Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

The news instantly caused a massive uproar in Ling Province, with each faction reacting differently.

The Song Clan was pleased, as they had orchestrated the entire affair.

The Wang Clan had always followed the Song Clan’s lead, and they remained steadfastly on their side now.

But others were not so pleased. The leaders of the four-clan alliance sat together, the atmosphere heavy and tense.

Li Siyang sat dejectedly, his eyes bloodshot. He was filled with immense regret. ’Why didn’t I listen to Du Huating and join the Song Clan to annihilate that pack of bastards?’

Now, even his clan’s very foundation had been uprooted.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head. ”Everyone, are you just going to stand by and watch? The Liuyun Sect... hah. They’re treating the entire Liuyun Mountain Range as their own personal territory.”

Qiu Tianyang and Yu Chengshan exchanged a glance, and then, as if by silent agreement, both turned to look at Du Huating. After all, the Earth Fire Sect had always proclaimed itself the master of the Liuyun Mountain Range.

Du Huating, however, acted as if he hadn’t noticed, his brows knitted in thought.

Just as the others were growing impatient, he finally opened his eyes. After composing his thoughts, he said slowly, ”Everyone, let’s be realistic. Other than the Song Clan, none of our individual families are a match for our new opponents. Once they recover their Primordial Qi, we will simply be picked off one by one.”

”Grand Elder, did you call us here just to throw cold water on our hopes?” Qiu Tianyang asked, frowning in clear dissatisfaction.

Du Huating shook his head. ”Of course not. I’m only saying this to make you all understand the predicament our four families now face.”

”The Song Clan and these ambitious outsiders have become the two most powerful forces in Ling Province. And unfortunately for us, they are both our enemies—the irreconcilable kind.”

At these words, the expressions of everyone present turned grim.

Du Huating observed their reactions before slowly rising to his feet. ”As things stand, if we wish to survive, there is only one path forward. We must unite—truly and completely unite!”

”What do you mean by that?” Yu Chengshan asked, his brows furrowed. He had a bad feeling about this.

Du Huating’s expression was as tranquil as a deep well. ”This is not my idea,” he said faintly. ”It is the Sect Leader’s. Only by merging completely, with no distinctions between us, can we hope to stand against the Song Clan and the Liuyun Sect.”

”What? You want to absorb us?” Qiu Tianyang nearly leaped to his feet, his gaze turning dangerously sharp as he stared at Du Huating.

Yu Chengshan’s expression soured. ”Aren’t you afraid you’ll choke on a bite that big?” he said coldly.

The Earth Fire Sect was strong, but that was in the past. After taking one blow after another, the Earth Fire Sect now only had four Foundation Establishment Cultivators remaining.

In contrast, his Yu Clan had suffered almost no losses in the recent battle and still had three Foundation Establishment Cultivators. On what grounds could the Earth Fire Sect possibly absorb them?

Du Huating’s expression was unchanged. He looked at the two of them calmly. ”Please, don’t get excited, Clan Leaders. This isn’t an absorption, but a merger.”

”I know this is difficult for you to accept. That’s fine. I have some news for you. How about you make your decision after you’ve heard it?”

Qiu Tianyang and Yu Chengshan exchanged a glance. Neither knew what tricks Du Huating had up his sleeve, but they suppressed the urge to storm out and waited quietly for him to continue.

Du Huating smiled. ”Our Sect Leader entered seclusion two years ago to break through to the Purple Mansion realm, and he has now reached a critical juncture. Let me be frank with you two: there is no possibility of failure. All he lacks now are resources and time.”

”When he emerges, neither the Song Clan nor the Liuyun Sect will be anything more than paper tigers. If you all cooperate, we will be one family going forward, with no distinctions between us.”

”If you don’t... well, you all know our Sect Leader’s temper.”

”Hmph. A joke! In all of history, no one has ever been one hundred percent certain of breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm. Song Xianming couldn’t do it, so there’s no way Chang Wudao can!”

No one believed Du Huating’s words, but that was to be expected. His claim was simply too outrageous. Not even a Cultivator with a Celestial Spirit Root could claim a one hundred percent chance of breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm.

Forget the Purple Mansion realm; there had even been cases of Cultivators with a Celestial Spirit Root perishing during their breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

’What makes Chang Wudao so special?’

Faced with their skepticism, Du Huating just smiled, unconcerned. ”Normally, that would be true. However, the method our Sect Leader is using is quite special. As long as he has sufficient resources, failure is not a possibility.”

”Why have I never heard of such a Mysterious Technique? And taking a huge leap, even if one did exist, would your Earth Fire Sect be worthy of it?” Yu Chengshan asked, making no effort to hide the contempt in his eyes.

”One should never be so certain. I wonder, have you two ever heard of the *Celestial Demon Manual*?”

”*The Celestial Demon Manual*?” Qiu Tianyang and Yu Chengshan exchanged a look, and each could see the shock in the other’s eyes.

Even Li Siyang, who had kept his head lowered the entire time, looked up with an expression of utter disbelief.

Du Huating stood up and spoke, as if recounting an old tale. ”Two hundred years ago, a meteorite fell from the sky, landing in the western part of Ling Province.”

”By a stroke of luck, it was found by a Qi Refining Independent Cultivator. He disappeared without a trace after that. When he resurfaced fifty years later, he had gone from a lowly Qi Refining Junior Cultivator to a mighty Purple Mansion Cultivator.”

”He went on a killing spree across Ling Province, staining his hands with an unimaginable amount of blood, until finally, Song Yungui himself stepped in and cut him down.”

”And before that man died, he revealed that the secret to his rapid rise in Cultivation was a manual he had found inside that meteorite—the *Celestial Demon Manual*.”

”The news threw all of Ling Province into a frenzy. Countless people searched for the manual, both in the open and in the shadows, but to no avail. At the time, everyone assumed Song Yungui had taken it. In truth, it fell into the hands of my Earth Fire Sect’s Sect Leader from two generations prior.”

”However, because the conditions for its cultivation were exceptionally harsh, the manual was sealed away. Our current Sect Leader, as it happens, meets those conditions perfectly and has now entered the critical phase of his breakthrough.”

”As long as you all cooperate with us to get through this crucial period, you will also be allowed to view the manual. That is a promise from the Sect Leader himself.”

”So, what do you say? I suggest you consider it carefully.”

”Chang Wudao dares to cultivate a Demon Technique? Isn’t he afraid the Demon Suppression Hall will deliver heavenly justice?” Yu Chengshan blustered, his fierce tone a mask for his inner turmoil.

”What’s a Demon Technique? And so what if it is? In this world, power is all that matters. Besides, can you dare say you never searched for this manual? Can you dare say you weren’t tempted?” Du Huating’s gaze turned cold, a bewitching light glinting in his clear eyes.

For a moment, both men were speechless. Of course they had been tempted; otherwise, they wouldn’t have known so much about the manual.

It was only the thought of submitting to the Earth Fire Sect that made them hesitate.

Just then, Li Siyang quietly rose to his feet. ”The Li Clan,” he said, his voice hoarse, ”agrees to merge with the Earth Fire Sect.”

”Fellow Daoist Li?” Qiu Tianyang cried out in alarm.

Li Siyang’s face was twisted with a crazed expression. ”All I want now is revenge! All I want is power! Whether it’s the Demon Dao or the Righteous Dao, what does it matter?”

An appreciative smile appeared on Du Huating’s face. ”Fellow Daoist Li, you will not regret the choice you have made today. When our Sect Leader becomes the overlord of Ling Province, he will certainly not treat you poorly.”

With that, he turned back to Yu Chengshan and Qiu Tianyang, a strange smile playing on his lips. ”And so, what do you two choose?”

——————

「On Vast Mist Peak.」

Song Changsheng was cultivating the *Five Beasts Body Refining Technique*. He wanted to quickly master the Bi Fang and White Tiger diagrams to the Great Success Realm so he could begin cultivating the Cyan Ape Painting.

Suddenly, he felt the Spiritual Qi around him being drawn by something, rapidly converging in a specific direction.

He looked up to see all the Spiritual Qi gathering toward the mountain’s peak, faintly forming a vortex that was gradually expanding.

’That’s the direction of Ruyun Hall,’ Song Changsheng thought, a flicker of joy in his eyes. ’Could it be that Grandfather is coming out of seclusion?’

The phenomenon continued for more than two hours. After the vortex finally dissipated, Song Changsheng heard an old, gentle voice echo in his mind: ”Sheng’Er, come to Ruyun Hall and see me.”

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