Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Tuo Province, Zhangye County, Five Elements Peak.

The siblings, Song Yushi and Song Yulong, rushed to the Garrison Mansion together. As soon as they entered, they found all of the mansion’s guards assembled.

The Garrison Mansion originally had eighty clan Cultivators under its command. Sixty had since been recalled to the clan to prepare for war, leaving only these twenty. Now, all of them were gathered.

A bad feeling instantly welled up in the siblings’ hearts. Just then, they ran into a hurried Song Changxuan. Song Yulong quickly grabbed him and asked anxiously, ”What’s the situation with the clan? How is the battle going?”

Hearing this, Song Changxuan sighed faintly. ”It’s not looking good. I’m planning to take them back to the clan as reinforcements.

Elder Brother Yulong, after I leave, Zhangye is in your hands. You must hold this escape route for us, no matter what.”

”Has the situation really become that dire?” Song Yulong’s face paled in shock.

”I never thought it would come to this either,” Song Changxuan said, his expression grim.

”But there are so few of you. Even if you return to the clan, you won’t be able to turn the tide.”

”We do what we can and leave the rest to fate. Even if we die, we’ll die on our homeland’s soil.” At this moment, Song Changxuan’s usual lackadaisical air was gone, replaced by extreme solemnity.

Seeing their expressions, ready to face death, Song Yulong’s heart trembled. He then declared resolutely, ”I’ll go with you. The branch here still has nearly a hundred people who can fight. We’re not without a chance.”

Song Changxuan was startled. ”Elder Brother Yulong, don’t be rash!” he said quickly. ”This is all you have left.”

”My brother, I too am named Song. The blood of the Moon Viewing Song Clan flows in my veins. The clan belongs to you, but it belongs to us as well.

At a time of such crisis, what reason is there for me to sit here and seek comfort? Do you not consider us family in your heart?!” Song Yulong reprimanded sharply.

Song Changxuan’s expression turned serious. He cupped his hands in a solemn gesture. ”Elder Brother, I meant no such thing.”

Hearing this, Song Yulong’s expression softened. He reached out and patted his shoulder. ”Wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

With that, Song Yulong mounted his flying sword and rushed back to his family’s encampment at once.

The moment he landed, a crowd surged forward with a RUSH, surrounding him so tightly he couldn’t move. A babble of voices all spoke at once: ”Patriarch, what’s the situation with the main clan?”

Song Yulong looked at the panicked, uneasy faces around him, and his thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to their days on the run. Back then, everyone wore the same expression.

He found a rock and stood on it so everyone could see him. He cleared his throat and said with a heavy expression, ”Everyone, I know what you want to ask. I’ve just returned from the Garrison Mansion. The Guardian Elder told me that the clan’s situation is grim.”

The moment he finished speaking, the crowd erupted. Panic appeared on every face. To them, this was a sign that the clan was on the verge of defeat.

”Quiet!” Song Yulong bellowed.

The panicked crowd, upon hearing his voice, seemed to find their pillar of strength. They all quieted down, looking at him with desperate eyes.

”I have decided to go and reinforce the clan. Are you... willing to come with me?”

Song Yulong’s words once again caused a commotion.

A Clan Elder with white hair and a white beard hesitated. ”The main clan is so powerful, yet even they can’t hold out. What use will we be if we go?”

At his words, everyone fell silent.

They might have over a hundred Qi Cultivators, but after excluding the old and the young, only sixty or seventy were truly battle-ready. With such meager strength, they would struggle even against a small Foundation Establishment Family.

”That’s right. If we go, we’ll just be throwing our lives away. It’s useless,” a woman sobbed, covering her face. Her voice was full of despair.

Years on the run had drained them of all their passion and courage.

Song Yulong watched them avert their eyes, and a stifling feeling clogged his heart. He could understand their thinking, but that didn’t mean he was willing to watch them rot away like this.

’Some things, once lost, can never be regained.’

And so, he retorted loudly, ”Who says it’s useless!”

”The clan hasn’t been defeated yet! One more person is one more bit of strength. For all we know, we might be exactly what that battlefield is missing right now! More strength means more hope!

If the clan falls today, we will be forced back onto the path of exile. Tell me, do you want to go back to those days?!”

The area fell deathly silent, with only Song Yulong’s furious shout echoing in their ears.

Their days in Zhangye had been the most peaceful and beautiful time they’d had in years. If they were forced back into that precarious life, never knowing if they would survive the day, they might as well be killed.

After a long moment, a clan member with a stoic expression pushed through the crowd and came before Song Yulong. ”Patriarch,” he said, ”I don’t want to. I never want to go back to a life like that again.”

Gradually, more and more people stepped forward. They didn’t speak, but the expressions on their faces said it all.

”I don’t want to,” a somewhat childish voice called out from the crowd.

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw it was a child, not even old enough for his Spirit Testing yet. He had an extremely serious expression, looking like a miniature adult.

Song Yulong walked over to the young child, crouched down, and stroked his soft hair. ”You’re right. None of us want to, and we won’t go back to that life. This time, we will defend ourselves with our own two hands.”

”I’ll go too.”

Hearing that, smiles appeared on the faces of the crowd.

Song Yulong chuckled. ”You have your own mission. After we leave, the family will be in your hands to protect. Are you confident?”

”Yes, I can definitely do it,” the child nodded seriously.

Song Yulong gave him an encouraging pat on the head, then looked around at the crowd. ”Clan members between the ages of sixteen and eighty, come with me.”

Together with the twenty people from the Garrison Mansion, Song Yulong and Song Changxuan gathered nearly a hundred Qi Cultivators and led them through the Space Transmission Array to Vast Mist Peak.

”Yulong, why are you all here?” Song Xianming frowned, glancing at Song Changxuan. He hadn’t called for Song Yulong’s group.

”Great-Grandfather, your grandson has brought his clansmen to join the fight!” Song Yulong announced loudly as he came before Song Xianming.

Seeing his expression, Song Xianming understood immediately. ”That you have such heart, this old man is greatly comforted,” he said, pleased. ”Go to Jade Bamboo Mountain together and help your Twenty-first Grand-uncle and the others break the stalemate.”

”Grandson obeys!”

Song Yulong bowed to accept the order and led this fresh force straight toward Jade Bamboo Mountain at the rear.

At this moment, the situation on Jade Bamboo Mountain was as perilous as a stack of eggs. If not for Zhu Yiqun and Song Xianyun holding the line and struggling to support the front, the mountain would have fallen long ago.

The great battle had already raged for several ancient hours. Both sides were long exhausted, holding on through sheer willpower alone.

Song Yulong and the others, leading a fresh force of nearly a hundred men, charged decisively onto the battlefield. The situation reversed in an instant, becoming the key factor that broke the balance.

Seeing the reinforcements arrive, the Song Clan’s morale soared, and they began to counterattack with all their might.

Seeing this, the Lieyang Sect Elder hastily commanded his disciples to make a panicked retreat.

Song Changxuan and his men seized the opportunity to sweep through the enemy. As the saying goes, an army in defeat is like a landslide. Both sides had already been arrows at the end of their flight, and now, with the arrival of Song Yulong’s group, the taut string finally snapped. The enemies on Spirit Embroidery Mountain and Spirit Plant Mountain had no choice but to retreat as well.

On a barren mountain not far from the battlefield, Song Changrong said urgently to Song Qingxing, ”This is a perfect opportunity! If we strike now, they’ll never be able to react in time.”

Unexpectedly, Song Qingxing replied coldly, ”The Quasi-Celestial Ship holds no advantage against a Purple Mansion Cultivator. It is only because we are hidden that we even have this chance to attack.

If we expose ourselves now, we’ll lose our chance during the battle between the Purple Mansion Cultivators. As for which choice to make, Uncle, you should see it more clearly than I.”

”But... sigh. Forget it. We’ll do as you say.” Song Changrong let out a faint sigh and turned to descend the mountain.

They had been here for a long time. Seeing the urgency of the battle, he had wanted to charge out and help several times, but Song Qingxing had stopped him each time.

Although he agreed with Song Qingxing’s reasoning, his heart was increasingly tormented. Since he couldn’t bring himself to be that ruthless, he figured it was better to look away.

Under Song Qingxing’s indifferent watch, the remnants of the Lieyang Sect and the Rong Clan retreated safely.

Watching this scene, He Tai was burning with fury. They had been so close!

”A bunch of trash!” the black-robed man said coldly.

Beside them, Zhang Yu appeared indifferent, even feeling a hint of secret delight. The longer this war dragged on, the more it would benefit the Vast Alliance.

”Let’s retreat. The opportunity is gone,” Xu Mei said flatly, then turned and left.

Seeing this, no matter how unwilling He Tai and Rong Mingtao were, they had no choice but to give up for the time being.

After retreating the battered army back to their base and seeing the heavy losses among his disciples, He Tai’s heart was bleeding. Regardless of the final outcome of this war, the Lieyang Sect had already suffered a grievous blow to its vitality.

Just as he was wondering whether to summon their vassal forces from Yang Province to join the war, a huge Blood-Eyed Crow flapped its wings, flew into the main tent, and transformed into a tall, black-robed man.

”Why are you here?” He Tai said, startled.

Blood Eye sneered. ”Relax. No one here can discover my presence.”

Hearing this, He Tai relaxed slightly but still waved his hand to set up a privacy Restriction.

If his collusion with Demon Cultivators were to be exposed, forget just him—the entire Lieyang Sect would be razed to the ground.

Blood Eye walked to the main seat and sat down. ”How goes the battle?” he asked coolly. ”It looks like the fighting was intense.”

”We were just one step away from breaching the Song Clan’s Clan Protection Array, but my disciples were useless, and we failed at the last moment.

I’m now planning to summon our vassal forces with Rong Mingtao. Even if we have to bury them with bodies, we will annihilate the Song Clan!” He Tai said hatefully.

”There’s no need for that trouble.” With a flick of his sleeve, Blood Eye’s voice turned icy. ”The Song Clan’s Clan Leader is about to come out of seclusion. Once the Song Clan has another Tier Three Array Master, do you really think numbers will still matter?”

”What? He already succeeded in his breakthrough?” He Tai’s face lost all color.

Song Changsheng was never someone who could be measured by common sense. He had stained his hands with the blood of a Purple Mansion Cultivator while he was still at the Foundation Establishment stage and even held the title of ’number one beneath Purple Mansion.’ Now that he has broken through to Purple Mansion, his strength likely cannot be judged by the standards of an ordinary Cultivator.

Their advantage against the Song Clan was already slight. With the addition of Song Changsheng, their chances have become even slimmer.

He Tai slumped into a rattan chair, his expression shifting between light and dark.

”Actually,”

Just then, Blood Eye’s voice sounded faintly. ”There is another solution.”

”No matter what, you cannot show your face!” Hearing this, He Tai thought Blood Eye was going to act personally and immediately retorted.

If Blood Eye made a move, there was no way it would escape notice. After the Song Clan was annihilated, his Lieyang Sect would likely be next.

He had no desire to be someone else’s stepping stone.

Blood Eye sneered. ”Where is your mind wandering? Song Xianming has the Grand Array to rely on, but does Song Changsheng? As long as we capture him, we won’t have to worry about the Song Clan refusing to submit.”

Hearing this, He Tai’s eyes lit up...

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