Aspiring to the Immortal Path
chapter-504

Another day ended…

The sunlight dimmed, and darkness returned to the world.

A large pleasure boat floated through the air, numerous oars sticking out from its sides and striking at the air, producing numerous spatial ripples. The pleasure boat seemed to be moving slowly, but it was actually moving through the sky at great speed, only stopping when it was finally close to the Spirit Mountains.

Several dozen cultivators flew out of the boat, led by Nan Ningjiang.

They descended from the air and landed in a clearing in front of the mountain range.

There was a black-clothed cultivator already waiting in the clearing. Upon seeing Nan Ningjiang, he prostrated and said, "Hawk Hall subordinate Jiang Xizhi pays respects to Sir Nan and the other honored masters."

Nan Ningjiang waved his hand and said, "Enough with that. Tell me what you discovered."

"Yes!" Jiang Xizhi nodded. "This subordinate and his colleagues are 132 people in all. Upon receiving Sir Nan's order, we laid down detection eyes in various areas around the mountain region. We can confirm that Tang Jie entered the Spirit Mountains eight hours ago."

Master Xuan Zhong raised an eyebrow. "So you sent people to watch the area a while ago? Quite prepared, aren't you?"

Nan Ningjiang chuckled. "Opportunity comes to the prepared. The Spirit Mountains are vast, so knowing where he entered makes it easier for us to chase him and also lets us know what sort of resources are in the area. Tang Jie is undoubtedly an expert in pursuit and counter-pursuit, and all experts in counter-pursuit are skilled in using the terrain to their advantage. There is no way he would just randomly choose a location to enter from. We don't know how much Tang Jie knows about the Spirit Mountains, so we can only assume that he knows everything. If that's the case, his selection of entry location must have been carefully considered. If we want to know what he's planning, we have to know why he entered from there and what that area can provide him."

Master Xuan Zhong's eyes flashed with admiration, and he repeatedly nodded in agreement. "It makes sense. Then shall I presume that this is not all that you have prepared?"

Nan Ningjiang smiled. "Naturally."

He turned to Jiang Xizhi. "Did you find the people I asked you to find?"

Jiang Xizhi replied, "Yes, Sir. There are 142 villages around the mountain range, and three-hundred-some families are frequent visitors to the mountains. After some selection, we found ten families who are willing to serve as our guides."

"'Guides'?" Master Xuan Zhong was startled.

"Correct, 'guides'." Nan Ningjiang explained, "My lord, you must not underestimate these guides. While they are only mortals, they are all people who rely on the Spirit Mountains to make a living. There are some things that they can do that we can't. In this place, a proper guide is more important than a powerful cultivator."

Jiang Xizhi smiled and said, "Sir Nan is correct. While those people are just mortals, in this mountain range, they have their own unique skills. We cultivators can only go five hundred meters into the mountain range, but those mortals are often able to go several times that distance."

"'Several times'?" Master Xuan Zhong was flabbergasted. In his early years, he had explored the Spirit Mountains, and he was keenly aware of how terrifying they were. This entire mountain range was like an enormous monster, full of mystery, strangeness, and change. Back then, despite almost dying, he had only managed to make it a few kilometers in. Now, Jiang Xizhi was saying that these mere mortals were also capable of such a feat. He couldn't help but be amazed.

Jiang Xizhi replied, "Correct. That means these guides have some skill. With them around, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble. Of course, as their strength is limited, there are some places they can't go—unless we're with them. They will definitely prove to be very useful."

Master Xuan Zhong sighed, "Indeed."

Nan Ningjiang said, "Besides the surveillance and the guides, Xizhi's group also did some investigation in the mountains and drafted a rough map."

Nan Ningjiang extended a hand, and Jiang Xizhi placed a map on it.

Huang Yue asked in surprise, "The Spirit Mountains are constantly changing, capable of completely transforming in a flash. What is the use of a map?"

Nan Ningjiang replied, "It will be useful until at least the next shift."

Everyone realized what he meant.

This map was extremely crude. The Hawk Hall's subordinates could not venture deep into the mountains and had mostly drawn their map based on long-distance observations. Even so, this map would still be very useful for their search of the mountain.

Nan Ningjiang's ample preparations had everyone sighing in praise. Master Xuan Zhong asked, "Does Young Friend Nan have any other preparations?"

Nan Ningjiang opened the map and pointed at a spot. "This is where we currently are. Since Tang Jie has chosen to enter the Spirit Mountains, he must know exactly what is so terrifying about them. He wouldn't be so foolish as to venture into its depths. All he can do once he enters the mountain region is to move side to side."

"You're saying that he will circle around the Great Mountain?" He Yueyang asked.

"That's his only option," Nan Ningjiang said. "If he's bold enough, he might go in one thousand meters, two thousand meters, or even three thousand meters, but there's no way he can keep going all the way into the heart of the region… After all, that's a place that even True Lords can't freely go in and out of."

"Then which direction will he move?"

"That I don't know, but regardless of which side he chooses, his region of activity will be restricted to this area." Nan Ningjiang moved his finger across the map. "What we need to do is to put this entire area under our control."

"Just our group trying to control such a large area? Very difficult!" Xu Mingyue said.

"That's why I called over some other people." Nan Ningjiang smiled. He clapped his hands, and several hundred people in gold flew out from the distance.

From their orderly formation, it was clear that they were well trained, and Master Xuan Zhong's eyes narrowed as he commented, "Disciples of the Bloodbath Hall."

Godhead Palace had its own combat department, the Bloodbath Hall.

As these Bloodbath Hall disciples appeared, one of those golden-robed people flew over to Nan Ningjiang and loudly said, "Bloodbath Hall subordinate Wang Tiexin has come on orders from Hall Master Shen, leading four generals, three hundred disciples, and six hundred soldiers to serve Sir in your strategy!"

Nan Ningjiang brought his hands together and bowed. "This Nan Ningjiang is endlessly grateful for Hall Master Shen's support. I must trouble Sir Wang in this period of time."

Wang Tiexin heartily laughed. "Sir Nan, there is no need for courtesy. If we can capture Tang Jie, both of us will be honored."

In terms of individual strength, the Bloodbath Hall's disciples might not be any stronger than the disciples of other halls, but in terms of joint combat, they could not be underestimated.

Nan Ningjiang had asked for three hundred Bloodbath Hall disciples, who ranged from Nine Revolutions to Cognitive Creation. But if ten of them joined together, they could exhibit the power of a Spirit Ring True Person, so one could imagine how useful these three hundred disciples would be.

No matter which sect it was, when its official combat disciples joined the battle, the situation would completely transform. Godhead Palace could not send several hundred True Persons to chase down a single peak Mortal Shedding cultivator, but sending several hundred combat disciples was easily done.

But no one had expected Nan Ningjiang to ask for three hundred Bloodbath Hall disciples, and they inwardly rejoiced.

Nan Ningjiang said, "Since your allies are here, I will begin to issue orders."

"We are waiting for your commands, Sir Nan!" everyone said in unison.

Nan Ningjiang pointed at the map. "Good. Tang Jie's region of activity should be here. Before he escapes, we need to lock this place down and shrink his zone of activity. Seventh Brother, Tenth Sister, take one general and one hundred Bloodbath Hall disciples and lock down the southern side. If Tang Jie manages to get through your defensive perimeter, you will have to answer for it."

"Yes!" the two Hawks replied.

"Sixth Sister, Little Twelve, the two of you will take another general and one hundred Bloodbath Hall disciples, and seal off the north side."

"Me?" Xi Canhen said in shock.

"Yes, you!" Nan Ningjiang confirmed. "Do you have any objections?"

Xi Canhen took in a deep breath. "No. I will do as Big Brother commands."

"Good."

Nan Ningjiang continued to issue orders, but his gaze would pass over the empty spot where Xi Canhen was standing from time to time.

Xi Canhen could no longer hear what he was saying.

A wave of shock was traveling through his mind: He's intentionally sending me away!

In this period of time, that Tang Jie was able to wander around freely was closely connected to the fact that Xi Canhen was his informant. It was precisely Xi Canhen's reports that allowed Tang Jie to have a constant grasp of the 12 Hawks' movements and escape before it became too late.

One could say that while Nan Ningjiang had the Spirit-Boiling Powder, Tang Jie had Xi Canhen, which countered the Spirit-Boiling Powder. This was why Nan Ningjiang's several probing attempts to capture Tang Jie had failed.

And this had also confirmed to Nan Ningjiang that someone around him was on Tang Jie's side.

Xi Canhen thought that he was secretive enough, as Heart Consonance left no traces, but suspicion did not require evidence. Even though Xi Canhen had been around Nan Ningjiang all this time, once the seed of suspicion had sprouted, it was very difficult to get rid of.

As for now, Nan Ningjiang finally had the chance to send him away.

That Nan Ningjiang was having him take command of this force was firm proof of his suspicion.

Worst of all was that if Tang Jie could not grasp Nan Ningjiang's movements from this point forward, it essentially confirmed to Nan Ningjiang that his spy was among these four people.

And if someone of Nan Ningjiang's intelligence sent out three other people, it naturally meant that he had ways of verifying whether those three were spies.

In other words, it was only a matter of time until he was exposed.

Xi Canhen's heart turned cold.

If he didn't have a habit of concealing himself so that people could only sense his presence and not see his expression, everyone would have been able to see all the ways his face had changed at this time.

Nan Ningjiang was continuing to deploy his men, doing so in such a way as to put the entire region under his control.

Xi Canhen saw how composed he was and started to panic.

What was he going to do?

Tang Jie!

Yes, he had to ask Tang Jie about this.

He realized this.

Just when he was about to use Heart Consonance, a girl's gentle voice spoke into his ear. "Twelfth Brother, what are you still standing around for?"

Xi Canhen raised his head and saw a sweet-tempered girl standing in front of him.

"Sixth Sister," he said.

Sixth Hawk Si Hongxian was an expert in psychology, interrogation, and Soulscouring. No one could keep a secret if they fell into her hands. While she appeared gentle on the outside, she was more ruthless than anyone.

Nan Ningjiang, by making her his partner, was essentially commanding her to investigate him.

Xi Canhen composed himself and said, "I'm used to acting alone and have never had the chance to command soldiers in battle. I don't know what Big Brother is thinking, having me order around these Bloodbath Hall disciples. Isn't this just making things hard for me?"

Si Hongxian smiled. "That's why he gave us that general."

She waved her hand and pointed at a golden-armored man next to her. "This is General Zhao Hongkai. Together with us, he is responsible for the northern blockade. There's no need to worry with General Zhao here. We only need to concern ourselves with our own business."

Xi Canhen helplessly nodded, and the three of them departed for the north.

Nan Ningjiang watched them leave, and then he suddenly chuckled.

He said, "Xizhi."

Jiang Xizhi replied, "Your subordinate is here."

"Pass on my order. Once we enter the mountains, activate the great formation."

"Yes!"

"'Great formation'? What 'great formation'?" everyone said in confusion.

"A great formation to seal off the mountain range," Nan Ningjiang indifferently said, circling the map again, this time covering the entire mountain range.

True Person Liang was startled. "'Seal the mountain range'? The entirety of the Spirit Mountains? What's going on? Aren't we already locking down this part of the mountains? Why do we have to lock down the entire mountain range too?"

Nan Ningjiang replied, "When dealing with a cunning enemy, how can you rely on only one layer of defense? While the blockade I just laid out is good, it only seals off the north, south, and east. However, we can't seal off the western side, facing the interior of the mountain. And who can say that Tang Jie won't venture deeper? If he does this, our encirclement won't be complete."

Nan Ningjiang's encirclement was U-shaped, not O-shaped. The biggest problem with it was that it didn't block the path leading deeper into the mountain range, which presented a risk that Tang Jie could escape.

"He won't go deeper. He'll die."

"He doesn't need to go in too deep, only deeper than our defensive lines. Perhaps only a single step will be enough for him to get around our entire defensive line," Nan Ningjiang casually said, his finger subconsciously tapping against the map.

Nan Ningjiang's meaning was clear. He was obviously implying that someone might leak the exact depth of the defensive line to Tang Jie, allowing him to escape.

Xu Mingyue said, "Nan Ningjiang, what do you mean by this? Are you suspecting me?"

If there was anyone who might secretly assist Tang Jie, then Xu Mingyue was actually more suspect than Xi Canhen. After all, nobody knew about Xi Canhen's past with Tang Jie, while everyone knew about the Xu Clan's relationship to Tang Jie.

And it wasn't strange for Xu Mingyue to be angry.

Nan Ningjiang smiled. "Lady Xu, you misunderstand me. I am only speaking of one possibility. If I did not believe you, I would not have kept you here. But just to be sure, I will not place all my hopes on a blockade that isn't even complete. The western side, the sky, and even the ground can serve as Tang Jie's paths of escape. Although the chances are very low, so long as the possibility exists, we have to cut them off. Thus, outside of this defensive line, we need a blockade that locks down the entire mountain range."

"Just how much will that cost!? An entire army being mustered to deal with a fly!" Master Xuan Zhong shook his head and sighed.

"In truth, this is saving a lot of resources," Nan Ningjiang replied.

Everyone looked at Nan Ningjiang in surprise.

Nan Ningjiang casually said, "Once we've confirmed that Tang Jie is in our hands and have blockaded the Spirit Mountains, we can remove the seal on the borders of Nadir Hill."

Everyone was enlightened.

It was no wonder Nan Ningjiang dared to go so far.

Yes, the costs of sealing Tang Jie in the Spirit Mountains were much less than sealing him in all of Nadir Hill.

Through Nan Ningjiang's comparison, what was an enormous investment ended up becoming a huge money saver for Godhead Palace. Nan Ningjiang was already making a contribution before Tang Jie had even been captured, and what could be better than that?

Once they understood this, everyone realized why Nan Ningjiang had delayed until Tang Jie had entered the mountains.

They all sighed in admiration.

Master Xuan Zhong smiled. "Young Friend Nan is meticulous and creative. Admirable, admirable! In this way, Tang Jie truly becomes a turtle in a jar, with no escape for him. Does Young Friend Nan have any more wonderful moves?"

"This can't be considered anything amazing," Nan Ningjiang replied. "I just asked for a few friends to come and help."

He turned and looked behind him.

Several people dressed as Hawk Hall disciples and wearing dark hoods suddenly removed these hoods, revealing their true faces.

The two leaders of this group bowed to Master Xuan Zhong. "Feng Buzhi and Qian Yingchen pay our respects to Lord Xuan Zhong!"

Late at night.

Yiyi was sleeping in a bush.

Tang Jie sat on a large stone, cross-legged in meditation.

He was feeling the bizarre power that permeated this world and attempting to communicate with it.

Alas, no matter what he did, there was no reply.

Tang Jie didn't find this strange.

Godhead Palace had thought of every method it could over the last thousand years to subdue this mountain. Since force had failed, they had tried to communicate with it.

But even they had failed to receive a reply from the Great Mountain.

Tang Jie didn't think that his simple shows of respect would "move" the mountain. He was mostly doing this just to be safe. In some cases, doing something might not have any effect, but not doing it might result in disaster.

Thus, Tang Jie wasn't irked when his attempts at communication failed. After looking around and ensuring that there were no problems, he began to cultivate. He was probably the only person who could be in the mood to cultivate while being hunted like this.

As he breathed in and out, spiritual energy circulated through his body, slowly accumulating power within his body.

As he was meditating, a voice spoke in his mind.

It was Xi Canhen.

"Young Master," he said.

"What's up?" Tang Jie felt a hint of unease.

For Xi Canhen to contact him at this time probably meant that he wasn't bringing good news.

Sure enough, as Xi Canhen talked, Tang Jie's heart sank.

Nan Ningjiang had sent Xi Canhen away? Did he suspect him? Or was it a coincidence?

Tang Jie first had to consider what he should do if Xi Canhen had been discovered.

After thinking for a while, Tang Jie replied, "He intentionally got halfway through his plan before sending you off. It's clear that he intends to send me the news through your mouth. If I take precautions against everything that you've told me and make no precautions against what you don't know, then he can basically confirm that you're the spy."

Xi Canhen replied, "I also thought of that, so I suspect that Nan Ningjiang's true trump card is in the part of the plan that I don't know. The three hundred Bloodbath Hall disciples are only the surface blockade. He might have another way of hunting you down."

On this matter, the first thing the two were concerned about was each other. As they spoke, they both felt their hearts warming up.

Xi Canhen said, "I'm not afraid of being discovered by Godhead Palace. If it comes down to it, I can just leave. It's not like I have any attachments to Godhead Palace. But I am very reluctant to leave without being able to help Young Master escape."

"I am also reluctant to see you exposed like this. Your remaining in Godhead Palace only serves to benefit me."

"Then what should we do?"

Tang Jie's eyes glinted with a savage light. "The dead don't suspect anything."