Aspiring to the Immortal Path

A cave on the backside of a mountain was the secret ground the Gigantes King had spoken of, where the combat techniques of the Martial Lord had been hidden.

Tang Jie walked normally through the long and dark cavern, not using any spell art or Divine Connection.

When he heard that the Martial Lord had left him a message, he had become so excited that he had needed a little time to settle back down.

A few moments later, Tang Jie arrived in front of a wall.

This was the end of the path.

A large luminescent pearl had been embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the lightless cave. The words and images carved into the wall were none other than the Combat Emperor Catalog.

It had to be said that the Combat Emperor Catalog was truly very suitable for Gigantes to cultivate. As born body cultivators, they would only grow stronger if they had a top-class combat technique that could fully utilize their strength. Even an existence on the level of Nine Disaster had needed to rely on devouring other devils to recover after taking a punch.

But Tang Jie noticed that the Combat Emperor Catalog on the wall was somewhat different from the one he had learned in the hidden realm. The one in the hidden realm was clearly more complete, and the techniques depicted on this wall were clearly much more crude.

But this was not what had surprised Tang Jie.

Tang Jie could sense that this cruder Combat Emperor Catalog was actually stronger than the complete version.

What was going on here?

Tang Jie carefully examined it.

The seemingly simple strokes on the wall were bursting with power. Anyone staring at them would quickly be drawn into them and watch as the will attached to the strokes performed the Combat Emperor Fist.

After ten thousand years, the Martial Lord’s will still remained to carry out this work.

Tang Jie could also sense a domineering and terrifying aura from this wall, one that feared nothing and sought to defy the heavens.

Compared to the Martial Lord back in the hidden realm, this was clearly much more violent and unreasonable, determined to overthrow the heavens and reign supreme.

“Is this the true essence of the Combat Emperor Catalog? Betraying the Dao to the utmost… The Combat Emperor Catalog in the hidden realm concealed this portion. No wonder it didn’t feel that enjoyable when I used it. The extra parts smoothed things down, but they also added restraints…” Tang Jie muttered.

He understood that this simplified Combat Emperor Catalog was the true fist of the Combat Emperor, putting down all pretenses and leaving only pure fighting intent!

For the Combat Emperor Catalog, simplicity was beauty!

Finally, there was a line of words at the end.

“For those who come after, any who learn these techniques must pass them down through the generations. And if someone who is not a Gigantes yet knows my techniques, lead him to this place to receive my legacy!”

Last of all was a single large character: “Fight” (战).

This “战” character had been written with such vigor and strength that it radiated fighting intent.

As for the message the Gigantes King had spoken of, Tang Jie couldn’t see it.

While Tang Jie was wondering what was going on, the “战” character suddenly began to grow larger, filling his vision. And then a voice rang out: “You’ve finally come.”

Tang Jie was about to say something when there was a boom, and the scene before him transformed.

He was in the middle of an untamed mountain range with enormous trees. Tang Jie was standing under one, and as he looked up, this single tree gave him the sensation of a jungle.

“Raaa!” There was a mighty roar in the distance.

Tang Jie turned to the source of the sound and saw an enormous beast the size of a small mountain. It had countless spikes growing from its back, three horns sprouting from its head, and a thick tail that sent shrapnel flying here and there as it swung around.

“An ancient behemoth?” Tang Jie narrowed his eyes.

These beasts had existed in the time of Remote Antiquity but were mostly extinct in the present day. What sort of place was he in, to see such a thing?

No, he was at Boundless, and nobody could silently teleport away a Gold Immortal. He had not been transported anywhere, simply been put under an illusion.

Albeit a very realistic illusion.

Tang Jie recalled the Duplication spell art from the Nine Executions Immortal Formation.

He recalled that the Martial Lord had excelled at this Dao.

Perhaps it was better to say that it was the Pearl Lady that was the real expert, but the Martial Lord and the Pearl Lady had spent so much time together that he had naturally learned many illusion arts from her.

That spiked behemoth, which he decided to call a tricerastegosaurus, was about to wander away when there was another roar.

In another direction, a mountain crumbled, another large behemoth stomping out of the debris. This one was shaped like a crocodile, covered all over in armored plates.

The two of them roared and charged at each other, throwing up great clouds of smoke.

Thud!

The beasts collided, sending out a massive shockwave, but when this shockwave reached Tang Jie, it passed through him without the slightest effect.

It really was an illusion.

But Tang Jie didn’t get careless. This was a vision left behind by the Martial Lord, like the one in the Martial Mirror. There was something he wanted to convey here, so he took in everything with maximum focus.

The two behemoths fought fiercely, but it wasn’t long before the tricerastegosaurus was defeated. The armored behemoth took a savage bite from its head and then threw its head back, howling in victory as it declared that this was its territory.

Just then, there was another great rumbling.

This time, the earth itself quaked.

He turned and saw a group of Gigantes. These Gigantes were much larger than those he had seen in the city, their bodies like mountains, their legs like heavenly pillars, each of them the size of the Gigantes King. They held thick bone clubs in their hands, which were also extraordinarily large.

Upon seeing that armored behemoth, the Gigantes cheered and charged at it. The beast yelped and turned to flee.

But the Gigantes refused to let it go. Those holding bone spears threw them, and a rain of spears quickly pinned the behemoth to the ground.

The Gigantes then charged in and began to swing their clubs, the thwacking and smashing interspersed with the mournful cries of the beast.

Blood splattered with each fall of their clubs.

Gradually, the beast ceased moving, and the Gigantes used bone knives to carve it up, quickly turning it into a skeleton. After picking out a few thick leg bones, they gleefully carried off the meat.

A giant-sized caveman hunt, Tang Jie thought to himself.

But a moment later, he realized something and looked up at the overcast sky.

This was the sky color unique to the Gigantes Domain, comparable to the golden dome of the Rosecloud Domain.

This was the Gigantes Domain!

The Gigantes Domain from the past? Those Gigantes were clearly much larger than the Gigantes of the present.

Had the Gigantes shrunk?

Why was that?

As he pondered this problem, another person emerged in the distance.

This person wasn’t that large, but his erect body exuded profound majesty that made the Gigantes seem puny in comparison.

He strode through this wild land, and when the Gigantes spotted him, they all dropped to their knees and knocked their heads against the ground in reverence.

Even Tang Jie had to fight the impulse to prostrate.

The one walking through the wilds was none other than the Martial Lord.

But unlike the Martial Lord that had shattered the court, this one had a face brimming with resolve, prepared to advance no matter the cost.

He stopped in front of a mountain, first looking at the sky before looking back at the mountain. “Let’s use this place.”

He then punched at the mountain, blasting open a cave.

The Martial Lord walked in.

This cave was the very same Tang Jie had just walked through.

Tang Jie narrowed his eyes, realizing what was about to happen next.

As expected, once the Martial Lord reached the end of the cave, he started to draw the Combat Emperor Catalog.

Just like that, he began to etch into the wall of the cave.

Finally, after the Combat Emperor Catalog was complete, he added the final line and said, “Alright, the legacy of my Dao shall be left here for those who come after. After this, I will have my battle to the death with the Court of Myriad Domains!”

He turned around and strode out of the cave.

Boom!

Tang Jie was transported back into the cave.

It really had been an illusion left behind by the Martial Lord for his successor.

Strangely, however, there didn’t seem to be any deeper meaning to this vision, simply a replay of what had happened ten thousand years ago in the Gigantes Domain when the Martial Lord had left behind his techniques. There was no true message left here for Tang Jie specifically.

One couldn’t but be baffled by this inexplicable message.

But Tang Jie wasn’t willing to give up.

He lowered his head in thought, recalling everything that had happened. “‘After this, I will have my battle to the death with the Court of Myriad Domains’… In other words, this was after the Pearl Lady was captured. Why did he run over to leave behind his legacy after the Pearl Lady was captured? Moreover, didn’t he already have the hidden realm…”

He wanted to say, Didn’t the Martial Lord already have the hidden realm’s legacy? Why did he have to leave another legacy here? Suddenly, he felt uneasy and said no more, simply quietly observing his surroundings.

A deathly silence!

Tang Jie solemnly stared at that “战” character, his mind in turmoil.

Beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead.

Tang Jie seemed to become an ordinary person.

He simply stood there in silence.

That “战” character seemed to come alive, and his body suddenly blazed with fighting intent, erupting with a majestic aura. He seemed to be fighting with someone, even more sweat appearing on his forehead.

Tang Jie’s face turned paler and paler, his body beginning to waver.

Suddenly, that immense pressure on his heart disappeared, and Tang Jie’s aura dissipated.

He collapsed to the ground, panting for breath.

His eyes were awash with shock.

He was the only one who understood what had happened just now.

That was the erasing power of the Heavenly Dao, almost wiping him from this world!