Aspiring to the Immortal Path

The giant fireball scared everyone out of their wits.

Shi Meng and Liu Hongyan shouted, "Don't!" but it was too late. The fireball was about to crash into them, but just when everyone was about to dodge, Tang Jie thrust out a finger.

The fireball stopped at Tang Jie's fingertip, rotating in the air as it grew smaller and smaller, ultimately turning into a little spark before poofing out of existence.

Wei Tianchong was stunned. "Cai… When did this Cai kid become so skilled?"

"It's just the Contraflame Mantra, able to absorb flames and make them one's own. Haven't you already known Zuo Quanming for a while now? How do you not know this trick of his?" Tang Jie said in surprise. "Although he can't control fire as well as me, he should have been able to absorb and refine them."

Wei Tianchong was dizzied by these words.

Shi Meng said, "Young Master, do you still not understand? He's the real Tang Jie!"

Wei Tianchong's vision turned blurry as he stared dumbly at Tang Jie, his mouth opening so wide that he could almost swallow a ball.

And then he let out a howl and shouted, "Tang Jie! It's the real Tang Jie! You've come back!"

He rushed over and hugged Tang Jie, laughing like a child.

Perhaps because he was still not sure, he even pinched Tang Jie's face and cast a look at Shi Meng. After finally confirming things, he hugged Tang Jie tight and wailed, "You bastard, you're finally back! How could you be gone for more than a hundred years!"

"We're all adults now. What are you crying for?" Tang Jie chuckled. "A hundred years for Immortals is like the snap of a finger."

"But it's a lifetime for mortals." Wei Tianchong's voice grew softer.

He said, "The Wu couple passed away. They were thinking of you the whole time. And forty years ago, my father also passed away."

Tang Jie sighed. He had already been informed of the Wu couple's passing, which was exactly why he had chosen to travel the world for a hundred years, comprehending the mortal life, which had been the trigger for many other things. This was why he didn't react much to this news.

But he was rather surprised by Wei Danbai's passing.

He knew that Wei Tianchong had bought life-extending medicine for his parents. While the Wu couple had also taken this medicine, they were already very old, and they had a lifetime of old ailments, so the effect was limited. Wei Danbai and his wife, on the other hand, had taken the medicine while they were still young, and they didn't have any sort of illnesses and had access to plenty of resources, so they should have easily been able to live until two hundred.

The end of their life shouldn't have come yet, so how had Wei Danbai passed away forty years ago?

"What of the madam?" Tang Jie asked.

"My mother is still around, but she's also getting old and probably won't last for that many years. As for my father, he became depressed after losing the patriarch position. Though I found medicine for him, it could only extend life, not strengthen the body, so he was always somewhat unhealthy."

Shi Meng added, "The old master had a mental disease, which requires a mental doctor and mental medicine. Other spirit medicines won't do any good."

Tang Jie sighed. "In the end, it's because I went a little too far that time."

"You didn't do anything. He was the one in the wrong." But Wei Tianchong understood what Tang Jie was feeling and patted him on the shoulder. "Anyway, it's all fine now that you're back. If you have the time, you should go and visit my mother. She would definitely be overjoyed. She's always been hoping to see you one more time before she dies."

"Mm!" Tang Jie firmly nodded.

The two looked at each other, laughed, and hugged each other again.

Tang Jie then said, "Come on; let's go to Seven Slaughter Pavilion."

"'Seven Slaughter Pavilion'?" Wei Tianchong was surprised at first, but then he understood. "You're going to see Qi Shaoming and Xi Canhen?"

Seven Slaughter Pavilion was a cultivation hall erected by Horizon Ocean Pavilion. It was a series of trials, each floor containing stronger and stronger puppets. Qi Shaoming and Xi Canhen were frequent visitors, always liking to test their limits.

Wei Tianchong was confused that Tang Jie was going to see those two. "Since you're back, shouldn't you go to see Xu Miaoran?"

Xu Miaoran should have been Tang Jie's most important person, the one he should want to see the most.

"Are you dumb?" Su Xinyue looked at Wei Tianchong in scorn. "You think that there will be any time to see the rest of us once those two have met?"

Wei Tianchong finally understood.

If Tang Jie saw Xu Miaoran, they probably wouldn't be separating for a while. But the news of his return would start to slowly spread, after which the rest of them would rush over and knock on his door…

Mm, it seemed a little inappropriate.

It was best to save Xu Miaoran for last.

Everyone talked as they walked.

Tang Jie pointed at Su Xinyue with his chin and whispered, "What happened? Why does she seem to hate you?"

Wei Tianchong brusquely replied, "I don't really get this girl. All she wants is to fight me every day. And whenever I win, she seems extremely unhappy and gives me a good tongue-lashing. It's so annoying."

Tang Jie smiled. "You really are something else. Women shouldn't be fought against, but loved."

"I should love her?" Wei Tianchong pointed at her and whispered, "I can't get away from her fast enough."

Tang Jie coolly replied, "What? Still haven't forgotten Ping Jingyue?"

Wei Tianchong's eyes dimmed.

Wei Tianchong truly had been grief-stricken for a long time after Ping Jingyue's departure.

That shock from that one enchanting night had been so intense for Wei Tianchong that he had decided that she was destined to be his future companion. But cruel reality told him that those most intense existences in one's life often could not accompany one until the end.

Ping Jingyue was like a hurricane, a thunderstorm, a rainbow, sweeping over Wei Tianchong's heart, stunning him and awing him, before leaving without a trace.

After bidding farewell to the heady days of his youth, Wei Tianchong set off on the path of maturity.

Diligent cultivation used up the excess energy in Wei Tianchong's body, and his lust and impulse became power that filled every cell of his body.

His passion was no more.

Life became dull and swift. But occasionally, that beautiful figure would reappear in Wei Tianchong's mind.

Wei Tianchong shook his head at Tang Jie's words. "After all these years, what's past is past."

"Then why don't you try liking someone else?"Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt

"Her?" Wei Tianchong shook his head. "You know she's not the sort I like."

Su Xinyue was outwardly soft, but in her bones, she was a rather wild girl, just like the fiend wolf she raised: savage, fierce, independent, and a little cunning.

But Wei Tianchong preferred traditional women: gentle, virtuous, generous, and diligent.

"Even the fiercest woman has a soft and gentle side. Don't forget that Miaoran is one of those famous fiend women, and she's never treated the likes of Xin Yue and Sang Hongmei with any sort of gentle touch." Tang Jie put an arm around Wei Tianchong and said, "If a woman is always fighting with you, that means that you're already in her heart, and perhaps she just wants to get your attention. Try and treat her in a gentler manner, and you might get an unexpected result."

He winked at Wei Tianchong.

Wei Tianchong was somewhat dumbfounded by these words. Scratching his head, he said, "Why does Tang Jie seem different from before? He didn't use to be this passionate… Could it be… maybe he's also a fake?"

These last words almost made the little fox faint.

Meanwhile, they had arrived at Seven Slaughter Pavilion.

Tang Jie went over to the disciple guarding the pavilion. "Are Qi Shaoming and Xi Canhen inside?"

The disciple looked up at the compass in front of the pavilion and said, "They've been in there for two hours and are currently at the 67th level. It will probably be another hour until they come out. You can wait here for them."

"There's no need. I'll go in and find them." Tang Jie was looking forward to seeing Xu Miaoran and didn't want to wait.

The disciple rolled his eyes.

Seven Slaughter Pavilion had 99 levels in all and was made to be open to cultivators up to Violet Palace. It was crawling with dangers, peppered with traps and puppets. Every 33 levels represented a tier, but there was no restriction on how far one could go. In other words, if one had the ability, one could challenge the higher tiers of the pavilion. Qi Shaoming and Xi Canhen had gone for this option. Even though they were both Heart Demon cultivators, they were already challenging the Soul Transformation levels.

For this reason, the 69th level was a massive barrier for Heart Demon cultivators. To get this far was an achievement on its own, and the pair had even gone for the group option, so they were dealing with double the number of enemies.

This person was saying that he was going to catch up with that pair while also taking the group option? He was clearly boasting, so that disciple couldn't help but joke, "If you go in, then once they come out, they'll be the ones waiting for you."

But Tang Jie had already entered the pavilion.

The booms of puppets being blasted away could be heard from within, like some giant metal ball was rolling through everything in its path.

The red dot representing Tang Jie was jumping around on the compass. Each time it appeared, it had progressed even more, drawing a long line on the compass that showed no signs of stopping.

The disciple gasped, but when he looked over at Wei Tianchong and the others, he saw that they were all unsurprised. He muttered, "Might I ask as to the identity of that person…?"

Shi Meng replied, "Our big brother."

Wei Tianchong puffed up his chest and added, "My servant student."

The red dot drew closer and closer to the red dots representing Qi Shaoming and Xi Canhen.

Finally, the three dots met after only fifteen minutes since Tang Jie had entered. The three dots remained together after this, and even though it was impossible to see if they were conversing or not, everyone else could already imagine how excited they were.

In the middle of a bitter battle, Tang Jie suddenly dropped out of the sky and obliterated all the puppets. Such a scene… would definitely be incredible to experience!

"Right, what cultivation level do you think Tang Jie is at?" Wu Xianguang asked.

They had been so happy to see him that they had forgotten to ask.

Wei Tianchong shook his head. "I don't know, but we do know that he had killed two Divine Division great fiends a hundred years ago."

The disciple finally knew who the new challenger was, and when he heard Wei Tianchong, he almost wanted to slap himself for teasing the guy.

Fortunately, Wei Tianchong and the others didn't mind. On the compass, those three red dots had already set off again, crazily advancing. It seemed like they planned to keep on going in the pavilion rather than coming back.

Seven Slaughter Pavilion was rather famous in Horizon Ocean Pavilion, so now that he was here, Tang Jie naturally wanted to play a bit.

In the past, only chiefs and young lords had been capable of this.

"Who was it? Who completed Seven Slaughter Pavilion?" Many people came asking this question.

The disciple felt his mouth going dry. Only he himself knew that Tang Jie had not only completed Seven Slaughter Pavilion, he had also done it in the group option.

In a flash of light, Tang Jie, Qi Shaoming, and Xi Canhen appeared before the group, shock and disbelief still obvious on the faces of the latter two. Only they knew that they hadn't actually done anything on that last stretch. Tang Jie had taken on triple the number of puppets, but even all those puppets hadn't been able to slow him down in the slightest.

Clapping his hands, Tang Jie said, "Not bad. It was a little interesting."

The mighty Seven Slaughter Pavilion was only a little interesting in Tang Jie's eyes?

"Tang Jie, just how strong are you right now?" Wu Xianguang couldn't help but ask.

But Tang Jie indifferently replied, "There's no 'weaker' or 'stronger' between brothers. Come on; let's go see Cai Junyang and the rest. Where are they?"

Shi Meng replied, "At the sparring platform. Peng Yaolong, Ye Tianshang, and Meng Shixue should also be there. But I don't know where Zuo Quanming is. That guy is always moving around, and it's hard to find out where he is. Let's put him aside for now. Once you meet the other four, you should quickly go and see the young lady."

But Tang Jie simply said, "He's already coming."

Everyone turned their heads in shock and saw that Zuo Quanming really was flying over. And next to him was none other than Xu Miaoran.