I only want immortality.

"Who are you?!"

The sounds of shock and anger echoed through the clouds.

My thoughts only wandered for a moment before I quickly came back to my senses.

Li Pinghe couldn't help but look up.

But Wen Yao frowned solemnly, his expression a mixture of shock and anger. He was looking up at the sky, where dark clouds were like mountains and a sudden downpour was coming. He could not see anyone else, only a jade-like blue lotus, as large as a mountain peak, standing tall and graceful without any tendrils or branches, hanging in a dark and secluded place. It was exactly the same as the blue lotus in front of him.

Standing proudly amidst the dark clouds, no matter how the clouds pressed down, a few lotus leaves gently swayed, shaking off the vast expanse of dark clouds, which fell to the roots and were quickly absorbed, causing the green lotus to bloom even more beautifully.

Beneath the dark, gloomy clouds, the sky was reflected, revealing wisps of clear light.

"Yi wood belongs to yin, and it directly overcomes Ren water."

Li Pinghe glanced around and understood the situation.

It's no wonder Wen Yao was so shocked and angry. The newcomer might not be much stronger than him, but he was naturally able to restrain him.

However, the newcomer remained silent and unresponsive to Wen Yao's questioning. Not satisfied with that, the blue lotus shook again, and the lotus flower withered, scattering eight or nine lotus seeds. The lotus seeds fell into the dark clouds, and in the blink of an eye, they sprouted again, grew leaves, and formed buds...

Nourished by the dark clouds, in the blink of an eye, nine equally sized blue lotuses sprouted from the void.

Its roots plunged into the black swamp, devouring and sucking it in.

Wen Yao's face turned furious, then solemn, his expression shifting between anger and sullenness. Finally, with a wave of his green sleeve, the dark clouds seemed to reverse, the sun and moon shone brightly again, leaving only the nine green lotuses standing between heaven and earth.

Without its support, the nine lotus plants withered and fell in the blink of an eye, their petals flying everywhere. Amidst the falling petals, only one lotus seedpod remained suspended in mid-air, like a floating object.

Wen Yao's eyes showed apprehension. His gaze swept over the silent Li Pinghe below, then turned to the lotus seedpod. He quickly considered the situation and, feeling he understood something, said in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist, could you perhaps be the person behind Li Canglang?"

"You stole my protective treasure, all to pave the way for your own Great Dao of Yi Wood?"

The lotus seedpod remained silent.

Wen Yao was slightly taken aback, and couldn't help but show displeasure:

"Your Excellency is truly going too far! If I don't fight today, it would make me appear weak!"

But then he heard a soft shout:

"Come, flag!"

He reached out and grabbed.

They were already close by when Zhu Yu, who was fleeing, suddenly trembled in his sleeve, and the Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Banner flew out and disappeared in an instant.

Wen Yao reached out and pulled back, now holding a triangular yellow flag. He stared intently at the lotus seedpod and sneered:

"I, Wen, would like to see what you are capable of!"

Although the Earthly Fiend Yellow Dragon Flag is incompatible with him and cannot fully exert its power, having this magic weapon in hand allows him to deal with the newcomer and at least not be controlled by him.

The lotus seedpod spun around, seemingly wary.

Just then, voices suddenly came from the south.

"Fellow Daoist Wen, why were you walking in such a hurry just now?"

Wen Yao's face darkened, and he looked rather embarrassed.

"Xianyu Qiong!"

The sound was still far away, but a crimson flame could already be seen streaking towards them, and even before they arrived, they could feel a wave of intense heat hitting them.

As the firelight subsided, the figure of an old man in ochre robes was revealed. He bowed slightly to the lotus pod, then turned to Li Pinghe and smiled:

"Pinghe, how have you been?"

Li Pinghe ascended into the air and saw that Xianyu Qiong's voice and appearance were unchanged, just as before. A myriad of emotions welled up in his heart, but he only managed to utter one sentence:

"Pinghe met Xianyu Zhenxiu."

Xianyu Qiong's smile froze, then he realized something and gave a wry smile: "You brat... I'll explain to you later."

He turned to Wen Yao, his smile less gentle and more stern: "Fellow Daoist Wen, you left too soon. I would like to have a longer chat with you."

Wen Yao, clutching the triangular yellow flag, glanced at Lian Peng and Xian Yuqiong, his expression growing increasingly cold. His earlier composure had vanished, and he said coldly:

"I miscalculated. I never expected that there would be two Foundation Establishment cultivators hiding in this desolate place of the Song Kingdom's spiritual cave. Could it be that they deliberately created this opening, coming specifically for me?"

Xianyu Qiong glanced at the silent lotus seedpod, then at Li Pinghe, who seemed lost in thought, and shook his head.

"Whether it is true or not, since Fellow Daoist Wen has come today, please stay and be a guest."

Before the words were finished, the Crimson Flame transformed into a tiger, spitting out sword energy, and rushed straight towards Wen Yao. The lotus seedpod also immediately plunged into the void, taking root in the blink of an eye, and a green lotus bloomed.

Wen Yao's expression changed. He had already seen the two men's murderous intent and knew that if he didn't deal with them properly today, he would probably not come out unscathed.

With a flick of his sleeve, a torrent of black water surged forth from his small sleeve, like a vast, ancient serpent. With one strike, he shook off the red tiger, and with another wave of the yellow flag, the wind and earth yellow dragon swept up the green lotus. For a moment, he fought two against one, and surprisingly, he did not fall behind.

Just then, a mirror suddenly appeared from within the green lotus. Its bronze surface was blurry, and it spun around in place, revealing Wen Yao's figure.

"not good!"

Wen Yao felt a sudden alarm bell ringing in his heart. He tried to escape, but was horrified to find that the void around him was like a quagmire, making it difficult to move at all!

Just then, the blue lotus stretched out its leaves, blocking the Blackwater Marsh. Xianyu Qiong seized the opportunity to rush across the Wind and Earth Yellow Dragon, spitting out sword light that merged with fire, and aimed directly at Wen Yao's face.

"My life is over!"

Wen Yao was greatly alarmed.

Just as the crimson sword light was about to strike Wen Yao, a gust of wind suddenly blew in from nowhere.

The wind was gentle and soft, as if it were merely a passerby in this astonishing battle, leisurely passing through the Blackwater Marsh and the towering blue lotus, finally gathering before Wen Yao—

Wow!

The gentle breeze suddenly transformed into a violent whirlwind, stirring up the entire world and obstructing the view for an instant.

The speed of that crimson sword energy plummeted in the wind. It thrust forward inch by inch with all its might, but it was accompanied by violent vibrations and a constant buzzing sound!

When they were only a foot away from Wen Yao, two slender, white jade-like fingers emerged from the swirling wind, gently clamping together and trapping the crimson sword energy.

Centered on these two fingers, the whirlwind rapidly weaves through the arms and body...

Xianyu Qiong's expression changed:

"Another Foundation Establishment cultivator has arrived! Who is it?!"

"This wind..."

Wen Yao stared at the figure that was rapidly taking shape in front of him, his eyes gleaming with delight:

"It's the sect leader!"

"Master of the Qinghe Sect!?"

Xianyu Qiong was startled and uncertain, and quickly retreated.

The towering blue lotus also put away its jar, quickly withered, and transformed back into a lotus seedpod, gracefully retreating to form a pincer movement with Xianyu Qiong.

Li Pinghe had already retreated to the rear with Black Water Buffalo during the chaotic battle between the three of them. Now, upon hearing that it was actually the sect leader of the Qinghe Sect who had come in person, he was both surprised and suspicious.

Could it be that the Qinghe Sect has already met a dismal end in Wuling?

Otherwise, why would the Qinghe Sect Master, who should have been stationed in Wuling, appear in the Song Kingdom at this time?

As he was pondering, the figure had already taken shape. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a nose like a hanging gall bladder, and wore a light-colored Taoist robe. He used a pine branch as a hairpin to curl his black hair, and he was actually a young Taoist with a scholarly air about him.

Upon seeing Xianyu Qiong and Lianpeng, he smiled and bowed politely, displaying no trace of the irritating hypocrisy, and speaking with sincerity:

"Qinghe Wei Ran greets fellow Daoists from the Song Kingdom."

He paused, his gaze passing over Xianyu Qiong and Lianpeng, landing on Li Pinghe behind them. His bright eyes lit up slightly, revealing a hint of joy.

"So Mr. Canglang is here too."

Wen Yao and Xian Yuqiong were both taken aback upon hearing this, and both turned to look at Li Pinghe with surprise in their eyes.

Li Pinghe was also slightly taken aback. After careful recollection, he had no memory of this person. He then returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

"I am ashamed to admit that I did not know when I had met Sect Leader Wei."

Wei Ran smiled slightly:

"One day, Master Canglang held a lecture in Wuling Kingdom, expounding on the art of Yin and Yang. Master Canglang had never seen me, but I was among the crowd at the time and benefited greatly. Soon after, I was promoted to an inner disciple of Qinghe Sect. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to thank Master Canglang in person."

"An inner disciple?"

Even though Li Pinghe was a man of great experience, he was still taken aback when he heard this.

Inner disciples of the Qinghe Sect must reach the fourth level of Qi Refining or higher.

Nearly sixty years ago, he taught in Wuling, but his real purpose was to exchange ideas with fellow practitioners. In other words, before sixty years ago, the sect leader of Qinghe Sect was just a minor cultivator at less than the fourth level of Qi Refining. Compared to Ning He, who was already a candidate for Dao Foundation at that time, he was practically worthless.

It's no wonder he didn't remember seeing this person before, because the other person was just an inconspicuous bystander in the crowd.

His feelings were even more complicated. He was a minor cultivator who had once listened to his teachings but was not even qualified to show his face in front of him. Now, he had transformed into the sect master of the Qinghe Sect. Although he knew that the other party had the help of spiritual caves, which was naturally different from him, who had no foundation, he still had a hard time understanding the feeling.

Forcing himself to compose himself, he bowed again and said:

"The younger generation surpasses the older generation. The fact that Sect Leader Wei has achieved something is due to his own good fortune and has little to do with me."

Wei Ran smiled upon hearing this, but his expression was also composed:

"Without Master Canglang's teachings, I would not have been able to learn the Yin-Yang Wind Technique, and thus I would not have been able to win first place in the outer sect competition and gain the favor of the previous sect leader. This is all thanks to Master Canglang. Why are you so modest?"

"At least so far, no one has been able to explain the principles of the art as clearly as you have. You are truly a man of great talent."

"Having received the grace of Li Canglang imparting his teachings, why are you now threatening the entire Song state?"

Suddenly, Xianyu Qiong spoke up and questioned him.

"snort!"

Wen Yao snorted coldly, retorting sharply: "Li Canglang is Li Canglang, and the State of Song is the State of Song. How can they be the same?"

Upon hearing this, Li Pinghe sighed inwardly and said seriously:

"Li Canglang is a cultivator from the Song Dynasty, how is he any different?"

Wen Yao was speechless, but he couldn't argue back, so he had to give up.

Xianyu Qiong pressed his advantage, turned to look at Wei Ran, and said in a deep voice:

"Sect Leader Wei, we sympathize with the plight of your Qinghe Sect in Wuling, but now that the Qinghe Sect is heading south, how is it any different from the Han Dynasty's China?"

"You have manifested yourself today using the Dharma, but this is not your true form. If my fellow practitioner and I join forces, even if we cannot kill you, we can at least severely injure you and send you back!"

Wen Yao said in a cold voice:

"Just the two of you?"

Just as he was about to speak again, Wei Ran gently stopped him with a raised hand. He still had a smile on his face and said in a gentle voice:

"Your Excellency may have misunderstood. Qinghe only seeks self-preservation and has no desire to dominate. I presume Your Excellency also does not wish for the people of Song to suffer. How about this: since Mr. Canglang is here today, I am willing to take a step back, return the Baoxia Sect's spiritual cave, and only defend the lands of the Qianshou Sect and the Yang family. We will agree to a three-year truce. What do you say?"

"truce?"

"this……"

Xianyu Qiong was surprised to hear this. He never expected that the sect leader of Qinghe Sect would be so generous, even willing to give up the meat that was already in his mouth.

He couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart.

The conflict between the Qinghe Sect and the Song Kingdom was too sudden, and the Song Kingdom was not well prepared. If they could have a three-year truce, the Song Kingdom would have had a chance and would not be completely outmatched as it is now. At the very least, they would have had a chance to escape.

More importantly, after the Qinghe Sect Master intervened, he is now no longer confident that he can keep Wen Yao.

Fighting will lead to no hope, while cooperation will benefit both sides; the choice is not difficult.

He hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the lotus pod, which remained silent. He could only look at Li Pinghe with his eyes.

Li Pinghe and Xianyu Qiong were quite familiar with each other, so he naturally understood the other's meaning and nodded slightly to show his agreement.

"However, Wei also has a condition."

Wei Ran suddenly spoke again.

Are there any other conditions?

Xianyu Qiong couldn't help but frown:

"Please speak, Lord Wei."

Wei Ran didn't answer, but looked at Li Pinghe and asked with a smile:

"Mr. Canglang, would you be willing to come north with me?"

Xianyu Qiong was somewhat surprised. Did this condition mean that he had to take Li Canglang away?

Li Pinghe was silent for a moment, then asked in return:

"I am old and feeble, senile and incompetent. What good am I to Lord Wei?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Ran couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Mr. Canglang, you are too modest!"

"To rival a Dao Foundation cultivator with a body refined from Qi—since the Great Xia Dynasty, only you, sir, have achieved this!"

"If I could have you, my husband would be like a tiger with wings, invincible!"

Li Pinghe was slightly taken aback, realizing that the other party had actually been there all along, but had been hiding in the shadows. After a moment's thought, he shook his head and said:

"I am grateful for the high regard of Sect Master Wei, but I am afraid that I will disappoint you. I am already exhausted and wish to spend the rest of my life in the Song Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Wei Ran did not give up and stepped forward, saying:

"I know you are not content with this, sir. Why belittle yourself? Are you unhappy because Qinghe has captured the sacred cave of the Song Kingdom?"

"No, I am ambitious, but ultimately I am not destined for that fate."

Li Pinghe sighed dramatically.

Wei Ran ignored him and instead asked, "Sir, what exactly do you want to do to be willing to enter my Qinghe?"

His persistent nagging surprised both Wen Yao and Xian Yuqiong, who looked at Li Pinghe, each puzzled.

Li Canglang may be exceptionally talented, but he is ultimately just a Qi Refining cultivator. How could Sect Master Wei, a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, be so disrespectful to him!

Li Pinghe was also baffled by his persistent questioning. After repeated inquiries, he finally had no choice but to say helplessly:

"Unless Wuling and Song become as close as family."

Wei Ran frowned immediately, staring at Li Pinghe with disappointment in his eyes:

"Is it that you, sir, are so unwilling to come to my Qinghe? Why insist on staying in this declining Song Kingdom? Don't you know that a wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on?"

Upon hearing this, Li Pinghe sighed:

"I am a cultivator from the Song Kingdom. Even if the Song Kingdom has a thousand faults, it is still my hometown. If I were to betray the Song Kingdom and join the Qinghe Kingdom, could Sect Master Wei really trust me to use such a person?"

Wei Ran was taken aback, then nodded in agreement:

"Sir, you are of noble character and noble aspirations... Since that is the case, then let it be agreed that if in the future Wuling and Song become as close as 'one family,' then you must keep your promise and enter my Qinghe. What do you say?"

Li Pinghe looked at the man and saw the fervent look in his eyes. He knew that if he refused, there would likely be more trouble today, so he had no choice but to say:

"If I were still alive then, there would be no problem."

"Okay! I'll remember what you said, sir."

Wei Ran gave Li Pinghe a deep look, then displayed his decisive and efficient side again. He gave some instructions to Wen Yao, and then said to Xianyu Qiong, "Please ask the Grand Elder to discuss the details with Your Excellency."

Having said that, the young Taoist priest turned into the wind and disappeared without a trace.

"Tomorrow, you and I will take a trip to Panlao Mountain."

Wen Yao quickly reached an agreement with Xianyu Qiong. As for the True Water Vessel that Li Pinghe had taken away, Wen Yao hesitated for a while, but seeing that the sect leader did not mention it, he could only grit his teeth and accept it in the end.

In the blink of an eye, only Li Pinghe, Xianyu Qiong, and Lianpeng, who had remained silent, were left.

Xianyu Qiong glanced at the lotus pod, knowing its contents, bowed respectfully, made an appointment with Li Pinghe, and then left on his own.

Li Pinghe was left alone, facing the lotus pod.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Pinghe finally spoke:

"Hatsutsugi, is that you?"