Longevity Chronicles

In the secret chamber of Zhang Mansion, a strange yet slightly comical scene was unfolding.

A handsome young master sat cross-legged before a statue of a deity.

With a worried and distressed expression, he was compelled to form hand seals and refine the technique. Each time the Source Qi circulated within his body, he had to open his mouth and spray a large mouthful of Essence Blood toward the statue. As soon as the fresh blood covered the surface of the statue, a flash of bloody light appeared, then vanished into it.

This cycle repeated over and over.

Far from looking sinister, the statue seemed increasingly radiant with treasure light, as if it were truly a Venerable Saint King Divine Spirit descending into the mortal world.

However, it was tough on Zhang Baisui. Even though he had an ample supply of nourishing elixirs and medicines, and his Essence Blood seemed unlimited, the extraction process was a real ordeal. The air in the secret chamber was filled with the stench of blood, resembling the scene of a Blood Sacrifice by those of the Heterodox Demon People, quite deserving of being struck down by heavenly lightning.

Huang Jing Daoist supervised the work while once again indulging in his habit of being a "know-it-all."

Teaching Zhang Baisui the Blood Sacrifice Technique was one thing, but he did not forget to share some experiences of mingling in the Cultivation World through worldly society, warning against the likes of deceptive figures.

Zhang Baisui appeared attentive on the surface, but deep down, he was extremely annoyed.

The long night stretched on, and had it been a charming and coquettish girl chattering beside him, Mr. Zhang might have been able to endure.

But now, what he had was an old dwarf with wrinkled yellow skin—a few more glances, and he felt like vomiting.

Soon enough, he grew tired of listening and forcibly swallowed back the Essence Blood that had reached his throat.

His temper surged, and he abruptly stood up, declaring impatiently, "No more refining, truly too troublesome, let me go rest for a bit."

With that, Zhang Baisui had already arrived at the door of the secret chamber. He crossed through the Forbidden Techniques of the room, opened the door, and stepped out to leave.

Now, the chamber was filled with both treasure light and the stench of blood.

Such an aura was hugely attractive to various creatures like snakes, insects, rats, ants, and Wild Demons.

Almost immediately, a disturbance occurred around the secret chamber.

Usually well-hidden creatures such as snakes, toads, rats, flies, and spiders, driven by instinct, uncontrollably surged toward the secret chamber together with some beings like Wall Niche Ghosts, Lamp Girls, and Candle Ghosts that appeared and vanished at will.

This scene was quite surprising to Zhang Baisui.

But to Huang Jing Daoist, it wasn't even worth a second look.

He didn't even grunt but simply waved his sleeve, and with the power of the Cavernous Mystery Realm, all the vermin and Devils were silently obliterated.

He then reached out and pulled Zhang Baisui back.

Originally furious, he realized that this was his Young Master, not just someone he could punish but whom he must also comfort with gentle words.

If the boy stubbornly refused to continue refining, it could jeopardize the important plans of the Lord of Nine Lamps.

With this thought, Huang Jing Daoist forced a kind face and patiently advised,

"Young Master, please don't be annoyed, the old Daoist here was too talkative just now."

"But this matter is critical to the Dao Path of the Lord of Nine Lamps, please consider it seriously."

"Previously, it was also mentioned in the Mystic Light Mirror by the Lord himself that if tonight's refinement is not successful, allow this old Daoist to implement some special methods..."

Clearly, the last sentence was a threat.

Just as Zhang Baisui was about to lash out, a gust of night wind blew over him, bringing him back to his senses.

Hearing Huang Jing Daoist's words, which were half-threatening and half-advisory, he had no choice but to sulkily close the door and obediently return to the front of the statue, looking nauseously at the face that resembled Zhu Qi, continuing to form seals and spew Essence Blood.

Seeing this, Huang Jing Daoist showed a satisfied smile.

Yet neither of them noticed, or perhaps didn't find anything amiss, that behind the statue, at the base, lay a "dead mosquito."

Indeed!

This was the Sublime Dharma used by Master Tao to pry into secrets.

Starting from Seeking Immortal County, whenever in doubt, simply touch it.

Upon contact with the statue, Tao Qian instantly knew this was indeed an Exotic Treasure.

Images didn't burst forth in his mind immediately but rather slowly sorted themselves out from the fragments.

But soon enough, a complete Record emerged bit by bit:

[Name: Taishang Haotian Golden Palace Venerable Saint King Statue.]

[Record Type: Magical Treasure.]

[Record: This item was crafted by the cultivators of the Heavenly Immortal Dao, using copious spiritual material treasures and forging tirelessly for months. The core of this treasure is embedded with a drop of Essence Blood from Zhu Qi, the Ninth Prince of the current dynasty, innately making it a Magical Treasure belonging to Zhu Qi… To endow this item with great power, the warlord Zhang Jiudeng from Ancient Qin Province has built 999 Saint Temples within his territory, utilizing the conveniences provided by the Heavenly Immortal Dao and harnessing Incense Fire Wish Power. With the training and intent of Zhu Qi, just a thought can summon an Avatar equivalent to a cultivator of the Cavernous Mystery Realm.]

[Note One: This treasure has the potential to grow, as long as the number of "Saint Temples" and the number of believers continues to increase, the power of the Avatar will also continue to rise until it reaches the Daoist Transformation Realm.]

[Note Two: The casting of this treasure is based on an alliance agreement between Zhang Jiudeng and Zhu Qi, introduced by Alchemist Saint Child Huang Chong to form mutual connections… The truth is, Huang Chong banked early on Zhang Jiudeng becoming the Founding Emperor of the future Longevity Heavenly Dynasty.]

[Note Three: To assist Zhang Jiudeng in ascending the Dragon Court, Huang Chong paid a great price to enlist an old monster from the Alchemist sect to find the first treasure formed from an Ancestor God Forbidden Technique Fragment called the 'Mountain and River Map' and split it into two treasures, the 'Mountain and River Map' and the 'Sheji Seal,' erasing the fate of the Heavenly Mechanism in the process. He then handed the Mountain and River Map to Zhu Qi and gave the Sheji Seal to Zhang Jiudeng.]

Note 4: Inside this divine statue lies a "Golden Palace Secret Ban," which connects to the Ancient Qin Province. Once Zhu Qi begins to refine the Mountain and River Map, Zhang Jiudeng can utilize the dark hand of the Blood Sacrifice Technique to snatch back his avatar and simultaneously activate the secret ban. By employing the connection between the two treasures, he can forcibly take away the already refined Mountain and River Map… Since Zhang Jiudeng, as the Governor of Ancient Qin Province, presides over a vast territory and population that far surpasses Zhu Qi's, the Mountain and River Map would naturally prioritize Zhang Jiudeng in any dispute that arises.

Note 5: Therefore, the cost needed to refine the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique Fragment would all be borne by Zhu Qi. After Zhang Jiudeng reaps the benefits, he could suddenly become the top warlord of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, likely to challenge for supremacy in Shen Zhou Holy Land and vie for control over the Central Plains.

…

When these records churned in Tao Qian's mind,

even if he were just a dead mosquito, he still couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.

Such a big secret!

The truth!

Although Tao Qian had anticipated finding something as long as he investigated this suspicious divine statue, likely leading to some finds,

he never imagined the findings would be this significant.

Nor did he anticipate the truth being this outrageous and yet familiar.

Yes, familiar.

Besides these clearly sorted records, some fragmented pieces allowed Tao Qian to piece together and clarify the convoluted cataclysms behind Demonic City.

"That means, the instigator behind this catastrophe in Demonic City is actually Huang Chong, this unassuming figure of an Alchemist Saint Child."

"His first chosen 'Bright Lord' was Zhang Jiudeng, and to support this absurd warlord, Huang Chong arranged a ploy akin to planting seeds in another's nest."

"Mountain and River Map!"

"This treasure, transformed from a fragment of the Ancestor God, possesses terrifying power… but the conditions for refining are extremely strict, unaffected by the cultivator's realm but requiring the fulfillment of conditions like True Dragon Blood and Flesh, Human Dao catastrophe, Blood Sacrifice of the Human Clan… among others, where the costs are tremendously high if artificially produced."

"Moreover, fulfilling the condition of True Dragon Blood and Flesh is impossible for Zhang Jiudeng, given that the hidden dragons are limited in this world. If he should heavily invest in attacking any, he would face the fierce retaliation of the contemporary Imperial Family. However, if these hidden dragons were to massacre each other, it would be a completely different scenario."

"To ensure Zhang Jiudeng successfully acquires the treasure, Huang Chong deliberately joined Zhu Qi's forces, using this Ninth Prince and his father's influence to refine the treasure, such as inciting Zhu Qi to trap and kill his own fourth brother, the current Yue King Zhu Xuan."

"If the plan proceeds smoothly, Zhang Jiudeng will surely snatch the treasure remotely from Ancient Qin Province at the last moment. His reliance is simple and brutish—the expanse of his territory."

"Good heavens! Such a sinister scheme, how similar it is to Bai Qin!"

"But now the victim is not me, but Zhu Qi, the unfortunate."

"Once Zhang Jiudeng succeeds, he will possess not only the Ancient Qin Province and a military of hundreds of thousands but also a treasure capable of activating the 'Absolute Spirit Domain.'"

"With this treasure, if he starts invading neighboring provinces, he would likely be unstoppable, rapidly expanding his territory from province to province, capturing town after town. Calling him the first warlord would not be an exaggeration."

At this moment, Tao Qian simply couldn't suppress the flurry of thoughts in his mind.

Even though he had grown accustomed to this world, both in the Cultivation World and the worldly society, where there were fishing men and old silver coins everywhere,

each time, he was still profoundly shocked.

It was hard to imagine if he didn't have the cheat-like help of his abnormal soul, alone, he would hardly be able to uncover the secretive truth behind all this.

"Huang Chong is stronger than Qin Wuxiang."

"He took personal action, fulfilling the duties of a strategist to the extreme."

"It's as if Zhang Jiudeng is fishing while Huang Chong dives under the water to hook the fish for him."

In making this assessment, Tao Qian couldn't help but become more intensely curious about the Alchemist Organization.

How many such Saint Children had this organization dispatched?

How many, like Huang Chong, possessed such cunning genius?

Just Huang Chong alone connected Ancient Qin Province and Demonic City, causing catastrophic upheavals. What about the over sixty other provinces, are there Alchemist Saint Children manipulating plots and intrigues there as well?

Not long after, Tao Qian suppressed these tumultuous thoughts.

Now having glimpsed the truth behind the scenes, he planned to stay in this secret chamber throughout the night so as not to alert Huang Jing Daoist.

Through the "Saint Statue" of Zhu Qi, Huang Jing Daoist was teaching Zhang Jiudeng's son, digging a deadly pit for Zhu Qi.

Meanwhile, behind closed doors, Tao Qian calmly contemplated how to stop Zhu Qi from using disaster victims in Blood Sacrifice and foil Zhang Jiudeng's cunning strategy when the upcoming treasure conference arrives.

"This Mountain and River Map, this kind of supreme treasure, must not end up in Zhu Qi's hands, nor in Zhang Jiudeng's."

"While Zhu Qi is indeed brutal, Zhang Jiudeng is no better."

"According to the information provided by the National Salvation, this person is not only absurdly ridiculous, but his temperament is also equally tyrannical. His methods to ascend to power were extremely despicable. During his tenure as the Great Governor, he was oppressive and exploitative, treating the civilians in Ancient Qin Province as nothing, and recklessly plundering them."

"Earlier, as I observed the father and son's conversation as the 'Chan Xin Demon,' I heard him mention casually sacrificing hundreds of thousands of people to help Zhang Baisui enhance his cultivation."

"If such a person obtained the Mountain and River Map, the situation would probably get worse."

"I've already implanted a significant amount of Desire Sin Worms in Zhu Qi's body. I wonder if I could also deploy some in this divine statue... Hmm?"

This last spark of inspiration appeared, and in Tao Qian's dead mosquito eyes, an extraordinary light immediately flashed.

ps: More to follow, seeking a monthly ticket.