I only want immortality.

Lu Mingchen stared at Yang Xingkong, his expression growing colder.

Yang Xingkong, however, still had a smile on his face.

The two were silent, and the surrounding mountain winds seemed still.

Until Lu Mingchen snorted, turned his head again, looked at the Panlaoshan market in the distance, and said in a deep voice:

"There are only two spots for the Foundation Establishment stage. Zhu Yu and Lan Jusuo are ranked ahead of me in the sect. Originally, I had my master's support and still had a chance. But after listening to your words, I declined the credit for seizing the market and stayed within the sect. Now, what can I do to get ahead of them?"

Yang Xingkong chuckled and said, "Originally there wasn't, but now that might not be the case."

Tell me about it.

Lu Mingchen neither agreed nor disagreed.

Yang Xingkong didn't take it seriously and analyzed it carefully:

"Zhu Yu is the direct descendant of the sect leader, and the sect leader is currently in his prime. Therefore, he must occupy one of the two foundational cultivation spots. The remaining spot will be contested between Fellow Daoist Lu and Lan Jusuo."

"Lan Jusuo is Fellow Daoist Lu's senior brother. This time, he was personally selected by the Grand Elder to attack the market. If he succeeds, he will control Panlao Mountain and threaten the three sects including the Jiuyang Sect. At that time, his reputation will surely be even greater, and the position of Dao Foundation will be as easy as taking candy from a baby."

Lu Mingchen's expression remained unchanged; he simply said coldly:

"After all that talk, what's your proposed solution?"

Yang Xingkong laughed:

"Fellow Daoist Lu, please don't worry. What I just said was under the condition that everything goes smoothly. If this trip fails, then the position of Dao Foundation will be uncertain again."

"This trip is unsuccessful?"

Lu Mingchen frowned slightly, then gave a cold laugh:

"How could it not work?"

"The appearance of the Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Flag and the True Water Bowl, these two foundational treasures, together means that even if the three families of the Nine Yang Sect were combined, they would still be no match for Zhu Yu and Lan Jusuo."

Yang Xingkong laughed:

"A few days ago, Lu Kong of the Nine Yang Sect forced Zhu Yu and his two companions to back down, causing them to lose face completely. Fellow Daoist Lu, do you not remember that?"

"Hmph, that was just Zhu Yu being careless and letting his weakness get exploited. If we hadn't cared about those two lives, the Nine Yang Sect would have been taken down long ago. Besides, Zhen Shui Yu isn't good at warfare, and now he has the Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Banner, making him good at both offense and defense. How could he possibly lose?"

"Is that so?"

Yang Xingkong laughed even more unrestrainedly, even bursting into loud laughter: "If the Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Banner is truly this powerful, why did Fellow Daoist Lu suffer a defeat at the Chun Jun Sect before?"

"Yang Xingkong!"

Lu Mingchen flew into a rage, forcing an explanation: "That...that was because I saw Li Canglang and had no choice but to stop. It had nothing to do with the Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Banner!"

Yang Xingkong's smile vanished abruptly, his eyes flashing with calm as he countered with a question:

"If that's the case, how can Fellow Daoist Lu be certain that Li Canglang won't be there at that time?"

Lu Mingchen was taken aback, his expression becoming somewhat unnatural:

"Surely...no way? Isn't he at Chun Jun Sect?"

"Hehe, hehe, hahahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Xingkong first chuckled, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

"What are you laughing at now!"

Lu Mingchen said angrily.

Yang Xingkong laughed until tears streamed down his face, gasping for breath, "Hahahaha, I... I'm laughing at Fellow Daoist Lu for being born in a great nation, yet... yet he doesn't know that cultivators from small countries are also human beings!"

Lu Mingchen was both angry and confused:

"Cultivators from small countries are naturally human; what's so funny about that?"

"Since we are all human, why does Fellow Daoist Lu look down on the Song Kingdom so much?" Yang Xingkong barely managed to suppress his smile and asked leisurely.

"this……"

Lu Mingchen frowned slightly.

Yang Xingkong, however, pressed on relentlessly:

"Since we are all human, couldn't the Nine Yang Sect have thought of inviting Li Canglang?"

"Since they are all human beings, facing life and death, would they simply sit and wait to die?"

Lu Mingchen remained silent, while Yang Xingkong calmly summarized:

"Even a cornered beast will fight back. Now, this Panlao Mountain is the noose that strangles the remaining sects of the Song Kingdom. With Li Canglang in Chun Jun Sect, the members may not come, clinging to a sliver of hope. But the Jiuyang Sect, Baoxia Sect, Chenjiang Sword Sect, and Lotus Valley will definitely come!"

"With the combined forces of the four sects, fighting to the death, and with a prodigy like Lü Kong, can Zhu Yu and Lan Jusuo, both at the tenth level of Qi Refining, along with their two foundational treasures, truly manage to take over Panlao Mountain smoothly?"

Lu Mingchen's mouth was dry from listening, and he finally couldn't help but ask:

"According to you, Zhu Yu and Lan Jusuo are doomed to defeat?"

Yang Xingkong said, "That's not necessarily true... Apart from Zhu and Lan and you, the other two members of the Qinghe Sect have other important matters to attend to. Although the Grand Elder didn't say it, I suppose he wanted them to wait for an opportunity to act. Once they are blocked at Panlao Mountain, they should take the opportunity to seize the mountain gates of Baoxia Sect and Chenjiang Sword Sect."

"We'll just have to see how the Nine Yang Sect handles it then."

Lu Mingchen suppressed his anger and said coldly:

"You said Zhu Yu and Lan Jusuo couldn't take over Panlao Mountain, and you said you wanted to see how the Nine Yang Sect would respond. So, will it succeed or not?"

Yang Xingkong, however, was not in a hurry and said leisurely, "In this world, there is no perfect plan, and there is no certainty. If Panlao Mountain can be captured, Fellow Daoist Lu can put this thought aside for the time being. If Panlao Mountain cannot be captured, then it will be your opportunity."

"and,"

He suddenly changed the subject: "I've heard that 'that person' is still recovering from serious injuries and hasn't shown up for a long time. Perhaps there aren't only two positions at the Foundation Establishment stage..."

Lu Mingchen frowned:

"You mean the vice sect leader? His situation is different; he's a victim of a spiritual influence..."

The conversation suddenly stopped. Lu Mingchen glanced warily at Yang Xingkong, then changed the subject:

"Do not speak recklessly!"

"Let's wait and see."

Yang Xingkong smiled slightly, as if he hadn't heard anything.

……

The black water buffalo traversed the sky, with Chen Xu, Lin Yang, and Jin Guang on either side. Only Li Pinghe sat cross-legged on the buffalo's back, eyes closed in meditation. Suddenly, he slowly opened his eyes, gazing towards the direction of Panlao Mountain to the north, a hint of surprise on his face.

"So this Yang family lad has come too. He does have some skills."

In a short period of time, he was able to gain Lu Mingchen's trust by submitting to him. Although it is unknown what method he used, it is enough to show that he is extraordinary.

"The younger generation is truly formidable."

Li Pinghe sighed, his expression returning to calm.

He had seen too many amazing people, but most of them were like shooting stars, shining brightly for a time, but quickly losing their brilliance. Yang Xingkong was undoubtedly one of them, but he was far from being the most dazzling one.

"Zhu Yu and Lan Jusuo... brought two Dao Foundation Treasures: the True Water Bowl and the Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Banner."

"In addition, members of the Qinghe Sect are ready to attack the Baoxia Sect and the Chenjiang Sword Sect at any time."

"It's about what I expected."

Li Pinghe recalled the conversation between Lu Mingchen and Yang Xingkong just now.

To avoid being detected by Dao Foundation cultivators, he had never lowered his will to Lu Mingchen until recently when he sensed that Lu Mingchen was not far away, at which point he used a little trick.

"In that case, the Qinghe Sect branch must have also mobilized its entire force, no, and even the Grand Elder."

By going through his past memories and combining them with what he had seen and heard from Lu Mingchen, Li Pinghe quickly found all the information about this Grand Elder of the Qinghe Sect.

This person's seniority predates that of the deputy sect leader Ning He. His name is "Wen Yao," and he is now over 150 years old.

However, when he traveled to Wuling, the man lived a secluded life, and he only saw him once from afar, with no interaction between them.

"The Dao Foundation is divided into three realms: upper, middle, and lower. He is a true cultivator in the lower realm..."

Recalling the fragmented information he had obtained from Lu Mingchen, he did not hesitate and wrote all the information down on the edge of a piece of parchment. Then he recited an incantation, and the edge spontaneously combusted.

This was a method of communication across distances that he learned during his travels in the Kingdom of Ba. It involved taking twin lambs, removing them from their wombs, skinning them, and processing them. Because the twins' spirits were connected, once one was burned, the other would display a message.

He had one copy here, and the other was given to Han Xianghe before his departure so that a message could be sent in time.

"Jin Guang, let's change direction."

Li Pinghe gave the instructions.

Jin Guang, feeling drowsy from the journey, rubbed his eyes upon hearing this: "Teacher, aren't we going to Panlao Mountain?"

"No rush, Panlao Mountain doesn't need us right now."

Li Pinghe smiled and patted Jin Guang's head.

"oh."

Jin Guang nodded blankly, then patted the black water buffalo:

"Did you hear that?"

"Moo".

The black water buffalo was a demon, so it naturally understood what Li Pinghe and Jin Guang were saying. It immediately ran straight in the direction Li Pinghe pointed.

"Master Uncle, where are we going?"

Chen Xu quickly asked.

"Let's go for a walk first."

Li Pinghe sat casually on the back of the ox, looking down at the land of Song, and sighed, "What a magnificent landscape! Cultivators only know how to be busy, but they never know how to calm their minds. They should know that life is beyond cultivation."

Suppressing his worries and doubts, Chen Xu reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Li Pinghe smiled but didn't say anything more.

After the black buffalo ran for a while, just as Chen Xu was about to suspect that Li Pinghe was going to the Qinghe Sect branch altar, Li Pinghe suddenly stopped him.

"This is it."

It is a place where mountains and valleys intersect, with surging waves crashing against rocks and piercing the sky, with rapid turns and steep currents, making it extremely dangerous.

Jin Guang didn't ask any questions, but patted the black water buffalo and immediately stopped.

Chen Xu looked around blankly, puzzled, and asked:

"Senior Uncle, what's unusual about this place?"

Li Pinghe looked southeast, but even with his eyesight, he could no longer see Panlao Mountain. Hearing this, he laughed and said:

"It's just a side effect."

He immediately took out the Qiankun Bag, threw out all the array flags, arranged them according to the positions of the Eight Trigrams, the principles of the Four Symbols, and the harmony of Yin and Yang, and in just a few moments, he had already set up the array.

"This...this is it?"

Chen Xu stared in astonishment as Li Pinghe put away the Qiankun bag. The whole process took less than half an incense stick's time, which amazed him at the speed of setting up the formation, but also worried that the effect would be insufficient.

Li Pinghe clapped his hands and casually said:

"The way of formations is to adapt to the time and place, and to use the great power of heaven and earth. Therefore, it emphasizes momentum rather than form. If used to its fullest potential, three or five formation flags are enough."

Chen Xu was astonished upon hearing this, unable to fathom what level that was, and could only express his admiration:

"My master's skill in formations is unparalleled by his predecessors."

Li Pinghe showed no arrogance, and waved his hand, saying:

"Don't exaggerate. No matter how exquisite the array is at the Qi Refining Realm, it is still just at the Qi Refining Realm."

"Alright, let's go to the next place."

Then he sat on the back of an ox.

Chen Xu looked at the large formation he had just set up, which had now disappeared without a trace, and was even more confused. Hadn't the formation already been set up?

Before he could ask any further questions, the black water buffalo had already carried Li Pinghe away into the distance.

……

"Why haven't the people from the Nine Yang Sect arrived yet?"

"Is Yang Xingkong's idea any good or not?"

On a mountain peak north of Panlao Mountain, a group of more than ten people were looking out from the mountain. One of them had a narrow face and small eyes, and looked mean. He stared at the location of Panlao Mountain with his brows furrowed.

A large, obese man sitting cross-legged on the other side calmly said:

"Junior Brother Lan, don't be anxious. Yang Xingkong knows the ins and outs of the Song Kingdom very well, so he shouldn't be wrong, unless he doesn't care about the lives of the Yang family cultivators... Besides, even the Grand Elder has adopted his method, so just relax."

It was the Qinghe Sect group.

Lan Jusuo glanced at the fat, burly man and shook his head, saying, "Senior Brother Zhu is trustworthy, but I can't trust this kind of two-faced person at all. If Master hadn't spoken up, I would have sent Yang Xingkong to Wuling long ago to satisfy the appetites of those tiger cubs in Hanzhong!"

The burly man, named Zhu Yu, said helplessly upon hearing this:

"Although the Song Kingdom is in decline, it is still a nation. Seizing the spiritual cave of a nation is no easy task. Without the help of a traitor like Yang Xingkong, when will we be able to complete the task assigned by the sect leader?"

"At worst, I'll just throw it away after I'm done using it."

Lan Jusuo snorted: "I'm afraid raising a tiger will only cause more trouble."

A cold glint flashed in Zhu Yu's eyes as he narrowed them and said:

"Yang Xingkong will never become a tiger. Without the help of a spiritual cave, in such a barren place as Song Kingdom, he will never be able to establish a foundation for the Dao. Without establishing a foundation for the Dao, he will be forever controlled by my Qinghe Sect."

Lan Jusuo did not refute what he said.

Those who have never witnessed a true Dao Foundation cultivator will always harbor wishful thinking. However, since there are no true Dao Foundation cultivators in the Song Kingdom, the cultivators here naturally do not understand the gap between themselves and this realm, and will naturally have illusions, trying to use some underhanded tricks to try to cross it.

But in the end, they could only suffer a complete defeat.

"However... Senior Brother Zhu, tell me the truth, were you really forced to give up by Lü Kong at the Nine Yang Sect that day? Did you really not even have the True Water Bowl to use?"

Lan Jusuo suddenly thought of something and asked.

Zhu Yu remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded under Lan Jusuo's surprised gaze:

"It wasn't that I lacked the real water vessel, but rather that I failed to respond effectively. When I fought with Lü Kong, I felt as if he had seen through me and even struck my two junior brothers' vital points with his sword before I could use the real water vessel."

"I came here to persuade the Nine Yang Sect. If my two junior brothers were to suffer, wouldn't I become an even bigger laughingstock? That's why I'm giving up."

Lan Jusuo immediately slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Senior Brother Zhu was wrong this time, he was wrong!"

"If we were to subdue the Nine Yang Sect in one fell swoop, even if we lost two people, it would not diminish the prestige of our sect. On the contrary, returning empty-handed would only make us more despised."

Zhu Yu, instead of being angered by these words, sighed:

"The Grand Elder also reprimanded me in the same way, which is why I volunteered to fight this time, hoping to avenge my previous humiliation... I hope Junior Brother Lan will allow me to face Lü Kongfang then."

Lan Jusuo patted his chest and said:

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Zhu. This time, I will use Master's True Water Bowl, and Senior Brother Zhu will use the Sect Master's Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Banner. That way, we won't be taken advantage of by Lü Kong."

Zhu Yu nodded and said nothing more.

After guarding for a while, Zhu Yu seemed to sense something, suddenly stood up, looked towards the location of Panlao Mountain Market, and his expression brightened:

"They're here!"

Lan Jusuo looked over upon hearing this.

But in the distance, three streaks of light flew in like lightning across the sky.