Aspiring to the Immortal Path

The mountain was still the same mountain, and the sea was still the same sea, but the only colors left in the world were black and white.

The black and white colors formed a giant Yin Yang diagram on the ground.

Feng Buzhi stood in the white part, casually saying, “Welcome to my Black White World.”

“‘Black White World’?” Everyone looked around in confusion.

Feng Buzhi chuckled. “Black and white are Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang are death and life. The Black White World is the abyss of life and death!”

He waved his right hand, and the black ground instantly turned into a bottomless abyss, the people standing there immediately plunging downward.

Everyone was badly frightened by this. Fortunately, they could all fly and immediately began to fly upward the moment they started falling.

But in the next moment, countless vines emerged from the abyss, wrapping around them and trying to pull them down.

Everyone began to struggle, trying to chop at the vines, but these vines were tough and endless. If they cut one down, another would appear. In a few moments, the weakest of the cultivators was pulled into the darkness, and then there was a scream as if he was suffering the most terrifying punishment in the world. And then… there was nothing.

This left everyone badly frightened. They immediately began to use all their power to sever the vines, and they actually managed to succeed and escape to the white soil. It was rather strange. So long as they stood on the white soil, the vines wouldn’t chase them.

Even so, the abyss vines still dragged one more person down. Like some terrifying behemoth, it easily devoured a human life.

Feng Buzhi stood with his hands behind his back, coldly chuckling. He didn’t try to stop them from escaping, waiting until they were all free to say, “Black is death and white is life. Yin and Yang are constantly turning, life and death ever changing.”

He suddenly turned around, and to everyone’s shock, the world flickered, black and white interchanging. A black flood overtook the white soil while the abyss turned into solid ground.

Tang Jie’s blood chilled at the sight, and he shouted, “Watch out!”

He flew up.

A moment later, the ground beneath them crumbled, black fog rising and countless vines surging out.

This time, everyone knew to fly to the other side.

But as they were flying away, a roar came from the abyss.

This thunderous roar erupted in everyone’s ears, causing their souls to tremble. One cultivator’s mind faltered, and he plunged downward. Fortunately, the ghost guard was able to react in time, sending an afterimage to catch that person and pull him back.

There was a creature in this abyss?

Everyone was aghast.

Feng Buzhi laughed. “That is the Black Sin, born from all the evil thoughts in your heart. Be careful! With every Yin Yang shift, the Black Sin will grow a little stronger. If it crawls out, then not even fleeing to the heavens will save you.”

Someone angrily said, “Die already!”

He unleashed a wave of sword energy.

This sword energy cut across Feng Buzhi’s body, which rippled like an illusion.

What… what was going on?

Tang Jie controlled the ghost guard to say, “He’s not here. This is just an illusion.”

Illusion?

Then where was the real Feng Buzhi?

Everyone was stunned.

Tang Jie continued to control the ghost guard, saying, “Yin Yang is a Great Dao, and it seems that this person has comprehended some of the Dao of Yin Yang, fusing it with his spell arts to produce this Yin Yang illusion zone.”

Feng Buzhi was rather taken aback, and then he laughed, “Correct, correct. As expected, you are the most outstanding of them. This is a Yin Yang illusion formed by mixing my spell arts with a little of what I have comprehended from the Dao of Yin Yang: the Black White Dimension. Although it is an illusion, the death is real. Everyone, you had best be careful.”

As he spoke, black and white shifted again. Everyone was ready this time and reacted to the best of their ability, and with the ghost guard there to rescue anyone, nobody died this time.

But the attacks this time truly were much stronger, and even the roar from the abyss was more soul-shaking.

“True Person Gui, since this is an illusion, how do we break it?” Xu Tian anxiously asked.

The ghost guard shook his head. “I do not know anything about the Dao of Yin Yang.”

The ghost guard was the strongest person here, so when they heard that he didn’t have a way, everyone felt despair.

“But… let me think.” The ghost guard dropped his head and began to think.

While he said that he was thinking, the one thinking was naturally Tang Jie.

In the Nine Executions Immortal Formation, Tang Jie’s original body rose once more.

Even though the disordered space of the hidden realm prevented Tang Jie from summoning his original body, this didn’t prevent them from sharing their thoughts.

The original body charged into the clouds and roared, “He Chong, come out!”

In the distance, He Chong lazily said, “Unkillable brat, you asking for a beating again?”

“Not a fight this time. I just want to ask you: how do you undo the Dao of Yin Yang?”

“‘The Dao of Yin Yang’?” He Chong’s voice grew much louder. “Why are you suddenly asking that?”

Tang Jie laughed. “I just find it a little interesting. What about it? Are you willing to say anything?”

“The Dao of Yin Yang is vast and complex, involving many fields. I have never studied this Dao and have only heard some things about it. I cannot give you answers about anything specific.”

“Have you heard about the Black White Dimension?”

“‘The Black White Dimension’?” He Chong was taken aback, and then he shouted, “Feng Buzhi?”

“So you know him! Then can you tell me about this art?”

He Chong fell silent for a while, and then he laughed. “Tang Jie, although you’ve never told me before, do you really think I wouldn’t have gotten it by now… You have an avatar in the outside world, right?”

Tang Jie froze.

He Chong crazily laughed. “No wonder you comprehended the Ninedark Mantra so quickly and asked me about the experience of charging at the Mortal Shedding Realm. As expected, as expected! Good, good, you’ve got some ability, getting an avatar in only the Spirit Platform Period. It appears that in these years while you haven’t been in Rosecloud, tales about you continue to spread through Rosecloud. As for me, He Chong, a Soul Transformation True Person, probably no one will hear about me in the future!”

He Chong’s voice was brimming with anger.

He roared, “Feng Buzhi! Haha, kid, you actually got on his bad side. Good, good, wonderful! Although this person is a Heart Demon True Person, he’s comprehended the Yin Yang Dao and understands the truth and falsehood. He specializes in combat methods that mix truth and fiction, and he cannot be considered a weakling among Heart Demon True Persons. Even I, someone at Soul Transformation, would have a tough time against him. I don’t know how strong your avatar is, but based on your numerous probes these last few days, he must be at Nine Revolutions. And a Nine Revolutions trying to go against Feng Buzhi can be obliterated by any one of his fiend bodies!”

Tang Jie was surprised. “‘Understands the truth and falsehood’? ‘Any one of his fiend bodies’?”

He Chong froze, realizing that his excitement had made him say too much. In the end, he snorted and said, “In any case, don’t think about getting a way to deal with Feng Buzhi from me!”

Tang Jie proceeded to ignore him, beginning to think. He mumbled, “Comprehending the Yin Yang Dao… comprehending the Yin Yang Dao…”

He wasn’t trying to comprehend the Yin Yang Dao from muttering and then make a show of force and shatter Feng Buzhi’s Black White Dimension. It was just that he felt like there was a brief flash of inspiration in his mind whenever he muttered those words.

He tried to feel it out and grab that flash of inspiration, as this could be the moment that Tang Jie could use to seize victory.

But despite pondering it over and over, he wasn’t able to get anything.

Besides He Chong, was there anyone else in the Nine Executions Immortal Formation who could help him?

Would he have to seek out Duan Fourth and Deng Yuqing?

No, wait!

Tang Jie’s eyes brightened.

There really was such an existence!

He turned to the volcano and the roiling lake of lava.

He suddenly understood. “The Twelve Great Daos are all paired off. Life and Reincarnation contrast each other, Karma and Fate are tied together, Time and Space move in parallel, Yin Yang compares to the Five Elements…”

The firebird in the lava pool had to know about the Dao of Yin Yang.

He rushed over and bellowed at the lava pool.

A moment later, the firebird emerged, unfurling its wings over his head.

It looked down at Tang Jie as if asking if he wanted to continue the challenge.

Tang Jie shouted, “The Southern Divine Fire can incinerate the mind with a thought. No matter how great the distance, you can burn away all with a thought. This… should be at the Dao Realm, yes?”

The firebird simply looked at him.

Tang Jie continued, “With your power, you must have at least entered a Dao. Since you’ve entered the Dao of Five Elements, do you understand the Dao of Yin Yang?”

The firebird still said nothing.

“Answer me! This is very important!” Tang Jie shouted, his tone determined.

The firebird cocked its head as if thinking, and then it looked down at the valley.

It opened its mouth, and flame issued forth at the plants down below.

The fire arrow struck a large rock in the valley. Under the arrow’s power, the rock melted into lava, which swept over a thousand-year Jade Return Grass.

Shockingly, the Jade Return Grass was completely unharmed.

The lava flow gradually dissipated.

Tang Jie’s eyes went wide.

Yes, it was exactly this sight.

He still remembered what had happened when he used the Duplication spell to venture into this area.

The flames easily destroyed all intruders, but they did not damage a single grass.

“This is the Dao of Yin Yang?” He looked up at the firebird.

The firebird said nothing, continuing to look at Tang Jie.

Tang Jie knew that he had guessed correctly.

This firebird really did understand Yin Yang and the Five Elements.

He said in a trembling voice, “What does Yin Yang mean?”

A voice resounded in his mind: “Daos cannot be transmitted!”

Tang Jie looked at the firebird in shock! This was the first time he had received a clear message from the firebird.

He shouted, “I understand that a Dao must be comprehended on one’s own, but my avatar in the outside world is facing a mortal crisis. He’s facing a powerful opponent who has comprehended the Dao of Ying Yang. If you can’t help me, I won’t be able to beat him!”

The firebird shook its head and turned to fly back into the lava.

Tang Jie saw it leaving, and after a moment’s hesitation, he shouted, “Yin and Yang are black and white, and black and white are death and life! A world of Yin Yang is an abyss of life and death!”

He had stolen these words from Feng Buzhi and slightly modified them.

Sure enough, the firebird stopped and turned back to Tang Jie.

A voice resounded in Tang Jie’s mind.

“A load of nonsensical bullshit!”

Tang Jie chuckled. “Might I ask for your wise words?”

The Dao could not be transmitted, but it could be discussed!

When understanding of the Dao conflicted, people discussed the Dao. This was not something rare in the cultivation world.

When Tang Jie threw out the only bit of Yin Yang Dao Will that he knew, the discussion had begun. He didn’t meet the standard and had no confidence, but this wasn’t important.

What was important was that he could listen to the Dao.

The firebird looked at him, and a sliver of its will entered Tang Jie’s mind.

A moment later, Tang Jie saw a body covered in flame but completely unscathed.

“The Dao of Yin Yang is simply an alternative name. Yin and Yang is indeed truth and fiction, as it is life and death, as it is real and illusory, as it is the Dao of all diametrical existences. It cannot simply be summarized down to life and death.”

“‘The Dao of all diametrical existences’?” Tang Jie’s eyes gleamed. “I understand.”

——————————————

The Beast hidden realm, the abyss of black and white.

Everyone had lost count as to which round of black and white shifting this was. More and more vines were emerging from the abyss, and the terrifying Black Sin was gradually gaining form. There was no face, only a giant maw that could swallow the heavens, constantly roaring death and destruction.

In these few short moments, nearly half of the several dozen cultivators had been killed, and this was with the ghost guard trying its best to rescue everyone. Everyone was full of despair.

At this moment, the ghost guard suddenly raised his head. “I see. You’ve comprehended… reality and illusion, yes?”

“Hm?” Feng Buzhi gasped as he looked at the ghost guard.

The ghost guard continued, “The Dao of Reality and Illusion allows for the conversion between the real and illusory. Your ‘Catch the Wind, Seize the Moon’ uses this concept. It is no instant movement technique, but a way of exchanging the real and illusory. The same is true for your Black White Dimension. You call it Black White on purpose, saying that your Dao is Life and Death, but this is all deception. Your true secret lies in the conversion between reality and illusion. This entire Black White Dimension is actually a giant illusion, like the space in a mirror. You are actually outside the mirror, which is why our attacks can’t reach you.”

Feng Buzhi’s face darkened. “Quite interesting. You’ve actually seen through my Black White Dimension, but so what? Can you break it?”

The ghost guard went on, “There are only two methods to break this illusion. The first is to break it through absolute power. Alas, I am weaker than you and don’t have the ability to break the illusion. The second is to use Dao against Dao. The Dao of Yin and Yang represents two sides of the world. Whether it is reality or illusion, life or death, they are all Yin and Yang, all two sides of a coin. So long as one grasps this concept, one can freely go between reality and illusion, and this illusion will fall.”

Feng Buzhi’s pupils shrank. “It sounds plausible, but do you actually have that ability?”

The ghost guard sighed. “I don’t have that ability, but I do have that luck.”

He suddenly looked down at the black abyss and stepped forward.

His foot stepped onto air, and he plunged downward as everyone cried out in alarm.

The ghost guard was the strongest of their group. If he died, the rest of them wouldn’t survive the next shift.

As the ghost guard fell, he suddenly stuck out his hand and grabbed at the air. A ghostly hand so faint as to be transparent emerged from the back of his hand and thrust into the air. A fissure seemed to appear in front of it, but it was gone in a flash.

In this blackness, such a subtle shift was essentially impossible to notice.

But at this moment, on the white ground, a black hand appeared in front of the seemingly impervious Feng Buzhi and swiped at him.

Whoosh!

“Agh!” Feng Buzhi suddenly let out the most miserable scream he had made yet in this battle. “How did you do that?”

Boom!

That black-and-white world that had engulfed everyone disappeared, and everyone realized that they were back on the mountain slope. Even those people the Black Sin had devoured had returned alive, as if nothing had happened.

A cultivator who had dropped down and died looked around in shock. “I… I’m still alive?”

The ghost guard said, “The Black White Dimension is an illusion, and the Black Sin was a product of the illusion. Those devoured by it didn’t actually die, but were temporarily rendered unconscious.”

“I see.” Everyone understood and laughed. “So this Black White Dimension wasn’t anything at all, just meant for scaring people.”

The ghost guard continued, “But as Yin and Yang shift and reality and illusion are interchanged, the illusion can be turned into reality. Once illusion becomes reality, the dead people will be truly dead. Thus, the reason that all of you didn’t die was not that the Black White Dimension was weak, but that Feng Buzhi hadn’t killed all of you and didn’t have the time to turn our illusion into reality, and I managed to break his illusion before he could do that.”

Everyone was further enlightened.

They turned to Feng Buzhi, who now had a long wound on his chest. There was no blood from the wound, but it was coated in ice. It seemed like a rather serious wound.

Feng Buzhi didn’t care. He stared at the ghost guard and said, “You… are not an ordinary person.”

What he meant was that the average cultivator couldn’t convert illusion into reality so easily.

Tang Jie pretended not to understand, controlling the ghost guard to say, “I was never an ordinary person. Just like you, I’m at Celestial Heart, only a tier below you.”

“A difference of tiers is as vast as the gap between the heavens and earth.” A vicious energy gathered on Feng Buzhi’s face. “Don’t think that you’ve won just because you’ve broken my Black White Dimension.”

He let out a howl and once more activated Catch the Wind, Seize the Moon. He appeared in front of a cultivator, but he was floating in the air above that cultivator’s head.

He lightly kicked the cultivator’s head, and the cultivator screamed as his skull exploded.

Countless blades of wind and ice rushed at Feng Buzhi, but Feng Buzhi casually turned around and appeared elsewhere, across from another cultivator. He kneed the cultivator in the belly, cracking his bones and sending him flying.

The angrier he was, the more he showed off.

He had stopped using hands to kill, kicking or stomping with his feet, each strike killing a person.

“Here!” The ghost guard suddenly chopped a palm at empty space.

“Ugh!” There was a groan, and Feng Buzhi suddenly staggered out of space. On the other end, the Feng Buzhi kicking people to death had yet to dissipate.

But then it popped like a balloon.

The Dao of Reality-Illusion Conversion!

After understanding Feng Buzhi’s tricks, Tang Jie realized that he wasn’t performing actual instant movement. Instead, he was borrowing the Dao of Reality and Illusion to use an extremely advanced illusion spell. In truth, before each instant movement, he would leave first. The Feng Buzhi that remained was just an illusion used to cover the traces of his movement, thus creating the misperception of instant movement.

Upon understanding this, Tang Jie was finally able to put Insight to use and see through Feng Buzhi’s conversion. It wasn’t strange at all that he was now able to attack Feng Buzhi.

Catch the Wind, Seize the Moon was the next to fall after the Black White Dimension.

After taking a chop from the ghost guard, Feng Buzhi breathed in deeply. “Bastard… All of you must die!”

He spread out his arms, stood on one leg, and jumped into the air, turning into a white streak of light.

“My name… white crane!”

An enormous white crane phantom appeared. With a clear cry, it shot toward its target!

It took a while, but He Chong finally figured out what sort of trick Tang Jie was playing. That’s okay, though, because Tang Jie has the firebird to help him cheat!