I only want immortality.

"Damn it! That bastard Lu Mingchen actually dared to barge into the formation!"

On a hilltop outside the Chun Jun Sect's mountain gate, the two Qing He Sect members were already sitting cross-legged, quite relaxed. However, when they saw Lu Mingchen suddenly rush into the mountain gate as if he had gone mad, they were both taken aback and quickly stood up.

"This idiot, has he lost his mind?!"

"Even though the sect leader's magic weapon is incomparably powerful, if he's trapped in the formation and uses too much of it, I'm afraid Lu Mingchen won't be able to continue!"

"I knew he was unreliable! He's been pampered under that man and is inexperienced in the ways of the world. He'd probably be easily provoked and lose his mind."

"Oh no, oh no! What should we do?"

The two looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Although they were also at the tenth level of Qi Refining, they lacked foundational treasures. Even though they were stronger than the same level practitioners from small rural sects, their strength was still limited. Once caught in a crowd, they would still be no match for the overwhelming number of people.

However, not going to the rescue is not an option either. It's not that they're afraid of losing the sect leader's Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Banner; treasures have spirits and will naturally return to the sect leader. Rather, if something happens to Lu Mingchen, that person might not be able to let them off the hook.

Seeing that Lu Mingchen had entered the Chun Jun Sect's mountain gate and disappeared without a trace, and as time passed, just as he was in a state of utter confusion, he suddenly saw a figure fly straight out of the mountain gate.

It was Lu Mingchen.

"Look, he's back!"

"It seems like nothing's wrong... That's good, that's good."

The two of them immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Before long, Lu Mingchen appeared, his robes torn in several places, and his powdered face stained with blood, which only added to his murderous aura.

The two hurriedly stepped forward to greet him. No matter what they said behind his back, they absolutely could not embarrass him in person.

"Senior Brother Lu."

"Um."

Lu Mingchen nodded indifferently and glanced at the two of them:

"Is something the matter?"

Perhaps because they had just finished fighting, the two men felt a sense of unease when he swept his gaze over them. One of them quickly said:

"Senior Brother Lu, what about the Chun Jun Sect..."

"Chun Jun Sect?"

Lu Mingchen pondered for a moment, then shook his head frankly:

"There were some problems; we couldn't secure it."

The two exchanged a glance. Although they knew he had returned alone, most likely empty-handed, the answer was too vague. The other had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:

"May I ask, senior brother, how should we report back to the sect later?"

Lu Mingchen pondered for a moment, then said:

"You should say frankly that Li Canglang is still alive and is currently within the Chun Jun Sect."

With just a few words, both of them were taken aback:

"What?! He... Li Canglang is still alive?!"

"But...this...okay, I understand."

No wonder, no wonder Lu Mingchen returned defeated.

Both of them understood.

The living Li Canglang and the dead Li Canglang are completely different things. If Li Canglang is mistakenly killed, it will be a big problem.

Without hesitation, one of them immediately took a water snail and whispered something to it.

A surprised voice suddenly rang out from the water snail:

"What... Li Canglang is still alive?"

"Wait a minute!"

Before long, an echo came from the conch, the voice carrying a hint of solemnity:

"Li Canglang is also the True Man of Jingnan. We have all received his kindness. Now that he is here, you should not make any further moves against Chun Jun Sect for the time being... Also, the Vice Sect Master has instructed you to pass on his message."

Lu Mingchen and the other two immediately perked up their ears.

Then I heard:

"...We parted ways at the foot of Qinghe Sect Mountain..."

Lu Mingchen and the other two made a mental note of it.

After turning off the magical artifact, Lu Mingchen looked at the two of them and said, "You two go and deliver the message. I'll rest for a while."

"this……"

The two exchanged a glance and could only nod.

But deep down, I also felt a bit of anticipation.

They all practiced the techniques improved by Li Canglang, and naturally had different feelings for this senior who had been famous in Jingnan for many years.

After adjusting their clothes, the two flew towards Chun Jun Gate.

Only Lu Mingchen remained standing in the same spot, his eyes showing a strange expression, as if he had become a different person.

……

Inside Chun Jun Gate.

Looking at the collapsed palace, the devastated land, and the bodies of disciples who had died on the spot before they could escape, Murong Xian, Zhao Yuanxiao, and the others were still in a daze, unable to shed a tear.

"One person... just one person, and they have ravaged the Chun Jun Sect's accumulated strength over a century to this extent!"

"One person's strength has reached such a level..."

"And this wasn't even a Foundation Establishment cultivator personally coming; with just one magic weapon, they almost destroyed my Chun Jun Sect!"

"A true cultivator at the foundational level is probably already close to becoming an immortal!"

A mixture of shock and complex emotions lingered in Zhao Yuanxiao's eyes as he couldn't help but glance at the dazed Murong Xian.

He finally understood why the old sect leader had passed the position to Murong Xian instead of him.

He had previously thought that the old sect leader's selfishness outweighed public justice, and even after his third senior uncle gave him some pointers, he still remained skeptical.

However, until today, he finally understood the old sect leader's thoughts, and finally understood why his third senior uncle, despite disliking Murong Xian, still supported him in securing the position of sect leader.

There's no other reason than that those who are below the foundation of the Dao are as insignificant as straw dogs.

Without a Dao Foundation to protect them, the sect would be completely at the mercy of others, powerless to fight back.

What puzzled him most was that Lu Mingchen of the Qinghe Sect, who held a treasure flag and was as strong as a god, could not be trapped by the Solid Mountain Formation. Why did he give up and leave inexplicably in the end?

"Something must have happened after this person broke into the Solid Mountain Formation, causing him to retreat. But what could it be? Could it be... my senior uncle?"

The first person Zhao Yuanxiao thought of was Li Pinghe.

But he rejected the idea after it only crossed his mind for a moment.

Third Master Uncle is undoubtedly a hero of the Song Kingdom. Many of the seven sects of the Song Kingdom have benefited from his kindness. However, the Qinghe Sect is not a sect of the Song Kingdom and is now an enemy of the Song Kingdom. So why would they temporarily give up because of Third Master Uncle?

"That's because of the Solid Mountain Formation... Could it be that Lu Mingchen's magical power is insufficient?"

The Mountain-Stabilizing Formation is a powerful protective formation that specializes in trapping and killing. Once activated, it unleashes a continuous stream of deadly spells. Even if one can withstand it for a while, it is not a long-term solution once trapped within it.

As long as the formation remains intact and the reserves of supplies are not depleted, it can continue to operate indefinitely.

No matter how powerful Lu Mingchen is, if he can't break the formation, he might be worn down and killed.

"I'm afraid this is the only possibility."

Zhao Yuanxiao pondered repeatedly.

Unlike Zhao Yuanxiao, Murong Xian looked at the dilapidated Chun Jun Gate and felt a mix of fear and excitement.

"The Dao Foundation... even the magical treasures it uses possess such power. If one truly becomes a Dao Foundation cultivator, how could any of the Seven Sects of the Song Kingdom dare to disobey?"

"Three years? I only need less than three years to completely refine it and establish my Dao foundation!"

"At that time, will that old bastard Li Pinghe still dare to put on airs in front of me?"

"Zhao Yuanxiao still dares to roar at me in the council hall?"

"And Yang Xingkong, no matter how cunning, treacherous, or scheming he is, what can he do? I can easily subdue him with my own strength!"

Looking at the lingering fear on the faces of Zhao Yuanxiao, Bai Butong, and the others, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

It was as if he had already become a true cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, completely forgetting that he had just been fleeing in panic under Lu Mingchen's pursuit.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the crowd.

Murong Xian, Zhao Yuanxiao, and the others turned to look and saw an old man, accompanied by Jin Guang and Hei Shui Niu, slowly walking out of the ruins. It was Li Pinghe.

"Master Uncle".

"Grandmaster Uncle".

Everyone bowed, but their faces were all gloomy.

Li Pinghe waved his hand without speaking, his gaze sweeping over the disciples' corpses that had been sorted out. He sighed softly and then solemnly bowed to the bodies.

"This... Master Uncle, you can't!"

Zhao Yuanxiao hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, but found that he was as if he were holding up a huge mountain, which was not enough to weigh him down. He could only let him slowly kneel down, and he was both surprised and doubtful.

Murong Xian also stepped forward, tears welling in his eyes, his expression filled with shame:

"This disciple is incompetent, causing harm to the disciples. I am ashamed to be the sect leader. Fortunately, my grandmaster is unharmed, so I can rest assured."

Li Pinghe slowly stood up, slightly lifting his drooping eyelids. He glanced at Murong Xian, then lowered his eyes again and said softly:

"Our sect leader has worked diligently and bravely on the front lines just now; what crime has he committed?"

Zhao Yuanxiao, who was standing to the side, withdrew his hand and whispered:

"Why bother, Uncle-Master? They are all juniors and do not deserve such a bow from you."

Li Pinghe remained silent, seemingly oblivious to the hint of resentment in Zhao Yuanxiao's tone. He simply stared blankly at the lifeless young cultivators before finally sighing and muttering:

"I am too old to save you, but I hope this bow will appease some of your resentment."

After speaking, he looked at Murong Xian and Zhao Yuanxiao and whispered:

"I am of some renown. The sect leader and Elder Zhao may send letters to the Nine Yang Sect, Baoxia Sect, Chenjiang Sword Sect, and Lotus Valley, saying that I am still alive."

He cupped his hands in greeting, and with Jin Guang's support, he slowly walked away to the Western Palace.

Watching Li Pinghe leave, Murong Xian squinted, wondering to himself what the old man was up to this time.

Zhao Yuanxiao hesitated.

Originally, his master was unwilling to make his existence public, but now he changed his mind for some reason. However, he had to think about what kind of trouble would be caused if the news that his master was still alive got out.

However, he couldn't help but recall his feelings just now. When he touched his senior uncle, he clearly felt the other's powerful and vigorous magic power, which far surpassed his own!

"Our senior master is probably no match for Lu Mingchen either, so why didn't he intervene earlier? If he had, perhaps he could have delayed things a bit, and so many disciples wouldn't have died..."

Zhao Yuanxiao felt depressed. He knew that his thoughts were a bit too much. On the day his master returned to the sect, he made it clear that he was a guest elder and that he would not take action, which meant that he did not want to have too much to do with Chun Jun Sect.

Today, it's just a matter of keeping our promise.

Even so, I still felt uneasy.

Just then, a disciple guarding the mountain hurriedly relayed a message:

"Sect Master! Elder Zhao! Disaster! Disaster!"

"The Qinghe Sect has sent people again!"

"What?!"

Murong Xian, Zhao Yuanxiao, and the others all paled upon hearing this.

"Lu Mingchen had only been gone a short while, yet he's already back?"

Murong Xian's heart trembled slightly, but he remembered his identity as the sect leader and forced himself to remain calm.

"It seems they were indeed frightened away by the Solid Mountain Formation, and now that they've regained their power, they're back to their rampaging ways?"

Zhao Yuanxiao composed himself slightly, his thoughts racing.

"Reporting to the Sect Master and Elder Zhao, it wasn't the same person who arrived earlier, but two people, and moreover..."

The disciple hesitated.

Zhao Yuanxiao snapped, "Stop hesitating and tell me quickly!"

"Yes, these two don't seem to be here to cause trouble. They're standing outside the mountain gate, saying they want to see... a guest elder."

"Guest? What guest... What did you say?"

Zhao Yuanxiao was taken aback, then immediately realized: "They want to see Third Martial Uncle?"

He emphasized the words "seeking an audience".

"Indeed, I request an audience."

The disciple guarding the mountain quickly gave an affirmative answer.

"How did they know that Third Master Uncle was here? And why are they asking to see Third Master Uncle?"

"Why the sudden change from arrogance to obsequiousness?"

Zhao Yuanxiao was filled with doubt. He and Murong Xian exchanged a glance, both of them filled with suspicion. The other party's intentions were unclear, and the divine might of Lu Mingchen holding the treasure flag was still fresh in their minds. However, they dared not refuse lightly.

Zhao Yuanxiao hesitated for a moment, then softened his tone and said:

"The sect leader has a bright future ahead of him and should not take such a risk. It would be better if I went ahead to investigate."

"this……"

Murong Xian was quite surprised. She wanted to agree, but considering her status as the sect leader, she felt a pang of shame. While she hesitated, Zhao Yuanxiao grew impatient and quickly made arrangements:

"Sect Master, don't delay. Let's agree to this. Go and ask Third Martial Uncle what he means. I'll go see the people from Qinghe Sect."

Having said that, without giving Murong Xian a chance to refuse, he shouted, "Different!"

Elder Bai Butong hurriedly stepped forward, then hesitated and said:

"For some reason, the Gushan Formation consumed far more energy than usual just now. If it is activated again, it may not be able to sustain us for long."

Zhao Yuanxiao frowned: "How long can it last?"

Bai Butong was prepared and immediately replied, "At most two hours."

"That's enough!"

Zhao Yuanxiao didn't delay and quickly said, "Go and prepare, and make sure Chen Xu cooperates well."

Having said that, the crescent-shaped blade wheel flew out from his sleeve, protecting him, and flew straight towards the outside of the mountain gate.

As Murong Xian watched Zhao Yuanxiao's departing figure, he noticed the respect in the eyes of the surrounding cultivators and vaguely felt that he had missed a rare opportunity.

"What's done is done. I will surely achieve the Dao foundation in the future and live for two hundred years. There's no need to compete with him for temporary fame!"

He gritted his teeth and kicked off, flying towards the Western Palace in the opposite direction.

At the same time, Zhao Yuanxiao had already met the two from Qinghe Sect.

Just as the disciple guarding the mountain had said, the two men stood far away outside the mountain gate, hands clasped, gentle and humble. When they saw him coming, they even smiled and bowed.

"The mysteries of the Qinghe Sect are inexhaustible."

"Qinghe Sect's Wonderful Words Remain Silent."

"Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Zhao Yuanxiao was completely bewildered, so he could only put on a stern face and awkwardly cup his hands: "You two fellow disciples just destroyed my sect and harmed my disciples. Now you've come again. Are you trying to bully my Chun Jun Sect?"

"Hehe, fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand."

Xuan Bujin laughed and said, "Our visit has nothing to do with Chun Jun Sect. It's just that Master Canglang of your sect had a past relationship with our Vice Sect Master. We didn't know that before, but fortunately, Senior Brother Lu met Master Canglang and learned that the senior was still alive. He then sent a message to the sect, and the Vice Sect Master specially ordered us to come and pay our respects to Senior Canglang."

Did Lu Mingchen meet his third senior uncle?

Zhao Yuanxiao was taken aback, and suddenly remembered what Bai Butong had mentioned: the Gushan Formation was taking much longer than before for some reason... Almost immediately, a guess popped into his mind.

"It was Third Martial Uncle... Third Martial Uncle used the Solid Mountain Formation to frighten Lu Mingchen away!"

The Gushan Formation was originally created by Third Master Uncle. Looking at Chun Jun Sect and even the entire Song Kingdom, who else could use the Gushan Formation better than Third Master Uncle?

No wonder Lu Mingchen had been shouting and fighting before, but soon after entering the Solid Mountain Formation, he retreated without looking back. He had originally thought it was thanks to the Solid Mountain Formation, but now he suddenly realized the truth.

Wait a minute, the deputy sect leader of the Qinghe Sect has a past relationship with the Third Master Uncle?

Zhao Yuanxiao's spirits lifted, but he didn't relax; his expression softened slightly, and he said in a deep voice:

"I have already sent someone to inform my Third Master Uncle. Please wait a moment."

It wasn't that he didn't want to seek justice, but circumstances forced him to suppress his desire.

"No rush, no rush."

The profound and inexhaustible, the subtle and ineffable, were both expressed with a smile.

Just then, a disciple rushed over, glanced at the two from Qinghe Sect with a worried expression, walked to Zhao Yuanxiao's side, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Zhao Yuanxiao's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he quickly regained his composure. He looked at the two Qinghe Sect members, whose faces were full of expectation, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke:

"Gentlemen, my third senior uncle said... he doesn't want to see you."

He had expected the two from Qinghe Sect to be furious upon hearing this, but to his surprise, they only looked embarrassed.

"It is only natural that Senior Li is unwilling to see us, and we are truly ashamed."

"However, the Vice Sect Master ordered us to come and deliver a message. Since the senior does not wish to see us, we would like to ask this fellow Daoist to pass on the message."

Zhao Yuanxiao pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Please speak, both of you."

Miao Buyan cleared his throat and said seriously:

"My dear friend Pinghe, it has been nearly sixty years since we parted ways at the foot of Zongshan Mountain in Qinghe. I am overjoyed to hear that you are still alive. I look forward to your swift return, as promised in the past."

"Respectfully presented by Ning He, Qinghe Sect."