The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

As the New Year's bells ring, may we:

We still meet in words and resonate with each other outside of stories.

As the new year begins, may you and I—

The plot is full of twists and turns, and the seemingly mundane chapters hold hidden surprises.

The gentle breeze that turns the pages comes from the distant place where your gaze lingers.

Qingxia Peak, the cave.

Han Mu suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them. Just moments ago, he had received a message from Han Yunge on a jade slip. The jade slip transformed into a beam of azure light, piercing through the cave's protective barrier and landing in his hand.

A quick scan with his divine sense revealed information in the jade slip that caused Han Mu's expression to change drastically.

"Blood Demon Sealing Formation? Wang Chan? Blood Moon Demon Lord's Divided Soul?" Han Mu's eyes flashed with cold light. He had known that there would be changes in the Blood Forbidden Land, but he did not expect Wang Chan to be so crazy as to use more than two hundred disciples of the seven major sects as a blood sacrifice to summon the Blood Moon Demon Lord's divided soul.

"System, retrieve Han Yunge's current status and location."

[Han Yunge's status: Minor injury, 65% spiritual energy consumed]

Location: Northeastern swamp area on the outskirts of the Crimson Forbidden Land

[Surrounding Environment: Bloodlust Concentration 12.3% (Highly Dangerous)]

[Companions: Han Li (Qi Refinement Level 11), Wang Lin (Qi Refinement Level 12, mentally damaged), Chen Feng and four others (Qi Refinement Levels 10-11)]

[Threat: The Blood Fiend Puppet (Early Foundation Establishment Stage) is roaming five miles away, and Wang Chan (Mid-Nascent Soul Stage) has left the altar and is moving towards that area.]

Wang Chan personally took action!

Han Mu abruptly stood up. A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was a devastating threat to Qi Refining disciples. Although Han Yunge possessed life-saving techniques such as the Xuan Turtle Pendant, they were utterly inadequate against a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"We must go immediately." Han Mu did not hesitate. In a flash, he appeared outside the cave. He was about to head to the Azure Cloud Palace when he saw a beam of light descend from the sky. It was none other than the Azure Cloud True Man.

"Elder Han, something's happened." Master Qingyun's expression was grave. "There's been an anomaly coming from the Crimson Forbidden Land. The monitoring array at the entrance shows that the concentration of blood evil inside has risen sharply, exceeding the normal value by ten times. Moreover, the space outside the forbidden land is sealed off, and we can't force our way in."

"It's the Blood Fiend Sealing Demon Formation," Han Mu said in a deep voice. "Wang Chan set up this formation in the forbidden area, intending to use the blood of all his disciples to summon the Blood Moon Demon Lord's divided soul. My granddaughter, Yun Ge, is among them; she sent a distress message."

Master Qingyun was shocked: "What?! Wang Chan dares to do this!"

"Sect Leader, I must go to their aid." Han Mu said decisively. "Please activate the sect's teleportation array and send me to the entrance of the forbidden area. Also, I need three 'Restriction-Breaking Talismans' and three 'Void-Escape Talismans'."

"This..." Master Qingyun hesitated, "Elder Han, the forbidden area has been sealed off. Even with a barrier-breaking talisman, forcibly entering would result in a backlash from the formation. Moreover, Wang Chan is in the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Although you are quite powerful,..."

"Sect Leader, I know what I'm doing," Han Mu interrupted him. "Yun Ge is my granddaughter, and I cannot watch her die. Moreover, if we can break the Blood Fiend Sealing Array and rescue all the disciples, it will be a great achievement for the Seven Great Sects. Please make a decision quickly, Sect Leader."

Seeing the determination in Han Mu's eyes, Master Qingyun knew that dissuasion was useless. He took a deep breath: "Alright, I will go with you. Ancestor Linghu is currently in seclusion. I will take his place and mobilize the sect's experts to meet you outside the forbidden area."

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

Half an hour later, the Yellow Maple Valley teleportation array lit up, and Han Mu and True Person Qingyun appeared a hundred miles outside the entrance to the Crimson Forbidden Land. The place was already bustling with noise, with elders and disciples from the seven major sects gathered, all looking anxious.

The light barrier at the entrance to the forbidden area had turned a dark red, radiating a chilling aura of bloodlust. Crimson runes flowed across the light barrier from time to time, which was the external manifestation of the Blood Fiend Sealing Demon Array.

"Fellow Daoist Qingyun, you've arrived." Qingxuzi of the Qingxu Sect greeted him, his face grim. "A major incident has occurred in the forbidden area. Seventeen of our disciples' life tablets have been shattered; they were all elites who entered the forbidden area."

"My Greatsword Sect has also lost twelve people," Tie Zhan said in a deep voice, his eyes filled with killing intent.

Liu Yueru of the Hidden Moon Sect and Jinpeng Zhenren of the Spirit Beast Mountain were also present, their brows furrowed. Tianque Fortress had been destroyed, but the people from the Imperial Spirit Sect and the Transformation Blade Dock were nowhere to be seen—this already spoke volumes.

"Elder Han is here too?" Liu Yueru's eyes flashed with surprise when she saw Han Mu. She remembered that Han Mu was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and he shouldn't be present at this kind of event.

"My granddaughter is in the forbidden area," Han Mu said briefly, his gaze fixed on the entrance to the forbidden area. He secretly activated the "Heaven-Gathering Divine Technique," controlling his true cultivation level at the third level of Foundation Establishment, but his divine sense had already quietly probed out to analyze the structure of the formation.

"System, scan the Blood Fiend Sealing Array to find its weak points."

[Scanning in progress...]

[Blood Fiend Sealing Demon Array: A fourth-tier array, with the core altar of the forbidden area as its core, covering the entire blood-red forbidden area]

[Formation Strength: 87% (Continuously Increasing)]

[Weak points: The southeast, northwest, and due east nodes are affected by poor spiritual energy flow due to the hasty deployment.]

[Optimal breakthrough point: Due east node, requires three fourth-tier barrier-breaking talismans, can open a channel that lasts for ten breaths]

The eastern node is about three hundred miles from Han Yunge's location. Ten breaths is enough time for him to enter.

"Gentlemen, now is not the time for arguing," Han Mu said, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority. "There is a Blood Fiend Sealing Array within the forbidden area, and Wang Chan intends to sacrifice all her disciples. We must break the array immediately and enter to rescue her."

"Break through?" An elder of the Yuling Sect sneered. "Elder Han, you're only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet you dare to spout such nonsense? This formation is a fourth-order grand formation; without a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, it's impossible to break through."

This elder, surnamed Li, is an early-stage Nascent Soul elder of the Yuling Sect. He is on good terms with Tianque Fortress and has always harbored hostility towards Huangfeng Valley.

Han Mu didn't even glance at him, and said to Qingyun Zhenren, "Sect Leader, please lend me three fourth-tier barrier-breaking talismans. I know the weak points in the formation and can open a passage."

"Arrogant!" Elder Li roared. "Qingyun, is this how your Yellow Maple Valley teaches its disciples? A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to order us around?"

"Li Hai, shut up," Liu Yueru said coldly. "The most important thing now is to save people. Since Elder Han says he has a way, let's give it a try."

"Elder Liu is right." Qing Xuzi nodded. "Elder Han broke the Blood Fiend Sealing Array in the Burial Soul Valley and has studied the Blood Fiend Array. If Elder Li doesn't believe me, he can find a way himself."

Li Hai's face turned ashen, but he dared not offend Liu Yueru and Qingxuzi at the same time, so he could only snort coldly.

Master Qingyun took out three golden talismans, which were fourth-tier barrier-breaking talismans. Each one was priceless, but he couldn't care less at the moment.

Han Mu took the talismans and walked to the east of the entrance to the forbidden area. He made hand seals, and the three barrier-breaking talismans transformed into three golden beams of light, shooting towards three specific nodes on the light screen.

"break!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three loud bangs rang out, and the dark red light curtain trembled violently, revealing a gap about ten feet in size in the due east direction. Blood-red light surged within the gap, but it was indeed cleared.

"It's really open!" Everyone was both surprised and delighted.

"The passage can only be maintained for ten breaths," Han Mu said in a deep voice. "I will go in first. If you wish to save people, you may follow. But I must warn you, the forbidden area not only contains the Blood Fiend Array, but also the divided souls of Wang Chan and the Blood Moon Demon Lord. Anyone below the Nascent Soul stage who enters will face a nine-out-of-ten chance of death."

Having said that, he didn't hesitate any longer, and with a flash, he rushed into the gap.

"Elder Han!" Master Qingyun exclaimed in shock, but it was too late to stop him.

The gap began to close rapidly after Han Mu entered. Liu Yueru, Qingxuzi, and Tie Zhan exchanged a glance, then simultaneously transformed into three streaks of light and rushed in. They were Nascent Soul cultivators, capable of protecting themselves.

After a slight hesitation, Jinpeng Zhenren followed him inside. Li Hai's expression shifted, but he finally gritted his teeth and said to the elder of Huadaowu beside him, "Brother Duan, let's go in too. We can't let Huangfeng Valley take all the credit."

The two of them rushed into the gap.

Ten breaths later, the gap was completely closed.

Upon landing inside the forbidden area, Han Mu was immediately enveloped by a dense aura of bloodlust. The concentration of bloodlust here was dozens of times higher than outside; ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would lose their minds if they stayed here for even a short while.

"System, mark Han Yunge's location and plan the shortest route."

[Marking complete]

[Han Yunge's location: 320 li northeast]

[Shortest route: Go upstream along the Blood River, cross the Bone Forest, and avoid three large gathering points of Blood Fiends]

[Estimated time: half an hour]

[Warning: Wang Chan (mid-stage Nascent Soul) is moving towards the White Bone Forest and is expected to intersect with the host's route in about an incense stick's time.]

Is Wang Chan in the White Bone Forest?

Han Mu's eyes turned cold. Perfect, let's settle both old and new scores together.

He moved like lightning, speeding towards the northeast. Wherever he passed, the bloodthirsty aura automatically dissipated—his cultivation of the Primordial Longevity Technique and Pure Yang True Fire were the nemesis of the bloodthirsty aura.

Just as Han Mu entered the forbidden area, on the core altar of the forbidden area, the Blood Moon Demon Lord's divided soul suddenly let out an excited low roar.

"It's here... delicious blood food... Nascent Soul level blood food..."

Wang Chan also sensed something, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Han Mu, you've finally arrived. This time, you'll never leave alive!"

The final showdown in the Crimson Forbidden Land is about to begin.

What Han Mu didn't know was that his entry would completely change the landscape of Tiannan.