Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Turning from Guest to Host

”Lord Black Steward, that group is here again.”

In a cave dozens of miles from the ruins, a man in a black robe, with a skeletal figure, respectfully reported to a person sitting on a blood-red iron throne before him.

A tall figure sat on the blood-red iron throne. He wore a scarlet robe with a black bat insignia embroidered on the chest, his face shrouded in a bloody mist that made his features impossible to discern.

The Black Steward leaned lazily against the throne’s armrest, his fingers tapping an irregular rhythm. After a long moment, he spoke coldly, ”Can they break that damned Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array this time?”

The skeletal man replied cautiously, ”My lord, it seems they’ve come fully prepared. Two individuals who appear to be Array Masters have already entered the array. They must have made thorough preparations.”

”Oh? It seems these people are of some use after all. My waiting here for over a year wasn’t a complete waste. The task Lord Squad Leader assigned me is finally about to be completed.”

The Black Steward’s tone softened slightly, his mood improving considerably.

”Congratulations, my lord! You will soon be the number one Steward under the Lord Squad Leader. Attaining the Purple Mansion realm and establishing a new squad is just around the corner!”

Seeing his chance, the skeletal man immediately laid the flattery on thick.

Unexpectedly, the Black Steward just snorted coldly after hearing this. ”Hmph. If the Song Clan hadn’t destroyed my nest in the Moon Viewing Mountain Range, I would have broken the Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array long ago. Why would I have needed to wait until now?”

”Those wastes deserved to die. They couldn’t even succeed at snatching a few brats with Spirit Roots, and they ruined the pieces you had placed in the Moon Viewing Mountain Range,” the skeletal man quickly chimed in.

”That is not for you to discuss. Send men to watch that group. The moment the array is broken, kill them all without mercy. Don’t let them touch anything in the ruins, understand?” the Black Steward said coldly.

”Yes, my lord!”

...

On the outskirts of the ruins, Zhu Yiqun and the others were using all their strength to maintain the two passages, completely unaware that they had already fallen into a trap set by the Blood Demons.

”Old Zhu, what’s taking Fellow Daoist Xuu and Fellow Daoist Song so long? The consumption is too great. We’re almost at our limit,” Lih Hu said, his face deathly pale.

Looking at the others, aside from Zhu Yiqun, Zhuang Yuechan, and Xu Yunhe, none were in good shape. Their Spiritual Power was nearly depleted.

”Just hold on a little longer. We prepared for so long to get here. We won’t get a chance this good again. I believe they can do it,” Zhu Yiqun said, gritting his teeth to reassure the group, though he couldn’t help the anxiety welling up inside.

’I can only pray I wasn’t wrong about them...’

Inside the Grand Array, Song Changsheng had almost reached the center. At this point, the difficulty of his deductions had increased immensely.

If not for the fact that Song Changsheng’s Divine Soul had been greatly enhanced by his perennial study of the Daoist Scripture, he truly would not have been able to maintain such a high intensity of deduction.

’The Array Hub should be nearby. Three left, two up.’ Song Changsheng’s feet shifted slightly. As he took the final step, his eyes narrowed, and with a wave of his sleeve, he summoned the Water Element Shield to protect himself.

DONG—

A deep, sonorous bell toll echoed as the phantom of a giant Copper Bell appeared, instantly colliding with the Water Element Shield.

”Defense!”

While commanding the Water Element Shield to protect him, Song Changsheng rapidly retreated, landing steadily on the path he had previously deduced.

”To actually use a Spiritual Artifact as the Array Hub... what extravagance from the master of these ruins!” Song Changsheng couldn’t help but exclaim as he looked at the phantom of the Copper Bell before him.

In this world, Magical Artifacts were divided into tiers corresponding to a cultivator’s realm, such as Tier One Magical Artifacts, Tier Two Magical Artifacts, and so on.

But a distinction emerged once a Magical Artifact reached Tier Two. This was because Foundation Establishment Cultivators could place a Magical Artifact within their Dantian to nurture it, a process known as spirit nurturing.

Through long-term nurturing or by using special methods, a Magical Artifact could develop a Spiritual Attribute, at which point it would become a Spiritual Artifact.

Further up the hierarchy were Magical Treasures, Spiritual Treasures, and Law Spiritual Treasures.

Regardless of their rank, an Artifact Refiner could only ever forge an ordinary Magical Artifact. The Spiritual Attribute had to be Acquired through nurturing, with the exception of certain special methods.

Although a Spiritual Artifact was benchmarked against a Tier Two Magical Artifact, their values were in completely different leagues. A Magical Artifact was an inanimate object, but a Spiritual Artifact possessed a trace of Spiritual Wisdom, making it almost a living thing. It could help its master unleash their power to the fullest extent.

This small difference should not be underestimated; in actual combat, it provided a massive boost.

Magical Artifacts were easy to come by, but Spiritual Artifacts were hard to find. Even in the Song Clan, there were only a few Spiritual Artifacts passed down through the generations, each one a cherished family treasure.

’It may be a High-Grade Spiritual Artifact, but it’s masterless now. I should be able to handle it.’

While Song Changsheng was pondering this, the phantom of the Copper Bell attacked again. Silent, vortex-like ripples spread out from the phantom.

”Treasure Gourd, out!” Song Changsheng recalled the Water Element Shield to defend himself, then sent out the Water and Fire Treasure Gourd to clash head-on with the Copper Bell’s phantom.

The gourd and the bell crashed together, letting out a series of thunderous roars that reverberated endlessly. Song Changsheng waved his sleeve again, and twelve Array Banners shot out in a single file line.

The Array Banners formed a circle in mid-air, surrounding the phantom of the Copper Bell.

He held his breath and focused, carefully maneuvering the Triangular Array Banners one by one, integrating them into the Grand Array’s Foundation according to the patterns he had deduced.

What Song Changsheng was doing was incredibly audacious. He didn’t just want to destroy the Array Hub and break the Grand Array; he wanted to seize control of it.

He had already comprehended all the Array Patterns of this Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array. He just needed to follow the Grand Array’s original operational principles and set up a Reversing Array at the Array Hub.

Once he controlled the Array Hub, he could turn the tables and take control of the Grand Array for himself.

Song Changsheng wasn’t doing this to hoard the treasures in the ruins for himself, but to leave himself a trump card.

After all, among this large group, he was the only one who had joined at the last minute. If someone had ill intentions and planned to double-cross him, he would be able to fight back.

It wasn’t that he was being overly suspicious, but that it was always better to be safe than sorry.

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

The phantom of the Copper Bell seemed to have sensed Song Changsheng’s intentions and increased the frequency of its attacks. For a moment, the Treasure Gourd was forced back again and again.

Song Changsheng’s face gradually turned pale. After all, each attack from the bell sent a shockwave through his Divine Sense. If Xuu Yun had been in his place, her Divine Soul would have likely been shattered by now, turning her into an imbecile.

”You’re just a mere Spiritual Artifact! You think you can defy me?” Song Changsheng roared, his eyes wide with fury as he took out and swallowed several Pills to fortify his Divine Soul.

”Water Element Shield, out!”

He completely abandoned his personal defense, pressing forward with both Top-Grade Magical Artifacts at once, instantly suppressing the phantom of the Copper Bell.

He, in turn, seized this opportunity to set up the Reversing Array.

Thanks to his profound understanding of the Array Patterns, setting up the array went very smoothly.

The moment the array was complete, Song Changsheng unleashed his full power, suppressing the Spiritual Artifact that served as the Array Hub and forcibly imprinting it with his own soul brand.

At that moment, he took control of most of the Grand Array’s functions!

...