Aspiring To The Immortal Path

On that cliff at the top of Stone Gate Peak, Tang Jie gazed off into the distance.

After some time, the voice of Bei Canghan rang out.

"Qiu Changsheng confessed everything. It turns out that Qiu Shuyu had Yu Wanniang pretend that the Seven Absolutions Sect had dropped the price, but in actuality, the Seven Absolutions Sect had agreed to a price of seventy million with the Stone Gate Sect. Qiu Shuyu and Yu Wanniang planned to keep the extra thirty million for themselves… From what I hear, they used that Crystallized Sandworm incident as an excuse."

Tang Jie smiled. "It's no wonder they didn't come to find me for that matter. It seems that all those preparations I made were pointless. I presume that Yu Wanniang interrupted Wang Juemie back in the valley so that this news wouldn't get out. If Wang Juemie hadn't forced his way onto the scene, perhaps Yu Wanniang would have never let them meet."

"Yes. He'd first take the thirty million difference for himself, and then after the three of them finish the deal and then after confirming that there was nothing wrong, he would come out and publicly accuse his three juniors of endangering the sect for their own selfishness, not caring that they might have doomed the sect. Finally, he would righteously take ten million from the forty million. In this way, Qiu Shuyu and Yu Wanniang would end up taking fifty million all for themselves while Liang Xingbang and Shi Jingzhai would have worked for two whole years only to get ten million each." Bei Canghan shook his head and sighed in praise. "It was a meticulous plan, but you managed to ruin it all. Not only did he fail to make the other three scapegoats, he ended up losing his life as well."

Tang Jie indifferently said, "In the end, he was just too greedy. He knew that what he was doing wasn't right, but he dared to take half of the goods. How could I not go and seek him out?"

"Right, now that the chief culprit has been killed, how do you plan to deal with the other members of the Stone Gate Sect?"

Tang Jie thought about his reply before saying, "I promised Qiu Shuyu that I would protect the Stone Gate Sect and his family if he was willing to commit suicide. But his crime was too great and cannot be easily forgiven. Let's do this. Qiu Shuyu's son, Qiu Changsheng, was aware of the situation, and while he did not take part, he is guilty for not reporting them. As per the law, his cultivation is to be crippled and all of his property to be confiscated. The family is to be placed under the watch of the Jade Radiance Sect and are forbidden from cultivating for the rest of their lives. Give them a farm of twenty acres that they can work on, and they are forbidden from leaving the Mount Eternal region. Finally, have the Jade Radiance Sect send a disciple into the Stone Gate Sect to assume the position of sect master and confiscate everything in the storehouse of the Stone Gate Sect."

This essentially meant that the Stone Gate Sect would be under the Jade Radiance Sect from now on.

The Jade Radiance Sect had been bullied by the Stone Gate Sect for many years, so they were certain to be happy about this outcome. And Tang Jie fulfilled his promise and preserved the Stone Gate Sect. As for the Stone Gate Sect's disciples, although Tang Jie was emptying the Stone Gate Sect of its treasures, these disciples had never had any claim to them, so they were losing nothing.

In truth, on this matter, Tang Jie was overstepping his authority. It should not have been his decision to determine how the Stone Gate Sect was handled.

But Tang Jie had no other choice. While they had made a lot of money from this trip, there were a lot of people he needed to pay. Putting aside the cut he needed to give the participants, those non-participants in the Basking Moon Sect also needed their cut. He had been a public servant, so he keenly understood the importance of social etiquette. While those people were normally all smiles, their hearts were darker than anyone else's.

If you gave them gifts, they might not remember you, but if you didn't give them gifts, they would definitely remember you!

There was 110 million worth of goods, and Tang Jie had estimated that it would be good enough if the Basking Moon Sect would round down to 100 million, which meant 20 million for their group. And this was because Bei Canghan, Qi Shaoming, and Wei Tianchong had been working behind the scenes, or else even 10 million would have been pushing it. The Basking Moon Sect was very ruthless, and it had many ways to suppress the price.

To account for the gifts, he would have to first subtract 5 million from the 20 million, leaving him with 15 million.

According to the agreement, as the main commander and planner, Tang Jie could take a quarter, which was 3.75 million. The remaining three quarters would be divided between the twenty-four disciples who had assisted him. It was allocated according to their strength and contribution, but the differences weren't too great.

Thus, even though Tang Jie was working with a huge sum of money, after making bribes and paying off his helpers, he was only able to get 3.75 million. Of course, the value of the Profound Heaven Treatise wasn't being taken into account here, and this was why Tang Jie had sold that batch of goods to Wang Juemie.

Only profit that was made off the books could be considered real profit.

There was nothing to be done. The cake that Tang Jie was trying to eat was just too big, so big that he couldn't digest it all. He needed to spit out a part, and everyone was watching to make sure that he spat out exactly as much as he should.

Since this was the case, he needed to think of ways to make up for it.

This was the principle behind confiscating the Stone Gate Sect's possessions. Everyone was so focused on the goods that they had paid little attention to the inherent value of the Stone Gate Sect itself. In reality, the Stone Gate Sect had been skimming off the top for several decades, so its treasury wasn't necessarily going to be small.

This was exactly why Tang Jie had overstepped his authority. This overstepping of authority was itself the "cost of victory" and the "fruits of victory". The cost was his promise to Qiu Shuyu, and the fruits were the advantages he gained, including the Jade Radiance Sect's gratitude to him.

Although this move would draw criticism, he would be basking in the glow of victory and enjoyed the support of Ming Yekong and Xie Fengtang, so no one would make trouble for him. This was also why, in ancient times, commanders who were abroad would often overstep their authority—what was the point in being favored if one did not use this favor?

Bei Canghan's eyes flashed after he had heard everything Tang Jie had to say. "Good, good, you've got guts, getting in front of deciding on what to do with the Stone Gate Sect before anyone else. No one is punished twice for the same offense. Since they've already done the crime, they're not in a position to object. But your actions, though they are considered an overstepping of your authority, can be forgiven because you are doing so to carry out your promise regardless of the cost."

Tang Jie was startled. Bei Canghan can't be this stupid, right? Does he really think I did all this just to fulfill a promise? But when he saw the smile on Bei Canghan's face, he understood what was going on. Coughing, he put on a stern face and said, "I, Tang Jie, always move forward with righteousness in my heart, only seeking to not be ashamed of my actions. What does a small cost like this matter?"

Bei Canghan almost threw up, but he managed to salute him and say, "Since that's the case, Junior Brother Tang, what are we waiting for? Why don't we go to the storehouse together?"

Tang Jie was startled as he understood what Bei Canghan wanted. He pointed at Bei Canghan and said, "Senior Brother Bei, this won't do. This idea was mine, as was the order. If someone's going to take a look, I should be doing it first."

Bei Canghan indifferently said, "At worst, I'll just be taking half of the blame for you overstepping your authority."

Tang Jie immediately grinned. "If that's the case, then, Senior Brother, please go ahead."

"I think that you should still go first. You lived here for some time and are more familiar with the area."

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The Stone Gate Sect's storehouse was one of the most important areas of the sect, but not even the toughest defense would stop a robber from opening the front door.

Standing in the storehouse, Tang Jie and Bei Canghan looked around admiringly at the items within. There were scattered mechanisms all around them, and the air resounded with sirens, but the two of them didn't care.

Various art relics were hung up on the two side walls, and on the floor were four metal shelves which had pills, medicines, talismans, and some raw materials. On the floor were also four large metal chests that were stuffed with spirit coins and spirit jades.

Bei Canghan's gaze was focused on the walls.

There were more than a hundred art relics displayed here, in all shapes and sizes. Bei Canghan reached out and took a piece of clothing made of golden thread. He happily said, "This one is pretty good. It's forged from Goldite and is extremely tough. It has an impressive defense, but it's unfortunately a little heavy, and there's no way of concealing it."

He put it back and took another art relic.

Tang Jie's gaze was primarily on the shelves, particularly the raw materials.

A jade box drew his attention. He opened it up to find a slab of black soil that wriggled within the box, shifting into various forms.

"Cloud Mud!" Tang Jie's eyes lit up. This was a real treasure that could be remolded and reshaped, complementing transformation. It was an excellent material for Earth formations and was also great for making puppets. It was an example of a resource for which there was always a constant demand.

He immediately stuffed the jade box into his Mustard Seed Bag.

On the other end, Bei Canghan finally found a decent set of clothes. Although its defensive power was weaker than that golden-threaded piece of clothing, it was thin and fine. Wearing it imbued one with an air of elegance rather than the aura of some great general like the golden set of clothes did.

To get along in this era, knowing how to put on airs was important. The golden-thread clothes were something only a savage would wear.

Moving to another shelf, Tang Jie spotted a small bottle. He opened the bottle and was assaulted by an extremely thick fragrance. He smiled. "Jade Toad Fluid! This stuff is wonderful for helping things grow. It can be used back in the academy to grow plants and it can also be used for Wood formations. If the Yi Wood Azure Heaven Formation has this, it will be much more powerful. Not bad, not bad."

He stuffed it into his bag.

Bei Canghan put away a belt, saying, "This is a Jade Python Belt. I saw a Spirit Master wearing it once. This item is fireproof and waterproof and can change length. It can be used to bind an enemy or as a whip."

Tang Jie picked up another item. "Thousand-year Electro Wood! Haha, this is the real stuff!"

Bei Canghan took up some shoes. "Violet Plume Lightning Boots! Tang Jie, these shoes are perfect with your Violet Lightning Lunge."

"I already have Violet Lightning Boots. Brother Bei doesn't need to be polite."

Bei Canghan laughed and put the boots on.

As they bantered, it seemed like they were in a competition to try and take what they wanted. In the blink of an eye, they had seized quite a lot of nice things. Bei Canghan primarily took art relics, taking what he needed, what he might need, and what other people needed—that which he could sell. Tang Jie primarily took materials, particularly those which could be used for formations. Whether he could use it or not, he took it so long as it was good enough.

As the two of them were plundering away, Bei Canghan suddenly gasped in surprise. "Huh? What's this? Tang Jie, come and take a look."

"How is there something that not even Senior Brother Bei recognizes?" Tang Jie laughed.

Bei Canghan wasn't someone like Wei Tianchong, who needed to cheat to pass the exam. Just like Tang Jie, he excelled in both civil and martial pursuits. If he didn't recognize something, it was probably something truly rare.

He went over to take a look and found Bei Canghan next to a metal plate that was hung up on the wall. Seven nails had been nailed into it, and on the heads had been carved seven beast heads: dragon, tiger, leopard, lion, snake, wolf, and crocodile.

Tang Jie had really never seen anything like it. Shaking his head, he was just about to tell Bei Canghan that he didn't know when he had a flash of insight. It seemed like he really had seen something similar before, and he immediately dropped his head and began to think. But no matter how he thought, he couldn't remember.

As he was racking his brains, in the Nine Executions Immortal Formation, the original Tang Jie opened his eyes and gazed at that mountain wall in front of him.

This image was transmitted to the avatar.

Tang Jie raised his head. "This is the Seven Demon Soul-Sealing Nails!"

His heartbeat quickened.

Yes, he had seen this item in the Profound Heaven Treatise. The Seven Absolutions Sect had considered it a resource so important it had specifically drawn an image of it.

Tang Jie had not expected to so quickly find this treasure that was on the verge of extinction.

The Seven Demon Soul-Sealing Nails had many uses. It was made of seven parts, each one able to use the corresponding Fiend Beast to attack the enemy with strength on par with an upper-grade Spirit Sensing Fiend. Seven upper-grade Spirit Sensing Fiends was quite the decent combat power for a Mortal Shedding cultivator.

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But this wasn't its true purpose. Its true purpose was in the "sealing"!

Sealing!

This item had a powerful sealing effect, and when used on an individual, it could seal the soul, and even a Violet Palace or Celestial Heart would find it difficult to resist. And when it was used on a formation, the foundation of the formation would be stabilized and difficult to shake, making it a valuable treasure for protecting a formation.

This item had been all the rage several thousand years ago, a necessity for cultivators who wanted to kill and interrogate others. Alas, with the passage of time, the sect that made this item disappeared, as did the method to make it, and so the number of Seven Demon Soul-Sealing Nails dwindled.

The Stone Gate Sect was ignorant and stored away the nails as ordinary art relics. Tang Jie's eyes flashed, but in the end, he didn't hide the truth and explained the history of the Seven Demon Soul-Sealing Nails.

When Bei Canghan heard of how valuable they were, he was stunned, sighing in praise, "I didn't expect that this was a treasure that even the Seven Absolutions Sect was after. Junior Brother Tang, you're really not lying."

Tang Jie could have just said that these seven nails could transform into seven fiends, but he hadn't, for which Bei Canghan was deeply grateful. "This item's true purpose is for laying formations, and since Junior Brother is an expert in this path, it would be better if Junior Brother took it."

He gave the Seven Demon Soul-Sealing Nails to Tang Jie, to which Tang Jie bowed and said, "My thanks, Senior Brother Bei."

He then put the item away.

The two continued their plundering, taking essentially anything that caught their eyes. Finally, after swiping a few bottles of cultivation medicine, they swaggered out. As for those boxes of spirit coins and spirit jades, they didn't take a single thing.

Their Mustard Seed Bags really couldn't fit that much.

Once they were out of the storehouse, the two of them looked at each other, laughed, and went their separate ways.

A few moments later, a junior brother came up and solemnly pasted a sign that read "Sealed for Seizure" on it.

After taking everything they wanted, on the same night, Tang Jie and Bei Canghan met back up with the others and opened up the storehouse again. The contents within left everyone dazzled and overjoyed, shouting "We're rich!"

In truth, in terms of wealth, the profit from the ore vein was greater, but numbers on paper could never be more tempting than actual objects. Fifty thousand in the bank was just an ordinary number, but laying it out on the bed was an ostentatious display of wealth.

A math-minded Basking Moon disciple immediately began to start calculating the value of everything, and he quickly reached a result: all the items in the storehouse added up together were worth 5.12 million.

For a small sect, this was a significant sum, and more than half of it was probably thanks to their embezzling revenue from the mines. But everyone still curled their lips, thinking it was too little, someone even cursing, "Only getting this much after controlling a mine for this long? What cowards! Why weren't they greedier?", to which everyone else smiled.

This five million was split up according to the earlier rules, with Tang Jie taking a quarter, 1.25 million.

Tang Jie left the remaining 120,000 for the Stone Gate Sect so that they had at least something. And besides, they could then say that they had only taken some of the treasury and not everything.

Everyone believed that Tang Jie was essentially a prostitute who was trying to buy a good reputation by setting up a memorial arch.

Tang Jie replied that a prostitute who wasn't trying to buy a good reputation wasn't being a good prostitute.

Some people realized that there was something off about the storehouse, that some places that should have contained items were empty, but they wisely chose to keep quiet.

Even so, when they calculated how much Tang Jie had made, they discovered that this guy had made 5 million, and that wasn't even counting the Profound Heaven Treatise, the View Gate Banner, the Undying Celestial Origin Pills, and "Shi Jingzhai".

5 million!

Let alone a student, how many disciples could manage this?

The Basking Moon Sect disciples that Tang Jie had brought over this time had never seen this much money before. They thought that they had come to help, but now, they realized that it wasn't Tang Jie who was taking advantage of them, but them who were taking advantage of Tang Jie.

Originally, Tang Jie had used the pressure applied by everyone else to get an exclusive chance to read the Profound Heaven Treatise, which made it feel like he was going to take everything for himself. But later on, his senior brothers didn't even have a chance to take action, only offering moral support. Thus, there were no objections to Tang Jie enjoying those benefits all for himself. And now that they thought about it, they felt like they had to thank Tang Jie, for Tang Jie was the one who was in danger while everyone else had only reaped the profits.

There was also the investment of the Heavenbane Lightning Pearls, but hadn't they never used these things?

Peng Yaolong and the others felt very awkward about it, and with Tang Jie subtly pushing them along, they decided to hand the Heavenbane Lightning Pearls back to Tang Jie.

Yiyi, curious about what Tang Jie wanted with all these pearls, privately asked him, to which Tang Jie viciously replied, "Once we have the teleportation formation set up, we send them to the original body and have him explode that fucker He Chong to death."

Yiyi couldn't help but shiver at the thought of twenty-some Heavenbane Lightning Pearls exploding all at once.

Once the plundering was done, it was time for celebration.

That night, at the summit of Stone Gate Peak, Tang Jie, Bei Canghan, and the Jade Radiance Sect's Han Tianji drank together. The Jade Radiance Sect's three Celestial Heart True Persons were not at all rude to Tang Jie and Bei Canghan, treating themselves as those of a minor sect standing before emissaries before a major sect.

This wasn't just because of the power of the Basking Moon Sect, but also the gratitude of the Jade Radiance Sect. More importantly, Tang Jie had managed to subjugate the Stone Gate Sect without relying on the True Persons of his sect, resolving all problems. Han Tianji could not help but admire and respect s