Chapter 318: Destiny Will Remember Our Path

Great Shun, thousands of miles beyond Jingyuan Pass.

They were still within Great Shun's borders, far from the battlefield of the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle. Yet Wang Ping suppressed his flight light, ordering everyone to find a nearby mountain and land.

Immediately after, Wang Ping's figure flickered.

The clone carrying the twin maces vanished in the blink of an eye. Through the profound effects of Land-Walking, Wang Ping's true body swapped places with it, stepping to the forefront.

His reasoning was simple. He had no doubt that the moment he appeared at Jingyuan Pass, the Brahma Nation arhat's gaze would immediately lock onto him. Once that happened, the Brahma Nation would practically have the entire map revealed to them. A clone might fool others, but it could never deceive an arhat.

Therefore, it had to be his true body.

Yet despite coming in person, Wang Ping had taken off the Heavenly Martial Campaign Profound Armor for the first time in a long while. Instead, he wore a feather crown and flowing Daoist robes with wide sleeves.

Then, he approached the group of inner sect disciples.

"Junior brothers."

Wang Ping swept his gaze over them, finding them almost entirely devoid of fighting spirit, as if they already knew exactly how this deployment would end.

In an instant, he understood.

"...A life tribulation?"

Wang Ping looked around, his gaze falling upon the eight inner sect disciples at the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer. "Which junior brother has sensed their life tribulation?"

After a brief silence, Fairy Hehuan—the only one Wang Ping had any real impression of—stepped forward. Bowing slightly, she said, "Senior Brother has keen eyes. It is indeed a life tribulation, but it isn't just one of us... All of us sensed the arrival of our life tribulation the instant we received the decree from the Immortal Prescription Courtyard."

So that was it.

Wang Ping naturally understood how terrifying a life tribulation was, and these inner sect disciples understood it even better. They had already resigned themselves to the belief that they couldn't possibly survive it.

This was to be expected.

After all, across the entire Immortal Gate, hardly any inner sect disciple had ever survived a life tribulation to become a Corpse Dissolution Immortal. Even when exceptions occurred, they inevitably had profound backing.

Like Dashun Taizu.

Yet the eight people present knew perfectly well that they had no major figures supporting them. The outcome, naturally, went without saying.

Moreover, the Immortal Prescription Courtyard's decree had come so suddenly that they hardly had any time to prepare before being driven here. Although no one said it aloud, every single one of them acutely felt they were being treated as cannon fodder.

"We're just here to die."

Finally, an inner sect disciple spoke up. "The Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle has happened before. It's always been a stage for the true transmission disciples."

"The inner sect is just here to make up the numbers."

"I reckon Biyang's people struck a deal with the bald donkeys of the Brahma Nation. You kill my people, I kill your people, and everyone amicably farms combat merits."

Hearing this, Wang Ping glanced at the speaker.

Not bad. Realizing this meant he had navigated the Immortal Gate fairly well. No wonder he had managed to cultivate to the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer despite being an inner sect disciple. He had some skill.

Thinking this, Wang Ping gave a straightforward nod.

"Correct."

That single word was like a bomb dropped into a tranquil lake, instantly detonating the inner sect disciples whose emotions were already at a breaking point.

Wang Ping paid them no mind. "I'll tell you straight. I am the core of this sword battle. In this proactive strike, I am the only one who won't die. The rest of you, every single one, are viewed by the higher-ups as sacrifices, served up as a feast for the Brahma Cultivators."

"Of course, I'm not much better off than you."

"You are my subordinates now. When you die, the aura of destiny around me will suffer damage, and that is the real prize the Brahma Nation wants to devour."

"From that perspective, you aren't even sacrifices; you're just garnishes. I am the main course for those bald donkeys. Do you understand?"

Rumble!

The previously clear sky grew gloomy. Dark clouds gathered and lightning crackled. The moment Wang Ping finished speaking, the surrounding heaven and earth responded to him of their own accord.

He had spoken the truth behind this proactive strike without holding anything back. Seeing through this was an expression of his Daoist attainment, which naturally triggered a resonance with heaven and earth. And the eight inner sect disciples present, though lacking his cultivation depth, were not blind.

Those words actually triggered a resonance with heaven and earth.

Then it must be the truth.

"It's true!"

For a moment, everyone looked at each other in dismay. Finally, Fairy Hehuan asked quietly, "What is Senior Brother trying to say?"

Wang Ping thought for a moment before smiling.

"Nothing much, really. I just wanted you to die with a clear understanding. After all, judging by your demeanor, you've completely accepted your inevitable deaths."

"You aren't even willing to try."

Hearing this, someone finally cracked.

"Try how?"

Wang Ping looked over and searched his memories, finally recalling the man's name. Yanyun, from Xuanyi Immortal Peak, a path that excelled at karma and divination.

Clearly, he had the deepest understanding of destiny and life tribulations, making his despair the most profound. "The grand figures above have spoken, and we received the decree. Running means death. Facing a life tribulation and the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle, staying also means death. Tell me, Senior Brother, how should we try? Try to die?"

"We are just a bunch of nobodies."

Nobodies could only drift with the current.

If they were lucky and struck that one-in-ten-thousand stroke of destiny, they might swim upstream and attain the position of a Corpse Dissolution Immortal—a status countless true transmissions would rather die than accept.

In the vast majority of cases, however, their luck was never that good. They would simply be swept downstream, guided by destiny straight toward their preordained deaths.

Wang Ping listened to Yanyun with a calm expression.

Then, he spoke softly.

"Junior Brother Yanyun, I don't know if you've heard, but destiny is fair. No matter how terrifying a life tribulation is, it is never an absolute death sentence."

"Within a life tribulation, there must be a thread of life."

Yanyun nodded. "I've heard that, but in the inner sect, that theory has never been proven. It's just a comforting phrase..."

"It is true."

Wang Ping's tone was steady. "As a true transmission, I'm telling you it's true. Even for inner sect disciples, destiny treats you equally."

"A life tribulation is not certain death for you."

"Granted, you face near-certain death, but the greater your crisis, the stronger your potential helper. The two must balance out."

Wang Ping didn't need to prove his words.

Everything he said was the absolute truth of the Great Dao. The heavenly resonance triggered by his profound attainment had already verified it, leaving no room for any cultivator to doubt.

A second later, Wang Ping smiled.

"Junior brothers, you have to admit, your luck is fantastic... because in your life tribulation, your helper is glaringly obvious."

With things spelled out so clearly, they wouldn't be Immortal Gate disciples if they didn't catch on. Yanyun looked at Wang Ping straightforwardly.

"You mean... you?"

"Exactly."

Wang Ping's tone rang out firmly. "As long as you do exactly as I say, not a single one of you will die. You can all survive this life tribulation and push toward the realm of a Corpse Dissolution Immortal!"

"Of course, you can doubt me, or refuse to believe me." Wang Ping spread his hands. "Yet, besides me, is anyone else extending an olive branch? Has anyone else made you a promise? Probably not. I'm not just your greatest helper; I am likely your only helper."

"So what are you hesitating for?"

"If you don't want to survive the life tribulation and have already given up the will to live, you might as well find a quiet place to slit your throats right now. At least it will be painless."

Wang Ping smiled coldly, his voice growing heavier.

"But if you still want to push further, I will give you a piece of advice... These words were spoken to me by a true transmission disciple right before his death."

"Where life meets suffering, that is the time to cultivate."

With that, Wang Ping swept his gaze over the eight inner sect disciples. The answer was self-evident; Immortal Gate inner sect disciples possessed at least a basic foundation of resolve.

Their earlier low morale had been born of sheer desperation.

That wouldn't do.

It was true that Wang Ping had a plan, but without the wholehearted support of these eight inner sect disciples in front of him, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice.

"...What do you intend to do?"

Another inner sect disciple spoke up. It was Zhu Fuzi, hailing from Ten Thousand Dharmas Immortal Peak... Wang Ping dug the man's name out of his memory before smiling.

"Very simple. I will launch a surprise attack."

"You and I will all be bait."

Wang Ping glanced into the distance. Reaching out a hand, he summoned his clone. "This is the clone I forged. Its combat strength is equivalent to ninety percent of my true body's."

That wasn't all. If he equipped this clone—which now housed four Immortal Physiques—with the Heavenly Martial Campaign Profound Armor, its combat strength could even surpass his true self. This was intelligence the Brahma Nation hadn't grasped, and it was the core of Wang Ping's plan, his hidden killing stroke.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping laid out his strategy.

"The moment we reach the battlefield, we'll fall under the eyes of the Brahma Nation's arhat. He will feed every detail of our movements to those bald donkeys."

"I intend to use that."

"On the surface, my true body will lead you in the exact surprise attack the Brahma Nation expects, and I will tangle with their strongest combatant."

"As for you, you'll undoubtedly end up like turtles trapped in a jar, surrounded and slaughtered one by one by the fully prepared Brahma Nation. This is the script they have already laid out."

"The next step is the most crucial one," Wang Ping said plainly. "Do everything in your power to break out and flee toward Jingyuan Pass. Those bald donkeys will definitely pursue you. Then, my clone will step out to receive you, and we will catch them in a counter-encirclement!"

As his words faded, everyone exchanged glances.

A moment later, an inner sect disciple asked quietly, "Senior Brother, you said the Brahma Nation will be fully prepared. If that's the case... what if we can't break out?"

"Then it means you lack the skill."

Wang Ping's expression was calm. "Although I am the greatest helper in your life tribulation, surviving it ultimately depends on yourselves."

"At the very least, I've told you exactly what is going to happen."

"You have time to prepare."

After saying this, Wang Ping waited patiently where he stood. Only after a long time, watching the eight inner sect disciples gather before him, did a smile touch his face.

"Have you figured it out?"

His answer was the synchronized voices of the eight inner sect disciples:

"We await Senior Brother's orders."

In the next second, the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron activated.

Concealing Mystery!

All intelligence related to his clone was masked and the karma severed, leaving behind only the concrete steps of the plan. Only then did Wang Ping speak slowly.

"Not for me, and not for the Immortal Gate, but for your own Dao."

"Nobodies drifting with the current. In the Immortal Gate, even learning your Dao names would probably be a waste of time for those grand figures."

"However, that ends today."

Wang Ping raised his right hand above his head and clenched it into a fist.

"Because after today, destiny will remember our path."

"Move out!"