Aspiring to the Immortal Path

After leaving Guanshan City, Tang Jie's group flew for a while, Tang Jie remaining grim and pensive the entire way.

Ice Phoenix was worried by his behavior, asking, "Hey, what are you thinking that has you so out of it?"

Tang Jie looked up at the sky and casually said, "I'm thinking about why you did such a thing."

"What do you mean, 'why'?" Ice Phoenix acted like she didn't know what he was talking about.

Tang Jie glanced at her and sighed. "You know what I'm talking about. You wouldn't bite that man for no reason."

"Perhaps I just wanted to give you some trouble?" Ice Phoenix smiled.

Tang Jie shook his head. "Don't try this sort of lie on me. It's too low-class. If I were so easily tricked by you, I wouldn't be me. Although I don't quite understand what sort of method you used, I'm sure that the trouble you could bring me wouldn't be something as small as that… Perhaps you've already exposed your identity."

Ice Phoenix's face twitched, and her voice grew softer. "How could that be? How could I do such a thing?"

After seeing her guilty expression, Tang Jie sighed, knowing that he had guessed correctly.

"Was it that mouthful of blood?" he asked. "I didn't think that after I sealed all your strength, you would still be able to force out a sliver of demon blood. In the end, I underestimated your abilities."

Yiyi was startled. "Big Brother, are you saying she revealed that she was a demon? But why would she do such a thing? Isn't that just causing trouble for herself?"

Tang Jie laughed. "If demons were reasonable, they wouldn't be demons. Trying to use human sense to comprehend demon sense is a fundamental mistake. It's because I didn't understand it before that I made this error. Ice Phoenix… you are no longer Ice Phoenix, but Demon Phoenix!"

Ice Phoenix scowled. "What do you understand? Demons are all about being true to yourself! Letting your nature guide you and not acting fake. If you're not free, it would be better to die! Tang Jie, you deceived my master and then imprisoned me, and you even have delusions about freeing me of my demonic nature! For you, that's saving me, but for me, that's killing me! You will never understand how refreshing it felt to turn into a demon after you rejected me. Only then did I understand what it meant to really be true to yourself, did I understand that all those years before were a waste of time! I finally broke free of that righteous stereotype and was able to act my self, so how can I let you put me back into the cage? By saving me, you're killing me. And by killing myself, I'm saving myself! You don't understand demons, so even with your deep ocean of knowledge, you can never understand what we're thinking, not understand our thoughts. With all that, is there anything strange about falling for my tricks?"

Tang Jie gave her a weird look.

There was a long silence.

Ice Phoenix started to be alarmed by his stare, and she finally asked, "What are you looking at me like that for?"

Tang Jie calmly replied. "Is that how it was? I see, I understand. I've truly underestimated you, and I also didn't understand demons too well. But thankfully, because of you, my vision has been broadened. Truly, looking at a problem from only one perspective is bound to make one narrow-minded. You're right. From my end, I'm saving you, but from your end, I'm killing you. You're doing perfectly fine as a demon cultivator, but by trying to save you, I'm putting in a lot of work while not making you happy either. Perhaps I really am wrong…"

Ice Phoenix was dumbfounded by all these words.

Tang Jie said, "If that's the case, I'll let you go off on your own."

"Wha… what?" Ice Phoenix didn't dare to believe her ears.

She had racked her mind for ideas to escape from Tang Jie, even exposing her identity.

But to her surprise, these words had been enough for Tang Jie to let her go.

She felt like she had given her all only to punch at a pillow.

Not only did it feel like she had not punched anything, she had made herself uncomfortable and tired for the sake of it.

But Tang Jie did as he said, pointing at Ice Phoenix and releasing her seal.

Tang Jie then said, "Alright, you're free now and can do as you please."

He waved a sleeve and prepared to leave with Yiyi.

Just then, Ice Phoenix frantically said, "Hey, hey, wait."

"Mm?" Tang Jie turned to look at her. "Is there anything else?"

Ice Phoenix angrily stomped her feet. "You're just leaving me here and forgetting about me?"

Tang Jie said in surprise, "Didn't you want freedom? So why are you so unhappy now?"

"But… but…" Ice Phoenix stammered, finally gritting her teeth and saying, "But I've revealed myself as a demon cultivator. By letting me go now, aren't you telling me to die?"

"Is that so?" Tang Jie acted surprised. "In other words, you really did expose your identity?"

Ice Phoenix was startled. Only then did she realize that Tang Jie hadn't been sure before, but she had just confirmed his theory.

But at this point, there was no point in trying to maintain the lie. She nodded and said, "Correct. I've already revealed that I'm a demon cultivator. What are you going to do about it?"

Tang Jie indifferently said, "That gives me even more of a reason to let you go."

"But that Guanshan City Lord probably already knows that you're colluding with a demon!" Ice Phoenix shouted.

Tang Jie nonchalantly said, "He only knows that I'm together with a demon cultivator. Where did collusion come from? Don't forget that you said yourself back in Drunken Book Pavilion that I had taken you by force. In other words, you were my captive from the beginning. How can you call this collusion? Clearly, I came across a female demon in my travels, so for the sake of the positive plane, I subdued you. If they come after me, I'll just hand you over. After all, since you're not willing to be free of your demon nature, if I help you, I would basically be killing you. In that case, I'll let you die at the hands of others. This could even be considered helping you get what you want."

He turned and left.

Ice Phoenix hadn't expected this move from him, paling in fright. "You're really letting me go?"

Tang Jie ignored her.

Ice Phoenix was both angry and frantic.

This was just how humans were sometimes.

In Tang Jie's hands, Ice Phoenix thought of every way to escape Tang Jie, even revealing her identity.

But when Tang Jie truly gave her her freedom, she panicked.

While the Vast Wilderness Continent was large, every person here was her enemy, and any person who learned what she was would kill first and ask questions later. There was no place here that could hold her, and other than following Tang Jie, she could think of no way to stay alive.

She had said that she would prefer death to having her freedom taken away, but one could never take words said in anger seriously. If she really wanted to die, she had already had numerous chances to do so.

Thus, she was hesitant and indecisive.

As Tang Jie flew farther and farther away, Ice Phoenix finally decided to follow.

Tang Jie saw this and said in surprise, "Didn't I give you your freedom? What are you following me for?"

Ice Phoenix snorted and pursed her lips. "Since you gave me freedom, what does it matter to you where I go? I just happened to also be going this way. We just happen to be sharing the road."

"I see." Tang Jie nodded. "That's true. But I've just remembered that since you're free now, I don't need to go to the West Bull Divine State. I might as well use this chance to look around the Vast Wilderness Continent, so I don't plan to head that way anymore."

He turned and flew off in another direction.

"You…" Ice Phoenix stomped her feet multiple times in anger.

She looked around, inexplicably feeling like some righteous cultivator would suddenly appear and cut her down.

Afraid, she clenched her teeth and followed Tang Jie again.

Tang Jie turned to her and said in surprise, "And why are you following me this time?"

Ice Phoenix pursed her lips. "Is that any of your business? This lady simply lost interest in the West Bull Divine State, so I'm not going anymore."

But then she realized that Tang Jie would definitely say, "Oh, then I'll go this way instead," and she would just end up being his plaything. Indignant, she finally shouted, "Hey, what's wrong with me following you? There are enemies everywhere, so if you don't protect me, who will?"

"'Protect you'?" Tang Jie scoffed. "I certainly can't protect you. A person like you who values her freedom over her life might kill me at any moment if I bring you along. So let's not. I can't afford to provoke you, so aren't I at least allowed to avoid you?"

"Hey, you were the one who brought me here! Take responsibility!" Ice Phoenix angrily shouted.

Tang Jie looked at her in scorn. "Fine. What if I send you back to the Verdant Cloud Domain? But are you sure that you can survive there?"

Ice Phoenix shuddered. The Verdant Cloud Domain also belonged to the positive plane, and those people would also kill demons on sight. If she really returned to the Verdant Cloud Domain, she would inevitably be exposed, after which the entire populace would rise up to hunt her down.

She had never considered this aspect before, but now that she fully understood her situation, she despaired. She then realized that Tang Jie was looking at her with eyes full of pity.

"I… I know my mistakes," Ice Phoenix muttered, lowering her head.

"Eh?" Tang Jie gasped. "Aren't you demons all about following your natures, preferring death over imprisonment? Why are you suddenly saying that you know your mistakes?"

Ice Phoenix said in anger, "Hey, can't you at least give me a way out? Demons are also human! They know when to compromise when the situation isn't in their favor. You think demons are fools? If that were the case, how could you have been tricked by my master?"

Tang Jie stopped and turned to her. "In other words, you really want to follow me?"

Ice Phoenix reluctantly nodded.

"But bringing you along will cause me a lot of trouble. And didn't you say that if I were to free you of your demonic nature, I would essentially be killing you?"

Ice Phoenix impatiently said, "Not being a demon and being a demon both end in death. At least being freed of demonhood will bring a new life. Staying a demon will just end up with me being a ghost. How can you take someone's words so seriously? I hurt you before because I thought you could protect me. I didn't think you would just abandon me, making all of my plans come to nothing."

"Then, in the future…" Tang Jie trailed off.

Ice Phoenix waved her hand. "In the future, I won't cause you any trouble, okay?"

After some thought, he nodded. "Alright, fine. This one will take you under his wing just this once. But next time, I'll throw you out and not care one bit about what happens to you."

"Understood!" Ice Phoenix squeezed out.

Yiyi couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

Sure enough, one sometimes had to retreat in order to advance. In the past, when they had their guards up, she would try anything she could to hurt them, but now that Tang Jie had let her go, she had become meek and obedient.

"But… it's already known that I'm a demon cultivator. What do we do?" Ice Phoenix nervously asked Tang Jie.

"Ah, this." Tang Jie replied, "It's simple. We can just change your face."

He pointed a finger at Ice Phoenix's face.

"Thousand Faces" activated.

(TN: "Thousand Faces" is the "Reality to Illusion" aspect of "Reflections of Floating Life", the "Illusion to Reality" aspect being "All Life". See Chapter 675.)