Aspiring to the Immortal Path

“No!” Huangfu Meng rushed out, her hands thrusting out with eighteen palm strikes. Each strike sent shockwaves rippling through the air, and as the eighteen shockwaves came together, they unleashed a flood of energy in all directions.

Eighteen Chains of the Star Ocean.

In the journey across the stars, Tang Jie had come across a domain rich in oceans. It had all kinds of oceans: oceans of fire, oceans of death, oceans of darkness, oceans of decay, and so on. One of these was a special ocean called the Ring Ocean. The unique terrain of this ocean allowed eighteen whirlpools to exist at the same time. These eighteen vortices were all natural occurrences, in tune with the Great Dao, creating a natural formation.

The discovery of this ocean gave Tang Jie an idea. What if he could make an attack that could emulate the effects of these vortices, gathering energy together such that they mutually assisted each other, thus mimicking a formation? Tang Jie spent 72 days studying this phenomenon, eventually creating the Eighteen Chains of the Star Ocean. Alas, Tang Jie made the unfortunate discovery that this ability was stuck at the Divine Connection level, unable to reach the Great Dao. For Tang Jie, who had already become a True Immortal, was able to interact with cores, and was even seeking to usurp the Heavenly Dao, it had no long-term value. Thus, after developing it, he didn’t use it himself and instead passed it on to Huangfu Meng.

The Eighteen Chains of the Star Ocean was the fusion of an individual’s power with a formation. Nobody had ever attempted this before, and the Divine Connection that Tang Jie had developed was extremely powerful.

However, Huangfu Meng was no expert in disguise, so as she unleashed this move, she assumed human form. To save Tang Xuanyu, she could no longer afford to remain incognito.

A white burst of energy erupted from the center of Meteorville’s main avenue, blooming like a white lotus blossom across the entire town.

As if a hurricane had swept through, all of the buildings were instantly yanked off their foundations and obliterated in its winds. The demons were also swept up like so many fallen leaves, torn to shreds without being able to use any of their strength, even their blood and flesh being ground away.

Only a few figures remained standing in this terrifying storm, dark sources of energy flickering in the wind like stubborn candles. These were the two demons who had ambushed Tang Xuanyu and Furyhorn himself. Furyhorn was frozen in shock, while the two demons had taken on their original forms, a winged Blood Demon and a Blade Demon, both of them high-rank devils.

Huangfu Meng used this moment to grab Tang Xuanyu. She saw that a blow had punched a hole through his chest, and energy was still radiating from the wound, preventing it from healing. But worst of all was that other palm print on Tang Xuanyu’s chest. This palm print was wriggling on the wound, the five finger imprints like maggots, sucking away at Tang Xuanyu’s lifeforce.

Huangfu Meng hastily fed Tang Xuanyu a pill, a Hundred Blossom Spirit Pill that Xu Miaoran had specially refined for her son and that had divine healing powers. This pill was able to halt Tang Xuanyu’s worsening condition, but that vile energy kept him unconscious.

At the same time, the two high-rank devils finally broke free of the Eighteen Chains of the Star Ocean. They laughed, “Just as Her Majesty God Phoenix predicted, we really did run into you here! Is it you two who have been causing trouble for Her Majesty?”

The Blood Demon let out a shrill cry, summoning a crimson storm at Huangfu Meng. At the same time, the Blade Demon swung an arm that transformed into a sharp blade. Blade Demons were the emperors of the bone demon line, and their bones could transform into blades with power on the level of divine treasures.

“Ice Phoenix!” Huangfu Meng shouted.

So it really was her?

Huangfu Meng was remorseful and vexed at her own lack of caution that had let Ice Phoenix catch on to their presence and track them down.

But there was no point in remorse now. As the two devils attacked, Huangfu Meng created more shockwaves in the air to block their attacks while she fled with Tang Xuanyu.

This was not the time for a protracted battle, but for a rapid retreat.

But just because she wanted to leave didn’t mean that she could.

“Trying to run? Why don’t you stay right there!?” a brazen voice rang out.

A large hand emerged out of the air and slammed down. Another high-rank devil had appeared: a powerful bull demon.

There was a shrill laugh. “Amojan, be careful! One of those humans is the son of that mighty human sovereign Tang Jie, while the other is his disciple. Her Majesty has ordered that if we encounter anyone closely related to Tang Jie, we have to capture them alive, not kill them.”

An old granny appeared on the other end of town, a basket hanging from her arm. But inside the basket was the head of a child, crying blood as it wailed.

This was a fallen human, known as the Ten Disasters Crone.

“Hmph, he’s no human sovereign yet!”

Amojan shouted, but his descending hand weakened somewhat.

Huangfu Meng struck back with her own palm, and while Amojan’s palm was knocked back, this interception cost her the chance to escape.

Huangfu Meng had no choice but to turn and try to flee in another direction, but that Blood Demon and Blade Demon closed in on her flanks, forming an encirclement with Amojan and the Ten Disasters Crone.

Seeing this, Huangfu Meng gritted her teeth and pulled out a mirror, upon which Tang Jie’s visage appeared.

Having dispatched Tang Xuanyu and Huangfu Meng, Tang Jie had naturally given them a trump card to be used in emergencies. This mirror contained one of Tang Jie’s attacks, but because of the limits of this tool, it was only at half power and lacked the enhancement of core energy. But this was enough to deal with the majority of situations. At the very least, it was enough to deal with these four high-rank devils.

But as Huangfu Meng took out the mirror, a majestic energy appeared in the heavens.

Huangfu Meng looked up, sensing the danger this presented, and saw the enormous reflection of a woman.

Immortal Ji Yao!

“The Spatial Parting Mirror.” Huangfu Meng realized that they were in deep trouble. Ice Phoenix was using the Spatial Parting Mirror to project the power of Immortal Ji Yao. Thanks to this projection, the moment Huangfu Meng used Tang Jie’s attack, Immortal Ji Yao would counter.

Ice Phoenix had truly taken everything into account, even the trump card that Tang Jie had given them.

This was perhaps simply because Ice Phoenix had been around Tang Jie for too long and knew his habits too well. Even Tang Jie would find it hard to plan against someone who was specifically designing plans to counter him.

In addition, Huangfu Meng sensed a space-sealing power, which was definitely the work of a Devil Chief. This meant that all escape arts were rendered ineffective. Even if Tang Xuanyu were conscious, he would still have a hard time breaking out with his Endless Dimension.

But it was clear that Ice Phoenix hadn’t known their exact location from the start. Neither the Spatial Parting Mirror nor the Devil Chief was in Meteorville, instead projecting their power from a distance.

Their mission was to prevent the pair from escaping, while the weaker but more numerous high-rank devils were responsible for capturing them.

Huangfu Meng knew that this was a dangerous situation, but rather than making her shrink back, it only further incited her to fight on. She had been born in an era of darkness, the human race having been rendered almost extinct in the Divine Spring Domain. Those humans fortunate enough to have survived went underground, struggling to live while being hunted by fiends.

Giving up was not an option for these humans who had survived in the end of days. Those who gave up so easily had died in that environment long ago.

Fighting to the end no matter the difficulty was her only choice.

Her palm thrust forward, unleashing another mighty shockwave.

The four devils attacked in unison, suppressing the storm with their demonic energy, manifesting a cage of darkness that sought to imprison Huangfu Meng and Tang Xuanyu.

Even though Huangfu Meng had inherited Tang Jie’s legacy, she still couldn’t go four-versus-one, let alone while protecting Tang Xuanyu.

The cage slowly closed around the two, and each time it shrank, the energy forming it grew more concentrated, making escape only more difficult.

Huangfu Meng knew that she couldn’t let this continue, but she was also unable to escape. No matter what sort of resistance she put up, the cage only shrank.

The four devils laughed, “Capturing Tang Jie’s son and disciple is a huge achievement for us. Starting from today, the humans of Rosecloud will serve us!”

“Under the wise God Phoenix, Confusionem is bound to prosper!”

They laughed in celebration.

“Don’t even think about it!” Huangfu Meng clenched her teeth and held on, but her body began to crack under the pressure, blood gushing out and filling the space.

Even so, Huangfu Meng persisted against the devils, seemingly ready to go until her body was pulverized. This made the devils tremble as they thought to themselves, This woman is Tang Jie’s disciple. If we accidentally kill her, there will be no more room for negotiation between the humans of Rosecloud and the demons, and the Demon Lord’s plans will be ruined! We might even be punished! Thus, they immediately restrained their powers.

At that moment, Huangfu Meng’s eyes flashed. “Open!”

The four devils felt the resistance from Huangfu Meng grow several times stronger, light erupting from the cage.

The four devils were aghast.

A blood fog filled the area, and the four devils felt like they were in the middle of a swamp, a great pressure falling on them.

Tendrils of blood began to exert a terrifying force.

The Flesh Millstone!

As Tang Jie’s successor, Huangfu Meng had naturally inherited this Divine Connection. But unlike Tang Jie, Huangfu Meng preferred to use this Divine Connection when she was feigning weakness. Whenever someone beat up Huangfu Meng such that she was throwing up blood, she was actually seizing the opportunity to lay down the Flesh Millstone. This was a trait of the survivors of the era of darkness. They were willing to do anything to win, and feigning weakness was a common tactic. It was precisely this sort of battlefield cunning that had earned Tang Jie’s admiration.

The Flesh Millstone instantly blasted a hole in the cage of darkness.

Holding Tang Xuanyu, Huangfu Meng rushed through the opening.

“Stop her!” Amojan shouted.

The Ten Disasters Crone immediately threw out the baby head in her basket, which began to fly over with its jaw snapping. If Huangfu Meng emerged from the hole, the baby would get her, and while she didn’t know exactly what would happen, it certainly wouldn’t be anything good.

Huangfu Meng suddenly stopped and pulled, upon which another figure began to fly toward the hole.

Furyhorn!

It turned out that when Huangfu Meng was creating that hole, a tendril of blood had wrapped around the spectating Furyhorn.

Nobody had expected this development.

Furyhorn saw himself being pulled toward that snapping baby head, and he punched at it entirely out of instinct. The baby head let out a shriek of pain, upon which the Ten Disasters Crone responded with her own screech of fury. Furyhorn cried out in pain, and the lightning fire spear formed from his horns and stabbed out.

Only then did he come to his senses. He had released the spear with the thought of attempting to escape, but as the spear shot out, a tendril of blood wrapped around it and turned it against the cage.

Boom!

The already-damaged cage swayed and flickered under the force of the spear, and at the same time, Huangfu Meng roared, her eyes flashing as a black hole appeared before her.

“The World Devourer!” the Ten Disasters Crone cried out in terror.

The infamy of Tang Jie’s World Devourer had spread among the demons, but they hadn’t expected Huangfu Meng to know it. Of course, her World Devourer was not on the same level as Tang Jie’s, and she needed some time to prepare it.

And that string of actions just now had bought her that preparation time.

There was no way the damaged cage could resist the World Devourer, and Furyhorn had given Huangfu Meng that precious time needed to cast it.

An all-engulfing torrent of darkness swept out.

The cage melted away, and the four devils were sent flying by the sudden onrush of energy.

“You’re not getting away!” Even while injured, the Ten Disasters Crone remained true to her mission, throwing out an item.

A black net descended over the area.

Ice Phoenix had prepared thoroughly to capture Tang Xuanyu and Huangfu Meng. Even if the cage was broken, this Terra Demon Net would ensure that they didn’t get away.

But Huangfu Meng simply smiled. “Too late.”

Tang Xuanyu suddenly opened his eyes.

The pair disappeared in a flash of light.

The true target of the World Devourer wasn’t the cage, but the space-sealing power from that distant Devil Chief!