Aspiring to the Immortal Path

Chapter 844: Establishing an Estate

Tang Jie learned through further questions that Reverend Yellow Heaven enjoyed traveling and rarely returned to the sect.

The Vast Wilderness Continent's structure was different from the Rosecloud Domain's. In the Rosecloud Domain, if Yun Tianlan or another Earth Immortal wanted to go traveling, it would only be if there was another Earth Immortal to hold the fort.

If there were none, they had to remain in the sect so as to intimidate the other sects and protect against any mishaps.

But things were not the same in the Vast Wilderness Continent.

Earth Immortals were not the strongest here. Every state had a major sect with a True Immortal to preside over things.

While the Star Radiant Gate was a major sect, it had to follow the rules of the Celestial Splendor Sect. Thus, the presence of an ancestor like Reverend Yellow Heaven actually had little effect on the Star Radiant Gate. It wasn't like another sect was going to attack just because he wasn't present, and even if he were, those who could bully them would do so just the same.

Earth Immortals here had much less responsibility and burdens than those of the Rosecloud Domain, so they could run around as they pleased, traveling the myriad domains in search of a breakthrough.

Most importantly, it was only in other domains that they had a chance to break through.

If Reverend Yellow Heaven sought out a breakthrough here, the True Immortal ancestor of the Celestial Splendor Sect might not be too happy about it. To ensure their status, they might even secretly interfere. But if Reverend Yellow Heaven went seeking a breakthrough elsewhere, nobody could do anything to him.

Nobody could go and destroy a sect simply because their Earth Immortal was traveling and might experience a breakthrough.

For this reason, there were numerous examples in the Vast Wilderness Continent of cultivators who had returned from their travels after achieving a breakthrough and led a mighty invasion.

Reverend Yellow Heaven had been out traveling for a long time, but alas, he had yet to break through, so he had not returned.

Tang Jie felt deeply disappointed to hear this news after coming so far.

The cultivator from the Star Radiant Gate found it awkward to give Tang Jie the bad news that the person he wanted wasn't here after accepting a gift from him. After some thought, he added, "Although Ancestor has yet to return, in a little while will be the sect's ceremony to commemorate its ten-thousandth anniversary. The ancestor won't be able to ignore such a grand occasion, so perhaps he will return."

"Oh?" Tang Jie grew interested. "Then when will your honorable sect be holding this ceremony?"

"In another 148 years."

"……"

Immortals didn't feel the passage of time, so it made sense for 148 years to be "a little while".

Well, some hope was better than none.

Tang Jie thanked the cultivator and departed.

Since he had to wait another 148 years for a possibility that Reverend Yellow Heaven would return, Tang Jie decided to take his time.

He first had Little Three go back to report on his status, and then he went to the nearby Cloudfront Mountain, where he dug out a cave and established an estate for himself.

148 years was long if waiting, short if cultivating.

Tang Jie shut himself in the cave and meditated, passing the time as one of those ascetic cultivators who fed on the wind and drank the dew.

Yiyi and Ice Phoenix couldn't stand this lifestyle, so they often ran out to play.

At first, Tang Jie was worried that Ice Phoenix would cause trouble, but this demon woman knew she was dead if her identity was exposed, so she didn't cause much trouble. But her personality had gone from timid to lively, and while she didn't cause any big trouble, she certainly riled up no small number of minor problems. Fortunately, the two weren't average cultivators, so ordinary people couldn't do much to them.

The years silently went by, and through his long seclusion, Tang Jie's cultivation was solidified.

He had taken only 150 years to go from Infant Tending to Deification, but such rapid progress had made his foundations rather shaky.

Fortunately, in Cloudfront Mountain, he was able to meditate and temper his mind every day, solidifying his foundation and steadily increasing his cultivation.

Several decades went by in the blink of an eye.

As time passed, the people in the area came to know that an Immortal had come to Cloudfront Mountain.

With the arrival of this Immortal, the fiends around the mountain disappeared. And because of the presence of such a powerful cultivator, the place became rich in spiritual energy, all sorts of spirit plants began to grow, and a mist swept over the place, turning it into a fairyland.

Occasionally, a woodcutter or traveling merchant would get lost in the mountains, upon which Tang Jie or Yiyi would send them out. Thus, some people said that the Immortal was a man, and others that it was a woman, causing all sorts of rumors to arise.

But there was one detail that was constant: that this Immortal's cave was called the Basking Moon Cave.

"The master of Cloudfront Mountain's Basking Moon Cave" became Tang Jie's title to the outside world, and as time went on, it gradually became his name.

At times, some cultivators would pay him a visit.

Tang Jie met them regardless of their cultivation level. So long as they were properly courteous, he discussed the Dao with them, pointing out their mistakes and guiding them to the right path.

This was a common practice for those hermit cultivators residing in the mountains.

Ascetic cultivation didn't mean shunning the world, only a desire for nature and serenity. But this didn't mean forgoing everything else.

Seeking out companions to discuss the Dao was a common practice, allowing cultivators to know about the world without leaving their caves.

After some time, Tang Jie truly did establish a friendship with some cultivators, and the fame of Basking Moon Cave began to spread, at least within Shangyuan.

Interestingly, when the Star Radiant Gate learned that a cultivator had taken up residence in their country, they had sent someone to pay a visit.

Upon confirming that this was a Violet Palace expert who had settled, they accepted his presence and officially proclaimed that Cloudfront Mountain was under the management of the Basking Moon Cave's master. The various major sects usually established relationships with cultivators like this in such a manner, at the same time being able to use this relationship to monitor these cultivators. Of course, this also meant that Tang Jie now held legal authority over Cloudfront Mountain.

One day, as Tang Jie was cultivating in his cave, he suddenly sensed something.

Raising an eyebrow, he shouted, "Daoist Brother, why do you pace in front of my door rather than coming in and sitting down?"

Refreshing laughter came from outside. "Ah, I can't hide anything from you, Daoist Brother Tang. This Yin Yang Dust Mote Formation of yours is truly exquisite. I wanted to come in quietly, but I just couldn't do it."

There was a gust of wind outside, and then a large man with a curly beard charged in.

This man was Kun Wu, an unaffiliated Deification cultivator that Tang Jie had become acquainted with a few years ago. Although Deification cultivators could establish their own cities, this didn't mean that all of them wanted such power. There were many like Tang Jie and Kun Wu who preferred freedom and had their hearts set on the Dao. While these people didn't have as much political power as those City Lords, they traveled around so frequently and made friends from all around such that they constituted a faction that could not be offended. This could be considered a means for unaffiliated cultivators to protect themselves. Whether it was out of interests, lifestyle needs, or safety, unaffiliated cultivators like to group together.

Thus, Tang Jie had had many wandering cultivators visit him after he established his cave estate. The weaker ones who saw that Tang Jie was at Deification asked for his instruction before tactfully leaving, while the stronger ones would form friendships and drop by every so often to converse or exchange pointers.

Kun Wu was one of these frequent visitors, and he was on quite friendly terms with Tang Jie. He was very interested in formations, and whenever he came, he would attempt to break the formation Tang Jie had set up to protect the mountain. Alas, he had never once succeeded.

The heavens were truly unfair at times. That child who had shown no love for formations was now a formation grandmaster while this formation fanatic was still an amateur.

Kun Wu was followed by a young scholar.

This person was called the Wind Moon Scholar. He was also a Deification cultivator that Tang Jie had become friends with in the last few years.

Through brute strength, the two had pushed through Tang Jie's formation to enter his cave.

Tang Jie smiled. "Please forgive this Tang Jie for not coming out to greet my friends."

With a wave of his sleeve, he created a stone table and three chairs.

The three of them all sat down.

The Wind Moon Scholar said, "This little brother just so happened to bring some fine tea today, and I invite the two of you to try some."

With a wave of his hand, he produced a tea set, steam rising from the teapot. With another wave of his hand, a nearby tree turned into a small boy who bowed to the three and began to pour out the tea.

Kun Wu laughed and downed his tea like a bull, after which he shouted, "Good tea!"

The Wind Moon Scholar laughed. "What does a brute like you understand about tea? This is Mooncreek Jade Orchid that was personally planted by my little sister, watered with the snow from the Ninefold Mountains and grown in the Cloudsoil of Rainbow Moon Mountain for five years. There are only twelve catties in all, so I only use a few leaves every time. But you just drank it all down without even trying to experience the flavors. All you know is to shout 'good tea', not even knowing what was so good about it."

Kun Wu heartily laughed in response. "Yes, I'm a brute, my mind focused on cultivation and the Great Dao, with no extraneous thoughts."

The Wind Moon Scholar shook his head. "All things in the world have their principles. Daos arise from nature, so if your heart is on the Great Dao, you should go from small to big, mortal to Immortal."

"The Great Dao is the supreme simplicity, and the principles of the heavens are all that matter. There's no need to go through all that trouble. Sacrificing the simple to pursue the complex is attending to trifles while neglecting the essentials…" Kun Wu argued.

The Wind Moon Scholar shot back, "It's steadily advancing toward the goal, not attending to trifles and neglecting the essentials! As for you, what you're doing is seeking fast returns with no thought for the future!"

The two of them began to quarrel.

Tang Jie wasn't surprised. Such arguments over the Great Dao had gone on for a long time, and everyone had their own opinions.

Immortal Ji Yao had once argued that the Heavenly Dao was dead. While she wasn't necessarily correct, her argument was not without reason.

The same was true for Kun Wu and the Wind Moon Scholar. They had their own backgrounds and experiences, so their understanding and views of the Great Dao were different.

This was why cultivators discussed the Dao.

They enriched themselves through the opinions of others.

In the process of discussing the Dao, they made both friends and enemies.

Fortunately, these two had known each other for many years, and though they often argued, they had never held grudges over it.

Just when it seemed like their argument was about to get heated, Tang Jie smiled and said, "I say: did you two come all this way just to argue in front of me?"

The two of them shut their mouths.

Kun Wu then said, "We truly do have some business to discuss. Brother Tang, are you interested in emerging from the mountain to take a trip?"