Immortality and Cultivation: This old man seeks enlightenment through mere survival.

At the foot of Yunli Mountain, on the edge of the formation.

Holding a monitoring compass, Xu Chunsheng was meticulously checking the operation of the mountain-protecting formation.

The compass needle trembled slightly, indicating that the aura at the point beneath their feet was somewhat dimmed and had suffered some wear.

"Although it's a tedious job, at least I can get some fresh air. The scenery outside the mountains has a unique charm," he thought to himself.

Three years ago, the mountain master Lu Zaian suddenly announced his seclusion, no longer concerning himself with worldly affairs in the mountains, and strictly ordered that no one should set foot on the summit of Yunhai Mountain unless in an emergency.

All matters, large and small, in the mountains were handled by the steward, Xu Yan'er.

At first, no one noticed anything unusual.

The mountain lord is a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a long lifespan, and seclusion for cultivation is a regular occurrence for him.

In the past, when the mountain lord was in seclusion, he would often appear or go to the spiritual fields of West Valley to cast spells to promote the growth of spiritual plants.

Whether it was refining elixirs in the Nanming Hall, one could always see the old man there.

But this time, it lasted for three whole years without revealing a single trace.

As time went on, the people below inevitably began to speculate and whisper among themselves.

Some say that the mountain lord is cultivating an extremely profound and mysterious technique, and should not be disturbed.

Some people say that they have personally witnessed the mountain lord kill a late-stage second-tier demon beast, and his cultivation level is probably at the peak of Foundation Establishment. This time, he is in seclusion to try to break through to the Core Formation realm.

Even more bizarrely, there are rumors that the mountain lord has obtained an ancient inheritance and is breaking the restrictions on some kind of secret treasure.

These rumors were ultimately suppressed by Xu Yan'er with strong measures, and she was forbidden from discussing them again.

However, there is one thing that everyone knows:

The mountain lord has indeed stopped paying attention to trivial matters in the mountains.

For example, this mountain-protecting formation, if there were any wear and tear or cracks in the past, the mountain lord could immediately detect it with his divine sense and personally repair it, so the formation always maintained perfect operation.

Now, these maintenance tasks have fallen on the shoulders of these lower-ranking disciples.

Xu Chunsheng was originally a child from an ordinary village at the foot of the mountain, and his original surname was Li.

Ten years ago, he went up the mountain to collect herbs and accidentally entered the maze surrounding Yunli Mountain. He was discovered by members of the Xu family who were patrolling at the time. They found that he possessed spiritual roots and thus recruited him into the Xu family.

He bestowed upon him the cultivation method, arranged a marriage, and renamed him Xu Chunsheng.

Since he started learning cultivation techniques from the Xu family, especially the cultivation of spiritual plants and rice, he felt that it was not much different from farming in the mortal world.

It simply requires more patience and interaction with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

However, the mountain lord set a rule that strictly forbids people in the mountains from contacting the outside world at will.

Xu Chunsheng was also unable to send a message to his parents down the mountain, to tell them why he had disappeared for the past ten years.

At first, he had some concerns, but as he grew older and his cultivation improved, he understood—

Once one enters the path of immortality, one is already from a different world from one's mortal relatives. Contacting them might bring disaster, so this thought gradually fades away.

The Xu clan members often warned him about the dangers of the cultivation world outside. In comparison, he felt that it was not bad to cultivate peacefully in Yunli Mountain.

He is now a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator, and his wife is also a woman from the Xu family with spiritual roots. The two cultivate together, and their days are peaceful and fulfilling.

However, this task of inspecting the formation allowed him to reach the edge of the formation and, through the swirling clouds and mist, vaguely see the scenery outside the mountains.

For him, this was a rare moment of "getting some fresh air".

at this time.

The compass needle in his hand suddenly jumped, pointing to a certain point ahead, and the light in his hand dimmed abruptly!

"Hmm? The wear and tear on this node is so severe that even the clouds are thinning..."

Xu Chunsheng frowned, took a few steps forward, and peered through the thinning mist.

He suddenly saw several people groping their way towards him from the edge of the mist not far away outside the mountain!

Four of them emanated obvious magical energy fluctuations, especially the white-bearded old man, whose aura was profound, likely indicating he was in the late stage of Qi Refining, or even... a Foundation Establishment cultivator?!

And among them was a hunter dressed in coarse linen clothes, his face filled with fear...

Xu Chunsheng's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart felt as if it had been squeezed tightly!

"That's... Father?!"

He gasped in a low voice.

Although his father, Li Erhu, looked ten years older than he remembered, with graying temples and a less straight back, he would never mistake the features of his face!

Almost at the same time.

Through the thin mist, Li Erhu also saw the young man inside the formation, dressed in a blue Taoist robe, holding a compass, whose face vaguely resembled his childhood features.

He shuddered, his cloudy eyes widened, his lips trembled, and he said in a trembling voice, unable to believe it:

"You...you're Erwazi?! Erwazi? You're still alive?!"

"Father! It's me!"

In his excitement, Xu Chunsheng almost stepped out of the formation.

But he forcibly suppressed his impulse the next moment, his sharp gaze sweeping over the four cultivators beside Li Erhu, and he shouted in a deep voice:

Who are you? What is your purpose here?

The cultivators were also taken aback by this sudden turn of events.

Seeing that Xu Chunsheng was carrying a compass, one of the disciples assumed he was a fellow practitioner and bowed, saying:

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. We are disciples of the Lianshan Sect. We have come here to seek opportunities after hearing about the unusual phenomena in this place."

"I see the compass in your hand is incredibly powerful, seemingly able to see through this strange fog. Would you be willing to share some of your knowledge? We would certainly reward you handsomely."

He directly assumed that Xu Chunsheng was also a rogue cultivator or a disciple of a small sect who had come to "explore".

Xu Chunsheng's heart tightened. The mountain lord had strictly ordered that no information about Yunli Mountain be revealed to the outside world!

As he was pondering how to maneuver, he heard another young cultivator from the opposing camp suddenly point at him and say to the white-bearded elder:

"Uncle-Master, he just called that hunter 'father'! He is the hunter's youngest son who disappeared ten years ago!"

Ten years have passed, and he has actually become a Qi Refining cultivator! There truly is a great opportunity in these mountains!

Upon hearing this, the white-bearded old man's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the Foundation Establishment spiritual pressure that he had been deliberately suppressing suddenly erupted and pressed down on Xu Chunsheng!

Leave your compass behind, and I'll spare your life!

The voice was cold, carrying an unquestionable tone.

The old man already regarded Xu Chunsheng as a lucky person who possessed a great treasure and had obtained a chance in the mountains, and he was determined to get the compass that could influence the clouds and mist!

"Immortal Master! Please don't hurt my son!"

Seeing the old man suddenly become hostile, Li Erhu regretted his earlier loose tongue and hurriedly begged for forgiveness.

When Xu Chunsheng was hit by the pressure of the Foundation Establishment cultivator, his mind and spirit were initially shaken and his blood and qi surged.

But he immediately realized—

I'm inside the mountain-protecting formation, what do I have to fear from him!

Even if this node is worn out, the foundation of the great formation is intact. How could someone in the early stage of Foundation Establishment forcefully break through it?

He steadied himself, spun the compass in his hand, and frantically poured his magical power into it!

Om-!

The thin clouds in front of them suddenly churned and condensed, emitting a terrifying spiritual pressure far exceeding that of the Qi Refining stage.

A portion of the power of a perfect second-order formation was revealed!

"What a powerful treasure!"

Upon seeing this, one of the disciples was not alarmed but delighted, his eyes filled with even greater greed.

His older senior brother, standing beside him, suddenly changed his expression and exclaimed in surprise:

"Not good! Senior Uncle! This...this is not natural mist at all, it's a mountain-protecting formation!"

This place already has an owner; it's probably the retreat of a powerful hermit!

Before the words were even finished, the churning clouds, as if alive, rushed towards the group and swallowed them up!

The white-bearded old man finally realized what was happening, feeling the chilling power of the surrounding array, and thought to himself:

"Bitter!"

In this chaos—

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar shook the earth!

On the main peak of Yunli Mountain, the vortex of spiritual energy that was already gathering suddenly expanded more than tenfold!

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a hundred miles went completely out of control, churning like boiling water!

In the sky, azure and emerald light intertwined to form a dazzling aurora, and visible radiance surged towards the mountain peaks like rivers flowing into the sea!

An immense pressure descended, as if it were a tangible force, causing all the cultivators inside and outside the formation, including the Foundation Establishment elder, to feel as if they were carrying a mountain, their magical power sluggish!

"A treasure has appeared?!"

"No! Something's not right! This noise... something's amiss!"

"Look over there!!"

Within a radius of hundreds of miles, all cultivators seeking opportunities in the Changli Mountains, no matter where they were, were alarmed by this terrifying celestial phenomenon.

They all activated their escape lights and sped towards Yunli Mountain!

Of course, there are also a few small sects and families that have been entrenched in this place for more than ten years.

When the head of the family and the sect leader saw the source of the strange phenomenon from afar, their expressions changed. Instead of taking any action, they shook their heads and sighed, not daring to get involved.

In its early years, it noticed that the spiritual energy of the Changli Mountains was slowly recovering, so it chose to move its entire sect there in an attempt to gain an advantage.

In order to explore the root of the spiritual energy revival, or to find the core place where spiritual energy is most concentrated.

They eventually settled on a mountain peak known locally as "Yunli Mountain".

However, before they could even get within three hundred miles, they were enveloped by boundless clouds and mist, the world within the formation was turned upside down, and their magical power was almost completely imprisoned!

Then, a calm "Get lost" resounded directly in their souls, causing their blood to surge and them to flee in a sorry state.

From that time on, they knew that an unfathomable old monster lived in the mountains, and they gave up any desire to get involved, keeping it a closely guarded secret from outsiders.

At this moment, they were even happier to see other unsuspecting cultivators go and cause trouble.

"What...what terrifying array fluctuations?!"

The elderly man and the others trapped in the clouds were pale and terrified.

Xu Chunsheng was also dumbfounded, staring at the compass in his hand that was only faintly glowing, and muttered:

"No... this commotion is definitely not something my compass could have caused..."

He abruptly looked up at the center of the strange phenomenon, at the mountain peak where the sea of ​​clouds churned, and an unbelievable thought flashed through his mind like lightning:

"Could it be...could it be the Mountain Lord?! The Mountain Lord...?!"