The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Ahead of him was an old acquaintance named "Yu Chenzi," whose identity and strength were unknown; behind him was a Daoist master's killing move that pierced through the air; and beneath his feet was a illusory cave that was about to completely collapse.

In a flash, countless thoughts raced through Han Mu's mind, only to be instantly dismissed. There was no time to weigh the pros and cons; any hesitation would lead to certain death.

"Walk!"

With a low shout, he reached out and grabbed Yun Li, who was swaying and pale beside him. No longer looking at the rapidly enlarging terrifying attack light and shadow, he turned around and stepped into the silver vortex opened by "Yu Chenzi" without hesitation!

Just as the three figures disappeared into the silver vortex—

Boom!!!

The area where the Void Realm Cave Heaven was located was simultaneously struck by a massive, pitch-black chain phantom entwined with endless death energy and an ice crystal sword light that could freeze everything! The already collapsing barrier of the Void Realm Cave Heaven shattered completely like fragile glass, turning into countless spatial fragments, which were then completely submerged, torn apart, and corroded by the violent energy storm and dark green gastric juice!

"Hmm? Gone?" Black Heaven Dao Venerable's attack missed its mark, his brows furrowed, black mist churning around him as he stared intently at the center of the explosion. Apart from the aftershocks of the complete annihilation of the cave and the inherent chaos within the Xuan Serpent's body, there were no longer any of the two auras that had left a deep impression on him, belonging to Han Mu and the other woman. Even the pure yet chaotic spacetime fluctuation from before was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

"No, it was drawn away by another, even stronger spatial force." Daoist Baiyuan flashed and appeared near the explosion site, waving his hand to clear away a patch of churning gastric juices, revealing the slightly writhing flesh of the Xuan Snake behind it. He condensed a cold light at his fingertip and gently touched a spatial fold, carefully sensing it. "Very well-hidden, very ingenious, it directly penetrated the spatial barrier within the Xuan Snake's body, and may even have temporarily evaded our divine sense lock-on. It seems that there really is a not-so-simple 'rat' hiding inside this Xuan Snake."

"Chase them! They can't have gone far! They're still inside the Black Serpent!" Hei Tian said coldly, his gaze sweeping over the Black Serpent's massive body, which was now thrashing about even more violently. "First, completely suppress this beast, then slowly deal with them!"

The roar of the Xuan Snake echoed through the space once more. It seemed to be extremely angry about the disappearance of the "little insect" and the entanglement between the two Dao Venerables, and its attacks became even more frenzied and reckless.

……

Silver light swirled, and a feeling of weightlessness washed over me, but it was much gentler than when I entered the Void Ring Cave Heaven before.

Han Mu, holding Yun Li's hand, felt a blur before his eyes, and then he was standing on solid ground. Beneath his feet was a warm, smooth jade floor, firm to the touch. A faint, calming sandalwood scent wafted to his nose, along with a pure and peaceful celestial aura.

He immediately looked around, his hands already subtly gripping the Exploding Yuan Pill and the Small Teleportation Talisman. He turned his body slightly to the side, subtly protecting Yun Li behind him, his sharp gaze sweeping forward.

This is a small, simply furnished quiet room. The walls are made of antique blue-green jade, with naturally formed pale silver patterns resembling star trails, emanating a faint but stable spatial fluctuation. In one corner of the room, a small bronze incense burner emits wisps of smoke, the source of the calming sandalwood fragrance. In another corner, there is a futon, a low table, and a simple tea set. Besides these, there is nothing else.

The quiet room had no windows, but several pearls emitting a soft moonlight were embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the entire space. The air was fresh, the concentration of celestial energy was moderate, and most importantly, there was no trace of the chaos, violence, or deathly stillness of the outside world, as if it were completely isolated from the hellish world within the Xuan Snake's body.

Is this the "Minor Heavens" that "Yu Chenzi" spoke of? An independent and stable personal space?

"Cough...cough cough..." A soft cough came from the side.

Han Mu turned his head and saw "Yu Chenzi" standing at the entrance of the meditation room, one hand supporting himself against the jade wall. His face was even paler than before, and his breathing was somewhat weak. Clearly, maintaining the passage, guiding them in, and completely erasing the traces had taken a heavy toll on him. His silver whisk was now dimmed, looking like an ordinary magic weapon.

"For now... we're safe." Yu Chenzi caught his breath, looking at Han Mu and Yun Li. He noticed Han Mu's still tense and wary demeanor, and the way he subtly shielded Yun Li behind him. A fleeting, complex emotion crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "This is my personal cave, 'Moonlight Realm.' Though not large, it's fairly well-hidden. Those two guys and that beast outside shouldn't be able to find this place for a while."

Yun Li breathed a sigh of relief, but still gripped the broken flute, her vigilance undiminished. She first examined the Void Ring in her hand. Several more cracks had appeared on the surface of the ring, and its silver essence had almost completely dissipated, rendering it utterly useless. A trace of regret flashed in her eyes as she carefully put it away. Then she looked at Yu Chenzi and nodded slightly: "Thank you for your help, Senior."

Han Mu did not thank him immediately. He first carefully sensed his own status and then quickly checked the system panel.

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: 502 points]

[Status: Essence and blood restored by 20%, meridians repaired by 35%, fundamental damage repaired by 12%, the backlash from the disintegration of the Heavenly Demon has been temporarily suppressed by the elixir, and the soul is slightly oscillating due to the resonance with the spacetime beacon.]

[Environmental Monitoring: Independent and stable space, moderate concentration of celestial energy, no direct threat.]

It seems this place is indeed safe for now, and the environment is suitable for healing. He looked at Yu Chenzi, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist. May I ask how I should address you?"

"Yu Chenzi is the alias I often use when traveling to the lower realms. As for my real name... just call me 'Mingchen'." Yu Chenzi, or rather "Mingchen," walked to the low table and sat down, gesturing for Han Mu and Yun Li to sit as well. He seemed unconcerned by Han Mu's wariness, and took out a jade bottle from his storage artifact, poured out two emerald green pills, swallowed them, closed his eyes, and meditated for a moment before his complexion improved slightly.

Han Mu and Yun Li exchanged a glance and sat down opposite each other at the low table, but they did not let their guard down.

"Fellow Daoist Mingchen," Han Mu spoke first, his tone calm but direct, "You recognize me? Where have we met before? Why are you here? And why did you save us? Also, the whisk in your hand seems to share the same origin as the one I possess?"

He fired off several key questions in one go. Yun Li also perked up her ears.

Ming Chen opened his eyes, looked at Han Mu, his gaze lingering on Han Mu's face for a moment, then sweeping over the spacetime beacon in Han Mu's arms, finally settling on Han Mu's calm yet sharp eyes, and slowly said: "About six hundred years ago, in the Xuanhuang Great World, Tianxing City, at the Wanbao Auction. You were sitting in private room number seven on the third floor, and you bought a three-thousand-year-old 'Earth Vein Blood Spirit Mushroom' to strengthen your qi and blood. I was sitting in private room number five opposite you, and I bought a broken rubbing of the 'Void Stele'."

Han Mu's eyes flickered slightly. The Xuanhuang Great World, Tianxing City, the Wanbao Auction House… it really happened! At that time, he had just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage and was traveling in the lower realms searching for spiritual herbs to solidify his foundation. He did indeed bid on that Blood Spirit Mushroom. The person in the opposite private room was very mysterious; he had bid a high price for a broken rubbing that no one else seemed interested in—it turned out to be this person! The fact that the other party could accurately recall these memories and details at least proved that their "one-time encounter" was true.

"As for why I'm here," Ming Chen continued, his tone tinged with helplessness and weariness, "I'm here like you, or rather, like this young lady's master, Fellow Daoist 'Kongming,' searching for clues to the core fragments of the 'Time-Space Palace.' Following the faint senses of a fragment of a 'Time-Space Beacon' I obtained years ago, it took me a hundred years to pinpoint this Chaos Sea region. And then several decades to find the trail of this Black Water Serpent. I intended to infiltrate while it was engaged in battle with a powerful enemy and preoccupied, but unexpectedly…"

He paused, then smiled wryly, "Unexpectedly, shortly after infiltrating, I sensed another fragment of the Dao Beacon being violently activated. Immediately afterward, the Xuan Serpent went completely berserk, and two more Dao Venerables arrived, turning this place upside down. I was trapped in a relatively stable 'appendix' space within the Xuan Serpent's body. I intended to hide and observe, but the resonance between the two Dao Beacons grew stronger and stronger, affecting the fragment in my hand and almost exposing me. Left with no other choice, I followed the strongest resonance to see what was happening, but I never expected…"

He looked at Han Mu: "I met you, and I also got another Dao mark. What I didn't expect was that the calm and clear-eyed Nascent Soul cultivator at the auction back then, who hadn't been seen for hundreds of years, had actually ascended to the Immortal Realm and obtained the inheritance of the Time-Space Dao Seed, and was caught up in this storm."

A Dao Seed Inheritance? Han Mu's heart skipped a beat. The other party could actually see that he possessed the Dao Seed of Spacetime? Such insight...

"Fellow Daoist has exceptional insight." Han Mu neither denied nor admitted it, but simply responded calmly.

"Bearing a Dao Seed, possessing a fragment of the Dao Beacon, and being with Fellow Daoist Kongming's successor, it's not hard to guess." Ming Chen waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned by Han Mu's caution. "As for why I saved you... there are three reasons. First, as fellow human cultivators trapped here, mutual assistance is only right. Second, I need the fragment of the Dao Beacon you possess. Third... I sense that besides you and me, there might be an even more subtle and dangerous aura lurking within this Xuan Snake, its target perhaps also the core fragment. Alone, and in my weakened state, I fear I cannot handle it. We need to join forces."

"Join forces?" Yun Li couldn't help but ask, "Senior, there are still two Dao Venerables outside, Hei Tian and Bai Yuan, as well as this berserk Xuan Serpent. We can barely protect ourselves, how can we join forces? And what can we do?"

"Wait." A glint of light flashed in Ming Chen's eyes. "Wait until the three, or rather four, sides fight to a conclusion, or until both sides are severely injured. The 'core fragment' within the Xuan Serpent is bait, but also a variable. Whoever gets it first will become the target of everyone's attacks. What we need to do is recover our strength, hide well, and wait for the right opportunity. At the crucial moment, we might be able to do something with the Dao Beacon fragments in our hands."

"For example, find the old wound of the Xuan Snake's 'Reverse Scale', break it open from the inside, and escape in the chaos?" Han Mu interjected.

Ming Chen glanced at Han Mu and nodded: "That's right. I also sensed the information left by Fellow Daoist Kong Ming back then. That 'Reverse Scale' was a hidden wound left by the Xuan Serpent in its battle with a powerful enemy (possibly Fellow Daoist Kong Ming). It forcibly repaired it with the power of space, but it is still a relatively weak point in its body. If we can attack it from the inside with a sufficiently powerful and homogeneous spacetime power, there is a great chance that we can tear open a gap. And our Dao Beacon fragments are the best medium to attract, gather, and amplify spacetime power, especially when they get close to each other and resonate."

Han Mu pondered. Ming Chen's words made logical sense and provided new information (potentially involving a fourth party). However, this person's true purpose remained questionable. Was it merely to escape? Or did he have ulterior motives? And what did he intend to do with the "core fragment"?

"We need time to heal," Han Mu finally said, not immediately agreeing or refusing to cooperate, but instead raising his most pressing need.

"This place is safe, and the immortal energy is still sufficient. You can heal your injuries here. I will also make the most of my time to recover." Mingchen pointed to the quiet room. "Although this 'Moonlight Realm' is small, its concealment is adequate. As long as we don't intentionally reveal our aura or violently activate the Dao Beacon again, we should be fine for the time being. However, we need to hurry. The great battle outside won't last long. Once a winner is decided, or if anything changes, we must act immediately."

Han Mu nodded, said no more, and gestured for Yun Li to join him. They sat cross-legged in another corner of the quiet room and began to heal their injuries. He first checked Yun Li's condition. Her "Soul Devouring Netherworld Fiend" was temporarily stable under the suppression of the pills and her own cultivation technique, but it was still a hidden danger. The "Life Creation Pill" he had exchanged for had been of great help to her, and her meridians and origin were slowly repairing.

Han Mu then took out a smaller spatial crystal that he had previously stored away, spent 50 points of immortal spiritual energy to guide its purification, absorbed the spatial essence within, and converted it into approximately 4000 points of immortal spiritual energy. Adding this to what he already had, he now had 4502 points.

He didn't hesitate, exchanging two Rank 5 "Pulse-Regenerating Pills" and a bottle of "Soul-Nourishing Liquid" to accelerate meridian repair and nourish his shaken soul. After taking the pills, combined with the residual medicinal power of the previous "Nine-Transformation Stasis-Clearing Pill," he could feel his injuries healing at a faster pace than before, and his essence blood was slowly regenerating. The backlash from the Heavenly Demon's Disintegration was still severe, but at least it was firmly suppressed, showing no signs of worsening.

Time passed slowly in the silent healing process. The only sounds in the quiet room were even breathing and the faint rustling of the medicine dissolving.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe an hour, maybe less.

Suddenly, the fragment of the "Space-Time Beacon" in Han Mu's arms vibrated slightly again without warning, emitting an extremely weak but exceptionally clear fluctuation. This fluctuation was not directed at Ming Chen outside, nor was it the strong resonance of before, but rather a... peculiar sense of attraction, as if pointing towards the depths of the Xuan Snake's body below the quiet room, closer to a certain "point".

Almost simultaneously, Ming Chen, who was meditating, also suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Han Mu. Their eyes met briefly, but they both saw the surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.

"You sensed it too?" Mingchen asked telepathically, his tone grave.

"Hmm, very faint, but very directional, it seems to be... guiding?" Han Mu replied telepathically, his hand already on the beacon in his arms.

Just then, the communication jade slip that Han Mu kept close to his body, the one used to contact Han Li and the others, vibrated very slightly! The vibration was so weak that it was almost imperceptible; if he hadn't been completely focused, he wouldn't have noticed it at all. A very dim, almost extinguished silver light flashed on the jade slip—an emergency communication code left by Han Li, meaning "Safe, do not reply, wait."

Han Li is outside? And he seems to be watching this place too? Did he discover this "Moonlight Realm"? Or is it just a coincidence?

Before Han Mu could think further, the quiet room suddenly shook slightly without warning. It didn't come from inside, but from the entire "Moonlight Realm" small space, as if it had been slightly affected by a huge and chaotic force from the outside!

Ming Chen's expression changed, and he abruptly stood up: "This is bad! The battle outside has probably reached a critical moment! The struggles of the Xuan Snake and the attacks of those two Dao Venerables are already slightly affecting my hidden cave!"

Before he could finish speaking, the fragment of the spacetime beacon in Han Mu's arms suddenly vibrated more intensely! The faint sense of attraction instantly became several times clearer and stronger! It was as if it was urgently "telling" him something!

At the same time, a system panel suddenly popped up in Han Mu's mind, and a new notification appeared:

High-intensity, homogeneous spatiotemporal beacon traction fluctuations were detected.

[Source of the fluctuation: Suspected location where the "Core Fragment of the Time-Space Palace" is sealed/stored.]

[The pulling force is directed downwards and slightly to the left, at a distance of approximately 300 zhang (within the body of the Black Serpent).]

[Related Hint: This fluctuation overlaps 87% with an anomaly point within the Xuan Snake's body (suspected to be an old injury, "Reverse Scale").]

[Warning: Increasing traction fluctuations may trigger resonance with external landmarks, revealing our position.]

Core fragment? The Reverse Scale? Their locations almost overlap? Is the unusual pull of the spacetime beacon pointing there? Is it a trap, or… the key to their escape?

Han Mu suddenly looked at Ming Chen, only to see that the other party was also looking at him. The silver whisk in his hand was now emitting a silver light that resonated slightly with the fragment of the Dao Beacon in Han Mu's arms. The whisk moved without wind, pointing in the same direction!

The quiet room trembled again, even more noticeably than before. From outside, a agonizing wail from the Xuan Snake could be faintly heard, along with a wild, furious roar from the Black Heaven Daoist: "You beast! Surrender now!"

The time seems to have come, yet it also seems even more dangerous.