Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

"Sir, what should we do with these two?"

Chen Hong pulled the two corpses together, not daring to look at the gruesome sight of one of them with a willow tree stuck in his chest.

He revealed his previous idea: to carefully dig out the fairy willow and move it elsewhere with his family.

But now, with his and Li Laosi's combined strength, it would be difficult for them to traverse this six-meter-tall willow tree.

"Bury it on the spot."

Ye Xuan didn't care about the two people's lives or deaths, as if they were just ordinary cultivators. In other words, he didn't take the immortal shrine behind them seriously at all.

When a celestial seed erupts, in addition to its own life force, its memories and consciousness will also be incorporated into the celestial willow.

Although the world of short lifespan is vast, whether royalty or commoners, everyone must undergo the so-called celestial offering ceremony at birth, during which a portion of their lifespan is taken away.

Only those with exceptional talent can, under these circumstances, embark on the arduous path of cultivation.

This is like a shackle; the ultimate limit for all cultivators in the short-lived world is trapped at the Foundation Establishment stage...

"Within the same realm, I am invincible!"

He couldn't help but look up at the dark night sky. His senses had reached the heavens many times, but he still couldn't find the passage to the Immortal Realm. It seemed that there had been a barrier between the two realms since ancient times, and no immortals would ever descend to the mortal world.

Chen Hong and Li Laosi immediately obeyed the order, dragged the two men in black to a hillside near the Chen family's house, dug a pit on the spot, and buried them.

As Li Laosi shoveled the yellow earth, he would occasionally place his hand on his lower abdomen, his eyes fixed on the willow branches embedded in the body of the temple's guardian deity.

Just imagining it sent chills down my spine. "Brother Chen, how difficult is this Qi cultivation?"

Chen Hong stopped what he was doing, lost in thought. He was also worried about breaking through to the next realm, and said:

"With the blessing of the Immortal Willow, Qi Refining is not difficult, but Foundation Establishment will surely not be easy."

He picked up the shovel, tamped down the last handful of yellow soil, and the two returned home.

As dawn broke, Chen Hong washed off the bloodstains and prepared to go hunting in the mountains, while Li Laosi, at Ye Xuan's instruction, stayed at the Chen family's residence to cultivate.

Two days passed in a flash, and the Chen family's life returned to normal, as if the events of the past few days had never happened...

At the town's ancestral hall, Pei Lan was summoned early in the morning by numerous ritual performers to be questioned.

From her, I learned the reason for the disappearance of the two protectors a few days ago: "Shuitian Village?"

"To be honest, this is a very serious matter; we should report it."

"Yes, if the two guardians went to search for the treasure and have not returned for so long, they must have met with some misfortune."

"That Shuitian Village actually managed to hoard treasures and assassinate two adults. Even if we go there, we'll only be throwing our lives away."

……

Several monks discussed the matter at length and ultimately decided to report it. However, transportation between the town and the county was inconvenient, and it would take at least several days for them to travel back and forth.

During this time, almost all the villagers in Shuitian Village learned about the matter, and a group of people angrily went to the Chen family.

The woman in the lead shouted, "Open the door!"

Chen Hong, you're worse than an animal! You hoarded a secret treasure for yourself, and now we're all implicated.

The town has issued a death order, saying that if the matter is reported to the county government, no one from Shuitian Village will be able to escape.

But what crime have they committed? These days they've just been doing farm work, living a simple and ordinary life. They've never even heard of any precious pearl or fairy willow, yet they've been labeled as accomplices.

Who could stand this?

So several men kicked open the Chen family's door, and more than ten people rushed into the courtyard, where they saw the tall willow tree.

"What is this thing...?"

Countless willow branches on the tree moved without wind, as if each one possessed its own consciousness, and floated in front of the crowd.

Chen Hong and Li Laosi came to the courtyard upon hearing the noise. "Peilan? Why are you joining in this nonsense?"

Li Laosi spotted his wife in the crowd at a glance. Although his cultivation hadn't improved much in the past few days, his overall demeanor had undergone a significant change.

His complexion became fuller, and his eyes shone brightly, making him look less sleazy.

Upon seeing Li Laosi, Pei Lan was immediately enraged and pointed at his nose, cursing:

"You heartless bastard, how dare you talk about me like that?"

A heartless man? Li Laosi was puzzled. He had asked Lord Xianliu yesterday, thinking of inviting Peilan to cultivate as well, but was told that her foundation was not strong enough and she would only become nourishment if she came.

He never intended to keep everything to himself, so how did he become a heartless man?

"Fine, you lot have gotten your own treasures, so you've taken good care of yourselves, making everyone else bear the blame!"

Someone in the crowd started to speak, and everyone felt the same way. Who among them had their lifespan shortened from childhood, spending their lives sickly and weak, only able to do farm work, their days seemingly endless...

The atmosphere in the courtyard was so heated that it almost turned into a fight. Chen Hong didn't know what to say, and he really hadn't expected that the whole village would bear the blame.

Just as someone picked up their tools, two thunderclaps suddenly rang out in the sky, followed by an invisible force that pressed the farm tools in their hands down.

Seeing the sudden lightning strike, the villagers cried out in alarm, "A ghost! Run!"

However, countless willow branches blocked the entrance to the courtyard, firmly blocking their way.

Only then did everyone realize that everything was the work of this willow tree. A few of the more sensible ones immediately knelt on the ground and begged the immortal willow tree to spare their lives.

Ye Xuan said to the villagers of Shuitian Village, "Those who wish to cultivate, stand under the shade of the tree."

These words left the villagers of Shuitian Village completely bewildered. What was cultivation? And where did this voice come from?

Seeing that Lord Xianliu had taken action, but the crowd remained indifferent, Chen Hong and Li Laosi shouted to the crowd:

"This is the grace of Lord Xianliu, so seize the opportunity."

They were stunned. "Fairy Willow?"

Those who were quick-witted looked closely at the willow tree. Its branches and leaves were lush, and there seemed to be a luster flowing on the branches. It was probably a fairy willow!

Two or three people immediately ran to the shade of the willow tree, and Ye Xuan manipulated several willow branches, each channeling a wisp of spiritual energy into their dantian.

The spiritual energy enters the body and circulates for a complete cycle, after which a sense of clarity soars straight to the crown of the head!

The group felt as if they had been reborn, as if they had been reborn...

"Well, is anyone else going forward?"

Ye Xuan looked at the dozens of villagers in the courtyard. Among them, only about ten were able to cultivate, and it would be very difficult for them to continue to break through in the future.

But that's none of his business; people always have to pay the price for their own ignorance.

Despite Chen Hong and Li Laosi explaining the matter of the Immortal Seed to everyone, no one backed down as they watched the crowd surge forward.

It was all because of the changes that occurred to those two or three people in such a short time—

Their vibrant energy and bright eyes are enough to inspire anyone to try, especially since they have no knowledge of cultivation and have no idea about future breakthroughs.

Ye Xuan welcomed all who came, clearing their meridians and planting immortal seeds in their dantian.

Regardless of one's foundation, the time limit before practicing Qi is two months.

As long as one can successfully break through the Qi Refining stage, one can live to be a hundred years old like a normal person, and then have the freedom to choose one's lifespan afterward.

Whether one continues their spiritual practice to break through to higher levels, or lives out their life to the fullest, it is entirely up to them…

The news spread quickly in Shuitian Village, but everyone tacitly kept it a secret. Anyone in the village who wanted to try cultivation could go to Xianliu to open their meridians.

Whenever someone tried, Chen Hong and Li Laosi would remind everyone of the enormous risks of the Immortal Seed, but it was not very effective.

Thinking back to the generations of villagers in Shuitian Village, who have lived in this mountain since ancient times, few have the talent to cultivate. Now, they have a chance to change their fate and escape a life of physical weakness and illness.

"Our ancestors were all farmers; we were terrified of illness and poverty..."