The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Jump into the sea? Han Mu glanced at the churning black water below. The water was eerie, with dark shadows swimming by from time to time, a sight that sent chills down one's spine. But Han Li's message wouldn't be unfounded, and there was no other choice at the moment.

"Jump!"

With a low shout, Han Mu charged towards the sea below. Although Liu Ruyan and the others hesitated, they chose to trust Han Mu and followed closely behind. Han Li brought up the rear, waving his hand to unleash several beams of silver light, temporarily blocking the approaching black chains.

The hundred-zhang-tall projection of the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor unleashed a deafening roar, seemingly enraged by its prey's attempt to escape. More black chains, like venomous snakes, emerged from the ground and the void, weaving into a colossal net that enveloped the eight figures. The black flames burning on the chains emitted terrifyingly high temperatures capable of scorching the very soul. Bai Ling, who was closest, let out a muffled groan, her protective immortal light flickering, and a trickle of golden blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

"Hurry!" Han Mu gritted his teeth, activating the laws of time to their fullest extent. He forcibly accelerated the flow of time around them, causing the eight people's descent speed to increase several times over. But the giant black net was even faster, and it was about to close in.

"Senior Han, look down!" Luo Feng suddenly shouted, pointing to the sea below.

The once calm and turbulent Black Sea had suddenly split open near the edge of the island! It was a whirlpool about ten feet in diameter, with the water swirling around its edges, while the center was eerily black, as if leading straight to an abyss at the bottom of the sea. The water around the whirlpool was noticeably lighter in color than the rest of the area, faintly shimmering with a silvery light.

This is... a spatial passage? Han Mu's mind raced. Could this be the spacetime node that Han Li mentioned before? No wonder he told him to jump into the sea!

"Enter the vortex!" Han Mu changed direction and led the charge towards the silver-black vortex. Behind them, the giant black net was already upon them, and the nearest chain, burning with black flames, was less than three feet from Zhou Meng's back!

"Open it!" Zhou Meng roared, turning around and slamming his hammer into the chain. Bang! With a clang of metal against metal, Zhou Meng was sent flying like a cannonball, spitting out blood, but the chain was also slightly jolted by the blow.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Han Mu, Liu Ruyan, Bai Ling, Lin Fan, and Lin Xue plunged into the center of the vortex like arrows released from a bow. Li Qingzhu grabbed Zhou Meng, who had been thrown back by the blast, while Han Li flicked out a silver rope that wrapped around the two of them. Almost at the last instant the chains closed, the three of them also rushed into the vortex.

"roar--!!"

An angry roar came from behind. Han Mu felt a terrifying impact slam into his back, and everything went black. All he could hear was the roar of water and the cries of his companions. Time and space seemed to be inverted and disordered. Countless fragments of light and shadow flashed around him: there were islands littered with corpses, a hundred-foot-tall black shadow roaring, the old man Qingmu's face frowning and calculating, and he could even vaguely see the scene of the Han family in the spirit world.

He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps a moment, perhaps a long time—but Han Mu felt his body lighten, then crash heavily onto the hard ground. He immediately flipped over and leaped up, the Blade of Time in his hand, and warily looked around.

There was no seawater, no chains, and no projection of the Dao Ancestor of Reincarnation. They were in a vast, empty cave. The cave ceiling was inlaid with unknown minerals that emitted a soft white light, illuminating the entire space. The air was filled with a damp and ancient atmosphere, with an extremely high concentration of immortal energy, even more concentrated than in the previous secret realm.

Liu Ruyan, Bai Ling, and the others also got up one after another. Except for Zhou Meng, who was seriously injured and was being supported by Li Qingzhu, his face was pale. The others looked only a little disheveled and were otherwise unharmed. Han Li was the last to emerge from a slowly rotating silver halo behind them. The halo then flickered a few times and disappeared.

"Where is this place?" Lin Xue looked around. The cave was huge and seemed to have no end. The ground was paved with flat black stone slabs with blurry patterns carved on them.

"The bottom of the Chaos Sea, or rather, a region hidden deep within the sea by spatial folds," Han Li explained. He walked to the edge of the cave and touched the cold stone wall. "That vortex just now was an unstable temporary spacetime node, a backup exit I discovered while exploring the nearby spacetime network. I didn't expect it to actually come in handy."

"Senior Han Li, did you know there was a way out at the bottom of the island?" Luo Feng asked, rubbing his sore buttocks.

"I'm not sure, it's just a guess." Han Li shook his head. "The Samsara Island suppresses a part of the Samsara Dao Ancestor's true body. Since the Time-Space Dao Ancestor chose to fight here and left a contingency plan, he probably left an escape route nearby. That stone tablet is the entrance, and this seabed might be another path."

Han Mu didn't participate in the discussion; he immediately summoned the system panel. He had just forcibly activated the Time Law to accelerate the process and had also suffered the aftershocks of the Dao Venerable's projection, which had taken a toll on him.

Name: Han Mu

[True Realm: Half-Step Great Luo (Weak)]

[Surface Realm: Mid-stage True Immortal]

[Time Rule: Small Success Rate 2%]

[Celestial Aura: 3102 points]

[Status: Mild internal injury, mental and spiritual shock]

[Notification: High concentration of spacetime-temporal attribute immortal energy detected. Absorb and restore?]

As expected, he was injured, and his immortal energy was also greatly depleted. Han Mu chose to absorb and recover, and the rich immortal energy in the cave immediately surged towards him, quickly replenishing his energy and repairing his injuries.

"Everyone, hurry up and recover," Han Mu said in a deep voice. He took out several bottles of healing pills and distributed them to everyone, especially giving Zhou Meng two extra. Zhou Meng grinned, and without being polite, swallowed the pills and began to meditate.

"Senior Han, look over there." Liu Ruyan recovered the fastest, and she pointed to the depths of the cave. It wasn't completely empty; the outlines of some buildings could be vaguely seen.

After a brief moment of recovery, the group cautiously ventured deeper into the cave. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the structures were actually uniquely styled stone houses, mostly dilapidated and covered in thick layers of dust and seaweed. Judging from their layout, it seemed this place had once been a small settlement.

"An ancient underwater city?" Lin Fan asked in surprise.

"It's more like a refuge or outpost of some ancient race." Han Li squatted down, wiped away the dust from a stone slab, revealing complex runes engraved underneath. The runes were somewhat similar to those on the previous stone tablet, but even more ancient and obscure.

"The residual spacetime fluctuations here are very strong, and..." Han Li frowned, sensing carefully, "there is also the aura of the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor, but it is very faint, as if it was left behind a long time ago."

The ancient city wasn't large, and they quickly reached its central area. In the center was a circular plaza, and in the middle of the plaza was a dried-up pool, its bottom covered in runes. At the very center of the pool stood a broken stone pillar. The pillar was only half a person's height, its cross-section clean, as if severed by a sharp blade. And on the broken surface, a fist-sized orb of light, constantly shifting between silver and black, floated.

"A spacetime beacon!" Han Li's eyes lit up, and he strode forward, but stopped three zhang away from the stone pillar, his expression solemn.

Han Mu also sensed it; the ball of light emitted a pure and boundless power of spacetime, exactly what the Dao Seed of Spacetime desperately craved. This was very likely the third inheritance guide left by the Dao Ancestor of Spacetime, or rather, the "key" to unlocking the inheritance. However, a very thin yet unsettling black mist swirled around the ball of light. It was the residual power of the Dao Ancestor of Reincarnation, forming a protective seal-like barrier.

"This beacon has been corrupted and sealed by the power of reincarnation," Han Li said in a deep voice. "We must remove this power of reincarnation in order to obtain the beacon and perceive the specific location of the third inheritance."

"How do I clear it?" Han Mu asked. He knew nothing about the laws of reincarnation.

"Two methods." Han Li held up two fingers. "First, forcibly erase it with stronger reincarnation power, which is obviously impossible. Second, slowly wear it down with pure spacetime power, but this takes time and cannot be disturbed. Although this place is hidden, the commotion on Reincarnation Island is too great, and it has probably already alerted Hei Tian and Bai Yuan. They will find this place sooner or later. We don't have time to slowly wear it down."

"What should we do then?" Liu Ruyan asked, and everyone looked at Han Mu.

Han Mu stared at the spacetime beacon shrouded in black mist, his mind racing. Perhaps the system had a solution? He tried to communicate with the system.

[The seal of the Law of Reincarnation (in a damaged state) has been detected]

[Solution 1: Consume 8000 points of Immortal Spirit Energy to exchange for "Spell-Breaking Divine Light" to break the spell in one go. It requires ten breaths to guide, during which you cannot move.]

[Solution Two: Using the Spacetime Dao Seed as a guide, combined with the host's own spacetime power, a continuous cleansing process will be carried out. This is expected to take three hours, during which the host must remain fully focused and free from any interference.]

[Warning: The breaking of the seal may trigger a backlash from the power of reincarnation or an alarm.]

The spiritual energy is insufficient. Three hours is too long; the two Dao Venerables outside won't give them three hours. Moreover, there are risks involved in breaking through the barrier.

Just as Han Mu was weighing the pros and cons, the entire underwater cave suddenly trembled slightly, and dust fell from the dome.

"Someone is attacking the spatial barrier from the outside!" Han Li's expression changed. He sensed intense spatial fluctuations coming from outside. "It's Hei Tian and Bai Yuan! They've found the entrance! Although they can't get in for the time being, the spatial folds here aren't stable and won't hold for long!"

The vibrations became increasingly noticeable, and a faint rumbling sound could even be heard.

"Senior Han, there's no time to hesitate!" Zhou Meng said urgently. He was still recovering from his injuries, but he had already stood up and gripped the sledgehammer tightly in his hand.

"Fellow Daoist Han Li," Han Mu looked at Han Li and spoke quickly, "If I were to fully activate the Spacetime Dao Seed and the Power of Spacetime to break through the seal, how long would it take at the fastest? How confident am I that I won't trigger an alarm or backlash?"

Han Li quickly estimated: "If you disregard losses, you might be able to compress the time to within one hour. But the chances of success are... less than 50%. The power of reincarnation and the power of spacetime are mutually restraining. If there is the slightest mistake, the beacon may be damaged, and you may also be corrupted by the power of reincarnation."

One hour, fifty percent certainty. The attacks from outside are relentless; time is of the essence.

"Fellow Daoist Han Li, please lead them to set up the formation to delay the time it takes for the outside to break through the barrier as much as possible." Han Mu made his decision, his eyes sharpening. "I will break the seal. One hour, buy me one hour!"

"Senior Han, this is too risky!" Liu Ruyan said anxiously.

"There's no safer way." Han Mu shook his head, walked to the edge of the pool, sat cross-legged, facing the suspended spacetime beacon. "Without obtaining the beacon, we won't find the third inheritance, and we'll always be at a disadvantage. If we get it, there'll be a glimmer of hope. It's settled then!"

Han Li gave Han Mu a deep look, said nothing more, and turned to direct Liu Ruyan, Bai Ling, and the others to set up defensive and concealment formations around the square. Lin Fan and Lin Xue checked other directions of the ancient city for any loopholes, Zhou Meng and Li Qingzhu guarded the closest point to Han Mu, and Luo Feng was sent to a high place for surveillance.

Han Mu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, adjusted his state to its best, and then carefully activated the Spacetime Dao Seed in his sea of ​​consciousness. Silver light emanated from his body and slowly spread towards the Dao Beacon in the pool.

The instant the silver spacetime power touched the black cycle mist—

"Buzz!"

The entire beacon trembled violently, and the black mist suddenly churned, coalescing into a blurry, resentful face that stared intently at Han Mu. A hoarse, evil voice boomed directly into Han Mu's soul:

"Time-space thief...die...!"