The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

At the end of the spacetime rift lies an ancient battlefield, utterly desolate.

The sky was dark red, devoid of sun, moon, and stars, only an ever-present blood-red mist. The ground was cracked, littered with enormous skeletons, some hundreds of feet tall, which, even after countless millennia of death, still exuded a chilling aura.

"Where...is this place?" Luo Feng stared wide-eyed at a humanoid skeleton with a broken spear stuck in its chest, the spear still emanating a terrifying aura.

Liu Ruyan's expression was grave: "These skeletons were at least Taiyi Jade Immortals in life, and might even have been Daluo Golden Immortals. Where exactly were we teleported to?"

Han Mu was also observing his surroundings. He summoned the system panel:

Name: Han Mu

True Realm: Late Golden Immortal

Surface Realm: Mid-stage True Immortal

Time Rule: 15% for beginners (in the process of inheritance and integration)

Spatial Laws: Introduction 3%

Celestial Aura: 200 points

Status: Fusion rate of the Time-Space Dao Ancestor's inheritance is 1%.

His time-law level has increased to 15%, but his inheritance fusion rate is only 1%, meaning he hasn't fully digested the Dao Ancestor's inheritance. His immortal spiritual energy is down to only 200 points, practically nonexistent. The situation is far from optimistic.

"Let's get out of here first, that woman will definitely come after us." Han Mu made a quick decision and chose a direction to move forward. This ancient battlefield was too strange; the longer they stayed, the more dangerous it would become.

The eight people followed, but after only a few steps, the space behind them fluctuated, and the woman in white rushed out from the rift, her face somewhat pale. Forcibly traversing the unstable spacetime rift was somewhat exhausting even for a Taiyi Jade Immortal like her.

"Do you think you can escape?" The woman in white sneered, pointing the Sky-Gazing Mirror at Han Mu, its surface gleaming with white light.

Han Mu was prepared; he activated his Time Law, forming a temporal barrier in front of him. The white light struck the barrier, producing a hissing sound, but could not break through.

"Have the laws of time improved again?" The woman in white frowned. Back in the stone hall, Han Mu's laws of time weren't this strong, but now they can actually block the attack from the Sky-Gazing Mirror. It seems that the progress of his inheritance and fusion is very fast.

"We can't let him continue fusing the inheritance; we must finish this quickly." A murderous glint flashed in the white-clad woman's eyes. She held nothing back, unleashing her full power as a late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal. A terrifying pressure spread out, and Liu Ruyan and the other eight turned deathly pale, barely able to breathe.

Han Mu also felt the pressure. A late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal was a whole realm higher than him; a direct confrontation would mean certain death. But escape was impossible. This ancient battlefield, though seemingly vast, was fraught with danger; running around recklessly might hasten his demise.

"System, scan this ancient battlefield. Are there any safe zones?"

[Scanning in progress... The ancient battlefield is a remnant of the ancient war between immortals and demons. Danger level: Extremely high. Safe zone: None. However, spacetime fluctuations have been detected 3,000 miles to the northeast, suspected to be a spacetime node.]

A spacetime node? Han Mu's heart skipped a beat. If it were a stable spacetime node, he might be able to teleport to a safe place. But three thousand miles—traveling three thousand miles right under the white-clad woman's nose was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Senior Han, I'll hold her off, you all go first!" Bai Ling suddenly spoke, drawing her sword and standing in front of Han Mu. She was a sword cultivator, the most straightforward and the least afraid of death.

"Can you hold them off?" Zhou Meng asked with a wry smile. "That's a Taiyi Jade Immortal. All of us combined aren't even worth a single finger of hers."

"We have to drag it out, even if we can't," Bai Ling said calmly. "We can't just wait to die."

Han Mu glanced at Bai Ling. This girl was usually quiet, but she was very loyal in crucial moments. But he couldn't bring himself to send her to her death.

"Let's go together, I have a plan." Han Mu said, taking out an item from his storage ring, which was the unknown map fragment he had obtained from the patrolman. This fragment had resonated with the spacetime locator in the spacetime turbulence, and it might be useful here as well.

He infused the map fragment with his magic, and the fragment glowed faintly, pointing northeast. Sure enough, the fragment could sense the location of the spacetime node.

"Go!" Han Mu shouted, unleashing the full power of his Time Law, and led the eight men towards the northeast. He dared not use teleportation; the spacetime in this ancient battlefield was unstable, and teleportation might cause them to fall directly into a spacetime rift.

The woman in white wouldn't let them escape. She darted forward and caught up, much faster than Han Mu. Just as she was about to catch up, Han Mu suddenly stopped, turned around, and unleashed a sword strike.

This sword strike contained the acceleration of time, as fast as lightning. But the woman in white was prepared; with a glance from her Heavenly Mirror, the speed of the sword light decreased drastically, allowing her to easily dodge it.

"A mere trick." The woman in white scoffed, unleashing a palm strike. The palm wind transformed into a gigantic hand, blotting out the sky and blocking all of Han Mu's escape routes.

Han Mu's expression changed; he couldn't withstand that palm strike. Just then, an unexpected change occurred.

The ground suddenly trembled, and a gigantic skeleton rose to its feet. The skeleton was hundreds of feet tall, and two eerie flames ignited in the empty eye sockets of its skull, locking onto the woman in white.

"Those who trespass into the burial ground shall die!" the skeleton uttered in a low voice, slamming a claw toward the woman in white. Even before the claw arrived, the terrifying pressure distorted the space around it.

The woman in white's expression changed drastically. This skeleton was definitely a Great Luo Golden Immortal in life, and even if only bones remained after death, it was still beyond her ability to deal with. She had no choice but to withdraw her palm strike aimed at Han Mu and turn to face the skeleton.

boom!

Their claws collided, sending the woman in white flying backward, blood trickling from her mouth. The skeleton merely swayed before striking again with its claw.

"Let's go now!" Han Mu didn't hesitate and led the eight people to continue their escape. With the skeletons holding back the woman in white, they had a chance to escape to a time-space node.

But they hadn't gone far when another skeleton appeared ahead. This skeleton was smaller, only ten feet tall, but its aura was even more terrifying, and the ghostly flames in its eye sockets were golden.

"Another one?" Luo Feng was dumbfounded.

Han Mu's heart sank. One skeleton was enough to trouble the woman in white; how were they going to get past another one?

"System, why are these skeletons attacking us?"

[Analysis in progress... The ancient battlefield is a burial ground for ancient immortals and demons; all intruders will be considered invaders. However, a special aura has been detected in the map fragments, which can partially block the perception of the skeletons.]

"Map fragments can block perception?" Han Mu's eyes lit up. He poured his magic power into the map fragments, causing them to shine brightly and envelop the nine people. The golden skeleton indeed stopped, its ghostly flames flickering in its eye sockets, seemingly hesitant.

"Take it slow, don't rush," Han Mu whispered, leading the eight people carefully past the golden skeleton. The golden skeleton kept staring at them, but did not attack.

After walking a hundred feet, Han Mu breathed a sigh of relief. But just then, a loud crash came from behind, and the woman in white broke free of the hundred-foot-tall skeleton and caught up. She had several wounds on her body, clearly indicating that the battle just now had not been easy.

"Han Mu, you can't escape!" The woman in white said coldly, and the Sky-Gazing Mirror was once again aimed at Han Mu. But this time, before she could launch an attack, the golden skeleton moved and slapped at her with a claw.

"Damn it!" The woman in white had no choice but to fight again. She finally understood that these skeletons only attacked those with the strongest aura, and her aura as a late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal made her a sitting duck on this ancient battlefield.

Han Mu understood and made a plan. He concealed his aura, suppressing his apparent cultivation to the mid-stage of True Immortal, and also instructed Liu Ruyan and the other eight to conceal their auras. Sure enough, the skeletons stopped paying attention to them and focused their attacks only on the woman in white.

"Senior Han, your move is brilliant!" Luo Feng grinned.

"Don't be too happy yet, that woman won't let this go." Han Mu sped up and rushed towards the spacetime node.

Three thousand miles is a journey that can be covered in an instant under normal circumstances, but on this ancient battlefield, every step must be taken with extreme caution. Along the way, they encountered many skeletons, some sleeping, some wandering, but because of the map fragments that shielded them, they did not attack them.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the location of the spacetime node. It was a spatial rift, with starlight twinkling within, its destination unknown.

"Shall we go in?" Liu Ruyan asked. The other end of the spacetime node could be a safe zone or a dead end.

"Go in." Han Mu didn't hesitate. Staying here and waiting for the woman in white to shake off the skeletons would still mean certain death. Going in offered a glimmer of hope.

The nine people stepped into the crevice one after another. The moment they entered, Han Mu felt dizzy and the scenery before his eyes changed rapidly. When they stabilized, they were standing on a wasteland with a normal blue sky, containing the sun, moon, and stars.

"They're out?" Luo Feng looked around. The wasteland stretched as far as the eye could see, but at least there were no more of those terrifying skeletons.

Han Mu breathed a sigh of relief, but not completely. He brought up the system panel and checked the location of the other end of the spacetime node.

Current Location: Unknown Wasteland (Possibly the Outskirts of an Ancient Battlefield)

[Signs of life detected within a radius of tens of thousands of miles]

[Han Li's location detected: 5,000 li northeast]

Han Li is here too? Han Mu's heart skipped a beat. It seems the spacetime node Han Li mentioned is the node leading to this wasteland. He's nearby too; perhaps they can meet up.

"Heal your injuries first, then go find Han Li," Han Mu said to the group. All eight of them were injured, especially Bai Ling, who had injured her meridians by forcibly activating her sword intent.

The group found a secluded spot, set up an array, and began healing. Han Mu also sat cross-legged to examine his condition. His Time Law had increased to 15%, and his inheritance fusion rate was still 1%, but he could feel that the fusion rate was slowly increasing over time. Once fully fused, his Time Law would at least reach the entry-level 30%, or even higher.

"System, how long will it take for the complete integration and inheritance?"

Based on the current pace, full integration will take three months.

Three months is too long. The woman in white could catch up at any moment, and this wasteland is not safe either; they must leave as soon as possible.

Two hours later, everyone's injuries had mostly healed. Han Mu stood up and said, "Let's go find Han Li."

The nine people flew northeast. Five thousand li wasn't far; at their speed, they could reach it in an hour. But after flying only a thousand li, they heard the sounds of fighting ahead, along with familiar auras.

It's Han Li, and he's being besieged.

Han Mu's expression darkened, and he quickened his pace. Soon, he saw the battlefield. Han Li was being attacked by three cultivators, all of whom were late-stage Golden Immortals with cultivation levels comparable to Han Li's. However, their teamwork was excellent, and Han Li was at a disadvantage, facing imminent danger.

"Three against one, have you no shame?" Luo Feng shouted.

Han Mu didn't waste any words and immediately attacked. He activated the Law of Time, causing the movements of the three late-stage Golden Immortals to suddenly slow. Taking advantage of this, Han Mu unleashed a sword strike, severely injuring one of them. The other two paled and tried to escape, but Han Mu had already arrived, finishing them off with a single sword strike.

From start to finish, it took no more than three breaths. Of the three late-stage Golden Immortals, two were dead and one was seriously injured.

"Fellow Daoist Han, thank you." Han Li sheathed his sword and cupped his hands in thanks to Han Mu. His breathing was somewhat disordered, clearly indicating that the battle just now had not been easy.

"What happened?" Han Mu asked.

Han Li smiled wryly: "I've been targeted by the Heavenly Court. I was discovered while exploring the spacetime node, and they chased me all the way here. Those three were Heavenly Court inspectors, specifically tasked with hunting down 'fugitives' who ascended from the lower realms."

It's the Heavenly Court again. Han Mu frowned. What on earth is the Heavenly Court up to? Why is it so concerned about cultivators who ascend from the lower realms?

"It's not safe here, let's leave first." Han Li looked into the distance, "I've found a temporary cave where we can take shelter for now."

Han Mu nodded and led the group away with Han Li. On the way, Han Li briefly explained the situation. It turned out that this wasteland was on the outskirts of the ancient battlefield and was relatively safe, but the Heavenly Court had already infiltrated and was searching for cultivators who had ascended from the lower realms.

"What exactly does the Heavenly Court want to do?" Liu Ruyan couldn't help but ask.

Han Li shook his head: "I don't know, but it's definitely not a good thing. I've heard that the Heavenly Court is collecting something called 'Origin Marks.' Every cultivator who ascends from the lower realm has an Origin Mark, and the Heavenly Court wants to extract these marks. I don't know what they'll do with them."

Origin Mark? Han Mu's heart skipped a beat. He had never heard of this before, but his intuition told him that it was very important.

Upon arriving at Han Li's temporary cave dwelling, they found it to be a hidden mountain cave, protected by array formations, making it difficult to spot from the outside. After everyone entered, Han Li set up several more layers of restrictions to ensure their safety.

"Fellow Daoist Han, how did you get here?" Han Li then asked about Han Mu's situation.

Han Mu briefly recounted his experiences in the Netherworld Abyss, including the inheritance of the Time Dao Ancestor and the ancient battlefield. Han Li listened with a solemn expression.

"The Time Dao Ancestor's inheritance... No wonder the Heavenly Court wanted to capture you." Han Li pondered. "There is a Dao Ancestor behind the Heavenly Court, but it's unclear which one. That Dao Ancestor seems to be very interested in the laws of time and has been collecting fragments of time Dao patterns. Since you obtained the Time Dao Ancestor's inheritance, you've become a thorn in his side."

"Which Dao Ancestor?" Han Mu asked.

Han Li shook his head: "The existence of a Dao Ancestor is beyond our comprehension. But what is certain is that the Dao Ancestor wields immense power, and the Heavenly Court is merely a pawn in his game."

Han Mu remained silent. The Dao Ancestor was one of the most powerful beings in the Immortal Realm; he could be crushed with a single finger. The pressure of being targeted by such a being was unimaginable.

"But you don't need to worry too much." Han Li changed the subject. "The Dao Ancestor can't make a move easily, as he will be restrained by the other Dao Ancestors. Moreover, you have obtained the inheritance of the Time Dao Ancestor, so you have a backer. Although the Time Dao Ancestor is dead, the other Dao Ancestors will give his inheritor some face."

"The premise is that the other Dao Ancestors know I am the inheritor," Han Mu said with a wry smile. Right now, only the woman in white knows. If he kills the woman in white, perhaps he can temporarily conceal the truth.

"Is that woman in white someone from the Heavenly Court?" Han Li asked.

"It should be, but not entirely." Han Mu wasn't entirely sure either. The woman in white was too powerful, a late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal, at least an elder in the Heavenly Court, but he had never heard of her before.

"No matter who she is, she must be eliminated, or the consequences will be dire." A murderous glint flashed in Han Li's eyes. He was cautious by nature, but that didn't mean he wasn't ruthless. Even a clay figure would have some temper when chased to this extent.

"She's a late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal; even if we join forces, we're no match for her," Han Mu said frankly. He was a late-stage Golden Immortal, and Han Li was also a late-stage Golden Immortal. The two of them might be able to fight a peak Golden Immortal together, but a late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal was far too weak.

"A direct confrontation won't work, but we can outsmart them." Han Li looked out of the cave. "This wasteland is not simple; I've discovered some interesting things."

"What is it?"

"An ancient ruin, there might be good things inside." Han Li lowered his voice, "More importantly, the ruin has a restriction, Taiyi Jade Immortals can't enter, but Golden Immortals can."

Han Mu's eyes lit up. If such a relic truly existed, perhaps he could use its power to deal with the woman in white.

"Where are the ruins?"

"It's eight thousand miles to the northwest, but I didn't go in. There are guardian beasts outside, the 'Wilderness Giant Lizard', a peak Golden Immortal," Han Li said.

A guardian beast at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm is not easy to deal with. But it's still easier to deal with than a late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal.

"Let's go take a look," Han Mu decided. The things in the ruins might help him improve his strength, or find a way to deal with the woman in white.

After resting for a while, the group set off towards the ruins. But they hadn't gone far when Han Mu suddenly stopped and looked behind him.

"What's wrong?" Han Li asked.

"That woman is catching up." Han Mu's face was grim. The white-clad woman's aura appeared within his perception range, and she was moving very fast; she would catch up in a quarter of an hour at most.

"So fast?" Han Li frowned. The array he set up could conceal their presence; logically, the woman in white shouldn't have been able to find them.

"She has the Sky-Gazing Mirror, which can pinpoint my location," Han Mu said. The Sky-Gazing Mirror is a replica of a spiritual treasure, with an extremely strong ability to lock onto an aura. Unless his cultivation surpasses that of his opponent, it would be difficult for him to break free.

"Then let's go somewhere else." Han Li made a quick decision and changed direction. "I know a place where we might be able to shake her off."

"Where?"

"Deeper into the spacetime turbulence." A resolute glint flashed in Han Li's eyes. "Spacetime is extremely chaotic there, and even the Sky-Gazing Mirror will fail. But it's very dangerous; you might not be able to get out once you go in."

Han Mu was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Go."

Staying outside means certain death if the woman in white catches up. Entering the temporal turbulence offers a glimmer of hope. The choice is clear.

The nine people turned and flew deeper into the spatial turbulence. Behind them, the aura of the woman in white grew closer and closer, carrying an overwhelming killing intent.