The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

"It seems this battle is unavoidable."

Han Mu's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable decisiveness. His gaze swept across the majestic bone mountain range to the northeast—"Burial Mountain"—where the aura of the sixth fragment was like a beacon in the night, possessing a fatal attraction for him.

"My lord, since there's an ambush, shouldn't we reconsider?" Liu Ruyan frowned. "'Eclipse' is one of the three great guards under the Time Lord, and his cultivation is no less than Shadow Time's, at least at the late stage of Taiyi Jade Immortal. Add to that the main force he brought, a direct confrontation might be..."

"Brother Han, I can use an array to conceal our movements and temporarily block the fluctuations of that tracking marker," Han Li suggested. "We can change direction and approach Burial Bone Mountain from a different angle, or we can hunt Star Tomb monsters on the outskirts to collect resources and improve our strength, and then act when they relax or leave."

"Senior Han, I'll listen to you!" Luo Feng patted his chest. "If you say attack, we'll grab our weapons and charge! If you say go around, we'll slip away!"

Zhou Meng, Bai Ling, and the others also looked at Han Mu, waiting for his decision.

Han Mu did not answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused all his attention on sensing the "Source Coffin Mark" between his brows and the resonance between the four fragments and the sixth fragment. Although the resonance was weak, it was very clear. It was located somewhere deep within the Burial Bone Mountain, and... it seemed to be suppressed and interfered with by some kind of force, and its state was unstable.

"The fragment's condition is not right." Han Mu opened his eyes, a hint of seriousness flashing in them. "It seems to be trapped by some kind of seal or restriction, and there are signs that it has been forcibly eroded and contaminated by external forces. If we arrive too late, the fragment may be damaged, or even refined and taken away by the 'Time Reversal Alliance' using some kind of evil magic."

Everyone's expression changed. The fragments were key to Han Mu's fight against "Time Lord" and the reconstruction of the "Coffin of Origin," and they could not be lost.

"There's no time for detours," Han Mu decided. "Let's go straight to Burial Bone Mountain. Eclipse has an ambush, and we're prepared. Fellow Daoist Han Li, how long can the tracking mark be blocked?"

Han Li quickly calculated: "At most one hour. Once the mark is activated, it will continue to emit fluctuations. I can only temporarily distort and delay its transmission, but I cannot completely eliminate it."

"One hour is enough." Han Mu looked at everyone. "Liu Ruyan, you take Li Qingzhu, Lin Fan, and Lin Xue to escort Senior Yun Yazi. Find a secluded spot thirty miles outside Burial Bone Mountain to set up a temporary stronghold, deploy defensive and alert formations, and prepare to provide support."

"Yes!" Liu Ruyan replied.

"Han Li, Zhou Meng, Luo Feng, and Bai Ling, the four of you come with me into the mountains." Han Mu continued to give instructions. "Fellow Daoist Han Li, you are responsible for detecting array traps and spacetime anomalies along the way; Zhou Meng, your 'Time Guardian Mark' is sensitive to the aura of 'Reversal', so pay attention to sensing the arrangements of the 'Reversal Alliance'; Luo Feng and Bai Ling, you are responsible for guarding both sides and clearing out any unsuspecting Star Tomb monsters."

"Understood!" the four replied in unison.

"Remember, our primary objective is the fragments, not killing the enemy. If we encounter an ambush we can't overcome, retreat immediately. Don't linger in battle," Han Mu instructed. "Let's go!"

Everyone immediately sprang into action. Liu Ruyan led Li Qingzhu and the others stealthily toward the outer perimeter of Burial Mountain, while Han Mu led Han Li and the other three, concealing their auras, and like five shadows, sped toward Burial Mountain.

The journey was indeed fraught with danger. The number of "Time-Binding Spirits" and "Star Tomb Bone Beasts" roaming the outskirts of the Star Tomb was increasing, and their strength was also growing. However, Han Mu didn't intervene, leaving it all to Luo Feng, Bai Ling, and Zhou Meng to handle. The three of them used this opportunity to hone their skills and consolidate their newly improved abilities through practical combat.

Luo Feng's battle axe was powerful and heavy, and combined with the defensive inner armor bestowed by Han Mu, it was used for head-on attacks, specifically targeting those tough-skinned bone beasts. Bai Ling's swordsmanship was exquisite, and her movements were agile, specializing in eliminating those fast-moving evil spirits. Zhou Meng's Time Hammer, on the other hand, carried the sealing power of "Time Guardian," which was particularly effective against these deathly monsters. Often, a single blow would slow down the monster's movements, allowing Luo Feng or Bai Ling to finish it off.

As Han Li traveled, he continuously activated the "Time Reversal Array Plate" to probe ahead. His expression grew increasingly grave: "Brother Han, something's wrong. The closer we get to Burial Bone Mountain, the more chaotic the spacetime structure becomes, and it's filled with all sorts of hidden array nodes and traps. This isn't just something the 'Time Reversal Alliance' has temporarily set up; it's more like... they've modified and strengthened some kind of ancient array that already existed here."

"Can we avoid it?" Han Mu asked.

"It's difficult." Han Li shook his head. "The nodes are too dense, and they are entangled with the earth veins, death energy, and chaotic time. Forcibly destroying them may trigger a chain reaction, or even trigger an even more terrifying killing formation. We can only try to detour, but that will greatly delay the process."

"Then let's go around," Han Mu said without hesitation. "Safety first."

However, just as they were bypassing the third suspected "time-space tear" trap area, a sudden change occurred!

Ahead, in what appeared to be an ordinary low-lying area, the ground suddenly exploded! Countless pale white skeletal hands emerged from the ground, instantly forming a bizarre altar hundreds of feet tall, entirely composed of bones! On the altar stood three figures.

The man in the center, dressed in a dark gold robe, had a sinister face, cold eyes, and an aura as vast as the sea. He was none other than "Eclipse," a late-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal! To his left and right stood two old men in gray robes, both of whom had reached the early stage of Taiyi Jade Immortal. They were clearly elders of the "Reverse Time Alliance."

Around the altar, hundreds of elite cultivators from the "Reverse Time Alliance" emerged from the concealment formation, forming a battle array that completely surrounded Han Mu and his group of five. Further away, dozens of powerful "Star Bone Beasts" and "Time-Binding Spirits," controlled by some force, slowly approached, forming a second encirclement.

"Hehe, young friend Han Mu, I have been waiting for you for a long time." Shi Shi spoke, his voice like the scraping of metal, full of sarcasm. "It's not unjust that that piece of trash Ying Shi died at your hands. To force me to personally set up this 'Bone Burial Array' to wait for you, you do have some skill."

Han Mu stopped and calmly scanned the surroundings before finally landing on Shi Shi: "You are Shi Shi? Before Ying Shi died, he said that you had laid a net here. Now it seems that the net has been laid, but whether it is strong or not is another matter."

"Sharp-tongued," Shi Shi sneered. "You think you're qualified to be arrogant in front of me just because you've broken through to the mid-stage of the Taiyi Jade Immortal realm? I've been in the late-stage realm for over ten thousand years, and I've killed more mid-stage cultivators than you've ever seen!"

"Really?" Han Mu grinned. "That's perfect. I've never killed a late-game opponent before. I'll start with you today."

"Arrogant!" roared the gray-robed elder to Eclipse's left. "You brat, you're courting death!"

"Whoever's courting death, they'll find out soon enough." Han Mu stopped wasting words and transmitted his voice to Han Li and the other three: "According to the plan, you deal with the others, and I'll handle Shi Shi."

Before he finished speaking, Han Mu suddenly sprang up, transforming into a streak of gray-white light, and rushed straight towards Eclipse on the altar! While in mid-air, his right hand was held together like a sword, and a sword finger strike containing the dual mysteries of "time acceleration" and "time decay" was aimed at Eclipse's brow from a distance!

"Well done!" A cold glint flashed in Shi Shi's eyes. Without dodging or avoiding, he raised his right hand, and a spinning dark golden hourglass appeared in his palm. The hourglass did not contain sand, but a viscous, grayish-black liquid that seemed to corrode time.

"Time-Eclipse Divine Power - Time Poison!"

*Swoosh!* A beam of gray-black liquid light shot out from the dark golden hourglass, colliding with Han Mu's gray-white sword finger in mid-air!

There was no loud noise, only the frenzied erosion, neutralization, and annihilation of two completely different forces of time. The surrounding space seemed unable to withstand this level of confrontation, and began to collapse and distort on a large scale, revealing the violent spacetime turbulence behind it.

Han Mu swayed slightly and took three steps back. Shi Shi also groaned and was knocked back two steps from the altar, cracks appearing on the bone altar beneath his feet.

The first strike was a draw!

A look of surprise flashed in Shi Shi's eyes. His attack, "Time Poison," contained the Dao of "Reversal," which was specifically designed to break through orthodox time-based divine abilities. Even cultivators of the same level dared not take it head-on. Yet Han Mu was able to block it head-on, only slightly at a disadvantage?

"Interesting." Shi Shi licked his lips, his eyes flashing with even more killing intent. "Looks like we'll have to get serious now."

Meanwhile, Han Li, Zhou Meng, and others were also engaged in fierce battle with the cultivators of the "Reverse Time Alliance" and the manipulated Star Tomb monsters. Han Li deployed his formation, temporarily trapping some of the enemies; Zhou Meng wielded his Time Hammer with tremendous force; Luo Feng and Bai Ling stood back to back, fighting against an enemy force several times their size, facing numerous perilous situations.

Han Mu's gaze swept across the battlefield, then turned to the increasingly clear resonance of the fragments deep within Burial Mountain. He couldn't delay any longer.

He took a deep breath, and the three powers within him—the "Origin Coffin Mark," the "Seed of Reincarnation," and the "Netherworld Guardian Token"—began to resonate and merge slowly. An even more vast and ancient pressure emanated from him.

Shi's pupils constricted sharply: "What is this...?"

"Warm-up complete." Han Mu looked up, his gray-white eyes gleaming brightly. "Now, it's time to send you down to accompany the filming."