Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Interception battles were always the most desperate kind of battle in a war.
The intercepting side had the task of holding off the enemy at all costs, and they often had to face a force that was several times to dozens of times larger.
The strength possessed by Godhead Palace could not be considered weak. Four Heart Demon True Persons, almost ten Spirit Ring True Persons, and many elite disciples was a force enough to crush an opponent like Tang Jie.
But in these circumstances, Tang Jie had managed to hold fast.
The blockade created by the numerous bean soldiers had not only fended off the attacks of Godhead Palace, it had even managed to kill many of them. The one hundred Bloodbath Hall disciples had been basically wiped out, and though Nan Ningjiang was greatly pained by this loss, he was finally able to gain a better understanding of Tang Jie's strength.
"The Martial Lord's hidden treasury!" Nan Ningjiang spat out from between clenched teeth.
Nan Ningjiang could find no other explanation for all this.
"That's not all," Tang Jie replied.
That sense of pleasure in his body grew more and more distinct as he killed more and more members of Godhead Palace, such that when all the Bloodbath Hall disciples were wiped out, Tang Jie inexplicably felt a sense of emptiness.
This sensation left him so uncomfortable that he lunged at Nan Ningjiang while flinging out ten-some Iceseal Talismans from his left hand. Nan Ningjiang thrust out his palm, a blast of wind clashing with the ice in a dazzling explosion. At the same time, a soft energy descended upon the area, preventing Tang Jie from thrusting his saber.
This was a countermeasure Nan Ningjiang had developed against the golden saber after furthering his understanding of Tang Jie, using soft against hard so that the unstoppable golden saber found it difficult to show its power.
But when Tang Jie attacked Nan Ningjiang, he once more felt that sense of pleasure. In his excitement, his saber erupted with light and stabbed at Nan Ningjiang. This attack came so suddenly that Nan Ningjiang was caught by surprise, so he had to hastily lean his head back to dodge. The edge of the saber brushed past his neck, leaving a long wound. Nan Ningjiang grunted and chopped his palm in response. Tang Jie raised his saber to block, and as the palm struck the saber, both of them used the impact to create some distance from each other.
In this direct confrontation, Nan Ningjiang, despite being a Spirit Ring True Person, wasn't able to get the slightest advantage.
Startled, he blurted out, "You aren't affected by the Great Mountain?"
Tang Jie cocked his head. "I just found that out too."
Yes, Tang Jie had just realized that as he killed more Godhead Palace disciples, the pressure from the Great Mountain eased. He didn't know what the reason was, but this was undoubtedly a good thing.
At this time, Elders Gold and Silver made another charge at Tang Jie, and Tang Jie threw out another stack of talismans.
The elders had no choice but to deal with the talismans, one of them roaring, "Brat, is there no end to your talismans?"
"I have plenty, and after them, I still have this." Tang Jie waved his hand, and three swords flew out, shooting at the two elders. The two elders were just about to block them when those three swords exploded.
These swords were just ordinary art relics, but the power from their self-detonations was immense. Not even the two elders dared to take the explosion directly and could only fly back. But they were still somewhat caught up in the explosion, which left them somewhat shaken. They bellowed in fury, but they could do nothing against Tang Jie.
Meanwhile, Tang Jie was getting stronger the more he fought.
That refreshing feeling in his heart grew more distinct the more Godhead Palace disciples he killed, and he attacked with even greater ferocity.
He suddenly laughed and said, "My will is with the heavens, and the heavens are bound to protect me. My words will come true, and my blows will strike true!"
He swung his saber at Nan Ningjiang.
It seemed like a simple attack, but Nan Ningjiang inexplicably felt like he was in grave danger.
He knew he was in trouble, and his Spirit Ring erupted outward to stop Tang Jie's attack. But no matter what he did, Tang Jie's saber pursued him, and Nan Ningjiang felt the shadow of death overtake him. As the sharp tip of the saber approached, he whispered in despair, "This is… the Great…"
He finally understood what was happening, but he didn't have time to speak.
Just when the golden saber was about to strike.
"Big Brother!" someone cried out, and rammed into Nan Ningjiang, knocking him aside.
The saber pierced through that person and erupted in light, obliterating the body.
"Fifth Brother!" Nan Ningjiang screamed.
He angrily glared at Tang Jie, his eyes filling with blood. "Tang Jie!"
Tang Jie called back his saber. At this time, his body was radiating light and spiritual energy, and appeared like a descended god.
"The Great Aspiration Divine Connection!" Nan Ningjiang finally shouted, looking in disbelief at Tang Jie.
That power just now was clearly something only the Great Aspiration Divine Connection was capable of, words becoming true and blows striking true!
"No, this isn't the Great Aspiration Divine Connection!" Huang Yue shouted.
As Shi Wunian's disciple, he was well aware of his master's abilities.
"Then what is it?" Zhou Fanghua angrily asked. What sort of method could Tang Jie have used that could force Nan Ningjiang to the brink and slay their fifth brother in a single strike?
Huang Yue gazed at Tang Jie in speechless shock.
"Huang Yue!" Nan Ningjiang shouted.
Huang Yue muttered, "This isn't the Great Aspiration Divine Connection… This is… a Great Aspiration."
'A Great Aspiration'?
Everyone turned to stare at Tang Jie.
Tang Jie stroked his saber and casually said, "I swore a Great Aspiration to destroy Godhead Palace!"
Everyone trembled at these words.
Nan Ningjiang yelled, "What did you say? You would dare to swear such an aspiration?"
Tang Jie sneered, "I made that Great Aspiration to destroy Godhead the day you all killed Big Brother Xu. But I never imagined that Aspirational Power was an actual existence. All things are destined, and so after I made that aspiration, if I seek to fulfill it, the heavens will take pity on me and support me."
He raised his head and began to laugh, his entire body exuding light. It didn't look like he was affected by the Great Mountain's pressure at all.
"Muyang…" Xu Mingyue inwardly shivered at these words. She began to look at Tang Jie differently, and the image of Xu Muyang began to overlap with him.
There were always some things in the world that humans could not explain.
Aspirational Power was one of these things.
In the system developed by the six major sects, there had never been a detailed explanation for Aspirational Power. Most of what was said about it was that aspirations could not be lightly made, or else one was bound to be possessed by a Heart Demon.
But Heart Demons and Aspirational Power were not the same thing. The former was an amalgamation of mental power given physical form while the latter was an inexplicable existence that permeated the world. It was even harder to detect than spiritual energy, and even harder to comprehend. Only those who possessed it would gain a little bit of insight into it.
The person who understood Aspirational Power the most in the world was probably Shi Wunian, as he was the creator of the Great Aspiration Divine Connection.
Not everyone who made a Great Aspiration could gain the protection of Aspirational Power. In fact, it was only an extremely small number who could. Tang Jie had made his aspiration twenty-some years ago, never once giving up on his revenge against Godhead Palace, but it was only today that he received a little return from the heavens. Even he didn't understand just why he had received this blessing today.
But Tang Jie had a few guesses.
He was sure that it had nothing to do with how many members of Godhead Palace he had killed. It probably had more to do with his surroundings.
Like the Great Mountain, or maybe some other factors.
Of course, he wasn't going to say any of this. He only knew that, free from the strictures of the Great Mountain, he could buy more time for the original body.
He Yueyang wouldn't be able to last much longer.
Raaaa!
Amid heaven-shaking collisions, dust rose from the forest in plumes several dozen meters high.
A figure bounded through the forest, exhibiting a most savage and fierce aura.
The original body was like an unkillable giant, swinging around that hammer and brazenly howling as he attacked again and again.
He charged forward with violent ferocity, not fearing death or anything else.
The massive hammer smashed into the bell again and again, releasing deafening rings and powerful shockwaves.
Every time, the original body's attacks would be reflected by the Supreme Mystery Bell. However strong was the attack against He Yueyang was how strong the attack reflected back on him would be.
The original body coughed up blood after taking all these reflected attacks, but he would stand back up every time and continue to hammer away, venting his anger.
And this anger seemed to provide the original body with an endless source of strength.
There was no beating him and no stalling him. His will to fight was relentless, surging up to the heavens.
He Yueyang realized to his shock that he was about to reach his limit.
The Supreme Mystery Bell, though a supreme treasure, needed someone to operate it, spiritual energy to run it and Spirit Will to control it.
While Tang Jie's attacks were doing a lot of damage to himself, they were also using up a lot of He Yueyang's spiritual energy.
This shouldn't have been a big deal. After all, the bell itself had its own formidable power that He Yueyang only needed to trigger. He was using up far less energy than Tang Jie.
But surprisingly, even in these circumstances, He Yueyang was still running out of energy first.
Tang Jie seemed to have strength that could never run out, crazily attacking again and again. No matter how many attacks were reflected and hurt him, he didn't stop, growing fiercer and fiercer, stronger and stronger. It was as if the earlier part of the battle was just a warm-up and he was just getting serious now.
Under this frenzied offensive, He Yueyang felt his spiritual energy draining away, and he finally started to become afraid.
He glared at Tang Jie, his eyes flashing with divine light as he said, "Die!"
A Divine Will attack.
At this point, He Yueyang could no longer afford to worry about the aftermath.
But to his surprise, Tang Jie's head simply dropped slightly, his nose bleeding a little. Otherwise, he was fine.
He wiped the blood from his nose and smiled. "Is that all you have?"
"This is impossible!" He Yueyang cried out in shock.
"Nothing is impossible. "I already made up my mind to kill Heart Demon cultivators, so how could I not have any sort of precautions against Divine Will attacks?" The original body scoffed. "Actually, I was waiting for you to do this."
The Nine Executions Immortal Formation had many natural treasures, and among them was an herb that could protect against Divine Will attacks: the Jade Feather Red Treasure.
Per Tang Jie's agreement with the firebird, every trial he passed meant that he could pick another spirit plant. And once Tang Jie entered Nadir Hill, he gave all the spirit plants he stole to the original body to refine his body. As the original body grew stronger, he challenged the firebird again, this time taking the Jade Feather Red Treasure.
After getting this plant, Tang Jie had his original body and avatar each eat half.
This plant couldn't make the original body completely immune to Divine Will attacks. To be more precise, it only raised resistance. But the one in the Nine Executions Immortal Formation was ten thousand years old, and one stalk had the effect of several dozen ordinary ones. Thus, although it was only half, it was already enough to resist the Divine Will attack of a Heart Demon True Person, though things would be more difficult with a Soul Transformation True Person. The attacker would have to be willing to sacrifice themselves and attack with all their might in order to kill Tang Jie.
For this reason, in his battle plan, Tang Jie hadn't accounted for Master Xuan Zhong, as he had no plans on forcing him to the brink of death and causing him to take desperate measures.
He Yueyang was terrified after seeing his Divine Will attack fail, and he began to retreat.
The original body mockingly smiled. "Now you're afraid? Don't you think it's too late?"
The body refining of the Parting Classic was extremely powerful, and He Yueyang trying to tire him out was simply seeking death.
Suddenly, he unleashed a frenzied roar at He Yueyang.
The roar produced a fierce gale that blasted He Yueyang.
In the middle of this storm, He Yueyang saw Tang Jie's original body growing larger, bulging with muscle, and white streams of energy began to revolve around him. This was because his surging energy was so abundant that it was now taking physical form.
Tang Jie laughed and thrust a palm at He Yueyang.
The Supreme Mystery Bell let out a thunderous boom, and while Tang Jie threw up blood, He Yueyang began to shiver as if he had come down with a severe fever.
"So you finally can't control it anymore?" Tang Jie laughed. "If not for this bell, I would have killed you long ago!"
His fist hammered on the Supreme Mystery Bell again and again, each blow seeming to pummel at He Yueyang's heart, and He Yueyang's complexion turned as white as a sheet of paper.
Finally, with a long ring, the Supreme Mystery Bell went flying. He Yueyang no longer had the strength to control it.
Tang Jie raised a foot, using He Yueyang as a jumping board. As he kicked down, he shattered He Yueyang's head and reached for the bell.
The bell constantly rang out as it struggled to break free of Tang Jie's grip.
"Now that you're in my hand, you think I would let you go that easily?" Tang Jie snorted as he punched the bell again.
The bell had no one to control it, so the fist's power easily penetrated into the bell. The bell was already emptied of power, so the fist succeeding in destroying all of the seals within it. Through unreasonable brute force, Tang Jie succeeded in taking the bell as his own.
"My bell!" Master Xuan Zhong was the first to sense the bell being stolen. His mind was given a huge jolt, and he threw up blood. He had already been attacked by the will of the Great Mountain twice and was in the middle of recovering. This sudden shock caused his wounds to reopen and worsen.
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from tinyurl.com/37k7u89t.
At the same time, Li Song sensed He Yueyang's death, and he roared in fury, "Old He!"
His hand exploded with light, punching a hole through the stomach of the ghost guard. But the ghost guard seemed unaffected, continuing to battle with Li Song. Startled, Li Song blurted out, "You're not human?"
There was a sharp whistle as a sword shot at Li Song's face. The blade was of such sharpness that Li Song had no choice but to retreat in the face of the divine sword that Tang Jie had thrown out.
Meanwhile, under Tang Jie's control, the ghost guard quickly retreated. Now that his inhuman status was revealed, it was no longer proper for him to stay in battle.
"Bastard!" Li Song thrust out his hands several dozen times, releasing several dozen blasts of light that managed to stop the divine sword. At the same time, his eyes flashed with divine lightning.
A Divine Will attack.
He Yueyang's death had infuriated Li Song, and he finally decided to go all-out against Tang Jie, even if he died because of it.
Nan Ningjiang paled and cried out, "Don't!"
Godhead Palace wanted Tang Jie alive, not dead.
But Tang Jie's head was simply thrown back a little, and as blood ran out from his nose, he excitedly said, "Haha, finally willing to use a Divine Will attack? I was waiting for this!"
He hastily retreated, took out a pill, and swallowed it.
The pill was black and unremarkable, but it made Nan Ningjiang scowl. "A Mind Migration Pill! No!"
Tang Jie raised his head and howled.
This howl was like the wailing of ghosts, alarming everyone. A purple smoke began to pour out from Tang Jie's ears and nose.
"The Spirit-Boiling Powder!" Xu Mingyue cried out.
"Yes… the Spirit-Boiling Powder," Tang Jie chuckled. "Why do you think I wanted to fight with you? If it wasn't to get rid of this damn substance, do you really think I would have gone this far?"
The Spirit-Boiling Powder was a poison that worked directly on this soul, so mortal arts were no good against it. Tang Jie had racked his mind for a way to deal with it, until he finally thought about Divine Will attacks.
Divine Will attacks were unblockable because they attacked the soul, but if he could resist this attack, he could have it expel the poison. Tang Jie had looted many places to find this Mind Migration Pill precisely for this moment.
As the Spirit-Boiling Powder was removed and that problem that had pestered Tang Jie for so long was sent packing, Tang Jie felt wonderful.
He laughed and said, "Without the Spirit-Boiling Powder, I'd like to see how you can chase me now! The world is vast, and I'm free to wander about!"
He retreated.
In this battle, he had killed He Yueyang, taken the Supreme Mystery Bell, and removed the Spirit-Boiling Powder. He had reached all his goals, so there was no need to stick around.
Nan Ningjiang savagely said, "You want to leave? Impossible!"
He threw out a diagram.
"A formation diagram?" Tang Jie grimaced.
This was clearly an upper-grade art relic formation diagram. As it was thrown out, the region surrounding Tang Jie was engulfed by the formation. 33926
At a glance, Tang Jie could see that this was at least a Grade 4 sealing formation.
As the formation emerged, Nan Ningjiang slapped a hand at the ground. "Come out!"
A strange diagram appeared on the ground.
As the diagram appeared, the clouds began to circle, and countless strange monsters began to appear within them.
"The Parade of Myriad Beasts!" Tang Jie paled.
The Parade of Myriad Beasts was one of the Beast Refining Gate's greatest spell arts, a merger of art, formation, and beasts. Once used, it could manifest countless fiend beasts to attack a foe, and there were also some real fiend beasts mixed among them, which were difficult to identify among all the fakes. As for its power, that depended on the beasts stored within it.
One could be certain that the Beast Refining Gate, in order to deal with him, wouldn't have brought some ordinary fiends.
Qian Yingchen's smug laughter came out of the clouds. "Brother Tang truly is very knowledgeable, even knowing about my Beast Refining Gate's Parade of Myriad Beasts. I thought that we wouldn't need to use it, but Brother Tang was more formidable than expected, even forcing us to our last resort."
Tang Jie's eyes narrowed.
He knew that this was the real move Nan Ningjiang had planned to use against him, hidden this entire time.
He looked at Nan Ningjiang and said, "If you had used this earlier, all those people wouldn't have had to die."
Nan Ningjiang replied, "If I used it too early, how would I find out if you knew about it or not?"
As expected.
Nan Ningjiang had waited until now because he wanted to find out who the spy in Godhead Palace was.
He smiled and said, "So you know now?"
"At least I know that this group of people can be trusted," Nan Ningjiang replied.
Tang Jie nodded at the bodies of the second brother and fifth brother. "Their deaths are all your fault."
Everyone stared at Nan Ningjiang, and Nan Ningjiang paled. "Shut your mouth. So long as we can catch you, all those deaths are worth it!"
"The problem is that you can't catch me!" Tang Jie casually replied.
Nan Ningjiang was taken aback.
Currently, they had Tang Jie completely surrounded and blockaded, and they had even used the ultimate trump card of the Beast Refining Gate. What else could Tang Jie do to turn the tables?
Tang Jie softly sighed. "You can have those beasts run around and seal off the heavens and earth, but in the face of nature's might, it is all a mere fantasy."
As he spoke, Nan Ningjiang suddenly had an ill foreboding.
At that moment, the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook.
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