Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

”What is it?” Song Changsheng asked in a low voice, suppressing his eagerness.

”Look over there.” Xu Yunhe gestured with his chin toward a spot not far away.

Song Changsheng followed his gaze and saw a cave concealed by vines and weeds. It was only a few miles from the center of the battlefield, and traces of a struggle led from it to the main battle area.

”That must be the Evil Cultivator’s hideout,” Xu Yunhe surmised. ”After the Lieyang Sect discovered him, they must have used some trick to lure him into the array to be surrounded and killed.”

”That sounds about right. But these people are quite skilled. ’How did they manage to set up a Chain Array right under a Purple Mansion Cultivator’s nose?’” As an Array Master himself, Song Changsheng knew just how difficult that was.

Setting up a Tier Two Array was already a complicated affair, to say nothing of a Tier Two Chain Array.

He truly couldn’t fathom how they had pulled it off, especially right under a Purple Mansion Cultivator’s nose. ’I suppose you can never underestimate anyone,’ he thought.

”That Evil Cultivator seems to be alone. Is it possible the kidnapped auctioneer is still in that cave?” Xu Yunhe wondered aloud, his expression thoughtful.

Song Changsheng’s brow twitched. After a moment’s thought, he realized it was a definite possibility. Since his opponent had specifically abducted Xia Wanyun, she must be of great use to him. As a valuable hostage, she wouldn’t be discarded so easily.

It was highly likely that Xia Wanyun was still in the cave.

”From what I saw on the auction house’s warrant, killing the Evil Cultivator is secondary. Rescuing Xia Wanyun is the real key. If we bring her back, the reward will be substantial,” Song Changsheng said, a shrewd glint in his eyes.

Xu Yunhe froze for a second before the realization dawned on him. He couldn’t help but feel tempted.

Seeing the look on his face, Song Changsheng knew he had him. ”Both sides are completely occupied right now. It’s the perfect opportunity for us to make our move. Fellow Daoist Xu, what do you say?”

’Is it worth the risk of offending the Lieyang Sect?’ Xu Yunhe asked himself.

But a moment later, his resolve hardened. He was just a Loose Cultivator; he had nothing to lose. As long as he didn’t offend the two top sects, no one in the Daqi Cultivation World could be certain of taking him down.

”Alright, Brother Song. What’s the plan?”

”We’ll sneak over there first. It’ll be a problem if we alert them.”

The two men concealed their presence, suppressed their auras, and blended into the surroundings as they crept toward the mouth of the cave.

The battle had completely absorbed the attention of the Lieyang Sect, so their infiltration went smoothly. There wasn’t even the cliché moment of someone snapping a twig. They reached the cave entrance with almost no effort.

He cautiously scanned the cave with his Divine Sense and found only a single life-form’s fluctuations inside. Song Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief. ’Looks like the Lieyang Sect hasn’t spared anyone to guard this place. We can avoid a nasty fight.’

”Brother Song, I’ll stand guard,” Xu Yunhe said, taking a position at the mouth of the cave with his sword drawn, his eyes scanning the area outside.

”Alright.” Song Changsheng nodded. There was no time to waste; they had to be quick. After he stole the Lieyang Sect’s prize, he planned to destroy their array and ruin all their efforts!

Song Changsheng executed [Fleeting Shadows] and in an instant, appeared deep inside the cave. In the center of the thirty-foot-wide cavern stood a tall bronze cauldron, being scorched by fierce, orange-red flames.

A scorching heat wave washed over him before he even got close.

A jolt of alarm went through Song Changsheng. ’Don’t tell me that Evil Cultivator has already refined her into a Human Pill.’

Refining pills from living people sounded unthinkable, but for practitioners of the Evil Dao, it was a common occurrence. They would stop at nothing to increase their own power.

Fortunately, he soon found his fears were unfounded. Behind the nearly ten-foot-tall bronze cauldron, a graceful figure was slumped unconsciously against the wall. It was none other than the enchantress herself, Xia Wanyun.

Song Changsheng was overjoyed. Confirming she was still alive, he hoisted her onto his back. Her body was limp, almost boneless; a Restriction must have been placed on her.

As he caught the faint, sweet scent wafting from her, amorous thoughts stirred in his mind. Fortunately, he was clear-headed enough not to do anything inappropriate.

Song Changsheng was about to leave, but then he had another thought. ’Since I’m already here, it would be a crime not to loot the place clean.’

And so, without caring whether the contents of the bronze cauldron were finished refining, he slapped the lid open.

Instantly, a scorching, medicinal aroma assailed him. Song Changsheng’s heart leaped with joy. Pills were indeed being refined inside! What’s more, his luck was incredible; even after forcing the lid open so crudely, two of the Pills had somehow survived.

With no time to identify the type of Pill, Song Changsheng swept both them and the bronze cauldron into his Qiankun Bag. Only then did he carry the ”impressively endowed” Xia Wanyun outside to reunite with Xu Yunhe.

A smile spread across Xu Yunhe’s face when he saw Song Changsheng’s success. Now, whether they managed to kill the Living Puppet or not, they wouldn’t be leaving empty-handed.

”Let’s get out of here first,” Song Changsheng transmitted to him via Divine Sense.

They were too close to the battlefield, making it easy to be discovered. It was no place for a conversation.

Xu Yunhe nodded. The two of them once again concealed their auras and darted away into the distance. The poor members of the Lieyang Sect were still single-mindedly focused on the Evil Cultivator, completely unaware that someone had just stolen their prize right out from under them.