Eternal Life by Daily Divination

Chapter 249: Chapter 188: Golden Core Longevity, Li Chang’an’s Dao Field

He glanced at the Tier Two Spirit Vein, a sense of regret rising in his heart.

’This Spirit Vein is a decent Tier, and it’s unoccupied. It’s a shame it’s so deep inside the Secret Realm. If it were in the outside world, it could become my sanctum.’

With that regretful thought, he didn’t linger and departed with Ye Hao.

Since they both had Foundation Establishment Cultivation, the return journey was much easier.

Along the way, Li Chang’an found a random spot to discard the suspicious items from Xiahou Kun’s Storage Pouch.

…

「A few days later.」

They successfully exited the Secret Realm.

Ye Hao suddenly extended an invitation to Li Chang’an.

“Daoist Li, I have a feud with the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage. I intend to establish the Huanghe Alliance. Are you willing to join?”

“The Huanghe Alliance?”

Li Chang’an froze.

After a moment’s thought, he shook his head slightly.

“Daoist Ye, I’m used to my freedom and don’t wish to join any faction.”

Ye Hao had expected as much, but he was still a little disappointed.

“If you change your mind in the future, Daoist Li, you can come find me anytime.”

“Alright!”

Li Chang’an replied, but he didn’t give the offer much thought.

He was, however, a little curious about something.

“Daoist Ye, by openly opposing the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage, aren’t you worried about implicating your own Sect?”

At these words, a trace of melancholy appeared on Ye Hao’s face.

He sighed softly and didn’t elaborate, simply inviting Li Chang’an to visit his Sect as a guest.

Before long, the two of them arrived at Ye Hao’s Sect.

Upon seeing the state of the Sect, Li Chang’an instantly understood.

’So, Daoist Ye’s Sect was destroyed by the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage.’

What lay before his eyes were the dilapidated ruins of a Sect.

The main hall had collapsed and the Library Pavilion was in pieces. There was nothing of the warm scene Ye Hao had described before, only overgrown grass, Withered Vines, and more than ten low grave mounds.

Li Chang’an’s thoughts subconsciously drifted to Mu Qiuyan.

Who would have thought? Of his two old friends, one was fighting the Cyan Cloud Sect, while the other had embarked on a path of opposition against Yellow Crane Mountain.

Ye Hao slowly descended, landing before the collapsed main hall of the Sect.

His voice was slow as he began to recount what had happened here.

“Back then, my master was exploring a Secret Realm and unexpectedly discovered a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object. He brought it safely back to the Sect, intending for me to use it when I reached Foundation Establishment.”

“But word leaked out and a disciple from the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage heard about it. To snatch the Spiritual Object, that person enlisted his master—Fang Yi, the tenth disciple of Huang He Master…”

Fang Yi was a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

How could this small Qi Refining Sect possibly stand against him?

At the time, Ye Hao’s master hid him deep underground beneath the Sect and presented the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object to Fang Yi, humbly begging him to let them go.

Fang Yi agreed at first, but after taking the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, he went back on his word and struck the entire Sect with a single palm strike.

It was that very palm strike that left the ruins Li Chang’an now saw before him.

Hiding deep underground, Ye Hao was severely injured. When he finally mustered the strength to crawl out from the Sect’s ruins, he was met with the sight of more than ten mangled corpses.

“Back then, I asked my master and the others when it would be my turn to protect them. They all said all I had to do was reach Foundation Establishment.”

Ye Hao walked slowly toward the dozen or so low grave mounds.

With a desolate expression, he sighed sorrowfully.

“Master, Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters… I’ve reached Foundation Establishment. I can finally protect you all now.”

’This old friend’s life over the past few years hasn’t been nearly as easy as I imagined.’

In fact, his Sect was destroyed when he was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Before that, his master had arranged a marriage for him, but after the Sect was destroyed, the engagement was naturally broken.

The bride’s family came to his door to call off the engagement, forcing him to sign a Spirit Contract to formally annul it.

Later, heartbroken and dispirited, he returned to the mortal world to see his family, only to learn that his parents had already died of illness.

A mysterious passerby discovered that his younger sister possessed a Spiritual Root and took her away; her whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

Just like that, he had lost everything. He fell into a deep depression for a long time before finally pulling himself together, using revenge as his motivation to continue forging ahead on the Immortal Path.

After hearing the whole story, Li Chang’an was secretly astonished.

’Sect annihilated, parents dead, engagement broken, and his sister was taken away by some mysterious person… This guy…’

’Doesn’t that sound just like the protagonist of some mortal world folktale?’

’Besides, Ye Hao’s luck is just too good.’

’According to him, he’s faced countless crises over the years, but every single time, he’s managed to turn peril into safety, either by being rescued by a benefactor or by finding some hidden opportunity within the crisis itself.’

’This time, during the trip to the Changqing Cave Mansion, I was his benefactor.’

’Not only did I save his life, but I also helped him get the Foundation Establishment Treasure he’d always wanted.’

Ye Hao suddenly spoke up. “Daoist Li, I’ve heard that you accept missions to kill… to execute those guilty of heinous crimes?”

Li Chang’an nodded. He did occasionally take on such missions; after all, his Body Refinement consumed a vast amount of resources, and he needed to earn some extra income on the side.

Ye Hao then asked, “In the future, when I make my move against the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage, if I run into an enemy who’s too much for me to handle, could I hire you to take action?”

“As long as the price is right, we can discuss anything.”

Li Chang’an didn’t refuse. He already planned to deal with the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage himself.

Their goals were, in fact, aligned.

After some more conversation, Li Chang’an departed and returned to Yellow Crane Immortal City.

…

「That night.」

In his residence, Li Chang’an sat cross-legged and began to switch his Cultivation Technique.

The Ancient Wood Health Cultivation Technique he was currently practicing was merely a primer for the Ancient Wood Longevity Technique, so the transition went very smoothly.

「On the evening of the third day.」

Li Chang’an successfully completed the transition.

Within his Dantian, there were now fifteen drops of cyan-green Evergreen Magical Power.

He cast the Minor Magic that Su Yuyan had taught him to sense the upper limit of the Cultivation Technique.

“Just as I thought! The upper limit of this Cultivation Technique is three hundred and sixty-five drops of Liquid Magical Power!”