The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

The light and shadow shifted before my eyes, and I felt a sense of weightlessness, but it quickly disappeared.

Han Mu and the woman in green fell through the silver light gate and landed on a dusty jade floor. The surrounding light was dim, and the air was filled with a musty, deathly atmosphere, mixed with a faint smell of blood and subtle, unstable fluctuations in space.

This was the interior of a small palace, its style ancient and simple, yet marked by ruins everywhere. Several tall pillars had broken and collapsed to the ground, rubble and debris scattered about. The dome had several large holes, revealing a hazy, twisting, and writhing "sky" outside—not a real sky, but rather the chaotic spatial currents and phantom images of the Xuan Snake's internal organs revealed by the broken walls of the grotto-heaven. The once exquisite murals and reliefs on the palace walls were mostly faded and peeling, devoid of any spiritual energy. Only a broken jade platform in the center of the main hall, along with a few jade slips scattered on it and an overturned incense burner, remained relatively intact.

The entire cave space gave off a sense of teetering on the brink of collapse, as if it could crumble at any moment. In the distance, a faint gray, deathly mist churned, eroding the remaining, relatively stable space. This was clearly the sanctuary that the woman in green, her master "Void Daoist," had erected with the last power of the Void Ring before his fall. Unfortunately, it ultimately failed to withstand the erosion of deathly energy, and he himself turned into resentful bones.

"Cough..." The woman in green staggered a few steps after landing, only managing to steady herself by leaning against a broken pillar. Her face was still pale, but she was better than before. She looked around at the desolate scene, her sorrow deepening, but it was quickly replaced by resilience. She swiftly walked to the central platform, picked up the jade slips, and probed them with her divine sense, quickly browsing through them.

Han Mu cautiously observed his surroundings while simultaneously summoning the system panel to check his own status:

Name: Han Mu

[True Realm: Late Golden Immortal (Currently recovering from severe injuries, currently able to utilize approximately late True Immortal strength)]

[Surface Realm: Early Stage True Immortal]

[Time Rule: Small Success Rate 2%]

[Celestial Aura: 4002 points]

[Status: Essence and blood restored by 20%, meridians repaired by 35%, and fundamental damage repaired by 12%. The backlash from the Heavenly Demon's disintegration has been temporarily suppressed by elixirs, but still requires rest and more high-level elixirs.]

[WARNING: The space you are in is extremely unstable and may collapse at any time. Please leave immediately.]

His injuries had healed somewhat, but he was far from fully recovered. The most troublesome thing was the backlash from the Heavenly Demon's disintegration. Although it had been temporarily suppressed by elixirs, it was like a thorn in his side. If he were to use power exceeding the True Immortal level again, it could very well erupt completely. And outside, there were berserk Dao Venerable-level ferocious beasts and two Dao Venerable-level enemies eyeing him menacingly. This Void Netherworld Ring Cave Heaven wouldn't last much longer either.

"I must recover more strength as soon as possible and find a way to leave." Han Mu felt urgent, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated palace. Apart from a few jade slips and an incense burner on the high platform, there seemed to be nothing else. He walked to the edge of the platform, picked up the overturned incense burner, and examined it. It was just an ordinary magical artifact, its spiritual energy gone, and of little value.

"How is it?" Han Mu asked, looking at the woman in green.

The woman in green put down the jade slip, her expression grave yet tinged with realization and urgency. "The information my master left behind was fragmented, but I understand it roughly. His Daoist name was 'Kongming,' also known as the Kongming Daoist Venerable, and he primarily cultivated the laws of space. Many years ago, he received a clue that the Black Water Serpent had devoured a 'core fragment' of the 'Time-Space Palace.' That fragment contained the essence of time and space, crucial for his breakthrough and the forging of his natal Dao artifact. Therefore, he tracked the injured serpent here, fought it fiercely, and both were severely injured before he was ultimately swallowed by the serpent."

"Inside the Black Serpent's belly, he used the cavern of the Void Ring to try and refine the remaining spatial crystals within his body to recover and find an opportunity to break free. However, the deathly aura, resentment, and spatial turbulence within the Black Serpent's belly were too terrifying, constantly eroding his life force and soul. What's worse..." She paused, looking at Han Mu, "During this time, he sensed another powerful spatial fluctuation being activated near the Black Serpent's lair, suspected to be another 'spacetime beacon' being activated. He suspected that besides him, others were also eyeing the core fragments within the Black Serpent's body, and there might even be more than one."

"He attempted to forcibly refine a large spatial crystal, drawing power to attack the weak points of the Xuan Snake's inner wall. This triggered a backlash from the Xuan Snake's raging spatial power, leaving him critically injured and on the verge of death. In his final moments, he used his last strength to seal some crucial information into a jade slip, and at the same time…" Her eyes dimmed, "a portion of his resentment and obsession combined with the deathly aura of the cave and the Xuan Snake's resentment to form the vengeful bones we encountered earlier. His final obsession, besides his resentment at his fall, was an extreme desire for that spatial beacon. It seems that the beacon had some connection to the core fragment he was searching for, and could help him turn the tide. Unfortunately…"

Han Mu listened silently, his mind racing as he analyzed the situation. The fate of the Void Dao Venerable confirmed the scenes he had witnessed in the fragments of the withered bones' memories. The core fragment of the Time-Space Palace was inside the Black Water Serpent! Moreover, was there another Time-Space Beacon that had been activated nearby? Who could it be? That pursuer "surnamed Han"? Could it be Han Li? Or just a coincidence?

"What else was mentioned in the jade slip? Was it about how to leave, or the weaknesses of the Xuan Snake?" Han Mu asked the question he was most concerned about.

The woman in green shook her head: "Master's fall was too sudden. The information he left behind was mostly clues and speculations about the search for the core fragments. He only mentioned that there was a relatively vulnerable 'reverse scale' area inside the Xuan Serpent's belly, an old wound he sustained during his battle with the Xuan Serpent, which the Xuan Serpent forcibly healed with spatial power. However, if a powerful spatial force were used to break it open from the inside, it might be possible. But the location of that 'reverse scale' is constantly shifting and difficult to pinpoint. Moreover, it requires at least Dao Venerable level spatial power, or..."

"Or what?"

"Or, a special object powerful enough to draw upon the very essence of space, to launch an attack from within." The woman in blue looked at Han Mu. "For example, your fragment of the 'Space-Time Beacon.' My master guessed that if the space-time power contained within the beacon could be activated, combined with an external attack, it might be able to tear a hole in the 'Reverse Scale.' But he didn't have time to verify it before..."

A spacetime beacon? Han Mu touched the bronze fragment in his arms. This thing now had a crack, and its internal power was even more unstable. Could it work? Moreover, even if it could, there were still two Dao Venerables outside: Hei Tian and Bai Yuan. Their battle with the Xuan Serpent was both an opportunity and a huge danger.

Just then, the entire dilapidated palace—no, the entire Void Realm Cave Heaven—suddenly trembled violently! Ten times stronger than when they were in the interlayered space! Outside the hole in the dome, the hazy, distorted "sky" suddenly turned pitch black, with faint, terrifying magical fluctuations and the painful roars of the Xuan Snakes emanating from it. Immediately following this, a tremendous impact slammed into the cave heaven's walls!

Boom!

Instantly, more than a dozen jagged cracks appeared on the palace walls, and rubble rained down. In the distance, the ashen, deathly aura surged violently, accelerating its erosion of the remaining stable space.

"The fighting outside is getting even fiercer! The aftershocks have reached here!" The woman in green's expression changed. "The grotto won't last long! At most, it will completely collapse within half an hour, swallowed up by the death energy and spatial turbulence!"

Misfortune never comes singly. Before the two could come up with a solution, the fragment of the "space-time beacon" in Han Mu's arms suddenly heated up again and began to vibrate slightly uncontrollably, emitting an increasingly clear silver halo and space-time fluctuations!

"What's going on?" Han Mu immediately took out the beacon, and saw silver light flowing through the cracks on the bronze fragment, as if it had resonated with the outside world.

"It's another Dao Beacon!" The woman in green immediately realized, her face turning grim. "The jade slip mentioned that Master sensed the activation fluctuations of another Dao Beacon! With the great battle outside and the spatial chaos, it's very likely that the Dao Beacon has been activated, or the person holding it is approaching! The two Dao Beacons share the same origin; they will resonate when they are close!"

"Can you determine our location?" Han Mu gripped the beacon tightly, trying to suppress its unusual movements, but with little effect. The beacon's resonance grew stronger, its silver halo almost piercing through his palm. It was like a conspicuous lighthouse, potentially revealing not only their location but also drawing unnecessary trouble.

"Over there!" The woman in green carefully sensed the direction of the beacon's fluctuations, pointing towards the hazy, distorted "sky" beyond the side wall of the palace. "Outside the grotto-heaven, deeper within the body of the black serpent, or rather, closer to its head or neck! The fluctuations are very strong; the other party is either moving rapidly or actively activating the beacon!"

Are they friend or foe? Is it that "Han" who's been tracking them, or someone else entirely? Did they discover them by activating their beacon at this moment, or are they doing something else?

There was no time to think about it further. The grotto was collapsing, with the aftershocks of a powerful battle outside, the resonance of the beacon revealing its location inside, and a possible third party lurking in the shadows.

Han Mu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The more desperate the situation, the less he could afford to panic. He quickly sorted out the current information and his trump cards: he was still seriously injured and could use the strength of a late-stage True Immortal, possessing the Law of Time and a fragmented Spacetime Beacon; the woman in green (he should ask her name now) was in slightly better condition, possessed a special sonic technique, and he knew some information about her master and her understanding of the Xuan Snake; outside, two Dao Venerables were engaged in a chaotic battle with the berserk Xuan Snake; an unknown beacon was approaching; the Xuan Snake had a fragile "reverse scale" within its body, which required the Spacetime Beacon to break through with its impact; and the cave was on the verge of collapse.

It's a desperate situation, but not without a glimmer of hope. The key lies in how to take advantage of the external chaos and that approaching beacon!

"What's your name?" Han Mu suddenly asked.

The woman in green was taken aback, then said, "Yun Li."

"Fellow Daoist Yun Li," Han Mu looked at her, his eyes sharp, "If you want to live, listen to me. First, immediately check the jade slip left by your master to see if there are any methods for stabilizing your cave heaven, or temporarily enhancing its defenses, or even concealing its aura. Don't overlook any related restrictions or formations! Second, recover your strength as much as possible and be ready to act at any time."

"What do you want to do?" Yun Li asked.

"Let's fish in troubled waters and use their strength against them." Han Mu stared at the increasingly hot spacetime beacon in his hand, then at the trembling, cracking cave-heaven barrier. "The fiercer the battle between those two Dao Venerables and the Xuan Serpent outside, the better. When they reach a crucial moment, or when the three forces (if the beacon holder is an independent party) are most intensely entangled, we'll deliberately expose our position—using the resonance of this spacetime beacon to completely lure the approaching beacon, and even its holder, over! Let's stir up the waters even more!"

"Then, taking advantage of the chaos, use the remaining power of your Void Ring to protect us. I will use the Spacetime Beacon as a guide to find and attack the weak point of the Xuan Serpent's 'Reverse Scale'! Let's take a gamble and break through the Xuan Serpent's body from the inside and break out! The battle outside is raging, and the Xuan Serpent is injured. Its old wound, the 'Reverse Scale,' will surely have greatly weakened defenses. This is our only chance!"

Yun Li's pupils contracted slightly. This plan was too insane! Deliberately exposing themselves, attracting an unknown third party, and then using the chaos of three Dao Venerable-level battles to exploit the Xuan Serpent's weak point to escape? Any mistake in any step would lead to utter destruction.

"There's no other choice." Han Mu saw through her hesitation, his voice chillingly calm. "If we stay here, the cave will collapse in half an hour, and we'll be swallowed by the death energy and spatial turbulence, with no chance of survival. If we break out, at least we'll have a sliver of hope. Besides..." He weighed the spacetime beacon in his hand, "This thing's resonance is getting stronger and stronger; we can't hide anymore. Rather than passively waiting for others to come to us, we should take the initiative and seize control, even if it's just a little bit."

Yun Li looked at Han Mu's calm, almost cold gaze, then at the jade slip in her hand—a record of her master's regrets and obsessions—and gritted her teeth. Her master had perished because of a single miscalculation and a lack of luck. She didn't want to repeat that mistake.

"Alright! I'll listen to you!" Yun Li didn't hesitate any longer. She immediately sat down cross-legged, swallowing pills to speed up her healing while immersing her consciousness into the jade slip, rapidly searching for useful information.

Han Mu immediately sprang into action. He summoned the system panel and quickly browsed the available exchangeable items. Time was of the essence; he needed something that could provide a burst of power in a short time or possess special effects.

[One-time concealment talisman (can block divine sense probing below the Dao Venerable level for half a quarter of an hour), requires 800 points.]

[Small Teleportation Talisman (randomly teleports you 100 miles; extremely risky to use in areas of spatial instability), requires 1200 points.]

[Explosive Yuan Pill (Short-term activation of potential, boosting combat power by one minor realm; severe side effects), requires 1500 points.]

[Boundary-Breaking Cone (Imitation, has a slight damaging effect on spatial barriers), requires 2000 points.]

Han Mu's gaze lingered on the "Boundary-Breaking Cone (Imitation)" for a moment. This item might help in breaking through to the "Reverse Scale," but it was just an imitation, its effectiveness was questionable, and it was quite expensive. He currently only had 4002 points of Immortal Spirit Qi, so he had to be careful with his money.

"I'll exchange one Explosive Yuan Pill, two One-Time Concealment Talismans, and one Minor Teleportation Talisman," he decided. The Explosive Yuan Pill was his trump card for a desperate gamble, the Concealment Talisman was for hiding or misleading others in crucial moments, and the Minor Teleportation Talisman was a last resort for escape, though it was risky. As for the Boundary-Breaking Cone, he'd pass on it for now; the Space-Time Beacon offered a better chance.

[Exchange successful, consuming 3500 points of Immortal Spirit Energy.]

[Received: 1 Explosive Essence Pill, 2 One-Time Concealment Talismans, 1 Small Teleportation Talisman.]

[Current Celestial Aura: 502 points.]

Almost simultaneously with the completion of the exchange, the entire cave trembled even more violently than before! This time, it wasn't an aftershock, but rather as if it had been violently struck from the outside by some enormous force!

boom!!!

One side of the palace wall collapsed completely, revealing an even more violent and chaotic scene outside—countless pitch-black spatial rifts and torrents of dark green, terrifyingly corrosive liquid! And in the gaps between the rifts and the torrents, one could vaguely see three enormous creatures fighting fiercely in the shattered void outside! The giant tail of the Black Water Serpent swept across, and the figures of Hei Tian and Bai Yuan flickered like ghosts, their various terrifying supernatural powers clashing, turning that space upside down!

What made Han Mu's heart sink even more was that the spacetime beacon in his hand was vibrating and shining at an unprecedented level, almost flying out of his hand! The source of the resonance was rapidly penetrating the chaotic energy storm and the huge body of the Xuan Serpent, approaching the location of their cave!

"They're here!" Han Mu hissed, clutching the Exploding Yuan Pill in his palm, his gaze fixed on the outside of the collapsed wall. Whether it's a blessing or a curse, we'll find out soon!