Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

Outside the Valley of Shadows, on a half-mile slope.

The gray mist that usually shrouded the valley entrance year-round was now churning violently like boiling water. The muffled thunder rumbling from deep underground, even from miles away, still shook the surface soil.

Zhao Feng stood on a protruding rock, his face pale and ashen, the communication talisman in his hand soaked with sweat.

"Damn it... damn it!"

He paced anxiously, his gaze frequently drifting towards the valley entrance. According to the agreement, that greedy fool Wang Mazi was supposed to return yesterday with this month's "private goods." But three whole days had passed, and not only was he nowhere to be seen, but even his natal soul talisman had shattered completely half an hour ago.

An outer disciple at the fifth level of Qi Refining died in his own territory.

Normally, Zhao Feng would only feel sorry for the thug who was gone, but in the past few days, strange phenomena have occurred frequently in the valley, the earth veins have been shaking, and the shadow of the demonic cultivator digging the tunnel has not yet dissipated. A very ominous premonition has enveloped his heart.

"Boom—"

With a loud bang, the boundary marker at the entrance of Ghostly Valley, which was inscribed with the words "Forbidden Land," exploded.

A dense, oppressive black-red aura shot into the sky like smoke, instantly darkening half the heavens. Within the aura, countless hideous ghostly faces could be vaguely seen howling, and the nauseating stench of blood spread instantly on the wind.

Zhao Feng's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

This is no longer the Spirit Mulberry Forest; it's clearly a demon's lair that has opened up!

"It's over... the truth can't be hidden anymore."

Zhao Feng's teeth chattered, and he could no longer care about the crime of embezzling the Xuan Yin Silk. He tremblingly summoned the emergency communication talisman that led directly to the inner sect.

"District C...The ley lines in Ghostly Valley are surging! Suspected...suspected demons have broken free of their seal! Requesting elders' assistance!"

The talisman transformed into a streak of red light and vanished into the sky in an instant.

……

In just the time it takes to burn half an incense stick.

The clouds on the horizon suddenly parted, and two streaks of light, like shooting stars falling to earth, descended upon Youying Valley in an instant, carrying immense pressure.

The leader was none other than Elder Han Qingsong of the Spirit Plant Hall, his moon-white Taoist robe fluttering in the wind, his face as cold and stern as iron. Beside him was an old man in an earth-yellow Bagua robe, holding a compass, his beard and hair all white; he was Elder Mo of the Array Hall.

"Greetings...Greetings to the two elders!"

Zhao Feng scrambled forward to greet him, intending to kowtow and beg for forgiveness, but Han Qingsong blasted him away ten feet away with a burst of spiritual power.

"Get out of my way!"

Han Qingsong had no time to pay attention to this ant. His gaze was fixed on the churning evil energy and the collapsing ground below. His usually calm eyes flashed with a deep sense of fear and apprehension.

"Senior Brother Mo, look..."

Han Qingsong's voice was low and deep, and only Elder Mo beside him could hear it.

Elder Mo's compass spun rapidly, the pointer trembling wildly, and finally exploded with a "crack".

"An extremely ominous sign."

Elder Mo stared at the compass fragments, his face extremely grim. "The Yin energy is flowing backward, and the blood energy is soaring to the heavens. The thing underground... has awakened."

The two exchanged a glance and both saw the coldness in each other's eyes.

To ordinary disciples, Youying Valley was nothing more than a desolate mulberry grove with poor yields. But to these Foundation Establishment stage elders, especially those who had access to the sect's core secrets, it was an absolute taboo.

Three hundred years ago, the brilliant ancestor of the Qingmu Sect attempted to break through to the Golden Core stage. In order to sever ties with mortal karma and eliminate the poison and inner demons accumulated in his body over the past hundred years, the ancestor used a supreme secret technique to forcibly peel away a piece of his "demonic flesh and blood".

Although the flesh and blood had left the body, it was imbued with the spirituality of a half-step Golden Core cultivator, making it immortal and indestructible. It took root and transformed into a Tai Sui demon that only knew how to devour.

The ancestor, unable to bear killing, or perhaps wanting to keep it as a backup plan, suppressed the demon deep within the Yin veins of Youying Valley, laying down multiple seals, which was only described to outsiders as sealing off the Yin veins.

This secret is known only to the successive sect leaders and core elders.

"That demonic cultivator dug a tunnel, which damaged the earth's veins. Now it seems that something reckless is causing trouble in the valley, triggering the demon's ferocity."

Han Qingsong stared at the ever-expanding collapsing vortex below, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "If this thing were to break free, countless lives would be lost within a hundred miles, and the very foundation of my Qingmu Sect would be shaken!"

"With a great battle imminent, we must not allow this matter to distract the sect leader. For now, this demonic lair must be sealed!"

Elder Mo spoke succinctly, and in his hand appeared four large, earthen-yellow banners, embroidered with the four mythical beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—all of which were depicted sleeping with their eyes closed, exuding a heavy sealing power.

"But... there is another outer disciple in the valley who is responsible for guarding it..." Han Qingsong frowned slightly, as if he was thinking of that "talented person" named Gu An.

"We can't worry about that now."

Elder Mo coldly interrupted, already throwing out the array flag in his hand, "When demons emerge, there is no chance of survival. Since that disciple is in the valley, he is probably already food for the demons. Hesitation will only lead to more trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Han Qingsong's last trace of hesitation vanished.

Faced with the interests of the Great Dao and the sect, the life of a mere Qi Refining stage disciple is as insignificant as a feather.

"Then, let's get started."

Han Qingsong waved his sleeve, and a huge black cloth bag was produced from his storage pouch. The bag opened, and countless grayish-white powders poured down like a waterfall.

That's "fossil powder".

This is an extremely insidious second-tier spiritual material that solidifies upon contact with soil and hardens upon contact with water. Just a hundred catties (approximately 50 kg) is enough to turn an acre of fertile land into a dead wasteland. And Han Qingsong's bag contains tens of thousands of catties (approximately 5,000 kg)!

"Four Symbols Lock Spirit, Thick Earth Seals the Border! Swift!"

Elder Mo made a hand seal, and the four array flags swelled in the wind, each planted in one of the four directions of Youying Valley.

Rumbling--

Four beams of earth-yellow light shot into the sky, intertwining in the air to form a huge net of light, before pressing down fiercely.

The fossil powder, falling from the sky, was transformed into a gray blizzard under the activation of the formation, covering the entire Ghostly Valley.

The originally soft soil, the withered mulberry forest, and even the swirling black mist, upon contact with this gray powder, stiffened and turned grayish-white at a visible speed.

The soil turned into rocks, and the trees into stone sculptures.

The entire valley is turning into a giant tomb.

……

Deep underground, in the stomach of the Tai Sui.

"roar--!!!"

As the sealing power descended from above, the enormous flesh and blood Tai Sui let out an unprecedentedly mournful roar.

Although it lacked sentience, its biological instincts told it of impending doom. The earth-elemental spiritual energy emanating from above carried a suffocating, despairing feeling. Its countless tentacles lashed frantically at the surrounding rock layers, attempting to break free.

However, by the time he realized it, it was too late.

Gu An lay prone at the gaping hole in the flesh wall, covered in blood, but staring intently at the sky above.

In his spiritual plant affinity perception, the airflow that originally belonged to the outside world was rapidly disappearing. The thick layer of rock above his head was turning into an iron plate that even divine sense could not penetrate.

Furthermore, that petrifying power is spreading underground like mercury through the earth vein channels that Tai Sui had previously created.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

The fleshy wall above came into contact with that petrifying power and instantly turned into grayish-white stone, losing all its vitality.

"Is this... going to completely fill this place up?!"

Gu An's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart felt as if it had been squeezed tightly.

He had guessed that the sect would come to suppress him, but he did not expect that these high and mighty cultivators would be so ruthless and decisive.

Without asking why, without checking who was alive, they directly sealed off the mountains and filled the valleys!

This is to turn this monster, along with Gu An, into fossil specimens deep underground!

"What a prestigious and righteous sect! What a fine Green Wood Sect!"

Gu An's lips curled into a bitter smile, but there was no trace of resignation or despair in his eyes.

He racked his brains to survive in the cracks, climbing from a menial servant to the outer gate, fighting his way up from a mortal to the fourth level of Qi Refining, and then, through countless near-death experiences inside the belly of this demon, he forged a body of steel.

How could he accept being buried alive like this?!

"If we can't go up... then we'll just have to keep going down!"

Gu An's consciousness traversed the darkness, passing through layers of rotting flesh and acid. In Gu An's mind, the internal structure of this Tai Sui gradually became clear.

Above is a dead zone that is rapidly petrifying.

All around, there was an impending, crushing predicament. But at the very bottom, in the deepest part of the earth's veins, a faint yet incredibly cool current of air was surging.

That's the wind! It's a chilling wind from the underworld!

In order to absorb Yin energy, the main root of this Tai Sui pierced through hundreds of feet of earth and connected to an unknown space underground.

"Found it!"

Gu An suddenly opened his eyes, a burst of blue light flashing within them. That main root vascular bundle was the only way out!

"Open it!"

Gu An no longer held back, and instantly infused the broken "Cloud Piercing" flying sword in his hand with all his spiritual power.

The force of the Geng metal finger strikes, penetrating to the bone! Dark golden light condenses into a single point on the broken sword. Ignoring the surrounding walls of flesh pressing in, Gu An, like a spinning drill, plunges fiercely into the fleshy wall beneath his feet.

puff!

The tough, iron-like flesh was forcibly torn apart by the sharp, metallic aura. Blackish-red blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering all over Gu An's face.

But he didn't even wipe it clean; he simply followed the opening and squeezed inside.

"roar!!!"

The giant worm was in pain, and its already contracting stomach sac convulsed violently. Countless fleshy buds shot out from all directions, trying to entangle the damned insect.

"roll!"

With a backhand slash, Gu An severed several buds of flesh that were wrapped around his ankle, and like an eel, he frantically dug downwards through the fleshy passage.

The petrified layer above had already spread to the middle of the stomach sac. If he had been even half a step slower, even if he had burrowed into the flesh, he would have turned into stone along with his flesh.

Three feet, five feet, ten feet!

Gu An brandished the broken sword like a madman. If there was an obstacle in front of him, he would cut it down; if there was soft flesh in front of him, he would tear it apart.

His copper skin was torn apart by shattered bones, but thanks to its self-healing properties, it quickly scabbed over. He was like a piece of iron being rolled backwards in a meat grinder.

at last.

With a muffled "plop".

The broken sword in Gu An's hand suddenly felt lighter, and the resistance in front of him vanished.

He pierced the septum at the bottom of his stomach and fell into a wide, slippery tube.

This is the main root of the Tai Sui! This main root is as thick as a bucket, and its inner wall is covered with fuzz that secretes mucus. Originally, it was used to transport Yin energy upward from the ground, but now it has become Gu An's escape slide.

"Walk!"

Gu An had no time to adjust his posture, sheathed his broken sword, covered his head with his arms, curled up into a ball, and plummeted rapidly into the depths of the earth along the steep root system.

woohoo-

All I could hear was the sound of the wind and that nauseating, fishy stench.

The descent was extremely fast. Although the mucus beneath reduced friction, the tube was not straight and there were sharp turns or protruding fleshy growths from time to time.

boom!

Gu An crashed heavily into a corner, feeling as if his ribs were about to break. But he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound, only adjusting his spiritual power to protect his head and neck.

At this moment, he was like prey swallowed by a snake, sliding down its intestines into the abyss.

Shortly after he slid into the main root.

Above, the terrifying earthy-yellow spiritual power finally spread to the bottom of the stomach.

"Click click click..."

In despair, the enormous body of the Tai Sui ceased its struggle completely, and the undigested acid and residue in its stomach solidified instantly.

The fossil powder poured in like a relentless grim reaper, flowing through the opening Gu An had just dug.

The grayish-white rock layer spread rapidly down the pipe wall, chasing the falling figure.

Gu An looked back and saw that several feet above his head, the grayish-white color representing death was rapidly approaching.

"Faster...faster!"

He grabbed the fibers on the tube wall with both hands and pulled downwards with force, giving himself a boost.

Even though his palms were scratched and bleeding from the barbs on the downy hairs, he didn't care.

If caught, it's like being sealed in amber within a stone, never to be released again.

They slid down hundreds of feet. The surrounding pipe walls began to dry and roughen, and the warmth of flesh and blood gradually disappeared, replaced by a cold and hard sensation.

This is already the end of the Tai Sui root system, close to the earth vein rock layer.

The pipe was getting narrower and narrower, and a faint, cold light was emanating from ahead.

That's the exit! But the exit is covered with layers of roots like fishing nets, which are obviously filters used by the Tai Sui to filter out large impurities.

Just as they were about to crash into each other, a ruthless glint flashed in Gu An's eyes.

"Those who block my way shall die!"

With a flick of his right hand, the broken sword was back in his grasp.

The Hundred Refinements Golden Body Technique erupted, his arm muscles tightened like steel cables, and his Geng Metal Finger Force was pushed to its limit.

"open!"

Using the immense momentum of his descent, Gu An merged with his sword and slammed into the layer of root netting.

Tear!

The resilient roots snapped instantly under the sharp force of the Geng metal.

Gu An, like a cannonball, smashed through the final obstacle and burst out of the pipe.

My body suddenly felt lighter, and the suffocating feeling of pressure vanished instantly.

Instead, there was a feeling of weightlessness and a chilling, knife-like underground wind rushing towards you.

He was suspended in mid-air, plummeting towards the endless dark abyss below.