Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

”They’ve finally retreated.”

The exhausted crowd burst into cheers, and everyone sat down cross-legged to recover their strength.

Yinn Shang, meanwhile, directed some disciples who still had energy to spare to clean up the battlefield and collect the Demon Beast Materials.

They had killed at least a hundred Demon Beasts in this battle, and the materials from their bodies were worth a considerable amount of Spirit Stones.

”Fellow Daoist Zhuang, how long does this Beast Tide usually last?” Song Changsheng had also noticed the disturbance deep in the jungle. He could sense an incredibly dense life force brewing there, which piqued his interest.

”That was just a probing attack. The coming assaults will grow more and more ferocious. This will likely continue for several days. The Beast Tide will only disperse after the number of Demon Beasts has been reduced to a certain point. That will be the time to gather the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.”

”So you’re saying we have to stay here for several more days? They’re just some Demon Beasts. Is there any need to be so timid?” Hou Tianming complained, clearly displeased.

”If Fellow Daoist Hou is in a hurry, you’re welcome to go on ahead. Our main task is to slay the Demon Beasts in this Secret Realm,” Zhuang Yuechan said calmly, glancing at him.

”You!” Hou Tianming was choked by her retort, his expression turning cold. He wanted to spit out a harsh word and leave to search for the Exotic Treasure, but the thought of the vast number of Demon Beasts made his scalp tingle. In the end, he didn’t have the courage to go it alone.

Compared to him, Xia Qingxue was much calmer. She had been observing everything with a detached gaze from the very beginning.

”Fellow Daoist Song, you should recover your strength as well. The next wave of Demon Beasts should be arriving soon,” Zhuang Yuechan said, turning to Song Changsheng and completely ignoring Hou Tianming.

”It’s fine. I can still hold on.” Although he had acted a few times, he hadn’t consumed much energy. Faced with this kind of swarm attack, if not for the fact that he was trying to leave some Demon Beast Materials for the others, he could have repelled the beasts all by himself just by summoning the Earth Core Cold Flame and relying on the Array.

ROAR—

”The Demon Beasts are here! Everyone, to your positions!”

The slaughter began once more...

There was no sun, moon, or stars in the Secret Realm. The sky was a hazy gray, with no distinction between day and night. Song Changsheng did a quick calculation and realized they had been inside for more than thirty ancient hours.

During this time, they had repelled over ten attacks from the Demon Beasts. Each assault was more ferocious than the last. In the most dangerous instance, the Array was even torn open.

After more than three days, six people had fallen, and over a dozen were injured.

But these casualties were nothing compared to their battle achievements. With the help of the Array and Talismans, they had slain nearly a thousand Demon Beasts. The number of beasts in the Small World had plummeted, and their attacks were far weaker than before.

After repelling another attack, Yinn Shang gathered all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators. ”I estimate this Beast Tide won’t last much longer. After it collapses, Junior Brother Niu will come with me to hunt the Beast King.”

”Little Junior Sister and the rest of you junior brothers and sisters will each lead a group to clear out the remaining Demon Beasts and collect Heavenly and Earthly Treasures at the resource points marked on the map. We will reconvene here in fifteen days.”

With the tasks clearly assigned, Yinn Shang turned to Song Changsheng and the others. ”The three of you, will you be acting with us then, or...?”

”We’ll act on our own, of course.” Hou Tianming now only wanted to head straight for the place where the Exotic Treasure was gestating.

Song Changsheng nodded as well. With a treasure right in front of him, he also wanted to seize the opportunity. He couldn’t afford to waste any more time on Demon Beasts with them.

”Very well.” Yinn Shang nodded. This was to be expected. After all, they were never truly on the same path...

Events unfolded just as Yinn Shang had predicted. The Demon Beasts launched two more attacks, but they were much weaker than before. The beasts had lost their death-defying ferocity, and it wasn’t long before their lines completely collapsed.

Seeing this, Yinn Shang immediately led Niu Dazhuang into the depths of the jungle to hunt the ”Beast King.”

Meanwhile, Zhuang Yuechan and the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators followed their previous orders, each leading a portion of the Luoxia City disciples to advance in different directions, slaying the remaining Demon Beasts while gathering resources along the way.

Song Changsheng and the others didn’t delay either, heading straight for the depths of the Small World, from where a vast life force was emanating...

He hadn’t really noticed it at the entrance, but now that he was deep in the jungle, Song Changsheng discovered the differences between this Secret Realm and the outside world.

First, it contained Spiritual Qi, with a concentration comparable to a Tier Two Spirit Vein, which could be directly absorbed for cultivation. However, it was tainted with a hint of a ”Frenzy” aura. Long-term absorption could affect a Cultivator’s mind, which explained why these Demon Beasts were so fearless and aggressive.

Because his cultivation realm wasn’t high enough, he couldn’t perceive which of this world’s Law Powers were incomplete. But the life force was incredibly rich. In just three or four days, the ground that had been trampled flat by the Beast Tide was already sprouting with new plant shoots.

This indicated that the Law of Life in this Small World was exceptionally prominent, perhaps even higher than the average in the Purple Imperial Realm. It was extremely conducive to the growth of Spirit Medicines and the reproduction of living beings, which also explained the sheer number of Demon Beasts.

From this, Song Changsheng deduced that the Exotic Treasure gestating deep in the jungle was likely related to the ”Law of Life.” It could be a naturally formed Spiritual Treasure or a High-Tier Spirit Medicine.

Whichever it was, its value would surely be beyond imagination.

But this Small World was quite large. Even after flying at full speed for two days, Song Changsheng could only vaguely sense the direction of the Exotic Treasure, unable to pinpoint its exact location.

ROAR—

Suddenly, as Song Changsheng passed by an ancient, thousand-foot-tall tree, a large figure leaped out from its canopy.

It stood over ten feet tall, its entire body covered in golden fur. Wielding a club of unknown material, it brought it crashing down on Song Changsheng’s head.

Song Changsheng had remained vigilant. The moment it leaped, he shot backward in a rapid retreat.

Its strike missed. It plummeted from a height of several thousand feet, crashing heavily to the ground and blasting out a huge crater with a thunderous BOOM.

When the dust settled, Song Changsheng got a clear look and was instantly overjoyed. The ambusher was a Tier Two High-Grade Golden-haired Long-armed Ape.

His Five Beasts Body Refining Technique required five catalysts. He was still missing the ”Monkey Heart” and the ”Flood Dragon Scale.” After searching for so long, he had finally encountered an ape-type Demon Beast.

Furthermore, this type of ape was skilled at brewing a fruit wine known to the outside world as Monkey Wine, which was highly beneficial for cultivation. As a connoisseur of fine wine, how could Song Changsheng not be ecstatic?

”Excellent timing! I’ll be borrowing your heart today!”

Song Changsheng laughed heartily, brandishing his Celestial Measuring Ruler as he charged straight for the Golden-haired Long-armed Ape.

AWOO—

The Golden-haired Long-armed Ape furiously beat its chest, letting out a heaven-shaking roar. It took heavy steps and swung its club down at him.

Fleeting Shadows!

Song Changsheng’s figure flickered, and he nimbly dodged aside.

Seeing this, the Golden-haired Long-armed Ape instantly changed its downward smash into a horizontal sweep. With no way to evade, Song Changsheng directly blocked the club with the black ruler in his hand.

A tremendous force sent Song Changsheng flying back more than a hundred feet. The Golden-haired Long-armed Ape didn’t fare well either, stumbling back several steps—STOMP, STOMP, STOMP—its giant eyes filled with utter shock.

It couldn’t understand why this tiny little thing before it possessed such immense power.

”Hahaha, again!”

Song Changsheng took a few steps, instantly appearing before the Golden-haired Long-armed Ape. Relying on his formidable Physical Power, he engaged it in close combat.

After more than twenty rounds, Song Changsheng was still roaring for more, fighting with gusto. The Golden-haired Long-armed Ape, however, was starting to struggle. The ape was horrified by his blazing battle intent, and the thought of retreat began to form in its mind.

Naturally, Song Changsheng couldn’t let it escape. He seized the initiative, suddenly summoning his Celestial Measuring Ruler and striking at its head. The Golden-haired Long-armed Ape scrambled to defend itself, unaware that Song Changsheng’s true killing move was yet to come.

”Gourd Spirit Slayer!”

An Invisible Blade cut through space, rushing straight into its mind. The Golden-haired Long-armed Ape’s Sea of Consciousness was instantly torn apart, its Divine Soul shattering into fragments.

Its long arms fell limply, the club thudding dully as it hit the ground. Its eyes lost their light, and its fur turned dim and lusterless. Its massive body collapsed, and the very earth trembled from the impact.

Song Changsheng took out a flying sword and plunged it directly into its chest...