The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Facing three mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, including a gray-robed elder who was also at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, Han Mu showed no fear. With a thought, the Soul Control Banner fluttered, and more than twenty ghosts split into three groups, each heading towards the three Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators.

"You're courting death!" The gray-robed elder sneered, summoning a black bone banner. The banner fluttered, releasing wisps of black energy that transformed into more than ten ferocious ghosts, rushing towards Han Mu's ghostly form. At the same time, the other two also employed their own methods: one controlled a flying sword, and the other activated a poisonous mist.

Ghosts clashed with ghosts, sword energy crisscrossed, and poisonous mist filled the air. The battlefield instantly descended into chaos.

Han Mu himself flew straight at the gray-robed elder on his sword. He was still only at the first level of Foundation Establishment, but his swordsmanship was exquisite and his spiritual power was pure. For a time, he fought the gray-robed elder to a standstill.

"Huh?" The gray-robed elder let out a soft exclamation, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He discovered that Han Mu's spiritual power contained a trace of pure Yang energy, which had a restraining effect on his ghostly cultivation techniques. Moreover, Han Mu's swordsmanship seemed ordinary, but in fact it contained hidden mysteries, allowing him to dodge his killing moves at crucial moments.

"Boy, you've been hiding your cultivation level?" the gray-robed elder said in a deep voice. The more he fought, the more alarmed he became. His opponent appeared to be only at the first level of the Foundation Establishment stage, but the depth of his spiritual power and the sophistication of his swordsmanship were far beyond that.

"Guess," Han Mu said calmly, his sword light suddenly surging, transforming into five sword shadows that pierced the gray-robed old man's vital points. This was a simplified version of the "Minor Five Elements Sword Formation." Although it only had five swords, it subtly corresponded to the mutual generation of the five elements, making it quite powerful.

The gray-robed elder's expression changed, and he hurriedly activated his bone banner for defense. However, the sword light was cunning, and one of it broke through the defense, slashing a bloody gash on his left arm. Pure Yang spiritual energy seeped into the wound, sizzling and burning his flesh.

"Pure Yang Power!" The gray-robed elder was both shocked and furious. "You cultivate a Pure Yang technique! No wonder you dared to trespass into Black Wind Ridge!"

Han Mu didn't answer, his swordsmanship becoming even more ferocious. He knew he had to end this quickly. In the other two battlefields, although he had more ghosts, they were being countered by his opponents, and he was already starting to fall behind. Especially the cultivator controlling the poisonous mist; the mist was extremely harmful to the ghosts, and three had already been corroded and dissipated.

"System, analyze enemy weaknesses."

[Analysis in progress...]

[Target 1: Gray-robed elder (Foundation Establishment Level 7), cultivation technique "Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Technique", weakness: pure Yang power, soul attack]

[Target 2: Blue-faced cultivator (Foundation Establishment Level 5), cultivation technique "Poisonous Fiend Technique", weakness: wind-type spells, weak body protection]

[Target 3: Woman in black (Foundation Establishment Level 4), Cultivation Technique: Yin Sha Sword Art, Weakness: Fire Magic, Close Combat]

Han Mu's mind raced. He decided to deal with the blue-faced cultivator first. This man's poisonous mist posed the greatest threat to ghosts, and his defenses were weak, making him ideal for a surprise attack.

"Ghost Fusion!" With a thought, Han Mu caused the two remaining Foundation Establishment Level 3 ghosts in the Soul Control Banner to suddenly merge, transforming into a giant ghost with the aura of Foundation Establishment Level 4, which pounced on the green-faced cultivator.

At the same time, Han Mu himself flashed, breaking free from the battle with the gray-robed elder and charging straight at the green-faced cultivator on his sword. This unexpected move startled the gray-robed elder, who then roared in fury, "Trying to escape?!"

But Han Mu was incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of the green-faced cultivator. The green-faced cultivator was focused on dealing with the ghost and hadn't expected Han Mu to suddenly attack. In his haste, he summoned a small green shield.

"Break!" Han Mu thrust out his sword, the tip condensing a point of pure Yang true fire. Sword and shield clashed, and the small green shield shattered with a "crack." The sword's momentum did not diminish, piercing straight for the blue-faced cultivator's chest.

"No!" The blue-faced cultivator was terrified and tried to dodge, but he was entangled by the giant ghost and had no way to escape. The long sword pierced through his chest, and pure Yang true fire erupted within his body, instantly destroying his life force.

The blue-faced cultivator died, and the poisonous mist, out of control, quickly dissipated. Han Mu didn't hesitate and turned to attack the woman in black. The gray-robed elder had already reacted and roared as he chased after him, but Han Mu's ghostly creatures desperately blocked his path, buying him time.

Seeing her companion killed, the woman in black was filled with fear, and her swordsmanship faltered. Han Mu seized the opportunity, knocking her flying sword away with a single strike, and with his left hand forming a hand seal, unleashed a burst of pure Yang true fire that struck her squarely in the face.

"Ah—" The woman in black screamed and fell to the ground, her body engulfed in golden flames, turning to ashes in a few breaths.

In the blink of an eye, two of the three enemies were gone. The gray-robed old man's eyes were bloodshot; he hadn't expected Han Mu to be so ruthless and decisive, nor had he expected his opponent to be so strong.

"You're definitely not just a Foundation Establishment Stage 1 cultivator!" the gray-robed elder gritted his teeth. "Who exactly are you? When did Yellow Maple Valley produce someone like you?"

Han Mu did not answer, but summoned back his ghosts and confronted the gray-robed elder again. At this moment, only fifteen ghosts remained, but the gray-robed elder had also lost most of his bone banner ghosts. Both of them were somewhat disordered in their breathing, but their eyes were equally sharp.

"Boy, I admit I underestimated you." The gray-robed elder took a deep breath. "But do you think killing those two will make you stronger than me? I'm at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, while you, even if you're hiding your strength, are at most at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. What makes you think you can fight me?"

Han Mu remained silent, secretly adjusting his breathing. Killing two people had taken a toll, especially on his Pure Yang True Fire, which diminished with each use. The gray-robed elder was also in dire straits; the wound on his left arm was still being eroded by Pure Yang spiritual energy, and his combat strength had been reduced.

"System, devise the best winning strategy."

[Driving simulation in progress...]

[Option 1: Reveal your true cultivation level and go all out; 85% chance of winning]

[Option 2: Continue to hide, use the Soul Control Banner to wear down the enemy, and then launch a surprise attack with Pure Yang True Fire when the opportunity arises. 60% chance of success]

[Option 3: Feign weakness to lure the enemy in, then use a formation-breaking talisman to detonate the formation's backlash. 70% chance of winning]

A third option… Han Mu's heart stirred. The array-breaking talisman could destroy formations; if it could be used to detonate the ghostly creature within the gray-robed elder's bone banner, it might severely injure him. However, the risk was high; if not controlled properly, it could harm himself.

After a moment's thought, Han Mu chose option three. He needed to conserve his strength; there were still tough battles to fight ahead.

"Old man, you talk too much nonsense," Han Mu said with a forced smile, his breathing unsteady. "If you've got the guts, come and kill me!"

As he spoke, he staggered backward, the Soul Control Banner swayed, and the ghost "barely" launched an attack. The gray-robed old man's eyes flashed with doubt upon seeing this, but seeing that Han Mu's aura was disordered and did not seem to be faking it, he felt that his opportunity had come.

"At the end of its rope!" The gray-robed elder sneered, activating the bone banner at full power, and the remaining ghosts pounced on him frantically. He himself then summoned a black short blade, and with a flash, thrust it straight at Han Mu's heart.

Han Mu retreated in "panic," holding the Soul Control Banner in front of him. With a "clang," the short blade pierced the banner pole, and Han Mu "spit out blood" and flew backward, the Soul Control Banner slipping from his hand.

"Haha! Die!" The gray-robed old man was overjoyed and thrust his short blade again. But at that moment, a cold smile suddenly appeared on Han Mu's lips.

"burst!"

The Soul Control Banner, which had been released from his hand, suddenly exploded, and fifteen ghosts self-destructed simultaneously! A terrifying shockwave of Yin energy swept around, and the gray-robed old man, caught off guard, was blasted backward, his bone banner shattered, and he was covered in blood.

"You...you..." The gray-robed elder was utterly horrified. He hadn't expected Han Mu to be so ruthless, actually self-destructing all the ghosts. Those were third-tier magic artifacts!

Han Mu was also in bad shape. The Soul Control Banner self-destructed, and he suffered a backlash, his face turning pale. But he mustered his spiritual power, rode his sword forward, and thrust it towards the gray-robed old man's throat.

"Wait! I..." The gray-robed old man tried to beg for mercy, but the sword light had already arrived.

laugh--

A long sword pierced his throat; the gray-robed old man's eyes widened, and he died instantly.

Han Mu staggered to the ground, panting heavily. He took the gray-robed old man's storage bag and the black short blade, and then looted the other two's belongings. The Soul Control Banner was destroyed, but he obtained three decent magic artifacts and some pills and spirit stones, which was some compensation.

"System, check the results."

[Harvest: Tier 3 Short Blade "Soul Dagger", Tier 2 Bone Banner Fragment, Poisonous Fiend Technique Jade Slip, Yin Fiend Sword Manual Jade Slip, 3200 Spirit Stones, and a number of pills]

[Status: Minor injury (internal organ tremor), 65% spiritual energy consumed]

Han Mu swallowed several healing pills and took a short breath to recover. The black hole was now close at hand, and he could clearly feel the terrifying aura emanating from it. The Yin Sha Ghost King, mid-stage Core Formation, the core of the 100,000 Blood Fiend Array…

"One more day." Han Mu looked up at the sky. The full moon would arrive tomorrow night.

He must destroy the core of the great formation before that.