Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

The Griffin Mountain Range lies in the southwestern part of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. This remote area was once the territory of the Great Demon, the Heaven-Sundering Griffin, and possessed a Tier Three Spirit Vein. Later, the Heaven-Sundering Griffin was slain by a powerful expert of the Human Race, and the Spiritual Vein was relocated.

Thus, the area became desolate.

Recently, however, the area had become bustling once more. Many Cultivators gathered in the Griffin Mountain Range, beginning to turn the place upside down in their search. Among them were plenty of long-famous figures.

Under an old elm tree, an old man in linen clothes squatted unceremoniously beneath the dense canopy, complaining to the young man beside him, ”Is this news even real? There are so many of us, and we’ve practically turned the entire Griffin Mountain Range inside out, but we haven’t found so much as a single hair.”

”It must be real. Look, several Purple Mansion Great Cultivators have come. See that one? That’s Vast Sea Ascendant. He’s already been searching here for two days.” The young man picked up the stalk of an unknown Spirit Medicine and put it in his mouth to chew. He sounded somewhat unsure, but his gaze was exceptionally resolute.

In truth, anyone who dared to join the commotion here either had an expert leading their team or had something to rely on themselves. None of them were pushovers, and each had their own sources of intelligence.

The fact that it had attracted so many powerful figures was, in itself, proof of the news’s authenticity.

The old man’s doubt stemmed from the fact that they had been searching for days. Forget a Great Demon; they had barely even run into a handful of Tier Two Demon Beasts.

”Hmph. If they push me too far, I’ll tear this whole Griffin Mountain Range apart!” the old man snorted. A vast, heart-stopping aura swept out from him.

The young man’s brow furrowed slightly. He was about to say something when a thought struck him. He looked toward the horizon and said, ”Someone else is coming.”

The old man followed his gaze and saw a Flying Ship speeding toward them. At its bow stood two young Cultivators. One, dressed in green robes, was strikingly handsome with a warm and gentle smile.

The other, in white, had a sharp yet restrained aura, like the edge of a greatsword. His right sleeve fluttered empty in the wind—he was a One-armed Swordsman.

”Late-stage Foundation Establishment and Mid-stage Foundation Establishment... The youngsters these days sure are confident,” the old man said with a sneer, glancing at the young man beside him.

”Would they still be young if they were just listless and weary?”

After his impassive reply, the young man averted his gaze, continuing to use his own vast Divine Sense to search for any trace or clue.

The latecomers, Song Changsheng and Xu Yunhe, had no idea they had just been branded as overconfident fools in the eyes of others.

Song Changsheng was currently observing the situation in the Griffin Mountain Range.

”Brother Xu, quite a crowd has gathered.”

”I can sense several formidable auras. They must be Purple Mansion Great Cultivators,” Xu Yunhe said in a relaxed tone. ”Brother Song, it looks like we’ll just be spectators this time.”

”It belongs to whoever is destined to find it,” Song Changsheng replied with a faint smile. Even though there were several Purple Mansion Great Cultivators present, fortune doesn’t necessarily favor the strongest.

If it were all about strength, wouldn’t they all just have a brawl right now and let the winner stay?

Song Changsheng observed from the Flying Ship for a moment and saw that everyone was widely dispersed, searching all over without any clear direction.

”It seems the Great Demon hasn’t been found yet. We still have a chance. Let’s go down and take a look.”

The pair landed in a valley. Gazing at the vast mountain range before them, they were momentarily at a loss for where to even begin.

If he could find any traces left by the Great Demon—bloodstains, Scale Armor, fur, anything—Song Changsheng could use his Ten Thousand Miles Tracking ability to follow the trail.

Unfortunately, they had yet to find so much as a single clue, let alone any Scale Armor or fur. This left Song Changsheng with no way to proceed.

”Brother Song, the Griffin Mountain Range is one of the larger ranges in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Searching aimlessly like this won’t be easy,” Xu Yunhe remarked. He often adventured in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, so he knew just how difficult it was to find a single Demon Beast in such a vast expanse.

Great Demons are powerful and can conceal their auras at will. If one was determined to hide, even a Purple Mansion Cultivator would have a hard time finding it.

”Say, Brother Song, do you think it’s possible the Great Demon has already left the Griffin Mountain Range?”

”It’s hard to say. A Great Demon isn’t some inanimate object; it might have found a way to slip past everyone. But seeing how many people are still searching here, I’m inclined to believe it’s still around.”

Just as the two of them were at a loss, Song Changsheng spoke up, sounding a little puzzled. ”I think I can sense Fellow Daoist Zhuang’s aura.”

”Really? Well, this is Luoxia City’s territory, so it’s only natural for Fellow Daoist Zhuang to be here. Brother Song, can you pinpoint her location? We should go meet up with them.” Xu Yunhe’s eyes lit up. There was strength in numbers, after all; more people meant more opportunities.

”I sense the auras of Yinn Shang and Fellow Daoist Niu as well. It seems Luoxia City is quite interested in this Great Demon,” Song Changsheng said, his brow furrowing. If it were just Zhuang Yuechan and Yinn Shang, he would have been happy to join them.

But now that they were representing Luoxia City, approaching them rashly would be inappropriate. They were all competitors here, each with their own interests to protect.

”Luoxia City has slain plenty of Great Demons in the past. Why are they taking this one so seriously?” Xu Yunhe was surprised by this. Those three were all among the top talents of Luoxia City’s current generation. For all of them to come here together was truly unusual.

”Given Luoxia City’s resources, they might have some special intelligence,” Song Changsheng said, shaking his head. ”We’d best not approach them rashly. We don’t want to put Fellow Daoist Zhuang in a difficult position.”