Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 225 A Fallen Sect
Ye Beixuan calmed down and carefully sensed the river in the void that meandered like a ribbon or golden thread.

At this moment, he felt as if he were in chaos, where time seemed to stand still, yet also seemed to be passing by at a speed of ten thousand years in a second.

Suddenly, he felt as if he were suddenly plunged into a thick, inky darkness.

Immediately, a tiny, almost imperceptible light appeared in the darkness.

As time went on, this bright spot continued to expand, gradually growing like a heart, until it finally reached its limit and exploded violently.

Amidst the explosion, a towering figure wielding a giant axe was revealed.

"Could this be the origin of the creation of the world?" Ye Beixuan was deeply shocked.

After the explosion, a bright spot suddenly appeared in the void, illuminating the darkness.

As this bright spot appeared, countless other bright spots in the void seemed to be lit up by an invisible hand, emerging one after another.

The initial bright spot, as its energy was depleted over time, began to collapse into an imperceptible black hole.

Its surrounding space is distorted and deformed, attracting bright spots around it to rotate around it, thus outlining a complete galaxy.

Following this, countless galaxies formed one after another, together outlining a vast and magnificent trillion-star universe.

They are far apart from each other and seem unconnected, yet they are intertwined, forming a winding, flowing ribbon of stars.

Feeling the vastness of the universe, Ye Beixuan felt as insignificant as a drop in the ocean.

He couldn't help but wonder how to find that unique light.
"Bei Xuan." Just as he was falling into despair, a faint and ethereal voice came.

The voice seemed to transcend time and space, carrying a faint sense of familiarity that sent a jolt through his heart.

He subconsciously turned his head to find the source of the sound, and in that instant, among the countless galaxies, an inconspicuous yet extremely special bright spot flickered, attracting his attention, as if it were a lonely beacon guiding his way.

"Find that light." Ye Suifeng's voice suddenly exploded in Ye Beixuan's mind.

"Could this be the place?" Ye Beixuan's heart trembled violently, and an indescribable sadness suddenly welled up in his heart.

Without the slightest hesitation, he flashed and chased after the beam of light.

However, a strange scene happened.

The light was so close, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get close.

Just when he felt it was within reach, it instantly felt impossibly far away; the point of light seemed to always maintain a fixed distance from him, never changing.

"What's going on? Is it a spacetime barrier?" Ye Beixuan frowned, constantly thinking of a solution. At the same time, he continued to approach the light spot without stopping. But this situation was just like chasing the sun when he was a child. The light spot always seemed very close, but in reality, it was very far away.

Just when he was at his wit's end, the Mirror of Reincarnation suddenly appeared in mid-air, emitting a dazzling white light.

In an instant, the entire starry sky was illuminated by white light, as if it were a world away yet so close.

The next second, Ye Beixuan appeared in front of the light spot.

Upon closer inspection, the white light turned out to be a deep passage, and at the end of the passage was the location of the mysterious source of light.

"I have no choice but to take a gamble." Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Beixuan took a deep breath, leaped into the air, and his figure was instantly swallowed up.

The moment he leaped in, the passage closed up completely, like seawater that had been cleaved open.

Inside the passage, Ye Beixuan felt his body being pulled by a powerful suction force, and he was uncontrollably speeding towards the end of the passage.

He didn't know how much time had passed—maybe a second, maybe ten thousand years—when he suddenly felt his body lighten and the uncontrollable suction disappeared.

Just as I was about to take control of my body, I suddenly felt a lack of spiritual energy, followed by a feeling of weightlessness.

With a loud "thud," a violent impact hit him, and excruciating pain instantly swept through his body. His vision went black, and he passed out.

Shortly after he landed, a tiny, almost imperceptible bright spot in the sky shimmered in the sunlight, tracing a perfect parabola before landing precisely on his chest—a small shard of mirror.

After an unknown amount of time, in a daze, Ye Beixuan felt a sweet and moist sensation in his dry throat, and he subconsciously began to suck on it.

A cool sensation instantly spread throughout his body, and the pain in his body immediately lessened. He subconsciously moved his body.

At this movement, a joyful voice suddenly rang out.

"He's awake! He's awake! Senior sister, he's awake!" A boy of about fifteen years old shouted as he ran away, his voice fading into the distance.

A moment later, a beautiful figure entered the room and came to the bedside to take his pulse.

"It's a miracle that he's still alive after suffering such severe injuries." The woman's voice was soft and gentle. She continued, "Xiao Hu, you continue to take care of him. I still have to go refine pills today, or I'm afraid I won't be able to deliver the goods."

"Yes, senior sister."

Three days later.

In a deserted, dilapidated courtyard, under a crooked old tree, a man was telling a story vividly to several teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old.

"In the end, Tang Wan returned the favor by writing a poem, 'The Phoenix Hairpin: The World's Feelings Are Thin,' to her ex-husband Lu You. She then fell ill with depression and died at the young age of twenty-eight."

The group listened intently, and upon hearing of Tang Wan's untimely death, they all sighed with sorrow.

The little tiger, who had been feeding Ye Beixuan medicine and taking good care of him for the past three days, sighed, "So there are also poignant stories like my father and mother in the mortal world."

One of the older girls retorted, "This kind of poignant beauty isn't actually good."

Ye Beixuan was taken aback, realizing that the child had some insight.

She continued, speaking in a detailed manner: "Although Tang Wan was forced to separate from Lu You by his mother, she later married a husband who loved her and should not have any second thoughts. This is so unfair to Zhao Shicheng."

Ye Beixuan remained silent after hearing this. The woman who spoke was named Shanshan, and she was an abandoned baby.

After three days in the Immortal Realm, he learned from various sources that relatively few people in the Immortal Realm had ascended from the lower realms; the vast majority were native inhabitants.

Because the celestial realm is rich in spiritual energy, they are born at the Nascent Soul stage. However, it is extremely difficult for people in the celestial realm to conceive, and they have very few children.

The realms above the Nascent Soul stage are, in order, Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, Great Luo Golden Immortal, Sage, and Emperor. Only Empress Wugou has reached the Emperor level.

The Heavenly Court, located in the eastern region of the Immortal Realm, rules the entire Immortal Realm.

The West is a paradise, inhabited by great monks, and ruled by the Buddha.

The south was a gathering place for major sects governed by sages like the Three Pure Ones.

Ye Beixuan was currently in a remote corner of the Southern Region of the Immortal Realm, at the Tianyan Sect, a subordinate sect of the Tiansui Palace.
Despite its imposing name, the sect appeared rather dilapidated. The Northern Region of the Immortal Realm was quite unique; it was a sea of ​​blood, where countless demons were said to appear every year, keeping the Heavenly Court busy and causing many gods to perish in battle.

Even the Eastern, Western, and Southern regions were nearly conquered by these demons.

For thousands of years, the gods of Heaven and some major sects have made tremendous efforts to barely form an opposition to the demons. In recent decades, a large number of gods have reincarnated and returned, showing a faint trend of counterattack, suppressing all the demons in the Blood Sea.

Although the demons of the Blood Sea were temporarily suppressed, it caused great suffering to the common people at the bottom of society.

They worked day and night to refine elixirs and forge weapons for the heavenly soldiers and generals, and would be punished if they failed to deliver the goods.

After some disciples of sects reach the Earth Immortal level, they are often sent to the battlefield to fight against the Blood Sea Demons, and they almost never return.

He was shocked when he first heard this news. He had thought that immortals were gods who were above worldly affairs, but he was greatly disappointed after inquiring. The social structure of the immortal realm was not much different from that of the mortal realm. There were also rulers and classes. The only difference was that the overall combat power was higher.

"Alright, that's the end of the story."

With a sigh, Ye Beixuan watched his disciples depart. These children had all lost their parents while fighting against the Blood Sea Demons and had been sent to various sects to cultivate since childhood.

Those with connections and exceptional talent will be sent to better sects; conversely, those without connections will be sent to impoverished sects.

"Brother Ye, isn't the mortal world very happy? There's no war, no demons, and everyone can live together peacefully." Little Tiger's eyes revealed longing, as if he was filled with endless fantasies about the mortal world.

Ye Beixuan patted his head, thinking to himself, "It seems there's a saying that's true: traveling is about going from a place you're tired of to a place someone else is tired of."

It's likely that the seven fairies thought the same thing before descending to earth, but after spending all their money, they returned to the place they were tired of.

"Actually, it's the same everywhere. Just focus on your cultivation and live your own life."

"Oh!" Little Tiger nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

After seeing everyone off, Ye Beixuan returned to his room to ponder. He was currently only at the Human Immortal realm; once he broke through to the Earth Immortal realm, he would likely be dragged to the battlefield.

Fortunately, I have a magical artifact called "One Thought, a Thousand Faces" to conceal my identity.

However, one cannot slack off in cultivation. Although I am invincible in the mortal realm, I am still insignificant in this immortal realm.

He sat cross-legged in the room, guiding the spiritual energy of the celestial realm to impact his primordial spirit according to the methods of the Chaos Technique. He continuously absorbed spiritual energy, compressed and purified it, and then injected it into his dantian, attempting to further strengthen his celestial body in order to unlock the power left to him by the Heavenly Lord of the Wind.

As the spiritual energy was continuously compressed and purified, it traveled along his body, gradually strengthening his immortal body. The power sealed in his dantian was like a melting ice ball, releasing little by little, constantly raising his realm, and he had even touched the threshold of the Earth Immortal realm.

Brother Ye

Just as he was preparing to break through to a higher realm, a shout suddenly came from outside the door, interrupting him.

Ye Beixuan immediately stopped his practice, slightly opened his eyes, got up and opened the door. He saw Xiao Hu looking anxious and saying, "Brother Ye, hurry up and help! Senior Sister Yaoyao doesn't have enough materials to refine the Breaking Illusion Pill, so she ordered us to go to the herb garden to dig for herbs. We don't have enough manpower right now, so come with me to help."

Yao Yao was the senior sister who brought the unconscious Ye Beixuan back to the Tianyan Sect. She was the strongest disciple in the sect, and her cultivation had just entered the Earth Immortal realm.

Because the sect needed an alchemist, he didn't go to the battlefield and was instead assigned to logistics.

Due to the recent intense fighting at the front, the Blood Sea demons have been attacking the Heavenly Court and the Western Paradise like madmen. Cultivators from the Southern Region have all rushed to provide support, leading to a surge in demand for elixirs and magical artifacts, which has caused great hardship for the smaller sects below.

"it is good"

The two walked along the winding mountain path of the sect, and suddenly a vast flat area came into view.

As far as the eye can see, the spiritual plants are lush and verdant, their petals of various shapes surrounded by a faint glow and exuding a rich medicinal fragrance.

The worst medicinal herbs here are priceless treasures in the mortal world, but here they are merely the most basic.

"Brother Ye, let's go dig for Heart-Bewitching Grass. You come with me and I'll teach you," Xiao Hu said, rolling up his sleeves with a rather arrogant tone.

He had worked in the medicinal herb garden for several years and was already proficient in the process of digging for herbs.

"Thank you very much then," Ye Beixuan replied.

To be fair, Xiao Hu taught him quite well. Ye Beixuan gradually mastered some common sense about digging for medicinal herbs, such as how not to damage the root system and how to dig in a way that prevents the medicinal properties from being lost.

After working for a long time, Xiao Hu finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's enough. Let's hurry up and deliver it to Senior Sister Yao Yao! Without this Breaking Illusion Pill, the heavenly soldiers and generals can easily be bewitched by demons and fall into evil."

"Let's go!" Ye Beixuan looked at the meager amount of herbs he had dug up, then at Xiao Hu's harvest, which was several times greater than his own, and patted Xiao Hu's shoulder apologetically.

This is a matter of practice makes perfect. In the same amount of time and with the same tools, some people are just faster and more efficient than you, and this has little to do with laziness.

The two returned along the winding mountain road and soon arrived at a courtyard.

Even from a distance, Ye Beixuan could smell the aroma of medicinal pills.

Little Tiger, carrying a medicine basket on his back, ran happily into the courtyard where the alchemy room was located, shouting, "Senior Sister Yaoyao, I'm here!"

The two unconsciously looked towards the alchemy room.

A woman, her expression focused and beads of sweat dripping from her forehead, moved her hands in rapid succession, forming hand seals. The medicinal herbs placed beside her were carefully placed into the alchemy furnace one by one, in precise timing and location.

Under her control, the fire in the furnace sometimes raged fiercely, and sometimes smoldered gently. However, Ye Beixuan could tell that she was nearing her limit and was only barely managing to keep going.

Suddenly, the alchemy furnace trembled violently, and the woman's hands, which were forming hand seals, trembled slightly as she tried to suppress the furnace's unusual movements.

"You all need to leave quickly, it's dangerous." She gritted her teeth and forced out the words.

"Oh no! Sister Yaoyao has been refining pills for days and is exhausted. I'm afraid the furnace will explode!" Xiao Hu put down his medicine basket, his face showing anxiety, pacing back and forth in a panic. He was only at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and he was afraid he couldn't help at this moment.

As soon as he finished speaking, a soft "crack" sound came, and a tiny crack appeared in the middle of the alchemy furnace, which then spread out like a spider web.

"Be careful." Ye Beixuan pushed Xiao Hu out of the courtyard with a palm strike, and at the same time, he flashed and struck Yao Yao on the back.

With the infusion of a large amount of spiritual energy, Yao Yao felt a significant reduction in pressure. She quickly formed hand seals, and the trembling alchemy furnace was finally suppressed.

As she finished casting the last incantation, Yao Yao let out a long sigh and bowed softly, saying, "Thank you for your help."

"Not at all, not at all," Ye Beixuan returned the greeting with a cupped hand. "It should be me thanking Miss for saving my life."

Yao Yao nodded, then said to Xiao Hu, "Xiao Hu, go to the Weapon Peak and get a pill furnace. This one is unusable."

"It's Senior Sister." Seeing that there was no danger, Xiao Hu relaxed slightly and turned to leave.

Looking at the furnace with countless cracks in its body, Ye Beixuan asked, "Miss Yaoyao, what kind of fuel is used in this furnace?"

Yao Yao was taken aback upon hearing this, and a surprised expression appeared on her face. She thought to herself, "He can't possibly be completely ignorant!"
(End of this chapter)