The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Above the Bone Space, the Yin Sha Ghost King was covered in wounds and its aura was weak. It was struggling to defend itself against the attacks of five Core Formation cultivators. However, the madness in its eyes did not diminish but instead became even more intense.

"You old bastards, you forced me into this!" the Ghost King roared, suddenly forming hand seals, his body radiating crimson light. "With my remnant soul, I summon the spirits of the Nine Netherworlds! Ten thousand blood demons, heed my command!"

Rumbling--

The entire space of bones trembled violently. The mountains of bones suddenly "came to life," and countless bone fragments rose into the air, coalescing into nine skeletal giants, each ten feet tall. Each giant possessed the aura of the early stage of Core Formation, and crimson flames burned in their empty eye sockets.

"Nine Netherworld White Bone Guards!" Master Qingyun's expression changed drastically. "This Ghost King has actually refined such an evil creature! Everyone be careful, these nine bone guards are of one mind; if they form a battle formation, they can defeat a late-stage Core Formation cultivator!"

"You only realize it now? Too late!" The Ghost King grinned maliciously, and the nine skeletal guards moved simultaneously. They formed a nine-palace battle formation, dividing and surrounding the five people, and launching a relentless attack.

"Form a battle formation to meet the enemy!" Master Qingyun shouted, and the five of them quickly formed the Five Elements Formation. Although outnumbered, all five were Core Formation cultivators, and their teamwork was excellent, so they were not at a disadvantage for the time being.

But the Ghost King wasn't targeting them. It flashed and pounced on Han Mu and the White-Browed Taoist!

"Not good!" The white-browed Taoist priest exclaimed in alarm, summoning a white whisk that transformed into thousands of white threads to shield himself. But how could he possibly withstand the Ghost King's full-force attack in such a hasty manner?

boom!

The white silk threads shattered, and the white-browed Taoist priest coughed up blood and flew backward. The Ghost King's momentum didn't wane; its ghostly claws aimed straight for Han Mu's throat—it hated this human who had ruined its plans, and was determined to kill Han Mu even at the cost of serious injury!

"System, devise a survival plan!"

[Driving simulation in progress...]

Option 1: Expose all strength and withstand the attack head-on; 90% chance of serious injury, 30% chance of death.

[Option 2: Use "Shadow Soul Spike" to self-destruct and block the enemy; 70% chance of serious injury, 10% chance of death]

[Option 3: Detonate the pure Yang true fire seed in the dantian, resulting in mutual destruction, with a 100% probability of death]

There was no good path! Han Mu's eyes hardened, and he chose the second one. He took out the "Soul-Slaying Thorn," a third-tier magic weapon whose self-destruction power was enough to injure a Core Formation cultivator. Although it was a pity, his life was more important.

"burst!"

Just as the ghostly claws were about to strike, Han Mu hurled the Yin Soul Thorn while frantically retreating. The short blade exploded in front of the Ghost King, unleashing a terrifying storm of Yin energy. Caught off guard, the Ghost King was blasted backward, a bloody hole appearing in his chest.

But Han Mu was not far from unscathed either. He was too close to the explosion, and the shockwave sent him flying dozens of feet before he crashed heavily to the ground. He had broken countless bones and was bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Young friend!" The white-browed old Taoist struggled to fly over and shielded Han Mu behind him.

In the distance, seeing the Ghost King severely injured, Master Qingyun roared, "Now! Unite the Five Elements and slay!"

Five streams of spiritual energy, each a different color, shot into the sky, merging in mid-air to form a giant five-colored sword that slashed down at the Ghost King. This was the killing move of the Five Elements Sword Formation; the combined power of the five was comparable to a full-force attack from a late-stage Core Formation cultivator.

Having just suffered a severe injury, the Ghost King was unable to dodge and had no choice but to take the hit head-on. It gritted its teeth and burned its life essence, causing its nine bone guards to instantly disintegrate and transform into a massive bone shield in front of it.

boom--

The five-colored giant sword struck the bone shield, unleashing a deafening roar. The bone shield shattered inch by inch, but the giant sword's momentum remained undiminished, striking the Ghost King.

"No—!" The Ghost King let out a shrill scream as its body was cleaved in two. But it was not dead yet; Core Formation cultivators have tenacious vitality, and even with only half a body remaining, it continued to struggle.

"I...am not reconciled..." The Ghost King's mangled body writhed, a final madness flashing in his eyes. "Since we're going to die anyway, let's die together! Blood Fiend Source Crystal, drop it for me!"

Its last remaining spiritual power was injected into the Blood Fiend Source Crystal. The blood-red crystal, which was already full of cracks, suddenly shone brightly, and terrifying energy fluctuations emanated from within.

"Oh no, it's about to self-destruct its source crystal!" Master Qingyun exclaimed in alarm. "Retreat quickly! The self-destruction of a fourth-tier material is powerful enough to destroy the entire Black Wind Ridge!"

But it was too late. The Blood Fiend Source Crystal had expanded to its limit and was about to explode. Once it exploded, not only the White Bone Space, but also the entire area within a hundred miles of Black Wind Ridge would be reduced to ruins.

"It's over..." The white-browed old Taoist's face turned ashen. At such close range, even a Core Formation cultivator would not escape death.

Han Mu gritted his teeth; he couldn't die here. His family was still waiting for him, Han Yunge was still in Yellow Maple Valley, Han Changqing was still guarding the home… He had to live!

"System, is there any way to prevent the self-destruction?"

[Emergency Solution: Seal the Blood Fiend Source Crystal with Pure Yang True Fire. This requires exhausting all of the host's spiritual power. Success rate: 30%]

[Warning: Failure will result in the host's death from exhaustion of spiritual energy]

A 30% success rate… I'll gamble! A resolute glint flashed in Han Mu's eyes. He struggled to his feet, ignoring the excruciating pain all over his body, and forcefully activated the wisp of pure Yang true fire in his dantian by forming hand seals.

"Pure Yang seals the demon, suppress it!"

Pale golden flames surged from Han Mu's seven orifices, transforming into a net of fire that enveloped the Blood Fiend Origin Crystal. The fire net collided with the crimson light, emitting a piercing hissing sound. Han Mu bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence. The fire net shone brightly, actually suppressing the expanding Origin Crystal bit by bit.

"This kid..." Master Qingyun and the others were stunned. They never expected that a mere Foundation Establishment Stage 1 cultivator would possess such courage and skill.

"Help him!" Master Qingyun reacted, and the five of them acted simultaneously, injecting five streams of spiritual energy into the fire net. With the help of five Core Formation cultivators, the power of the fire net increased dramatically, finally sealing the Blood Fiend Source Crystal completely.

boom--

The source crystal exploded, but its energy was contained by the fire net, only erupting within a small area. Even so, the shockwave still leveled the surrounding area by hundreds of feet. Han Mu was the first to be hit, blasted away, and crashed heavily to the ground, unconscious.

"Young friend!" The white-browed old Taoist rushed over to examine Han Mu's injuries. His expression was grave. "His injuries are extremely severe. His spiritual energy is exhausted, and his internal organs are damaged... but he is still breathing."

Master Qingyun approached, took out a pill, and placed it in Han Mu's mouth: "This is the 'Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill,' which can save his life. This boy has rendered great service; we must not let him die."

"Sect Leader, the Ghost King is dead, but the Yin energy here is still strong..." The old woman in red robes frowned.

"Set up the 'Pure Yang Purification Array' to purify this place," Master Qingyun ordered. "Also, search the entire space to see if any remnants of the Ghost Spirit Sect remain."

The group split up to carry out their tasks. Three hours later, the space of white bones was completely cleaned up, and most of the Yin energy was purified by the array. The Ghost King's remains were thoroughly incinerated, ensuring he would not be resurrected.

With the help of elixirs and treatment, Han Mu's injuries stabilized, but he remained unconscious. Master Qingyun personally circulated his internal energy to heal him and discovered that Han Mu's spiritual energy was incredibly pure and his foundation was very solid, unlike that of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

"This boy is no ordinary person," Master Qingyun thought to himself, but said nothing more. Everyone has their own secrets, and as long as they are not harmful to Huangfeng Valley, he was unwilling to delve into them.

"Sect Leader, there's news outside." Li Huayuan rushed in. "The allied forces of the seven major sects have cleared out the remnants of the Ghost Spirit Sect on the outskirts of Black Wind Ridge, but Wang Chan and several Ghost Spirit Sect elders escaped. In addition, the Han family of Yanling Fort has safely evacuated to Qingfeng Valley without any casualties."

"That's good." Master Qingyun nodded. "Pass down the order: each of the seven major sects shall leave a team to guard Black Wind Ridge and monitor the changes in Yin energy. The rest shall return to their respective sects in three days."

"Yes."

Master Qingyun looked at the unconscious Han Mu with a complex expression. This young man, with only the first level of Foundation Establishment cultivation, ventured deep into the tiger's den, destroyed the great formation, saved five Core Formation cultivators, and even prevented the self-destruction of the Source Crystal... This achievement is enough to shake the entire Yue Kingdom.

"Bring him to me when he wakes up," Master Qingyun said to the old Taoist with white eyebrows. "This boy deserves a great reward."