The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Traversing the void, Han Mu led Liu Ruyan and the other eight at breakneck speed towards the Netherworld Abyss. A faint, terrifying aura followed them relentlessly, like a shadow.

"Senior Han, that woman is still chasing us." Liu Ruyan's face turned pale. With her cultivation at the early stage of Golden Immortal, she could clearly feel the terrifying aura behind her, which was at least that of a Taiyi Jade Immortal.

Han Mu nodded; he had sensed it too. The white-clad woman's cultivation was unfathomable. Although she deliberately suppressed her aura, even the occasional glimpse of her oppressive aura made his heart tremble. A Taiyi Jade Immortal, and not just any ordinary Taiyi.

"System, can I shake her off?" Han Mu asked in his mind.

The target is a late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal with extremely high spatial mastery; the probability of escape using conventional methods is less than 3%.

Below 3% is almost impossible. Han Mu frowned; it seemed he had no choice but to confront them head-on. However, the late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal was a whole realm higher than him; a direct confrontation would be suicide.

"Senior Han, how about we split up?" Luo Feng suggested. "That woman is chasing you; if we separate, maybe..."

"Shut up." Liu Ruyan interrupted him. "Separating will only make us die faster. If that woman wanted to kill us, she could kill us with a flick of her wrist. Separating us will just make it a little more difficult for her."

Han Mu remained silent, flying away while pondering a strategy. He was currently no match for Taiyi Yuxian, but he wasn't entirely without options. The Immortal Coffin could withstand a Dao Ancestor's attack, and should be able to withstand Taiyi Yuxian as well. However, activating the Immortal Coffin required all his magical power, and it could only be used three times; each use reduced his chances.

The Qiankun Fan is an innate spiritual treasure capable of unleashing the power of a Taiyi-level cultivator, but his cultivation level is insufficient, limiting him to a maximum of 30%. His understanding of the Time Law is only at the 8% level of mastery; it's adequate against cultivators of the same level, but its effectiveness is limited against Taiyi Jade Immortals.

"That's the only option I can try." With a thought, Han Mu took out the unknown map fragment from his storage ring. It was found on the patrolman, and the system couldn't identify what it was, but it showed signs of spacetime fluctuations.

"System, exchange for 'Time-Space Locator'."

[Exchange successful. Consumed 5000 Immortal Spirit Energy. Obtained 1 Space-Time Locator (can locate random space-time coordinates; teleportation distance depends on cultivation level)]

Han Mu felt a pang of regret at the cost of five thousand units of immortal spiritual energy, but he couldn't worry about that right now. He channeled his magic power into it, and the spacetime locator lit up, as did the patterns on the map fragment, creating a resonance between the two.

"This is... a spacetime beacon?" Han Mu exclaimed in surprise. The patterns on the map fragment were actually the guiding routes of a spacetime beacon. And the spacetime locator could activate the beacon to teleport.

"Follow me!" Han Mu changed direction and flew in one direction according to the signpost.

Liu Ruyan and her eight companions quickly followed. A moment later, they arrived at a desolate mountain. There was an inconspicuous cave entrance in the mountain wall, which was pitch black and exuded an eerie atmosphere.

"The entrance to the Netherworld Abyss?" Liu Ruyan asked, puzzled. The coordinates Han Li gave her weren't here, but the aura of the Netherworld Abyss was present here as well.

"It's another entrance to the Netherworld Abyss." Han Mu put away the map fragment and the spacetime locator. "This entrance is more hidden, but also more dangerous. Should we go in or not?"

"Go in!" the eight shouted in unison. If they didn't go in, they would surely die facing the Jade Immortal Taiyi. If they went in, perhaps there would be a glimmer of hope.

The nine people rushed into the cave and disappeared into the darkness. Just as they entered, the woman in white appeared outside the cave entrance, her brow slightly furrowed.

"The Netherworld Abyss? You've got guts to go into a place like this." The woman in white didn't go in immediately, but stood at the entrance, seemingly hesitant.

The Netherworld Abyss, one of the ten forbidden areas of the Immortal Realm, is a place of chaotic spacetime, where entry is a one-way trip. Even a Great Luo Golden Immortal wouldn't dare claim a safe return. This Han Mu, daring to enter the Netherworld Abyss just to escape?

The woman in white remained silent for a moment before stepping inside. The task entrusted to her by the Dao Ancestor had to be completed; she needed to see the person alive or dead.

Inside the cave was a completely different world. There was no light, only endless darkness, and faint, indistinct wails and howls. Space and time were chaotic; what seemed like flying forward might be flying backward, and what seemed like flying upward might be flying downward.

"Don't move around. The spacetime here is chaotic. It would be troublesome if we got separated," Han Mu warned, while simultaneously using his divine sense to probe. However, his divine sense was also limited here, only able to probe within a hundred feet of the surrounding area.

"Senior Han, there's something here." Bai Ling suddenly spoke, pointing her sword to the left. A dark shadow flashed past there, moving with astonishing speed.

Han Mu also saw it; the dark figure had an eerie aura, neither living nor dead, existing somewhere between life and death.

"There are Netherworld creatures in the Netherworld Abyss, existing between life and death, that specialize in absorbing the essence of living beings. Be careful," Han Mu warned, while gripping his sword tightly.

As soon as they finished speaking, countless dark figures appeared all around them, densely packed, completely surrounding them. These dark figures had no physical form, were elusive, and emitted mournful howls.

"Netherworld ghosts!" Liu Ruyan's expression changed. Netherworld ghosts are a specialty of the Netherworld Abyss; they are formless and intangible, immune to physical attacks, and only magic and laws can harm them.

"Form the formation!" Lin Fan shouted, and the eight people immediately formed a formation, back to back, protecting Han Mu in the middle. This was a formation they had practiced, capable of both offense and defense.

The ghostly creatures pounced. Liu Ruyan and her companions unleashed their unique abilities, employing spells and magical treasures to battle the ghosts. However, there were simply too many ghosts to kill them all, and the slain ghosts would transform into black mist, merging into the bodies of other ghosts and making them even stronger.

"This won't do. The more we kill, the stronger the ghosts become." Zhou Meng gasped for breath. Although killing these ghosts wasn't difficult for him, given his early Golden Immortal cultivation, the sheer number of them was overwhelming.

Han Mu didn't make a move; he was observing. These ghostly creatures appeared chaotic, but in reality, they followed a certain pattern. They came from darkness and returned to darkness; darkness was their source.

"System, analyze the ghost's weaknesses."

[Analysis in progress... Netherworld ghosts are formed from the condensation of death energy in the netherworld. They fear the power of extreme yang and extreme strength, as well as higher laws such as the laws of time and space.]

The power of ultimate yang and strength? The law of time? Han Mu smiled. He happened to possess the law of time, though he was only at the beginner level, it was enough to deal with these ghosts.

"Step back." Han Mu took a step forward, and the laws of time unfolded. Within a ten-foot radius around him, the flow of time slowed down, and the ghosts that rushed into this area became sluggish, as if in slow motion.

"The Law of Time!" Liu Ruyan and the other eight exclaimed in surprise. They knew Han Mu was strong, but they didn't expect him to be this strong, having even comprehended the Law of Time. This was a high-level law; in the entire Immortal Realm, there were no more than a hundred people who could comprehend the Law of Time.

Han Mu ignored their surprise and drew his sword. The sword light carried the power of time; wherever it passed, the ghosts melted away like ice and snow, turning into wisps of smoke and vanishing. The laws of time could accelerate the passage of time within the ghosts, hastening their death.

With a single sword strike, all the ghosts within a ten-zhang radius were annihilated. But even more ghosts surged forth from the darkness, seemingly endless.

"It's no use. You can't kill all the ghosts in the underworld unless you find the source," Liu Ruyan said.

The source? Han Mu looked into the depths of darkness. That was the core of the Netherworld Abyss, and also the location of the spacetime node. Han Li had said that the spacetime node would only be stable for three days; he had to get there as soon as possible.

"Charge with me!" Han Mu stopped fighting and used the laws of time to clear a path. His sword light was invincible, and he fought his way through. Liu Ruyan and the other eight followed closely behind. With Han Mu leading the way, the pressure on them was greatly reduced.

They fought their way through, slaying countless demons, until they finally arrived at an open space. There was no darkness here, but rather a faint light emanating from above—a crack through which lay the starry sky.

"A spacetime rift?" Han Mu looked up. There were spacetime fluctuations in the rift, similar to the fluctuations of spacetime nodes, but even more violent.

"No, this isn't a spacetime node, it's a spacetime turbulence." Liu Ruyan's face turned pale. A spacetime turbulence is a hundred times more dangerous than a spacetime node; going in means certain death.

Just then, the communication jade slip vibrated again; it was from Han Li.

"Fellow Daoist Han, the coordinates of the spacetime node are incorrect. The correct coordinates are... I'm in trouble near the node, besieged by a group of Netherworld ghosts. Come quickly!"

Incorrect coordinates? Han Mu frowned. Would someone as cautious as Han Li give the wrong coordinates? Unless… he was being watched and someone deliberately gave him the wrong coordinates to lead others to the wrong place.

"System, locate the correct coordinates given by Han Li."

[Location in progress... Target is 3,000 miles southeast, strong spacetime fluctuations, confirmed spacetime node]

Three thousand miles is not far. But Han Li is in trouble, besieged by Netherworld ghosts. With Han Li's strength, he should be able to handle it, unless there are too many ghosts or something even more powerful.

"Let's go, let's save Han Li." Han Mu made a decisive decision. Han Li couldn't die, at least not now. He still needed Han Li to help him explore the spacetime nodes, and he still needed Han Li to help him attract the Heavenly Court's attention.

The nine people turned southeast and had only flown a hundred miles when a white figure blocked their way. It was the woman in white.

"You ran quite fast," the woman in white said calmly, her gaze falling on Han Mu. "The Law of Time, you have indeed comprehended the Law of Time. Hand over the fragments of the Time Dao Pattern, and I may grant you a quick death."

Han Mu stopped and looked at the woman in white. She was beautiful, but her eyes were cold; she looked at him as if he were already dead. He couldn't defeat her, a late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal, but he couldn't escape either; he had no choice but to fight.

"I don't have any fragments of the Time Dao Pattern," Han Mu said calmly.

"No?" The woman in white laughed, a cold laugh. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old? Without fragments of time-manifestation patterns, how could you comprehend the laws of time?"

"I said no, and that's final." Han Mu gripped his sword tightly, activating the laws of time to their fullest extent, and preparing to unleash the Qiankun Fan at any moment. He knew this battle was inevitable, but even if he died, he would take a piece of flesh from his opponent.

"Stubborn to the end." The woman in white shook her head, raised her hand, and a jade-like hand reached out from the void to grab Han Mu. The hand seemed slow, but it was actually as fast as lightning, blocking all of Han Mu's escape routes.

Han Mu's pupils contracted; he couldn't dodge this claw attack. The Taiyi Jade Immortal was indeed beyond his ability to contend with.

"Time Reversal!" Han Mu shouted, unleashing the full power of the Time Law, causing time around him to rewind three breaths. Three breaths ago, the white-clad woman's hand had not yet reached out.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Han Mu retreated rapidly, simultaneously unleashing the Qiankun Fan. With a single wave, illusory images of mountains and rivers appeared, suppressing the woman in white.

"A Primordial Spiritual Treasure?" The woman in white was surprised, but then sneered, "It's a waste to have a Primordial Spiritual Treasure in your hands."

She pointed a finger at the illusory landscape. The illusory landscape trembled violently, cracks appeared, but it didn't shatter. Han Mu seized the opportunity to retreat again, simultaneously transmitting a message to Liu Ruyan and the other eight: "Split up and run! Every one of you who can escape is a chance!"

"Trying to run?" The woman in white blurred into nine white shadows, each chasing after one of the nine people. She was actually able to chase nine people at the same time, and each white shadow possessed eighty percent of her true strength.

Han Mu's face darkened; this woman was more troublesome than he had imagined. Just then, a roar came from the darkness, and a colossal creature charged out, lunging at the woman in white.

That was a Netherworld Beast, the size of a small mountain, and its aura had reached the early stage of the Taiyi Jade Immortal realm!

The woman in white had no choice but to abandon the pursuit and turn to face the Netherworld Beast. Seeing this, Han Mu didn't hesitate and turned to run. Liu Ruyan and the other eight also seized the opportunity to escape, the nine of them splitting into nine different directions and disappearing into the darkness.

The woman in white fought a fierce battle with the Netherworld Beast, smashing its head with a single palm strike, but Han Mu and his nine companions had already vanished without a trace.

"Do you think you can escape?" The woman in white sneered, taking out a bronze mirror and shining it into the air. Nine points of light appeared in the mirror, pointing in the direction Han Mu and his nine companions were fleeing.

"Chase him." The woman in white chose the direction Han Mu was heading and gave chase. As for the other eight, they were nothing but ants, not worth mentioning.