96: Chapter 96 He felt he had lived too long

At this very moment, a low sound of something breaking through the air suddenly came from the northern horizon.

Elder Yin Buer rose abruptly, his gaze like a knife, staring straight toward the north.

Two streaks of light shot across the night sky, reaching the space above the hillside in the blink of an eye.

The light faded, revealing two figures.

The person in the lead wore green robes, his body surrounded by the majestic aura of a Late Stage Mahayana cultivator.

Half a step behind him followed an old man in grey robes, whose aura was also at the Late Stage Mahayana level.

"Grand Elder, Second Elder!"

Elder Yin Buer's expression changed drastically; he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply.

Li Tianxiong and Zhuge Yun also reacted, bowing in unison.

"Rise."

The green-robed old man was Liu Qianqiu, the Grand Elder of the Liuli Sect. He raised his hand in a gesture to help them up, his gaze sweeping over the three before lingering on Elder Yin Buer for a moment, nodding slightly.

"The Sect Master ordered the two of us to come and lend you a hand." Liu Qianqiu's voice was hoarse and flat, with no discernible emotion.

"Has that heart-cleansing bamboo been found?"

Elder Yin Buer stood up and respectfully said, "Reporting to the Grand Elder, the aura of the heart-cleansing bamboo is right beneath this hillside, but the entrance is sealed by a layer of Restriction from an Ancient Cave Abode. Our cultivation is insufficient to break it."

Liu Qianqiu nodded slightly, his gaze falling toward the cave entrance.

He extended his Divine Sense, letting it linger at the entrance for a moment. A trace of surprise appeared on his calm, unruffled face: "An Earth Rank Intermediate Formation?"

Li Wuxie, the Second Elder of the Liuli Sect behind him, also extended his Divine Sense to investigate, then spoke slowly:

"This Formation has been set up for at least tens of thousands of years. The power of the Restriction has weakened by more than half. If we wait a few more days, it will dissipate on its own."

"Wait?" Liu Qianqiu shook his head. "No need to wait."

He waved his hand, and a streak of green spiritual light flew from his palm, landing at the entrance of the cave.

The spiritual light collided with the invisible barrier, emitting a low humming sound.

The barrier vibrated violently but did not shatter.

Liu Qianqiu frowned slightly and withdrew the spiritual light.

"The methods of the person who set this Formation are indeed brilliant. Forcing it open would require some effort." He paused. "It seems we still need to wait a few more days."

Liu Qianqiu chose a flat spot on the hillside, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Li Wuxie sat beside him, also closing his eyes to rest.

The arrival of the two Mahayana stage cultivators made the atmosphere on the hillside suddenly much heavier.

Elder Yin Buer stood by the cave entrance, his gaze fixed on the invisible barrier as he calculated in his mind.

Once the Restriction is broken and the heart-cleansing bamboo is retrieved, this mission will be considered a success. As for those juniors, he would just kill them while he was at it.

Above the hillside, the night wind wailed.

And below the hillside, in the stone cave of that Ancient Cave Abode, Lu Jinghan remained sitting cross-legged at the end of the stone steps, his eyes slightly closed, his face as pale as paper.

Qin Muchuan and Su Fuguang guarded his side, having not left a single step for these past seven days.

"Senior Brother's aura is steadier than it was a few days ago."

Su Fuguang spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a sense of relief.

Qin Muchuan nodded, his gaze falling on Lu Jinghan, his eyes filled with worry.

On the stone platform, the skeleton remained seated upright, its hollow eye sockets overlooking the entire stone cave, as if watching something.

Three boxes were still placed on the stone table, never having been opened.

At this moment, inside the Kunlun Great Hall, Jiang Changge had just learned from the System that Lu Jinghan had fallen into a Heart Demon.

However, this was something only he could overcome on his own; others could not intervene.

"It seems these people from the Liuli Sect are tired of living too long, to actually dare to touch my Disciple. How absurd."

As a thought stirred in Jiang Changge's mind, a figure left Kunlun and flew toward where Lu Jinghan was.

Zhouwu Dynasty, Imperial Palace.

Inside the Imperial Study, Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe put down the memorial in his hand and looked toward the horizon outside the window.

Since the end of the Alchemy Exchange Conference at Medicine King Valley, the Nanli Dynasty and Xuanyuan Dynasty had withdrawn their troops, and the tension at the border had eased significantly, causing him to worry a little less.

"Your Majesty."

A figure hurried in from outside the hall, stood before the imperial desk, and bowed in salute.

"What is it?" Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe withdrew his gaze.

Zhou Ying said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I have received news that the Liuli Sect in the Western Region has had major movements recently."

Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe frowned slightly. "Speak."

"A few days ago, the Grand Elder of the Liuli Sect, Liu Qianqiu, and the Second Elder, Li Wuxie, left the Sect simultaneously, heading south all the way into the territory of the Zhouwu Dynasty."

Zhou Ying's voice was kept very low. "Both are at the Late Stage Mahayana cultivation level; the purpose of this trip is unknown."

Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe's expression darkened slightly.

The Grand Elder and Second Elder of the Liuli Sect acting together—this was the second batch of people sent by the Liuli Sect since Yin Tianzheng was killed by the Old Ancestor outside Medicine King Valley.

"Where are they now?" Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe asked.

Zhou Ying took out a map, spread it on the imperial desk, and pointed his fingertip at a certain spot: "Last night, the two had crossed the northern border of the Zhouwu Dynasty and headed southwest."

"Pass the order down." Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe rose abruptly, his expression grave.

"Summon the Imperial Dynasty's retainers and depart with me immediately for the southwestern border!"

The guards outside the hall hurriedly bowed to accept the order and turned to leave in a rush.

Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe stood before the window with his hands behind his back, looking toward the southwest, his expression uncertain.

With the Grand Elder and Second Elder of the Liuli Sect personally taking action, I fear they come with ill intent.

——

Inside the Ancient Cave Abode, within Lu Jinghan's Sea of Consciousness, the final storm was churning.

The mass of black Qi had thinned by more than half, and the figure it had condensed into was left with only a blurry outline.

It was still roaring and struggling, but its voice no longer held its previous cold and calm tone, instead carrying a kind of dying madness.

"You cannot cut me off!" the black shadow roared sharply.

"I am a part of you! If you kill me, you kill yourself!"

Lu Jinghan's consciousness stared at the remaining black Qi and said indifferently, "You are merely a wisp of obsession; do you deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as me?"

The power of time and space surged out, completely engulfing the mass of black Qi.

The black shadow let out a roar of unwillingness, its voice growing weaker and weaker until it finally dissipated completely.

Above the Sea of Consciousness, when the last wisp of black Qi dispersed, spiritual light reappeared, clear as a mirror.

Lu Jinghan, who was sitting cross-legged at the end of the stone steps, suddenly shuddered, and a vast aura erupted from within his body.

Qin Muchuan and Su Fuguang were forced back several steps by that aura, their expressions changing drastically.

"Senior Brother!"

Qin Muchuan exclaimed, his footing unstable, nearly falling.

Su Fuguang steadied him, his gaze fixed tightly on Lu Jinghan, his eyes filled with shock.

That aura was as vast as an abyss, far thicker and more refined than before.

Lu Jinghan slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of silver-white light passed through his pitch-black pupils.

He stood up, and his bones let out a series of crisp cracking sounds, as if he had broken free from some invisible shackle.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the silent stone cave, like bamboo joints stretching high, and like the sudden crack of spring thunder.

"Nascent Soul Perfection."

Lu Jinghan murmured to himself, clenching his fist and feeling the surging spiritual power within his body.

After eliminating the Heart Demon, his cultivation had broken through from the Late-stage Nascent Soul in one leap to Nascent Soul Perfection, just one step away from Soul Transformation.

The hatred of his past life seemed to have dissipated along with that mass of black Qi the moment the Heart Demon was eliminated.