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

"Is it serious business?"

Upon hearing those two words, Gu An stopped looting, stuffed the last seemingly aged blue brick into his storage bag, then straightened his expression and stood respectfully with his hands at his sides beneath the bronze cage.

He knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Whether it was the transmission of cultivation techniques, the guidance on treasure hunting, or even the so-called promise of life-saving, it was all based on the "serious matter" that was about to begin.

Qi Yunmeng's remnant soul appeared somewhat weak; the azure light was no longer as solid as before, and even showed signs of dissipation at the edges. He gave Gu An a deep look and slowly spoke:

"Little child, do you know why the Blood Blade Sect went to such lengths, even resorting to a war between two sects, to dig through this underground Yin Vein?"

After a moment's thought, Gu An tentatively asked, "Is it for the treasures in these underground ruins? Or for the profound Yin energy within the Yin veins?"

"A treasure? Profound Yin energy?"

Qi Yunmeng scoffed, his tone tinged with disdain, "If it were for these inanimate objects, why go to such lengths? What they're after are living creatures!"

"A living thing?" Gu An's pupils contracted slightly, and the terrifying image of the Tai Sui instantly flashed through his mind. "Ancestor, you mean... that Tai Sui?"

"good."

Qi Yunmeng's voice turned somewhat gloomy, "Three hundred years ago, when I separated my demonic thoughts and flesh and blood to become that Tai Sui, although I severed my connection with it, there was still a trace of the 'Dan Qi' that I condensed when I was breaking through to the Golden Core stage within that Tai Sui."

"The Blood Blade Sect somehow learned of this news. Their goal wasn't to kill Tai Sui at all, but to use a blood sacrifice to fully activate the wisp of demonic energy within Tai Sui's body, refining it into a sect-guarding demonic beast that only knew how to kill but was also controlled by others!"

Guardian Beasts!

Gu An felt a chill run down his spine.

If a magical beast with the combat power of the Foundation Establishment stage or even higher, and with an immortal body and the ability to regenerate infinitely were to fall into the hands of the Blood Blade Sect, not only the Green Wood Sect, but the entire cultivation world within a thousand miles would likely suffer devastation.

Of course, Gu An was more concerned about his own life than the safety of the cultivation world.

If that Tai Sui is activated, the first to suffer will be Youying Valley, which is closest to it, and Gu An.

"Although that monstrous creature has now developed intelligence, it is still in a state of ignorance and can only devour blood and food based on instinct. But once the Blood Blade Sect members come into contact with its core and plant the 'Blood Soul Restriction,' then it will truly be beyond saving."

Qi Yunmeng looked at Gu An, his tone solemn: "Therefore, the task I want you to do is to find the key to suppress that evil thing before they do."

"May I ask, Ancestor, what is this?" Gu An asked in a deep voice.

"Nine Dragons Demon-Suppressing Cauldron".

Qi Yunmeng uttered these five words, and then explained, "Back then, I drew a circle on the ground to imprison myself. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, I specially took out this ancient broken cauldron from the sect's treasury and suppressed it on another node of the Yin Vein, echoing this Yi Wood Prison, forming a 'Double Dragon Locking Evil' formation."

At this point, the azure light in mid-air swayed slightly, transforming into a simple topographical map that was directly imprinted into Gu An's mind.

"The cauldron is right here."

Gu An closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, his brows gradually furrowing.

The location marked on the map is not near these ruins, but deep underground downstream of a dark river, possibly even beyond the range of the Green Wood Sect's protective mountain formation.

"Ancestor, since it was used to suppress Tai Sui, why didn't you carry it with you back then?" Gu An asked.

"Because at that time I could no longer control the demonic thoughts within my body," Qi Yunmeng sighed. "The Nine Dragons Demon-Suppressing Cauldron is an extremely yang and rigid object. If it had been placed beside me, my crippled body would have been refined by it before the demonic thoughts could be suppressed."

"Listen, little one."

Qi Yunmeng's voice suddenly turned stern, "After you leave this place, you must find a way to sneak back to the sect, or infiltrate the Blood Blade Sect's ranks, and find the entrance to that node. As long as you can find the Nine Dragons Demon-Suppressing Cauldron and use the 'Life-Generating Wood Technique' that I passed down to you to activate the inscriptions on the cauldron, you can remotely draw upon the power of the earth's veins to reinforce the seal, and even... use the power of the cauldron's fire to reverse-refine that Tai Sui!"

Gu An's heart skipped a beat.

Reverse refining?

"That's right." Qi Yunmeng seemed to see through Gu An's greed and coaxed him gently, "As long as we can refine that Tai Sui, not only can we save the sect from its crisis, but more importantly—the golden core seed nurtured in the core of that Tai Sui will then become ownerless."

"The Golden Core seed purified by the Nine Dragon Cauldron possesses incredibly pure energy. If you could devour and refine it, let alone Foundation Establishment, even Core Formation... would be within your reach!"

One in ten chance!

For a genius with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, a ten percent chance might be a joke. But for a nobody like Gu An with four Spiritual Roots, let alone ten percent, even half a percent is enough for him to risk his life!

This is the ticket to the Golden Elixir Path!

Gu An took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging desire in his heart. He knew very well that even the most enticing promises were useless without the means to actually fulfill them.

"Ancestor, this disciple has noted this matter."

Gu An didn't pound his chest loudly, but asked very pragmatically, "But right now, disciples are trapped in this deadly place, surrounded by demonic beasts and sealed above. If we can't get out, everything is just empty talk."

"Don't worry, since I've entrusted you with this task, I've naturally left you a way out."

Qi Yunmeng's remnant soul drifted to the back of the cage, where there was a pitch-black rock wall that appeared normal.

"This Demon Suppression Bureau was built on the Yin Vein. In addition to using Yin energy to suppress demons, it also had an important function: 'pollution control'."

"Discharging sewage?" Gu An was taken aback.

"The demons and evil cultivators who were imprisoned, the pus and blood they turned into after death, the evil energy, and the filth washed off from the torture chambers all need to go somewhere."

Qi Yunmeng pointed to the shadows below the rock wall, "There, there is an underground river. Although it has been abandoned for many years, it still leads directly to an underground river deep underground. By drifting along the underground river, you can avoid the blockade above and leave the territory of the Qingmu Sect directly to a hidden pool in the outside world."

Upon hearing this, Gu An quickly walked to the rock wall.

Sure enough, hidden among the rocks, there was a dark cave entrance that was only half a person's height.

A bone-chilling cold, mixed with a heavy, fishy stench, wafted from the depths of the cave entrance, making one want to vomit. Faintly, one could also hear the gurgling of water from the depths, and the low growls of some muffled, unidentified creature.

"This is the only way out."

Qi Yunmeng said calmly, "However, I must remind you that many aquatic monsters that prefer shade reside in this underground river. Although most of them are not yet intelligent, there are quite a few ferocious ones. Whether you can get out alive depends on how well you practice the 'Turtle Breathing Technique' and the Breath Concealing Pendant you just acquired."

Gu An stared at the sewers, which resembled a gaping abyss, his expression shifting several times before finally settling into a resolute look.

Compared to facing the Foundation Establishment stage black-scaled python, or those ruthless demonic cultivators above, this dark river, though dangerous, at least offers unknown hope.

"Disciple understands."

Gu An turned around and respectfully bowed to the jade skeleton and the remnant soul in the air.

This bow is for no other reason than the tangible benefits I have received in the past two days.

"Go..."

Qi Yunmeng's voice grew weaker and weaker, and the ball of blue light began to flicker violently, as if it would be extinguished at any moment. "This remnant soul of mine is about to fall into slumber. If you can truly succeed, remember... bring a pot of good wine."

Before the words were finished, the ball of blue light suddenly contracted, finally turning into a tiny, firefly-like glimmer, and returned to the space between the eyebrows of the jade skeleton.

A deathly silence returned to the hall.

Only the faint light emanating from the distant, dark blue moss illuminated the skeleton that had sat alone for three hundred years.

Gu An stood up, took a deep look at the skeleton, and then turned away without hesitation.

He took out the broken jade pendant he had just acquired from his storage bag and infused it with the spiritual power of the Wood element.

"Buzz".

The jade pendant trembled slightly, and an invisible wave instantly enveloped her entire body.

Gu An then activated the "Turtle Breathing Technique," suppressing his heartbeat to only three beats per minute. His body temperature also dropped, making him feel like a cold stone.

After doing all this, he tightened his grip on the broken sword and walked to the dark sewer opening.

"call……"

Gu An exhaled a breath of stale air, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"Let's give it our all!"

Take a leap.

"Thump!"

A not-so-loud splash rang out, then was swallowed by darkness.