Aspiring to the Immortal Path
chapter-511

The earth quaked as if some heavy object had crashed into the ground, but a moment later, everyone realized that something was wrong.

The quaking came in waves and showed no signs of stopping. On the contrary, they were getting stronger and stronger, the entire ground—no, the entire mountain range—starting to buzz and shudder.

The trees started to sway first, and then the mountains began to sway, shuddering enough to make the entire world pale.

Amid the massive shockwaves, Nan Ningjiang saw trees uprooted in great plumes of dust, distant mountains beginning to sink, giant rocks crumbling like collapsing towers, and flat plains beginning to bulge upward.

"The mountains are shifting! The mountains are shifting!" someone shrieked in terror.

"It's a mountain shift!" Zhou Fanghua shouted.

They stared in shock as the mountain region changed around them, mountains turning into valleys, valleys into plains, and the plains beginning to ripple. The entire mountain region was being utterly transformed, as if the shifting of eons was taking place in a single moment.

The awe-inspiring and majestic sight dumbfounded even the powerful Master Xuan Zhong.

Even though they knew that the Spirit Mountains was a region said to be able to transform, they had never seen it transform.

For the Great Mountain, one change every hundred years could be considered frequent.

Even Master Xuan Zhong only knew about one time in his cultivation life where the Great Mountain had transformed, but it was impossible for him to have been passing by at the time. Thus, he had no idea how majestic and mighty the Great Mountain was when it transformed.

It was only now, when he was in the middle of it all and able to see the earth as inconstant as the ocean, that he truly realized that this power had no end.

He was a Soul Transformation True Person!

He had spell arts that could alter the terrain. With his current power, he could easily make mountains rise or fall.

But that would ultimately take some time, and it would be the limit of what spell arts could do. In the face of this vast mountain range, humans could only look up at the heavens and sigh at their lack of power. At that moment, Master Xuan Zhong found himself to be a puny existence before the Great Mountain.

If he tried to flatten a mountain now, that power would probably obliterate him into nothingness.

The earth was still quaking.

In the distance, a giant fissure suddenly opened up.

The fissure tore the ground beneath them into two, and then it carved out a circle. This piece of land began to rise up, large amounts of soil shedding from the mass.

"This is…" Nan Ningjiang blurted out in surprise.

"Making a mountain," Tang Jie replied. "From the look of it, this ground we're standing on is about to become a little mountain. Regrettably, your last trump card has been neutralized."

He smiled at Nan Ningjiang.

Nan Ningjiang gasped.

He looked around.

Sure enough, the ground was rapidly rising while the black smoke was dispersing.

The drastic shift in terrain's first effect on everyone was the destruction of all formations!

The Thousand Illusion Fog Formation was no more.

The Heaven-Earth Lock Formation was no more.

Even the Beast Refining Gate's Parade of Myriad Beasts was gone…

All the formations and spell arts established on this terrain were pulverized by the will of the Great Mountain.

Amid this sea change, all things fixed and constant were torn to shreds. Only those existences that could adapt would survive.

Under the power of the world, the final trump card that Nan Ningjiang had taken such great pains to lay out was utterly pulverized, and he was left so stunned that he was shaking. This was like using many years to erect a tall skyscraper, only to have some hurricane come through and knock it down.

Even his heart was crushed.

Tang Jie sized him up and casually said, "You've always done very well, but you made two mistakes, and they were the same kind of mistake. The first was that you underestimated me… The second is that you underestimated the mountain."

'Underestimated the mountain'?

Nan Ningjiang angrily glared at Tang Jie. "You're the one behind all this?"

He didn't believe that this was a coincidence, that the Great Mountain would choose the moment he played his last card to transform.

Tang Jie was standing at the edge of the fissure.

As the ground rose, this place was becoming a cliff.

Looking down at the ground below, Tang Jie casually said, "It was me, and it was also all of you. In the end, it is nothing more than Karma."

Karma!

What was Karma?

Nan Ningjiang did not understand.

He didn't know how much Tang Jie had sacrificed for all of this, how much he had prepared, but for Tang Jie, everything that had happened was as simple as could be.

Karma was not the power of miracles, and it could not create something from nothing, but it could link existing threads of Karma so that when the proper cause was created, the desired effect would be produced.

What was the Great Mountain?

Tang Jie did not know.

But there was no doubt that the Great Mountain had a will.

And he was sure that the developments in the mountain would probably affect the Great Mountain.

That was the key here: 'probably'.

It had a probability of reacting, and it also had a probability of not reacting.

The Dao of Karma existed to turn probability into inevitability. It was just a matter of which end result one chose.

Linking this thread of Karma had consumed all of the Karma power Tang Jie had accumulated over the years, and this effect would only persist for a day. Whether it succeeded or not, after this day ended, that thread of Karma would snap.

The Karma that had come at such a costly price existed for the ultimate purpose of destroying everything—no matter what Nan Ningjiang's last trump card was, it would be useless against the might of the world!

Tang Jie shot Nan Ningjiang a sympathetic glance.

As the smoke dispersed, the forms of Tang Jie, the ghost guard, Yiyi, and even the original body were all revealed. They looked at Nan Ningjiang and then took a step back.

By taking a step back, they essentially cast themselves off the cliff.

The operation was a success, so it was time to retreat, and Tang Jie did not plan on lingering.

"Don't even think about running!" Nan Ningjiang roared as he lunged forward.

Without the Heaven-Earth Lock Formation to blockade the area or the Thousand Illusion Fog Formation to confuse, the closed battlefield was now open. While Tang Jie now had the ability to run, Godhead Palace had the ability to give chase.

For this reason, Nan Ningjiang still didn't concede. At most, the direct confrontation had turned into a hunt.

Tang Jie threw out a large pile of talismans that sealed off the space in front of him.

A withered hand suddenly thrust out at that talisman space, instantly dispersing their power. Master Xuan Zhong said in an infuriated and sinister voice, "Return my Supreme Mystery Bell!"

Tang Jie's art talismans could stop the others, but they couldn't stop him.

Tang Jie shook his head and chuckled. "I was worried that you wouldn't attack."

As he chuckled, a gust of wind blasted Master Xuan Zhong.

A moment later, Master Xuan Zhong was sent flying, streaking out of the mountains like a comet. As he disappeared into the horizon, he cried out in despair, "Why is this happening?"

Why was it like this? Master Xuan Zhong didn't understand.

Why was he attacked by the will of the Great Mountain every time he made a move?

He had made three moves and had been attacked by the Great Mountain three times, the damage getting worse each time!

"Because you are also within the Karma," Tang Jie lightly replied as he floated to the ground.

From the very start, Tang Jie had tied together Master Xuan Zhong with his thread of Karma. Ordinary attacks would have been fine, but if his attacks reached a certain level, he would be targeted by the will of the Great Mountain.

And this limit was equivalent to the strongest attack from Tang Jie's original body.

Simply put, any power that was greater than the original body would be considered a challenge by the will of the Great Mountain, causing it to attack the offender. And when developments reached a certain level, particularly a level that Tang Jie couldn't reach, they would trigger a world shift.

By using this method, Tang Jie was able to restrict the most powerful members of Godhead Palace and had no need to consider what sort of tricks Nan Ningjiang had up his sleeve. Even if he had secretly called over a Celestial Chief, the result would be the same.

"Don't let him escape!" Nan Ningjiang roared.

Even though Master Xuan Zhong had been sent flying, Nan Ningjiang still didn't give up on the idea of chasing Tang Jie down.

Two people flew out, thrusting their palms at Tang Jie.

Elders Gold and Silver!

The original body chuckled and punched at those two palm blasts.

Boom!

A massive explosion tore through the air.

As the fists clashed with palms, Elders Gold and Silver shuddered, and then they threw their heads back and vomited blood as they retreated. When they looked again at the original body, they saw that he had used the backlash to hasten his descent. He crashed down like a comet, opening a crater on the newborn surface, after which he got up like he was perfectly fine, grabbing a tree and tossing it up at the mountain.

Elders Gold and Silver were stunned, blurting out, "Who is this person, to possess such shocking strength?"

Nan Ningjiang was also stunned. "Why? The Space Crystal only transported Tang Jie, so why does he possess such powerful allies? Just who are they?"

At this time, Qian Yingchen rushed at Tang Jie.

Leaving the rapidly rising mountain like a bolt of lightning, Qian Yingchen roared, "Tang Jie, you can't escape!"

When Tang Jie spotted Qian Yingchen, a strange halo appeared in his eyes, and as this halo turned, he shouted, "Stop!"

Qian Yingchen suddenly froze.

The Four-Nine True Words!

As the Four-Nine True Words activated, a crescent blade swept toward Qian Yingchen.

Just as the blade was about to hit, a jade talisman on Qian Yingchen's body flashed and moved to block the blade.

Just when Tang Jie was about to make a follow-up attack, Feng Buzhi's sinister voice rang out: "Brat, your journey ends here!"

A black bear swung a paw at Tang Jie's head.

Tang Jie raised his head and extended his left hand to meet Feng Buzhi's paw.

A single finger.

The Jade Shattering Finger!

Peak Mortal Shedding versus Heart Demon!

As finger struck paw, time seemed to freeze.

Tang Jie was frozen in place one moment, and then he was shooting away the next, throwing up blood from his mouth while blood spurted out from countless other parts of his body. As for his finger, it had been utterly pulverized in the clash with Feng Buzhi.

That one confrontation had left Tang Jie drenched in blood.

"A mantis trying to stop a carriage," Feng Buzhi grunted as he pulled back his hand.

Blood was flowing from the hand, wounds left behind by the Jade Shattering Finger. But as Feng Buzhi circulated his spiritual energy, the wounds healed. For this reason, he failed to notice a dark blue glint in the wound.

Meanwhile, Tang Jie activated his Dao of Life, swiftly healing his wounds and even regrowing his finger. At the same time, he was able to use the backlash to hasten his retreat.

The world was undergoing a momentous transformation, and the Great Mountain was roaring. All around the place, mountains rose and fell, smoke filled the air, trees flew about, and dust swept through the land.

In the middle of all this, humans fought and chased.

Even without the formation locking the area down, escaping countless capable experts was no easy task.

"Where are you running!?" Another enraged roar resounded through the air.

This was Li Song's enraged cry.

As he roared, a flashing rainbow pagoda flew out.

This pagoda expanded in size, quickly becoming the size of an actual pagoda. Flying above Tang Jie's head, it slammed down, trapping him within it.

"Success!" Everyone cheered in victory.

But a moment later, there was a crack.

A golden saber peeked out from the pagoda.

The saber cut down, tearing through the pagoda like it was a curtain.

"No!" Li Song screamed in pain.

This Fiend-Trapping Pagoda was an upper-grade art relic that he had spent many years refining, and it was excellent for trapping fiends. With the black smoke around, it wasn't able to lock onto its target, but now that the air had been cleared, he had believed that his moment of fame had come. But to his surprise, Tang Jie had destroyed the pagoda.

As the golden saber cut through, the pagoda let out a radiant light, shuddered a few times, and then it exploded, Tang Jie emerging from the ruins.

Laughing, Tang Jie saluted Li Song and said, "I appreciate your kindness, but I must refuse. Farewell, Brother Li."

Li Song was a mighty Heart Demon True Person, so Tang Jie calling him 'Brother Li' had him trembling in anger. At the same time, Tang Jie's original body made several thunderous punches, their force preventing everyone from getting close, allowing Tang Jie to flee.

"Don't let him escape!" Zhou Fanghua urgently shouted.

"No, he can't escape," Nan Ningjiang coldly said.

As he spoke, there was a flash of sword light.

As this sword light pierced the heavens, two icy words rang out.

"Sacrificial Sword!"

"Aaah!" Tang Jie let out a heaven-shaking roar as he turned around and thrust out his palm. There was a bang as a person was forced out of hiding and sent flying.

"Little Twelve!" Nan Ningjiang and Zhou Fanghua shouted in unison.

Xi Canhen!

No one had expected him to suddenly appear and deal Tang Jie a lethal strike.

This savage strike stabbed into Tang Jie's body and blew almost half of his body away. Tang Jie swayed in the air, almost dropping from the sky.

His original body rapidly flew over and grabbed him. In the distance, a hundred-some cultivators had appeared. These were the flanking forces that Nan Ningjiang had summoned, now appearing to block off Tang Jie's path of retreat.

One of them, the sixth sister of the 12 Hawks, flew out to catch the falling Xi Canhen. After unleashing that blow and then taking a strike from Tang Jie, his face was like a sheet of paper.

"Little Twelve, are you okay?" the sixth sister anxiously asked Xi Canhen.

Xi Canhen squeezed out a smile. "I fulfilled my mission… but he flew too fast… chasing him while hidden… couldn't attack with everything… The Sacrificial Sword's power… was limited, couldn't kill…"

"It's enough. You've done enough!" the sixth Hawk said, stroking Xi Canhen's face.

But despite her gentle demeanor, she was staring closely at Xi Canhen's face, her heart in turmoil. As the sixth Hawk, her expertise lay in reading the human heart and analyzing words. She could easily judge through someone's words if they were telling the truth, regardless of what they did.

And just now, she had clearly sensed a sliver of insincerity in Xi Canhen's words.

What was going on here?

He was lying?

But he had clearly attacked Tang Jie and dealt him a severe wound.

Could she be mistaken?

She was momentarily confused.

She paid so much attention to Xi Canhen that she wasn't paying attention to Tang Jie's movements.

Holding the injured Tang Jie, the original body roared in anger, "Bastard, I'll kill you!"

Holding Tang Jie in his left hand, he threw his right arm forward like he was Superman, charging through the air at Xi Canhen. His fist flashed with flame-like lights, a sign that he was at maximum power.

"Get out of the way!" Nan Ningjiang and the others urgently shouted.

The sixth Hawk raised her head and saw that giant man rapidly approaching. In shock, she tried to retreat, but Xi Canhen clutched her, his right hand pressing down on her belly. The point where she circulated energy from was there, and with this press, her circulation was disrupted and she momentarily couldn't move.

At the same time, Xi Canhen shouted, "Sixth Sister, don't!"

Energy erupted from Xi Canhen's hand, sealing her throat and preventing her from speaking. Xi Canhen grabbed her hand and brought it toward him, upon which he went flying. Meanwhile, the sixth Hawk went flying in the opposite direction toward Tang Jie, as if she was sacrificing herself to save Xi Canhen.

No!

The sixth Hawk paled in fright.

She looked at Xi Canhen and saw his cold face, which seemed to be saying, "Sorry, but you have to die."

Boom!

The original body's steely fist smashed into the sixth Hawk.

Blood erupted.

"Awooo!" The original body let out a frenzied howl, as if he was angered over Tang Jie's injury. Seeing all the approaching Godhead disciples, he turned around and flew into the depths of the mountains.

"Stop him!" Nan Ningjiang shouted.

Everyone converged on Tang Jie.

The original body grunted and threw out an item.

It was a formation diagram.

Nan Ningjiang could use a formation diagram to lock down the area, so why couldn't Tang Jie? He had robbed countless places in Nadir Hill, so when it came to formation diagrams, he had quite a few. The one he was using now was the Chain Blockade Formation. A giant chain appeared out of nowhere and obstructed his pursuers.

"Bastard!" Nan Ningjiang gritted his teeth and turned his head. "Xu Mingyue, undo the formation!"

The greatest advantage of formation diagrams was that they were easy to carry around, but their flaw was their lack of power. The Chain Blockade Formation was only a Grade 3 formation, and given the limits of a formation diagram, it would probably be easy to break. But while Ling Tianqi was a formation expert, his own strength was limited, and in the middle of this pursuit, he had fallen to the rear and had yet to catch up. At this time, only Xu Mingyue was available to break the formation.

But to his surprise, Xu Mingyue replied, "With Master Ling around, am I even necessary? It would be better for me to sit on the sides and watch."

"You!" Nan Ningjiang was so angry that he wanted to throw up blood. He glared at her, but Xu Mingyue fearlessly glared back.