Aspiring to the Immortal Path
Chapter 482: Escape (2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Traveling through the sky at high speed, Tang Jie used the clouds to avoid detection.

Occasionally, Divine Will would sweep through the air. These were experts at the Heart Demon Period or above searching for him, but Tang Jie wore the stone canvas, so he didn't need to worry about being found this way.

But while the stone canvas blocked Divine Will, it couldn't fool the eyes. The cultivators that appeared from time to time would always give Tang Jie a big headache.

It wasn't strange that this was happening. Even if they didn't know that they were hunting Tang Jie, the Space Crystal alone was enough to mobilize Godhead Palace on a large scale.

Tang Jie was forced to evade them. With Insight, he was able to preempt nearby enemies and avoid them, but this forced him to slow down.

Yet a new problem soon arrived.

Daybreak!

A night of killing and fleeing had finally come to an end.

The sunrise dyed the skies, and light once more ruled over the world.

Visibility increased, making it even trickier for Tang Jie to avoid detection.

Godhead Palace hadn't intensified its search, but Tang Jie could vaguely feel an internal pressure.

He didn't know if Godhead Palace had confirmed that Tang Jie was in Nadir Hill, but this sense that danger was right in front of him made him feel like it was no longer possible to keep going forward.

Even so, Tang Jie clung to that faint sliver of hope and cautiously advanced.

He wouldn't give up on hope until the very last moment.

Especially when he still had the Free Roaming Talisman.

But this item was extremely valuable and difficult to obtain, and it was random teleportation. As he didn't know where it would take him, he wouldn't use it so recklessly.

At least for now, he still had some chance of getting out.

He flew in the clouds and used Duplication to disguise himself, making himself appear like an eagle. If necessary, he was also willing to use Duplication to force himself through.

Cultivators occasionally appeared in his surroundings, but he managed to fool them all.

But he slowed down even more.

When night arrived, Tang Jie finally reached the region of Ferry Pass.

This was the border of Nadir Hill. Once he got through this pass, he would reach the Plains of Extinction, an uninhabited region that served as a cultivator battlefield. Past the Plains of Extinction was the territory of the Seven Absolutions Sect. The origin of the grudge between the Seven Absolutions Sect and Godhead Palace was a very simple one. It was a territorial conflict.

Standing in the clouds, he looked at Ferry Pass and didn't see anything weird.

After thinking it over, he decided to fly to the southern side of the pass. He found a mountain and then used Duplication to create duplicates of himself and the giant eagle that served as his cover.

Under his control, the eagle and his duplicate flew past the mountain, doing their utmost to keep to the clouds to avoid being discovered by the enemy.

As the eagle flew past the peak of that mountain, a sudden gust of wind blew away all the clouds.

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The eagle was completely exposed.

A monstrous bird with two heads, each one half-red and half-blue, flew toward the golden eagle.

"Spiral Feather!" Tang Jie was shocked.

This bird was called Spiral Feather, and it was an extremely rare monstrous bird. It was born at Spirit Sensing and was gifted in both ice and fire.

Tang Jie hadn't expected that a Spiral Feather would appear here.

The two-headed bird spat chill at the golden eagle. As the eagle was an illusion, there was no way it could fend off this attack. It was turned into a block of ice and dropped from the sky.

As it fell, the duplicate of Tang Jie was exposed.

Countless shouts erupted from the mountain. "Over here!"

Innumerable spell arts lit up the mountain.

Spell arrows tore through the skies at the duplicate, so many that the Spiral Feather fled with a shriek. The spell arts completely engulfed the duplicate.

With a pop, the duplicate shattered.

Tang Jie knew that he was done for.

Godhead Palace clearly knew that Tang Jie was in Nadir Hill, as could be seen from their reaction just now. but they had pretended not to know while focusing their troops on the border, lying in wait for Tang Jie to take the bait.

It seemed like they wouldn't let a single cloud go and would kill any passing eagle. It was clear that they had set up a giant wall that extended from the heavens to the earth and spanned the entire border of Nadir Hill. Even an ant couldn't hope to escape!

As the duplicate was destroyed, Tang Jie stopped hesitating, activating the Free Roaming Talisman and locking onto the east.

But to his surprise, the moment the Free Roaming Talisman lit up, an enormous energy abruptly appeared in the distance.

This energy was so powerful that the space-tearing power of the Free Roaming Talisman was bounced back. Not only that, a small tear appeared on the talisman.

Tang Jie was badly shaken, and he knew that he was in trouble.

Godhead Palace had probably taken measures against such methods.

Not using the Free Roaming Talisman at the first chance he could and clinging to hope had been Tang Jie's greatest mistake, and by the time he realized this, it was already too late.

Perhaps his several clashes with Godhead Palace had caused him to underestimate it.

But Godhead Palace hadn't underestimated him, and it was Tang Jie who ended up making a mistake—one which was undoubtedly lethal.

Tang Jie stopped hesitating and immediately turned to fly back the way he came.

At the same time, countless people took flight, shooting out in all directions.

They didn't know where Tang Jie was, but since the duplicate Tang Jie had appeared, the real body couldn't be far. At this moment, disciples ranging from Soul Transformation down to Hundred Refinement spread out like raging flood waters in a mad search for Tang Jie, not caring one bit for their lives.

The empty skies instantly became like a packed market, all those people turning into so many streaks of light that it was blinding. Various surveillance spells blanketed the skies, and the clouds were soon scoured away, the sky becoming like a clear mirror. Even a fly couldn't hope to evade their pursuit.

"Shit!" Tang Jie softly cursed. He could only cast a concealment spell and head to the ground.

Human wave tactics were often the most practical of tactics.

In front of so many cultivators, no number of duplicates would be enough, and the stone canvas was also of no use. Only immediately landing and using the most primitive method of relying on plants and trees for cover would allow him to escape those eyes.

This was because the majority of detection abilities targeted spell arts and not physical objects, including Tang Jie's Insight. It could see through low-level spell arts, but it couldn't see what was behind a rock.

But to get to the ground, he first had to descend one hundred meters.

Although Tang Jie knew a concealment spell, it was of a very low level. The Divine Firmament Sword Classic had a high-level concealment spell, but it was difficult to cultivate. Tang Jie had never sought assassination as a goal, so he had never researched this spell art.

As he was descending, countless gazes swept through the air.

Having a lot of people was a wonderful thing, as there would always be a few skilled in observation. One glance was all that was needed to see through his low-class concealment spell, and a cry almost immediately rang out: "Over there!"

Several beams of light pierced through the air, lighting up the night sky and illuminating Tang Jie's figure.

Almost immediately, countless palms thrust out at Tang Jie.

Even a Soul Transformation True Person would probably die from this offensive.

The moment these attacks shot at him, Tang Jie activated the Chaoswind Step, appearing elsewhere and avoiding the majority of the attacks. He then threw out a block of rotten wood.

The moment this block of wood appeared, it transformed into two Tang Jies that continued their descent from the sky.

"Kil!" someone roared, the sound shaking Tang Jie's soul. He immediately realized that this was a sonic attack, which could ignore his duplicates.

Sure enough, no ability in the world was perfect. One could always replace a counter if one was sufficiently prepared.

He had used the Duplication spell in front of Feng Buzhi before, so it had long ago ceased to be a secret to Godhead Palace. Thus, the moment his duplicates appeared, the other side immediately used a counter.

This sonic attack made Tang Jie throw up blood. Even his Heavenly Spirit Law Body couldn't hold out against such an attack, which was a sign that the user had to be at least at the Spirit Ring Tier.

Three more shouts rang out, dizzying Tang Jie's mind, throwing off his focus so that even casting a spell art became difficult.

Tang Jie knew that this was intentional so that he wouldn't have the chance to escape. Fortunately, at this moment, a cool sensation came from his wrist, and the nausea in his head instantly diminished.

The Mindsoothe Bracelet!

The treasure that Tang Jie had bought from the Seven Absolutions Sect along with the Mountain River State Diagram excelled at clearing the mind. This thing had once caused Tang Jie to lose five hundred thousand spirit coins, but now, it was saving his life.

His mind having recovered, Tang Jie thrust a palm downward. "Ha!"

Countless Tang Jies took to the skies, providing him the perfect cover.

Even though he knew that these duplicates wouldn't throw off his pursuers, he could at least fool them for a time and use the chance to disappear from the sight of his enemies.

Countless Tang Jies tumbled from the air, spell arts hitting them from various parts of the sky. Every spell art took down at least one duplicate, sometimes multiple.

For a time, it sounded like someone was holding a balloon-popping party.

As numerous duplicates disappeared, Tang Jie finally managed to finish this death sprint.

His feet touching the ground, Tang Jie shouted, "Yiyi!"

Yiyi waved her hand, and numerous blades of grass sprouted from the earth to cover them.

At the same time, the remaining duplicates fled in all directions.

The duplicates weren't able to get far before they were all killed by the cultivators.

Those cultivators then flew over to where Tang Jie had landed, and at least one hundred people descended to the ground.

Their leader, a middle-aged man, shouted, "He must be hiding nearby! He can't have run far!"

"Let me!" a burly man shouted as he threw an item into the air: a shining golden stamp. The golden stamp grew to the size of a small mountain and then descended to the ground.

But before the golden stamp could land, the ground flashed, and the golden stamp bounced back, striking the burly man. The man said in shock, "What's going on?"

"Idiot!" The middle-aged man from before said, "To capture Tang Jie, my Godhead Palace activated the Heaven-Earth Lock Formation. In the border region, the Five Elements are ineffective, and space is like a steel wall. Your silly idea of using the golden stamp to kill Tang Jie, putting aside the fact that it might not have even worked, fails to take into account that the earth has hardened such that it can bounce back all spell arts. Your golden stamp naturally wouldn't work!"

Only then did the burly man remember.

The Heaven-Earth Lock Formation was an isolation formation Godhead Palace used on criminals. Once activated, it would turn all of Nadir Hill into a cage, and no mighty spell art could save you.

In the history of Godhead Palace, it was used only against Heart Demon and Soul Transformation Tier cultivators, and only on the strongest and most murderous sorts, who usually had many tricks up their sleeves.

For Tang Jie to be treated like this could be considered an honor.

It was hard to blame Godhead Palace. After all, Godhead Palace had been seeking Tang Jie for quite a long time. When he wasn't willing to go to them, Godhead Palace had tried many ways to capture him. Now that he was here, how could he be allowed to leave?

Since the golden stamp didn't work, the leader shouted, "Everyone, split up and search!"

The cultivators landed on the ground and began to cast various detection spells. These cultivators combed through everything, letting no tree, bush, or stone go unturned.

The middle-aged man and several other cultivators held the center so that they could lend a hand at once if anyone found something.

The middle-aged man was clearly from Godhead Palace, wearing golden clothes, but the other cultivators were not. They wore gray clothes which had a little sword symbol woven into them.

A gray-robed elder bowed to the golden-clothed middle-aged man and smiled. "Congratulations, True Person Wei, congratulations! For Tang Jie to pass through the area True Person was guarding is a gift from the heavens. Once you catch this scoundrel, Godhead Palace is certain to recognize your mighty contribution."

The middle-aged man chuckled. "Naturally. Of course, your Sword Manor also contributed a lot. I will naturally ensure that you get your just reward."

"My thanks, True Person!" the gray-robed elder said with another bow.

Nadir Hill had a long border, and Godhead Palace clearly didn't have enough manpower to blockade Tang Jie all on its own. Thus, Godhead Palace had issued a general decree that mobilized all the sects of Nadir Hill, with Godhead Palace's people as the core.

Everyone was talking as if Tang Jie was already captured, their hearts brimming with excitement.

Buried under a thick carpet of leaves, Tang Jie coldly watched through a crack.

The duplicates just now had succeeded in preventing his pursuers from determining where he landed, and the location they had started their search for him was actually some distance away. And Tang Jie had intentionally chosen an area with more trees and standing rocks, with more hiding spots. This meant that those cultivators hadn't yet gotten to him.

Even so, those cultivators gradually began to extend their search range in his direction.

A gray-robed cultivator walked past Tang Jie. He didn't seem old, but his expression was very focused.

A bolt of air left his fingertip, striking the soil, but there was no reaction.

The young gray-robed cultivator continued onward.

Pa!

Another bolt of air struck near Tang Jie's feet, brushing past Yiyi's vines, creating a light from the collision of spell arts.

This brief flash of light made the gray-robed cultivator freeze.

At this time, this young man showed his lack of experience. Upon seeing a problem, he didn't inform anyone else or keep testing. Instead, he made the worst decision possible: he took a few more steps forward to get a better look.

He then saw a pile of green grass, stacked like firewood.

The gray-robed cultivator took a few more steps forward. This time, he was warier, taking out his sword.

He cautiously poked the grass pile.

Swoosh.

The sword stabbed into the grass as if there was nothing there.

The gray-robed cultivator saw that there was no reaction and moved to pull out his sword.

But he couldn't pull it out, as if it was stuck inside something.

The gray-robed cultivator pulled harder, but he still couldn't pull it out. At this moment, a powerful force pulled on the sword, causing the cultivator to fall forward. The gray-robed cultivator was aghast and finally thought to shout, but it was too late.

Tang Jie grabbed his throat, put the cultivator under him, and sent immense power surging through him, killing the cultivator through pure force. All the gray-robed cultivator had time to do was kick his legs before dying.

Releasing his grip, Tang Jie looked at the cultivator's face and sighed.

He dragged the cultivator's corpse behind a large rock and took off his clothes. His face began to change, becoming the same as that of the deceased cultivator.

After taking care of the body, Tang Jie emerged from the bush, Yiyi turning into a flower and hiding in his sleeve.

Tang Jie then joined everyone else in the search.

The search area grew larger and larger, and Tang Jie's position moved farther and farther outward. Finally, when he saw that no one else was paying attention, he sprinted outward. The disguise couldn't guarantee that he would remain undiscovered forever. In the end, he wasn't that gray-robed cultivator. It was impossible to infiltrate their ranks over the long term.

And once enough time passed, they would eventually discover that someone had died, at which point they would realize that Tang Jie had infiltrated their ranks.

Tang Jie had to leave before that.

This was what made Tang Jie feel the most helpless. His ability to disguise himself had always been his most well-hidden ability, but now, it was bound to follow the Duplication spell in being exposed. From now on, his enemies would know of another of his trump cards.

Once it was exposed, many things would change.

The difference between the prepared and the unprepared was huge. When others didn't have their guard up, Tang Jie's disguise ability could even let him fool Violet Palace True Lords. But if the enemy was on their guard, he might not even be able to fool a Celestial Heart True Person.

But regardless, before then, he would utilize this ability to escape.

As the search continued, the golden-robed man finally began to realize that something was wrong.

There was no reason for Tang Jie to have not been found yet.

Tang Jie had appeared here, and if he were captured, the golden-robed man would benefit hugely. But if he escaped?

The thought made True Person Wei shiver.

One hour later, the news came.

One person had gone missing in the search team.

This news made all the cultivators tense up.

After another hour, someone finally found the body of the dead cultivator. It appeared that the cultivator had been dead for at least six hours.

But someone had seen this person two hours ago.

The truth was finally revealed, and it made True Person Wei's world spin.

He knew that he had missed out on the best chance to catch Tang Jie!