I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 246 Master and Disciple Reunite!

A gust of cold wind blew by, ruffling Xie An's long hair. He looked up and around, only to see that the city walls were high and wide, and the surrounding fields were deserted and empty.

The surroundings were desolate and bleak.

Jin Yuping went into seclusion in her cave, and Chen Yuer went too...

In the vast ancient city, Xie An was left all alone.

He lingered outside Chen Yuer's cave for a very long time before finally turning away.

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Yuer had also been standing behind the cave entrance for a long time.

Xie An was reluctant to part with her, and so was Chen Yu'er.
After all, the two had supported each other through thick and thin, traveling all the way from Qingwu County to Yunzhou, and more than ten years had passed since then. They had long since become the closest and most inseparable partners.

Only when the footsteps outside the cave gradually faded into the distance did Chen Yu'er sigh softly, then return to the cave and sit cross-legged...

……

Xie An took a stroll around the neighborhood.

This city-state has a drill ground, a training ground, and a place that resembles a gladiatorial arena.

But there was no one there.

Apart from the howling wind, there was no other sound.

Judging from these furnishings and structures, this city-state once housed at least 100,000 people.

But... where did all these people go?

How come there are only eight hundred Qi Refining stage cultivators left?
Do eight hundred Qi Refining stage cultivators need to live in such a large city-state?

Xie An sensed something was wrong.

Something must have happened that caused everyone in the city-state to disappear.

"Surely 100,000 people can't just vanish without leaving a trace, can they?"

With this in mind, Xie An began searching the entire city-state, inside and out, but he couldn't find a single clue. In the end, he had no choice but to give up and return to the ancestral hall on the mountaintop.

Although some of the corpses of Qi Refining stage cultivators in this area have been moved, many still remain.

It means the incense sticks on the altar have burned out.

Xie An searched everywhere for incense sticks, hoping to return to that illusion and see the white-haired woman again.

The results were disappointing.

No more incense sticks were found here.

I feel like those three incense sticks were placed there by someone.

Left with no other choice, Xie An had to abandon his idea and prepare to move the corpse to his cave to follow Chen Yuer and the others in seclusion for cultivation.

This was a rare opportunity, and Chen Yu'er didn't want to miss it, so Xie An naturally didn't want to miss it either.

If I cultivate here for eight to ten years, my cultivation level should improve significantly. It won't be too late to go out then.

After some effort, Xie An finally managed to move twenty corpses into a cave and bury them beneath the spiritual plants. Looking at the lush and verdant plants, Xie An breathed a sigh of relief.

"Everything is ready, time to begin seclusion."

There is a button on a stone on one side of the cave entrance. Just press it, and the huge stone door will fall down and be pulled up to open it.

Xie An was about to press the button.

suddenly--

when!
A bell suddenly rang out from the mountaintop.

Ok?
Xie An immediately became wary.

I've been here for a long time, but I've never heard the bell ring.

Could it be that someone else has arrived?

Out of caution, Xie An decided to go to the top of the mountain to take a look.

He ran to the top of the mountain, held his breath, and secretly went to the bell tower behind the main hall, only to find it empty and deserted. There were no footprints on the ground around him.

"That's really strange... That bell ringing just now was definitely not an illusion."

Xie An lay in wait in the shadows for two days, observing, but still saw no one appear. Finally, he had no choice but to give up and return to his cave to cultivate.

Before leaving, he was still worried, so he went to the ancestral hall.

Xie An was stunned as soon as he reached the door.

He sensed that something had changed in the ancestral hall; it was different from before.

The number of remaining Qi Refining stage cultivator corpses hadn't decreased. But why did it feel different?
Xie An quickly discovered the reason.

The posture and direction of the Qi Refining cultivator's kneeling had slightly shifted.

Originally, they all bowed straight towards the person in charge, but now they have deviated slightly from that direction. If you don't look closely, you really won't notice.

Has anyone been here?

Or did something else happen?

If someone comes, why would they move the kneeling corpses of Qi Refining stage cultivators one by one?

What's the point of having nothing to do after a full meal?
Just as Xie An was looking in the direction of the kneeling corpse of the Qi Refining stage cultivator, he was shocked to see a person standing under a statue in front of the left side of the ancestral hall.

a woman.

She was dressed entirely in white, with a full head of white hair.

Although her back was to Xie An, he could sense that this woman was the same woman he had seen in the illusion before.

Can one see illusions without incense?
Xie An quickly rubbed his eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, the woman was still there.

It's definitely not an illusion!
Xie An broke out in a cold sweat and immediately took out the Purple Light Blade, a talismanic artifact. At the same time, he activated the Soul Burial Scripture, infusing part of his soul into the Purple Light Blade, ready to make a move at any moment.

With Xie An's current skill in controlling weapons using the Soul Burial Scripture, he would not be afraid even when facing cultivators at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining.

But this woman was different.

She is absolutely terrifying.

We can't afford to mess with them.

Seeing that the woman had her back to him, Xie An retreated step by step. Unconsciously, his clothes were soaked through.

Just as Xie An was about to leave the ancestral hall, he discovered that he could not move his body.

At first, he thought it was due to excessive tension, but after several attempts, he found that he really couldn't move.

Gulu.

Xie An sensed that something serious was about to happen, so he took the initiative to speak up, "I did not come here intentionally; I have stumbled upon this place by mistake. Please allow me to leave immediately."

The woman remained silent.

The brief silence put Xie An under immense pressure. "If I have offended you in any way, please speak frankly."

The woman remained silent.

The atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating.

After a long time, the woman finally spoke, "I have been waiting for you to come here."

Xie An was somewhat overwhelmed by what he heard. "Please explain further."

The woman said, "I wanted to see if you could activate the Five-Colored Lotus and open the gates of the ancient city of Kongsang. Now it seems you have succeeded."

Xie An felt a chill run down his spine.

How did this woman know that I possessed the Five-Colored Lotus?
You should know that the five-colored lotus was one of Xie An's greatest secrets.

Very few people have ever known this.

How did this woman find out?

We've only met once.

Now that the enemy and friend were unclear, Xie An cautiously asked, "How did you know?"

The woman said, "We met outside Yunzhou City, have you forgotten?"

Xie An replied, "Of course I remember."

The woman said, "Actually, I knew about you back in Qingwu County."

Xie An finally realized something.

Just then, the woman said, "My good disciple, your memory isn't very good. In the blink of an eye, you've already forgotten your master."

hiss!
Xie An took a breath of cold air.