The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

In dire straits, unexpected opportunities often lie hidden.

The spatial rift formed after the black vortex exploded was like a glimmer of light torn open in the despairing night. The rift was small, only a few meters wide, its edges constantly twisting and tearing, barely held together by some inexplicable force, extremely unstable. Inside the rift, instead of ordinary spatial turbulence, a faint dark golden light flowed, and a desolate, ancient, and pure primordial aura leaked out, originating from the same source as the aura surrounding the core fragment, but purer, and also more…weak?

More importantly, the bronze beacon fragment in Han Mu's arms was radiating a clear heat through his clothes, as if urging him on, or perhaps fearing him, pointing in a complex way at the crack.

"That is..." Ming Chen's lunge towards Han Mu abruptly halted, his single arm frozen in mid-air, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the crack, his breathing suddenly rapid. "It's it! It's the secret realm sealed inside... a relic? Could it be that what that old guy Kong Ming left behind wasn't just the core fragment, but even this thing..."

His words trailed off, his eyes blazing with an indescribable greed and ecstasy that even overwhelmed his hatred for Han Mu and his fear of the pursuers behind him. He stopped looking at Han Mu and turned to rush towards the crevice.

"Fellow Daoist Mingchen, what's the rush?" Han Mu's icy voice rang out, devoid of emotion, yet sending a chill down Mingchen's spine. He abruptly turned his head, only to see Han Mu already standing between him and the rift, his face pale, his breath unsteady, but his eyes terrifyingly calm. An ancient longsword had appeared in his hand, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground, the blade crackling with lightning. Yun Li stood barely to his side and slightly behind, her face deathly pale and her breath weak, yet she gripped her broken flute tightly, coldly watching him.

"Han Mu! You think you can stop me? In your current state?" Ming Chen sneered, flipping his remaining hand to reveal the dim silver whisk once more, its whisk strands standing on end and emitting a dangerous light. Although he was severely injured, with a severed arm and greatly diminished aura, he was still a former Dao Lord. Burning his remaining essence blood, he could still unleash power approaching that of a peak Golden Immortal for a short time, believing he could easily handle two severely injured True Immortals (in his perception). "Get out of my way! Otherwise, I'll risk this remnant soul to drag you down with me!"

Han Mu didn't speak, but simply took a step forward. A powerful, refined aura, far surpassing that of a mid-stage True Immortal, rose from his body like a slumbering beast slowly awakening. Although he still carried the weakness of his injuries, the pressure of his realm was undeniable.

"A Golden Immortal... late stage?! How is that possible?!" Ming Chen's sinister smile froze instantly, replaced by incredulous horror. His attention had been focused on the core fragments and his escape, and with Han Mu deliberately concealing his abilities, he hadn't even noticed Han Mu's true cultivation level! Now, experiencing it up close, the profound, abyss-like pressure, imbued with the vicissitudes of time, made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave! His opponent was actually a late-stage Golden Immortal! And a late-stage Golden Immortal with an extremely solid foundation and incredibly refined aura! Even severely injured, he was far beyond what Ming Chen, now exhausted, could easily handle!

"Now, do you still want to drag me down with you?" Han Mu's voice was calm, his longsword slightly raised. Even in his weakened state, he could still exert absolute dominance over Ming Chen, who had fallen from his cultivation level, was critically injured and on the verge of death, and had lost his mind. This was the gap in cultivation levels, especially when the opponent had almost exhausted all his trump cards.

Ming Chen's expression shifted rapidly, a mixture of greed, anger, fear, and despair. He stared intently at Han Mu, then looked towards the spatial rift in the distance. The aura emanating from the rift grew increasingly clear; that ancient and pure primordial feeling was far too tempting for an old monster like him, who cultivated the Dao of Space and had lived for countless millennia. It might be something related to ancient secrets and supreme inheritances! Even more alluring than the core fragments of the Time-Space Palace!

Just then, from afar, two incomparably powerful divine senses swept over again, like cold searchlights, firmly locking onto this area, especially the spatial rift! Hei Tian and Bai Yuan had clearly also noticed the anomaly of the rift! Immediately afterward, the Xuan Serpent's mountain-like head slowly turned, its scarlet vertical pupils fixed on the rift, its massive forked tongue flickering, emitting a low, violent hiss. It seemed to feel both an instinctive fear and a strange, lingering desire for the aura leaking from the rift?

The three enormous beings instantly shifted their attention from Han Mu and his few "little insects" to the spatial rift!

To beings at their level, Han Mu and his companions were nothing more than ants who had been accidentally caught up in the chaos. Even if they possessed fragments of the Dao Beacon, it was far less important than the mysterious rift that had suddenly appeared and exuded an ancient aura! The secrets and opportunities that the rift might contain were what they truly cared about!

"Go!" Han Mu made a decisive move, grabbing Yun Li and turning around without hesitation. He transformed into a dim streak of light, speeding towards the depths of the void, opposite to the rift, the Xuan Serpent, and the two Venerables! He didn't choose to attack while Ming Chen was still in shock, because it wasn't worth it. The most important thing now was to escape this place that was about to become a new battlefield! As for Ming Chen, a guy who was seriously injured and on the verge of death, and was being subtly watched by the two Venerables and the Xuan Serpent, was perhaps more "useful" alive than dead.

"You!" Ming Chen was both shocked and furious. He hadn't expected Han Mu to be so decisive, leaving without even glancing at the alluring crack. He wanted to give chase, but the surging blood and qi within him and his severe injuries slowed him down. Moreover, he instantly understood Han Mu's intention—to divert attention, or rather, to use the crack to draw fire and create an opportunity for their own escape!

"Cunning brat!" Ming Chen cursed under his breath, but a chill ran down his spine as he looked at the two Dao Venerables' divine senses rapidly approaching and the oppressive head of the Xuan Snake. Staying meant becoming the target of everyone's wrath and certain death. Leaving might offer a sliver of hope, and that rift… He glanced deeply at the rift, a struggle flashing in his eyes, and finally stamped his foot, choosing a different direction from Han Mu, transforming into a dim silver light and fleeing in panic. He knew that in his current state, he was utterly unqualified to participate in the struggle for that rift; staying would only make him cannon fodder.

Almost at the same time that Han Mu and Ming Chen fled in different directions, Hei Tian and Bai Yuan appeared like ghosts in the void near the rift. Both of them carried a hint of barely perceptible dishevelment, clearly having suffered some losses from the explosion and spatial turbulence within the Xuan Serpent's body, but their auras were still suffocatingly powerful.

"Hmph, two ants, yet they run fast." Hei Tian, ​​his black robes fluttering, swept his cold gaze across the direction Han Mu and Ming Chen had fled, but did not give chase. His entire attention was drawn to the spatial rift before him. "Such pure primordial energy… This Xuan Snake actually harbors such a secret? Is it its lair, or… an ancient secret realm it devoured and sealed away?"

Bai Yuan, dressed in pristine white robes, possessed an equally fervent gaze. "The crack is extremely unstable and could collapse at any moment. The aura emanating from within... is extraordinary. Perhaps, it's related to the legendary 'Primordial Remnant.'" He extended a slender, pale finger, lightly touching the crack, and a ripple of ice crystals spread outwards as he attempted to probe its interior.

"Roar!" The Xuan Snake let out a threatening growl, its massive body struggling to adjust its direction. Its scarlet vertical pupils were fixed on the crack, while it warily watched Hei Tian and Bai Yuan. It seemed to have an extremely strong possessive desire for what was inside the crack, but it was also wary of these two powerful intruders. In addition, its own injuries were not light, and for a moment a delicate standoff was formed.

Han Mu, carrying Yun Li, pushed his escape speed to the limit, ignoring the worsening of his injuries, and frantically fled from that area. Only when he felt that the three terrifying auras behind him had been greatly weakened by the void turbulence and distance, becoming almost imperceptible, did he slow down slightly. He chose a relatively calm area of ​​the void meteorite belt, landed on the back of a pitch-black meteorite several tens of feet in size, and waved his hand to set up several layers of simple concealment and isolation formations.

"Pfft!" As soon as he landed, Han Mu spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning ashen, and his aura rapidly weakening. The effects of the Explosive Yuan Pill had worn off, and coupled with the forced exertion of his power, his injuries and backlash erupted simultaneously. He immediately sat down cross-legged, took out the pill and swallowed it, circulating his cultivation technique to suppress his injuries.

Yun Li was in no better shape. Already severely injured and having endured a series of mishaps, she could barely stand, leaning weakly against the meteorite, panting heavily, almost dropping her broken flute. She looked at Han Mu's pale face, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes, but knowing it was not the right time to disturb him, she silently took out some medicine and swallowed it to heal her injuries.

A full incense stick's time passed before Han Mu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. His complexion regained a trace of color, but his aura remained weak. His true cultivation level had even temporarily fallen to the edge of the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm due to his injuries and backlash. He summoned the system panel and quickly glanced at it.

Name: Han Mu

[True Realm: Late-stage Golden Immortal (severely injured and fell from grace; current performance is approximately mid-stage Golden Immortal)]

[Surface Realm: Mid-stage True Immortal (Can be maintained)]

[Time Rule: 8% for Beginners (Stable)]

[Status: Severe internal injury (37% damage to meridians, depletion of essence and blood, and shock to the soul), backlash from the Bursting Yuan Pill (weak period of approximately three months)]

[Celestial Aura: 0 points (Overdraft in progress, must be replenished within three months)]

[Current Task: None]

[System notification: Strong residual spacetime fluctuations detected. It is recommended to move away and heal your injuries as soon as possible.]

It was indeed a devastating scene. Han Mu closed the panel and looked at Yun Li, who was still warily watching the way they came. His voice was a little hoarse: "We're safe for now. That crack has drawn all their attention, and they shouldn't have time to worry about us for a while."

Yun Li nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Senior, that crack... are we really just going to give up like this? The aura emanating from it, and the resonance of the Dao Beacon..."

Han Mu shook his head, his gaze profound: "It's not about giving up, it's about not having the right. In our current state, going back would be suicide. That rift is an unknown vortex; Hei Tian, ​​Bai Yuan, and the Xuan Serpent won't let it go easily. Letting them go ahead to explore and fight for it might not be a bad thing for us."

He paused, looking at the cracked, lifeless communication jade slip in his hand. "We owe a great debt to Fellow Daoist Han Li this time. If he hadn't intervened at the crucial moment, we would already be remnants of souls inside the Xuan Serpent's belly."

Yun Li also looked at the jade slip, her eyes filled with gratitude and lingering fear. "How is Senior Han Li now? He used the power of the Netherworld Abyss's spacetime node to forcibly open a passage, and it lasted for so long. He must have consumed a lot of energy, and it's very likely that his location was exposed."

"Given his cautious nature, if he dared to make a move, he must have a plan to escape." Han Mu carefully put away the jade slip. "I, Han Mu, will remember this matter. I will repay him in the future."

He said no more and began to focus all his energy on healing. His immediate priority was to recover from his injuries. The depths of this chaotic sea were fraught with danger; without strength, he could not move an inch.

However, he had barely calmed down when the bronze beacon fragment in his arms began to tremble weakly but persistently once more. This time, the tremor did not point towards the previous crack, but rather vaguely pointed towards a location further away, deeper within the Chaos Sea. At the same time, a strange, faint throbbing, seemingly emanating from the depths of his blood, arose without warning in his heart.

Han Mu suddenly opened his eyes, looking in the direction of the trembling beacon, and subconsciously touched his chest. That throbbing... it was familiar, yet distant, seemingly resonating with him, or rather, with something deep within his soul.

"Senior?" Yun Li noticed his unusual behavior.

Han Mu did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes, carefully sensing the pulse of his bloodline and the tremor of the Dao Beacon. After a moment, he opened his eyes, a hint of doubt and solemnity flashing in them.

"What's wrong?" Yun Li asked.

Han Mu paused for a moment, then slowly said, "The beacon is pointing in a new direction. And... I seem to sense that something in that direction is... calling to me?"