Longevity Candle

Chapter 150 Forgotten River Inn
The abundant essence of flesh and blood enters the body, transforming into magical power and refining the soul.

With the help of the Blood Lotus, Jiang Xiyue and the others greatly increased their magical power.

Because his blood, flesh, essence, and vital energy were too immense, it wasn't until his twenty-seventh year of immortal cultivation that he was able to fully refine them.

Jiang Xiyue was surrounded by heat waves, like a furnace.

Compared to the others, she absorbed the most because a blood lotus had been refined into her body, which naturally made the refining process faster.

The spirit is unaffected by the sunlight and feels very comfortable.

The daily wandering of the spirit is the final stage of refining qi into spirit; the next stage is refining spirit into emptiness.

According to the methods jointly deduced and created by the Dao Ancestors, advancing to the Refining Spirit and Returning to Emptiness is equivalent to a Great Spirit, with magical power as vast as the ocean.

"Come see me at the back of the mountain."

Jiang Xiyue and Kong Lan heard Lan Yue's voice in their minds.

The two exchanged a glance, then got up and headed towards the back of the mountain.

There is a lychee orchard on the back hill, with stone tables set up, and the aroma of fine tea filling the air.

The two bowed and greeted the Dao Ancestor: "Greetings."

"Please sit down." Lan Yue nodded slightly and said, "I called you here today to discuss your future paths."

"The future?" the two asked curiously. "What future? Slaying demons and monsters?"

They had been cultivating in the Five Elements Holy Land. When demons caused trouble nearby, they would go out to slay them and live a comfortable life.

“Your talents are remarkable. In the past, closing yourself off to cultivate would have been the best option.”

But times have changed; simple meditation is now far beyond their reach.

Lan Yue said softly, "Moreover, the crisis at the eighteenth level is imminent, and we need your help as well."

“We will do our best,” Jiang Xiyue said, as she knew about the eighteenth floor.

Kong Lan knew the answer and nodded in response, "Dao Ancestor, what should we do?"

"The old dragon and Jiang Yunmeng brought out an ancient ruin in the void."

Lan Yue said solemnly, "There are some ancient immortal techniques, ancient immortal artifacts, and sealed demons in those ancient ruins. We've discussed having you take people there."

"Ancient ruins?" The two perked up. "When?"

“It will be in a month,” Lan Yue said. “This is only the first step for you, and you will need to work together, because geniuses from other lineages will also be going there.”

"Will Li Wuwei go too?" Jiang Xiyue asked.

"Not only him, but also the Buddha of the West, Li Changge of the Way of Peace, Yun Feng of the Way of Freedom, and Su Qing of the Way of Illusion will all go there."

Lan Yue said slowly, "I heard that the Wandering Sect will also be going, but it hasn't been decided who will go for that little scatterbrain yet."

"Dao Ancestor, we will definitely not lose to them," Kong Lan said.

"Being too competitive isn't a good thing; the main purpose is for you to get to know each other."

Lan Yue said, "After this, you don't need to come back. Now I'll give you two choices: the South China Sea or the North China Sea."

After thinking about it, she ultimately gave the choice to the two of them, without deciding directly who would go to the South China Sea and who would go to the North China Sea.

"The South China Sea and the North China Sea?" the two asked curiously. "What are we going there for?"

"We are not enough to deal with the eighteenth level if we seek out the old elf."

Li Changge of the Taiping Sword Sect decided to go to the East Sea to find the Old Kui Niu and resolve the grudge between the sect's founder and him.

Lan Yue didn't hide anything and told the story.

The Taiping Sword Dao, under the leadership of Dao Ancestor Gu Qingxu, severed the five-hundred-year-old wounds of the Old Kui Niu at the cost of a thousand years of serious injury.

This time, Li Changge's journey was fraught with peril, but he still insisted on going.

In order to deal with the eighteenth floor who is about to break out of the cage, we must resolve our grudges to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

"What grudges do the South China Sea and the North China Sea have?" Jiang Xiyue asked.

"There is no enmity between us and the South China Sea. After we go there, we will be guided by merfolk to cultivate ourselves and visit the old spirits of the South China Sea."

Lan Yue paused, then said solemnly, "There is a grudge in the north, involving the Eternal Heaven of the grasslands. Back then, the Eternal Heaven Path and the Heavenly Path, along with the grassland spirits, besieged your father, and he imprisoned them all in the eighteenth level."

"Huh? My father?" Jiang Xiyue was stunned. "Isn't my father a Qi cultivator from the Wandering Sect? But the Wandering Sect didn't exist back then, did it?"

Although they knew about the eighteen levels, they didn't know anything about the battle from that year.

"Back then, your father hadn't joined the Wandering Sect yet. Moreover, the Taiping Dao originated from Li Qingping's trickery of the grasslands, and the enmity was already formed at that time."

Blue Moon said in a deep voice, "Now that the Eternal Heaven of the Grasslands has returned, the other Grassland Elves are gone. This debt will definitely be held against you."

Jiang Xiyue opened her mouth, but couldn't refute it.

Although she was shocked by her father's actions, the grudge was indeed too deep to be resolved.

Kong Lan replied, "Then I'll go to the North, and let Xi Yue go to the South China Sea."

"Wait, aren't we going to Beihai? Can't I go around the grasslands?" Jiang Xiyue asked.

“The Eternal Heaven is traveling in the North Sea, where he is surrounded by familiar friends,” Lan Yue sighed. “Moreover, all of us from different Dao lineages are in cahoots, so anyone who goes there will face difficulties, though the level of difficulty will vary.”

"Then why don't we go?" Kong Lan asked.

"We have no choice but to go." Lan Yue shook her head and said, "The clues found by the old dragon have great power in all four seas. Only the old elves of the four seas understand them. Shakyamuni of the West will go to the Western Sea. The most troublesome one is the Northern Sea."

They have always been friends in the South China Sea. Although there are grudges in the East China Sea, the tabby cat is somewhat confident in dealing with Lao Kui Niu.

"Where did Li Wuwei go?" Jiang Xiyue asked.

"I don't know, it's not decided yet." Lan Yue pondered, "Now you two discuss who goes to the South China Sea and who goes to the North China Sea."

“I’m going to Beihai,” Jiang Xiyue said firmly. “Since it’s a grudge left behind by my father, then it should be me who resolves it.”

"Your parents may not be able to get there in time to save you, and we won't be able to get there immediately either."

Lan Yue said in a deep voice, "If you go to the North Sea, your only chance of survival is to find the old tortoise that moved there from the South Sea before the Eternal Heaven discovers you."

"Old turtle?"

"Yes, there was once an ancient spirit in the South China Sea, an old tortoise. It was as large as an island, and on its back was Peach Blossom Island, the birthplace of Li Qingchen and the burial place of Li Qingxuan."

Lan Yue said, "I've been inquiring about him all these years, and he should have gone to Beihai."

"Is there any way to find him?" Jiang Xiyue asked.

"I don't know. You should be able to see Li Qingchen when you come out of the ancient ruins. I wonder if he has any clues," Lan Yue said.

"Okay," Jiang Xiyue replied.

Kong Lan frowned: "If it doesn't work, I'll go to Beihai. Although we are all of the same lineage, Nanling and the Five Elements Dao have no grudges with Changshengtian."

“I will go. It is my duty to solve Father’s troubles.” Jiang Xiyue said, “Maybe I will be lucky and meet Senior Old Turtle as soon as I arrive in Beihai.”

"Then it's settled. Go back and prepare to head to the ancient ruins," Lan Yue said.

The two men rose, bowed, and left the back mountain.

They returned to their rooms, and the voice of Blue Moon echoed in their minds, recounting the story of the ancient ruins.

This ancient ruin is located in the void, and cultivators of the Yang God realm from various Dao lineages will go there.

If one has sufficient comprehension and can comprehend the void, one can advance to the Refining Spirit and Returning to Emptiness stage in one fell swoop.

Speaking of enlightenment, Jiang Xiyue thought of Li Wuwei; his talent was truly terrifying.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Xiyue, Kong Lan, and twenty other cultivators who had not yet reached the Yang God realm left the Five Elements Path together and headed to West Kunlun.

The ancient ruins that the old dragon and his team found were placed on the summit of West Kunlun Mountain.

High in the sky, Li Qingchen, Tian She Nu, Lan Yue and other elves had all arrived.

Jiang Xiyue and the others arrived at the mountain peak but saw no trace of the ancient ruins. The next moment, ripples appeared in the void, and terrifying void turbulence raged, as if it were about to burst out and destroy the world.

Many cultivators wore solemn expressions, their eyes filled with fear.

That chaotic void current was extremely dangerous; if one were caught in it, even a great cultivator at the Yang God level would be reduced to dust in an instant.

A brilliant beam of light swept across, and the raging void turbulence was instantly quelled.

The Qi cultivators rode the clouds, crossed the turbulent void, and entered the unknown ancient ruins.

"Is that Jiang Xiyue?" Jiang Yunmeng stood high in the sky, watching Jiang Xiyue enter the ruins.

“Yes, she’s kind of like your sister,” Lan Yue replied.

Jiang Yunmeng frowned and asked, "Does Jiang Zhu know about what you're doing?"

"I don't know, but the Nine-Colored Deer does," Blue Moon said. "There's nothing we can do about it. Jiang Zhu has his carefree life, but we have our goals."

"What do you mean by 'wild crane'?" Bai Shuang said, displeased. "My husband and I are doing just fine, don't drag us into this."

Lan Yue rolled her eyes at him: "Has the old dragon sent back any new information?"

“No, the old dragon and the nine-colored deer haven’t sent any messages in a long time,” Jiang Yunmeng said.

"I don't know if pursuing this is right or wrong. I feel that we are on the path of immortality and following the will of Heaven," Lan Yue sighed.

“We are working for peace and tranquility, unlike them,” Jiang Yunmeng said solemnly.

The Path of Longevity and the Path of Following Heaven are for the purpose of achieving longevity; they are for solving the problem of the eighteen levels.

“That’s true.” Lan Yue dismissed her distracting thoughts and concealed herself.

Jiang Yunmeng has also left; she still has many things to take care of.

They have already cleared out the ancient ruins; what remains are gifts prepared for the Qi cultivators.

They still need to clean up the things they brought out.

Crossing the turbulent void, what lay before me was a blinding crimson, a pungent odor, and a chilling, bone-deep cold.

Looking down, all they could see was a boundless, still sea of ​​blood.

Jiang Xiyue remained expressionless, but she felt a unique sensation within her body, as if this place was very familiar.

Blood Lotus!
This is related to the blood lotus.

"Each of you take a few people and search around," Kong Lan said.

Jiang Xiyue nodded, took five Qi Refiners, found the direction with the strongest sense, and rode away on a cloud.

Qi cultivators from various schools of thought also chose their own paths.

Some directly activated their magic power to attack the sea of ​​blood, attempting to split it open and see what was inside.

As the sea surface parted, the water inside remained crimson blood, with no sign of the seabed.

Jiang Xiyue led the five people away on a cloud. The scene remained the same: an endless sea of ​​blood, with nothing else in sight.

"I'll go down and take a look."

She paused, looking down at the still sea of ​​blood below: "If there's a problem, bring me up."

“Let us go down,” a young man said.

"No need, I'm fine." Jiang Xiyue shook her head slightly: "I have something my mother gave me, which might be helpful."

Having said that, she rode down on a cloud and came to the sea.

The still sea of ​​blood was as hard as land. She withdrew her magic and stood on the surface of the sea without falling in.

She looked down at the sea of ​​blood, where dark shadows appeared, twisted and contorted together.

The next moment, the shadow coalesced to reveal her face, like an ordinary reflection in the sea.

Jiang Xiyue felt her internal magical power fluctuating, and she could feel her essence, energy, and spirit leaking out.

The magic power was like a knife, slashing down.

With a deafening roar, the tranquil sea of ​​blood exploded, unleashing towering waves and a stench that assaulted the nostrils.

Her magic formed a barrier, and the waves crashed down, hissing and eroding her magic.

Black ropes extended from the sea of ​​blood, wrapped around her feet, and pulled downwards with force.

A long, silver-white sword swung down, severing the rope.

But the ropes instantly reconnected, continuing to pull on her.

The five Qi cultivators above swooped down, their five-colored rainbows transforming into pillars of light that enveloped Jiang Xiyue.

Rumble

Suddenly, a colossal wave surged in the distance, transforming into a giant hand that slammed down on the five people.

"Be careful." Jiang Xiyue's magic sword unleashed a yin light, and a small golden tower rose from between her brows, enveloping the five people.

Rumble

The crimson giant hand descended, shattering the golden pagoda and extinguishing the light of the moon.

The five Qi cultivators were sent flying and crashed heavily into the sea of ​​blood.

Jiang Xiyue's feet suddenly lost their footing, and the black rope suddenly unleashed its magical power, pulling her into the sea of ​​blood.

At that moment, an absurd thought suddenly arose in her mind—the sea of ​​blood is alive!
The terrifying corrosive power instantly eroded her flesh and blood, causing intense pain that pierced her very soul.

Jiang Xiyue felt as if her soul was about to explode, her flesh and blood were melting away, revealing her stark white bones.

The magical power within his body was almost instantly shattered.

Flesh and blood dissolved, internal organs also disappeared, and the body became heavier and heavier, falling towards the seabed.

Consciousness gradually grew heavy until it plunged into darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Xiyue gradually regained consciousness. She had lost all her flesh and blood, leaving only a skeleton, and she could no longer sense any magical power.

To her surprise, even though she was just a skeleton, she could still see everything around her clearly.

She seemed to be in a city, surrounded by dark houses, with a blood-red sky.

The streets were deserted, save for a few skeletons wandering aimlessly.

An old woman wrapped in a black robe was squatting in front of a house.

Jiang Xiyue shifted slightly, her frame cracking, but thankfully it didn't fall apart.

Gray currents of air drifted through the void, and the several bewildered skeletons seemed to be guided toward the old woman's location.

Jiang Xiyue followed the skeleton to where the old woman was, and looked up at the plaque above the door—Wangchuan Inn.

The old woman slowly raised her head, her face beaming with a warm smile: "Distinguished guests, please come inside. Welcome to Wangchuan."

Several skeletons followed the old woman into the inn.

Jiang Xiyue followed behind them and sat down at a table. There were nine of them in total, all crammed together.

“Taiping Farm Road, Li Wuwei,” said a skeleton.

"It really is you, Five Elements Path, Kong Lan."

"Li Changge, Yunfeng, Su Qing... Shakya..."

"Wandering Sect, Willow".

As the group introduced themselves, Jiang Xiyue was about to speak when the eighth skeleton spoke first: "Jiang Xiyue, of the Five Elements lineage."

Jiang Xiyue: "??"

who am I?
where am I?
(End of this chapter)