Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

”Speak. Have you been in this area for the past few days?” Song Xianming demanded, his face grim.

The small beast was only at the Tier Two Level. Facing a group of Purple Mansion Cultivators, it didn’t dare hide a thing. It hurriedly answered, ”Replying to you, Upper Immortals, I have indeed been here this entire time.”

Hearing this, the group’s spirits lifted. Song Xianming pressed on, ”Then have you seen any Human Race Cultivators pass by these last few days? Out with it, and tell the truth!”

Startled by the terrifying aura emanating from Song Xianming, the small beast nodded frantically and stammered, ”R-Reporting, Upper Immortals, I… I did see some. A few days ago, four Upper Immortals with profound cultivation were… were engaged in… in Magical Combat here.”

As it spoke, a human-like fear filled the small beast’s eyes, and its body began to tremble, as if recalling something dreadful.

A look of excitement crossed Song Xianming’s face. He took a portrait from his Storage Bag, unfurled it, and said, ”Did you see this man?”

The small beast scrutinized the portrait before finally nodding. ”Yes… that Upper Immortal was here.”

”Then do you know his whereabouts?” Song Xianming’s tone grew urgent.

”Well… That Upper Immortal… at the time, I think he said… something about taking two of them down with him even if he died. Then he detonated something.

That thing was terrifying. One of the other Upper Immortals was instantly turned to ashes, and another was left with only half a body. As for the Upper Immortal in the portrait…

”I’m just a coward. I was only thinking of running for my life, so I didn’t dare look too closely. I just vaguely saw him… I think he fell into the Xianglu River…” The small beast stretched out a claw, pointing at the surging river nearby. Then, it began to tremble, as if quietly awaiting its fate.

Hearing this, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief. Song Changsheng’s Soul Lamp had not gone out, which meant he was still alive. He had simply been severely wounded and exhausted, causing him to fall into the river. This outcome was far better than they had anticipated.

Shen Qingxiu took out a Spirit Fruit and placed it in the small beast’s mouth. She chuckled and said, ”Consider it fate that you’ve met us. This fruit can help you advance. Cultivate well, and in the future, don’t step foot in Human Race Territory.”

With that, she sent the terrified yet grateful beast back to the ground.

The group flew to a spot above the river. Gazing down at the vast, rushing water, they all frowned deeply.

Nearly two days had passed since Song Changsheng’s call for help. If he had indeed fallen into the river, he would have either sunk to the bottom or been swept far downstream by now.

If he had sunk to the bottom, it would be manageable; that was no challenge for them.

The real trouble would be if he had been swept away. After all, Song Changsheng was gravely injured. If he remained unconscious, his Mana would eventually be depleted.

Without Mana protecting his body, even a Purple Mansion Cultivator would drown. He would surpass He Tai and become the greatest laughingstock in the Daqi Cultivation World. It would have been more dignified to die in battle.

”This Xianglu River spans the entire Daqi Cultivation World and has countless tributaries. Finding him won’t be easy,” Shen Qingxiu said, her expression grim.

In truth, Shen Qingxiu was being diplomatic. It wasn’t just ’not easy’—trying to pull someone from the Xianglu River was as hard as finding a needle in an ocean. Even the abilities of Purple Mansion Cultivators had their limits.

”Let’s try the Tracking Technique first.”

As he spoke, Bai Zhengchun produced a Jade Bottle from his robes. It contained a clump of earth stained with Song Changsheng’s blood. By using this as a focus for the spell, they could find Song Changsheng as long as he was within a thousand-li radius.

Under the group’s tense watch, Bai Zhengchun began to cast the spell. The Jade Bottle began to spin, faster and faster, emitting a hazy glow. The glow condensed into a streak of light that shot out, circled above their heads a few times, and then vanished. With a loud BANG, the Jade Bottle exploded, turning to dust.

Seeing this, Song Xianming’s heart sank. A result like this usually meant one of two things: either Song Changsheng had been swept more than a thousand li away, or his aura was somehow being masked.

But either way, it was not the outcome they had hoped for.

”Let’s try again from a different location.”

The group followed the river, searching as they went. They used the Tracking Technique more than a dozen times, covering a distance of nearly twenty thousand li, until all the blood-stained earth was gone. Still, they found no trace of Song Changsheng, nor could they contact him. It was as if… he had vanished into thin air.

By now, Song Xianming was on the verge of despair. If not for word from the Song Clan that Song Changsheng’s Soul Lamp was still burning, he would have suspected the man was already feeding the fish.

After all, no matter how swift the current, it was impossible for it to have carried a grown man over twenty thousand li in such a short amount of time.

Seeing Song Xianming grow more gaunt by the day, Shen Qingxiu couldn’t bear it. She comforted him, saying, ”Don’t despair, Xianming. Changsheng’s aura may have just been cut off by something. Let’s go back and find our senior brother. A Golden Core Master possesses the art of divination. He might have a solution.”

At her words, light returned to Song Xianming’s eyes. He murmured, ”Yes, the Great City Lord… The Great City Lord will surely have a way.”

With that, Song Xianming immediately rushed back toward Luoxia City.

Meanwhile, as time passed, news began to spread that the Lieyang Sect and the Rong Clan had suffered disastrous casualties.

The entire nation was stunned. No one had expected the Song Clan, which had only just reclaimed its position among the Seven Eminent Clans, to be capable of crippling two Purple Mansion Influences in a single stroke.

It was nothing short of a miracle!

And so, driven by all manner of motives, people began to dig into the details of this extraordinary battle.