Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

Ye Xuan was naturally more than happy to do so, since they were all fellow disciples and it was only natural for them to help each other.

A divine seed had already formed at his fingertips. He was about to step forward when he saw Chen Qingyuan take a step forward.

His robes fluttered even without wind, and he said calmly, "Or... you could bring me back to life."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Qingyuan's deathly aura suddenly erupted, causing the entire stone pavilion to tremble.

Outside the pavilion, among the desolate mounds, seven or eight earthen mounds simultaneously split open, and from each mound, a pale arm stretched out!

Ye Xuan's pupils contracted slightly, and he retreated rapidly.

But the moment he stepped back, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed. Whether it was the stone pavilion, the desolate tomb, or the culprit behind it all... everything disappeared.

In its place lies a familiar expanse of gray-white sand.

It was that mysterious open space, specifically designed to absorb and transmit souls.

In the center of the open space, the two outer sect disciples who should have died tragically were now standing side by side, grinning at him.

One of them brandished a black cloth bag in his hand, while the other shook a bronze mirror on his wrist.

"Junior Brother Zhao, still working overtime so late?"

One person spoke up, their voice exactly the same as the complaints I remembered from a few days ago.

"With so little to show for it each month, why bother working so hard..."

Ye Xuan stood still, watching the two approach, and suddenly smiled.

"You think illusions will work on me?"

He raised his right hand, and a three-colored halo suddenly bloomed in his palm. "Unfortunately, it can't fool my senses."

The light wheel exploded with a deafening roar, its dazzling light engulfing all vision. When the light faded, the surrounding scenery shattered and returned to normal.

The stone pavilion is still the same stone pavilion, and the desolate tomb is still the same desolate tomb.

Chen Qingyuan remained seated in the pavilion, his back to him, facing the tomb...

At this moment, his head slowly turned 180 degrees, looking at Ye Xuan from an angle that defied common sense, and two lines of bloody tears streamed down his empty eyes.

"I have no regrets in this life because I was fortunate enough to meet Michiko."

Before the words were even finished, the entire hill behind the stone pavilion collapsed with a deafening roar!

Countless cracks appeared beneath Ye Xuan's feet, and pale arms emerged from each crack, reaching out to grab him like a jungle.

"Again?!"

Without further hesitation, he soared into the sky, simultaneously retrieving the Soul-Capturing Mirror and the cloth bag into his storage pouch.

Below, Chen Qingyuan's figure gradually disappeared into the collapsed earth and rocks, leaving only a long sigh that drifted away on the wind—

"Don't come back next time... This place doesn't welcome living people..."

Ye Xuan stood in mid-air, looking down at the low hills that had returned to peace.

The stone pavilion has completely collapsed, and the desolate tomb has been mostly buried, with only a few charred wooden branches sticking out of the ground.

The Soul-Catching Mirror remained unresponsive. After standing still for a moment and grumbling about the lack of any results, it turned and sped away out of the forest.

It's almost time to hand in the report.

Ye Xuan first arrived at the designated open space and saw the transmission array again. This time, however, it was his turn to throw the remnant soul in the bag into the array.

"We caught a total of thirteen ghosts tonight. How many should we throw?"

After careful consideration, Ye Xuan opened the smaller cloth bag and released a wandering ghost, reflecting it into the formation through the bronze mirror in his hand.

After doing all this, he tied the rope on the bag tightly and stopped throwing anything inside.

"Since the monthly requirement only needs to be broken down into one dish per day... this is still the safest approach!"

Leaving the open space, he now knew that the formation inside the pit would directly transport the received ghosts to the inner sect's alchemy room, and no further human intervention was needed.

Before long, Ye Xuan returned to the inner sect and went directly to Fengtang.

The old man in the gray robe remained in the hall, watching over the proceedings. Seeing Ye Xuan's first return, he took the cloth bag Ye Xuan offered, weighed it in his hand, and said:

"No wonder the alchemy room said only one ghost passed by."

He didn't inquire about the purpose of Ye Xuan leaving behind these ghosts, but instead asked:

"Dōko went on her first mission last night... Did she encounter any trouble?"

"Oh, we encountered a few dangerous places, but fortunately we escaped unscathed."

"That's good."

The old man returned the cloth bag and handed over a merit token engraved with the words "two thousand".

"These are the merit points I'm receiving in advance for this month. With Daozi's abilities, I have no worries about the future."

"Taozi, take this and use it; it'll ease your current predicament."

Ye Xuan accepted the token and the cloth bag, thanked the old man, and then suddenly asked:

"Senior, do you know that deep within the Sandalwood Forest, there is a stone pavilion and a desolate tomb?"

Upon hearing this, the old man paused in his work of playing with antiques, clearly someone in the know.

"Did you see Michiko?"

"I saw him, and I also saw another one. He must be a senior brother from Ancient Temple Peak."

The old man remained silent for a long time before finally shaking his head slowly.

"Chen Qingyuan was once a very talented disciple of that school, but unfortunately, he went astray."

"Did you go astray? Does the senior mean there are no two paths to the same destination?"

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes lit up with golden light. "As expected of the Dao Child, even he knows this?"

"I don't know much."

Nodding, the old man stepped to the side and pointed to the jade disc on the wall that shimmered with precious light, saying:

"Daozi, have you been to the Sutra Repository? It's filled with a dazzling array of cultivation techniques accumulated by the Holy Sect."

Aside from genuine methods of achieving immortality, the disciples can find almost anything they can think of, and even things they can't imagine, almost anywhere.

He paused, his gaze flicking towards Ye Xuan's dantian, before continuing:

"However, the same methods cannot be practiced together, and the same path to immortality cannot be taken together."

Once someone has already explored the path to immortality, it becomes a dead end, and future generations will never have the same opportunity to seek immortality.

This is a limitation, and also a regret..."

He looked up at Ye Xuan, "Daoist, are you unaware that above the Holy Sect, there exists the Longevity Dao Court?"

Ye Xuan shook his head. He really didn't know that. When he was spying on the Longevity Realm from the Short-lived Realm, he only saw the Dongting Lake of the Longevity Immortal Willow and this Holy Sect.

"In the Daoist court, every single one of them is an immortal seeking longevity."

It is precisely because of this restriction that, although the Holy Sect is subordinate to the Dao Court, the Dao Court does not concern itself with the sect's affairs, but simply allows it to develop freely without interference.

Ye Xuan roughly understood, "In other words..."

"Due to these limitations, immortals can neither take on disciples nor pass on their complete immortal techniques..."

"That's right, as expected of Daozi, he understands immediately."

The old man began to fiddle with the object in his hand again, his eyes recalling past events.

"Speaking of which, Chen Qingyuan and Yu Chenzi were from the same period."

At that time, the two were known as the two prodigies of the Holy Sect. One had exceptional talent in cultivation, while the other was so diligent that he was almost inhuman.

Both of them possessed immeasurable talent, but unfortunately, they both went down the wrong path.

Yu Chenzi mistakenly practiced immortal techniques, destroying his entire foundation for life, while Chen Qingyuan stubbornly persisted on a path with limited potential, ultimately dying with resentment…

Having said this, the old man's eyes were filled with a sigh, and he stopped reminiscing about the past.

"If Daozi sees him again, remember not to answer or linger."

Some dead people don't know they're dead, while others know they are but refuse to admit it.

Ye Xuan nodded silently, "I see... Then, senior, this disciple will take his leave now."

The old man waved his sleeves, watching Ye Xuan's departing figure, and suddenly murmured softly, as if asking Ye Xuan a question.

"Hmm? Did I mention Yu Chenzi to Daozi before?"

"Never mind, forget it."

Outside the hall, the first rays of dawn were breaking.

Ye Xuan returned to his residence on the main peak in the morning light. When he pushed open the door, he noticed a trace of spiritual energy left on the edge of the door. It seemed that someone had made a mistake and wasted their time.

He went directly to the main residence, briefly practiced the Dao Integration Path, and then opened Zhao Wu's miscellaneous notes.

"On the fifteenth of April, I entered the Thunder Sandalwood Forest at night to capture a soul. I encountered a strange pavilion and a desolate tomb, and saw my deceased senior brother Chen Qingyuan. Alas, alas."

He paused, then added another line:

"I heard about the Longevity Dao Court from the old man today. I wonder where it is, and whether it's related to Immortal Liu?"

His current cultivation level is close to the eighth level of the Golden Core stage, and he is only a matter of time before he can reach perfection through dedicated cultivation. However, the incomplete "Longevity Willow" is something that Ye Xuan is really concerned about.