Aspiring to the Immortal Path

Yu Cheng froze, and after a long while, he sighed. “In the end, you still managed to notice.”

“This isn’t hard to guess,” Tang Jie replied. “I find it hard to believe that the mighty Immortal Emperor wouldn’t be doing anything while the Primordial Fog Calamity was going on.”

Yes, it wasn’t hard to guess.

Even Tang Jie could set off on the path of stars, having the Rosecloud Domain exterminate demons and grow stronger and stronger, so Tang Jie would never have believed that the Immortal Emperor would be satisfied with just exterminating the demons.

The Immortal Emperor had done the very same thing more than ten thousand years ago, even launching a counterattack, so why was the Immortal Emperor doing even less this time around?

Thus, the Immortal Emperor’s “inaction” was just an act, and the real Immortal Emperor must have already come up with another ambitious plan.

By “looking up” all the various decisions that Yu Cheng had made previously, he had further confirmed this: Yu Cheng was preparing for an expedition.

The problem was: why was Yu Cheng hiding this?

Was there some other intent behind his plan?

This was something Tang Jie couldn’t tell.

But he vaguely sensed that everything was connected somehow.

Meanwhile, Yu Cheng said, “If you know, you know. Yes, it won’t be long before I lead my army into the world of demons. I was able to do it ten thousand years ago, and I can do it now, and I will make sure that the demons bleed out rivers of blood.”

Tang Jie indifferently said, “And then? After you campaign for a while, you’ll find that the Primordial Fog Domain is endless, the environment is terrible, the resources are few, and demonic energy is everywhere. And while you may end up killing countless demons, you’ll find that there are still plenty more, and in the end, you’ll have to retreat after sustaining many losses. And after three thousand years of rest, the demons will grow strong again. Everything… will be just like it was in the past.”

Yu Cheng scowled. “Tang Jie, what are you implying?”

“It’s nothing. I just don’t think there’s much meaning in invading the demon world. You can’t clean them out, nor can you bring back useful resources. But purely venting your emotions isn’t the way an Immortal Emperor would act.”

Yu Cheng replied, “Exterminating the demons and upholding the Dao is the way of the heavens. That’s the meaning behind it. How can you shirk this responsibility by bringing gain and loss into it?”

Tang Jie laughed. “Try and fool someone else with those words. If I recall correctly, on the day you were reborn, the Heavenly Dao tried to kill you through the hands of Three Sages. ‘The way of the heavens’? If you were acting according to the will of the heavens, why do the heavens want to kill you?”

Yu Cheng fell silent.

Tang Jie went on, “Going to the Primordial Fog Domain… Is that because there’s an opportunity to surpass the Heavenly Dao there?”

A storm erupted in the Sea of Cognition!

Yu Cheng stared unblinkingly at Tang Jie for a long time. “How did you know?”

“You aren’t someone who does anything meaningless,” Tang Jie answered. “Now that I think about it, there’s always something I’ve found strange. You’ve always been trying to surpass the Heavenly Dao. Someone with this sort of pursuit normally would forsake authority and focus everything on cultivation. But the first thing you did after being reborn was rebuilding the court and reforging your Immortal army, not at all like someone pursuing the Heavenly Dao. I wondered then: had you hibernated for ten thousand years solely so that you could comprehend all Twelve Great Daos and then continue being Immortal Emperor? What other purpose could there be behind your ten-thousand-year slumber?”

Yu Cheng nodded. “Yes, my greatest mistake was revealing my goal to you.”

Since Yu Cheng’s goal was comprehending and surpassing the Heavenly Dao, everything he did had to be to this end. If one already knew the answer, deduction became simple. Sadly, Yu Cheng was still trying to hide things, unaware that the wall between him and Tang Jie was as thin as paper.

The only thing Tang Jie didn’t know was what sort of secret was hidden in the Primordial Fog Domain that could help Yu Cheng comprehend the Heavenly Dao. He couldn’t analyze anything regarding it, and Yu Cheng refused to give him a chance.

Seeing how angry Yu Cheng was, Tang Jie knew that there was no point in questioning him further, so he said, “I came to find you this time for something entirely different, but since I happened to think of it, I decided to ask. You can do whatever you want so long as you don’t interfere with me.”

Yu Cheng’s complexion improved. “So what did you come for?”

“I just wanted to ask: do you know how many years it has been since you faked your death?”

Yu Cheng was taken by surprise. After a momentary pause, he answered, “Around… eleven thousand years.”

Eleven thousand years ago?

The Nine Disaster Fiend Monk hadn’t been born then, Tang Jie thought.

In other words, it probably had nothing to do with Yu Cheng.

He replied, “Understood. Thank you for your help, and farewell.”

Just when he was about to reenter hibernation, he thought of something and added, “Right, when did the Martial Lord destroy the court?”

Yu Cheng clearly didn’t like this topic, grunting, “I had already entered Reincarnation back then, so how could I know? But I’ve heard from my old subordinates that they searched for me for a thousand years, so it presumably happened one thousand years later.”

‘One thousand years later’? Tang Jie thought in shock.

This time period was much closer to Nine Disaster’s time.

He then asked, “Do you know the specific date of the incident?”

“Why do you ask me that?” Yu Cheng asked.

“I just want to understand some of this history. Perhaps it can resolve some of the questions on my mind.”

After some thought, Yu Cheng withdrew from his mind, and raised a hand, summoning a flame.

The face of the Sage Mother appeared in the flame, and she bowed to the Immortal Emperor. “Your Majesty, what is your command?”

“Linglong, you participated in the battle against Li Jiuyang when he attacked the court. Do you remember what day it was?”

The Sage Mother of the West clearly hadn’t expected this question from Yu Cheng, and she needed some time to gather her thoughts. “At the time, I spent every day cultivating and rarely concerned myself with outside affairs, so the days passed by in a flash, and I don’t know the exact date. I’m sure that if you asked anyone else, they also wouldn’t have paid it much attention. But the day that Li Jiuyang attacked was also the day that the Heavenly Dao manifested and killed the Martial Lord. Those who came after knew little of what was going on. All they saw was the phenomenon in the heavens and then the court shattering, so they called it the Day of Heavenly Punishment.”

‘The Day of Heavenly Punishment’?

Tang Jie was startled.

Yes, the Martial Lord destroying the court had disturbed the Heavenly Dao Law Wheel.

The common folk recorded heavenly phenomena.

That day was in itself a very special day!

Upon understanding this, Tang Jie thanked Yu Cheng and went back into hibernation.

Yu Cheng watched him disappear with a scowl.

After a long while, he said, “I’ll tolerate you for a little while longer.”

He knew that Tang Jie would hear this, but he still said it, such was his hatred for Tang Jie.

——————————————

The Rosecloud Domain.

Opening his eyes, Tang Jie said, “I have a clue. Have Zixi come and see me.”

A few moments later, Tang Zixi appeared, bowing to him and Xu Miaoran. “Your child pays respects to Father and Mother.”

Tang Jie waved his hand. “There’s no need for that. Zixi, I have a task for you.”

“As Father commands.”

“I need you to go to the Western Heaven Buddha Kingdom and investigate Nine Disaster.”

“Doesn’t Father already know all about the Nine Disaster Fiend Monk?” Tang Zixi said in surprise.

“I need more details, including his parents, his birthday, his place of birth, his personality, his hobbies, and any abnormal behavior he might have shown before becoming a demon, any detail you can get your hands on!”

Tang Zixi looked at her father in shock. “All information concerning him?”

“Yes. I need anything those monks know. As well as… anything they don’t know!” Tang Jie commanded.

Tang Zixi understood her father’s meaning and nodded. “Your child understands. How much time has Father given for this mission?”

“The faster, the better… I sense that we don’t have much time left.”

Tang Jie spoke in a very grim tone.

It currently appeared that the Immortal Emperor had no connection to Nine Disaster, but Tang Jie felt like everything that had happened in this period was connected by an invisible thread, and he couldn’t ignore it.

Tang Zixi deeply bowed. “Your child understands and will not let you down!”

She withdrew.

Once her daughter had left, Xu Miaoran worriedly looked at her husband. “You’re sending off Xi’er just like that? Aren’t you worried that something might happen to her like with Yu’er?”

Tang Jie knew that Tang Xuanyu’s disappearance had been a big blow to Xu Miaoran, such that she grew nervous the moment her daughter was sent on a mission.

Tang Jie soothed, “She’s all grown up now, so she needs to be let out every once in a while. And I don’t mean in the Rosecloud Domain, where we can watch her and she’s at no risk, but in a place where our powers can’t reach and she has to rely on her own strength and cunning. Only that kind of experience can truly make her mature.”

“But Yu’er…”

“No ‘but’s. Didn’t Zixi already say it? Yu’er is still alive. He’s simply being held in some place and can’t leave. But I’m confident that he can’t be imprisoned forever. One day, he’ll reappear before us.”

“How can you be so sure?” Xu Miaoran asked.

“Because he’s my son!” Tang Jie declared. “Zixi’s past feeling and Yu’er’s Space powers mean that Yu’er and Meng’er can’t be imprisoned in some forbidden zone. If they aren’t imprisoned in some forbidden zone, then the only thing that can stop them from returning is some kind of powerful existence. The demons of the Primordial Fog don’t exactly have a hobby of imprisoning humans, and since they kept them imprisoned for ten years without killing them… it can only mean that they know who they are.”

Xu Miaoran understood. “Tang Jie’s son and disciple should be valuable in an exchange. But… why have ten years gone by without any contact?”

“Perhaps the moment hasn’t come. Don’t panic. Once the other side thinks the time is ripe, they’ll appear on their own,” Tang Jie answered. “I’m more interested in just who it is that captured Yu’er. Now that I think about it, someone who can capture and hold Yu’er, who’s entered the Dao of Space, for ten years and also make it so that Ice Phoenix can’t find him, and who knows of my identity… I’m guessing that there aren’t many demons in the Primordial Fog Domain that fit these criteria, no?”

Xu Miaoran was shaken. “Could it be…”

Tang Jie heaved a sigh. “I can’t say for sure, but I do know that some debts… have to be repaid eventually.”