Aspiring to the Immortal Path - Chapter 1274: Annihilation (1)
As the pearl flew toward Nine Disaster, it dissolved into light, penetrating through all spell arts and barriers to meld with Nine Disaster’s body.
The Nine Disaster Fiend Monk suddenly shuddered, and he went from invincibility to paralysis.
His twisted and ugly face shone with a harmonious light, exuding a sacred aura. He then sighed and chanted a mantra before saying, “Ah, I have sinned, I have sinned. To think that this old monk would have committed so many crimes in the ten thousand years I was a demon. Benefactors, this old monk does not know how to apologize.”
The Dark Buddha Kingdom was completely undone, releasing all the people within it.
Wang Yao was dumbstruck, and then he raged, “Nine Disaster, what in the world are you doing?”
The Nine Disaster Fiend Monk was just about to reply when he shuddered again, black energy steaming off him. His face turned savage once more as he snarled, “Bastard, what did you do to me? Why am I… AH! AH!”
The Nine Disaster Fiend Monk began to scream.
His body alternately flashed black and white, his aura changing in turn, shifting between good and evil, kind and furious, and his attitude toward the battle also shifting to and fro.
Even the dumbest person could see what was going on.
“Bastard!” The temperamental Ancient Stellar Devil threw a punch at Tang Zixi.
Just when the unstoppable flood of wrath from that punch was about to engulf Tang Zixi, a hand appeared to stop it, the other hand reaching out and grabbing Tang Zixi—Tang Jie had intervened.
“You’re not getting away!” Immortal Ji Yao barked, instantly sealing the surrounding space, too strongly for Tang Jie to break out of it quickly. He could only sigh and go in person. A moment later, he had left the Rosecloud Domain, appearing on the battlefield in the void, standing right next to Tang Zixi. As he hugged her, countless Devil Chiefs bombarded the area, causing a series of explosions.
“Father!” Tang Zixi cried out in excitement. “I brought back the seed of kindness Nine Disaster left behind before becoming a demon. With it, Nine Disaster will no longer be able to control himself and won’t be able to oppose us. Just like how Yu Cheng’s body has your will in it!”
After saying this, she realized that there was no excitement on Tang Jie’s face, and she asked in surprise, “Father, did I do something wrong?”
Tang Jie shook his head. “No, you did nothing wrong. It was your father who was wrong.”
Tang Zixi had gone on his orders to find a way to deal with the Nine Disaster Fiend Monk.
And she had done it.
She just didn’t know that Tang Jie had joined hands with the demons.
This wasn’t her mistake. She hadn’t done a single thing wrong. Only Tang Jie had been wrong, all because of an unfortunate coincidence.
Perhaps not a coincidence…
Tang Jie looked at Yu Cheng and muttered, “Fate… The Wish Granting Book!”
He understood now.
He understood what method Yu Cheng had used to keep secrets from his avatar, what method Yu Cheng had used to calculate everything so well, understood what Yu Cheng’s ultimate trump card was…
It was his arrangements from ten thousand years ago and his current Dao Art.
Nine Disaster’s seed of kindness together with the Wish Granting Book had crippled the now-Saint-Immortal Nine Disaster.
This was a plan targeted against the Heavenly Dao. Tang Jie was certain that even the Heavenly Dao would find it hard to advance even one person to Saint Immortal, or else it would have done it long ago rather than waiting until now.
And Yu Cheng had been waiting for precisely this moment.
He had already identified the Heavenly Dao’s ways, and knew that if he opened the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth just a crack, the Heavenly Dao would panic and Nine Disaster would unleash his true power.
The Heavenly Dao’s counterattack would begin—through Nine Disaster.
Nobody could have expected Yu Cheng to be ready for this.
While he was out in the open, the Western Heaven Buddha Ancestor was in the shadows, the two of them working together to overturn the Heavenly Dao.
The only surprise was that Tang Zixi would be chosen to be the executor of Fate.
“Adoptive Father, was this your doing?”
When Tang Jie had his realization, Wang Yao roared in fury.
The infiltration of the seed of kindness had robbed Nine Disaster of the ability to fight. With the loss of a peak Boundless Gold Immortal, the Court of Myriad Domains could now send the Sage Mother of the West to help Yu Cheng’s Divine Will against the Gigantes King.
This gave Yu Cheng more energy to work on the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth.
Glancing at the labyrinth, Tang Jie said, “Bao’er, do you still trust me?”
Wang Yao froze.
He stared silently at Tang Jie, even ignoring a punch aimed at him.
“Lord Demon Sovereign, don’t trust him. These humans are all too cunning and wicked. He said that he would help, but he was simply buying time to screw us over!” a Devil Chief called out.
“Shut up!” Wang Yao barked.
He then turned to Tang Jie and said, “What do you want to say?”
Tang Jie answered, “Whether you believe me or not, what happened just now was a misunderstanding. Of course, I know that saying this now is of no use. We have to deal with the consequences, which are that Nine Disaster is temporarily unable to fight, much to the detriment of our side. But if you’re willing to believe me, I can at least give us a chance.”
“What kind of chance?” Wang Yao asked.
Tang Jie first waved away Immortal Ji Yao’s attack and then aimed a punch at two of the Gold Immortal Buddhas, singlehandedly suppressing both of them and at the same time showing which side he was on. “You are different from Nine Disaster.”
“Hm?” Wang Yao was confused.
Tang Jie said, “Nine Disaster’s goal was to stop anyone from getting to that place, and to eliminate any threat to the Heavenly Dao that existed past that crack. But you are simply here to take revenge on the Rosecloud Domain. You’re fighting with the court simply to fulfill your duty as Nine Disaster’s ally. Isn’t that right?”
After a moment, Wang Yao nodded.
Yes, if there was one person who wasn’t after whatever was behind that crack in the labyrinth, at least initially, it would be Wang Yao.
He was the only one who had come here for another purpose.
“Good. What I promised you remains the same. Thus, no matter what I do, it won’t affect you, right?”
“Adoptive Father, what are you going to do?” Wang Yao sensed that something was wrong.
“It’s nothing.” Tang Jie smiled.
He turned to Yu Cheng. “The Dao of Fate… using the Wish Granting Book that I made against me, Yu Cheng, as expected of you. But I will have back what is mine. And you will pay for messing with me. You won’t go into that crack to get that opportunity to surpass the Heavenly Dao right? Then I’ll make sure that no one gets it!”
As Tang Jie spoke, he put Tang Zixi into his Divine Palace and then punched away the two Gold Immortal Buddhas, after which he turned to the crack and thrust out palm.
This palm contained all of his power, capable of shattering the firmament.
Seeing this, the composed Yu Cheng suddenly paled. “NO!”
“Stop him!” the Buddha Ancestor shouted.
All that Yu Cheng and the Western Heaven Buddha Ancestor had done was for the sake of entering that place and finding the opportunity to surpass the Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Dao Labyrinth was fundamentally an independent small world, but one of enormous size. Other people had a small world the size of a domain, but the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth contained countless domains. It was so complex and immense that one would have to solve its operating principles to ever find the entrance.
This was why solving the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth was the only correct method. It was a door, an opportunity to get to that mysterious world.
Now, Tang Jie was attacking the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth to destroy it!
This one strike had everyone’s hearts leaping to their throats!
Nobody knew what the result of this palm strike would be.
There were countless possibilities behind this palm strike. The labyrinth might shatter, and it might not.
The Heavenly Dao Labyrinth was very powerful, capable of holding almost everything, even able to contain the battle between Yu Cheng’s Divine Will and the Gigantes King.
But Tang Jie had the Heavenly Dao Realm.
Which would be stronger, the Heavenly Dao Realm or the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth?
Yu Cheng didn’t know, but he didn’t dare to take the gamble.
This was an opportunity he had planned toward for more than ten thousand years.
He could not accept anybody ruining it.
Nor would he let a gamble decide its success or failure.
Thus, as he saw Tang Jie thrust out his palm, back in the Court of Myriad Domains, Yu Cheng grasped his Xuanyuan Sword and unleashed a brilliant slash at Tang Jie.
The Western Heaven Buddha Ancestor also turned away from the Three Sages Ancestor to attack Tang Jie.
Wang Yao laughed and turned to intercept these attacks. As Tang Jie had said, his motivations were the purest of all present, so no matter what Tang Jie did, so long as he didn’t try to stop Wang Yao from taking his revenge, he could accept it or even lend a hand. As for right now, what Yu Cheng and the Buddha Ancestor dearly wished Tang Jie wouldn’t do was exactly what he had hoped to happen.
Thus, he acted without hesitation.
Immortal Ji Yao also lent a hand.
She didn’t like Tang Jie, but she also didn’t like Yu Cheng, so in her view, she wanted both of them to lose. Thus, rather than blocking the attack for Tang Jie like Wang Yao, she chose to attack Yu Cheng—which was as she usually behaved, using openings to make sneak attacks rather than assisting her allies.
But the Three Sages Ancestor clearly hesitated.
Nobody knew what would happen if Tang Jie’s palm shattered the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth, and the Three Sages Ancestor was no exception.
If the Heavenly Dao was the emperor, he represented the masses that supported the traditional ruler. This was undoubtedly an important source of strength, but it was also one that was paid little regard. It was not under the direct command of the emperor, so they were free of control but also not informed of state secrets. Thus, even though the Three Sages Ancestor was carrying out the will of the heavens, he was never a devoted supporter who had become a demon, still maintaining his independence. Nine Disaster would have known the result, but not the Three Sages Ancestor.
So he didn’t know what to do and could only watch, unable to make a choice.
The Gigantes King also didn’t know what to do.
The Gigantes had protected this land for generations, but they also had no idea what would happen if the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth were destroyed.
He didn’t even know if Tang Jie could destroy the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth.
But he knew that no matter what the result was, the Gigantes were finished.
His battle against Yu Cheng was his final one. The moment Tang Jie joined in, countless Titans concentrated their power on the labyrinth. As Yu Cheng, Tang Jie, the Buddha Ancestor, Wang Yao, and Immortal Ji Yao all cast their power in its direction, the Gigantes King became dazed.
Standing within the Heavenly Dao Labyrinth, he saw a terrifying flood descending from the heavens, and he softly groaned, “The Gigantes… are finished.”
