Eternal Life by Daily Divination

Li Chang’an returned to his cave abode and continued his cultivation.

…

「A few days later.」

An unexpected guest arrived on Changqing Mountain.

The son of Xiahou Hong.

Xiahou Yu!

The last time Li Chang’an had seen him was at Pei Yingyao’s Core Formation Ceremony, and at that time, he only had a Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivation.

Seeing him again today, he was already at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment.

Xiahou Yu hadn’t come to find Li Chang’an, but rather Zhou Yunqiao.

He had known Zhou Yunqiao for a long time and was infatuated with her, but he’d never had a chance to get close before. Now, he finally had an opportunity.

“Yunqiao, it’s not safe for you to stay here on Changqing Mountain. Come with me to Yellow Crane Mountain.”

“Thank you for your kind offer, Daoist Xiahou, but Changqing Mountain is very safe. You needn’t worry.”

Zhou Yunqiao’s tone was exceptionally cold, her expression keeping him at arm’s length.

Xiahou Yu frowned, his gaze sweeping over the layout of Changqing Mountain.

“Yunqiao, if the Zhou Family sends people to capture you, that turtle Li Chang’an won’t be able to stop them at all!”

Hearing this, Zhou Yunqiao’s face went cold, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.

She said coldly, “Elder Li’s strength is formidable. He is more than capable of protecting me!”

“He’s only at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. What makes you think he can protect you?”

Xiahou Yu was anxious and a little confused.

“Yunqiao, my father is a Fake Pill Master! He could slap this Li Chang’an to death with a single palm strike. Listen to me and come to Yellow Crane Mountain. It’s far safer than Changqing Mountain!”

Hearing this only deepened Zhou Yunqiao’s disgust.

“Elder Li, could you please throw this person out?”

“Of course.”

Li Chang’an smiled and waved his hand casually.

The Changqing Mountain array activated, immediately flinging Xiahou Yu out.

BOOM!

Xiahou Yu was sent flying to the horizon.

His face was ashen with rage as he roared, “Li Chang’an, I, Xiahou Yu, will remember this humiliation!”

With that, he transformed into a streak of light and departed.

He planned to return to Yellow Crane Immortal City and hire an Array Master to break through Li Chang’an’s tortoise shell.

However, halfway there, a familiar figure suddenly appeared before him.

Xiahou Yu came to a halt, his eyes narrowing as he stared ahead.

“Li Chang’an?”

“Daoist Xiahou, we meet again.”

Li Chang’an was smiling as he cupped his hands in greeting.

“Li Chang’an, why are you blocking my path?” Xiahou Yu demanded, his expression hostile.

Li Chang’an smiled. “Daoist Xiahou, I was hoping you could help me gather some information on the internal situation at Yellow Crane Mountain.”

“What, are you thinking of getting revenge on my Yellow Crane Mountain?” Xiahou Yu sneered.

“Then again, it makes sense. My father humiliated you so badly at your Foundation Establishment Ceremony that you couldn’t even lift your head. You became the laughingstock of all of Yellow Crane Immortal City. I’m afraid that incident has already become your Heart Demon.”

“You misunderstand, Daoist Xiahou. I truly just want to ask you to gather information.”

“And if I refuse?”

A Spiritual Light flashed in Xiahou Yu’s hand, materializing into a powerful Spiritual Artifact.

Clearly, he was preparing to fight.

Although he was only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment and Li Chang’an was, on the surface, at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, he was confident that even if he couldn’t defeat Li Chang’an, he could still escape from him.

“Li Chang’an, I forgot to mention, I’ll be holding my own Foundation Establishment Ceremony next month. If you have the time, you should come and see what a *real* Foundation Establishment Ceremony is like!”

With that, his figure blurred as he charged straight at Li Chang’an.

However, the very next instant, there was a loud THUD.

Xiahou Yu’s entire body shuddered, as if he had slammed into a tall, invisible wall.

His expression changed slightly, and he immediately unleashed a blast of Magical Power.

But when the Magical Power struck the space in front of him, it was as if it had been swallowed whole, vanishing without a sound.

’What’s going on?’

Unease grew in Xiahou Yu’s heart, and he immediately tried to fly away in another direction.

But after just a few breaths, he once again slammed into an invisible wall.

After that, no matter what he tried, he couldn’t fly out of this area.

“Impossible!”

Xiahou Yu even used a Tier Three measure his father had given him, but it was still useless.

He seemed to be trapped in an invisible cage.

Furthermore, this cage was constantly shrinking.

Eventually, the cage shrank until it was barely larger than his body, immobilizing him and making it difficult to breathe.

Nearby, the Evil Soul appeared, speaking smugly, “What do you think of my Netherworld Evil Domain? The kid’s Tier Three measure couldn’t even break it. He’s trapped by me, at your complete disposal.”

“Not bad. Very useful!”

Li Chang’an nodded slightly, extremely satisfied.

Just now, while he was talking with Xiahou Yu, the Evil Soul had acted silently, using the Netherworld Evil Domain to seal the area around Xiahou Yu and completely cut him off from the outside world.

Li Chang’an’s figure flickered, and he appeared before Xiahou Yu.

Xiahou Yu’s face was grim as he shouted, “Li Chang’an, if you dare to kill me, my father will never let you go! And neither will Huang He Master!”

“Rest assured, Daoist Xiahou. Today is not your day to die.”

Li Chang’an gave a faint smile, circulated the Wood Seed Technique, and shot out a streak of green light from his raised hand.

The green light instantly flew into Xiahou Yu’s body, transforming into a Wood Seed. It took root and sprouted within him, and in an instant, he became a Puppet that Li Chang’an could manipulate at will.

“Alright, Daoist Xiahou, you may go back now.”

Under his control, Xiahou Yu’s expression was normal, as if nothing had happened, and he flew back to Yellow Crane Immortal City as usual.

…

For the next month, Li Chang’an used Xiahou Yu to observe the internal situation of the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage.

However, to his disappointment, Xiahou Yu didn’t have much access—even less than some of the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment Honored Guest Elders.

Because Xiahou Hong was worried that members of the Huanghe Alliance might infiltrate Yellow Crane Mountain, he kept a very tight leash on Xiahou Yu, allowing him access to almost nothing.

’What a useless thing.’

Li Chang’an shook his head slightly.

’There’s no use keeping him around. I might as well kill him.’

「A few days later.」

Xiahou Yu’s Foundation Establishment Ceremony officially began.

The ceremony was an extraordinarily lively affair, bustling with people coming and going in an endless stream.

After all, he was the son of a Fake Pill Master.

Many people came to offer congratulatory gifts and use the opportunity to chat with his father, Xiahou Hong.

“Daoist Xiahou Yu’s talent is outstanding! To have reached Foundation Establishment at such a young age—truly, a tiger father does not beget a dog son!”

“With his talent, he has a good chance of reaching Core Formation in the future!”

“…”

Listening to everyone’s praise, Xiahou Hong was all smiles, in high spirits.

“Everyone, you’re all too generous with your praise. My son’s talent is only a little better than my own. Whether he can reach Core Formation is still up in the air.”

Though he said this, he had long been certain that Xiahou Yu would one day reach Core Formation.

In the future, the Xiahou Family would likely see the grand spectacle of three Core Formation cultivators in one family.

Soon, the grand banquet officially began.

Xiahou Yu sat in the seat of honor.

Xiahou Hong stood to one side, a gratified smile on his face as he watched his descendant.

Below, the crowd rose to their feet and raised their cups in congratulations.

“Congratulations to Daoist Xiahou on reaching Foundation Establishment!”

Their voices rang out in unison, the sound lingering in the hall long after.

This moment was the most glorious moment of Xiahou Yu’s life so far.

Even Xiahou Hong, standing beside him, was lost in a daze for a moment, recalling the grandeur of his own Foundation Establishment Ceremony years ago.

Filled with hope, he smiled and said, “Yu’er, you mustn’t become arrogant. You must walk even further on the path of cultivation.”

“Yes.”

Xiahou Yu replied with a smile.

The next instant, his entire body suddenly exploded, turning into a shower of blood and gore that splattered across the entire hall with a BOOM.

This sudden turn of events plunged the entire hall into a deathly silence.

Xiahou Hong, his face covered in blood, stood frozen in place as if turned to stone, staring blankly at the spot where Xiahou Yu had just exploded.

A long time passed.

Only then did his heart-wrenching roar echo through the hall.

“YU’ER!”