Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

After making some brief preparations, the two of them headed out of the city together.

Proving Song Changsheng’s identity was quite simple. Not only did he have his family’s Identity Jade Token, but he also had the invitation to the Great City Lord’s birthday banquet.

As a Loose Cultivator, proving Xu Yunhe’s identity was more troublesome. Fortunately, his reputation as the ”One-armed Swordsman” was not insignificant, and with Song Changsheng vouching for him, he also managed to leave the city successfully.

But once they were outside the city, gazing at the vast and sprawling mountains, Xu Yunhe felt a little lost. Although he knew their target was hiding somewhere in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the range was immense.

As long as it was determined to hide, finding it would only be slightly easier than finding a needle in a haystack.

”Brother Song, where should we start?” Xu Yunhe asked, clearly bewildered. He had no desire to wander aimlessly through the Hundred Thousand Mountains like a headless chicken; it was no safe haven.

Hearing this, Song Changsheng gave a mysterious smile and said with complete confidence, ”Since I’ve brought Brother Yunhe out here, I naturally have the confidence to find it.”

Seeing his immense confidence, Xu Yunhe was rather astonished and couldn’t help but guess, ”Brother Song, could it be that you know a tracking technique?”

Before coming to Luoxia City, Song Changsheng certainly wouldn’t have known one. But things were different now. He had obtained two scrolls of Secret Techniques from Sunx Chuanming, one of which was the Ten Thousand Miles Tracking, which he called the ”Dog Nose Technique.”

As long as he remembered the target’s scent and had a general idea of the area, this technique could locate it.

He had been cultivating this Ten Thousand Miles Tracking for half a year and had used and tested it frequently. Just as Sunx Chuanming had said, every person, and indeed every living creature, has a unique scent.

The sensation was bizarre and impossible to describe with words, yet he could distinguish them clearly.

Although he had only briefly encountered the Living Puppet, Song Changsheng had firmly committed its rotten ”scent” to memory.

As long as he got within a certain range of the Living Puppet, he could sniff it out!

”To think such a wondrous Secret Technique exists in this world.” After hearing this, an amazed expression appeared on Xu Yunhe’s face. In that moment, he became even more acutely aware of the inadequacy of his own foundation.

”I can’t smell its ’scent’ from here. Let’s head into the mountains first.” Song Changsheng deployed the Secret Technique but found nothing for the time being, so he suggested this to Xu Yunhe.

”Alright.” Xu Yunhe nodded, and the two of them sped off toward the distant mountain range...

The Hundred Thousand Mountains was actually a collective name for several interconnected mountain ranges. They stretched from the west of the continent all the way to the East Sea Shore, separating the Human Race from the Demon Beasts.

It was a treasure trove that the Human Race had not yet been able to exploit. Countless Demon Beasts lived within, including a good number of Great Demons. Despite the danger, it still attracted many people who entered to hunt Demon Beasts.

Besides the abundant Demon Beast resources, endless Spirit Medicines grew among the mountains, and innumerable mineral veins lay buried within.

The Human Race had never given up on conquering this region, but their spirit was willing while their strength was not. Without a Holy Land to lead the charge, it was simply an impossible task.

”Brother Yunhe, you’ve been training in the Hundred Thousand Mountains for so long, you must be quite familiar with the area. If it were you, where would you hide?” Song Changsheng asked suddenly as they walked through the dense mountain forests.

Xu Yunhe thought for a moment before replying, ”The Hundred Thousand Mountains is fraught with danger. Without a Cultivation at the Purple Mansion Stage or higher, one can only operate in the outer regions.

”Since that puppet is severely injured, it certainly wouldn’t dare to go too deep. After all, in front of a Great Demon or a Demon King, it might not even have a chance to escape. Therefore, we should focus our search on the outer twenty thousand miles of the range.

”Additionally, there are several Great Demon territories in the outer region. Great Demons are extremely territorial, so it probably wouldn’t dare to go near them. This narrows down the search area quite a bit.”

In just a few sentences, Xu Yunhe had already shrunk the search area several times over.

Just then, Song Changsheng activated his Ten Thousand Miles Tracking and took a couple of light sniffs. He suddenly pointed in a direction and said, ”There are many scents left by people in this direction not long ago. It should be the group that left the city before us. Let’s follow them and have a look.”

With that said, the two of them shot forward at high speed...

After flying for about one ancient hour, Song Changsheng and his companion finally encountered the first living person. He was also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and watched them with a wary expression.

Song Changsheng cupped his hands in a salute and said, ”Fellow Daoist, are you here for the City Lord’s Mansion’s bounty?”

”Aren’t you?” the round-faced Cultivator replied, his expression clearly saying, ’What a stupid question.’

”Has anyone succeeded yet?”

The round-faced Cultivator was eager to get rid of them, so he didn’t bother hiding anything. ”The Living Puppet showed itself once. A fellow Daoist from the Lieyang Sect tore off one of its arms, and it fled eastward.”

”The Lieyang Sect?” Song Changsheng’s brow furrowed. ’Those people are like lingering ghosts.’

”Thank you for the information, Fellow Daoist.” Song Changsheng cupped his hands again and pursued them to the east.

Sure enough, the further east they went, the more traces of human Cultivators they found.

This was a disaster for the Demon Beasts in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Wherever the Human Race Cultivators passed, not a blade of grass was left standing, and many Tier Two Demon Beasts had been killed.

As Song Changsheng and Xu Yunhe continued their pursuit, they gathered more and more intelligence, giving them a general understanding of the current situation in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

It turned out that it wasn’t just the Living Puppet that had fled into the mountains. The Evil Cultivator who had kidnapped Xia Wanyun and the Blood Demon who had stolen the Blood Bat Demon King’s cub had also entered the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

This caused their pursuers to flood in as well. By a rough estimate, no fewer than ten Purple Mansion Cultivators and over a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators were present. Their combined strength was formidable, and at least one Great Demon had already fallen.

The strength of the Human Race Cultivators was naturally a good thing. With these Purple Mansion Stage Great Cultivators clearing the way, things would be much easier for Song Changsheng and Xu Yunhe.

Suddenly, Song Changsheng, who was flying at high speed, came to an abrupt halt.

Xu Yunhe asked, puzzled, ”Brother Song, did you find something?”

”Yes, but it’s not the Living Puppet. It’s... the scent of the Evil Cultivator.” Song Changsheng’s expression grew solemn. ’The Evil Cultivator is nearby!’

Xu Yunhe immediately went on high alert, as if facing a great enemy. He was, after all, a Purple Mansion Cultivator. Even severely injured, he was not someone they could handle.

”Can we go around him?” Xu Yunhe asked with a frown. After all, he wasn’t their target.

”I’m afraid that might be difficult. It sounds like a fight has already broken out up ahead.”

”Then let’s go take a look first. We might just stumble upon an unexpected opportunity.” As a Loose Cultivator, Xu Yunhe had always lived by the principle that fortune is found in danger—where there was risk, there was also reward.

”Alright.” Song Changsheng nodded. Magical Combat between Purple Mansion Cultivators was not a common sight; for them, it was also a kind of opportunity.

After pinpointing the direction, Song Changsheng and Xu Yunhe hurried over. They chose not to fly there brazenly, instead landing on the ground. Being in the sky was far too conspicuous.

As they drew closer, the fluctuations from the battle became more distinct. However, to Song Changsheng’s confusion, he sensed the auras of many Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

’Don’t tell me a group of Foundation Establishment Cultivators are besieging the Evil Cultivator?’ Song Changsheng muttered to himself.

When they finally saw the two warring parties, it was just as Song Changsheng had thought: a group of Foundation Establishment Cultivators was besieging the Evil Cultivator. They were using the power of an Array to trap the Evil Cultivator, slowly draining his Mana.

Once his Mana was depleted, it would be time for him to meet his doom.

”It’s the Lieyang Sect again. Why are they everywhere?” As his family’s sworn enemy, Song Changsheng paid extra attention to intelligence about the Lieyang Sect. With just a glance, he recognized them as the same few Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Lieyang Sect who had come to Luoxia City.

’I can’t believe they’re bold enough to besiege a Purple Mansion Cultivator, and they might actually succeed.’

Song Changsheng stroked his chin, his mind already scheming how to cause trouble for the Lieyang Sect. ’After all, killing this Evil Cultivator comes with the reward of a Yin Yang Purple Tree Heart.’

’The Lieyang Sect is already suffocating my family with just one Purple Mansion Cultivator. If they get another one, the situation will become critical.’

’Maybe I should find a chance to break their Array?’ Song Changsheng’s gaze drifted over the three Lieyang Sect Cultivators anchoring the Array.

’I still have two Godslaying Flying Knives. The success rate of a sneak attack is very high. As long as I kill one of them, the Array will no longer be able to restrain the Evil Cultivator.’

Just as he was about to make his move, Xu Yunhe suddenly stopped him...