Xiao Biehan’s group was waiting outside of the Immortal Emperor’s tomb.
When they spotted Tang Jie, they immediately circled around.
“Good going, kid! I can’t believe you killed an Earth Immortal on your own! Not a bad job at all,” Xiao Biehan said with a big laugh.
Through the previous contact from Heart Consonance, Xiao Biehan and the others already knew what happened, and the news that Tang Jie had killed an Earth Immortal had left them stunned.
“Now isn’t the time to talk about this. Let’s hurry up and get out of here,” Yun Tianlan said.
“Hold on.” Tang Jie turned to the Immortal Emperor’s tomb, and after some thought, he suddenly pointed his finger at it.
The tomb gave an earthshaking rumble.
Joy appeared on his face. “Got it!”
He thrust out his palm at several locations around the tomb, at the same time shouting, “Seniors, please lend me a hand and focus your attacks on the locations I’ve struck!”
The shuddering from the tomb intensified.
“You want to close the tomb?” Ming Yekong realized.
“Exactly!” Tang Jie shouted. “Since he’s a person from ten thousand years ago, he can just die in there. There’s no need for him to come out.”
As he spoke, he let out Xu Miaoran and Yiyi and then manifested a thousand hands to attack various points around the tomb.
These words made everyone excited, and they all joined Tang Jie in attacking the tomb.
As the attacks landed, the open door to the tomb gradually began to close.
“Awooo!” The furious roar of the Bejeweled Star Lord came from the tomb.
Along with this howl came an immense tide of spiritual energy that almost sent everyone flying.
“Martial Ancestor, please hold him down!” Tang Jie said, grabbing the crown from his head and throwing it toward Yun Tianlan.
Yun Tianlan put it on and thrust his hands toward the tomb, pushing back the torrent of spiritual energy.
With everyone working together, the tomb entrance erupted with light, and the massive tomb doors once more shifted. This tomb was made from the precious resources gathered by the Court of Myriad Domains and the effort of Immortals, paired with a supreme formation. Once it was closed, even the Bejeweled Star Lord wouldn’t be able to break his way out.
The Bejeweled Star Lord panicked, roaring as he flew forward with all his strength, his hands once more piercing through space and reaching out through the door to try and stop Tang Jie from closing the tomb.
Yun Tianlan did his utmost to thwart these attempts, pushing the crown to its limits as he used his body as a shield to stop the attacks from those two hands.
Tang Jie’s hands were moving faster and faster, and Xiao Biehan and company followed him in striking the nodes of the mausoleum, pushing the door closed. Just closing the door had ten-some Violet Palace experts working themselves to the bone, their backs drenched in sweat.
Fortunately, there was also an Earth Immortal in Huang Wuji to help them, the equivalent of ten-some Violet Palace experts all by himself. He greatly increased the speed at which the tomb closed, and with a great boom, the door finally shut.
“NOOOO!!!”
The Bejeweled Star Lord cried out in despair.
His actual body had finally reached the entrance, just in time to see the door closing. He suddenly reached out with his right hand, sticking it into the gap to stop the door from closing even if he had to sacrifice his hand to do so.
He was well aware of this tomb’s might. Once it was closed, he had no hope of getting out.
The Bejeweled Star Lord then rammed his body into the door, trying to push it back open.
His divine might left Yun Tianlan deeply stunned.
But all of this was futile!
Gazing at the hand stopping the door from closing, Tang Jie suddenly had an idea. “I’ve lost a Gold Immortal’s finger, so I’ll take a True Immortal’s hand in compensation.”
He raised the Sovereign Blade.
The sword slashed!
“Aaaah!” the Bejeweled Star Lord howled in pain, golden blood gushing from the wound, and as his arm and hand were separated, the door to the tomb closed with a bang.
The Bejeweled Star Lord who had waited ten thousand years to finally awaken had been reburied in his tomb.
Everyone sighed in relief.
Tang Jie staggered back several steps and collapsed to the ground.
The pursuit just now hadn’t been as difficult as the battle with the Earth Immortal, but it had been far more nerve-racking.
Meanwhile, Huang Wuji bowed in gratitude to Yun Tianlan. “Long time no see. It seems that Brother Tianlan has advanced to True Immortal. Congratulations!”
Tang Jie said in surprise, “How do you two know each other?”
Yun Tianlan was taken aback. “Huh? Did you not know? This is the Reverend Yellow Heaven that I had you go and find!”
Tang Jie was dumbfounded. “‘Reverend Yellow Heaven’? You’re Reverend Yellow Heaven?”
“You were looking for me?” Huang Wuji said in surprise.
Things got a little noisy, and the two ended up needing quite a lot of words to finally get across that Huang Wuji really was Reverend Yellow Heaven.
His original name was Huang Wuji, and he originated from a mortal imperial clan. This clan offended some Titan, and their country was annihilated. The descendants of the imperial household fled and ended up taking “Huang” (Imperial) as their surname. By the time of Huang Wuji’s youth, the Huang Clan was in a state of complete decline, and the name Huang Wuji, being an extremely arrogant and domineering name, ended up bringing him a lot of trouble. Thus, Huang Wuji later changed his name from Huang to Yellow (Huang) and Heaven in place of Wuji, thus becoming Reverend Yellow Heaven. His original name gradually fell out of use.
Reverend Yellow Heaven had come back to participate in the opening of the Court of Myriad Domains, but as he had been late by several days and missed the opening, he had gone straight in without returning to the Star Radiant Gate, so he had no idea that Tang Jie was looking for him.
Tang Jie was stunned by this recount.
In this world, coincidences might not be pure coincidences. Each coincidence might carry some factor of inevitability behind it.
As someone who had comprehended the Dao of Karma, as he searched for Reverend Yellow Heaven, he inadvertently created a thread of Fate that tied the two together.
Perhaps this was the real reason they had met in this place.
Karma wouldn’t influence Reverend Yellow Heaven’s return, but if he did return, Karma would make it so that they met.
This was Karma, as well as Fate.
It was a result created by the influence of Fate by he who had comprehended Fate. Even if it wasn’t his intention, it was done nevertheless.
As he understood this, his understanding of Karma and Fate deepened, and he felt himself immersed in the energy of Fate.
This energy manifested in a mysterious fashion, making Huang Wuji, Xiao Biehan, and Xu Miaoran suddenly unable to make out Tang Jie clearly for a split second. Despite the fact that he was standing right there, they couldn’t perceive his strength or cultivation, as if he was far on the horizon. Only Yun Tianlan could see through it, saying with a chuckle, “Child, it seems that this coincidence has enlightened you to something. Others can have a nine-cycle Jade Gate and be bursting with talent, but it seems that you were instead blessed with nine open orifices that let you easily grasp everything.”
Humans had seven orifices, and the common people often referred to the idiotic as those with no open orifices, while the intelligent were praised as having seven open orifices. Here, Yun Tianlan was praising Tang Jie as having nine open orifices, as a sign of his deep admiration for Tang Jie’s ability to comprehend the Dao.
Meanwhile, Huang Wuji, as an Earth Immortal, was finally able to focus Tang Jie’s appearance, and he sighed in praise, “As expected of a man who can defeat an Immortal. Young Brother Tang, it seems that it won’t be long until you form a new Dao Art.”
Tang Jie replied, “The Fate ordained by the heavens is unfathomable, and the minds of people are unpredictable. The Dao of Karma is no easy path. But to achieve greater enlightenment having already reached the apex is a good thing, so I will do my best.”
As he spoke, that air of mystery dissipated, and he once more regained his clear and calm appearance.
Huang Wuji then said, “Right, so what exactly were you looking for me for?”
Tang Jie told him about Ice Phoenix.
At the end, Tang Jie said, “According to Martial Ancestor, Reverend once encountered the Violet Cloud Couple and learned that the Violet Robe Wanderer had broken free of the Demon Dao. Thus, I have come to inquire on the location of the Violet Cloud Couple in search of a method to cure Ice Phoenix.”
Huang Wuji heavily sighed. “You want to save her, but she might not want to be saved. Falling into demonhood doesn’t make one delirious. The demonic energy entering the body simply amplifies the desires, causing the individual to act according to their nature, without caring for the method. This isn’t some physical modification, but a complete inversion of one’s way of thinking. Being able to completely indulge in one’s desires allows one to experience untold pleasures and make one feel that the life one lived before was utterly pointless, and the cultivator will take this life of pleasure as the true life. Even if you expel the demonic energy, their mind will be forever mired in their past experiences. That isn’t a poison, but an understanding, an understanding of happiness, indulgence, and utmost passion, a kind of experience that one can never forget.”
What Huang Wuji meant was that becoming a demon was like taking drugs. Once you were addicted, it became impossible to get rid of the habit.
Even so, Tang Jie still felt a little hope. “Then Reverend means that there is a way to expel the demonic energy?”
Huang Wuji nodded. “But it will be extremely dangerous and difficult.”
“Reverend knows of the method?” Tang Jie excitedly asked.
If Huang Wuji knew, then he didn’t have to go and find the Violet Cloud Couple.
Huang Wuji sighed. “I do know, but I advise you not to do this. It’s too dangerous, and it might not save Ice Phoenix while also causing us to lose a peerless genius.”
“Reverend, please enlighten me! This one will determine on his own how to proceed!” Tang Jie replied.
Huang Wuji shook his head. “I just don’t want to end up hurting you.”
Tang Jie was so frustrated by his stubbornness that he had to stop himself from seizing the man and interrogating him.
In the end, Yun Tianlan said, “Reverend, I would ask that you please give Tang Jie a chance. If it is implausible, we will not permit him to casually take risks.”
Huang Wuji heard this and nodded. “If you wish to expel the demonic energy, you have to start from the source.”
“‘The source’?” Everyone was startled. “Do you mean…”
“The Primordial Fog Domain!” Huang Wuji replied. “Only there can you save those who have fallen into demonhood.”