The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

The Crimson Forbidden Land, in a dense ancient forest.

Han Yunge carefully moved through the woods, holding the small shield her grandfather had given her in her left hand and a golden armor talisman in her right. She had been in the forbidden area for three days, and with the help of the map, she had avoided several dangerous areas and collected three hundred-year-old "purple orchids," which was considered a small success.

"Three hundred feet ahead, there is a 'Fire Spirit Fruit'." Han Yunge's eyes lit up as she checked the map. The Fire Spirit Fruit is one of the auxiliary ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, which can improve the pill's quality by 20%, greatly benefiting her dual wood and fire spiritual roots.

She quickened her pace and soon arrived at a valley. In the valley grew a small, crimson tree, with three fist-sized red fruits hanging from it, emitting a faint warmth.

"It really is a Fire Spirit Fruit, and it's already ripe." Han Yunge was about to go forward to pick it when her ears suddenly twitched as she heard footsteps coming from outside the valley.

She quickly hid behind a boulder and observed with a concealed aura. She saw three cultivators enter the valley, two men and one woman, all dressed in the robes of the Hidden Moon Sect, and all with cultivation levels at the twelfth level of Qi Refining.

"Haha, not bad luck, three Fire Spirit Fruits!" The square-faced youth in the lead was overjoyed.

"Senior Brother Li, let's split it equally," said another young man with triangular eyes.

"Equally split?" The square-faced youth sneered. "Junior Brother Liu, you contributed the least, you should be grateful you get one. Junior Sister Wang and I will each take one."

"You!" The triangular-eyed youth's face flushed red, but seeing the square-faced youth gripping the magic weapon tightly, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Han Yunge was anxious. She had discovered the Fire Spirit Fruit first, but the three opponents were all quite strong, and she couldn't possibly defeat them by force. Just as she was hesitating, another voice came from outside the valley:

"Fellow Daoists, I've also taken a liking to this Fire Spirit Fruit. Could I have one?"

A young man in blue robes with an ordinary face slowly walked into the valley; it was Han Li. He appeared to be only at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, but his expression was calm and fearless.

"Who are you? How dare you try to steal from us?" The square-faced youth asked with a hostile expression.

"Han Li of Huangfeng Valley," Han Li said calmly, "This Fire Spirit Fruit is useful to me. Give me one, and we'll call it quits."

"Arrogant!" The triangular-eyed youth roared in anger, summoning a flying sword to stab at Han Li.

Han Li neither dodged nor evaded; instead, he raised his right hand and caught the flying sword with his bare hand. The flying sword struggled in his hand but could not break free.

"A body-refining cultivator?" The square-faced youth's pupils contracted, realizing he'd met his match. He gritted his teeth: "Fine, I'll give you one. But you have to promise not to interfere in our affairs."

"Alright." Han Li released the flying sword, and the triangular-eyed youth hurriedly withdrew it, his face turning pale.

The square-faced youth picked a Fire Spirit Fruit and tossed it to Han Li, then quickly left with his fellow disciples, clearly afraid that Han Li would change his mind.

Han Li accepted the Fire Spirit Fruit but did not leave. Instead, he looked in the direction where Han Yunge was hiding and asked, "Fellow Daoist, you've been watching for so long, aren't you coming out?"

Han Yunge's heart skipped a beat; she knew she had been discovered, so she had no choice but to step out from behind the boulder. She bowed and said, "Han Yunge from Huangfeng Valley greets Senior Brother Han. Thank you for helping me out of that predicament."

"Han Yunge?" Han Li sized her up. "Are you a member of the Han family?"

"That's right. Senior Brother Han, do you know me?"

"I've heard of her before." Han Li nodded, a strange glint in his eyes. He had heard of Han Yunge, Han Mu's granddaughter, when he was in Huangfeng Valley. She possessed dual spiritual roots of wood and fire and had a good talent for alchemy. He just didn't expect to meet her in the forbidden area.

"Senior Brother Han, are you also here for the Fire Spirit Fruit?" Han Yunge asked.

"I need this fruit to refine a medicinal pill," Han Li said. "Since you're here, you can take the remaining two."

"This... is against the rules. Senior brother discovered it first, so he should get more." Han Yunge shook his head.

Han Li looked at her for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "You're quite honest. Here's what we'll do: you keep these two Fire Spirit Fruits for now. If you find the 'Jade Marrow Fungus' or the 'Heavenly Spirit Fruit' in the forbidden area, you can exchange them with me. I need these two spiritual herbs to build my foundation."

Han Yunge thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Okay."

She picked the remaining two Fire Spirit Fruits and carefully put them away. Han Li walked to the side, sat down cross-legged, and seemed to have no intention of leaving.

"Senior Brother Han, aren't you going to continue searching for medicine?" Han Yunge asked curiously.

"No rush. The spiritual energy here is abundant, suitable for cultivating for a while," Han Li said with his eyes closed. "If you have something to do, feel free to do so."

Han Yunge hesitated for a moment, then sat down not far away. Her grandfather had said that if she encountered Han Li, she could cooperate with him; he was a trustworthy man. Moreover, with him around, she would feel much safer.

Half an hour later, Han Li opened his eyes: "Someone's here, three of them, and their cultivation is not weak."

Han Yunge immediately stood up to be on guard. Sure enough, three figures flew in from outside the valley and landed in the valley. The leader was a young man in red with the cultivation level of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, followed by two black-clad cultivators with the cultivation level of the twelfth level of Qi Refining.

"Huh? The Fire Spirit Fruit is gone?" The red-clad youth frowned, looking at Han Li and Han Yunge. "Did you pick it? Hand it over, and I'll spare your lives."

Han Li stood up and said calmly, "Since when have the people of Tianque Fort become so domineering?"

"Knowing we're from Tianque Fortress, you still dare to speak like that?" The red-clad youth sneered. "I am Zhao Wuji, a core disciple of Tianque Fortress. If you know what's good for you, hand over your storage bag, otherwise..."

"What else?" Han Li interrupted him.

Zhao Wuji was furious and waved his hand, sending out a crimson fireball. The fireball swelled in the wind, transforming into a fiery cloud that enveloped Han Li.

Han Li remained calm and took out a small cyan shield to block in front of him. The fire clouds crashed into the shield, making a "sizzling" sound, but could not break through the defense.

"A mid-grade defensive magic weapon?" Zhao Wuji's eyes narrowed. "Looks like you have some wealth. Attack together!"

The three attacked simultaneously, wielding two flying swords and a talisman towards Han Li. Seeing this, Han Yunge also activated her small shield, blocking one of the flying swords.

Han Li fought three opponents single-handedly and held his own. His agile movements allowed him to dodge attacks at crucial moments, and his occasional counterattacks kept Zhao Wuji and the other two in a state of disarray.

"This person is not easy to deal with, use a talisman!" Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth and took out a golden talisman. The talisman transformed into a small golden sword, radiating the pressure of a Core Formation stage cultivator.

"A talisman treasure?!" Han Yunge's expression changed drastically. A talisman treasure is a one-time-use magic weapon crafted by a Core Formation cultivator. It is extremely powerful, and even a Qi Refining cultivator would find it almost impossible to withstand.

Han Li's expression also turned serious. Just as he was about to take out his trump card, a beam of white light suddenly descended from the sky and landed in front of Zhao Wuji.

The white light dissipated, revealing a young man in white robes, none other than Han Bai. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Zhao Wuji: "Using numbers to bully the few, and even resorting to talismanic treasures, Tianque Fortress is truly becoming more and more impressive."

"A Core Formation cultivator?!" Zhao Wuji was shocked and hurriedly put away his talisman. "Senior, I was blind and offended you. I'll leave now!"

"Too late." Han Bai pointed a finger, and five-colored divine light swept across. Zhao Wuji and the other two didn't even have time to scream before they turned into ashes.

Han Bai took their storage bags and looked at Han Li and Han Yunge: "Are you alright?"

"Thank you for saving me, senior," Han Li said, clasping his hands in thanks, but he was puzzled. The timing of this Core Formation cultivator's appearance was too coincidental, and he seemed to know Han Yunge.

Han Yunge also bowed: "Thank you, senior."

Han Bai nodded and said to Han Yunge, "Your grandfather asked me to look after you. The forbidden area is dangerous, so be careful." After saying that, he turned into a white light and disappeared.

Han Li looked at Han Yunge: "Who is that senior?"

"I am Han Bai, a guest elder of the Han family," Han Yunge said. She didn't know Han Bai's true identity, only assuming he was a highly skilled expert recruited by the family.

"I see." Han Li thought to himself, the Han family is indeed extraordinary, they can even recruit Core Formation cultivators as guest elders.

"Senior Brother Han, let's continue searching for medicine," Han Yunge said.

"it is good."

The two traveled together. With Han Li by her side, Han Yunge felt much more at ease. She discovered that although Han Li didn't talk much, he was very familiar with the forbidden area and always managed to avoid danger and find the spiritual herbs.

Three days later, the two arrived at a cold pool. Han Li pointed to an ice-blue lotus in the center of the pool: "That is the 'Ice Heart Lotus,' which will benefit your cultivation. I'll go and pick it."

"Senior Brother Han, be careful. There might be a guardian beast in the icy pool," Han Yunge warned.

Han Li nodded and used his lightness technique to walk on the water. Just as he was about to pick the Ice Heart Lotus, the pool water churned, and a giant white python darted out, opening its mouth to bite.

"A third-tier Ice Scale Python!" Han Li's expression changed, and he hurriedly retreated. But the Ice Scale Python was extremely fast and had already reached him.

In the critical moment, Han Yunge gritted her teeth and unleashed a Golden Armor Talisman. Golden light transformed into a shield in front of Han Li, and the Ice Scale Python crashed into it, shattering the shield but buying Han Li time.

Taking advantage of the moment, Han Li took out a silver talisman and affixed it to the Ice Scale Python's forehead. The talisman transformed into silver chains, binding the giant python.

"Quickly collect it!" Han Li shouted.

Han Yunge quickly stepped forward and picked the Ice Heart Lotus. The two retreated swiftly to the edge of the pool. The Ice Scale Python struggled for a moment, broke free of its chains, glared angrily at them, and sank into the pool.

"That was close." Han Yunge said, still shaken.

"Thank you," Han Li said earnestly. If Han Yunge hadn't intervened in time, he wouldn't have died, but he would have been seriously injured.

"Senior Brother Han, you're too kind. You saved me too," Han Yunge said with a smile.

The two smiled at each other, their distance closing considerably. For the next half month, they explored the forbidden area together, looking out for each other and reaping considerable rewards. Han Yunge found three Jade Marrow Mushrooms, and Han Li also gathered two Heavenly Spirit Fruits; both exchanged the necessary medicinal herbs as agreed.

As their journey through the forbidden area was drawing to a close, Han Li suddenly said, "Junior Sister Han, after we leave, I plan to go into seclusion to establish my foundation. If I succeed, I would like to ask you to help me refine a batch of pills. Would that be alright?"

"Of course," Han Yunge nodded. "What kind of pills does Senior Brother Han need to refine?"

"Foundation Pill."

Han Yunge was taken aback: "Foundation Establishment Pill? That's a second-tier pill. I can only barely refine first-tier high-grade pills right now, I'm afraid I won't be able to refine it well."

"It's alright, I trust you," Han Li said earnestly. "Besides, I have the formula and the medicinal herbs. You only need to focus on refining it, and I'll give you 30% of the finished product."

Han Yunge thought for a moment. Her grandfather had said that Han Li was worth befriending, and the Foundation Establishment Pill would also be of great use to her, so she nodded and agreed: "Okay, I will do my best."

"Thank you." Han Li smiled.

At this moment, the exit of the forbidden area opened, and the two left with the flow of people. Han Yunge was unaware that this trip to the forbidden area would not only allow her to obtain precious spiritual herbs, but also forge a good relationship with the future Old Demon Han.

Outside the forbidden area, an even greater storm is brewing.