I only want immortality.

"Sect Master, if the two of us had acted together back then, even without your presence, we might not have been unable to defeat those two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Song Kingdom. Why did you...?"

The spiritual acupoint of the Qinghe Sect branch altar was filled with surging spiritual energy, like mist and a lake.

Wei Ran stood with his hands behind his back in front of the "lake," with Wen Yao standing behind him, still somewhat unwilling in his words.

Upon hearing this, Wei Ran did not turn around, but simply reached out and gently stroked the spiritual energy there, casually saying:

"It's not a bad thing that Song has these two Dao Foundations. They can help us defend this place... The enemy in Qinghe is still in the north. Another Dao Foundation has arrived in Hanzhong. At this time, we need to transfer you there to provide support."

Wen Yao pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "What the sect leader said is very true. It was my short-sightedness that led to this. However, if we really cannot defend Wuling, and the spiritual cave is seized and our Dao foundation is damaged, our hasty return to Song may not be smooth."

Wei Ran chuckled softly, and the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to sense it, shrinking rapidly as if in fear.

He turned his head, his tone natural and calm, yet filled with an unspoken certainty:

"It was just a decision made in a moment."

The powerful confidence in his words startled Wen Yao, who, after a brief silence, gave a self-deprecating laugh:

"I almost forgot, the sect leader's cultivation level is extremely high, so he doesn't need to scheme like this. But... why is the sect leader treating Li Canglang with such courtesy? Is it really because of the guidance he received?"

At this point, Wen Yao could not hide his confusion.

"Don't underestimate him."

Speaking of Li Pinghe, Wei Ran's tone became more wistful: "If he hadn't lived in a small country and hadn't missed the opportunity to visit the spiritual cave, given his innate talent and comprehension, we would have had no chance of reaching his level."

"The only difference between us and him is that we were born in Wuling and were fortunate enough to be admitted to Qinghe."

Upon hearing this, Wenyao did not refute it.

With his Qi Refining Body, he commanded the formation to fight against the Dao Foundation Manifestation without being at a disadvantage, even forcing him to send out his own body to take action. There is no doubt about the talent and ability of such a person, and he sincerely admires him.

"However, Li Canglang is only at the Qi Refining stage. Throughout history, countless brilliant talents have fallen before even reaching the Foundation stage. Does the Sect Master intend to use a thousand pieces of gold to buy his bones...?"

Wen Yao frowned.

But Wei Ran interrupted him with a smile and a wave of his hand:

"How about we try our luck with a small bet?"

Wen Yao was taken aback: "What are we betting on?"

Wei Ran laughed and said, "Let's bet on whether Li Canglang can achieve the Dao Foundation. If he can't, I'll help you reforge the Ren Water Magic Treasure. If he can, well... I haven't decided yet. We'll talk about it later."

"this……"

Wen Yao was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh: "Then please don't blame me, Sect Master, for winning so unfairly."

He understood in his heart that the other party was just using this as an excuse to make up for his losses.

Wei Ran smiled meaningfully:

"Don't think I'm deliberately losing to you... Since Li Canglang can improve many techniques and spells, it's hard to guarantee that he can really improve the method of entering the Dao through weapons. I observe that his blood and magic power have not declined, but are instead at their peak, unlike a Qi Refining cultivator."

"It is not impossible for such a person to defy fate and change his destiny on his own."

Wen Yao frowned: "So, the sect leader's previous show of goodwill towards him was actually because he saw potential in his future..."

I don't know if he has a future.

Wei Ran shook his head and said:

"However, if there is a future, we should do good deeds now. Perhaps we can obtain an improved method of entering the Dao through tools. Even if we don't have such a method, with their talent and ability, they may be able to improve the profound methods of the Dao foundation, from which we can all benefit."

"If there is no future, he has indeed been kind to me in guiding me. Even if it was not intentional on his part, I will still remember this kindness, and the previous courtesy was truly deserved."

"Furthermore, if he truly fails to recognize the will of Heaven and obstructs my grand plan for Qinghe in the future, given this past situation, even if I capture him, no one else can say anything."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yao's eyes lit up, and he repeatedly praised, "Sect Master's thinking is thorough; I am far inferior to him."

Wei Ran waved his hand:

"These are just some underhanded tricks. We cultivators should ultimately judge each other by our level of cultivation and not lose sight of the main point."

Wen Yao cupped his hands in greeting: "I humbly accept your instruction."

……

The wind howled and the current surged.

The mountains and rivers below flashed by.

Li Pinghe sat cross-legged on the back of the ox, toying with a water bowl in his hand.

The water bowl is about the size of a palm, with a small mouth and a round belly. It looks like something a scholar would use to grind ink and store water. It is covered with cracks, like broken ceramic. I don't know what material it was made of. It feels just right in my hand, neither too light nor too heavy.

"The water vessel... is quite badly damaged."

Li Pinghe slowly sensed the situation inside the water vessel. The vessel had been damaged by Wang Feng and He Riyuan, and Wen Yao's heart blood had been forcibly extracted by him and Ye Chutong, so it had lost a lot of its spirituality.

"If things continue in their current state, it will be impossible to establish a foundation for the Dao; further repairs are necessary."

He had thoroughly studied the revised "Nine Revolutions of Spirit Transmission Chapter" and was confident that he would be 40% successful once he was fully prepared, but the current True Water Vessel was clearly not up to the task.

"I wonder if that green gourd will work. If it doesn't, I'm afraid I'll have to go back to Chu Tong."

There are two gourds in his sea of ​​consciousness. The yellow gourd can help him improve his techniques, while the green gourd only appeared after he reached the tenth level of Qi Refining and has the effect of nourishing and repairing treasures.

However, the green gourd had never nurtured a Dao foundation treasure like the True Water Vessel, so he didn't know if it would be effective.

With a thought, the water vessel vanished from his hand. He then focused his mind on his sea of ​​consciousness and saw the water vessel hovering outside the green gourd, seemingly afraid and unwilling to enter.

Li Pinghe was surprised.

After a moment's thought, he turned his attention to the green gourd.

The dented bronze bell still stood firmly inside the gourd, showing no abnormality whatsoever; the cracks on it were not much different from when it was first placed inside.

But Li Pinghe clearly remembered that when he clashed with Wen Yao before, the bronze bell seemed to sense the danger and clearly made some unusual movements.

However, with Ye Chutong's intervention, the bronze bell fell silent and ceased its abnormality.

"It seems to be someone with a distinguished background; they certainly found a treasure in the market back in the day."

Li Pinghe wasn't particularly delighted. He had accumulated wealth over a century, feeling he had found countless bargains. His Qiankun bag contained countless antiques, but in reality, only this one item could be considered a true treasure.

Moreover, if it weren't for the nurturing effect of this green gourd, even with the treasure in hand, he might not have been able to recognize its wondrous uses.

Even now, he can only be certain that this bronze bell is something extraordinary, perhaps even a foundational treasure, but he still has no clue whatsoever.

"Wen Yao's cultivation level isn't particularly high, but the True Water Vessel is still a foundational magic treasure, yet it's afraid of this bronze bell..."

Li Pinghe pondered for a while but still couldn't figure out the origin of the bronze bell. After thinking for a moment, he let his mind wander out of the gourd and used the real water vessel.

Since the green gourd was ultimately his, under duress, the real water vessel was still placed inside it.

But he really didn't dare to approach the bronze bell. He shrank back and hid in a corner, trembling.

This made Li Pinghe take a closer look at the bronze bell inside the green gourd and observe the reaction of the real water vessel. The difference between the two was probably greater than he had imagined...

"Can I use this bronze bell to forge the foundation of my path?"

The thought kept popping into Li Pinghe's mind.

But after looking at the cracks and the obvious gap on the bronze bell, he quickly dismissed the idea.

The origins of this bronze bell are completely unclear, and it may not even be compatible with his "Shangdong Xuanqing Shiqi Lu". Moreover, it is unknown when it will be repaired.

Most importantly, his lifespan is running out.

He sighed softly, his mind trying to return to normal, but suddenly he felt something and couldn't help but look at the real water vessel.

Around the water vessel, wisps of pure energy enveloped and swirled around it, seeping into the cracks on its surface and subtly mending them.

The repair was so subtle that Li Pinghe wouldn't have noticed it at all if he hadn't paid special attention beforehand.

"it works!"

Li Pinghe was greatly encouraged.

If there were no other reliable way to establish a foundation for the Dao, then the True Water Bowl would be his last resort, so he naturally cared about it very much.

Compared to the dented bronze bell, the repair speed of this real water vessel is significantly faster. It is estimated that it can still be successfully repaired before it reaches the end of its lifespan.

This finally put his mind at ease.

His mind returned to normal, and he heard Jin Guang say, "Teacher, we're almost there."

He looked up and gazed into the distance; indeed, Baiyun Mountain was right before his eyes.

……

"Wen Yao and I fought, and although we both held back, the area around Baiyun Mountain was still completely destroyed."

Xianyu Qiong and Li Pinghe strolled in mid-air, reaching the outside of Baiyun Mountain. Looking down at the devastation below, they couldn't help but sigh softly.

"The spirit cave is still intact, and the sect is unharmed, which is a great blessing amidst misfortune. However, if the Qinghe Sect comes again in the future, I'm afraid they may not be so kind to us this time."

Li Pinghe shook his head slightly.

"We are also at our wits' end," Xianyu Qiong said with a bitter smile. "Although we know that a ceasefire at this moment would be more beneficial to the Qinghe Sect, we would rather catch our breath first... The Qinghe Sect Master is not someone to be trifled with. Even if he did not come in person, Fellow Daoist Ye and I are afraid we would not be his match."

"Since he said he wanted a ceasefire, how could we possibly refuse? At least he's left us with some face."

Li Pinghe fell silent upon hearing this.

Although he was not a true cultivator at the Dao Foundation stage and could not discern Wei Ran's true abilities, he knew from Xian Yuqiong's agreement to a ceasefire that Wei Ran's skills and cultivation level far surpassed those of the two of them.

If the fighting continues, there won't be any major changes; it will inevitably end with the Song Kingdom suffering a major defeat and all the spiritual caves falling into the hands of the Qinghe Sect.

The three-year ceasefire has given the Qinghe Sect ample time to prepare, but it has also added some uncertainty to the Song Kingdom, making it difficult to say whether it's good or bad.

"The Nine Yang Sect's spiritual cave had been in decline for many years. It was only from my grandmaster's generation that things began to improve significantly. The next two generations worked hard to plan and conceal it, and finally, in my generation, this second-grade low-level spiritual cave was revived."

Xianyu Qiong sighed a few times, then suddenly began to recount the secrets of the Nine Yang Sect:

"Fellow Daoist Ye has probably already told you that the Earth Immortal Path is the mainstream of cultivation in the world today, and everyone is vying for this one spiritual cave. We are just a small sect, how dare we easily become known to others?"

"That year, I attempted to forge my Dao foundation using a spiritual cave. After succeeding, I imprisoned myself at the bottom of White Cloud Valley, never daring to leave... I know you must be unhappy, Pinghe. If it were you, would you have told me the intricacies of it?"

He looked into Li Pinghe's eyes, as if trying to see something in them.

Li Pinghe's reaction was surprisingly calm; he said in a low voice:

"Brother Xianyu is not entirely wrong. If he were a fellow Daoist, he would not be a good person. But if he were the sect leader, he would be considered to have been utterly devoted and beyond reproach."

Xianyu Qiong was slightly taken aback, then shook his head and sighed with a smile:

"As expected of Li Pinghe, you see through people to the bone, yet you never know how to hide anything."

Li Pinghe smiled slightly and finished speaking: "If I were you, I would make a pact with Li Pinghe that the secrets of the Earth Immortal Path can only be spoken by me and heard by you, and will not be known to anyone else."

Xianyu Qiong's smile was tinged with helplessness:

"I knew you had the most tricks up your sleeve. Fine, I won't argue. The foundation of our ancestors rests on my shoulders alone. If this isn't kept secret, five hundred years of foundation will be destroyed in a single day. How will I face the world then?"

"Let's not talk about these boring things."

Li Pinghe, however, interrupted with a smile:

"Since it shouldn't be known to me, yet you claim it came from me today, it seems you have some plans. Since you don't need to worry about the Nine Yang Sect's spiritual cave being revealed to the world, then you must have some great reliance on you... Are you going to invite people from Penglai Pavilion?"

Upon hearing this, even though Xianyu Qiong was already very familiar with him, he couldn't help but stare in astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost or a god.

It took him a while to come to his senses, and he shook his head repeatedly:

"You're fortunate you didn't attain the Foundation Establishment stage; if you had, your name would be known throughout the world... You brat, are you perhaps a mind reader?"

Xianyu Qiong was much older than him, so calling him "young man" was quite appropriate. Li Pinghe didn't take it to heart, nor was he smug; he simply smiled and said:

"I fear that this plan, intended to drive the wolf out of the tiger, will instead lead the wolf into the house."

"That's not what you think."

Xianyu Qiong shook his head and said, "Penglai Pavilion is one of the major sects in Qingzhou, famous throughout the world. It still has many spiritual sites overseas, and it does not lack our Jiuyang Sect. Back then, our sect's founder was originally an outer disciple of the Chunyang lineage of Penglai Pavilion. Due to some reason, he went south and entered the Dao at Baiyun Mountain in Song State. He also registered his name in the Chunyang lineage. If the outer sect asks for help, they will send people to come."

He paused, his expression growing increasingly helpless:

"Moreover, we have no other choice. The Qinghe River will head south the next day. We are no match for them. Wen Yao has also made it clear that they want to gather the spiritual resources of the seven sects of the Song Kingdom and put them all into one spiritual cave to support the many foundations of the Qinghe Sect. Naturally, there will be no place for the cultivators of the Song Kingdom to stand."

Li Pinghe nodded in agreement. This was a perfectly understandable principle. Spiritual caves were limited, and even the Qinghe Sect itself didn't have enough to use, let alone others.

He nodded and said:

"Since you have thought it through, I have nothing more to say. Between two evils, choose the lesser. The future of the State of Song is indeed hard to say. Taking a risky gamble may not necessarily be a bad thing."

"So, what are your thoughts?"

Xianyu Qiong looked at Li Pinghe with piercing eyes that left no room for evasion.

Li Pinghe pondered for a moment and replied:

"It's just a matter of doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate."

He paused, then continued:

"If you need it, I can use the State of Song as a base to set up a large formation over the next six months, which will be my small contribution."

Xianyu Qiong nodded happily:

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I guess Wei Ran saw your talent and that's why he's been trying so hard to curry favor with you."

Upon hearing this, Li Pinghe simply smiled but remained silent.

He has far more skills than just this.

However, he had long lost interest in offering treasures. No matter how much ability he had at the Qi Refining Realm, it was ultimately no match for the power of the Foundation Establishment Realm. His battle with Wen Yao made him see this even more clearly.

"The Spirit Cave...where does my destiny lie?"

He kept asking himself these questions.