and Ye Tianshang’s sword could go no farther.

Ye Tianshang was aghast. How had Mu Yi been able to spot the real sword among all the illusions?

This method of breaking an art was unheard of!

Fortunately, this still wasn’t enough. Ye Tianshang used his left hand to pull out the Profound Yin Sword, and he swung it at Mu Yi. But as he raised the sword, Mu Yi suddenly rushed up and shouldered Ye Tianshang in the belly, dodging the sword and battering Ye Tianshang in the same move.

Ye Tianshang hadn’t expected his reaction to be this quick, and he was pushed back. Mu Yi quickly turned around, and a bolt of energy shot out from his flute and accurately struck Long Dao’s Sirius Arrow, causing it to explode in a burst of light. Just like that, Mu Yi had neutralized this strike.

But while he had been able to take care of the attacks from Ye Tianshang and Long Dao, he couldn’t avoid the third wave. Wei Tianchong’s Grade 3 combat puppet came up behind Mu Yi and gave him a savage blow that sent him flying.

The simple punch slammed into Mu Yi, causing Mu Yi to groan. Shockingly, Mu Yi had no barrier, so this punch caused him to throw up copious amounts of blood.

“Junior Brother!” Lin Wang cried out.

No one understood Mu Yi’s situation more than him. If Mu Yi had a weakness, it was his lack of defense.

But as Mu Yi flew out, he placed his flute on his lips and blew.

The tune started to play again, and Wei Tianchong felt his mind buzz, as if something had been stabbed into it. His mind trembled in pain, and he was no longer able to command the puppet.

Meanwhile, Ye Tianshang lunged out again, but Mu Yi continued to play, firing energy arrows from the end of the flute that were aimed straight at Ye Tianshang’s face.

Ye Tianshang roared as he swung his sword, his heart overcome with wrath. He was proud of his strength and had cared little about the Seven Absolutions Sect. In his eyes, while Mu Yi was ranked first in his sect, he wouldn’t even rank third in the Basking Moon Sect. Moreover, this person was good at group battles, a supporter rather than an attacker, so Ye Tianshang had been certain that he could capture Mu Yi.

He had never expected Mu Yi to put on such a show, fending off three people all by himself. Even though they were tired from battle, the gap shouldn’t have been this big. Shocked and enraged, he used the Galefury Sword to the maximum, cutting down Mu Yi’s energy arrows. But Mu Yi continued to play his flute, bereft of any sort of barrier to defend against the sword energy. He was so focused on playing that it was like Ye Tianshang didn’t exist.

Just when it seemed like the sword energy was about to touch him, Lin Wang charged out and raised the jade ruler, striking Ye Tianshang’s sword energy. The two of them were instantly blown back by the impact.

Lin Wang’s chest was now sporting twelve holes from which blood gushed, while Ye Tianshang only had an injured wrist. Though his injury wasn’t serious, he was completely bereft of strength. That last attack had squeezed him for almost everything he had.

They both collapsed and were collected by their comrades.

Only Mu Yi remained unperturbed, continuing to play the flute. First came “Five Blessings of the Heavens”, and then it was “Songs of the Six Provinces”, and as the music played on, the pressure from the Heavenly Animitta Music grew stronger and stronger. The Basking Moon Sect students found it difficult to move, as if there was a mountain atop them. They were still fighting back, but it was getting harder and harder, and they were getting weaker and weaker.

At this moment, a teleportation beam appeared in the distance.

“This is…” Everyone was uncertain.

“It’s Tang Jie.” Mu Yi took the flute from his mouth and softly said, “He lost.”

He blew on the flute. In the beam of light in the distance was clearly the form of Tang Jie.

Tang Jie had lost.

Everyone despaired.

After they had lasted for so long, had it really been for nothing?

All of their minds went blank.

Their strength rapidly drained away, and they suddenly felt like they couldn’t stand. Whether it was Peng Yaolong, Ye Tianshang, Wei Tianchong, or Long Dao, whether they believed it or not, they had all been fighting to last until Tang Jie broke the formation.

But Mu Yi’s words had been the straw that broke the camel’s back, snuffing out their hopes and draining them of all their power.

Mu Yi’s expression was cool and indifferent. “He lost, so you’ve lost. Everyone, go back. If we keep fighting, someone is really going to die.”

The Basking Moon students paled.

A student sighed and activated his teleportation token.

And then another.

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One beam of light after another illuminated the heavens.

Even Peng Yaolong and Ye Tianshang activated their jade tokens. They were out of strength, so there was no way they could win if they kept fighting.

There was one exception.

Wei Tianchong.

He saw everyone turning into beams of light and shook his head. “This can’t be. How could Tang Jie lose? He can’t lose!”

“Forget it. Give up. Tang Jie is one person, so why can’t he lose? That he could beat two out of three is quite incredible.” Qi Shaoming patted Wei Tianchong on the shoulder and teleported away.

Only Wei Tianchong was left in the formation.

At this moment, the formation boomed, and the smoke, fire, lightning, and wind blades all disappeared. The Heaven-Weave Net that had imprisoned them rapidly dissipated.

“Di-disappeared?” Wei Tianchong cried out in surprise. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Tang Jie must have gotten the Stop Gate Banner,” Mu Yi calmly replied. He looked at Wei Tianchong and laughed. “My apologies. I tricked you… The one who lost was Senior Brother Xiao. But this is fine. I managed to fool you all into leaving.”

Upon hearing these words, let alone Wei Tianchong, even the other Seven Absolutions Sect students were dumbfounded.

“Then… you guys should be able to handle the rest.” Mu Yi opened his mouth, threw up a large mouthful of blood, and weakly plopped onto the ground.

Alas, it seems like Tang Jie’s fellow students are just a little too gullible.