Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Chapter 362: Chapter 241: A Sin in the Present, A Merit for the Ages

Song Changsheng had just returned to his family when the news from the Wind Language Hall nearly knocked him off his feet.

"What did you say?!

The two major sects have mobilized their full force and gathered in Bian Province?

The Great City Lord of Luoxia City broke through to the Golden Core, cutting down the Thunderous Demon King in the Luoxia Mountain Range?

Five Golden Core Masters ambushed the Black Dragon Demon King, who fled after being grievously wounded?

The Allied Army has pushed into the Hundred Thousand Mountains?"

Each piece of news was more shocking than the last, leaving Song Changsheng reeling. He began to wonder if his family’s spies were writing a pulp novel.

’How could this be? Weren’t the main forces of the two major sects fighting in Quan Province? How could they suddenly appear in Luoxia City and even join forces? Was the war a sham? Were the two major sects just putting on an act?’

Staring at the massive pile of intelligence reports on the war, Song Changsheng suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine. If this was all an act they had orchestrated together, then the price was far too steep.

The entire north had been laid to waste, the casualties incalculable. The two major sects alone had suffered nearly ten thousand casualties, including several fallen Purple Mansion Cultivators.

If this was all a grand play directed by the two major sects, then what did that make the cultivators who fell in the war? What about those who died defending against the Beast Tide?

A joke?

In that moment, Song Changsheng felt that their sacrifices had been utterly worthless.

From the very beginning, they had been treated as disposable pawns.

Perhaps in the eyes of the high and mighty Golden Core Masters, they were worth less than dirt.

The defeat of the Beast Tide should have been cause for celebration, but Song Changsheng suddenly felt his enthusiasm wane. ’Perhaps this Beast Tide was deliberately guided here from the very beginning by certain individuals.’

He suddenly wondered what role the Great City Lord had played in this grand drama.

Recalling that peerlessly elegant man, Song Changsheng suddenly found he didn’t dare to dwell on it. ’If even someone like him played an unsavory role in this drama, then this dark world truly has no light left at all.’

What a terrifying thought that was...

Song Changsheng dispatched all of his spies to gather more information.

’I don’t believe it. The two major sects wouldn’t pay such a heavy price just to set a trap for the Black Dragon Demon King. There must be another motive!’

And as Song Changsheng suspected, ambushing the Black Dragon Demon King was merely one part of their plan. Deeper reasons lay hidden beneath the surface...

「Bian Province, Luoxia City.」

Five days had passed since the great battle, and all was quiet. But the shattered landscape and the blood-soaked earth bore silent witness to the battle’s ferocity.

Luoxia City’s resilience was on full display as post-war reconstruction proceeded in full swing.

Muu Guibai stood atop Celestial Sound Peak, gazing at the scarred land below. A flicker of sorrow appeared in his eyes. ’Luoxia City... we will never again see those vast, rosy clouds.’

Zhan Tianxia silently walked to his side. "The casualty report is in."

"In this battle, the City Lord’s Mansion lost 3,621 people. That includes twenty-two Foundation Establishment Cultivators and three Purple Mansion Cultivators. Qianri and Qianyue are both dead. So are Huguang and Mingxiu..."

With every number reported, Muu Guibai’s heart trembled.

The three Purple Mansion Cultivators, needless to say, were his elders and junior martial brothers.

Qianri and Qianyue were the two most respected Elders in Luoxia City. Huguang was his own direct disciple, and Mingxiu was Zhan Tianxia’s.

This battle had utterly crippled Luoxia City, and it would be a long, long time before the city could recover its former strength. Fortunately, Muu Guibai had broken through to the Golden Core realm, so despite the losses, Luoxia City’s overall power had actually increased.

On the surface, it was a net gain.

But Zhan Tianxia felt there were some things he had to get off his chest.

"Did you know from the start that they were putting on an act?" Zhan Tianxia’s tone was harsh.

Muu Guibai slowly shook his head. "I did not. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have broken through to the Golden Core Stage ahead of schedule."

Everyone knew that the Great City Lord of Luoxia City possessed extraordinary talent. That he had yet to break through to the Golden Core Stage at four hundred years of age was a source of bewilderment for all.

The truth was, it wasn’t a bottleneck that held Muu Guibai back, but rather his loftier ambitions.

When a cultivator breaks through to the Golden Core Stage, they forge a Golden Core within their Purple Mansion.

The number of acupoints on the Golden Core determines its quality. More acupoints meant a faster conversion of Spiritual Qi into Mana, greater explosive power in combat, and a higher chance of one day breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.

A Golden Core could have a maximum of nine acupoints, but above even that was the higher-quality Nine Orifice Purple Gold Pill.

Muu Guibai’s goal was precisely this pinnacle of achievement: the Nine Orifice Purple Gold Pill.

However, the quality of a Golden Core is intricately linked to one’s comprehension of the Five Elements Laws. All these years, he had been meditating on the Power of Law, striving to form a Nine Orifice Purple Gold Pill.

If not for this pursuit, he would have broken through to the Golden Core Stage long ago.

He had been just one step away from achieving Five Elements Perfection. Unfortunately, with the demon beast army at their gates, he had been forced to fight for a sliver of a chance at survival. He left the city through a secret passage and broke through to the Golden Core Stage ahead of schedule in a hidden location.

Unfortunately, because his comprehension of the Laws was incomplete, he only managed to form a Nine Orifice Golden Core. It would be the regret of his lifetime.

Hearing this, the look in Zhan Tianxia’s eyes softened. He then asked, "Then, Senior Brother, when did you first make contact with them?"

Muu Guibai’s gaze was as tranquil as still water. He said softly, "After I broke through to the Golden Core Stage, I knew I was no match for the Black Dragon Demon King. So, I went to the Golden Crow Sect to request aid."

"I had the good fortune of meeting Su Ding Master. It was then that he told me everything..."