Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Chapter 645: Chapter 103: Jade Pavilions and Marble Halls, Purple Inheritance Gold Bracelet

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator singled out by the Purple Demon shuddered. He crept timidly to the edge of the floating stone bridge, staring at the churning, molten lava below, too afraid to set foot on it.

‘If I fall, I’m dead for sure!’

His hesitation greatly displeased the Purple Demon. His eyes, like a viper’s, glinted with a cold light, sending a chill down the Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s spine and making his hair stand on end.

He dared not step onto the floating stone bridge, but he also dared not refuse the Purple Demon’s command. Caught in a dilemma, he could only turn a pleading gaze to Heifeng.

Seeing the pleading look in his brother’s eyes, Heifeng had no choice but to bite the bullet and approach the Purple Demon. “Elder Zi,” he said, “this stone bridge… it’s not dangerous, is it?”

The Purple Demon shot him a cold glance. “Enough nonsense. Do as I command. If you waste any more time, how many heads do you have to offer in apology?”

Hearing those murderous words, Heifeng felt his scalp tingle. He glanced at the hesitant Foundation Establishment Cultivator, then gritted his teeth, shut his eyes, and said, “Third Brother, go!”

“Big Brother…”

Third Brother’s voice trembled, but feeling the killing intent radiating from the Purple Demon, he screwed up his courage and stepped onto the bridge.

Though the stone slab was suspended in mid-air, it felt incredibly solid, as reassuring as stepping on firm ground.

Third Brother let out a sudden sigh of relief. He took another tentative step; it was still perfectly stable.

‘It’s fine?’

Seeing that he was fine after a few steps, his courage grew. He strode forward several more paces. Just as he was thinking he had worried for nothing, the ground beneath his feet vanished. The stone slab had snapped in two, and he plummeted downward.

Amid a heart-rending, bloodcurdling scream, Third Brother was mercilessly devoured by the molten lava, leaving behind only a wisp of black smoke coiling into the air.

Staring at the floating stone bridge, now with a gaping hole where half a slab was missing, Heifeng and the others froze in shock.

Song Changsheng and Niu Dazhuang’s expressions flickered. In that instant, they finally understood why the Purple Demon had hired this group of people—they were meant to scout the path.

They knew these men were destined to be cannon fodder, but to die like this was still too cruel.

Of everyone present, only the Purple Demon remained impassive, as if nothing more than a stray cat or dog had died. His heart was utterly unmoved. He pointed to a short Foundation Establishment Cultivator and said, “You. Go.”

The short cultivator, having just witnessed Third Brother’s death, was naturally unwilling to become the next pawn to test the path. With a THUD, he fell to his knees before the Purple Demon, begging tearfully for his life.

Heifeng’s expression turned grim. He gathered his courage and said, “Elder Zi, we don’t want the payment. How about we call an end to this job right now?”

“Hah. Naive,” Niu Dazhuang sneered. ‘Once you’re on a thief’s boat, you think you can just jump off? The world doesn’t work that way.’

Sure enough, in the next instant, the Purple Demon struck. He killed the kneeling short cultivator with a single motion. The acrid stench of blood filled the air, causing everyone’s hearts to sink into despair.

“Reach the other side, and you live. Hesitate, and you die!” The Purple Demon made no attempt to conceal his killing intent. The faces of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators turned deathly pale with fright. Not a single one dared to voice their discontent, not even Heifeng.

If he were just an Early-stage Purple Mansion Cultivator, they might have stood a chance by working together. But against a powerhouse like the Purple Demon, they had no hope of resisting.

“You. Go.”

The Purple Demon was quite pleased with their terrified submission. He then pointed to the only Female Cultivator in the group.

“Big Brother.” The Female Cultivator’s face went pale with terror, her voice cracking. But no one could save her now. Under the Purple Demon’s death threat, she walked forward, trembling.

The first few steps went smoothly, and soon she reached the broken slab—the very spot where Third Brother had fallen.

Glancing back at the Purple Demon’s sinister expression, she knew there was no turning back. Her only sliver of hope was to reach the other side.

She shakily lifted her foot, hesitated, then set it back down. Instead, she took out a Refined Iron Ingot and tossed it onto the slab before her.

The Refined Iron Ingot landed with a sharp CLANG, but the slab didn’t budge. A flicker of joy sparked in the woman’s heart. She took out more Refined Iron Ingots, tossing them ahead as she walked.

Just as she thought she’d found a way to beat the trap, the pattern on the slab beneath her feet flashed. The stone snapped in two, and the unprepared woman plummeted.

A strange power bound her body, sealing her Spiritual Power. She could only watch, helpless, as the churning lava swallowed her whole.

‘The patterns on those slabs are strange. Little tricks like that won’t fool them.’ Having observed with a cool detachment, Song Changsheng had begun to see a few clues.

“Maybe it wasn’t heavy enough?” Niu Dazhuang mused.

“It’s not that simple,” Song Changsheng said, shaking his head slightly. “The Purple Demon probably knows the secret, which is why he hired this group in the first place.”

“I just don’t get it,” Niu Dazhuang grumbled. “The Forbidden Sky Array only works on Cultivators below the Golden Core realm. The owner of this immortal cave was a Golden Core Cultivator, so why would he bother building a stone bridge?”

“And even if he built a bridge, why the hell is it broken in random places? Does he want people to get in or not?” Niu Dazhuang groused.

“Besides the cave’s original owner, he’s probably the only one who knows the answer to that.” As he spoke, Song Changsheng’s gaze fell upon the Purple Demon ahead.

He was certain the Purple Demon hadn’t told them the whole truth, but just how much he was hiding remained to be seen.