Aspiring to the Immortal Path
chapter-539

The python's strength was so great that even He Changan empowered by the Formless Heavenly Demon Body couldn't escape, and the python's body drew tighter and tighter.

The python's constriction!

It was the way of killing the python was best at.

The python threw its head back and let out a loud roar.

Then it lowered its head and gave He Changan a cold look, like it was looking at a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

It opened its mouth, apparently planning to swallow its next prey.

But its earlier indigestion had made it hesitant. After some thought, it decided to choke the prey to death and then eat it.

It coiled even more tightly.

"Aaagh!" He Changan howled in pain.

He constantly swung his halberd, sinking it into the python's body. Blood spurted from the python, causing it to crazily hiss, but it only coiled tighter and tighter.

"Release me! I can help you!" He Changan shouted. "Tang Jie is also my enemy!"

Hearing this, Cang Qingfeng slightly hesitated.

But a moment later, the two Tang Jies stopped attacking, as did Xu Miaoran and Yiyi.

If they had kept attacking, Cang Qingfeng really might have considered letting He Changan go, but Tang Jie withdrawing gave Cang Qingfeng hope.

He Changan wasn't his ally. Since he was going to kill him eventually, he might as well do it now. After all, He Changan was already in his hands. If he let him go, He Changan would never give him another chance to get the jump on him.

Thus, after weighing the pros and cons, he quickly decided to continue choking He Changan to death. As for Tang Jie's group, without He Changan holding him down, Cang Qingfeng was confident that he could clean them up.

Thus, the python continued to sway around while coiled around He Changan, spilling copious amounts of blood in the air.

"Save me!" He Changan wailed.

Xu Mingyue wanted to do something, but she saw Tang Jie shaking his head at her.

Xu Mingyue looked at the two Tang Jies for a while before finally giving up.

She asked, "Which one is the original body?"

The original body pointed at himself.

Xu Mingyue understood. "The original body entered the Nine Executions Immortal Formation while the avatar stayed outside and continued to act in Tang Jie's name? The original body is a body refiner while the avatar is an art cultivator?"

Tang Jie nodded.

Xu Mingyue glanced at the avatar. "I didn't think you would get an avatar so early, and even cultivate it to the Celestial Heart Realm. This really is…"

Xu Mingyue momentarily couldn't find the words.

She looked back at He Changan, whose struggles were beginning to weaken.

Xu Mingyue sighed and handed something to Tang Jie. "This is my Xu Clan's token. After this battle, if everything goes as expected, you should be completely free. When the time comes, remember to pay a visit to my Xu Clan."

Tang Jie solemnly put it away.

Meanwhile, He Changan was continuing to falter in the clutches of the python.

This chief of Godhead Palace, an illustrious peak Soul Transformation cultivator, had been through countless trials, but he had ultimately failed at this one.

His eyes gradually lost focus, and his three-head-six-arms spell art was dispelled. His body gradually stopped moving, and all he had left was the Halberd of Desolate Heavens clutched in his hands. The python saw that his body was draining of vitality, and it finally opened up its greedy maw.

Just when the python was about to devour He Changan, He Changan's body erupted with light, and the halberd stabbed into the python's mouth, causing it to hiss in pain and sorrow. In immense pain, the snake bit down, biting He Changan into two. Blood crazily gushed into the air, and through He Changan's strenuous struggle, half of his body dropped from the air. Meanwhile, his remaining half, no longer under his control, was swallowed up by the python.

"NOOOO!" He Changan bitterly screamed.

He looked at where his missing lower half had been, his face pale as he shook his head and shouted, "No, no, it can still grow back, still grow back!"

He cast a secret art, and bloody mist coiled around him. Bones began to appear at the wound.

But a moment later, a foot stomped onto his chest, and He Changan despaired.

This was the foot of Tang Jie's original body, who was looking at him with jeering eyes.

He Changan fearfully looked back. "You can't kill him without me!"

"Maybe, but keeping you around will only create more problems," Tang Jie coldly replied.

His right foot pressed down, and the sound of breaking bones came from He Changan's chest.

Tang Jie pressed his foot deeper, mushing his organs after breaking his ribs, and then he raised his leg and brought it down again.

On his third stomp, Tang Jie felt like he had encountered something hard.

He pushed away the battered flesh and found a black pearl in He Changan's body, the one he had swallowed earlier.

Picking up the pearl, he examined it and commented, "So this is the Herding Yang Pearl?"

The Herding Yang Pearl was a divine treasure, far more valuable than the Supreme Mystery Bell. Swallowing it would endow one with three heads and six arms, and one's muscles would become three times stronger, and it even increased one's understanding of Dao Wills to a certain extent. It was extremely powerful, but the side effect was that one would be weak for a time after using it.

This divine treasure was more suitable for body refiners, and it would be far more effective with the original body than with He Changan. Once he used it, he would instantly become a second He Changan.

Upon seeing the original body pick up that black pearl, Cang Qingfeng instantly knew that he was in trouble, and he rushed forward with a howl.

Tang Jie laughed. "What's the rush!? This thing was just used, so it doesn't have much energy left, so even if I use it, I won't be getting much stronger. Besides, I picked it up from his body, and do you really think I'm so unhygienic that I would swallow it right away? It has to at least be washed first!"

As he spoke, he put away the Herding Yang Pearl and jumped into the air. The halberd flew into his hand, and with a casual wipe of his hand, he cleaned out all traces of He Changan's will upon it.

The original body's eyes flashed as he looked at Cang Qingfeng charging over, and then he suddenly howled. "Awooo!"

It was a mighty roar that could shake the heavens, and Cang Qingfeng was momentarily shaken. A moment later, the halberd swept at Cang Qingfeng, cloaked in black energy.

Being a body refiner, Tang Jie's original body had always been lacking a suitable weapon. Even though the avatar had forged a set of extremely large weapons for him, in truth, the only thing good about them was their sturdiness. They didn't have any sort of power on their own.

But this Halberd of Desolate Heavens was a top-class art relic that He Changan had refined for many years. It was extremely heavy and had many seals, boasting effects like sharpness, thunderclap, shattering, penetration, and so on. The user could also change its size, so it was perfect for the original body. With the halberd, he could get rid of that big hammer.

While He Changan hadn't handed over many of his treasures, they were all rather suitable for the original body.

Halberd in hand, Tang Jie seemed just as mighty as He Changan.

Boom!

There was another momentous clash, and Cang Qingfeng and Tang Jie were both sent flying.

It wasn't that the original body was now stronger than He Changan just because he had the halberd. On the contrary, he was still much weaker. Rather, the power Cang Qingfeng had gained from burning his essence blood was rapidly fading, and he was losing his overwhelming advantage.

He had realized this himself, and with a howl, he went on an all-out offensive, hoping that he could at least kill one Tang Jie before all his strength was gone.

But that was easier said than done. While the original body lacked He Changan's toughness, the two Tang Jies had immaculate teamwork, with no chance of them backstabbing each other.

The original body defended while the avatar attacked, and the Desolate Heavens Halberd and Sovereign Blade unleashed furious waves of energy that pushed Cang Qingfeng back again and again.

Enraged, he bellowed, and the python once more attacked Xu Miaoran.

But to his surprise, Xu Miaoran raised her head and snorted, "You really think I'm that easy to bully around?"

As she spoke, Xian Tao and Hong Yuan rushed out, placing their hands on Xu Miaoran's back. As the three of them synchronized their energies, a small golden bell flew out, rapidly growing larger as it stood in front of them.

The Supreme Mystery Bell!

It turned out that Xu Miaoran had been given this treasure.

Although the Supreme Mystery Bell was a divine treasure, Tang Jie didn't have much use for it. This was because it was primarily defensive and required art power to use. The original body didn't rely on art power for battle, and using his limited art power to control the Supreme Mystery Bell was like a warrior casting a fireball. It was better used on himself.

(TN: The Supreme Mystery Bell was previously described as an art relic.)

As for the avatar Tang Jie, while he could use it, he already had the Chaoswind Step and Formless Golden Body, so he didn't need the Supreme Mystery Bell much. On the contrary, it could hinder his flighty movement style. Besides, Xu Miaoran was still rather weak, and Tang Jie cared for his wife, so he gave it to Xu Miaoran, and for her, this was an extremely valuable protective treasure.

But Xu Miaoran's cultivation level was still rather low, and at her current strength, it was rather difficult to control the Supreme Mystery Bell. Thus, in training, Tang Jie had developed a way for her to jointly control the bell with Xian Tao and Hong Yuan.

Xu Miaoran hadn't had a chance to use it in the previous two sneak attacks, but this time, she had prepared ahead of time. The moment Cang Qingfeng attacked, the three of them had come together, finally getting a chance to activate the Supreme Mystery Bell.

Cang Qingfeng had never imagined that this temperamental girl who he had been chasing around earlier would take out a treasure like this.

There was a mighty ring, and then Cang Qingfeng was sent flying back the way he had come.

While the Supreme Mystery Bell was rather clumsy, its formidable defense and reflective ability were not to be trifled with. Cang Qingfeng was essentially struck by his own attack, and his insides were thrown into turmoil.

At this time, the avatar appeared behind him, the golden light of the Sovereign Blade cutting across his back, and the phantom behind Cang Qingfeng began to crumble.

The power from the Black Tortoise's essence blood was finally about to disappear.

A moment later, the original body charged up with the halberd.

Cang Qingfeng extended his hand, producing a spear which he used to block the halberd. But how could his strength compare to Tang Jie's original body? He was sent flying, leaving behind the spear, which exploded. But the original body just ignored the explosion, striding through the flames and shockwave as he gave chase like a war god emerging from the flames. The flames and shockwave did some surface damage, but it was swiftly healed. His healing abilities were on par with those of the Realm of Life.

Cang Qingfeng's heart turned cold at this sight, and he shouted, "Lord of the Blood River, help me!"

The blood gate that was about to close paused.

Tang Jie instinctively felt an ill foreboding.

A majestic voice boomed from behind the gate. "Although you can reincarnate throughout the ages, reaching the peak is of utmost difficulty. In exchange for escaping a heaven-destroying disaster, you must suffer a lifetime of mediocrity. Ah, my dear Black Tortoise, is this what you seek?"

"It's much better than dying off like those idiots!"

"At least their bloodline still flows. In the future, they will regain their glory. But you… Even if you refine the Evercycle Rising Dragon Pill, you are still not guaranteed to break your shackles. Each reincarnation is another shackle, and how can a hundred lifetimes of shackles be that easy to break? The Dao of Reincarnation is ultimately only a means of trapping oneself in one's own cocoon."

"I don't want to hear this!" Cang Qingfeng roared. "Return my essence blood to me!"

A sigh came from behind the gate. "Ah, forget it. Out of respect for our old friendship, I will help you this once. But the Black Tortoise essence blood you have taken from me now exceeds half of what you gave me. As your custodian, I cannot give you any more of it than this. Here, take it."

As he spoke, the gate opened back up, and a little jade bottle flew out.

Cang Qingfeng rushed to grab it.

"Stop him!" the two Tang Jies roared in unison.

If Cang Qingfeng could get more essence blood and burn it to regain that terrifying strength, Tang Jie may as well just surrender.

The Desolate Heavens Halberd stabbed toward the jade bottle.

Cang Qingfeng accelerated, managing to grab the jade bottle before the halberd could get at it. But as a consequence, he felt a pain in the back as the halberd plunged in.

"Awooo!" Cang Qingfeng howled in pain, but his hands swiftly opened the bottle, and he threw his head back to consume the blood. But just as he was about to tip the bottle into his mouth, a saber flashed, and his arm went flying into the air.

The avatar's Sovereign Blade had severed his arm.

Cang Qingfeng cared not for his wound. His left arm suddenly extended to grab the bottle while the right arm came back and struck the avatar, sending him flying. He bellowed, and the ethereal turtle shell reappeared, slamming into the original Tang Jie with such weight that even the original body was sent flying.

The left hand moved to send the essence blood into his mouth.

Xu Miaoran and her maids pushed out the Supreme Mystery Bell, which slammed into Cang Qingfeng.

Cang Qingfeng was bowled over, and the jade bottle flew out of his hand.

Everyone stared at the bottle and rushed at it.

At this moment, a storm of petals engulfed the bottle and carried it upward. But with a press of Cang Qingfeng's left hand, the storm of petals fell apart.

The jade bottle dropped from the air, and everyone moved to seize it. The avatar Tang Jie moved the fastest, instantly blinking up to the jade bottle's side. Just as he was about to grab it, Cang Qingfeng frantically thrust out his left palm, sending out a blast of air that pushed everyone back. The weaker ones, like Xu Miaoran, her maids, and the bean soldiers, were swept right out of the hall.

The area was emptied out, and that jade bottle continued to plummet from the air, about to land on something white and fluffy.

It was none other than Tutu, the little rabbit.

It had somehow broken free of Xu Miaoran's binding and had been cowering on the side while watching the battle, its body trembling in fear. It had never expected that jade bottle to drop right onto its head.

It instinctively caught the jade bottle with its forelegs.

That bottle was already open, and a single drop of essence blood rolled around in it like a jewel. Somehow, in that fierce struggle, it hadn't fallen out.

Tutu was stupefied.

"Tutu!" Cang Qingfeng and Tang Jie shouted in unison.

Its name being called out by three voices made it dizzy. It looked left and right, unable to decide between its former master and current master.

"Give me the bottle!" they shouted again.

As they roared, Cang Qingfeng and Tang Jie both reached for Tutu.

The little rabbit shrieked in fear, but its little paws only clutched more tightly to the bottle.

Cang Qingfeng crazily rushed forward, but before he could get close, the original Tang Jie smashed him to the side. The original body made to take the bottle, but to his surprise, as Cang Qingfeng was sent flying back, he thrust out his palm, getting the original body in the back with a blast of wind. While this couldn't wound him, it gave him an extra push that sent him right over Tutu's head.

But a moment later, the avatar Tang Jie blinked up to Tutu's side.

The side with numbers had the easier time when it came to taking. The avatar Tang Jie grabbed Tutu with one hand and the bottle with the other.

"No!" Cang Qingfeng cried out.

At that moment, a sigh came from behind the gate. "Since you can't take it, I will take it back."

As the voice spoke, the essence blood in the bottle flew out and toward the gate.

Cang Qingfeng and Tang Jie were both startled, shouting in unison, "Shameless!"

This Lord of the Blood River clearly had no plans of giving Cang Qingfeng the essence blood, but he also didn't want to be known as an oathbreaker. Thus, he intentionally used a method to incite a struggle, and once Cang Qingfeng failed to get the essence blood in the struggle, he would take it back. In this way, it would cease to have any connection to Cang Qingfeng.

As that drop of essence blood flew toward the gate, the avatar blinked in front of the crimson gate.

The Chaoswind Step was truly a supreme art when it came to localized battles. The avatar reached out to grab the drop of blood.

At this moment, a grunt came from behind the gate, and the avatar shuddered, which made it fail to catch the drop of blood.

The blood brushed past Tang Jie's hand, but just when it was about to fly into the gate, Tang Jie suddenly learned his body over, using his head to block the blood as he opened his mouth.

Plush!

The blood flew into Tang Jie's mouth.

"NO!" Cang Qingfeng bellowed in despair.

The Lord of the Blood River grunted, "Clever brat!"

As he grunted, the crimson gate suddenly turned into a crimson vortex.

The avatar Tang Jie found himself unable to move, and as that vortex spun, it began to exude a powerful attraction.

This attraction made it impossible for him to move and to shift. Even the Chaoswind Step couldn't be used. All his body could do was be dragged toward the vortex.

"Give me back my essence blood!" Cang Qingfeng rushed forward.

The python sought to wrap around the avatar and pull it back, and even the original body rushed out to pull it back.

At this moment, two giant hands made of blood emerged from the vortex, swatting at the original Tang Jie and Cang Qingfeng. "Since you've taken my essence blood, compensate with your own blood."

Cang Qingfeng and the original body were knocked away, and by the time they got back to their feet, the avatar was halfway into the vortex.

"Big Brother!" Yiyi ran over, and with a wave of her hand, a vine coiled around Tang Jie and tried to pull him out. But how could someone with her strength pull him out? On the contrary, she was pulled toward the vortex.

"Yiyi, hurry and let go!" Xu Miaoran frantically shouted as she ran over.

But the little girl stubbornly refused to let go, and as the avatar was pulled into the vortex, that enormous pull also dragged Yiyi inside, and she was gone in the blink of an eye.

"No! Yiyi!" Xu Miaoran covered her face and shouted.

Meanwhile, the original body threw a Mustard Seed Bag into the vortex.

The Mustard Seed Bag vanished into the froth of the vortex, and the vortex gradually spiraled out of existence.

Everyone glanced at that empty spot where the blood gate had been.

Xu Miaoran said in a shaky voice, "Yiyi… did she die?"

"No, she's not dead," the original body replied.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. They're in the middle of entering the Blood River Domain. Entering the Blood River Domain doesn't mean instant death, but offending the Lord of the Blood River is a big problem…" The original body turned to Cang Qingfeng. "What cultivation realm is the Lord of the Blood River at? Immortal Platform? Or even higher?"

Cang Qingfeng was also staring at that empty spot. He muttered, "He was at Immortal Platform ten thousand years ago. As for now, nobody knows what cultivation realm he's at. In truth, it doesn't matter. In any case, it's impossible to escape his palm."

The original body replied, "That's not for certain. Actually, there's still an opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Cang Qingfeng asked.

The original body didn't answer the question, only saying, "Without the essence blood, you shouldn't have any more trump cards, right?"

"What about it?" Cang Qingfeng asked back. He was already in despair and no longer cared about his life.

"It's nothing. I'll just send you back into the cycle, then," the original Tang Jie replied.

The halberd swept through Cang Qingfeng's neck, and blood gushed into the air.