Longevity Chronicles

Before Shangyang City, Jia Sanyuan was standing atop a cluster of multicolored, auspicious clouds with his handsome, jade-like face, looking like a descended immortal man. His grace and elegance could be said to be otherworldly–enough to make any mortal woman or genuine immortal produce romantic thoughts upon just one glance.

Yet, when this fellow opened his mouth, it was filled with venomous speech, and most who heard it would likely be shamed to death.

Unfortunately, the person subjected to this verbal poison was none other than Ying Qingdi.

He had campaigned across several provinces, vowed to revolt and rebel; mere words could not possibly shake his determination.

After listening, he even took it as praise and sneered in response,

"Jade-faced Immortal Man Jia Sanyuan, I've heard your cultivation has also reached the Peak of Cavernous Mystery. If that's the case, you should have a fair duel with me, and the outcome will speak for itself. Why resort to such low-grade tactics as attacking one's heart with venomous words?"

"Perhaps you yourself are fully aware that I, Ying Qingdi, practice the Extremely Firm and Yang scripture from beyond the heavens, while you abandoned your own 'Yinming Scripture' to instead learn from the old monster Yang Longxi–the 'Nine Revolutions Dragon God Scripture'. Yet you do not realize that the Great Book is most suited for those of the Yang family; for outsiders like you to practice it is only half as effective."

"Even if you severed your root of Yang, preventing even a wisp of your Primordial Yang Qi from leaking, your progress is no different from the Yang Family's. I bet that boy Yang Cang behind you is laughing at you in his heart."

"Chasing the trivial and losing sight of the true path–shortsighted like a mouse."

"Someone like you cannot accomplish great things, and if it comes to a duel, you're no match for me."

"Hiss"

When Ying Qingdi finished speaking, both the righteous and evil sides widened their eyes, almost losing their composure.

What an exchange! What defined cutting remarks and verbal ripostes?

These two illustrated it with utmost clarity through their back-and-forth.

Jia Sanyuan was momentarily careless, falling into a disadvantage.

Ying Qingdi told the other not to attack with a venomous tongue, but when he did so himself, it was exceptionally merciless, each word sharp as a knife, precisely targeting Jia Sanyuan's sore points.

Everyone present, each with a perceptive and piercing gaze, immediately noticed the Jade-faced Immortal Man's suddenly changing complexion, clearly extremely annoyed.

He flushed with anger, racking his brains for some equally venomous words to regain the upper hand.

But how could Ying Qingdi give him the chance? He laughed loudly and called out,

"My fellow Daoists!"

"Today is the day to exterminate evil and slay demons–show no mercy."

"Attack!"

Before his words even faded, cultivators from both the righteous and evil factions from inside the Ancestor Dragon Society responded in kind.

For those heroic cultivators, this was seen as the final piece in a rebellion to save all people. To the ambitious Evil Cultivators such as Yin Susu and Xu Wenkai, this was the final step to cultivate the fruits of victory. Both sides held nothing back.

A rainbow tide that swept across the sky approached, crossing the already short distance, and bore down on Shangyang City.

Within the city, Jia Sanyuan, who had quickly calmed down after losing face, also turned back to his allies and the Demons and Ghosts recruited at great cost, bellowing,

"Fellow Daoists, follow me out of the city to meet the enemy."

"The Seven Saints' Great Prohibition still has some strength left after resisting the Divine Tablet, and can emit some Yin Fire Poison Smoke. With the help of the Divine Thunder Demon Sword, even if it comes to magic or swordplay, we have a slight edge. If we let them breach the city, then all is lost."

"Leave Ying Qingdi to me; as for others like Zhong Ziyang and Chen Xiyi, I'll leave them to Brother Han and Brother Yang; duel them one on one, and do not let a single person enter the city."

"After this is over, there will be great rewards."

"Understood!"

With a loud cry, a surge of cultivators also rushed out from Shangyang City; one wave above, the other below, confronting each other head-on.

One side was motivated by both ideals and self-interest, while the other was driven purely by selfish desires.

The killing intent surged violently, clashing fiercely.

Jia Sanyuan and Ying Qingdi were at the forefront of their respective tides, seeing their nemesis with extra contempt, especially Jia Sanyuan who was furious with Ying Qingdi for revealing his shortcomings in public. He feared this unparalleled warrior would break through his defenses and destroy the "Seven Saints Sealing Heaven and Confusing God Great Prohibition" inside the city.

Thus, as soon as he left the city, he fiercely pulled a large, red gourd, the surface engraved with gold patterns, from his treasure bag, removed the stopper, and chanted under his breath. The next moment, eighteen beams of rainbow light emerged.

Hovering in the void, each light transformed into a ferocious Dragon Beast, pure-blooded and each with its own Divine Power.

They roared and entwined towards Ying Qingdi. As they approached, the Dragon Beasts utilized Divine Powers such as Dragon Roar, Yin Fire, Golden Light, Bewildering Soul, and Poison Water, directly bombarding the spot where Ying Qingdi was and stirring up a tumult of fireworks. They transformed into dragon-shaped chains and bound Ying Qingdi.

The lead Dragon Beast pulled, dragging him toward the higher sky above.

But Ying Qingdi, trapped in the middle, suddenly exerted his strength, causing the Dragon Beasts' movements to falter, as they nearly broke free.

Suddenly, Jia Sanyuan cried out,

"Ying Qingdi, do you dare to battle me in the sky?"

"Why wouldn't I dare? You're just a little bastard without balls; I fear you will not withstand my two or three Divine Powers."

Despite being insulted again, seeing that Ying Qingdi had not broken free to enter the city, but instead was actively smashing into the heavens, Jia Sanyuan couldn't help but take secret delight.

Leaping up as if a descended Heavenly Immortal returning to the Heavenly Court, he pursued Ying Qingdi above.

From behind, several people such as Alchemist Saint Child Han Xiao, Yang Family's Yang Cang, Master Blood Shadow Qi Wuxin, and others also jumped out to confront the Ancestor Dragon Society, shouting at their respective opponents,

"I've long heard that Mr. Zhong Daoist, the True Inheritor of Taishang Dao, is here. I'm eager to experience the Taishang Daoist Skills–don't disappoint me."

"It's said that Chen Xiyi practices both Daoist and Buddhist teachings, with extraordinary wisdom. Do you dare to battle me, Yang Cang?"

"Qi Daozhen, come out and meet your end."

"Shen Ruolan, come out; if you lose to me, come back to my Cave Mansion obediently to be my Beautiful Lady and enjoy the pleasures of Yin and Yang, instead of brandishing swords and shouting for battle any longer."

Outside Shangyang City, amidst this rare and grand spectacle, a group of Demon Cultivators joined forces with a unified will. They each selected an opponent from the Ancestor Dragon Society, deploying their Divine Powers to their fullest in hopes of keeping the ferocious heroic cultivators outside the city walls.

It's strange that the Demon Cultivators elsewhere all had ulterior motives, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.

Even when forced into battle, they mostly went through the motions, never giving their all.

One could only say that Jia Sanyuan's methods of intimidation and temptation were not mediocre; he had briefly united a group of powerful demons and had actually fought the Ancestor Dragon Society to a draw.

The million citizens within the city had previously suffered a disaster, resulting in the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of people.

They thought more mass casualties would follow.

But soon, they heard the commotion outside the city, and as they looked up, they saw numerous exotic beasts roaring, their cries echoing for miles. Sword light and demon shadows, poisonous fire and bewildering smoke, golden radiance and strange colors, thunder and lightning... all mixed together.

Although they were all mere commoners, living in these times, they had some awareness of the existence of the cultivation world.

Moreover, in the past few days, with the imposing presence of the Ancestor Dragon Society and its new moon campaign, and with battle reports updated every hour saying "Ancestor Dragon Society has captured XX city again," even the most ignorant of citizens knew their saviors had come.

"Quick, don't run about aimlessly, just hide at home and wait, the immortals from the Ancestor Dragon Society are here."

"They're finally here. I heard that other places have already been rescued by the Ancestor Dragon Society; it's finally our turn in Shangyang City."

"I only hope that the immortals can win and kill all the demon leaders of the Seven Evil Sects."

"To seek fortune through danger—quick, find a way to go outside the city. If we can find the body of an immortal or a demon leader, we too can embark on the path of cultivation."

...

The great battle began, and chaos engulfed both the inside and outside of the city.

Renowned strong individuals from both camps were selectively taken away.

Tao Qian—or rather, Lin Runiu—was no exception.

However, he was a bit special. After the promotion by Qin Wuxiang and Zhou Yingchun, coupled with the tragic fate of "Three-eyed Master Sun Zhaoquan," the Seven Evil Sects were well aware of Lin Runiu's prowess.

Hence, this time, in addition to having Qin Wuxiang and Zhou Yingchun face the enemy again, two evil cultivators were assigned to assist.

These two individuals, although just entering the Cavernous Mystery Realm and possessing not so profound mana, both had extraordinary divine skills.

One was a dwarf, not only incredibly ugly but also with a massive black armor turtle shell on his back. The shell had naturally occurring patterns that glowed with a mysterious light.

The other was a seductive female cultivator, beautiful in appearance, with long, narrow eyes that could captivate, and a figure that swayed like gentle brushes against the wind, endlessly enchanting. With just a sway, she could exhaust those useless male cultivators to death.

The former was called "Mystic Turtle Saint Sa Hunhe," originally a fisherman in Qiantang Province who occasionally engaged in unscrupulous business. Once, after being beaten into the Qiantang River during a robbery, he stumbled into a rundown Water Mansion and obtained a Great Book, the "Heavenly Water Mysterious Turtle Scripture."

This scripture was a Heterodox Life Scripture, yet it fell into the hands of someone with ill intentions. After cultivating it, Sa Hunhe gained significant divine power, opting not to do good deeds but instead intensified his evil-doings. He became the tyrant of a three-thousand-mile stretch of the Qiantang River. Eventually, he angered a major sect of the local Daoist school and barely survived. Drifting into New Moon, he was subdued by Jia Sanyuan and recruited into the Seven Evils.

The latter was called "Lady Green Snake Liang Shufang," a bamboo green snake from the mountains of Shu who luckily swallowed a hundred-year bamboo fruit and entered the Dao. She also discovered a volume of the "Red Yin Spirit Book" in a skeleton within a bamboo forest. This book was a secret book of the Demon Path; if one could gather all three volumes—upper, middle, and lower—they could cultivate to the Daoist Transformation Realm.

Having acquired the upper volume, Liang Shufang cultivated arduously for a hundred years to reach the Cavernous Mystery Realm. For the sake of her cultivation, she devoured the Primordial Yang of countless robust men in Shu. Near the wild mountain she occupied, the mere mention of the Green Snake Lady was enough to stop children from crying at night.

After committing too many evils, Liang Shufang angered the major sect of the Daoist school in Shu, the Emei Sword Sect. Had she not fled quickly upon realization, she would have certainly perished. Wandering to New Moon, she was taken by Yang Cang as a concubine.

Judging from the cultivation and divine skills of these two Heterodox practitioners, one could see how much the Seven Evil Sects valued Lin Runiu.

They believed that with four against one, victory was assured.

How could they have expected?

Qin Wuxiang had already been enlightened by Tao Qian to become a secret agent, while Zhou Yingchun feared Tao Qian's cunning Toad God Tile. These two actually cooperated quite tacitly, deliberately stalling and pushing Sa Hunhe and Liang Shufang to the front.

The two, a man and a woman, were eager to prove themselves and didn't realize anything was amiss.

As they faced each other, upon seeing Lin Runiu, who had a "foolishly honest" face, they immediately said,

"Are you Lin Runiu, the official in charge of provisions for the Ancestor Dragon Society? I've heard you have a tile-shaped treasure of extraordinary divine ability. Come and try if you can crack open my 'Heavenly Water Mysterious Turtle Lifebound Armor'?"

"Mr. Lin, look at me, your admirer, I'm about to present to you this 'Red Yin Charm Dance,' which will ensure you experience Ultimate Happiness."

As they called out, they also made their move.

Tao Qian had no time to take a closer look. With his spiritual vision open, he saw a huge black turtle shell flying from the right side, while on the left, a ten-zhang-long green snake was posturing provocatively atop the poison mist, ceaselessly swaying.

Even Master Tao, with his broad knowledge, was momentarily stunned by these two evil cultivators.

But that was him; had it been another cultivator, even one at the Cavernous Mystery Realm, that moment of stunned hesitation might have been disastrous.

Seeing Qin Wuxiang and Zhou Yingchun behind them, Tao Qian realized he was being targeted and immediately smiled, pulling out the Toad God Tile from within his chest.

Holding it in his hand, he silently addressed the Toad God in the profound void:

"Exalted Toad God!"

"Make sure you watch carefully, don't miss any heads."

"Let's start with this big green snake that's making my head spin."

Before his muttering had ended, Tao Qian had already merged with the Nine Toad Bead.

The moment the treasure's power was unleashed, it dragged Tao Qian's body across the space.

In an instant, he appeared before Lady Green Snake Liang Shufang. Although she was inwardly shocked, she attributed it to the success of her charm dance, thinking he was eager for her.

Little did she know that in Tao Qian's mind, a Record had just burst forth:

[You are being invaded by the alien divine power "Red Yin Charm Dance"... Immunity granted!]

As the Record flashed by, the Toad God Tile in Tao Qian's hand was already smashing towards the forehead of the alluring female cultivator before him.

As he smashed, he spoke out loud:

"Daoist friend, you called me 'Mr. Lin,' so I'll grant you a quick end."

"There!"

In the fray, accompanied by a dull thud,

many cultivators saw the enchanting, unparalleled charmer of a female cultivator unexpectedly getting her head smashed by an unromantic fool.

Her lovely face was directly disfigured, and amidst the splattering blood and flesh, Liang Shufang let out a pitiful scream that made everyone feel for her, before she fainted away blissfully.

Seeing this scene, even those from the Ancestor Dragon Society, along with many practitioners of the Evil Path and Heterodox Cultivation, couldn't help criticizing Lin Runiu for not behaving, questioning how he could be so cruel as to 'pick flowers' with such harshness.

If you can't make use of it, it would be so much better to give it to a fellow daoist – such a waste indeed.