The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

The stone gate was covered with intricate runes, which subtly echoed the ancient treasures on the altar, clearly indicating that they were created by the same person.

Han Xuan examined it carefully for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "This is the ancient restriction 'Five Elements Sealing Spirit Array,' which seals the entrance with the power of the five elements and requires the method of mutual generation and mutual restraint to break. The person who set up the array must have been at least at the late Nascent Soul stage. If it weren't for its great age, the array's power would be reduced to less than one-tenth, and neither of us would be able to enter."

Upon hearing this, Han Li attempted to probe the stone door with his divine sense, but was repelled by a gentle yet resilient force.

"Senior, is there a way to break this?"

"Yes." Han Xuan nodded. "The Five Elements Sealing Array may seem complicated, but it actually follows a pattern. Look at the arrangement of these runes: metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal, forming a cycle. You only need to inject spiritual power of the opposite attribute into the weak point of the cycle to break the array."

As he spoke, Han Xuan formed a sword shape with his fingers, golden light emanating from his fingertips, and touched a rune on the upper left corner of the stone gate. Then he switched his spiritual energy attribute and touched the other four locations in turn.

"Metal overcomes Wood, Wood overcomes Earth, Earth overcomes Water, Water overcomes Fire, and Fire overcomes Metal. The five elements counteract each other; this is the way to break them!"

"Buzz—"

The stone door trembled violently, the runes on its surface shimmering before finally dimming. With a muffled creak, the stone door slowly opened inward, revealing a stone staircase leading downwards.

The passage was deep and dark, with no end in sight, and a faint spiritual energy emanated from below.

"Let's go, be careful." Han Xuan stepped into the passage first, with Han Li following closely behind.

The stone steps were long, and after walking for about fifteen minutes, the space suddenly opened up before them. At the end of the passage was a huge underground space, hundreds of feet in diameter and tens of feet high, with dozens of luminous pearls embedded in the ceiling, emitting a soft glow.

In the center of the space was a nine-tiered jade platform, with a fist-sized purple crystal suspended at the top. Liquid seemed to flow inside the crystal, emitting an extremely rich spiritual energy.

"This is... Divine Transformation Jade Marrow!" A hint of surprise flashed in Han Xuan's eyes.

The Jade Marrow of Nascent Soul is a rare treasure of heaven and earth, containing a trace of the primordial power of a Nascent Soul cultivator. If a peak Nascent Soul cultivator could refine even a single drop, their success rate in achieving Nascent Soul transformation would increase by 30%, making it a priceless treasure. And this crystal contains at least ten drops!

Below the jade platform lay three skeletons. One was golden, one silver, and one black, each seated cross-legged at one of the three directions of the platform. Beside each skeleton was a magical artifact: next to the golden skeleton was a broken sword, next to the silver skeleton was a bronze mirror, and next to the black skeleton was a long spear.

"It seems these three all died fighting for the Nascent Soul Jade Marrow," Han Xuan observed. "Those who made it this far were at least late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. It's a pity they all perished together in the end."

Han Li's gaze swept over the three skeletons, finally settling on the broken sword. Although the sword was incomplete, its blade still gleamed with sharpness, and it faintly emitted the sound of a dragon's roar.

"That's... the Dragon Pattern Broken Sword?" Han Li's heart skipped a beat. His cultivation manual, the *Qingyuan Sword Art*, recorded that in ancient times there was a celestial sword called "Dragon Slayer," which broke in a great battle and scattered into several pieces across the land. If one could obtain a piece and integrate it into one's natal flying sword, it could greatly enhance the sword's quality.

"You want that broken sword?" Han Xuan asked.

"Yes." Han Li nodded. "This sword is compatible with the attributes of my Azure Thunder Sword. If we can integrate it, its power can be increased several times."

"Then go get it," Han Xuan said. "But be careful. There must be something fishy about the fact that three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators have passed away here."

Han Li cautiously stepped forward, walked to the golden skeleton, and bowed: "Senior, I am Han Li. I borrow your sword. If I achieve something in the future, I will surely settle the karmic debt for you."

After saying that, he reached for the broken sword.

The moment his fingers touched the broken sword, something unexpected happened.

"boom!"

The three skeletons exploded simultaneously, transforming into three beams of light. The golden light transformed into a golden dragon, the silver light into a silver tiger, and the black light into a black tortoise. The three phantom spirit beasts surrounded Han Li, unleashing deafening roars.

"This is... the Three Talents Guardian Spirit Array!" Han Xuan's expression changed slightly. "Three Nascent Soul cultivators used their remnant souls as the array base to set up this array to protect the Nascent Soul Jade Marrow. Those who intrude must pass their test in order to obtain the treasure."

"A test?" Han Li gripped the Azure Thunder Sword tightly, ready for battle.

"roar!"

The golden dragon pounced first, striking down with its claw. The power of this claw was comparable to a strike from an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Han Li dared not take it head-on and used the Five Elements Sword Escape technique to dodge.

"clang!"

The Azure Thunder Sword clashed with the dragon claw, producing a metallic clang. Han Li was forced back three steps, his arm going numb.

"Such immense power!" Han Li thought to himself in shock. This was merely a phantom formed from a remnant soul; how powerful would its original body be in life?

"Han Li, the Three Talents Guardian Spirit Formation requires defeating all three spirit beasts simultaneously, otherwise they will cooperate and their power will multiply," Han Xuan reminded him. "I will restrain the Golden Dragon and the Silver Tiger. You concentrate your strength to break the Black Tortoise first. The Black Tortoise has the strongest defense, but it is the slowest."

"yes!"

Han Xuan took a step forward, his longsword transforming into two beams of light, attacking the golden dragon and the silver tiger respectively. The sword light was sharp, temporarily entangled the two illusory spirit beasts.

Han Li then launched a full-scale attack on the Xuan Turtle.

"Azure Origin Sword Technique - Breaking Army Slash!"

The Azure Thunder Sword transformed into a long azure rainbow, slashing towards the neck of the Xuan Turtle. This sword strike contained the essence of ancient combat techniques he had gleaned from the murals, its power no less than a strike from a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

"clang!"

The sword light struck the scales on the Xuan Turtle's neck, sparks flying, but leaving only a faint white mark. The Xuan Turtle, in pain, retracted its head and transformed into a streak of black light, hurtling towards Han Li.

"Silver Shield!"

Han Li summoned the Silver Light Shield he had just obtained and held it in front of him.

"boom!"

The Xuan Turtle crashed into the shield, causing the silver shield to tremble violently, but it remained intact. Han Li was knocked back ten steps, his blood surging, but he was not injured.

"What a great shield!" Han Li thought to himself. As expected of an ancient treasure-level defensive magic weapon, it could actually block an attack from a Nascent Soul level cultivator.

"Again!"

A fierce glint flashed in Han Li's eyes, and he slashed again with the Azure Thunder Sword. This time, he no longer sought to break through the defense with a single strike, but instead used the "Fine Rain Sword Technique" from the Azure Origin Sword Manual. The sword light rained down, densely striking the same spot on the Xuan Turtle.

"Clang clang clang clang..."

Amidst the resounding impacts, the white mark on the Xuan Turtle's neck deepened. Finally, on the 108th strike, its scales shattered, and the sword light pierced through its body.

"roar--"

The black tortoise let out a resentful roar, and its phantom gradually dissipated, turning into a black bead that fell to the ground.

"Success!" Han Li was overjoyed and picked up the black bead. The bead was cool to the touch and contained pure water-attribute spiritual power.

"This is the 'Water Spirit Pearl' formed from the inner core of the Xuan Turtle. Refining it will enhance your water-attribute cultivation techniques," Han Xuan's voice rang out. "Come quickly and help!"

Han Li turned his head and saw that Han Xuan was fighting against the Golden Dragon and the Silver Tiger at the same time with the power of a single sword. Although he was not at a disadvantage, he was also entangled and could not break free.

"Senior, I'm here to help you!"

Han Li joined the battle, fighting alongside Han Xuan. With Han Li sharing the burden, Han Xuan immediately felt much more relaxed.

"Break the Silver Tiger first!" Han Xuan said. "The Golden Dragon has the strongest attack, but its defense is not as good as the Silver Tiger's. The Silver Tiger is the fastest, so let's take it down first to avoid being ambushed by it."

The two attacked the Silver Tiger together. Han Xuan led the attack, while Han Li assisted. The Silver Light Shield blocked most of the attacks, while the Azure Thunder Sword waited for an opportunity to strike.

Half an incense stick later, the silver tiger phantom was annihilated by Han Xuan's sword, turning into a silver bead.

In the end, only the Golden Dragon remained. But the Golden Dragon was the strongest, and even though it was the only one left, it was still incredibly ferocious.

"roar!"

The golden dragon opened its mouth and spewed out a golden flame, which slightly distorted the space in its path.

"Get out of the way!" Han Xuan pushed Han Li aside and took the brunt of the flames himself.

"boom!"

The flames struck Han Xuan, but were blocked by the sword energy shield around his body. However, the sword energy shield also trembled violently, and cracks appeared.

"Senior!" Han Li exclaimed.

"It's alright." Han Xuan waved his hand and looked at Jinlong. "That's enough, it's time to end this."

He slowly raised his longsword, its blade gleaming with a hazy gray light.

"Reunite as one, slay!"

A gray sword light traversed space, striking the golden dragon's brow. The golden dragon's phantom paused, then shattered inch by inch from its brow, eventually transforming into a golden bead.

The Three Talents Guardian Spirit Formation is broken!

Han Li breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that his back was soaked with cold sweat. The battle just now seemed brief, but it was actually extremely dangerous. If it weren't for Han Xuan's strength and the protection of the Silver Light Shield, he would probably have been seriously injured.

"These three beads are the Gold Spirit Bead, the Wood Spirit Bead, and the Water Spirit Bead." Han Xuan put away the three beads and tossed them to Han Li. "They will greatly benefit your cultivation of the Azure Origin Sword Technique. Keep them safe."

"Senior, this..." Han Li hesitated. The three spirit pearls were quite valuable, especially the gold spirit pearl, which was an absolute treasure for him, a sword cultivator with a metal attribute.

"Take it if I give it to you." Han Xuan waved his hand and looked at the Nascent Soul Jade Marrow at the top of the jade platform. "That is the real treasure of this place."

The two stepped onto the jade platform. The closer they got to the Nascent Soul Jade Marrow, the denser the spiritual energy became, almost solidifying into a tangible substance.

"The Jade Marrow of the Nascent Soul Realm..." A longing flashed in Han Li's eyes, but he quickly calmed down. Such a treasure was not something he could afford to touch at his current level.

"Han Li, take three drops of this Nascent Soul Jade Marrow," Han Xuan suddenly said.

"What?" Han Li was taken aback.

"You discovered this place, and you passed the test, so you should rightfully get a share," Han Xuan said calmly. "However, the energy of the Nascent Soul Jade Marrow is enormous. With your current cultivation level, you can only refine one drop at most. Keep the remaining two drops for future use."

As he spoke, Han Xuan waved his hand, and three drops of purple liquid flew out from the Nascent Soul Jade Marrow, falling into a jade bottle, which he then handed to Han Li.

"Senior, this is far too precious..." Han Li's voice trembled slightly. A single drop of Nascent Soul Jade Marrow was worth as much as an ancient treasure, and three drops would be enough to drive any Nascent Soul cultivator mad.

"Take it." Han Xuan put away the remaining Nascent Soul Jade Marrow. "This is your opportunity. However, a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. This matter must not be mentioned to outsiders, otherwise you will surely suffer a fatal disaster."

"This junior understands!" Han Li solemnly accepted the jade bottle and put it into the deepest part of his storage bag.

"Although these three magical treasures are damaged, the materials are of good quality and can be reforged." Han Xuan put away the broken sword, bronze mirror, and spear. "This place is not safe to stay any longer. Let's go."

The two left the underground space and returned to the canyon. As soon as they stepped out of the stone gate, they heard the sounds of fierce fighting coming from afar.

"Someone's coming, and it's a Nascent Soul cultivator." Han Xuan frowned. "Let's go, let's leave from the other side."

The two transformed into streaks of light and flew off in opposite directions.

A moment later, several figures landed in the canyon. Leading them was an old man in black robes, his aura chilling; he was clearly a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. Behind him followed five Core Formation cultivators, one of whom was Wang Tiangu.

"The Marquis's aura disappeared right here," Wang Tiangu said in a deep voice. "There are also signs of a struggle. It seems the Marquis is in grave danger."

The old man in black robes swept his divine sense across the canyon, finally fixing it on the altar. The altar was empty; the three ancient treasures had long since vanished.

"Hmph, daring to kill a guest elder of my Ghost Spirit Sect and seize my Ghost Spirit Sect's treasures, what audacity!" A murderous glint flashed in the black-robed elder's eyes. "Send down the order to seal off the exit of Fallen Demon Valley. Not a single fly is allowed to escape! I want to see who dares to oppose my Ghost Spirit Sect!"

"yes!"

At this moment, Han Xuan and Han Li had already flown hundreds of miles and arrived at another area of ​​Fallen Demon Valley.

"Senior, where do we go next?" Han Li asked.

"Go to the core area." Han Xuan looked towards the depths of Fallen Demon Valley. "There's something there that I must obtain."