Chapter 2

The battle in the sky continued, with the air turning into a hurricane under the overwhelming power, darkening the entire horizon.

The golden-armored celestial deity still swung his strong and powerful arms, each strike creating a large gust of wind.

The immense wind pressure swirled like a tornado, forming barriers of wind that made every step forward for Tang Jie incredibly difficult.

On the other side, the white figure darted through the wind at high speed, each sword swing sending a powerful sword beam like lightning, splitting the ground below and leaving deep cracks.

Tang Jie had to carefully avoid the residual attacks from the sky.

He ran through the wind pressure, dodged through the lightning, darted through the mountains, and leaped over boulders, agile like a monkey, rushing towards the summit of Cuimicro Mountain.

Only there could he reach the immortals in the sky and have a chance to speak with them.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the sky, and Tang Jie instinctively lunged forward. A lightning sword beam fell behind him, striking the large rock where he had just stood, shattering it to pieces. The shockwave sent him flying.

He groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood, then jumped up and grabbed a vine hanging from a tree, swinging forward.

The closer he got, the more powerful the residual effects of the battle became. By the time he reached halfway up the mountain, he felt the wind raging everywhere, the swords like lightning, and the sky and earth filled with flying sand and stones.

Then Tang Jie stopped in his tracks.

He couldn't help it!

Because there was no forest ahead—Cuimicro Mountain's peak had been completely flattened.

The sword qi and wind pressure swirled and roared on the peak, creating a devastating momentum. Moving forward would mean certain death.

Can't even get close?

Tang Jie looked up at the sky in despair.

The two figures in the sky were now at the most intense moment of their battle.

A vague shadow suddenly appeared behind the golden-armored celestial deity. The moment it appeared, it gave Tang Jie an overwhelming sense of pressure. He couldn't see the shadow's face, only feeling its towering presence, standing on the ground and reaching into the void, majestic and awe-inspiring, making him want to kneel and worship.

Tang Jie almost couldn't control his urge to kneel, but at that moment, the white figure suddenly shouted, "Rise!"

The bald peak of Cuimicro Mountain suddenly burst with a blinding light, forming a celestial net that sealed the entire space, trapping the golden-armored celestial deity within.

"Eight Gates Locking Heaven Array! Xu Muyang, you were prepared all along!" the golden-armored celestial deity roared, and the shadow behind him punched the celestial net.

The giant net shook with a brilliant light, causing the entire space within the array to tremble.

The vibrations spread like waves, surging out of the array and sweeping towards the outside.

Tang Jie was shocked and immediately turned to run, diving behind a large rock.

The howling wind blew over his head, stirring up clouds and taking several seconds to dissipate. Even the large rock shook, barely holding him down.

"Damn, is this a nuclear explosion?" Tang Jie muttered.

Compared to a nuclear explosion, this was definitely less powerful, but it was probably equivalent to several thousand tons of high explosives.

The golden-armored celestial deity's earth-shattering strike shattered the Eight Gates Locking Heaven Array and cut off a large part of Cuimicro Mountain's peak, showing the terrifying power.

However, the shadow behind the golden-armored celestial deity disappeared completely, and the white figure took the opportunity to strike a sword at the golden-armored celestial deity's chest.

"Ah!" With the golden-armored celestial deity's scream, a splash of blood spattered.

The golden-armored celestial deity wobbled in the air, almost falling from the clouds, clearly severely injured.

Without hesitation, he fled, shouting, "Xu Muyang, you can't escape! When my master arrives, you will surely die!"

As his voice faded, the golden-armored celestial deity turned into a golden light and shot into the sky.

The white figure in the sky didn't pursue, only watching the opponent disappear, then suddenly staggered, spitting out a mouthful of blood before flying away.

"Senior! Wait for me!" Seeing this, Tang Jie rushed out, chasing after the white figure.

But the white figure was as fast as lightning, flying in the air, and he couldn't catch up. In a blink, it disappeared from Tang Jie's sight, leaving no trace.

——

At the entrance of Xiaohexian Village, the villagers were eagerly waiting.

The smoke from the distant battle had dissipated, and the traces of the immortals were gone, leaving only a scene of devastation. A figure walked towards them from the distance.

"It's Brother Jie, it's Brother Jie!" Yaya, with her sharp eyes, was the first to recognize the person and shouted happily.

"It's Tang Jie, he's still alive!"

The village echoed with calls, and everyone rushed over, surrounding him and asking about his well-being. Seeing that he was fine, just a bit dirty, they finally relaxed.

"Good, you're alive," Uncle Li sighed in relief and smiled.

Yaya hugged Tang Jie and asked, "Brother Jie, did you meet the immortals?"

Tang Jie shook his head and smiled, "I couldn't catch up with them... It was hard to even get close... I failed."

His tone was calm, and his smile was sincere, but everyone could sense the hidden frustration behind his smile.

"Failure is failure, but being alive is good."

"Exactly, what's more important than being alive?"

"Xiao Jie, I'm not saying this to discourage you, but you should give up on the idea of becoming an immortal. It's hard to find a connection with immortals, and it's even harder to enter their realm. Seeking immortality is not something a poor family like ours can achieve."

"Exactly, people should be more down-to-earth."

"Xiao Jie, why don't you buy back your three acres of land? Talk to Old Zhang, he'll agree."

For a moment, everyone had different opinions, some offering sincere advice, some mocking, some comforting, and some showing disdain.

Uncle Li scolded directly, "Brat, did you even care about your life in your pursuit of immortality?"

"I just worked hard to achieve what I wanted."

"Even at the cost of your life?"

"Yes! These days, many people have dreams, but few are willing to pay the price."

Uncle Li was stunned by the words of this half-grown boy.

Although Tang Jie's first attempt to seek immortality failed, he didn't regret it.

Because he tried, he worked hard, and he even risked his life.

As long as you strive for your dreams, even failure is not regrettable.

His desire to seek immortality and enlightenment only grew stronger.

One day, I will be like them, roaming this world.

No matter what difficulties and obstacles lie ahead!

Tang Jie thought to himself.

——

After this incident, the villagers of Xiaohexian Village returned to their normal lives, working from morning till night.

Tang Jie still went out and returned with everyone every day, seemingly having given up his unrealistic dreams.

But whenever he had free time, Tang Jie would go to Cuimicro Mountain alone, sitting quietly and staring at the sky.

The trees destroyed by the battle began to grow again, and in this world rich in spiritual energy, life was resilient and strong.

In just a few days, the mountain peak was covered in green again, and the golden light of the dawn shone on the land, casting a faint golden glow on Tang Jie.

He stood like a statue on the mountain peak...

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

The work in the fields was long done, but Tang Jie still went up the mountain every day.

The villagers watched him with sighs in their hearts.

Today, Tang Jie spent the whole day on the mountain and returned as the sky was darkening.

At the door of his house, he saw Yaya waiting for him.

The little girl's bright eyes looked at him, and she whispered, "You went up the mountain again?"

"Uh-huh," Tang Jie nodded and was about to go inside.

Yaya pulled him, "Brother Jie, what are you doing? Everyone in the village says you're crazy. The immortals are gone, yet you still go up the mountain every day. What are you trying to achieve?"

The villagers had asked him this many times.

Tang Jie had never answered.

But today, he hesitated and finally said, "In that battle, I saw the white figure get injured. He was seriously hurt..."

"How do you know he was seriously hurt?"

"Because he didn't chase the other person... I think it wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't," Tang Jie replied.

"So..."

"So I think he didn't go far. The best thing for him to do would be to find a place nearby to treat his injuries."

"So you go up the mountain every day, hoping to find him? You still haven't given up?" Yaya's face turned red with excitement.

"I never gave up," Tang Jie said calmly. "Even if I fail again this time, I won't give up. In a year, I will leave here, go out into the world, and seek the immortals."

For Tang Jie, a month of searching on the mountain was just another failure in his quest for immortality.

Two failures were far from enough to make him give up.

Dreams are worth pursuing even after countless failures.

"You..." Yaya was almost in tears with anger.

She suddenly raised her hand and slapped Tang Jie.

The pain was sharp.

"Tang Jie, you're a jerk!" Yaya shouted with all her might and ran away.

Watching her run, Tang Jie sighed and silently apologized in his heart.

He had never hurt a girl's heart like this, especially a little girl who had feelings for him, feeling conflicted and wondering if he should go after her to comfort her, but fearing she would cling to him even more. Just as he was hesitating, he heard the faint sound of hooves, and in the distance, he saw dust rising, indicating a large group of people approaching.

In a moment, a fierce group appeared in the distance, all on horseback, without armor, but armed with steel knives and swords. The leaders raised their short bows, aiming at him.

Tang Jie was shocked and immediately crouched down.

Since he was stabbed to death in his previous life, he had an instinctive reaction to someone pointing a weapon at him.

This reaction saved his life. As he crouched, he heard the bowstring twang, and an arrow whizzed past his head, embedding itself in the wooden house behind him, the arrow's tail still trembling.

"Bandits!" Tang Jie leaped up and ran to the back of the house, shouting, "Bandits are coming! They're from the Wild Valley!"

In Anyang Prefecture, bandits were rampant, raiding and plundering, with some brutally killing and massacring entire villages, leaving no trace of their passage. The Wild Valley bandits were the most vicious.

Tang Jie had heard about this but never expected to encounter it himself.

As he shouted and dodged, another arrow was shot at Yaya.

"Yaya, get down!" Tang Jie screamed in panic.

But the little girl, startled by the sudden appearance of the bandits, was frozen in fear.

The arrow pierced her chest, and she fell to the ground.

In the next moment, hundreds of bandits swarmed in, led by a tall and strong man wielding a large nine-ring saber, pointing forward, "Kill! Kill everyone you can, and take everything you can!"

"No!" Tang Jie cried out in pain as he saw Yaya die.

The bandits charged into the village, raising their swords against the unprepared villagers, and blood immediately filled the sky.

A hunter tried to defend himself with a knife and fork, but how could he stand against the charging bandits? A bright sword cut down, and the hunter was beheaded.

More villagers panicked and fled, but the bandits caught up and impaled them with their spears, cutting off their heads with their sabers.

The bandits laughed and roared, sparing no one, not even the elderly and children.

Huzi, Aunt Hu, Uncle He...

Hiding behind the house, Tang Jie watched the villagers die, his heart filled with rage.

Uncle Li rushed out of a nearby house, seeing his daughter lying in a pool of blood, and cried out in anguish.

"Don't come out!" Tang Jie shouted in alarm.

A bandit saw Uncle Li and charged at him with a wicked smile.

"Damn it!" Tang Jie gritted his teeth, rushed at the bandit, and threw his dagger.

The bandit, agile, deflected the dagger with a precise strike, and his horse collided with Uncle Li, cutting him down with a single blow. He then turned to Tang Jie, grinning, "One more!"

He charged at Tang Jie.

Seeing the danger, Tang Jie turned and ran into the forest, choosing the most secluded path. But the horse was fast, and in a moment, it was behind him, the saber swinging down. Just as it was about to hit, Tang Jie lunged forward, dodging the blow, and turned to sweep with a rake from the back garden.

The rake struck the bandit's waist, and the bandit, caught off guard, was hit hard.

Unprotected, the nine prongs of the rake pierced deep into his body, and he screamed in pain. The horse collided with Tang Jie, sending him flying, and he felt his ribs break from the impact, lying on the ground in agony.

The bandit pulled the rake out, dismounted, and walked towards Tang Jie, "Brat, you're dead today!"

He had trained for years and could easily handle three or four strong men, but today he was injured by a young boy, and his anger boiled. He decided to tear the boy apart.

Tang Jie, seeing him approach, suddenly threw a handful of dirt in the bandit's eyes and pounced with all his strength. The bandit, injured and unable to move quickly, bent down and was bitten on the throat.

The bandit grunted in pain and swung his saber at Tang Jie's back. The saber, needing space to be effective, was less powerful in close combat, and Tang Jie, determined to die, held on to the bandit's throat, refusing to let go.

The bandit, desperate, hit Tang Jie with all his might, finally pushing him away, but this also cost him his life.

Using the push, Tang Jie bit out the bandit's entire windpipe, and a gush of blood spurted out. The bandit, clutching his throat, took a few steps and fell to the ground.

Tang Jie also fell heavily to the ground.

He had been cut by the saber, hit by the horse, and struck by the bandit, but he still walked to the bandit and took the saber from his hand.

The bandit, not yet dead, stared at Tang Jie.

Tang Jie said coldly, "What are you looking at? Animal!"

The saber swept across the bandit's throat.

Thud!

Tang Jie spat out a mouthful of blood and leaned against a tree, weak.

Though it was his first time killing, he felt no fear, only endless hatred for these scum.

A voice suddenly thundered from the heavens:

"Bold bandits, slaughtering the innocent, you shall die!"