Aspiring to the Immortal Path
chapter-820

Humans always had a tendency of getting stuck in a certain line of thinking.

Only when the truth was revealed were many questions finally resolved.

Now that Tang Jie thought about it, Immortal Ji Yao had never said that she was the Pearl Lady.

At the time, Tang Jie had mistaken Immortal Ji Yao for the Pearl Lady entirely because the Dream Pearl Lady painting had saved the life of Tang Jie's avatar, and Immortal Ji Yao had said that she had felt a familiar sensation. All this plus the "pearl" in Immortal Ji Yao's name and her status in the court had made Tang Jie believe that Immortal Ji Yao was the Pearl Lady.

If their interactions had been face-to-face, then he probably would have noticed a problem.

But Immortal Ji Yao was imprisoned in that demon plane, so Tang Jie couldn't see the look on her face. All he could do was conjecture based on her voice.

All intelligence, insight, and analysis were established on basic information. If there was a severe lack of basic information, there was nothing to draw on to extract intelligence.

In this situation, Tang Jie had been fooled by his preconceived notions into making a grave error.

After mistakenly taking Immortal Ji Yao for the Pearl Lady, he suddenly became a romantic poet.

Luan Grass planted in the gardens of the royal court, a fairy in a dream ascending to the nine heavens, a sentimental keepsake recording a priceless memory stored away in a little tower, a fairyland across a lake, where two lovers would rather be happily married than be Immortal—how was it that the Pearl Lady ended up falling to the Primordial Fog and becoming a Demon Immortal?

He felt like this poem he had composed was rather good, but in reality, he had erred greatly in revealing some information regarding the Pearl Lady. The last two lines in particular indicated that he believed Immortal Ji Yao was the Pearl Lady.

Although Immortal Ji Yao didn't know the exact circumstances, she saw an opportunity. And when Tang Jie gave her the Martial Lord's statue and learned that Immortal Ji Yao really did recognize Li Jiuyang, a dramatic play commenced.

Immortal Ji Yao wept over Li Jiuyang, confirming in Tang Jie's mind that she was the Pearl Lady.

Immortal Ji Yao went along with the flow, passing the Divine Restoration Classic to Tang Jie. Alas, Tang Jie didn't release Immortal Ji Yao because of this, but she was patient, suppressing her impulses and never trying to force Tang Jie.

She was well aware that so long as Tang Jie took her to be his master's wife, he wouldn't cut off relations with her, and so long as this relationship persisted, there was hope.

But there was one big problem: the old dragon.

The old dragon knew her real identity.

Thus, Immortal Ji Yao decisively sent out the Eternity Sarcophagus to imprison the dragon so that it would have no opportunity to speak with Tang Jie.

Everyone thought that Immortal Ji Yao's goal in sending out the Eternity Sarcophagus was to get more of the sealing talisman torn off, ignorant to her real purpose.

They had guessed wrong from the beginning, so they had naturally fallen into her trap.

Immortal Ji Yao's secret was safeguarded, and Tang Jie ended up recognizing her as his master's wife for two hundred years.

In these two hundred years, while Immortal Ji Yao hadn't been able to escape using her relationship with Tang Jie, she was able to maintain a connection with the outside world, which made it easier to lay plans.

As the old dragon laughed away, Tang Jie turned ice-cold.

After a long period of stunned shock, he finally laughed. "After spending all my days hunting geese, I didn't expect a goose to peck out one of my eyes. As expected, retribution isn't very pleasant."

Yun Tianlan asked, "Who is this Immortal Ji Yao, that she could sense the energy from the Pearl Lady painting? I presume that she must have some connection to the real Pearl Lady."

"Of course," the old dragon chuckled. "The Court of Myriad Domains was brimming with talents and Titans. The ones with the greatest status and power were naturally the Immortal Emperor and the Four Sages. But the most famous and admired were the Sisters of the Pearl Lake."

"'Sisters of the Pearl Lake'?" Yun Tianlan and Tang Jie said in unison.

"Yes, the Nine Heavens Pearl Lady and the Iceheart Lotus Lady."

"'The Nine Heavens Pearl Lady' and 'Iceheart Lotus Lady'," Tang Jie muttered. "So in other words, the Nine Heavens Pearl Lady is my master's actual wife."

"Correct, it was because of her that Li Jiuyang caused a mess in the Court of Myriad Domains. But the Li Jiuyang of that time, while possessing divine strength, was no match for the court. Let alone the Immortal Emperor and the Four Sages, even the Nine Heavens Pearl Lady was stronger than him. If it wasn't for her doing everything she could to protect him, Li Jiuyang would have died long ago. I didn't think he would come back one day, much less overturn the Court of Myriad Domains," the old dragon chuckled.

"Then Immortal Ji Yao is the Iceheart Lotus Lady."

"Correct," the old dragon confirmed. "The Sisters of the Pearl Lake originally got along well, and both were born with heaven-shaking beauty. The Nine Heavens Pearl Lady was pure and elegant, with a kind and gentle disposition, while the Iceheart Lotus Lady was aloof and noble like ice and snow. They were actually good friends who called each other sisters, and they would often travel together, which would draw countless admirers to them."

As the old dragon spoke, Tang Jie imagined a pair of beauties sauntering alongside each other in that heavenly palace.

"Alas, everything changed after the Iceheart Lotus Lady came back from one of her journeys," the old dragon sighed, shaking its head.

It recalled what had happened to Immortal Ji Yao.

It turned out that the Iceheart Lotus Lady really was the one who had first met the Martial Lord. After injuring the Martial Lord in the sea of stars, Immortal Ji Yao brought him back to the court to treat his injuries.

But Immortal Ji Yao cultivated the Jade Lady Iceheart Mantra and was estranged to the other sex, and she naturally wouldn't personally care for him. Thus, she entrusted him to a maid and left, after which that incident was done with in her mind.

Thus, she didn't expect that Li Jiuyang would come to know the Nine Heavens Pearl Lady in that time and develop affection for her. But as those two were sisters and frequently visited each other, it was very normal for the Pearl Lady to come to know the Martial Lord, who was staying at the Lotus Lady's place while he recovered.

In a twist, for some reason, Immortal Ji Yao also began to like Li Jiuyang.

What ensued was one of those dramatic love triangles, which became the talk of the town at the time.

Nobody imagined that relations would become so fraught that Immortal Ji Yao would turn into a demon.

"You're saying that Immortal Ji Yao's fall into demonhood was connected to this?" Tang Jie hastily asked, realizing something.

"Indeed." The old dragon nodded.

Perhaps because it was so long since it had gotten the opportunity to talk, the old dragon had forgotten that Tang Jie was its enemy that it shouldn't help. Immersed in its storytelling, it went on, "Immortal Ji Yao cultivated the Jade Lady Iceheart Mantra. While it makes one immensely powerful, those who cultivate it are forbidden to feel emotions, as to do so will break the art."

"What happens when the art is broken?" Tang Jie asked.

"It's not a big problem. One will retain one's original strength, but advancing any further on this foundation will be difficult," the old dragon replied.

Tang Jie sighed in relief. "Is that it?"

The old dragon sighed. "You will also suffer backlash from your former strength."

"'Backlash from former strength'?"

The old dragon answered, "The Jade Lady Iceheart Mantra tempers the mind and will, so it is best at resisting illusion, poison, demon, and other such arts. When one achieves success, one can be called impervious to all evils. This is why those who cultivate the Jade Lady Iceheart Mantra have no fear of devils and demons, even using them to temper themselves. When Immortal Ji Yao cultivated this art, she would often go to dangerous areas in which evil and demons thrived, always remaining unsullied, recalling the lotus that blooms from the muck unsullied, which is why she was called the Lotus Lady."

Tang Jie's expression changed.

He suddenly recalled that Ice Phoenix also cultivated this art, and the demon cave was awash in demonic energy.

An ill foreboding began to emerge.

Tang Jie said, "Are you telling me that breaking the art will result in a backlash of demonic energy?"

The old dragon snorted. "That's not even the worst of it! Ordinary demonic energy backlash will just make someone suffer, with consequences ranging from damaging one's cultivation to endangering their life. But the Jade Lady Iceheart Mantra is even scarier. Because one spends so long in demonic environments, one's body is actually covered in all that evil and filthy energy. If the Jade Lady Iceheart Mantra is unbroken, this demonic energy won't affect the cultivator and even helps them grow stronger. But once the art is broken, one is essentially defenseless, and that demonic energy will attack the heart, invading the body and turning them into a demon. This was exactly how Immortal Ji Yao fell into demonhood."

Boom!

Tang Jie felt like his mind had exploded.

Falling into demonhood!

At that moment, he understood everything.

"Ice Phoenix!" Tang Jie cried out.

Hearing this name, the old dragon seemed to realize something. "Kid, are you telling me that you have a friend that cultivates the Jade Lady Iceheart Mantra?"

Tang Jie weakly nodded.

If Immortal Ji Yao wasn't his master's wife, he would have never allowed Ice Phoenix to learn a mantra given out by her.

But after obtaining the Peaceful Divine Abode Classic, Tang Jie had subconsciously gained some trust in Immortal Ji Yao.

This trust originated from the Martial Lord, originated from her status as his master's wife, so despite his caution, he had ultimately fallen for it.

At this moment, Tang Jie was full of resentment and remorse.

The old dragon said in panic, "Have her immediately stop and leave any area of demonic energy, then purify her in clear springwater from the Jade Sea, after which you have to roast her in Triple True Yang Fire for 81 days. Perhaps then you can successfully purge the demonic energy inside her. Even then, you have to be careful to not stimulate her so that she doesn't break her art!"

"Too late," Tang Jie sighed.

"What are you saying?" the old dragon and Yun Tianlan asked in a trembling voice.

Tang Jie gravely said, "Not long ago, my good friend in the Verdant Cloud Domain, Ice Phoenix, confessed to me, and I rejected her. She cultivates none other than the Jade Lady Iceheart Mantra."

The old dragon and Yun Tianlan were stunned.

Tang Jie slowly stood up. "Several dozen days have already passed, so everything is too late now. If it's as I expect, she's already become a demon, and since she's become a demon, she has no reason to keep Immortal Ji Yao imprisoned. At this moment, Immortal Ji Yao has probably already regained her freedom."

"Haaa…" Yun Tianlan heavily sighed.

Such a great demon being released had probably done immense damage to the Verdant Cloud Domain. She alone could destroy the entire place.

Yun Tianlan and the old dragon both scowled.

Nobody could have expected Immortal Ji Yao to be so cunning, even pretending to be the Nine Heavens Pearl Lady. It was no wonder she didn't know much about matters regarding the Martial Lord, because she wasn't the Pearl Lady.

Tang Jie couldn't help but hate himself for his neglect.

He muttered, "It was all my fault."

Yun Tianlan saw that his expression wasn't right and soothed, "Jie'er, don't blame yourself. This was all because Immortal Ji Yao was too cunning. She plotted for two hundred years to finally reach this day. One can only be a thief for a lifetime, not defend against thieves for a lifetime."

"But in the end, the responsibility lies with me," Tang Jie replied.

His remorse had become a great ocean upon which he lingered.

Tang Jie had never before hated himself so much.

He could be lowly and shameless, even ruthless, but he at least had a bottom line, had principles.

But demons had no bottom line.

They were evil, the opposite of good, the origin of all wickedness.

A Boundless Gold Immortal demon could do immense damage to a world. It was simply unimaginable. He might spend his entire life and not be able to fix it.

This thought immediately filled him with guilt.

Tang Jie was no longer the same Tang Jie. After reaching Violet Palace, he was no longer so shortsighted. Reaching a high place had also imbued him with a responsibility for the world.

When he saw his errors putting a world in danger, Tang Jie felt like he had to try and salvage the situation.

He suddenly made up his mind.

He raised his head and declared, "I'm going to the Verdant Cloud Domain!"