The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

As the golden light entered his body, Han Mu shuddered.

The golden light transformed into a phantom figure in the sea of ​​consciousness, with white hair and beard, and a blurred face, but eyes as deep as the starry sky. Just by standing there, it gave people the illusion that the world had stopped.

"The Time Dao Ancestor..." This thought flashed through Han Mu's mind.

The illusory figure seemed to hear his thoughts and nodded slightly: "I am a remnant soul of the Time Dao Ancestor, and I have been waiting here for a successor for thirty thousand years."

Han Mu composed himself and responded in his mind, "Why did you wait for me, Senior?"

"Because you are a variable," the remnant soul of the Dao Ancestor said ethereally. "This world, this game of chess, needs variables."

"A chess game?" Han Mu frowned.

"The Immortal Realm is nothing but a game of chess, with the Dao Ancestor as the player and all living beings as pawns." The remnant soul of the Dao Ancestor sighed, "I took time as my Dao and could have transcended it, but I was betrayed by other Dao Ancestors, and my body and Dao were destroyed, leaving only this remnant soul. The fragments of time Dao patterns in the wooden box are the essence of my life's comprehension. You may refine them, but you must agree to one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"Stop the 'Unification of Heaven'." The remnant soul of the Dao Ancestor spoke solemnly, "There is an ambitious person who wants to refine the Heavenly Dao and take over the Immortal Realm for himself. At that time, all living beings will be his puppets. If you have received my inheritance, you must stop this person."

Han Mu was silent for a moment: "How can you be so sure I can do it, senior?"

"Because you are a variable," the remnant soul of the Dao Ancestor repeated. "Your destiny is not in the calculations of Heaven, and your future is full of countless possibilities. Otherwise, the coffin guardian would not have chosen you."

The coffin keeper? Han Mu's heart skipped a beat. Could the coffin keeper of the Immortal Coffin be related to the Time Dao Ancestor?

"The coffin keeper is my fellow Daoist; he's playing a much bigger game." The remnant soul of the Dao Ancestor seemed to know what Han Mu was thinking. "Our time is running out. Are you willing to accept the inheritance?"

Han Mu answered without hesitation: "Yes."

"Alright." The remnant soul of the Dao Ancestor raised his hand and pointed, golden light merging into Han Mu's divine soul. A massive amount of information flooded in, including insights into time, the application of time, and the various mysteries of the laws of time, surging in like a tide.

The system panel appeared before Han Mu's eyes:

Name: Han Mu

True Realm: Late Golden Immortal

Surface Realm: Mid-stage True Immortal

Time Rule: From 8% to 15% for beginners

Spatial Laws: Introduction 3%

Celestial Aura: 2200 points

Succession status: Received (1%)

The Time Law's power increased directly from 8% at the beginner level to 15%, and it's still rapidly increasing. Han Mu was shocked. Is this the Dao Ancestor's inheritance? It's terrifying.

Outside, inside the stone hall.

The golden light pierced Han Mu's brow in a mere instant, yet everyone present sensed a change. The fluctuations of the laws of time emanating from Han Mu grew stronger and stronger, as if he had merged with the surrounding spacetime, giving people an unreal feeling.

"He is receiving a legacy!" The woman in white's expression changed, and she was about to interrupt him.

But the Netherworld Beast King was faster, slapping Han Mu with its claw. The inheritance could not be interrupted; once interrupted, both the inheritor and the recipient would suffer a backlash, and this was precisely its opportunity.

"Get out of the way!" Liu Ruyan and the other eight attacked simultaneously, forming a formation to block the Netherworld Beast King's claw. However, the difference in strength between them and the Netherworld Beast King was too great. All eight of them coughed up blood and were sent flying backward, and the formation shattered instantly.

The Netherworld Beast King didn't even glance at them, and slammed its second claw towards Han Mu. If this claw landed, Han Mu would surely die.

Just then, Han Mu opened his eyes. It wasn't that he opened them voluntarily, but rather that the inheritance was complete—the remnant soul of the Dao Ancestor had sealed the inheritance in his sea of ​​consciousness, requiring him to slowly refine it; at this moment, it was only the initial fusion.

The moment Han Mu opened his eyes, time seemed to stand still. The Netherworld Beast King's claws hovered three inches above Han Mu's head, unable to strike. It wasn't that it didn't want to, but that it couldn't. The flow of time around him slowed dramatically, and the Netherworld Beast King's movements became as slow as a snail's pace.

Han Mu moved. He took a step forward, dodging the claws, and simultaneously thrust his sword towards the Netherworld Beast King's heart. This sword strike appeared slow, but in reality, it was incredibly fast because he was accelerating his own time.

puff!

The sword pierced its heart. The Netherworld Beast King's golden vertical pupils widened in disbelief that it had died so easily. It was a peak Golden Immortal, wielding the power of space and time; how could it be instantly killed by a late-stage Golden Immortal?

"Time...Laws..." The Netherworld Beast King uttered the last four words before collapsing to the ground with a thud, his life extinguished.

With a single sword strike, the Netherworld Beast King, a peak Golden Immortal, was instantly killed! Liu Ruyan and the other eight were dumbfounded, and the white-clad woman's pupils also contracted.

"Mastery of the Law of Time?" The woman in white's voice trembled. Impossible. Even with the Dao Ancestor's inheritance, it was impossible for a late-stage Golden Immortal to instantly master the Law of Time. But if it wasn't mastery, how could he possibly kill the Netherworld Beast King with a single sword strike?

Han Mu himself was astonished. That sword strike just now was merely an instinctive act, yet it triggered the laws of time, accelerating his own time while slowing down the Netherworld Beast King's. In that instant of change, the outcome was decided. Is this the power of the laws of time? Truly terrifying.

"You haven't reached the Great Completion stage; you've only initially integrated the inheritance and mastered a portion of the application of the Time Law." The woman in white quickly calmed down, staring at Han Mu. "Hand over the inheritance, and I might spare your life."

Han Mu laughed: "Just now you said you'd let the Netherworld Beast King kill me, and now you're saying you'll spare my life. You really can't trust a woman's words."

"You!" The woman in white's face darkened. "Since you're courting death, don't blame me for being impolite."

She took out a bronze mirror, the Sky-Gazing Mirror. But this time, she wasn't using it for tracking; she was using it for attack. Pointing the Sky-Gazing Mirror at Han Mu, a beam of white light shot out from its surface, freezing time and space wherever it passed.

"Time freezes?" Han Mu raised an eyebrow. This woman also knows the laws of time? No, it's the ability of the Sky-Gazing Mirror. This mirror can mimic the laws of time.

Han Mu dared not be careless and unleashed the Law of Time to counter the white light. The two forces of time collided, causing time within the stone hall to become chaotic, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Liu Ruyan and the other eight were so uncomfortable that they felt like vomiting blood and had no choice but to retreat to a corner.

"Senior Han, watch out!" Luo Feng suddenly shouted.

A warning signal flashed through Han Mu's mind. Without a second thought, he rewound three breaths. Three breaths ago, he was still in the same spot, while the woman in white had appeared behind him at some point, thrusting her sword toward his back.

Time Reversal allowed Han Mu to dodge the sword strike, but it also greatly depleted his energy. Although the Law of Time is powerful, it also consumes a lot of energy. With his current cultivation level, using Time Reversal continuously would rapidly exhaust his mana.

"Let's see how many times you can rewind time." The woman in white sneered, activating the Sky-Gazing Mirror once more. This time, it wasn't a white light, but a black light; wherever the black light passed, time flowed backward.

Han Mu's expression changed. This black light could forcibly reverse time; if he were exposed to it, he would regress to his previous state, perhaps even back to the state before he received the inheritance. What a ruthless method!

"System, redeem the 'Time Charm'!"

[Exchange successful. Consumed 2000 Immortal Spirit Energy. Obtained Time Amulet x1 (can withstand one time-based attack)]

With only 200 points of immortal energy remaining, Han Mu felt a pang of regret, but there was nothing he could do. He crushed the Time Talisman, and an invisible barrier protected his body. Black light shone on the barrier, causing it to tremble violently, but it didn't break.

The woman in white frowned. The time reversal of the Heavenly Mirror had actually been blocked? Just how many trump cards did Han Mu have up his sleeve?

"My turn." Han Mu stopped passively defending and took the initiative to attack. With the blessing of the Time Law, his speed increased dramatically, and he instantly appeared in front of the woman in white, thrusting out his sword.

This sword strike contained the acceleration of time, making it faster than anything else. Although the woman in white was a late-stage Great Yi Jade Immortal, she only had time to turn to the side as the sword tip grazed her shoulder, leaving a bloody mark.

"You've injured me twice." The woman in white's voice was icy, her killing intent boiling. She, a dignified Great Jade Immortal, had been injured twice by a Golden Immortal; how could she save face if word got out?

"The third time will cost you your life." Han Mu said this, but in his heart he was already planning how to escape. Although the Law of Time was strong, his cultivation was insufficient, and he couldn't hold out for long. His instant kill of the Netherworld Beast King was a fluke; the Netherworld Beast King underestimated him, and the suddenness of the Law of Time allowed him to succeed. Now that the woman in white was on guard, it would be difficult for her to succeed again.

Moreover, the Heaven-Gazing Mirror in the white-clad woman's hand can mimic the laws of time. Although it's not as powerful as the true laws of time, combined with her cultivation as a Great Jade Immortal, its power should not be underestimated. If they were to fight head-on, he would most likely lose.

"System, scan the stone hall. Are there any other exits?"

[Scanning in progress... There is a spacetime rift deep within the stone hall, leading to an unknown place, but the rift is extremely unstable and entering is extremely risky.]

A spacetime rift? Han Mu looked into the depths of the stone hall, where there was indeed a rift, and he could vaguely see the other side, a desolate land.

"Trying to escape?" The woman in white sensed Han Mu's intention, and the Sky-Gazing Mirror emitted white light again, this time slowing down time. Han Mu felt his movements slow down, as if he were sinking into quagmire.

"Time acceleration!" Han Mu shouted, using the laws of time to counteract time slowing, while simultaneously transmitting his voice to Liu Ruyan and the other eight, "Enter the rift!"

"Enter the rift? Senior Han, that's a spacetime rift! Once you go in, you can't get out!" Luo Feng exclaimed.

"Staying here is certain death, going inside offers a sliver of hope!" Han Mu declared without hesitation, "Hurry!"

Liu Ruyan and the other eight exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and rushed towards the crevice. The woman in white tried to stop them, but Han Mu forced her back with a sword strike, buying time for the eight.

"You're courting death!" The woman in white roared, activating the Sky-Gazing Mirror with all her might. Countless runes appeared on the mirror's surface, forming a complex array that trapped Han Mu within.

"Time-Space Prison!" The woman in white spat out a mouthful of blood essence onto the Sky-Gazing Mirror. The array shone brightly, and Han Mu felt the surrounding spacetime freeze, making it difficult even for the laws of time to operate.

"System, exchange for a 'Sky-Piercing Talisman'!"

[Exchange failed, insufficient Celestial Spirit Energy]

Han Mu's face was grim. He only had 200 points of immortal spiritual energy left, which he couldn't exchange for anything. Was he going to die here? No, he still had a trump card.

"The Immortal Coffin!" With a thought, Han Mu felt the Immortal Coffin in his dantian tremble, unleashing a vast aura that instantly shattered the spacetime prison. The woman in white was struck as if by a heavy blow, staggering back several steps, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"A Dao Ancestor-level magic weapon?" The woman in white was shocked, then greed flashed in her eyes. "You really do have fragments of Dao Inscriptions and a Dao Ancestor-level magic weapon! Hand them over, and I'll spare your life!"

"It's always the same old line, isn't it annoying?" Han Mu was too lazy to waste words. Taking advantage of the still-present aura of the Immortal Coffin, he slashed at the woman in white with his sword. This sword strike contained a trace of the Immortal Coffin's power, and wherever the sword light passed, space and time were annihilated.

The woman in white dared not take the attack head-on and dodged it. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Han Mu rushed towards the crevice, following Liu Ruyan and the other eight.

"Where do you think you're going!" The woman in white wanted to give chase, but the crack began to close. She gritted her teeth and rushed in as well. She was determined to obtain the Dao Ancestor's inheritance, the fragment of the Dao runes of time, and the Dao Ancestor-level magic weapon, even if it meant chasing him to the ends of the earth.

The crack closed, and the stone palace returned to calm, leaving only the corpse of the Netherworld Beast King and the lingering fluctuations of the laws of time in the air.

After an unknown amount of time, a figure appeared in the stone hall; it was Han Li. He looked at the corpse of the Netherworld Beast King, then at the now-closed crack, his brows furrowed.

"Han Mu went in too? Troublesome." Han Li pondered for a moment, then took out a jade talisman and crushed it. The jade talisman transformed into a stream of light and shot into the void.

Having done all this, Han Li took a step forward and disappeared. He went in the direction where the rift had originally been—although the rift had closed, with his spatial mastery, he could still find traces and forcibly open a passage.

The stone hall fell completely silent.

After an unknown amount of time, an aged voice echoed in the stone hall: "The variables have been introduced, and the game has officially begun. Old friend, whether your choice was right or wrong depends on this game."

The sound faded away, and the stone hall remained silent.