The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

The Immortal-Locking Formation was complete, with fourteen Heavenly Court cultivators each occupying their positions, firmly trapping Han Mu and his nine companions within. The golden-armored patrol envoy stood in mid-air, holding a golden halberd, his aura locked onto Han Mu.

"Han Mu, surrender now and you will be spared the torment of soul searching." The inspector's voice was icy, carrying an unquestionable authority.

Luo Feng swallowed hard and lowered his voice: "Senior Han, have we gone too far this time? A peak Golden Immortal combined with the Immortal Locking Formation, this is enough to wipe out a small sect."

"Shut up." Liu Ruyan glared at him, her long sword drawn three inches from its sheath. "Get ready to fight to the death. Once the Immortal Locking Formation is formed, you won't be able to get out without breaking it."

Bai Ling remained silent, but her sword was already drawn, its blade humming. Zhou Meng, Li Qingzhu, Lin Fan, and Lin Xue also assumed fighting stances. Although their chances of defeating a peak Golden Immortal were slim, none of them wanted to sit idly by and wait for their doom.

Han Mu scanned his surroundings. The Immortal Locking Formation was both a trapping and a killing formation. The fourteen individuals were linked by their auras, forming a unified offense and defense. Four mid-stage Golden Immortals stood in the four cardinal directions, ten peak True Immortals occupied the eight trigrams, and the Inspector sat in the center. This formation was indeed troublesome; breaking it with only late-stage Golden Immortal cultivation would require considerable effort.

"System, exchange for 'Formation Breaking Talisman'," Han Mu silently prayed.

[Exchange successful. Consumed 3000 Immortal Spirit Energy. Obtained 1 Formation-Breaking Talisman (can break formations below the Golden Immortal level)]

Having acquired the formation-breaking talisman, Han Mu didn't rush to use it. He wanted to test the newly acquired time-reversal divine power and see how effective it was in actual combat.

"Han Mu, this is my last word: surrender!" The inspector pointed his halberd at Han Mu.

Han Mu laughed: "The Heavenly Court is so powerful, arresting people without even asking questions. Youmingzi tried to steal my opportunity but was killed by me instead; that's because he was inferior in skill. What, is the Heavenly Court going to stand up for this?"

"Youmingzi is a general of the Heavenly Court. Even if he has committed a crime, he should be judged by the Heavenly Court. It is not your place to kill him without authorization." The inspector sneered. "Moreover, you have a fragment of the Time Dao Pattern on you. This item is of great importance and must be handed over to the Heavenly Court."

"Fragments of Time Dao Patterns?" Han Mu raised an eyebrow. "Who said I have fragments of Time Dao Patterns?"

"Mo Wuhun sent a message before he died, so don't try to deny it," the inspector said.

Mo Wuhun? Is that Mo Laogui's real name? Han Mu understood. No wonder the Heavenly Court arrived so quickly; it turned out Mo Laogui had sent a message before his death. However, Mo Laogui only mentioned having fragments of the Time Dao Pattern, but didn't say he had given them to the coffin keeper, which was a good thing.

"What if I say no?" Han Mu shrugged.

"Then let's examine the soul!" The inspector said no more, brandishing his halberd. "Immortal-Locking Array, activate!"

The fourteen cultivators simultaneously unleashed their magical power, causing the array to shine brightly and transform into countless golden chains that shot towards Han Mu and his companions from all directions. The chains were covered in runes; once someone was bound by them, their magical power would be sealed.

"Scatter!" Han Mu shouted, and in a flash, he appeared in front of a mid-stage Golden Immortal cultivator.

The mid-stage Golden Immortal cultivator sneered, neither dodging nor avoiding, as his defense was tripled by the array's enhancement. He formed hand seals, creating a golden barrier in front of him. However, Han Mu's sword was faster; with a flash of light, the barrier shattered like paper.

"How is this possible?" The mid-stage Golden Immortal cultivator was shocked and tried to retreat, but the sword light had already arrived.

puff!

A sword pierced his throat. The mid-stage Golden Immortal cultivator stared wide-eyed, unable to believe he was dead. Wasn't the Immortal-Locking Array supposed to enhance defense? Why couldn't it withstand this sword strike?

"Fourth Brother!" another mid-stage Golden Immortal cultivator roared, urging his magic weapon to smash towards Han Mu. It was a small golden tower that grew in the wind, transforming into a ten-zhang tall tower, which pressed down.

Han Mu neither dodged nor evaded, but instead threw a punch. The fist and the tower collided, and the small golden tower was sent flying backward, cracks appearing on its body. The mid-stage Golden Immortal cultivator spat out a mouthful of blood; his magic weapon was damaged, and he also suffered a backlash.

"Form a defensive formation and trap him!" The inspector's face was grim as he personally took action. He moved like lightning, his halberd aimed straight for Han Mu's back.

At the same time, the other two mid-stage Golden Immortals and ten peak True Immortals also attacked simultaneously, bombarding Han Mu with various spells and magical treasures. Liu Ruyan and the other eight wanted to help, but were isolated by the formation and could only watch helplessly.

Han Mu was surrounded. The Immortal Locking Formation was indeed powerful; the fourteen people's auras were linked, their offense and defense were integrated, and each strike was equivalent to the combined strength of the fourteen. Although Han Mu was strong, he also felt the pressure facing the attack of fourteen people.

"System, check the immortal energy."

[Current Celestial Aura: 15200 points]

That's enough. With a thought, Han Mu activated his Time Reversal ability.

hum-

Time rewinds three breaths.

One moment Han Mu was surrounded by fourteen men, the next he was back in the same position he had been three breaths earlier, while the inspector and the others remained in the same positions. Unaware that time had reversed, they continued their attack according to the original plan.

But Han Mu found out.

The moment the inspector thrust out his halberd, Han Mu dodged it in advance, simultaneously slashing his sword at the weakest point of the formation—a peak True Immortal cultivator in the southeast. That was one of the formation's key points, but the inspector and his men were unaware that Han Mu had already seen through it.

"Oh no, he's seen through the formation!" The inspector was shocked, but it was too late to change his tactics.

A flash of sword light, and the peak True Immortal cultivator screamed as his head was severed from his body. With the array's core broken, a flaw appeared in the Immortal-Locking Array, and its light dimmed by three-tenths.

"How is this possible?" The inspector exclaimed incredulously. How did Han Mu know the location of the array's core? Moreover, the timing of that sword strike just now was too precise, as if it had foreseen his attack.

Han Mu gave his opponent no chance to catch his breath, and moved again, appearing in front of another peak True Immortal cultivator. He also broke through the array's core with a single sword strike. With two array cores broken in succession, the Immortal Locking Array was already on the verge of collapse.

"Change formation, Four Symbols Killing Formation!" The inspector made a decisive move, abandoning the trapping formation and switching to a killing formation. The four mid-stage Golden Immortals each occupied a side, transforming into the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, and attacked Han Mu.

The Four Symbols Killing Formation is even more powerful than the Immortal Locking Formation. The Azure Dragon breathes its breath, the White Tiger pounces, the Vermilion Bird burns the sky, and the Black Tortoise suppresses the sea. When the four symbols appear together, the world changes color.

Han Mu remained calm, took out a formation-breaking talisman, and infused it with his magic power. The talisman ignited, transforming into a golden light that shot towards the center of the Four Symbols Killing Formation. Wherever the golden light passed, the formation runes shattered.

"A formation-breaking talisman? How could you have one..." Before the inspector could finish speaking, the Four Symbols Killing Formation was broken, and four mid-stage Golden Immortal cultivators were backfired, coughing up blood and staggering backward.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Han Mu unleashed a barrage of sword light, engulfing the four mid-stage Golden Immortals. Already injured and further weakened by the backlash of the formation, the four were no match for Han Mu's sword. Four screams rang out, and all four died simultaneously.

"You scoundrel, how dare you!" The inspector's eyes widened in fury as he swept his halberd horizontally, its blade tearing through space as he slashed towards Han Mu.

Han Mu neither dodged nor evaded, but unfolded his Qiankun Fan, its surface displaying illusory images of mountains and rivers. The halberd's edge struck the illusory images, causing them to ripple but not shatter. The inspector was at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, while Han Mu was at the late stage of the Golden Immortal realm, a minor difference, but Han Mu possessed the innate spiritual treasure, the Qiankun Fan, which was enough to bridge the gap.

"My turn." Han Mu folded his fan into a sword and thrust it out. The strike was unremarkable, but the inspector's expression changed drastically, because he felt time around him slow down. No, it wasn't time that slowed down, but his movements!

The Law of Time! The inspector was horrified. Han Mu had actually comprehended the Law of Time!

puff!

A sword pierced his chest. The inspector looked down at the sword in his chest, his face filled with disbelief. He, a peak Golden Immortal, had been severely injured by a late-stage Golden Immortal with a single sword strike? No, it wasn't a difference in cultivation level, but a difference in the laws. The Law of Time transcends ordinary laws.

"You...you've comprehended the laws of time..." The inspector coughed up blood. "No wonder, no wonder Mo Wuhun said you sometimes had fragments of Daoist runes..."

"Now you know, it's too late." Han Mu drew his sword, and the patrolman fell to the ground, his breath rapidly fading.

Seeing this, the remaining ten peak True Immortal cultivators turned and fled. Even the inspector was dead; what was the point of fighting?

"Leave none alive," Han Mu said calmly. Liu Ruyan and her eight companions, who had been holding back their anger, immediately gave chase upon hearing this. Ten True Immortals at the peak of their cultivation were outnumbered by Liu Ruyan and her eight companions, but their morale had collapsed, and they were quickly wiped out.

The battle ended, leaving corpses strewn across the ground. Liu Ruyan and the others were panting heavily; although they had won, they had also expended considerable energy.

Luo Feng kicked the inspector's corpse and grinned, "So this is what a peak Golden Immortal is like? Senior Han finished him off with a single sword strike."

"Stop talking nonsense." Zhou Meng glared at him. "If it weren't for Senior Han breaking the formation, we would all be dead here."

Han Mu ignored them, walked to the inspector's corpse, and picked up his storage ring. He probed it with his divine sense and found that it contained many things: immortal spirit stones, pills, magic treasures, and a golden token with "Inspector" engraved on the front and "Jia San" on the back.

"The Third-Rank Inspector, it seems he holds a high position in the Heavenly Court." Han Mu put away the token and then examined the other corpses, reaping a rich harvest. Fourteen cultivators, with a million Immortal Spirit Stones alone, and countless pills and magical treasures.

"System, tally the harvest."

[Received: 128 million Immortal Spirit Stones, 5 Golden Immortal-level Magic Treasures, 12 True Immortal-level Magic Treasures, 37 bottles of various elixirs, 1 Heavenly Court Inspector Token, 1 Unknown Map Fragment]

Unknown map fragment? Han Mu took it out and saw that it was a fragment of animal hide with strange patterns drawn on it, but he couldn't tell what it was.

"Senior Han, what should we do next?" Liu Ruyan asked. Killing the Heavenly Court Inspector was a huge problem; the Heavenly Court would never let it go.

Just as Han Mu was about to speak, the communication jade slip vibrated; it was from Han Li.

"Fellow Daoist Han, I have discovered a spacetime node in the Netherworld Abyss. The node's stability period is only three days. However, it is being pursued by Heavenly Court cultivators and is temporarily lying low. You may go there first. The coordinates are..."

A spacetime node? Han Mu's heart skipped a beat. The coffin keeper said that a great calamity was about to befall the Immortal Realm, and that the Dao Ancestor was making plans. Could this spacetime node be related to the Dao Ancestor's plans?

"Let's go to the Netherworld Abyss." Han Mu put away the jade slip and decided to head there. The Heavenly Court's pursuit was troublesome, but the opportunity was more important. Moreover, the Netherworld Abyss was deep in the wilderness, where the Heavenly Court's forces could hardly penetrate, making it a good place to lay low.

Just as the nine were about to leave, the inspector's corpse suddenly glowed with golden light, and a phantom image emerged from the corpse, which was the inspector's appearance.

"Han Mu, you killed my Heavenly Court Inspector, and the Heavenly Court will never let you go. The Dao Ancestor has taken notice of you, so you'd better watch yourself!" After the illusory figure finished speaking, it turned into golden light and disappeared.

"It's a message from a remnant soul." Liu Ruyan's face was grim. "This is troublesome. Even the Dao Ancestor has noticed us."

The Dao Ancestor? Han Mu frowned. The coffin keeper had just said the Dao Ancestor was making arrangements, and the Dao Ancestor noticed him? Was it a coincidence, or was it premeditated?

"Let's leave here first." Han Mu waved his hand to collect all the corpses, destroying all traces, and then led the eight people into the void.

No sooner had they left than a terrifying aura descended upon the place. It was a woman in white, with unparalleled beauty, but her eyes were icy cold. She looked at the empty battlefield, her brows slightly furrowed.

"The aura of the laws of time, and the fluctuations of space... Interesting." The woman in white reached out and grabbed a wisp of aura from the void, which was the aura left behind by Han Mu.

"Found you." The woman in white vanished, following the scent.