The End of the Immortal Path

The pressure of a Primordial Spirit could linger in the air for quite some time.

As the power dissipated, Shangguan Yang slowly got to his feet.

He stared at Jiang Man in disbelief.

As for the other’s claim that the Evil God was one of his people, he didn’t believe a single word of it.

"Since you also work for the Evil God, you should know what needs to be done," Shangguan Yang said, staring intently at Jiang Man.

"You yourself called it an ’Evil God.’ Why would I follow its will?" Jiang Man shook his head slightly and continued, "Besides, we are not the same."

"Don’t we both rely on the Evil God? Without the Evil God, could you have become the prodigy everyone knows you as? But how long can you maintain that status? The Evil God’s power can only get you to the Primordial Spirit realm at most, right? Helping you any further would expose them," Shangguan Yang sneered. "I thought you were a true prodigy. I never expected you to be a follower of the Evil Dao as well."

"People only believe what they already know. Even if I told you that my Cultivation was achieved entirely through my own hard work, you wouldn’t believe me," Jiang Man said calmly.

Hearing this, Shangguan Yang sneered, "The only reason you can say that is because you’re the one who won. If I had defeated you, I’d be the one making such claims.

"But are you really content with being a Puppet your whole life, living forever in the shadow of the Immortal Sect?

"Refine that thing, and you’ll have the power to challenge the Immortal Sect.

"Whether the Immortal Sect brings great order or the Evil God reigns supreme, it won’t matter to you.

"Because by then, you will be the calamity of this world, the one who makes the rules."

"If it’s so great, why don’t those Evil Gods come for it themselves? They must have known it was here for all these years, right?" Jiang Man asked softly as he walked toward the other man.

"Are you going to kill me?" Shangguan Yang said quietly, watching Jiang Man approach. "In truth, you’re just like me. You only got this far by relying on some favor from the Evil God.

"What I am today, you will be tomorrow.

"Doomed to destruction.

"Since that’s the case, why not refine this thing and show them the price of underestimating you?"

Jiang Man walked forward, step by step, his voice laced with coldness. "I began my Cultivation at eighteen, reached Foundation Establishment at nineteen, Core Formation at twenty-two, and Primordial Spirit at twenty-seven. Are the Evil Gods you speak of as fast as I am? Are they even qualified to underestimate me?"

As he spoke, Jiang Man placed a hand on Shangguan Yang’s chest.

Then, under the other’s shocked gaze, a powerful force erupted from his palm and enveloped him.

Shangguan Yang was sent flying backward, off the stone platform, until he was suspended over the abyss.

Jiang Man met his gaze, extended a hand, and made a crushing gesture with his fingers. "Don’t worry. Sooner or later, they will all look up to me."

As his voice fell.

His five fingers clenched into a fist.

BANG!

SPLURT!

Blood gushed from Shangguan Yang’s body as his Heart Spirit rapidly shattered and disintegrated.

The man’s Heart Spirit gradually faded, but his eyes remained fixed on Jiang Man, his final thoughts unknown.

Watching the man disappear completely, Jiang Man let out a heavy sigh of relief.

His arm throbbed with a dull ache.

But he was certain of one thing: the man had no Storage Treasure.

Which meant there was nothing to gain.

’Oh well, at least the crisis is over,’ Jiang Man thought, relieved, as he looked at the irregular stone in his hand. ’If he had actually managed to absorb and refine it, I’d be dead.’

As for what to do now...

Jiang Man truly didn’t know.

Waiting here was clearly not an option.

He wasn’t sure if the Sun and Moon Immortal Path had a backup plan.

If a Primordial Spirit expert from the Middle or Late Stages showed up, he’d be the one falling into the abyss.

Having figured this out, Jiang Man took a moment to recover and then quickly left.

Once he was out, no one would know the item was in his possession.

Besides, he just had to wait for the Immortal Sect or Ting Fengyin to arrive.

Once he handed the item over, it would no longer have anything to do with him.

It seemed the object wouldn’t lock onto him.

’So I guess I came out ahead after all.

’To think such a terrifying thing only gives a wisp of Magic Purple Qi.

’So stingy.

’I’d have been better off touching something ranked in the bottom fifty.

’There definitely wouldn’t have been any problems.

’If I get dragged into another mess like this, I’m definitely not touching anything in the top ten anymore.’

Walking out the main gate, Jiang Man glanced back at the altar, feeling a slight sense of regret.

’Old Huang isn’t here. He didn’t get to see my performance just now.

’I’ll have to choose my words carefully when I tell him about it later.’

However, judging from his conversation with Shangguan Yang, it didn’t seem like the man was a die-hard loyalist of the Sun and Moon Immortal Path either.

Jiang Man didn’t dwell on it.

’The item is in my hands now. That’s what matters.’

「Meanwhile.」

Shen Yao and the others emerged very quickly. Standing in the main hall, they looked around.

The path to the left had an end.

They had found some Elixirs.

They were quite satisfied with this. Although they sensed there might be a hidden area, they didn’t venture deeper. The place was too strange, and it was best to retreat after getting something.

’The best treasures must be down the middle path.

’There’s no need for us to take any more risks.’

"What reason do you think that genius had for disappearing?" Shen Yao asked Zhou Qing, who was beside her.

"Didn’t you say so, Senior Sister? That his whereabouts are unknown," Zhou Qing said.

"’Missing with whereabouts unknown’ can mean many things. For example, he took a different path, got separated after encountering danger, or maybe he just left ahead of us," Shen Yao said nonchalantly. "He’s still too young and doesn’t understand how treacherous the outside world is. He also hasn’t figured out that no matter how prodigious a Golden Core cultivator is, they can’t go head-to-head with a Primordial Spirit."

Zhou Qing thought for a moment and said, "Couldn’t they have both come out together?"

"Unlikely. There’s only ever one true treasure. It can’t be split evenly. The only way is for one person to disappear," Shen Yao said.

Zhou Qing looked at Shen Yao and asked, "What if it were the two of us?"

"If you found it, it would be yours, of course," Shen Yao said casually.

Zhou Qing said earnestly, "I would definitely split it with you, Senior Sister."

As they were talking, a sound came from the right.