The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

The next morning, the sun rose.

Before the gate of Huangfeng Valley, thirteen streaks of light descended one after another. Leading them was Li Huayuan, a seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, dressed in a blue Daoist robe, with a solemn expression. Behind him stood twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators, ranging from the first to the fifth level, all elites of the External Affairs Hall.

Han Mu stood in the middle of the group, still dressed in a blue robe, his aura controlled at the first level of Foundation Establishment. He observed his teammates, most of whom were middle-aged or elderly, with only two younger ones who looked to be in their early thirties and had cultivation levels around the third level of Foundation Establishment.

"Gentlemen," Li Huayuan began, his voice not loud but clear enough to reach everyone's ears, "this mission is to go to the outskirts of Black Wind Ridge to establish a surveillance outpost and observe the spread of Yin energy. Remember, our mission is surveillance, not combat. Unless absolutely necessary, do not engage in combat with ghosts or cultivators of the Ghost Spirit Sect."

"Understood!" the group replied.

"Let's go." Li Huayuan waved his hand and took the lead, riding his sword into the air.

Thirteen streaks of light shot into the sky, heading northwest. Han Mu followed the group, maintaining a mid-range position. As he flew, he secretly observed his teammates' strength and reactions.

This team was well-trained, maintaining a diamond formation while flying. Li Huayuan was in front, with five people on each side, and Han Mu and another Foundation Establishment Level 1 cultivator in the middle and rear. This way, they could respond quickly no matter which direction they were attacked from.

After flying for an hour, they had entered the three-hundred-mile radius of Black Wind Ridge. The Yin energy in the air began to become more noticeable, although it was still very faint, it had already had some impact on the cultivators' spiritual energy circulation.

"Take the 'Heart-Clearing Pill'," Li Huayuan ordered.

Everyone took out their pills and swallowed them. The Mind-Clearing Pill could stabilize the mind and resist the erosion of Yin Sha Qi, making it an essential pill for exploring Yin Sha Lands. Han Mu also swallowed one, while secretly circulating the Pure Yang True Fire Technique. A wisp of pale golden Pure Yang True Fire traveled through his meridians, refining the Yin Sha Qi that had invaded his body.

"System, monitor the overall status of the team."

[Monitoring in progress...]

Team members: 13

[Status: Good (The effects of the Qingxin Pill are continuing, and the Yin Sha erosion level is below 1%)]

[Estimated duration of stay: 72 hours (based on current Yin energy concentration)]

Seventy-two hours, three days. Not a lot of time, but enough to establish a surveillance outpost.

After flying for another half an hour, when they were still a hundred miles away from the core area of ​​Black Wind Ridge, Li Huayuan raised his hand to signal them to stop.

"The concentration of Yin energy ahead has increased significantly; it's not advisable to proceed further." Li Huayuan surveyed the surroundings and pointed to a small hill below. "Establish a base there. Junior Brother Wang, you take three people to set up a warning array. Junior Sister Liu, you take two people to set up a communication array. The rest of you, clear the surrounding area and ensure safety."

"yes!"

The team sprang into action. Junior Brother Wang, a lean middle-aged man with a Foundation Establishment level four cultivation, was proficient in formations. He led three cultivators to the mountaintop, retrieved formation flags and plates, and began setting up the "Six Harmonies Alert Formation." This formation covered an area of ​​ten miles; any living being entering would trigger an alarm.

Junior Sister Liu is a female cultivator in her early thirties, at the third level of Foundation Establishment, and skilled in talisman arrays. She led two cultivators to set up a "Thousand-Mile Communication Array," enabling them to maintain contact with Yellow Maple Valley and report the situation at any time.

Han Mu was assigned to a group to clear the surrounding area. There were two other cultivators in the group: one was Zhao Tie, a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, who was burly and wielded a mountain-splitting axe; the other was Sun Ming, a first-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, who was younger and used a sword.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you're in charge of that grove of trees to the east," Zhao Tie pointed. "Check it carefully and see if there are any ghosts lurking there, or any unusual traces."

"Okay." Han Mu nodded and flew towards the eastern woods on his sword.

The forest wasn't large, covering about a hundred acres. The trees, influenced by the Yin energy, were a dark green with sparse branches and leaves. Han Mu landed in the forest, scanned it with his divine sense, and found no ghosts, but there were some messy footprints on the ground.

"System, analyze footprints."

[Analysis in progress...]

[Number of footprints: 7 people]

[Shoe print characteristics: Standard leather boots, possibly uniformly issued by a sect or family]

[Direction of travel: From west to east, heading towards the core area of ​​Black Wind Ridge]

[Estimated time: 12-24 hours ago]

Someone had been here, and it was very likely a group from a sect or family. Han Mu squatted down to examine the footprints carefully. The footprints varied in depth; the deepest one likely indicated a Qi Refining level of ten or higher, while the shallowest one indicated a Qi Refining level of six.

"People from the Ghost Spirit Sect? Or some other force?" Han Mu wondered. He followed the footprints for about three miles before they suddenly disappeared.

It didn't disappear naturally; it was deliberately erased. The method was crude—just a twig swept it away and a layer of fallen leaves covered it. If Han Mu hadn't possessed keen spiritual sense, he wouldn't have easily noticed.

"Something's wrong." Han Mu became alert. He took out his Guest Elder Token, recorded the discovery, and sent a message to Li Huayuan: "Elder Li, seven footprints have been found in the woods to the east, heading towards the core of Black Wind Ridge. They passed through within the last twelve hours, and the traces have been deliberately covered up."

Soon, Li Huayuan replied: "Received. Continue the investigation. Be careful."

Han Mu continued forward, walking another two miles, until a clearing appeared ahead. In the center of the clearing was the trace of a simple campfire, with several bones and fragments of talismans scattered around it.

He picked up the fragment of the talisman; it emitted faint fluctuations of spiritual energy. Although it was no longer effective, it was still recognizable as a fragment of an "exorcism talisman." The bones belonged to a wild beast, but they still retained a faint trace of Yin energy.

"Someone camped here, using exorcism talismans to ward off evil spirits, and even hunted wild animals," Han Mu judged. "But the fact that the wild animal carcasses were corroded by evil spirits indicates that the concentration of evil spirits was already quite high when they stayed here."

Who are these people? Why are they venturing deep into Black Wind Ridge? Han Mu's doubts deepened.

He continued his search and found a few more drops of dried blood at the edge of the camp. The blood was dark red, unlike that of a wild animal.

"System, analyze the bloodstains."

[Analysis in progress...]

[Blood composition: Human blood, Foundation Establishment stage cultivator]

[Blood condition: Contains traces of Yin energy erosion, with an erosion rate of approximately 15%]

[Speculation: A Foundation Establishment cultivator was injured here, and the wound was corroded by Yin Sha Qi.]

A Foundation Establishment cultivator is injured? Han Mu's eyes narrowed. This meant they had encountered danger, possibly from a ghost or something else.

Just as he was about to investigate further, he suddenly sensed a fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from afar. The fluctuation was very weak, but it carried a distinct aura of Yin and evil, and it was rapidly approaching.

"Something's coming." Han Mu immediately concealed his presence and hid behind a large tree.

A moment later, three dark figures darted out of the forest and landed on the clearing. They were three ghostly creatures, resembling humanoids but entirely black, with two horns on their heads—the very same Foundation Establishment stage ghosts Han Mu had encountered before. However, these three were weaker, only at the first level of Foundation Establishment.

The three ghostly figures circled the open space a few times, seemingly searching for something. One of them crouched down, sniffed the bloodstains on the ground, and let out a low growl.

They're tracking that group! Han Mu understood. That group had stayed here, leaving behind their presence and bloodstains, which attracted the ghosts.

The three ghosts searched for a while but found nothing and were about to leave. But just then, one of them suddenly turned its head, its blood-red eyes staring straight at the direction where Han Mu was hiding.

He'd been discovered? Han Mu's heart tightened. He'd clearly concealed his aura, how could this be...?

No, it wasn't a leak of aura. Han Mu looked down at his feet, where there was a withered leaf with a few specks of blood on it from when he was checking for bloodstains earlier. Although it was very little, the Foundation Establishment stage ghost's sense of smell was exceptionally keen, and he still managed to smell it.

"Roar!" The ghostly creature roared and pounced on Han Mu. The other two followed closely behind.

Now that he'd been discovered, it was time for battle. Han Mu calmly stepped out from behind the tree. He didn't immediately unleash his full power, but instead "barely" summoned his flying sword to fight the three ghosts.

The sword light clashed with the ghostly claws, producing a metallic clang. Han Mu was forced to retreat, sustaining several wounds and his breathing became unstable. While fighting fiercely, he sent a message to Li Huayuan: "Three miles to the east, we have encountered three Foundation Establishment Level 1 ghosts. Requesting reinforcements."

Soon, Li Huayuan replied: "Hold on, I'll be there soon!"

Han Mu gritted his teeth and managed to set up the Five Elements Sword Formation, trapping one of the ghosts. However, the other two attacked frantically, and the sword formation was on the verge of collapse. Just then, three streaks of light descended from the sky. It was Li Huayuan who had arrived with Zhao Tie and Sun Ming.

"You beast, you're courting death!" Li Huayuan roared, unleashing a palm strike. The spiritual power of a seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator transformed into a giant palm, directly slamming one of the ghosts into black mist. Zhao Tie and Sun Ming each intercepted one ghost, and the three of them joined forces, quickly slaying the remaining two.

After the battle, Han Mu, pale-faced, bowed to Li Huayuan and said, "Thank you for saving me, Elder Li."

"No need for formalities." Li Huayuan waved his hand, glancing at the ghostly corpses on the ground, his brows furrowed. "Three Foundation Establishment stage ghosts... The Yin Sha Ghost King's power is expanding faster than I imagined. Guest Elder Han, what did you say you discovered?"

Han Mu recounted the discovery of the footprints, the campsite, and the bloodstains. Li Huayuan's expression grew even more grave after listening.

"A seven-person team, including a Foundation Establishment cultivator, venturing deep into Black Wind Ridge... this is definitely not a coincidence," Li Huayuan said in a deep voice. "They are either from the Ghost Spirit Sect or sent by other forces to investigate. But in any case, we must find out their purpose."

"Elder Li, what should we do next?" Zhao Tie asked.

"Let's go back to the base first," Li Huayuan said. "Report the situation here back to the sect. Also, strengthen the defenses. I'm worried that those people might come back, or... attract more ghosts."

The group returned to their base on the mountaintop. The formation was complete; the Six Harmonies Warning Formation covered ten miles, and the Thousand-Mile Communication Formation was activated. Li Huayuan immediately relayed the day's findings back to Huangfeng Valley, requesting instructions.

As night fell, the malevolent energy of Black Wind Ridge intensified. Even with the protection of the Mind-Clearing Pills and the array, everyone still felt a suffocating chill.

Han Mu sat cross-legged inside his tent, circulating the Pure Yang True Fire Technique to refine the Yin Sha Qi that had invaded his body. At the same time, he pondered his discovery of the day.

Who exactly are those mysterious people? What are they searching for as they venture deep into Black Wind Ridge? Or are they connected to the Yin Sha Ghost King?

Just as he was pondering this, the warning array suddenly sounded an alarm.

"Enemy attack—!"