Xiuxian: Start with the medicine boy

"after all!
We cultivators have long lifespans, so we don't have to worry about our lifespan running out.
Time is always on our side.

"As long as we wait patiently, one day we will be able to wait until that old monster runs out of lifespan and achieve our goal."

"That's right, to be on the safe side, let's wait a bit longer!"

"···"

In a short time.

The voices echoing the call to wait drowned out the previous voices advocating a desperate fight.

Most of the monks present preferred to wait patiently.

After all, compared to the dangers of acting rashly, waiting is undoubtedly a more prudent choice.

However, at this very moment...
The black-robed cultivator seated to the left of the main seat suddenly let out a cold laugh.
His voice, filled with sarcasm and disdain, broke the silence of the crowd.
"His lifespan is running out?"

His gaze swept over each figure present again, his tone icy, carrying a hint of accusation:
"Who told you this news?!"

In an instant, all the mysterious cultivators present were taken aback.
Their expressions turned to astonishment, and the chatter abruptly ceased.

No one expected the black-robed cultivator to suddenly say such a thing.

What I didn't expect was that he would question this fact that everyone had accepted.

A moment later, a tentative voice echoed in the empty underground palace.

His tone carried a hint of doubt and confusion:

"Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by that?"
Could this news be false?

at the same time,

The gazes of the dozens of cultivators in the underground palace once again converged on the black-robed cultivator.
His eyes were filled with doubt, confusion, and probing.

Everyone was waiting for his answer, wanting to know what he wanted to say.
Could it be that the lifespan of that ancient rogue cultivator was not as short as they had imagined?
see,

The black-robed cultivator, seated upright on the stone throne, slowly straightened his posture, his tone becoming extremely solemn.

The voice then lowered, carrying a hint of disbelief and solemnity:

"Originally, I, like all of you fellow Daoists, believed that the old monster, having awakened from his slumber after millions of years, must have little time left to live."

Before long, their lifespan will be exhausted, and they will die and their essence will dissipate.

"But not long ago, I unexpectedly obtained a strange talisman in an ancient ruin. This talisman is a treasure from ancient times and is of extremely high quality."

Most remarkably, it can precisely determine the remaining lifespan of any cultivator.

Even if the opponent has a high level of cultivation and deliberately conceals their lifespan aura, they cannot escape the detection of the strange talisman.

Although this rare talisman is of a very high grade and extremely precious,

At the time, I didn't pay much attention to it, treating it as a useless treasure and casually putting it in my storage bag.

"Until one day, a flash of inspiration struck me, and I suddenly thought:"

Back then, at the headquarters of the Zhenhai Alliance, that old monster repeatedly told the former high-ranking members of the alliance that his lifespan was running out and he only wanted to use the rest of his life to contribute to the cultivation world of the human race.

I just want to spend my last days in peace.

But now, decades have passed...

The Cultivator Association was established, and the three major alliances that once controlled the cultivation world have long since disappeared, becoming nothing more than dust in history.

The status of our various sects is declining day by day, and their power is waning.

His position as president, however, became more and more secure each day.
His authority also grew exponentially, giving him control over the discourse within the entire human cultivation world.

"More importantly, that old monster is still alive and well to this day."

His cultivation level not only did not decline, but showed a subtle trend of improvement. His aura was also becoming more and more sharp, with no sign of his lifespan running out.

It was only at that moment that doubts began to creep into my heart.
They doubted that everything he said back then was a lie.
It is suspected that his lifespan is not nearly over.
His feigned impending death was merely a ploy to lull us into a false sense of security, allowing him to secretly suppress our various sects and maintain a balance of power.

Not long ago!

"I found an opportunity. While that old monster was in seclusion at the Cultivator Association headquarters, I secretly used that strange talisman to probe his remaining lifespan."

Speaking of which,

The black-robed cultivator paused slightly in his speech.
He slowly raised his head, and a cold killing intent and deep fear flashed in his eyes beneath the mask.
Then,

He let out another cold laugh, his tone laced with mockery and disbelief:

"The result has indeed exceeded my expectations and everyone's imagination."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over every figure present, and said slowly, with a hint of mockery in his tone:

"Fellow Daoists, why don't you guess how much lifespan that old monster has left?"

Upon hearing this,

The cultivators present all looked at each other, their faces filled with doubt and curiosity, and no one dared to make any guesses.

After a moment, one of the cultivators hesitated slightly before slowly speaking.
There was a hint of uncertainty in his tone:

"How many...how many? A hundred years?"

In his view, even if the old monster's lifespan was longer than they imagined, it would be at most a hundred years.

After all, he has lived for millions of years, and his lifespan is already running out.

"not enough!"

The black-robed cultivator shook his head without hesitation, his tone tinged with sarcasm.
Clearly, this conjecture is far from the actual situation.

Then,

The cultivator wearing the jade fox mask frowned slightly, a hint of doubt and disbelief flashing in his eyes beneath the mask.

He asked tentatively:

"Could it be that I have another three hundred years to live?"

After saying that, he couldn't help but add:
"That shouldn't be the case!"

According to our sect's ancient records, even for Nascent Soul stage cultivators, self-slumber and self-sealing can slow down the loss of lifespan, but it is not without its depletion.
Every year, a certain amount of lifespan will still be consumed.

Moreover, ancient times are millions of years ago, such a long period of time...
Even if his lifespan is decreasing at a very slow rate, he shouldn't still have so much lifespan left.
This is simply unrealistic and illogical!

Fellow Daoist Jade Fox's words expressed the sentiments of everyone.
The cultivators present all nodded, their faces filled with doubt and confusion.

They also believed that this was simply impossible.

Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator has a very long lifespan, it is impossible for them to have lived for millions of years and still have three hundred years left.

however,
The black-robed cultivator slowly shook his head, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his lips.

His tone was filled with sarcasm and apprehension:

"Heh! Three hundred years?"
Fellow Daoist is still too naive.

His lifespan is far more extraordinary than you can imagine!

The voice just fell,

He stopped keeping them in suspense, his tone became extremely serious, and his voice rose several decibels.

Every word was clearly transmitted to the ears of every cultivator present.

Like a thunderclap, it exploded in everyone's ears:

"Judging from the results detected in that strange talisman, our Cultivator Association's president has at least three thousand more years to live!"

"And this is not even his limit!"
Because the detection limit of that talisman is three thousand years.

With a lifespan exceeding three thousand years, the strange symbols could not detect it.

In other words, our chairman can live for at least another three thousand years, and that's a conservative estimate.

In fact, his lifespan is probably even longer.
It's even possible that they could live for another four thousand years!

Speaking of the last sentence...
The black-robed monk's tone was clearly loaded with hidden meaning.

He wanted to tell everyone that the ancient rogue cultivator was not nearing the end of his lifespan, but rather still had a long lifespan ahead of him.

It was simply impossible for them to outlive him until his lifespan ended.
That's just them deceiving themselves.

Upon hearing this,

All the cultivators present were completely stunned.
The expressions on their faces changed instantly from initial confusion and bewilderment to astonishment and disbelief.
Many cultivators couldn't help but gasp and tremble slightly.

Three thousand years!
A lifespan of at least three thousand years!

This was simply unbelievable, beyond the comprehension of all of them.
They simply couldn't believe that the ancient rogue cultivator had such a long lifespan.

A moment later,
The mysterious monk, clad in a hooded cloak with only his jawline visible, was the first to regain his senses.

His tone became extremely serious.

His voice trembled slightly with disbelief as he stared intently at the black-robed cultivator and asked:
Is this true?

"Fellow Daoist, you can't joke like this. This matter concerns the life and death of our various sects; there's no room for falsehood!"

As they were speaking,
His eyes, peering through his lowered hat, were fixed intently on the black-robed monk, his gaze sharp as a knife.

It was as if they wanted to see through the mask on the black-robed monk's face, to see what he was thinking, and to judge whether what he said was true or false.

Seeing this scene,
The black-robed cultivator, seated on the stone throne, nodded slowly, his tone firm and without the slightest hesitation:

"Of course it's true!"
Everything I have said is true; there is not a single falsehood.

If I utter even half a lie, I am willing to be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!

Then,
The cloaked cultivator's voice drifted over again, still tinged with doubt and caution:

"Fellow Daoist, since you say this is true, could you please take out that strange talisman so that we can have a look at it?"
This will allow us to be completely convinced and dispel any doubts we may have.

Upon hearing this!

The black-robed cultivator said calmly:
"I am aware that this matter is of great importance, and it is perfectly normal for fellow Daoists to have some doubts."

He then spoke again, his tone still calm, yet tinged with a hint of helplessness:
"However, that strange talisman was completely destroyed after it probed the old monster's lifespan."

That old monster's cultivation was too profound, and his lifespan too long. The strange talisman forcibly probing his lifespan exceeded its own capacity.

Ultimately, it was consumed by the power of lifespan, completely destroyed, and turned into a pile of ashes, rendered unusable.

Just as the other cultivators were about to speak up and raise questions, wanting to ask for more details,
To determine whether the black-robed cultivator's words were true or false...

The black-robed cultivator spoke again, interrupting everyone's thoughts.

"I am also aware that this matter is of great importance."
"Based solely on my word, fellow Daoists will surely find it difficult to be convinced and will still harbor some doubts."

The black-robed cultivator's tone became extremely solemn, and his aura also became dignified.

"Although I currently have no evidence to prove that what you have said is true,"

However, I can swear an oath from my inner demons on the spot to prove my innocence and demonstrate my resolve!

After saying that,

The black-robed cultivator slowly raised his right hand, his fingertips forming a hand seal, chanting incantations, and a faint spiritual light emanated from his body.

As the light swirled, a solemn and dignified aura spread out, enveloping the entire underground palace.

The pure black mask on his face, illuminated by the spiritual light, appeared even more eerie and solemn.
The eyes beneath the mask were incredibly resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

A moment later,
As he finished chanting the incantation, he raised his right hand high, his voice solemn and resolute, echoing throughout the empty underground palace, each word ringing out with unwavering conviction:

"I swear on my own inner demons and on my own soul, everything I have said today is the truth."
If even half a lie is uttered, the perpetrator will be consumed by inner demons, their soul and spirit annihilated, never to be reborn, their sect destroyed, and their fate sealed!

The Great Oath of the Inner Demon is the most solemn and most vicious oath in the world of cultivation.

Once issued...

It will be imprinted on the soul, and if one breaks the oath, one will inevitably suffer the backlash of inner demons, ending in death and the annihilation of both body and soul, never to be reborn.
It could even implicate one's own sect, causing it to suffer annihilation.

Therefore, no cultivator dares to easily make a vow against their inner demons.
They dared not break the solemn oath they had made to their inner demons.

As the black-robed monk's oath fell...
The underground palace instantly fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone held their breath, their faces filled with shock and solemnity.

They knew that since the black-robed cultivator dared to make a solemn oath against his inner demons on the spot, it meant that what he said must be true.
That ancient rogue cultivator indeed has at least three thousand years left to live.
It's simply impossible for them to outlive him until his lifespan ends.

They were well aware that there was no way out now. How could they possibly survive?

Do you want to preserve your sect?
To reclaim their rightful power, they must join forces, fight to the death, and kill that ancient rogue cultivator.

There was no other choice.

In a short time.

Many thoughts flashed through their minds...
"It seems this is true."

If that Nascent Soul stage monster truly possessed such a long lifespan, then the identity of the ancient rogue cultivator was most likely a lie.

His true identity is most likely that of a Nascent Soul cultivator in the mortal realm.

"Ancient rogue cultivator?"
Hmph! This must be the disguise of that Nascent Soul stage monster.

He hadn't recently awakened from his slumber either.

"The reason they didn't show up before and concealed their cultivation level was most likely because they were wary of the fact that each sect in the three major alliances had a Nascent Soul Venerable in charge."

However, with the outbreak of the Forbidden Sea calamity and the fall of the Nascent Soul Venerables of various sects, they could no longer hold back and openly appeared in the world.

No wonder that old monster appeared at such a convenient time.

"···"

...(End of this chapter)