Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

The third day, at noon.

The gray fog at the entrance of Ghost Valley was thicker than usual, as if to conceal the impending bloodshed, and the damp, cold air was mixed with the stench of earth.

Gu An huddled behind a boulder at the entrance to the chaotic rocky forest, clutching the jade bottle containing the Tai Sui mist in his hand, his knuckles turning faintly blue from the excessive force. He didn't move, like a stubborn rock covered in moss, even his breath blending into the wind.

Before long, the person he was waiting for arrived.

A familiar whooshing sound came from mid-air. A fiery red streak of light tore through the clouds, but instead of landing directly, it circled twice above the valley entrance.

Wang Mazi was very cautious.

The Fiery Shuttle hovered ten feet above the ground. Wang Mazi looked down from above, his beady green eyes scanning the chaotic rocky forest below warily. He wore an earthen-yellow "Vajra Talisman," a faint protective shield of spiritual light enveloping him completely, and held a fireball talisman in his hand that could be activated at any moment.

"Gu An! Come out and lead the way!"

The sound, carrying the spiritual power of a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator, caused the pebbles at the valley entrance to tumble down.

Gu An jerked violently, stumbling out from behind the boulder, his face covered in dust and his expression panicked: "Brother Wang... Senior Brother Wang! You've finally arrived! Quick... quick! That thing is almost cooked!"

As he shouted, he pointed deep into the chaotic rock forest, where a strange red light was faintly emanating, accompanied by a mesmerizing fragrance.

Wang Mazi's nose twitched as he caught the unusual fragrance. It was the unique aura of a high-grade spiritual herb when it matured!

For a fleeting moment, greed overwhelmed his caution, but he still didn't land. Instead, he slowly lowered the altitude of the Fiery Shuttle: "Lead the way! Don't try anything funny. If you dare lead me into a trap, I'll burn you first!"

"How dare I!" Gu An said with a mournful face, then turned and darted into the rocky forest, his steps unsteady, treading between the rocks.

Wang Mazi stared at Gu An's back. Seeing that there was no spiritual energy fluctuation on his body and that no restrictions had been triggered, he was slightly relieved. He then rode his flying shuttle behind him, always maintaining a height of three zhang and a distance of five zhang.

This distance allows him to advance or retreat as needed. Even if any trouble arises in the valley, he can evacuate immediately. As for the servant's death, so be it. What does his unnatural death have to do with Wang Mazi?

Gu An walked very slowly, each step landing precisely on the "gate of life" he had set for himself.

"Senior brother, watch out! That's a bear trap on the left!"

Gu An suddenly pointed to a patch of grass on the left and shouted.

Wang Mazi snorted coldly, flicked his finger, and a fireball flew out.

"boom!"

The bushes exploded, revealing a deformed iron trap.

"A mere trick." Wang Mazi scoffed, his contempt growing even stronger. This is something a common hunter would use to harm a cultivator? This Gu An is truly a good-for-nothing who's never seen the world.

But little did he know that this was precisely the "contempt" that Gu An wanted.

As Wang Mazi casually destroyed one conspicuous trap after another, his vigilance was gradually stripped away without him realizing it.

Finally, the two arrived at a low-lying depression.

In the center of the depression, a blood-red, umbrella-shaped Ganoderma lucidum grows quietly in a crevice of the rocks. A faint blood mist swirls around it, and its roots seem to be embedded in a clump of rotting flesh, radiating a crazy aura of blood and energy.

"A Blood Spirit Mushroom! It's already three inches long... that's at least a hundred years old!"

Wang Mazi's eyes instantly turned red. This wasn't medicine; it was his ladder to breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refining!

"This matter must be kept absolutely secret! You'll definitely get your share of the profits after it's done!"

As Wang Mazi gave instructions, he moved closer, no longer caring about being cautious. He suddenly plunged the Fiery Shuttle downwards, about to land and pick the fruit.

Now! Gu An, who had been hunched over, slipped a pebble from his sleeve the moment Wang Mazi landed, and it struck an inconspicuous rock nearby with pinpoint accuracy.

"Smack."

A crisp sound rang out. The mechanism was triggered. The rock beneath the "Blood Spirit Mushroom" suddenly cracked open, not to spew out treasures, but to shatter the long-buried jade bottle.

"Bang!"

The jade bottle shattered, and a cloud of pink mist, dreamlike and ethereal, suddenly erupted from the ground, instantly enveloping the depression.

Wang Mazi had just reached out his hand, but before he could even touch the Ganoderma lucidum, he was caught in a cloud of pink mist.

"Oh no, it's poisonous smoke?!"

He was terrified and instinctively wanted to hold his breath and retreat. But this Tai Sui mist was no ordinary poison; it ignored the spiritual energy shield and penetrated straight into his soul through his pores.

Wang Mazi's body stiffened abruptly. His originally greedy and fierce eyes instantly became glazed over. His outstretched hand stopped in mid-air, and a strange, foolish smile curled at the corner of his mouth, as if he could see himself breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage and dominating the outer sect.

Although it only lasted a moment, it was enough for Gu An, who was well-prepared.

"kill!"

Gu An stopped pretending, and the killing intent that had been suppressed within him for a long time erupted like a volcano.

He stomped his foot hard, and the bluestone slab beneath his feet shattered with a crash. He moved like a broken bow, carrying an unstoppable momentum, and instantly covered a distance of three zhang.

With a flick of his right index finger, all the spiritual liquid within his dantian burned wildly, transforming into the sharpest Geng metal energy.

A finger shot out, its tip gleaming with a dark golden light like a star, aimed directly at Wang Mazi's back. This strike was as fast as lightning and extremely ruthless.

*Pfft!* The golden light easily pierced through the thin layer of Vajra Talisman light covering Wang Mazi's body. Just as the finger force was about to pierce his flesh and crush his heart...

"Buzz—"

A jade pendant with a qilin pattern hanging from Wang Mazi's waist suddenly burst out with a dazzling white light.

It was a protective magic artifact that could automatically protect its owner when they suffered a fatal attack.

"Snap!"

The force of the metal finger slammed into the white light. The jade pendant instantly cracked and then shattered into powder.

The immense force of the recoil numbed Gu An's fingers, and his finger bones even groaned from the unbearable strain.

But it was precisely this obstruction that gave Wang Mazi a chance to catch his breath.

The crisp sound of the jade pendant shattering was like a bucket of ice water, instantly waking Wang Mazi from his illusion.

"ah!!!"

Wang Mazi let out a terrified scream, and the sharp pain in his back made him instantly realize what had happened.

He wasn't dreaming; he was set up!

"Gu An! You're asking for it!!"

At the critical moment of life and death, Wang Mazi unleashed the full power of a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator.

Before he could even turn around, his spiritual energy surged wildly within him, and his thick layer of fat jerked violently, actually flicking Gu An's slightly exhausted fingers away by half an inch.

Immediately afterwards, he spat out a jet of blood and directly summoned his natal magic weapon—the low-grade flying sword "Cloud Piercer" that he had always kept hidden in his sleeve.

"Whoosh—!" A flash of cold light appeared.

too fast.

The ability to control objects with qi in the mid-stage of Qi Refining is several times faster than wielding a weapon.

Gu An felt a blur before his eyes, and a sharp sword aura powerful enough to tear the air was already upon him.

The Geng metal indicates that the old force has been exhausted and the new force has not yet been generated.

With one side gaining and the other losing, there's no way to avoid it!

Gu An's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, but he did not close his eyes and wait to die.

At this critical moment, he suddenly turned to the side, simultaneously blocking his chest with his left arm. His newly acquired Hundred Refinements Golden Body technique was activated at full power, and his skin instantly shone with a bronze metallic luster.

"Golden Light Technique! Activate!"

He roared inwardly. A layer of pale golden light was superimposed on the copper sheet.

However, all these defenses seemed far too weak in the face of a Qi Refining Level 5 flying sword unleashed in anger.

"Pfft!" The golden shield shattered like a bubble, followed by the dull thud of copper being cut open.

The low-grade flying sword pierced through Gu An's left forearm without any obstruction. The enormous kinetic energy sent his body flying backward, crashing heavily into a cliff rock behind him.

"Knock!"

The flying sword sank deep into the rock, pinning Gu An's left arm firmly to the stone wall.

"Well……"

A sharp pain shot through Gu An, who groaned as cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes. Blood gushed down his arm, staining half his body red.

On the panel, a line of scarlet text was flashing wildly:

[Status: Severe injury (penetrating wound in left arm, damaged meridians)]

Lifespan: 19/98 (Due to massive blood loss, a significant portion of lifespan will be lost if not treated promptly)

"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?!"

Wang Mazi staggered back a few steps, creating some distance. He was in a terrible state, his back a bloody mess, and his face flushed an eerie red from inhaling the mist.

He stared intently at Gu An, who was nailed to the stone wall, his fear completely transformed into resentment and tyranny.

"You little rascal...you're incredibly cunning! If it weren't for my protective jade pendant, I would have really fallen into your trap today!"

Wang Mazi gritted his teeth, his hands forming a sword incantation, controlling the flying sword to slowly rotate within Gu An's flesh and bones.

"ah--"

Gu An was in so much pain that his whole body convulsed, but he bit his lip hard to keep himself from crying out. His eyes remained fierce as a wolf's, staring intently at Wang Mazi.

"Go ahead and scream, why aren't you screaming anymore? Let's see how long you can stay hard!"

Wang Mazi grinned maliciously, but did not rush to kill Gu An.

In a battle between cultivators, once one gains a decisive advantage, it's like a cat playing with a mouse. Moreover, this kid must be hiding a huge secret; otherwise, how could a mere beginner at the fourth level of Qi Refining have almost killed him?

"Speak! Where did this poisonous fog come from? Are there any accomplices?!"

Wang Mazi approached step by step, a stack of fireball talismans appearing in his hand. "If you don't talk, I'll chop off your hands and feet and throw you into the latrine to be turned into a corpse pig!"

The vast gap in strength was laid bare at this moment. A single misstep in the first exchange could lead to utter ruin.

Gu An was panting heavily, blood blurring his vision. He watched Wang Mazi approach, his right hand stealthily reaching for his sleeve.

There, the last "main string" connecting the entire chaotic stone forest killing formation is hidden.

If Wang Mazi just takes three more steps forward, just three steps...

"Heh heh, trying to use hidden weapons?"

Wang Mazi was incredibly shrewd; he saw through Gu An's little scheme at a glance. He suddenly stopped, standing about five zhang away.

"Do you think I'm a fool?"

Wang Mazi looked at Gu An mockingly, his sword technique changing.

"go!"

The flying sword pinning Gu An trembled violently, about to be pulled out and pierce Gu An's dantian again.

If this hits, Gu An will undoubtedly be crippled.

However, just as the flying sword was about to leave his body, a hint of madness flashed in Gu An's eyes.

Since the other side is willing to risk their lives, let's see who has a tougher life!

Instead of retreating, he advanced, his body suddenly lunging forward. Taking advantage of the momentum of the flying sword being drawn, he actively used his flesh and blood to block the blade.

puff!

The wound ripped open, and blood spurted out. But the flying sword was also momentarily stuck in his bones.

Taking advantage of this momentary pause, Gu An suddenly grabbed the sharp blade with his left hand, ignoring the excruciating pain of his five fingers being severed, and raised his right hand.

It's not a hidden weapon.

Instead, it was a dark, unremarkable pill.

Without thinking twice, Gu An grabbed the pills and shoved them into his mouth.

"Exploding Spirit Pill!"

He roared inwardly and bit down on the overdrawn Spirit Explosion Pill.

Boom! The previously depleted spiritual energy within his body instantly surged by two times, causing his meridians to shatter inch by inch, in exchange for a brief but violent burst of power.

Gu An's right hand blurred into a blur as he abruptly pulled the transparent main string.

Crash! Crash! Crash! The entire chaotic rock forest seemed to come alive.

Countless dark threads hidden underground and in the air tensed up at the same time, emitting a chilling shriek.

A vast net was drawn from all directions to strangle Wang Mazi!