The End of the Immortal Path

Jiang Man had been in here for eight days.

The fourth Gourd was now twenty percent full.

As for the beam of light...

Its progress was originally at seventy percent.

Today, it had fallen back to sixty percent.

It seemed to regenerate faster the closer it was to being broken, and this was especially true for the larger beams.

Whatever was inside was not easy to obtain at all.

’I wonder what the purpose of this setup is.’

’Are we supposed to cooperate to open the beam first, and then fight over what’s inside?’

Jiang Man didn’t know for sure, but since he needed to advance his cultivation anyway, he wasn’t concerned with the rate of progress.

He needed forty days, and he was certain more people would show up within that time.

’I just need to grab a few more people to help me smash it. Not a problem.’

Just as Jiang Man was thinking this, he suddenly noticed the sound of a flute.

The sound was soft and enchanting, tempting one to lose themselves in it.

Jiang Man’s brow furrowed slightly. ’It feels like it’s trying to ensnare my Spirit.’

He wasn’t worried, though. Something like this could never trap him.

He then looked in the direction of the sound.

A man wielding a saber was approaching, riding his sword.

When he saw Jiang Man, his eyes filled with a cold glint.

But his brow furrowed when he saw Shen Yao and the others.

Though surprised, he quickly came to a conclusion: Jiang Man had thrown in his lot with them.

It was different from the ambush he’d expected, but the situation was more or less the same.

’Dealing with this many people... and they don’t look like ordinary Golden Core cultivators either. I’m naturally outmatched.’

He immediately adopted a polite tone. "Fellow cultivators, I have a personal grudge with this man and wish to speak with him for a moment," he said, pointing at Jiang Man.

Shen Yao frowned as she watched the newcomer.

’Another idiot.’

’If he wants to talk, he should just talk. Why is he asking us?’

’Are we the ones in charge here?’

’Is this guy an idiot? Can’t he tell who’s really in charge?’ Nangong He mused.

’Can’t he see that this old geezer has reached the Great Success of All Rivers Flow into the Sea?’

’Where does a Golden Core cultivator get the nerve to fight someone at the Great Success of All Rivers Flow into the Sea?’

’How many lives does he think he has?’

The group fell silent.

Jiang Man, however, spoke up. "And you might be...?"

"Qiu Xu." Seeing that the others didn’t seem to care, the saber-wielding man let out a quiet sigh of relief. He looked at Jiang Man and said, "I’m here to show you the price of refusing our Peak Master."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man immediately responded, "Oh, so it’s you lot. Is there just the two of you?"

Hearing him mention a Peak Master, Jiang Man knew this must be one of Peak Master Bai’s people.

’I’ve waited so many days for them. They’ve finally arrived.’

"You took your time getting here," Jiang Man said politely, "but it’s not too late. You still have something of a chance. So, which of you will make the first move?"

"You’re certainly relaxed for a weakling who doesn’t know his place." The moment the words left his mouth, Qiu Xu’s long saber flew from its sheath.

SHIING!

He appeared before Jiang Man in an instant, bringing his saber down in a vicious slash.

Jiang Man sidestepped the blow, raising a hand to flick the saber away.

But the moment he reached out, his opponent’s blade abruptly changed direction, shifting from a downward chop to a horizontal sweep, its edge crackling with vicious Gang Qi.

Jiang Man reacted instantly, twisting his hand down and around to the flat of the blade.

He caught the long saber between three fingers.

The whistling Gang Qi stirred the ends of his hair.

But its advance was halted.

Surprised, Qiu Xu twisted the blade and followed the motion with a kick aimed at Jiang Man.

Magic Skill: Celestial Collapse.

BAM!

Jiang Man blocked it with a fist. A powerful shockwave of energy tore through the surrounding woods,

tearing up a swathe of earth.

The two were forced back some distance.

Jiang Man seized the opening, using Wandering Dragon to close the distance and throw a punch.

BOOM!

His opponent blocked it with the flat of his saber.

The fist slammed into the blade.

A sharp CRACK echoed as the man was sent flying.

But his opponent’s momentum didn’t falter. He spun around, drawing on the surrounding moisture to form a giant blade of water, which he then swung.

’Similar to Giant Swordsmanship,’ Jiang Man thought as he activated Immovable as a Mountain.

He settled into a defensive stance.

As the massive blade descended, he threw a punch to meet it.

KABOOM!

His fist smashed into the giant blade.

There was an instantaneous BANG.

The giant blade shattered, collapsing into a shower of countless raindrops.

But before the rain had even finished falling, his opponent burst through the downpour, his saber slashing horizontally.

Not daring to be careless, Jiang Man drove his fist upward, striking the flat of the blade.

With a BOOM, he knocked the saber off its trajectory and pressed his advantage.

The two traded blows, seemingly evenly matched.

Shen Yao, watching from the side, was perplexed. "Why is this fight taking so long?"

"He’s taking it easy on him," Nangong He replied.

This only confused Shen Yao more.

’But him dragging out the fight this long makes us look pathetic.’

Ling Dang whispered, "Maybe he’s Recharging his Spiritual Source."

They froze at her words.

’The old geezer is just using him to power up!’

Jiang Man’s fists were repeatedly blocked by the long saber, just as the saber’s edge often struck his wrist, producing the sound of metal on metal.

It couldn’t break through his defense.

The longer Qiu Xu fought, the more alarmed he grew.

He was also finding it increasingly difficult to keep up.

’I remember Jiang Man being at the Late Stage of Golden Core. How did he suddenly reach Golden Core Perfection?’

’And...’

’...he’s no ordinary cultivator at Golden Core Perfection.’

In the instant his concentration wavered, a fist filled his vision.

BAM!

It crashed heavily into his cheek.

CRACK!

The sound of shattering bone was followed by the sight of teeth flying out in a spray of blood.

THUD!

His entire body slammed into the ground.

But he quickly got back to his feet,

staring daggers at Jiang Man.

’Still standing?’ Jiang Man was somewhat surprised.

’Never mind the punch to the face, I already broke his leg too.’

’To still be able to stand up after all that... he’s really something else.’

But his opponent didn’t move. He just stood there, glaring at Jiang Man.

"How can you be this strong?" Qiu Xu demanded.

"There’s nothing impossible about it. You just know too little about me. If you really understood me, you would have come here sooner," Jiang Man said calmly. "Your only chance of victory was never to compete with my Cultivation speed, but to race against the clock and leverage the advantage of your head start."

"’But I don’t blame you. It’s my fault for improving too quickly."

"You lot could never react in time."