I only want immortality.

On Baiyun Mountain.

Crimson clouds and dark clouds intertwined, pressing down on the sky.

The wind howled, and all the cultivators looked up in awe.

Xianyu Qiong stood calmly, while Wen Yao frowned slightly, pondering the events leading up to him. Suddenly realizing something, he looked at Xianyu Qiong, his expression darkening.

"Panlaoshan Market?"

Xianyu Qiong's expression remained unchanged, and he did not respond, but simply said in a calm voice:

"Fellow Daoist Wen, there is still room to stop now. If you continue to act willfully, although the Song Kingdom is weak, it is not lacking in people who dare to fight and are capable of fighting. Do not make a mistake for yourself."

"Heh heh, good, well said, you're brave and capable of fighting!"

Wen Yao praised him, but there was no hint of a smile in his eyes; each word he uttered carried immense weight.

"I have already taken the Thousand Hands Sect and the Yang Clan. Counting the Baoxia Sect, we now have three spiritual caves. If we nurture them for another three to five years, perhaps a second-grade low-level spiritual cave will emerge. If everything goes smoothly, within ten years, my Qinghe Sect will have six or even seven Dao Foundation cultivators... Fellow Daoist Xianyu, are you still capable of fighting?"

Xianyu Qiong remained silent for a moment, then said softly:

"Going south from Hanzhong, the spiritual caves of Wuling are something your Qinghe Sect cannot take with you. All you can rely on in the end is probably just a low-grade second-rank spiritual cave. What difference will you have from my Jiuyang Sect the next day?"

"What do I have to fear?"

Wen Yao's eyes narrowed involuntarily.

What Xianyu Qiong said was not entirely wrong. The Chinese alchemists of the Han Dynasty went south to seek out the sacred burial site. If they moved the Wuling sacred burial site using the method of finding dragon veins and seizing burial sites, the Chinese would not let it go. As a result, they would only pursue it southward to achieve their goal.

Therefore, they either had to resist the invasion of Han China, or they had to abandon the Wuling Cave and start anew in the Song State.

However, the Qinghe Sect is different from the Jiuyang Sect. The Jiuyang Sect has only one Dao Foundation, but the Qinghe Sect has three. All three require spiritual caves for nourishment. Given the scarcity of spiritual caves in the Song Kingdom, it is likely that all seven spiritual caves would have to be combined into one place to make this possible.

He sighed inwardly, realizing that there was indeed no shortage of clever people in the world. Xianyu Qiong had also seen through the situation at a glance, and had no choice but to steel his resolve.

Since persuasion is futile and a battle between the two sects is inevitable in the future, it would be better to do it today...

His eyes flashed with a fierce light.

The moment this thought arose, dark clouds like flames suddenly rose and surged in the sky!

Xianyu Qiong also noticed this, and his expression immediately became more serious.

Since he established his foundation, he had feigned death to escape and lived in seclusion. He had never fought against his fellow Daoists, nor had he ever used his full strength. Now that Wen Yao had come, he had no confidence in winning.

But given the circumstances, even if they did not want to fight, they had no choice but to fight. At that moment, the crimson clouds rolled in, and even the dark clouds were tinged with heat. The two were intertwined, each containing the other.

For a time, the crimson clouds resembled tigers, and the black clouds resembled dragons.

At this juncture, the cultivators of the Nine Yang Sect on White Cloud Mountain had also set up a great formation. A semi-circular light shield rose from the bottom of the valley, but it seemed to be under immense pressure from afar, and it sank slightly.

In the very center of the trap stood Wen Yao, alone and motionless.

Dressed in a simple blue robe, with a jade hairpin and white hair, he faced a mountain full of cultivators, yet remained calm and fearless.

Seeing that a great battle was about to break out, Xianyu Qiong's face was ashen and his heart was slightly tense. But then he saw Wen Yao across from him suddenly frown.

Before Xianyu Qiong could understand what was happening, he felt the dark clouds in the sky recede as if spilled water, and in the blink of an eye, the sky cleared and the sun blazed overhead.

Across from him, Wen Yao's face was cold and stern, his smile gone, staring at Xianyu Qiong, speaking slowly and deliberately, seemingly praising but actually angry:

"Excellent, excellent! Fellow Daoist Xianyu's schemes are profound, his plans stretching for miles. The younger generation of the Song Kingdom are also quite capable! I, Wen, have misjudged them all!"

Xianyu Qiong was slightly taken aback at first, but immediately came to his senses:

"Is the water vessel damaged?"

The disciples of Baoxia Sect and Chenjiang Sword Sect were all previously with Jiuyang Sect, so he naturally had all the senses and noticed the three Dao Foundation Magic Treasure shells in the hands of He and Wang. Counting the Crimson Flame Pearl in Lü Kong's hand, with four against two, if they were determined, they might not be unable to achieve success.

The only thing that could make Wen Yao sense something and become so angry and out of control was the magic treasure he had refined himself, the True Water Bowl.

Now that the True Water Vessel is damaged, the Qinghe Sect and the Jiuyang Sect will inevitably have to fight again in the future...

A flicker of interest stirred within Xianyu Qiong.

As the mind turned, the crimson clouds surged, instantly covering the sky and making the entire Baiyun Mountain appear like a blazing, fiery mountain.

The fluttering ochre robes, like flickering flames, revealed the turmoil in their owner's heart.

Wen Yao noticed this change, his expression darkening as he deliberately brought it up:

"It seems Fellow Daoist Xianyu is unwilling for me to leave."

Upon hearing this, Xianyu Qiong sighed softly and said with admiration:

"Fellow Daoist understands me."

The next instant, under Wen Yao's slightly narrowed gaze, countless rays of pure white and crimson light surged up from the bottom of the valley, flying down like swallows returning to the forest into Xianyu Qiong's hands...

……

Northern Canyon.

The river flows turbulently, but the rocks in the gorge remain unmoved.

Li Pinghe stood on the riverbank, riding an ox, looking calm and composed.

Lan Jusuo hangs alone in mid-air, holding a water vessel with cracks on its surface, with water flowing intermittently into its body.

He stared intently at Li Pinghe, his single eye wide open, pupil throbbing, and the veins around it bulging. He gritted his teeth and spat out each word, enduring excruciating pain:

"Senior Li... what brings you here? My Qinghe Sect has not lightly offended the Chun Jun Sect."

Li Pinghe, his expression remaining gentle, replied:

"As a guest elder, my actions have nothing to do with the Chun Jun Sect. I have come here only for the True Water Bowl in your possession, young friend."

Upon hearing this, Lan Jusuo, despite the excruciating pain radiating from his head, couldn't help but be slightly taken aback:

"Even the renowned Elder Li of Jingnan coveted such a treasure?"

Upon hearing this, Li Pinghe chuckled lightly:

"I am but a mortal being, possessing all three poisons, far more than just greed."

Despite the pain, Lan Jusuo thought quickly and spoke:

"Even if you gave this to me, senior, it would be useless. This is a treasure that Master refined after attaining enlightenment. Aren't you afraid that Master will come and take it back personally?"

The black buffalo sneezed, seemingly tired of listening. Li Pinghe casually stroked its horns and chuckled:

"This is something I should worry about. Young friend, you need not worry about it. You can leave it to me."

Seeing that reasoning with him was futile, Lan Jusuo, in excruciating pain, had endured to the extreme. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, and seeing that no one was around, he steeled his heart, and a fierce glint appeared in his single eye:

"Senior, you don't know how to behave properly, please don't blame me!"

In the blink of an eye, he opened his mouth and spat out a beam of dark blue lightning that shot out from under his tongue, heading straight for Li Pinghe's face!

This is his specialty. He deserves credit for being ranked second among the Eight Steeds. Previously, he had been fighting against Dao Foundation Magic Treasures and was not of any use. Now, he is naturally invincible against an old cultivator whose magic power is declining.

Li Pinghe neither dodged nor avoided, seemingly caught off guard, until the dark blue lightning struck him and suddenly exploded. However, it then seemed to encounter immense pressure and rapidly collapsed and retracted!

In an instant, it vanished without a sound, shrinking into a drop of dark, heavy water before Lan Jusuo's shocked gaze. It floated in front of Li Pinghe, quiet, docile, and turning lightly.

Li Pinghe gazed at the drop of dark, heavy water, his eyes filled with reminiscence, and sighed softly:

"The Xuanzhong Gui Water True Thunder is made by collecting water from rain, dew, wind, and frost, taking its yin and cold nature and using its thunderous properties. It takes ten years to obtain a single drop... When I made the changes back then, I never imagined that it would happen to me."

"It's a pity that although this Gui Water True Thunder belongs to Yin magic, it is a righteous and orthodox method. You have misused it."

Lan Jusuo then suddenly woke up.

The magic he practiced actually originated from this Senior Li.

His face grew even paler, and he hurriedly said, "Senior Li, my master is..."

Li Pinghe calmly reached out and lightly touched the black water with his finger.

The black water trembled as if divinely aided, and in an instant, the eerie light spun rapidly, like a black pill, piercing through the sky and striking Lan Jusuo's face. Its speed and force were unprecedented in Lan Jusuo's life, except for his Dao Foundation!

Lan Jusuo turned pale with shock!

Even though the water in the real water bowl was flowing faster and covering his entire body, he could still feel an indescribable sense of despair as the black water stabbed at him.

It wasn't that he despaired of its power, but rather that in that one strike, he witnessed a vast realm hidden within a spell, a realm he might never be able to reach in his entire life.

That was a profound sense of powerlessness that seemed forever unattainable.

Bang!

To Lan Jusuo's astonishment, the black water suddenly went from motionless to still, stopping three inches in front of him. Compressed to its limit, it exploded like a magnificent, dark blue flower, blooming and withering in a short instant.

Only at this moment did the water from the True Water Bowl barely reach its front.

wow——

The condensed black water was released completely, like a flood, pouring back into the canyon below. The waves crashed against the banks, the current turbulent and unstoppable. Only the blue rope, its vision blurred by the water, remained suspended in mid-air, stunned.

On the riverbank, Li Pinghe lowered his hand, a hint of joy in his heart:

"That true water vessel is indeed a vessel for the attainment of Dao by Ren water."

Ren water is Yang water, which is somewhat compatible with his "Shangdong Xuanqing Shiqi Lu". Although it is somewhat singular, it is the only path he can covet.

He had previously made a guess, simply because he heard that the True Water Bowl could continuously supply magical power, which was consistent with the meaning of Ren Water taking the vastness of rivers, lakes and seas. However, it was only a speculation until he saw it with his own eyes and tested it with the black water of Lan Ju Suo, and then he was certain.

"Since it is Ren water that has achieved enlightenment, then my journey has not been in vain."

Li Pinghe felt comforted.

Without further hesitation, just as Lan Jusuo's mind was in turmoil, the improved Bewitching Mind and Chaotic Spirit Array was activated.

The True Water Vessel sensed the danger and began to hum incessantly. However, it had already suffered repeated injuries and its spiritual power was greatly diminished. Furthermore, Lan Jusuo's defenses were also full of gaps, making it impossible for it to stop this evil formation.

In the blink of an eye, Lan Jusuo's pupils became somewhat wooden.

His expression was blank as he calmly severed his connection with the real water vessel, and no matter how much the real water vessel struggled, he still threw it directly to Li Pinghe.

He then explained to the other party the method of activation, the key points of use, and all other essential information.

With this assistance, Li Pinghe quickly understood the situation and immediately released Lan Jusuo outside the formation, then began to sever the connection with its original owner.

According to Lan Jusuo, his master Wenyao could easily recall the True Water Vessel from a distance. If he wanted to truly possess it, this step was crucial, but also the most difficult.

"Under normal circumstances, there would never be such an opportunity, but Wen Yao is too eager to settle the score in one battle, or perhaps the situation in Wuling forces him to act quickly, so he chose to divide his forces into three routes... Xianyu Qiong will not miss such an opportunity."

Based on his understanding of his old friend Xianyu Qiong, if Wen Yao went to Baiyun Mountain alone and he had no chance of winning, he would be very tolerant. But if he had the opportunity, he would never miss it easily.

Now that the water vessel is broken, Wen Yao has lost a battle, and Xianyu Qiong has the advantage of playing on his home turf. He will not let Wen Yao get away easily; at the very least, he will test Wen Yao's abilities.

This is where his opportunity lies.

"Brother Xianyu, let me lend you another hand."

Li Pinghe chuckled, then, holding the real water vessel, he left the canyon and wandered around until he reached the stone forest where the formation had been set up earlier.

My mind probed into that real water vessel.

After a cultivator achieves enlightenment, they can gather the essence of heaven and earth, imbue it with their own Dao, and forge protective treasures. Usually, one person and one treasure are combined; the treasure survives when the person is alive, and the treasure is destroyed when the person dies.

The True Water Bowl embodies Wen Yao's understanding of the Dao of Ren Water after achieving his Dao foundation. When Li Pinghe entered it, he saw the vast rivers and seas, and he felt like a boatman in them.

"Is the Dao, the foundation of the Dao, truly so vast and profound?"

Li Pinghe's mind wavered slightly.

He felt that he had reached the limit of progress in his skills, until he saw the Dharma within this true water vessel and realized that there was more to it than met the eye.

This feeling is like a child who has mastered all the arts of divination, able to solve all addition and subtraction problems with a single thought, and is proficient in multiplication and division, feeling invincible in the world, until he turns a page and suddenly sees the Great Derivation Method, the Heavenly Origin Method, the Equation Method, the Stacking Method, the Difference Method, the Pythagorean Theorem, and the Exhaustion Method...

The cultivation of Qi and the foundation of the Dao are similar, but not entirely the same.

He is not so shallow.

Coming to my senses, I looked around and finally saw a pillar of heaven in the middle of the river and sea.

This celestial pillar is the key to activating the magical artifact; only the original owner can personally bestow the magic seal upon it.

The hand seal is formed and the essence is concentrated within it, so that this treasure can be activated.

They withdrew their minds and surrounded each other with an array.

Unlike ordinary magic, there are not many people in various countries and sects who are proficient in array formations, and various array formations are also rare. In the past, after his progress in magic slowed down, he turned to array formations and traveled to various countries, where he collected a lot of rare array scrolls.

Among them is a small array specifically designed to wear down the cultivator's mark within a magical artifact. This can be considered his accumulated foundation over the past century. It is not noticeable under normal circumstances, but it can show its advantage at critical moments.

This is also one of the reasons why he is so confident in his desire to compete for the position of Dao Foundation.

The small array was activated, and the True Water Vessel seemed to sense the danger, shaking violently. However, Li Pinghe had already formed a seal within it, making it a kind of half-master. After being soothed, it hesitated for a moment and gradually let the danger dissipate.

As the small array dissipated, a hazy figure emerged from the pillar within, angrily shouting:

"Who are you, fellow Daoist, who have destroyed my treasured guardian!"

Li Pinghe didn't bother to respond. This should be the spirit of a magical artifact, but it hadn't truly taken shape yet, so it was of no use to him.

The hazy figure cursed and shouted for a long time, then gradually quieted down, until a drop of blood suddenly seeped from the pillar of heaven.

The hazy figure vanished instantly.

"This is Wenyao's life's blood."

Li Pinghe suddenly understood.

As the drop of blood seeped out, Li Pinghe felt an unprecedented sense of terror!

The next instant, a sound powerful enough to shatter one's very soul boomed from the location of White Cloud Mountain:

"Li Canglang, how dare you!"

Li Pinghe withdrew his attention from the True Water Vessel, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding rumbling array. He then sensed something and turned to look at the sky.

Dark clouds surged, obscuring the blazing sun.

A face appeared amidst the dark clouds, its angry eyes blazing, obscuring half the sky!

"It's finally here."

Li Pinghe tilted his head slightly, his expression remaining calm, showing no surprise whatsoever. The black water buffalo carried him to the highest point of the stone forest. He didn't dismount, but simply raised his hand in a gesture of respect, his tone composed:

"Li Pinghe of the Song Kingdom greets Fellow Daoist Wen."