Aspiring to the Immortal Path

While the original body was merging with the Dao in the valley, Tang Jie\'s avatar was cultivating within the Celestial Flame Pagoda.

The vast fortune brought by the inter-domain trade allowed Tang Jie\'s strength to soar.

All of the formation diagrams were completed, and he also mastered the weapon manuals with dizzying speed.

His grasp of the Infinity Sphere Art was also improving rapidly thanks to the Cliffs of Fire and Ice. It only took him a hundred-some days to reach the third level, and he wasn\'t far from the fourth. In order to guarantee his progress, Tang Jie used blackstone coins to buy time beyond his allotted quota, robbing everyone else in the Celestial Flame Pagoda of the right to use this blessed land to cultivate and drawing many complaints.

Besides that, he practiced the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation with Na Shan and the others.

Combat formations were also a part of the Dao of Formations, but had two different directions one could focus on. One kind focused on the man, with the formation serving as the support. The formation served to magnify the power of the cultivator, combining the power of individuals and allowing them to use combination attacks in battle. But the other kind was the exact opposite, where the formation took center stage and the people were the support. People existed primarily to lay down materials or perform functions that materials could not.

These two types of formations had their pros and cons. In terms of power, the latter had more variations and was stronger, able to better exhibit the power of formations. But it was ill-suited for combination attacks and adaptability. Formations like the Yi Wood Azure Heaven Formation and Hellfire Formation could be modified to this kind of combat formation.

But this had more demanding requirements on the cultivator. It required the cultivator to have the appropriate skills, since they had to replace the materials in the formation, and they also needed a sufficient understanding of formations. Those who did not understand formations would not be able to maximize their power, even if they had the right techniques. Finally, they had to know how to work together. The biggest problem with using humans to replace a formation was that a cultivator couldn\'t possibly replace dozens of materials on their own, so they needed to work together with many people, which made cooperation crucial. And the more people there were, the more difficult cooperation was bound to be. This was particularly true because cultivators had carefree and odd personalities. Putting all these people together and having them strictly act as the formation demanded of them was extremely difficult.

In comparison, the former was less of a problem. So long as one knew the mantra, one could use it.

For this reason, large-scale combat formations that involved hundreds of people mostly used the former. Rather than countless variations, they simply sought to unleash the power of the masses. Quantity at sufficient levels could become quality. Meanwhile, small groups of elites would prefer the latter. Through long periods of training, they could form up into a mobile formation. This allowed for immense power while saving many materials, allowing for repeated use of the formation.

Tang Jie\'s group was training in the second kind of formation.

Na Shan, Shui Yao, Qing Lian, Hei Yan, and Tang Jie respectively represented Earth, Water, Wood, Fire, and Metal, each one controlling one of the five energies of the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation. With 137 possible variations, this formation had immense lethality. Of course, it was also extremely demanding.

After more than a hundred days of training, the five of them finally had a basic grasp of the variations of the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation.

Today, as on past days, Tang Jie was training with the other four on the eighth floor of the Celestial Flame Pagoda.

After four hours, Na Shan said, "Alright, let\'s stop here for today. You guys don\'t need to come tomorrow."

"What\'s wrong?" Tang Jie asked.

Na Shan replied, "There\'s only three days until the opening of the Treasure Paradise. The war is upon us, so there\'s no point in single-mindedly cultivating. Before the battle, you have to learn how to relax. Thus, starting from tomorrow, you don\'t need to cultivate so diligently anymore and should properly relax."

"Big Brother Na Shan, I was waiting for you to say that," Hei Yan chuckled.

Among the five, Hei Yan was the youngest, so his personality was more carefree. Cultivating every day had started testing his patience long ago, so he was the happiest to learn that they would be resting starting from tomorrow.

On the other hand, Shui Yao frowned and said, "There are still three more days. You don\'t plan on trying for the last three variations of the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation?"

The group had currently grasped 134 variations of the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation, but the last three, which were the most powerful, had not been mastered. Shui Yao was clearly unsatisfied by this, which was why she had asked.

Na Shan shook his head. "Forget it. The last three variations are too difficult. Everyone has already worked very hard, but in the end, we\'re still a little lacking. I don\'t want to risk going for the last sprint only to end up in failure, causing everyone\'s morale to fall."

"True," Shui Yao sighed. "Now that I think about it, we all worked very hard, but we just couldn\'t make it work."

Qing Lian didn\'t like to talk, so he just nodded firmly.

Tang Jie said, "That\'s because everyone doesn\'t truly understand formations. We\'ve been able to get this far primarily because of our cultivation, strength, teamwork, and our familiarity with the formation. But familiarity with the formation isn\'t understanding the formation. If you don\'t understand its principles, you will find it difficult to shift it around. The last three variations of the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation are all-encompassing, and because they are all-encompassing, they must be adapted to the time, place, and people. Getting them right can\'t be accomplished through rote memorization. For these three variations, let alone three days, even three hundred days wouldn\'t be enough to learn them. Even so, the 134 we have learned should be enough."

"I see. No wonder we couldn\'t get it right no matter how much we trained. So there was this sort of factor!" Hei Yan scratched his head and chuckled. "Brother Tang Ran, you must be very skilled in formations. No wonder you were able to learn the fastest and never made a mistake."

Tang Jie simply smiled, but Shui Yao rolled her eyes and said, "You only noticed now?"

Tang Jie continued, "Since we\'re going to take a break, I suggest we get together at night and share a drink. I\'ll play host. Now that I think about it, we\'ve been together for some time, but we\'ve done nothing but cultivate. We haven\'t even had a proper get-together yet."

"Right, right!" Everyone nodded.

More than a hundred days of cultivating together had increased their proficiency in the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation and also increased their friendship—even total strangers would become friends after spending so long together. Moreover, in their expedition into the Treasure Paradise, they needed trust and teamwork alongside strength. A team at odds with itself was bound for a bad end.

But a friendship where they hadn\'t gotten drunk together was clearly lacking, which was why everyone excitedly agreed to Tang Jie\'s proposal.

Hei Yan said, "I know a pretty good restaurant. The food there is all made from primal beasts, both delicious and helpful to cultivation, but the price isn\'t cheap."

Tang Jie chuckled. "Don\'t worry about the price. You can order as much as you want so long as you can eat it."

He was rich at the moment, so let alone primal beasts, he would even buy Nine Heavens Dragons if someone was offering.

Everyone was delighted to hear this and voiced their approval.

The Hundred Hills Pavilion that Hei Yan was talking about was located on Flying Immortal Street, not far from Heavenly Flax Street.

The Hundred Hills Pavilion was famous in the City of Freedom for its expertise in cooking various kinds of primal beasts.

The five of them went over, booked a private room, and then started to order food.

Grabbing the menu, Hei Yan looked at Tang Jie and nervously asked, "We can order anything?"

Tang Jie firmly nodded.

Hei Yan pointed at the menu and said, "I want your most expensive dishes."

The waiter politely advised, "We have several that could be considered the most expensive at this restaurant, one of which is Fried Phoenix Raccoon Liver. The Phoenix Raccoons of the eastern mountains are as crafty as foxes and as swift as lightning, making them extremely difficult to capture. This course consists of five pairs of livers, flavored with 36 different kinds of spices. There is also Braised Golden Eyes. In the western sea is a creature called the Goldeye Beast, as large as a boat and with a roar like thunder. This dish involves fully displaying the essence of these golden eyes, and just two are enough for the dish. There is also Stir-Fried Rainbow Chicken Heart. Rainbow Chickens are a rare delicacy, difficult to capture, and as this dish only uses the essence of the Rainbow Chicken, seven or eight are needed…"

The waiter listed many dishes, all of them extremely precious. Tang Jie waved his hand and indicated that they should all be served.

Na Shan reached out and took the menu. "Let me order a few. You can\'t just look at the price for food. It sounds like these dishes are all very small, which isn\'t interesting at all and certainly won\'t be fun. Eating one\'s fill is far more enjoyable. Hey, this Roasted Goldhorn Bull looks pretty good. I\'ll have one. And also two Arrowfeather Eagles. The wings of the Arrowfeather Eagle are delicious. And also one hundred-year Blood Python… What are you looking at me for? You think I can\'t eat it all?"

The waiter said with a bitter look, "Not at all, but the table can\'t hold it all."

"……"

Hei Yan focused on price, Na Shan focused on quantity, and Shui Yao focused on the rare and exquisite. She wanted tea brewed with the snow from the Winter Dawn Mountain and fresh Azure Buds from the South Lake, Polarsea Snowfish Rose that had to be transported and eaten in two days, and Red Mushrooms stir-fried using the dew that dripped down from the leaves of the Azure Flax in the early morning. Finally, she ordered a braised tongue of a Spirit Sensing Parrot.

Na Shan viewed this with disdain. Gnawing on the leg of a Goldhorn Bull, he said, "What is all this? All of that together wouldn\'t even be enough for a single bite for me."

Shui Yao didn\'t order very much food, but in comparison, Qing Lian\'s order could hardly even be called "food".

This guy ordered rather bizarre things. There was Deep-Fried Ironthread Centipede. Even when deep-fried, the shells of these centipedes could shatter one\'s teeth, yet Qing Lian enthusiastically bit down on one after another. There was Stir-Fried Demon Ghost Vines, a food that was both poisonous and delicious—the more poisonous it was, the more delicious the taste. Qing Lian had ordered the kind which still retained 70% of its poison, and when he ate it, green smoke curled out from his face. Finally, there was Live-Steamed Ghostface Mushroom, a kind of sprite. When it was served, the Ghostface Mushroom was still wailing and weeping. As Qing Lian chewed on it, that thing howled until it gradually fell silent.

The four of them chowed down with great gusto, in love with the thought that they could get whatever they wanted. Although they had spent many years in the Celestial Flame Pagoda and made a lot of money, they had never eaten so freely before.

But while eating like this was refreshing, Shui Yao, who was just about done eating, saw a list on the small table behind her. She took a look at the list and saw that it was their bill. She did some math in her head and found that they had eaten around one hundred thousand blackstone coins in value, scaring the wits out of her.

What if Tang Jie couldn\'t pay?

She had been overjoyed while eating, but now, she suddenly felt a deep sorrow.

Shui Yao secretly showed the bill to Hei Yan, who paled and told Qing Lian. The green smoke around Qing Lian\'s face thickened, and he immediately lost his appetite and turned to Na Shan.

Na Shan was startled, and the rate at which he tore at his Arrowfeather Eagle wing slowed. With a glum face, he said, "Shit, I got too into it… I say, Brother Tang: you can pay this, right?"

Tang Jie wanted to confirm this, but Hei Yan said, "Even if you can, you\'ll be emptying your pockets. Damn these treacherous merchants, not even stating the price when we were ordering and only giving us the bill now. I think we should sneak out."

He focused his vision and peered through the walls, upon which he discovered that there were quite a few cultivators standing outside. He shivered and said, "Ugh, we\'re surrounded."

Tang Jie was going to say that it was fine, but then Shui Yao said with a dark expression, "Get ready to fight our way out."

Tang Jie\'s heart leaped as he saw everyone begin to radiate murderous intent.

Tang Jie hastily said, "Don\'t, don\'t. Let me handle it."

Tang Jie walked out, found the manager, and paid the bill. When he returned, he found that the cultivators had all withdrawn. Suddenly, he had an idea. Striding into the room, he said, "Hurry!"

"What?" Everyone was startled.

Tang Jie replied, "I used my avatar art to draw away the guards. Let\'s leave while we still can."

"You really don\'t have the money?" Hei Yan was horrified.

Tang Jie said in an intentionally disgruntled tone, "Of course I do, but not this much. I didn\'t think that you would be such pigs."

Hei Yan frantically said, "I didn\'t eat a lot. It was all Na Shan."

Na Shan roared, "No matter how much I ate, it wasn\'t as expensive as the rest of you, only choosing the rare delicacies."

Shui Yao rolled her beautiful eyes at Na Shan. "I didn\'t eat any delicacies, only dishes that required work."

Qing Lian snorted and said nothing, a bitter look on his face.

His dishes weren\'t exactly rare, but they also weren\'t cheap.

Tang Jie grabbed them and said, "Gosh, now isn\'t the time to talk. Let\'s go."

He rushed out with the four, and they flew out the window as if they were fugitives. As they ran, they muttered, "We\'re celebrities of the City of Freedom, you know? But now we\'re dining and dashing! It\'s so embarrassing."

Once they had run a distance, Shui Yao asked in confusion, "Eh? This isn\'t right. Hundred Hills Pavilion has numerous high-tier cultivators protecting it, and also a formation, so how were we able to get out so easily? And even if they were really drawn away, shouldn\'t they have realized by now?"

Everyone came to realize that something was wrong.

One hundred thousand blackstone coins wasn\'t a small sum. How could Hundred Hills Pavilion just write it off? And how had those cultivators been so easily drawn away by Tang Jie?

They turned to look at Tang Jie and found that he was still standing by the restaurant, laughing his head off.

Everyone realized what had happened, and Na Shan shouted, "Tang Ran, I can\'t believe you tricked us!"

Tang Jie laughed. "Who made you so naive as to instantly believe me? You\'re prodigies of the City of Freedom, invincible experts of the slaughterhouse, but a single meal had you all acting like robbers. Haha! I\'ve got a hold on you guys now! If someone dares to go against me, I\'ll go and spread the news about this incident!"

The others all looked at each other.

Hei Yan said, "What do we do?"

Na Shan grunted, "Beat him up!"

"Beat him up!"

The four of them all shouted as they lunged at Tang Jie.

Tang Jie laughed and ran off, and the five began to run about the City of Freedom.

It was already late at night, and the City of Freedom was quiet.

As fighting wasn\'t allowed in the city, the five of them ran out.

Tang Jie had barely left the city when Qing Lian raised his hands, green light surging out of the ground and turning into countless vines that sought to wrap around Tang Jie.

Hei Yan thrust out a finger, and a black pillar of flame lanced at Tang Jie. The flame melded with the darkness of the night, almost imperceptible.

Na Shan thrust his hands straight into the ground, and energy pumped into the earth. Sands began to rage as a yellow dragon of earth manifested.

Finally, Shui Yao giggled, and as she giggled, countless blue geysers erupted from the earth.

Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth all rushed at Tang Jie. It was clear that they were holding nothing back.

Tang Jie saw that he couldn\'t dodge, so he shot toward a distant forest. As he ran, he threw out his hands, and ten swords appeared: the art relic swords of the Peerless Sword Pavilion. They stabbed at that distant forest, and together with the vines, flames, earth dragon, and blue fountains, they landed in the forest.

The five of them called out in unison, the five energies erupting with light and gathering into a majestic power. This power was so great that even Tang Jie\'s original body wouldn\'t have dared to take it on directly. It was none other than the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation.

As the five lights made impact, a red wave of light shot out of the forest, pushing back against the power of the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation. But despite this figure\'s power, a roar of fury came from the forest. It was clear that the owner of this voice was enraged and surprised by this sudden attack.

As the red light fought back against the formation\'s power, Tang Jie pulled out the Five Sacred Mountains Sword, and five mountains descended and crashed into the red barrier in an explosion of crimson.

"Break!" Na Shan roared, his Sky Cleaver streaking through the firmament and slamming into the red barrier. The barrier finally shattered, and a blood-colored person flew out of the forest.

The moment they appeared, Hei Yan, Shui Yao, and Qing Lian attacked in unison, the three of them using the Minor Five Elements Combat Formation to become a furious tornado of flames. Just when they were about to devour that figure, that man thrust out a hand, and the flame tornado abruptly disappeared as if it had been sucked into a black hole.

The three of them paled as a boundless sea of blood appeared before them.

The vastness and grandeur of this sea of blood was such that it was hard to look at directly, and the three of them almost prostrated. Fortunately, Tang Jie rushed in front of them and thrust his sword at that man.

This sword thrust seemed very ordinary, but it had some indescribable profundity to it, forcing that man to back away while they roared in fury, "Seeking death!"

This cold and sinister roar both resounded in their ears and also echoed in the depths of their hearts.

The Lord of the Blood River!