The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Dark clouds gathered and lightning flashed above Han City. Two auras of heavenly tribulation intertwined, enveloping an area of ​​a hundred miles. The cultivators in the city all looked up at the center of the tribulation—the forbidden area deep within Han City, where Han Changqing and Doctor Mo were in seclusion.

"Two seniors undergoing the Nascent Soul Tribulation at the same time, that's truly remarkable!"

"The City Lord is incredibly powerful; he even managed to secure a spot in the Spirit Cleansing Pool. Han City's rise to power is imminent!"

"If we can survive this calamity, Hancheng will have eight Nascent Soul cultivators, making us a powerful force among the human race!"

The cultivators discussed animatedly, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation. The stronger Hancheng became, the better their lives would be—it was a simple truth.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, Han Mu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the center of the tribulation. Han Li, Han Yunge, and the others stood behind him, their expressions tense. The tribulation was perilous; even with thorough preparation, failure was possible. Han Changqing and Doctor Mo had been stuck at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage for many years, possessing solid foundations, but their advanced age meant their chances of successfully transcending the tribulation would be lower.

"City Lord, should we activate the city's protective array to share some of the heavenly tribulation for the two seniors?" Han Li asked. Han City's protective array was personally set up by Han Mu and can withstand attacks from the Void Refinement stage; sharing the heavenly tribulation of the Nascent Soul stage shouldn't be difficult.

"No need," Han Mu shook his head. "The Heavenly Tribulation is a test, but also an opportunity. If you can overcome it on your own, it will greatly benefit your future cultivation. I trust them."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the first bolt of lightning crashed down. It was two thick, azure bolts of lightning, each as thick as a water bucket, striking towards Han Changqing and Doctor Mo's secluded cultivation caves respectively.

Inside the cave, Han Changqing sat cross-legged, his expression solemn. Above his head floated an ancient bronze shield, emanating a heavy and ancient aura. This was the "Black Tortoise Shield," a defensive magic weapon bestowed upon him by Han Mu, an ancient defensive magic weapon capable of blocking attacks from Nascent Soul cultivators.

The lightning struck the Xuanwu Shield with a deafening roar. The Xuanwu Shield shone brightly, managing to withstand the first bolt of lightning, but tiny cracks appeared on its surface.

In another cave, Doctor Mo's approach was completely different. A three-legged alchemy furnace floated before him, its lid open, drawing the heavenly lightning directly into it. The furnace trembled violently, its surface crackling with lightning patterns, before finally settling down, a faint medicinal fragrance emanating from within.

"Refining pills with heavenly lightning?" Han Mu's eyes lit up. "Doctor Mo certainly has a unique idea."

The second and third bolts of heavenly lightning struck in succession, each more powerful than the last. Han Changqing's Xuanwu Shield cracked more and more, finally shattering with a deafening roar during the sixth bolt. He spat out a mouthful of blood, summoned a cyan flying sword, and clashed head-on with the heavenly lightning.

Doctor Mo's alchemy furnace had already absorbed five bolts of heavenly lightning, its surface covered in dense lightning patterns, emanating a terrifying aura. When the sixth bolt of heavenly lightning struck, the furnace could no longer withstand it and exploded. However, the shockwave from the explosion largely neutralized the lightning, and Doctor Mo managed to withstand the remaining power with his bare body. Although he was seriously injured, he managed to hold on.

"Only three dishes left," Han Mu said softly.

The seventh bolt of heavenly lightning, crimson in color, was the even more powerful "Crimson Flame Lightning." Han Changqing's flying sword collided with the Crimson Flame Lightning and was instantly cleaved away, its spiritual energy severely damaged. He gritted his teeth and summoned a golden talisman, which transformed into a golden light shield to protect him. This was the "Diamond Talisman" bestowed upon him by Han Mu, capable of withstanding a strike from a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.

The crimson lightning struck the light barrier, causing it to tremble violently before ultimately annihilating along with the lightning. Han Changqing coughed up another mouthful of blood, his aura weakened, but his eyes remained resolute.

On Doctor Mo's side, he took out a pill the size of a longan and swallowed it, instantly healing most of his injuries. Then he made hand seals, and nine illusory figures appeared around him, each one exactly like him.

"Nine Transformations Body Transformation Technique?" Han Mu recognized this technique as a life-saving secret art rewarded to Doctor Mo by the system. It could create nine clones, each of which could take a fatal attack for the main body.

The crimson lightning struck, shattering one of the clones, but Doctor Mo's true body remained unharmed.

The eighth bolt of heavenly lightning was a jet-black "Yin Sha Lightning," specifically designed to damage the soul. Han Changqing's expression changed drastically; he feared this kind of heavenly lightning that attacked the soul most. His cultivation method focused on the physical body and magical power, leaving his soul relatively weak.

At the critical moment, a beam of azure light suddenly shone between Han Changqing's brows, and a cyan jade pendant appeared, emitting a gentle glow that enveloped him. The Yin Sha lightning struck the azure light, and like ice and snow meeting the sun, it quickly melted away.

"Guardian Pendant..." Han Changqing murmured. This was a life-saving item that Han Mu had secretly given him before he set off, and he never expected it to come in handy. A warm feeling welled up in his heart, and his gratitude towards Han Mu deepened.

On Doctor Mo's side, the Yin Sha Lei shattered three of his clones, but was ultimately blocked. At this moment, he still had five clones left, their faces pale, but their eyes bright.

The final bolt of lightning, brewing for a long time, gathered in the dark clouds, transforming into two bolts of lightning, one gold and one silver, which struck simultaneously.

"A double lightning tribulation of gold and silver!" someone exclaimed. This is one of the strongest types of tribulations in the Nascent Soul stage, with power comparable to a full-force attack from an early-stage Void Refinement cultivator. No one expected that Han Changqing and Doctor Mo would attract such a tribulation; it's hard to say whether it's a blessing or a curse.

Han Mu frowned slightly, preparing to make a move. The golden and silver lightning tribulations were beyond the tolerance of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and Han Changqing and Doctor Mo probably couldn't withstand them.

However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred.

Han Changqing let out a long roar, and a surge of boundless vitality suddenly erupted from his body. His originally gray hair turned black at a visible speed, the wrinkles on his face disappeared rapidly, and he seemed to have become thirty years younger. His body shone with azure light, and the phantom of an ancient azure tree appeared behind him.

"This is... the awakening of the Wood elemental spirit body?" Han Mu was somewhat surprised. Han Changqing possessed three spiritual roots, with wood as the primary attribute. While refining his spiritual roots in the Spirit Cleansing Pool, he unexpectedly awakened the Wood elemental spirit body. Although it was only a low-grade spirit body, it was enough to increase his strength several times over.

On Doctor Mo's side, his remaining five clones suddenly merged into one, transforming into a three-headed, six-armed demon god phantom. The demon god roared to the sky, unleashing all six arms to directly confront the golden and silver lightning bolts.

Boom! Boom!

Two loud bangs rang out almost simultaneously, accompanied by a dazzling display of golden and silver light that blinded everyone. When the light subsided, everyone hurriedly looked in the direction of the bangs.

The mountain where Han Changqing was located was razed to the ground. He lay in the ruins, his body charred black, his breath faint. But he was still alive, and a powerful life force was reviving within him—the power of the Yi Wood Spirit Body was healing his injuries.

On Doctor Mo's side, the demonic phantom dissipated, and he himself sat cross-legged on the ground, blood flowing from his seven orifices, but his eyes were clear. He had successfully survived the heavenly tribulation; although severely injured, his foundation remained intact.

The dark clouds in the sky began to dissipate, and rays of light shone down, illuminating Han Changqing and Doctor Mo. This was a gift from heaven and earth after successfully transcending the tribulation; the light contained pure spiritual energy that could help cultivators consolidate their realm and heal their injuries.

Their auras began to rise steadily, breaking through from the peak of the Nascent Soul stage all the way to finally stabilizing at the early stage of the Divine Transformation stage. Although they had only just entered the Divine Transformation stage, they were more than ten times stronger than before.

"We succeeded!" Han Yunge exclaimed joyfully.

"Congratulations Elder Changqing! Congratulations Elder Mo!" The cultivators of Hancheng shouted in unison, their voices echoing across the land.

A smile appeared on Han Mu's lips. With two more Nascent Soul cultivators added to Han City, all the conditions for the main city's advancement were finally met. He activated the system with a thought.

"System, check the current status."

[Host: Han Mu]

[Cultivation Level: Early Stage of True Integration / Mid Stage of Superficial Refinement]

[Cultivation Techniques: Primordial Longevity Technique, Level 8 (Early Stage), Heaven-Gathering Divine Technique, Level 6, Nine-Turn Undying Body, Third Stage]

[Supernatural Abilities: Lesser Five Elements Sword Formation, Primordial Chaos Qi, Heaven-Gathering Technique, Five Elements Escape Technique, Primordial Thunder Technique, Realm-Suppressing Seal]

[Magic Items: Qiankun Sword (Innate), Five Elements Flag (Ancient Treasure), Heavenly Secrets Disc (Special), Boundary Suppressing Stele (Incomplete Immortal Artifact), Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner (Reforged)]

[Families: Han Family (Human Realm), Han City (Spirit Realm)]

[Contribution Points: 35000]

[Current Task: Develop Hancheng (In Progress)]

[Quest Progress: Nascent Soul Cultivator 8/10, all main city advancement requirements met, advance now?]

"Promotion," Han Mu murmured to himself.

[Main city upgrade in progress...]

[Conditions detected: Controlled regions (Azure Phoenix Mountains, Azure Wave Lake, Black Wind Plains, Crimson Flame Mountains), Nascent Soul cultivators (Han Mu, Han Li, Han Yunge, Han Jinglei, Han Tianfeng, Han Ling'er, Black Wind Demon King, Crimson Flame Old Monster, Han Changqing, Doctor Mo), Body Integration cultivator (Han Mu)]

[Promotion begins...]

The entire city of Han suddenly trembled, and a rumbling sound came from deep underground, as if something was awakening. The spiritual energy in the city began to surge, rapidly rising from the original third-tier spiritual vein level to the fourth, fifth, and finally stabilizing at the peak of the sixth tier!

A sixth-order spiritual vein—that's a top-tier spiritual vein capable of supporting a Nascent Soul cultivator's cultivation! Within the human realm, only a few major cities, such as Tianyuan City and Tianyuan Imperial City, possess one.

At the same time, the city walls of Hancheng automatically rose and thickened, with intricate array patterns appearing on them, greatly increasing their defensive capabilities. The buildings within the city also underwent changes, becoming more sturdy and magnificent. The city lord's mansion even expanded three times its original size, transforming into a grand palace.

[Promotion Complete! Han City has been upgraded to "Eternal City"]

[Rewards: 50000 Contribution Points, 1x Special Building "Enlightenment Tower", Clan Talent "Bloodline Resonance", Cultivation Technique "Five Elements Creation Technique" (can be cultivated to the Great Ascension stage)]

Han Mu's heart stirred. The Enlightenment Tower? Bloodline Resonance? These are all good things.

The Enlightenment Tower can help cultivators comprehend the Dao and increase their chances of breakthrough. Bloodline Resonance allows direct descendants of the Han family to connect with each other; the closer they are, the stronger the connection, and they can even borrow each other's magical power, similar to a combined attack technique.

"System, provide a detailed explanation of bloodline resonance," Han Mu thought to himself.

[Bloodline Resonance: A direct descendant of the Han family, this talent, once activated, allows members of the same bloodline to sense each other within a thousand-mile radius and transmit their voices within ten thousand-mile radius. Within a hundred-mile radius, they can temporarily borrow a portion of the magical power of other clan members, up to a maximum of thirty percent of their own cultivation. Note: This talent strengthens with increasing bloodline concentration.]

Han Mu's eyes lit up. This talent was incredibly useful in battle. If a member of the Han family was in danger, nearby clansmen could quickly sense it and rush to their rescue. Moreover, when facing a powerful enemy, they could combine the strength of the group to unleash power far exceeding their own.

"Issue a city-wide order to hold a celebration in three days to commemorate Changqing and Doctor Mo's advancement to the Nascent Soul stage, as well as Hancheng's advancement in rank!" Han Mu announced loudly.

"Yes!" the crowd responded in unison, their faces beaming with joy. Hancheng's promotion to a main city meant that the treatment of these elders would also improve significantly. Moreover, a sixth-tier spiritual vein! One day of cultivation here was equivalent to ten days in the past!

However, just as everyone was celebrating, a streak of light shot down from the horizon and landed in the city lord's mansion. It was a golden-armored cultivator covered in blood, the messenger from Tianyuan City.

"Lord Han... Lord Han..." The messenger's voice was weak, clearly indicating he had forced himself to fly there. "The Demon Clan... The Demon Clan army has invaded... Tianyuan City requests reinforcements... The border is in dire straits..."

After saying that, he fainted.

Han Mu waved his hand, unleashing a beam of azure light to stabilize the messenger's injuries, and his expression darkened.

The demons have indeed arrived. And they've arrived so quickly and so coincidentally.

The fact that Hancheng was promoted to a main city and then the demons launched a large-scale invasion is no coincidence.

"Han Li, immediately summon all cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage to the City Lord's Mansion for a meeting," Han Mu said in a deep voice. "Yun Ge, take people to treat the messenger and find out the specific situation."

"Yes!" The two accepted the order and left.

Han Mu looked north, towards Tianyuan City, the direction from which the demons were invading. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Demons, now that you've come, let the name of Hancheng be forged with your blood.