Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Yang Province. The Celestial Yang Mountain Range. A secret chamber on the main peak of the Lieyang Sect.

Hex Tai sat in the seat of honor, his face livid.

Before him stood two black-robed figures, side by side. They wore masks, obscuring their features, and looked down on him condescendingly.

”Fellow Daoist Hex, have you still not made up your mind? I’ve given you ample time to consider. If you keep dragging this out, my patience will run out.” One of the black-robed men stepped forward, his tone menacing, his blood-red eyes glinting with an unnatural light.

Hex Tai was, after all, a Purple Mansion Cultivator who held the power of life and death over an entire sect. This long period of feigning civility had already caused a fire to smolder within him. Now, hearing the black-robed man’s threat, that suppressed rage finally erupted.

He slammed his hand on the table and roared, ”Easy for you to say! The Song Clan’s strength has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. They’re no longer the weak little clan they once were. How can the Lieyang Sect possibly succeed on its own?!

”If you want the Lieyang Sect to be your cannon fodder, forget it! If worst comes to worst, we’ll just take each other down!”

After this outburst, Hex Tai felt much of the pent-up frustration in his chest dissipate. He sat back down, putting on an impassive front.

Faced with Hex Tai’s surging rage, the black-robed man was unperturbed. He let out a cold laugh. ”It seems Fellow Daoist Hex has made up his mind not to help us, then?”

”Hmph!” Hex Tai snorted, his meaning perfectly clear.

”Heh heh.”

The black-robed man didn’t get angry. He sat down across from Hex Tai and said in a relaxed tone, ”Fellow Daoist Hex, one shouldn’t speak in such absolutes. I’ve come across a piece of news that I think you’ll find interesting.”

At this, Hex Tai’s interest was piqued. He said in a low voice, ”What is it you want to say?”

”Some time ago, our spies in Luoxia City sent word that Song Changsheng is in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Purple Mansion realm. This is his third year in seclusion. It’s firsthand information. Is Fellow Daoist Hex interested now?” The black-robed man stared at Hex Tai, his eyes full of amusement. He refused to believe Hex Tai could remain calm after hearing this news!

”What did you say?”

Just as he expected, Hex Tai, who had been feigning indifference, shot to his feet the moment the man finished speaking. His expression was dark and turbulent.

He stared blankly into space for a moment before finally shaking his head and muttering as if to himself, ”That’s impossible. The news must be fake. How old is Song Changsheng? How could he possibly break through to the Purple Mansion realm so fast?

”Even if he’s reached that stage, where would the Song Clan get a Yin Yang Purple Tree Heart?

”It’s impossible. Impossible.”

He slowly sank back into his seat, still muttering those two words: ”It’s impossible.”

The black-robed man gave him a pitying look and said coldly, ”Nothing is impossible. Has he not done enough surprising things over the years?”

”Even if it is true, how could you know something so secret?”

Recalling the many unpleasant surprises Song Changsheng had dealt him in the past, a part of Hex Tai was already convinced, though he was still unwilling to fully accept it.

”Luoxia City once granted the Song Clan a plot of land called Five Elements Peak. Beneath it lies a Tier Three Five Elements Spiritual Vein.

”After Song Changsheng returned from there, my men discovered that he was purchasing materials like Calm Heart Grass and Wood Spirit Flower in Luoxia City.

”These are all supplementary ingredients for refining the Five Spirits Pill.

”You’re not telling me you don’t know what a Five Spirits Pill is for, are you?

”Shortly after that, Song Changsheng vanished. The official story was that he had caught Muu Guibai’s eye, and was taken away to be personally trained by him.

”Do you believe that story?” the black-robed man asked, glancing at Hex Tai.

It had to be said that Blood Eye was a very capable man. The Blood Demon Sect’s current intelligence network was nowhere near as powerful as the old Demon Net, yet he had still managed to piece together the gist of the truth from the few clues he could find.

Blood Eye’s words were like a sledgehammer, utterly shattering the last vestiges of fantasy in Hex Tai’s mind.

Hex Tai knew the news was most likely true.

Ultimately, whether the news was true or not no longer mattered.

As long as the possibility existed, Hex Tai didn’t dare to gamble.

A Purple Mansion Cultivator not even forty years old... It was an age that drove one to despair. He could very well be the next Muu Guibai, and if that happened, the fate of the Lieyang Sect was easy to imagine.

He slumped back against his chair, seeming to age years in an instant. ”Even if it is true,” he said woodenly, ”what can I do? March on Luoxia City?”

”Do you even have the ability to do that?” Blood Eye glared at him in exasperation and snapped, ”What you should be doing is seizing this opportunity to crush the Song Clan!

”As long as I find what I’m looking for, what does a mere Song Changsheng matter?”

”Crush the Song Clan, crush the Song Clan... you make it sound so fucking easy! There’s a Space Transmission Array connecting Luoxia City to the Song Clan—they can get reinforcements in an instant! With Luoxia City protecting them, who besides the two Major Sects could possibly destroy the Song Clan!”

Hex Tai completely lost it, even stooping to vulgarity without any regard for his status.

When Blood Eye had first come to persuade him, Hex Tai had indeed considered gathering his forces to attack the Song Clan. However, a piece of news he received shortly after had scared him into immediately abandoning the thought.

On that day, a spy from the Lieyang Sect in Ling Province discovered to his horror that Song Changsheng, who was supposed to be in Bian Province, had suddenly appeared in Ling Province. A short while later, he appeared in Luoxia City as if he had teleported.

Ruling out the possibilities that Song Changsheng had a doppelgänger or that the spy had gone mad, only one explanation remained: a Space Transmission Array.

It was just as Hex Tai had said: with a Space Transmission Array in place, Luoxia City could reinforce the Song Clan at a moment’s notice. To overcome that, one would need the power of a Golden Core Sect.