Longevity Chronicles

Yang Jie was, after all, the fifth ranked True Inheritor, and when he stepped forward to vouch, his lavish praise certainly stood out from the crowd.

Tao Qian sat amidst the gathering, keenly aware of his sect members casting glances of admiration his way.

Many curious individuals eagerly requested that he share the details of how he had survived the Three Calamities.

Tao Qian had no choice but to gloss over certain events, such as the Devil God Princess's attempts to kidnap him, nearly costing him his virtue, and provided a rough outline of his experiences instead.

Even so, his accounts of the Three Calamities were still quite remarkable, eliciting wonder and amazement from all his fellow disciples and sect members.

At the same time, this made the Spirit Treasure Disciples unavoidably harbor resentment towards the Great Freedom Temple.

Regardless of the past!

Now, at this banquet, after sampling the Longevity Immortal Peaches, they inevitably found Tao Qian hugely agreeable.

The more they ate, the more they felt this way.

After hearing about the wicked deeds of "Bai Qin," all were united by a shared indignation.

Reflecting on the buzz of activity and assimilating his gains as he sobered up, Tao Qian couldn't help but sigh and say,

"It's fortunate that Bai Qin has already met his demise, with all his benefits now fallen to me."

"Otherwise, after tonight, he would have drawn a host of enemies – those yet to meet him already harboring murderous resentment."

"He used to say he'd come to the mountain gate to apologize after succeeding, but if he really did come, I fear he'd be chased by a host of Spirit Treasure Disciples..."

Murmuring to himself, Tao Qian couldn't help but smile.

After hosting the Immortal Peach Banquet, he found himself even more satisfied with the atmosphere within the Spirit Treasure Sect.

Although not quite to the extent of perfection, it far exceeded Tao Qian's initial expectations.

Having spent some time dealing with the Southern Yue Ghosts, cultivating within the mountain gate gave him a sense of disconnection, a stark contrast.

If not necessary!

Tao Qian himself was actually reluctant to leave the Penglai Sea and once again venture into the Mortal World.

Great tumultuous eras are akin to a crucible.

Given that Southern Yue was such, it could be inferred that the other dozens of provinces in the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty were also not faring much better now.

However, upon further contemplation, hiding away for cultivation might not be the best course of action.

"That iron law is true reason itself; everything comes with a price."

"It seems that even Great Cultivators like Aunt Pan Si and Bai Yin Immortal who are often secluded must also pay a price beyond my sight."

"There are various paths in Dao, following one's heart is the way."

It was indeed peculiar.

As soon as this thought settled in Tao Qian's heart, the restlessness of the Human Dao Destiny that had perturbed him all night suddenly calmed down.

Seeing this, Tao Qian smiled, and immediately another thought crossed his mind.

"I'm not embarking on refining the Third Method to meet my demise; everything must be meticulously prepared."

"There are still five days until the True Inheritance Conference."

"In these five days, I'll think of some methods, genuinely practice my cultivation, and enhance my offensive and combat capabilities."

"Speaking of which, I'm now a True Disciple of the orthodox Spirit Treasure, yet my offensive techniques are from the Buddhist Sect, and the Escape Skills and Refining God skills I usually use come from the Demon Path... how sinful."

At this thought, out of nowhere, Tao Qian felt a sudden surge of inspiration.

Now considering how to spend the next five days, he set his mind and thought,

"If I can't refine the Basic Method, then I'll refine some other Divine Power Skill."

"Why not seek Aunt Pan Si as soon as daylight breaks and ask for a few suitable Spirit Treasure Divine Powers for me to refine?"

The thought having taken hold, Tao Qian was completely unaware of any incongruity in this line of thinking.

Normally, with his status as a True Inheritor and in possession of a Command Token given by Duobao Daoist, he should have chosen Divine Power Skills directly from the Spirit Treasure Scripture Hall.

It was due to urgency that he last sought out Aunt Pan Si, and now he was shamelessly intending to do so again.

Typically, such an act was not in Tao Qian's character, but then his inherent laziness kicked in, and so naturally that was what he thought and what he ended up doing.

Of course, it was also because he always trusted his own intuition and premonitions, which had never led him astray.

Such impulses had aided him numerous times in gaining opportunities and advantages. Now that it had come again, he had no thoughts of rejecting it.

Follow the heart's desire and go with the flow.

...

An hour later, a streak of Evasion Light burst forth from Ascending Immortal Island.

After traversing three hundred miles, Tao Qian appeared just outside an Immortal Island teeming with strange flowers and herbs, and towering Ancient Woods.

In his hands, he carried a basket of Longevity Immortal Peaches.

His eyes still retained High Spirit Vision, which allowed him to clearly see the true form of Pan Si Island.

However, he paid it no mind and respectfully clasped his hands, saying,

"Aunt Pan Si!"

"Disciple recently planted some Immortal Peach Trees, and now that they've begun to bear fruit, I've specially brought some for Aunt to taste the freshness."

As soon as his words fell, he saw the Big Island, wrapped endlessly in silver cobwebs, tremble slightly as if it had just woken up.

Inside, a lazy and soft voice came through,

"Eh?"

"Isn't it you? A few days ago, didn't that Crystal Demon girl deliver a basket? Why have you come again?"

"However, the peaches you've grown do taste good, thank you."

Once the voice stopped, a streak of silver light shot out, swept up the basket of fruits, and then returned to the Immortal Island.

Afterward, there was silence all around.

A man and an island fell into a silence that wasn't long, but felt very drawn out.

"Do... do you have any other matters?"

When this sentence arrived, and Tao Qian could clearly hear a hint of nervousness in the voice,

Tao Qian finally snapped out of it, nearly forgetting this Aunt's temperament.

Being lazy in such a manner, he suddenly felt a bit regretful.

But since he had already come, Tao Qian had no choice but to thicken his skin and sincerely, yet unconsciously flatteringly, responded,

"Aunt must also see that the disciple has just entered the Sect and hasn't had the chance to formally cultivate for a period."

"That Great Lifebook Scripture, I won't receive the Ancestor Master's Teachings until five days later."

"Taking advantage of some free time, the disciple thought to ask Aunt for a little help, could I request one or two Divine Skills for self-protection and offensive use to cultivate?"

Tao Qian had just finished speaking when a full of doubts questioning came from the island.

He could almost see that homebody female fairy in a ruqun with long sleeves frowning and saying,

"It's only five days. After the ancestor master imparts the teachings, all the Divine Skills most suitable for you in that Great Lifebook will be complete."

"Even if I find you a thousand Magic Skills now, are you willing to pay those various costs... but it's really not worth it; you seem smart, not like a fool."

"If you want to add some means, some power for fighting and killing, you could go to Sister Yunhua and ask her to refine some powerful Great Array Flags for you. I hear she dotes on you the most; this shouldn't be difficult."

"Or else, go find Brother Duobao, he is your Master. With your gentle requests, maybe you could get one or two Exotic Treasures to use..."

Tao Qian had to admit, Aunt Pan Si's advice was good.

Being called a fool by her, Tao Qian also found it embarrassing.

It would be inappropriate for him to boastfully reply, "Aunt, bring out the Magic Skills for me to feel; perhaps I might exempt the costs," right?

However, at this moment,

Tao Qian seemed to think of something, his eyes suddenly brightened up, and he began to understand why he had so impulsively come here.

He smiled and made another respectful gesture,

"Thank you for Aunt's instruction, what Aunt said is indeed very true."

"However, to let Aunt know, when the disciple was still a Loose Cultivator, I had cultivated some Divine Skills belonging to the Secret Demon Sect."

"Due to certain fortuitous encounters, I have a natural affinity with the Secret Demon Magic Skill, and don't need to pay too much of a price."

"With such a bargain at hand, it is natural for a disciple to take advantage. It's just that in the Spirit Treasure Scripture Hall, the Books of Techniques are as vast as the sea of mist; picking out the Secret Demon Magic Skills is quite troublesome."

"The disciple has no choice but to seek Aunt's help!"

After Tao Qian finished, Pan Si Island fell into silence for half a moment.

Then again, Aunt Pan Si's voice spoke out,

"This is indeed rare, tell me, which Secret Demon Magic Skills have you cultivated?"

"Let me think if there are any in the Scripture Hall to help you complete one or two."

Tao Qian was clearly waiting for this response, and he immediately provided an answer upon hearing it,

"Not many, not many, I first cultivated an incomplete Secret Demon Sacrifice Sword Skill, already refined the Selfless, Immortal Slaying, and Demon Cleansing styles... Then I cultivated the Secret Demon Refining God Skill and Summoning Demon Technique, as well as self-comprehended some Control Demon Techniques, usually calling upon some Outer Realm Demons to assist."

After he finished speaking, the island fell silent again.

This time it was longer, after a while, Aunt Pan Si's voice came with uncertainty,

"The Secret Demon Refining God Skill is fine, but you also know the Summoning Demon Technique?"

"Summoning Demons requires the 'Ten Thousand Demon Catalog,' which is not something ordinary Loose Cultivators can obtain."

"You say you also know the Control Demon Technique; even the real Secret Demon Cultivators can't learn this without earning some merits."

"And that Secret Demon Sacrifice Body Sword Technique, even more, is not something non-true disciples of the Secret Demon Sect can learn."

"Are you... are you a Secret Demon Dark Child?"

Tao Qian clearly had not expected to be questioned like this after spending so much time in the Sect.

At a loss for words for a moment, he stalled inadvertently,

To others, it looked very much like a guilty conscience.