Aspiring to the Immortal Path

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

In the rear of the Black Yellow Mobile Palace was a small hall called "Cloud Fretting Hall".

In the center of this hall was the Cloud Well. A formation was laid out here that allowed one to sense the world. On the east wall hung the Soul-Composing Mirror, which calmed the mind. To the west was the Fiendslayer Sword, which extinguished illusory demons. To the south was the Clear River Willow, which purified turbid energy. And to the north stood the Firmament Stave, which upheld righteousness.

This was the ideal place for the charge at the Celestial Heart Realm.

When a cultivator of Godhead Palace was abroad and came upon a chance to break through but lacked in preparation, they could go here to complete their breakthrough. This place had everything and was perfect for breakthroughs and cultivation.

Qian Yingchen was the adopted son of a Beast Refining Gate True Lord. Given his revered status, if he had a breakthrough, it was a matter of course for this place to be lent to him.

With the false pretexts of revenge and hatred, Tang Jie had "impatiently" found a high-sounding reason that allowed him to smoothly occupy Cloud Fretting Hall and begin the preparations for the charge at Celestial Heart.

In the simplest terms, the Celestial Heart Realm was the process by which the cultivator sensed the will of the heavens and found the Dao Will that was most compatible with them. They would then fortify their Spirit Will, draw Dao Runes, and form the Celestial Heart.

This process was actually very similar to the charge at Mortal Shedding. Both involved using the force of the charge to get one's mind to penetrate deeply into the world.

What was different here was that Mortal Shedding opened the Heaven-Earth Bridge, which was communication through spiritual energy. Comprehending the Dao and the will of the heavens was just a bonus, and success was not important.

But Celestial Heart was the opposite. It required the cultivator to experience the will of the heavens and then put one's experiences into forming the Dao Fruit. The Dao Fruit that was created was called the Celestial Heart. Thus, comprehending the Dao was inevitable. The difference was in how much one comprehended.

In this aspect, the charge at Celestial Heart was a process of finding the self and also a process of comprehending the Dao.

For this reason, the Celestial Heart Realm was the realm where cultivators of the same realm could have the biggest difference in power.

One Dao Rune could not even be considered really comprehending the Dao, but it was still a Dao Fruit. Numerous Dao Runes that reflected the Heavenly Dao could also be called a Dao Fruit.

But the levels of power these Dao Fruits displayed were as different as heaven and earth.

In Tang Jie's case, he had comprehended quite a lot of Daos, but he had yet to search for his self. It was only on that day when the Great Mountain embraced him that he finally observed the will of the heavens and sensed a sliver of his self, that sliver of power that was compatible with the world.

Today, he was going to once more verify this self and make it his core.

Tang Jie sat cross-legged within Cloud Fretting Hall, the ground around him covered in formation carvings. These were meant to assist Tang Jie in feeling the will of the heavens. But with Tang Jie's current abilities, he no longer needed them.

Placing the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill in his mouth, Tang Jie began to form signs with his hands, and with every movement, he created points of light in the air.

Gradually, these points of light congregated together, and then they flew toward the center of Tang Jie's forehead.

The Celestial Eye opened!

The light fell on the Celestial Eye, and a bridge of light emerged, using the skywell in Cloud Fretting Hall to rise into the heavens. A moment later, the scene before Tang Jie changed, and he found himself in a vast void.

He had seen this place before.

This was the boundless sea of stars, the majestic void.

Beyond this point were the Twelve Great Daos.

But Tang Jie knew that he wasn't here to observe the Daos, but to seek out his fate within this vastness.

This was the most profound strength in his soul, his most primal and instinctive will, his most authentic self!

Tang Jie dispersed his will throughout the void, spreading out in all directions and feeling the world.

At first, all he felt was the void, but gradually, Tang Jie felt like he was speeding up.

And then the scene before Tang Jie changed. The sea of stars disappeared, and he appeared to be in some narrow passage, a rainbow of lights streaking past him, extending into infinity.

As that rainbow of lights passed, he saw a boy walking through an empty lawn, and around him was a forest of skyscrapers.

This was…

Earth?

Tang Jie was stunned.

He looked at that boy and found him to look almost identical to himself.

Suddenly, that boy looked up at Tang Jie.

And then he seemed to see something else and ran off in fright, shouting, "Mommy! Mommy!"

Tang Jie wanted to call out to him, but he found that he couldn't speak.

All the images were stretched out as he saw that child growing older as he ran, turning from a boy into a teenager, and then into a youth, making his way through a city and busying away in society.

Occasionally, he would look up at the stars and deeply sigh, and that sigh would cause the depths of Tang Jie's heart to ripple.

That was him!

If things went as usual, what came next would be his death and transmigration.

But Tang Jie did not see this.

He saw himself continuing to move through the crowds and live.

He grew older with time, going from youth to middle age, and then to old age, marrying and having children.

And then one day, he was so old that he couldn't move, lying in a bed.

Around him was a clean white room.

He just quietly lay there.

Tang Jie stood at the end of the bed.

The old man blankly stared forward.

Suddenly, his gaze met Tang Jie's.

At that moment, it seemed like he could see Tang Jie again.

He trembled.

His eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

After a long while, he shouted, "No!"

And then he died.

Tang Jie felt like he could see himself dying.

He raised his head and looked around him.

Everything shattered.

The room vanished, as did that person.

Tang Jie found himself back in the sea of stars.

A baby was floating in the sea of stars, sucking his thumb. It seemed as if the entire world was a womb, and he was the life it was nurturing.

That baby was him.

Suddenly, the baby opened his eyes and began to cry.

This cry resounded through the world, shattering it.

"This is…" Tang Jie was dumbfounded.

He had never heard about the charge at Celestial Heart and the finding of the self happening like this.

Was it because he was a transmigrator?

Or was there some other factor?

Why had he never heard of this sort of manifestation appearing before?

What exactly did it mean?

Tang Jie was completely confused.

All the selves of cultivators had very specific and clear indications that allowed one to know what one was truly skilled in.

For example, Ming Yekong's self was space, and the core Dao Will that circled his Dao Fruit was the Great Dao of Space.

For Xie Fengtang, his self had been erudition. It was not one of the Great Daos or a principle of the world, but Xie Fengtang had still relied on it as the basis to attain the Dao.

But Tang Jie had no idea what his own self was.

And this was after he had clearly perceived the will of the heavens. In other words, this was the limit of what could be seen, and nobody could have been able to see any more than this. But the more he saw, the more confused he became, so he was even worse off than those who had only gotten vague and blurry glimpses.

But the scenes had stopped here, and nothing else followed. He had to immediately condense the manifestation, or else he would miss the chance to break through into Celestial Heart.

Gazing at the shattered firmament, Tang Jie clenched his teeth and pointed at the sky. He began to make numerous hand signs, and a wind howled in the heavens. Currents of air spiraled around him as various law runes began to appear around him.

This was Tang Jie's personal Dao Will, but alas, Tang Jie didn't even know what it was. Yet the runes so densely filled the sea of stars that he was rendered speechless.

But at this point, he had no choice except to continue forming hand signs.

He raised his head and spat.

A torrent of energy rushed out and began to circle in the air.

This was the ball of energy created by the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill. It seemed to have physical presence, lingering in the air rather than dispersing.

As he continued to make more hand signs, that ball of energy flashed with a golden light. The Dao Runes began to gather at the golden light, and the golden light grew larger and larger, and gradually began to condense into the shape of a heart.

The Celestial Heart Dao Fruit!

Condensing the Celestial Heart was an extremely complicated and risky task that required the cultivator's full strength and attention. The slightest mistake might cause the Celestial Heart to collapse, which would be tantamount to a Celestial Heart self-detonation.

As for the power, that would depend on the Celestial Heart's level of completion.

For this reason, from the moment the charge at Celestial Heart began, every step was perilous. And the charge at Celestial Heart was actually the least dangerous, for if one was cautious, the chances of Celestial Heart detonation were very low. As for Heart Demon and Soul Transformation, and even the charge at Violet Palace, they had problems that one's caution could not resolve. Other than effort, one also needed luck.

The Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill was an important medicine that stabilized the Celestial Heart. With it as the core, the Celestial Heart would more smoothly and stably condense.

As Tang Jie worked, the Celestial Heart Dao Fruit gradually took form.

It was apparent that Tang Jie's Celestial Heart was extremely powerful, covered in countless Dao Wills and radiating a powerful light. Tang Jie was amazed by what he was seeing.

This was only the core Dao Will. He hadn't even attached the Dao Wills that he had comprehended yet.

The core Dao Will had no connection to the Great Dao. It could be one of the Great Daos, but didn't need to be. It was something compatible with the cultivator that formed into a Dao Will, and it could be considered the most personal minor Dao, only working with oneself.

For this reason, most cultivators would only have one or two Dao Runes after forming their Celestial Heart, which couldn't be considered comprehending the Dao. At best, it was considered finding a little gift, being a little skilled in a particular aspect. "Core" sounded nice, but its main function was to condense the Celestial Heart, not to make one powerful.

But Tang Jie's Celestial Heart was something else entirely.

This wasn't like comparing an elephant to an ant, but a mountain to an ant.

The golden light in the sea of stars was still condensing.

Tang Jie no longer needed to intervene for the condensing to happen.

Tang Jie still couldn't understand what all the numerous Dao Wills were, but he could sense the turbulent strength within them.

At this point, Tang Jie decided to just ignore it.

For a Celestial Heart, the more Dao Wills, the better! In any case, this was just an avatar. Even if it blew up, it wouldn't affect the original body, so he wasn't scared of anything!

Tang Jie decided to go all-out. As those numerous Dao Runes seemed on the verge of all attaching, he waved his hands, adding the Dao Wills he had experienced over the last few years to the Dao Fruit.

This was the last phase of the Celestial Heart's condensation, but not everyone had to go through it. One would add one's comprehensions of the Dao to the Dao Fruit, make it a more physical existence and also making it more powerful.

Only this sort of fruit could be considered a real Dao Fruit.

It wasn't only cultivators who had comprehended a Dao before the charge at Celestial Heart that had this privilege.

Tang Jie now applied all of the Great Daos he had comprehended: the Dao of Insight, the Dao of Karma, the Daos of Space and Time, the Dao of Life. They layered over each other, making that golden Dao Fruit even more resplendent.

But Tang Jie found it strange that these Dao Wills didn't completely attach to the Dao Fruit, instead floating on the surface, constantly revolving around it like a ring.

But Tang Jie couldn't worry about all this. He had already come this far, and there was no reason to stop.

Finally, as Tang Jie made the last sign, the Celestial Heart suddenly dimmed. Tang Jie found that all of those countless Dao Wills that had attached to the Celestial Heart had disappeared.

Yes, they had disappeared.

The dazzling Dao Fruit had become much darker. There was only one Dao Rune left, carving out a very obvious notch in the fruit.

As for the Dao Wills that had been floating on the surface—the ones that Tang Jie had added, like the Dao of Insight—they began to form complicated Dao Runes on the Celestial Heart, allowing it to shine once more.

The Celestial Heart lit up once more, though this time, it seemed much more normal.

This was a powerful Dao Fruit that had many Dao Wills attached to it, representing a cultivator's profound understanding of the world and their ability to command it, and the countless Dao Runes signified that its possessor was destined to be powerful.

But Tang Jie couldn't forget that previous splendor.

That light was something that all the Dao Wills he had put together couldn't compare to.

What had that been?

He didn't know.

He only saw that when that light had disappeared, leaving behind that single core Dao Rune, a single word had appeared.

Tang Jie didn't recognize this word, but it represented a supreme principle of the world. The moment Tang Jie saw it, he instinctively knew its meaning.

"'Parting'!" he blurted out.

―――――――――――――

He opened his eyes.

He was still sitting in Cloud Fretting Hall.

It seemed like all of this had been an illusion.

But Tang Jie knew that all of it had really happened.

All that had happened in the sea of stars had actually happened within his own body. The Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill was no more, replaced by a pill-sized Dao Fruit that floated within his body.

One world outside the body, and one world within the body.

To use one's heart to experience the heart of the heavens! This was the Celestial Heart Realm!

Tang Jie felt his body thrumming with power.

He raised his head and shouted, "Bring wine!"

The eight servant warriors outside the hall immediately rushed in, carrying large jars of spirit wine.

Sixteen jars full of spirit wine were placed in front of Tang Jie.

Tang Jie slapped one of the jars.

Thud!

The jar opened, and wine gushed out and flowed into Tang Jie's body.

Spiritual power filled his body, replenishing his Spirit Sea.

But this still wasn't enough.

Tang Jie slapped one jar after another, sending the wine into his body. The wine turned into steam and rushed out of his pores, creating a white fog. Meanwhile, spiritual power ran through Tang Jie's body like a raging river.

Tang Jie's Spiritual Space was soon awash with spiritual energy. In normal circumstances, this was a peak Mortal Shedding expert's ideal state.

But for the Celestial Heart Realm, this was only the beginning.

More energy rushed out, forming a radiance around Tang Jie.

As his Spirit Will extended, this light formed into an expanding ring.

A Spirit Ring!

The Spirit Ring was overflowing spiritual energy that, instead of dispersing, was controlled by the Spirit Will into circling around the cultivator, forming a ring. And this ring signified two things.

The first was that the cultivator's upper limit of spiritual energy had increased. Originally, a cultivator was limited to the spiritual energy that could be stored in their Spiritual Space. But now, because of the Celestial Heart, they could store spiritual energy outside of their body, allowing them to use more spiritual energy in more powerful spell arts and to fight for longer.

The second was that they now possessed a zone of control. The area within the Spirit Ring was under the absolute control of the cultivator. In this region, the cultivator could cast spell arts more quickly and with greater power. This was also why Spirit Ring True Persons would release their Spirit Ring in combat.

The size of the Spirit Ring depended on the range of one's Spirit Will.

The maximum length of the Spirit Will was the radius of the Spirit Ring.

The larger the Spirit Ring, the more spiritual energy it could hold and the greater the zone of control it conferred.

Tang Jie's Spirit Will had a length of 25.4 meters, which ranked among the top ten in the Basking Moon Sect, even squeezing out the current Swordholder of the sect, Xiao Biehan. Thus, his Spirit Ring zone was also huge.

The Spirit Ring quickly expanded out of Cloud Fretting Hall, and it continued to expand.

Having a Spirit Ring meant that one had successfully broken through into Celestial Heart.

A clamor came from outside the hall.

"Young Master Qian, congratulations on attaining Celestial Heart!"

"Initial attainment of the Spirit Ring and greater attainment of the Celestial Heart! Congratulations, Young Master, congratulations."

"Young Master Qian lives up to your reputation as a genius of the Beast Refining Gate, attaining True Person in a single day! Congratulations!"

As the congratulations rang out, the people waiting outside entered.

Although there was only one step between the peak of Mortal Shedding and Celestial Heart Spirit Ring, the gap between them was huge.

Tang Jie could sense that he had gotten much stronger. The Celestial Heart Dao Fruit had finally allowed him to unleash all of the reserves he had built up through years of hard work. At that moment, Tang Jie was confident that, let alone Nan Ningjiang's group, he could even kill Elders Gold and Silver and Li Song. Even if he had to fight Master Xuan Zhong, even if he couldn't win, he could at least escape.

If King Canis He Changan hadn't been here, he might have called over his original body and killed everyone here.

All around him were flattering smiles, but Tang Jie was thinking about murder.

Looking around at all those familiar faces, Tang Jie smiled and said, "Yingchen was able to get this far thanks to everyone's generous support. I do not dare to forget this kindness and will richly repay it in the future."

Tang Jie suddenly threw his head back and roared.

The sound resounded across the heavens, shaking the world.

Far in the distance, Tang Jie's original body and Xu Miaoran peered in that direction.

Xu Miaoran asked, "What happened?"

"It's nothing. Just another step on the long, long path of Immortality," the original body casually replied.