Longevity Begins From Raising Disciples

Just as they entered the Celestial Abyss, they actually ran into a Foundation Establishment Stage aberrant spawn?

By rights, that shouldn’t be possible...

These monsters ought to be hiding deep within the Celestial Abyss. Could something have gone wrong inside?

While everyone was still reeling in shock and doubt, Tuoba You up on the high platform also sensed that something was off.

”Strange... At the outskirts there should at most be some malformed Qi Refining Stage brats wandering about, yet now not only has a Foundation Establishment Early Stage aberrant appeared, there’s even one at the Foundation Establishment Middle Period.”

Tuoba You’s eyes narrowed slightly.

This had already exceeded the bounds of his prior control.

If these Loose Cultivator consumables died here, there would be no one to do the scouting once they entered the interior of the Celestial Abyss.

”The Holy Sect’s majesty is not something such abominations may profane!”

A harsh shout cracked through the dense fog like a spring thunder; Tuoba You finally made his move.

A streak of dark-red Flowing Light shot out from the high platform. Demonic Qi rolled around Tuoba You’s body as he sacrificed a strangely shaped white bone nail, its shaft faintly echoing with the wails of countless wronged souls.

Standing among the Loose Cultivator crowd, Chen Ye half-squinted his eyes, using the cover of the chaos to secretly observe.

Within that heaving fog, Tuoba You’s fierce figure flickered in and out of sight, the white bone nail howling with ghostly wind as it collided head-on with the three aberrants whose backs were bristling with bone spikes.

Those three vicious aberrant beasts were driven back step by step under Tuoba You’s assault, scales shattering, shrill screeches tearing the air.

Moments later, with a few muffled detonations, the Vitality of those three aberrants was forcibly blasted apart by Tuoba You; their broken remains crashed heavily into the piles of jagged rocks.

Tuoba You withdrew his Magical Treasure and landed steadily before the crowd.

His black robe billowed, his expression solemn, making the previously chaotic Loose Cultivators fall quiet instinctively.

”You are all under the Holy Sect’s rule. Though the Holy Sect does not raise useless trash, it will not send you to die for nothing either.”

Tuoba You swept his gaze around, offering reassurance,

”If this expedition bears fruit, you may be allowed to enter the Holy Sect. You will be permitted to cultivate within the sect for three years, and will also be granted Magical Treasures, secret manuals, and Spirit Stones. This seat would never speak empty words! After all... you have already been planted with the Unity Seal, there is no need for deception. Now hurry and keep up!”

This mix of grace and intimidation did make quite a few Loose Cultivators who had just crawled back from the brink of death feel a surge of gratitude; they kowtowed one after another to offer thanks.

Some even began to feel a flicker of hope:

”Since we’ve already been planted with the Emotion Crossing Seed, our Divine Souls are under the control of the Emotion Crossing Sect. Tuoba You could completely force us to obey; he really has no need to deceive us. Could it be... we truly have a chance to join the Emotion Crossing Sect? To cultivate in the sect for three years and enjoy so many resources...”

The group quickly re-formed.

With Tuoba You as their protector, the Loose Cultivators were finally able to breathe a little easier.

But Chen Ye’s expression grew increasingly grave.

”That disgusting stench is getting stronger and stronger...”

Qing Jun muttered in a low voice.

”My lord, be careful!”

Someone in the crowd shouted in terror, voice breaking.

Tuoba You started, only to see the Loose Cultivators suddenly staring in horror at the space behind him. Before he could react, a long tongue covered in dark-red barbs shot through the fog in an instant!

”Puchi!”

The strike was far too fast, far too powerful.

Tuoba You’s Divine Sense didn’t sense it at all, and his Protective Spiritual Light might as well have been scrap paper; it was effortlessly pierced through, the tongue stabbing in from his back and bursting out his chest, warm blood spraying into the air and freezing into a chain of ice crystals.

”Th-this is...”

He lowered his head with difficulty to look at that tongue coiled with drool, when it suddenly gave a vicious yank, dragging him like a rag doll into the depths of that viscous, cloying fog.

Chen Ye drew in a sharp breath, a faint sweat breaking out on his palms.

This aberrant beast was absolutely no ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage!

At the very least, it was on the Fake Pill level!

Though, with Qingzhi’s aid, Chen Ye had confidence he could fight a Cultivator at the Fake Pill level.

But this monster before him, its aura was far stronger than that of the black-robed Fake Pill Cultivator he had encountered before; it had already stepped beyond the scope of a common Fake Pill Cultivator.

Moreover.

This time, he had three disciples at his side; he had to divert some of his focus to ensure they remained safe and sound.

Worse still,

The other party seemed to sense Chen Ye’s Divine Sense. Those blood-red eyes actually pierced through layers upon layers of miasma to stare straight at him!

It has noticed!

The next instant, the previously still fog all around exploded into frenzy.

Countless wails and furious roars erupted from all directions, and dense clusters of red dots surfaced within the mist—there were at least several hundred aberrants lurking there!

”Scatter! Run!”

No one knew who let out that despairing roar; the five to six hundred Loose Cultivator队伍 that had just gathered collapsed in an instant.

”My lord!!!”

The Steward cried out in shock, watching helplessly as Tuoba You, a Sixth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, was plucked up like an ant and vanished into the rolling thick mist. He didn’t even have time to recall his white bone nail; that Demonic Qi–wreathed magic tool, from which resentful souls wailed, clattered down onto the gravel beach with a ”clang,” its Spiritual Light dimming.

”Run! Run!”

The hundreds of Loose Cultivators no longer cared about any promised rewards, even throwing the threat of the Unity Seal imprinted between their brows to the Ninth Heaven.

In the face of absolute death, all restraints became empty words.

Some of them summoned Escape Light and shot toward the cliff wall, only to slam midair into invisible spatial fissures, bursting into countless fragments before they could even scream; others, like headless flies, plunged into the fog, where Low Tier demonic creatures lying in ambush tore them apart.

Chen Ye’s face was iron-blue. With one hand he gripped Jin’er tightly, and with the other he reached back to hold Qing Jun, who was clinging to him.

”Zhiwei, stay close to me! That big one’s fixed its eyes on us!”

”Mm!”

Zhiwei lightly flicked her pale hand. No longer caring about exposure, three gourds were already floating in her palm, trailing behind her master.

”Master, they’re coming!”

Held in Chen Ye’s arms, Qing Jun stared wide-eyed at the rear.

In the dense fog, over a hundred scarlet points of light leapt like ghostfire. These demonic creatures ignored the Qi Refining Stage Loose Cultivators scattered everywhere, faintly forming a ring of encirclement that pointed straight at Chen Ye and his disciples!

The little girl’s heart gave a jolt.

Why did it feel like these demonic creatures appeared to be looking at Master, but were actually staring at her in his arms?!

”Roar—!”

Several Low Tier demonic creatures, unable to suppress their craving for pure bloodlines, lunged madly at them from the flank.

”Courting death.”

A cold glint flashed in Zhiwei’s dark eyes. Her fingers came together like a sword, and the three gourds suspended before her sensed their master’s killing intent, letting out a clear hum.

”Swoosh—!”

From the mouth of one azure gourd burst a Water Sword like a crescent moon, its Sword Qi frosty, cleaving those pouncing demonic creatures cleanly in half, the cuts perfectly smooth.

”Master, they’ve surrounded us. There are too many, we can’t kill them all!”

Zhiwei pushed off lightly with her toes, staying tight at Chen Ye’s side.

Though she was cutting them down neatly, the red points flickering in the surrounding mist only grew more numerous. For every few she slew, more demonic creatures crawled out from the cracks between stones and from the cliff walls—endless, inexhaustible.

At the edge of the battlefield, those Emotion Crossing Sect Cultivators had long since no time to care about Chen Ye’s group of four.

”Control the seals! Quickly, control the seals and make them hold the demonic creatures back!”

The Steward roared himself hoarse, while the Emotion Crossing disciple beside him, hands trembling, formed spell gestures.

At once, more than a hundred Loose Cultivators were seized by his control, hurling themselves at the demonic creatures against their will.

”Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The dull sounds of flesh and blood exploding, mixed with a nauseating stench, reverberated through the thick fog.

Their mass sacrifice did indeed halt the surging tide of demonic creatures for a brief moment.

This also allowed Chen Ye and his disciples a short breath of respite.

”Zhiwei, three zhang to the left—that’s a spatial shard, go around it! The rear is already blocked by demonic spawn; we’re heading deeper into the Celestial Abyss!”

Chen Ye’s face was as still as water, his Divine Sense stretched to the utmost.

Even as he searched for a way out, he kept that Fake Pill–level demonic spawn tightly locked in his senses.

That beast completely ignored the Loose Cultivators’ obstruction, its target razor-sharp and clear, its body crashing through the rubble in a straight line as it charged directly at Chen Ye.

”Ugh... what on earth are these stinking monsters staring at Qing Jun for!”

Qing Jun was held firmly in Chen Ye’s arms, her small hands unconsciously clutching at his robe.

She could feel that these things didn’t want to eat her; they were calling to her, wanting to assimilate her into a part of themselves!

”Squeak squeak! (Seems...it’s about time I made a move?)”

The little white fox was both excited and wary.

With Golden Core–level Cultivation now, it truly had no fear of that monster.

But within the Celestial Abyss, something seemed to be stirring... If an even more terrifying demonic spawn emerged, it feared it might not be able to protect Chen Ye and the others.

Back then,

even a Golden Core dragon-blooded descendant had died a miserable death in the Celestial Abyss...