Aspiring to the Immortal Path
chapter-569

Finally, the opening day of the Treasure Paradise arrived.

Tang Jie went to the eighth floor of the Celestial Flame Pagoda at the appointed time and found it packed with people.

The Western Heavenly King was standing in a corner of the hall, together with Na Shan and the others.

The Western Heavenly King smiled at him and gestured that he should come over.

Tang Jie went up to the Western Heavenly King and bowed. "I wish you well, Western Lord."

"Everything is going well," the Western Heavenly King laughed. "Na Shan has already told me of your problem."

Tang Jie's heart leaped, and the Western Heavenly King continued, "Don't worry. While that existence is powerful, the Celestial Flame Pagoda does not fear him. While I can't guarantee anything else, so long as you are within the Celestial Flame Pagoda, we can protect you."

Tang Jie inwardly sighed in admiration. The Western Heavenly King really knew how to talk.

Regardless of what the Western Heavenly King was thinking, these words would have had anyone else weeping in gratitude.

This was a moment where good talent was needed, and if Tang Jie wanted the Western Heavenly King's protection, he would need to work hard within the Treasure Paradise. No matter what happened afterward, Tang Jie would be wrung dry of value beforehand.

Of course, on the surface, Tang Jie was the picture of gratitude, sobbing out his thanks.

He joined the Western Heavenly King's team, and the Western Heavenly King waved his hand. A hazy energy engulfed them so as to keep out any eavesdroppers.

To avoid being targeted, nobody lightly exposed their strongest representative. Even the most arrogant of cultivators understood the importance of keeping a low profile on this occasion. Being arrogant could wait until they were inside the Treasure Paradise.

As they were talking, the other three Heavenly Kings also entered.

This was Tang Jie's first time seeing them.

The Western Heavenly King was a Hemos. The Eastern Heavenly King was a human, appearing as a graceful scholar. As for the Northern Heavenly King, he was a fiend, a towering dark figure of a man.

As expected, the Flame Celestial Sovereign made no distinction between species when taking disciples.

The Southern Heavenly King was a demon woman, and more than half of the people following her were also women.

The Southern Heavenly King was a true demon, and her face was covered in various tattoos. When Tang Jie looked at the tattoos, he felt like they were moving like snakes. And as Tang Jie looked more, he felt like his mind was being drawn into them.

Fortunately, he had formidable mental fortitude and recovered after a momentary daze, upon which he realized that these were not simple tattoos, but Dao Runes.

This was a Celestial Sovereign who had entered the Dao!

This woman had carved the Dao Runes onto her face. Given that they exuded boundless temptation, they were probably linked to the Dao of Charm.

Tang Jie had broken free so easily entirely because this woman hadn't activated these runes in earnest.

Na Shan and the others recovered soon after he did. As for those who had been selected afterward, their eyes were still confused. It was only when the other three Heavenly Kings snorted that their minds regained clarity.

The Eastern and Northern Heavenly Kings weren't exactly nice people either. The Northern Heavenly King had a very blunt personality and directly said to the Southern Heavenly King, "Junior Sister Liu, please withdraw your charming art. Your actions can already be considered acting against our representatives."

The Southern Heavenly King covered her mouth and smiled. "Oh my, who used any charming art? Am I not allowed to just be naturally charming? Don't blame others for tempting you if you simply lack the focus."

Her eyes drifted over to a delicate-looking youth behind the Eastern Heavenly King, and then to a shriveled old man behind the Northern Heavenly King, and finally to Tang Jie. She then laughed. "Brothers, you really have managed to find some talented individuals."

It turned out that she had been testing the representatives. While the other three Heavenly Kings had tried to guard against it, that instantaneous reaction had still exposed a little of their foundations.

Strong resolve didn't mean that one was actually strong. However, there were definitely those skilled in charming arts among the Southern Heavenly King's subordinates, and this probing allowed one to know which people could resist, which people couldn't, and which people needed to be watched out for.

For people who relied on charming arts, such information was extremely important. It meant that when they used their charming arts, they wouldn't be targeting the wrong person and putting themselves in danger of being counterattacked.

In short, this sudden move had allowed the Southern Heavenly King to get a good picture of what she was facing while the other three had no idea how strong the twenty representatives under the Southern Heavenly King were. However, there was nothing they could do about this. The charming arts of the Southern Heavenly King had always been formless and difficult to defend against.

At this moment, Tang Jie lightly coughed. Seemingly afraid of disturbing the four Heavenly Kings, he hastily took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and cover up the noise.

As the Southern Heavenly King looked at the handkerchief, she froze for a moment, and then she realized something and turned around. Behind her, a young woman in a green gown was staring at the handkerchief in a daze. Incensed, the Southern Heavenly King lightly stomped a foot, and the handkerchief was instantly obliterated.

The young woman seemed to wake from a dream, and she grimaced upon realizing she had fallen into a trap.

The Southern Heavenly King glared at Tang Jie and spat out, "A good illusion spell, even able to fabricate a Celestial Incense Brocade."

The Celestial Incense Brocade was a legendary divine item with a Divine Connection associated with temptation. This item was useless to others, but it was a supreme treasure to those who practiced charming arts. This was a rare item that most cultivators couldn't recognize, but back when Tang Jie had been flexing his academic muscle, he had taken full advantage of the Basking Moon Sect's vast library. There, he had seen a picture of this item, which was why he was able to reproduce it. While there was no guarantee that the Southern Heavenly King's representatives would recognize it, it would probably be recognized by those skilled in the charming arts.

This was such a great treasure that when Tang Jie created an illusion of it, even the Southern Heavenly King fell for it for a moment. However, though she had reacted swiftly, the young woman in green had still been exposed. Let alone Tang Jie, the other Heavenly Kings had also probably realized that the young woman in green was probably one of the best users of the charming arts under the Southern Heavenly King.

Although it was just a minor clash that would have no effect upon the final victor, this sort of invisible exchange could affect morale. The morale that had been lost with the Southern Heavenly King's move was immediately gotten back, and Na Shan and the others were clearly reinvigorated. Even the Eastern and Northern Heavenly Kings chuckled.

The Northern Heavenly King even said, "Hero, you found a pretty good kid."

The Western Heavenly King nodded. "The Dao of Illusions isn't about making the fake seem real, but taking aim at people's minds. Tang Jie, you did a good job."

Tang Jie bowed and replied, "Heavenly King, thank you for the praise."

But that woman in green glared at Tang Jie, clearly holding a grudge against Tang Jie for deceiving her.

Na Shan laughed and said, "Tang Jie, you better watch out. It looks to me like that girl hates you. She might even cause trouble for you the moment we're inside the Treasure Paradise."

Tang Jie shrugged. "Should I consider myself lucky or unlucky to be hated by a girl excelling in seduction? Does that mean that the harder she tries to kill me, the more flirtatious she's being?"

He spoke loudly enough that everyone heard and erupted in laughter.

All the men here understood the meaning of his words.

The woman in green was trembling in rage.

Although she was skilled in charming arts, those had more to do with the user's mind than with their body. For those without the ability, any sort of flirting would only end up making a fool of oneself. But in Tang Jie's mouth, it seemed like using a charming spell required taking off all her clothes, so how could she not be angry?

It was again the Southern Heavenly King who turned and reminded her, "Focus and calm down. He's provoking you on purpose."

The woman in green was startled. Charming arts emphasized sowing discord in the enemy while remaining calm oneself. If her mind was in disarray, she could put aside any thought of messing with the enemy. She hastily nodded and said, "Master, thank you for your instruction."

This woman was actually the Southern Heavenly King's disciple.

The Eastern Heavenly King said, "Since everyone is here, let's go."

He headed to the ninth floor.

There was a teleportation formation here that could send them to the Treasure Paradise's entrance.

Everyone entered the teleportation formation, and with a flash of light, Tang Jie found himself in a giant underground cavern.

In front of him were two doors made of stone, nearly a thousand feet tall. Standing in front of them made one feel tiny as an ant.

This was the entrance to the Treasure Paradise.

Above the stone gate was a golden stamp that turned in the air. Tang Jie immediately knew that this was the seal.

A cloud of blood had gathered over the stamp, spinning like a vortex. Occasionally, blood would descend to wash over the stamp.

The endless washing of the blood wore away at the light of the stamp.

At the base of the gates were four elders, each seated at a corner. Upon seeing the Heavenly Kings, they simply nodded their heads rather than standing up to greet them. Besides these four elders were more than a hundred Celestial Flame Pagoda warriors wearing red robes, and behind them were large cages holding various primal beasts and fiends.

The Western Heavenly King said to Tang Jie, "Behind these doors is the Treasure Paradise. Before you enter, please have your belongings inspected by the four guardian elders."

Inspection of belongings was one of the requirements for entering the Treasure Paradise. One reason was that they needed to know what treasures one was bringing in so that Tang Jie couldn't bring the Sovereign Blade in and then come out and say that he had gotten it in the Treasure Paradise. Secondly, they needed to look for any banned items. However, as the expedition to the Treasure Paradise was meant to be a display of one's abilities, the Celestial Flame Pagoda didn't place many limits. While Tang Jie's several dozen formation diagrams and several hundred art relics might make the inspecting elder take a few extra looks and make him wonder whether this guy was coming here to take treasure or deliver treasure, it was not against the rules.

Moreover, one could not inspect formation diagrams, for once they were opened, they could have earth-shaking effects. This would both waste the diagram and also set off a disturbance that the cavern couldn't endure.

Thus, when that inspecting elder saw that Tang Jie was taking so many formation diagrams with him, while he was shocked, he didn't say much. However, he hesitated at the Mountain River State Diagram.

This elder was an experienced and erudite individual, so he could tell that this diagram was different from the other formation diagrams. It was an authentic spatial treasure that, if used properly, could affect the Treasure Paradise to a certain extent.

Fortunately, the elder was a traditionalist who understood that such treasures could only take in a new space once, were unable to take in another space unless the owner died. And until the diagram was unrolled, it was just a painting of which it was difficult to see the contents. Thus, after some thought, the elder decided not to unroll the diagram.

Tang Jie exhaled in relief upon seeing this.

He knew that all of the contraband was inside this diagram, with the greatest contraband being four living people.

As for Yiyi and Tutu, he was openly bringing them with him—tamed fiends were considered part of one's combat strength.

Once everyone's belongings had been inspected, the four elders nodded at the Four Heavenly Kings.

Everyone knew that it was time to enter.

A moment later, copious amounts of blood descended from the blood vortex, washing over the golden stamp and putting out that last glimmer of golden light.

The Four Heavenly Kings placed their hands on the stone doors, and with a great boom, the doors opened, a bleak and immense energy rushing out from within.

At this moment, the Celestial Flame Pagoda warriors opened the cages and began to throw the primal beasts and fiends inside.

The Treasure Paradise needed an energy supply to ensure its continued operation. Cultivators were one part of this supply, but it wasn't enough. The primal beasts were also a source of nutrition for the Treasure Paradise, allowing the world within to be grander and richer.

Upon seeing this, Tang Jie realized that developing the world within the Mountain River State Diagram would also require sending in living creatures.

Every lifeform that had cultivated before was a miniature treasury, and if they were to be broken down within the world in the diagram, everything would continue to exist in some form or fashion within that world, exhibiting a different use.

Thousands of primal beasts were thrown into the Treasure Paradise, and when the last one was thrown in, the Four Heavenly Kings nodded, indicating that all of them could go in.

Hero explained, "The Treasure Paradise can only be kept open for one hundred days. You must return before then no matter what, or else you will be shut inside and won't be able to come out. This place is rife with unfathomable dangers, so everyone should be cautious."

Everyone saluted, after which Na Shan led them into the Treasure Paradise.

Once all eighty representatives had entered, the doors closed back up.

Now, it was time for the Heavenly Kings to sit and wait.

For Violet Palace cultivators, a hundred days was barely any time at all.

Several days passed by as they sat in meditation. Suddenly, they heard a great rumbling from overhead: "Four Heavenly Kings, get out here right now!"

The four of them opened their eyes.

The Northern Heavenly King said in shock, "Is that the Blood River Ancestor? Why is he here?"

The Lord of the Blood River was an existence who had lived since High Antiquity, and he was even older than the Flame Celestial Sovereign. Thus, the Four Heavenly Kings referred to him as "Ancestor".

The four of them shared a look and then teleported to the skies above the City of Freedom.

The moment the four of them appeared, a Hemos male flew out from the distance—another Blood River avatar.

However, this one was no longer at the Heart Demon Tier, but a proper Violet Palace Realm avatar.

The Four Heavenly Kings bowed to the Blood River Lord. "We pay our respects to the Lord of the Blood River. Ancestor, for what reason have you graced us with your presence?"

The Lord of the Blood River immediately said, "Where is Tang Jie?"

"'Tang Jie'?" Western Heavenly King Hero put on an expression of surprise. "Tang Jie has already entered the Treasure Paradise. For what reason does Ancestor want to see Tang Jie?"

"'The Treasure Paradise'?" The Blood River Lord's voice suddenly rose several octaves, his eyeballs bulging out. "As expected! No wonder I was only able to track his energy here before it disappeared. Hand him over!"

Hero replied, "While I do not know what relationship Ancestor has with Tang Jie, since Ancestor wants to see him, then once the one hundred days are over and Tang Jie comes out, I will bring him to see you."

"You don't need to worry about our relationship, but I want to see him now!" the Blood River Lord thunderously roared.

Although he had already reached Immortal Platform, he had always had a violent and temperamental personality. Most importantly, the Lord of the Blood River cared a great deal about his personal dignity, and his greatest concern was that people would laugh until their teeth fell out if they found out that he had failed to capture Tang Jie twice and had even lost an avatar to him.

But in reality, it was hard to blame him for what had happened. Even though he was an Immortal Platform cultivator whose Divine Connections spanned the world, who could easily cross the void and catch someone from thousands of kilometers away, he still had to obey the rules of this world, still had limitations placed upon him.

When Tang Jie had fled using the Space Crystal, he had managed to get incredibly far away. Given the vast range and numerous people in the area, even someone with his Divine Will would have an extremely tough time finding Tang Jie, such that he could not use his powers to seize him through space. Thus, he could only send an avatar to track him down.

But after finally finding Tang Jie, he found that he was in the City of Freedom.

The City of Freedom was the territory of the Flame Celestial Sovereign, so even the Blood River Lord could not use a Divine Connection in this place, as this would be a challenge to the Flame Celestial Sovereign. At the time, he didn't think that there was a need to offend the Flame Celestial Sovereign over a single Tang Jie, so he decided to fight with the avatar, but to his surprise, Tang Jie had destroyed it. This incurred his wrath, and he wanted nothing more than to use his Divine Connections to reach across space and kill Tang Jie.

Alas, Tang Jie was too cunning for that, fleeing back into the City of Freedom after the deed was done. Unless the Blood River Lord wanted to flatten the City of Freedom, he could not kill Tang Jie through this method. Moreover, even if he wanted to, he couldn't, for the City of Freedom was protected by a formation overseen by four Violet Palace True Lords. Thus, he could only send another avatar over, but he had still been too late. To his great surprise, Tang Jie had entered the Treasure Paradise.

The Blood River Lord was in great pain, but he was unwilling to voice his frustrations. For this reason, he could only unreasonably roar that they hand over Tang Jie.

The Four Heavenly Kings were rather taken aback by his unreasonable demeanor, and they looked at each other at a loss for what to do.

In the end, Hero said, "This is rather hard to do. Ancestor, as you know, once the Treasure Paradise is opened, even we can no longer go in. Several days have already passed, so we have no idea where Tang Jie could be in the Treasure Paradise. Having him come out now is too difficult!"

"Then let me go in!" the Blood River Lord shouted.

"This is…" The Four Heavenly Kings grimaced.

"What? You think I'm after those treasures of yours?" the Blood River Lord snorted.

"Not at all," Hero helplessly said. He smiled and explained, "It is just that the Celestial Flame Pagoda has its rules, and Ancestor asking this of us puts us in a difficult position."

"I don't care! Either hand over Tang Jie or let me go in myself!" The Blood River Lord's voice rumbled through the heavens.

He was now in a state where he could no longer be reasoned with.