Eternal Life by Daily Divination

Suddenly, her expression changed. Sensing danger, she instantly vanished from where she stood.

The next instant.

A chilling, dark light slashed through the space she had just occupied.

Had she been a moment later, she would have certainly been torn apart by that dark light.

"Who is it?"

the old crone bellowed, her face filled with fury.

Li Chang’an appeared, sighing softly. "The sneak attack failed again. Looks like I’ll have to fight you head-on after all."

"Li Chang’an, it’s you!"

The old crone stared at him, her eyes filled with both fury and apprehension.

Wang Qianling, on the other hand, revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

"Daoist Li, why have you come here?"

"To save you, of course. Did you think I came to admire the snow?"

Hearing this, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Wang Qianling’s pretty face.

’If I had been a little more vigilant, I wouldn’t have needed Daoist Li to rescue me.’

"Be careful, Daoist Li. This old hag is quite strong."

"Don’t worry. Her Soul is on the verge of dissipating. She doesn’t have much power left. I can slay her in an instant."

Li Chang’an’s tone was level as he gazed at the old crone.

He executed a Celestial Grade Demonic Technique, and Magical Power converged in his hand, forming a beam of dark light.

Upon seeing the dark light,

the apprehension in the old crone’s eyes deepened.

But she still taunted him, "Li Chang’an, you think you can kill me with that little trick?!"

The moment she finished speaking, her figure flickered and vanished.

Immediately after.

Her figure appeared on the surfaces of the mirror-like ice sheets all around them.

The numerous ice sheets floated in every direction, shifting rapidly and creating a blur of afterimages. From within, thousands of her figures spoke in unison: "Li Chang’an, I have ten million bodies! What can you possibly do to me?"

"Ten million bodies?"

A flash of Spiritual Light appeared in Li Chang’an’s hand, and the Stone Eye Treasure materialized.

With the aid of the Stone Eye, he immediately saw through the deception.p>All of those thousands of figures were nothing but illusory shadows.

The old crone’s true Soul was using the countless illusions as cover to sneak toward Wang Qianling’s body.

"A mere Illusion Technique dares to posture before me?"

Li Chang’an snorted coldly and shot out the dark light in his hand.

The old crone’s expression warped in horror. Unable to dodge in time, she was struck by the dark light in a flash.

She let out a piercing scream, her features contorting as her already-transparent body began to dissipate.

"No! I won’t accept this! I haven’t even waited for the return of the Nine Great Immortal Sects!"

Her face twisted with madness, and she shrieked as she charged at Wang Qianling, trying to possess her body before she dissipated completely.

But before she could get close, several more beams of dark light struck her.

In the end,

amidst mournful, blood-curdling wails,

the old crone’s body vanished completely. Her Soul was shattered and scattered, unable to even walk the Reincarnation Path, erased from existence forever.

Her final words before she dissipated

left both Li Chang’an and Wang Qianling deep in thought.

’The return of the Nine Great Immortal Sects?’

Many years ago,

Li Chang’an had already speculated on this.

He suspected that some core members of the Nine Great Immortal Sects might have escaped the great calamity and would one day reappear.

Now, the old crone’s words seemed to confirm his suspicions.

Of course,

the old crone was just a remnant Soul, dead for at least ninety thousand years.

The so-called return of the Nine Great Immortal Sects might have just been her wishful thinking.

’Even if they do return, it won’t be a bad thing for me. I have two identities I can use.’

Li Chang’an wasn’t worried.

He waved his hand, shattering the ice bed and the Treasures that had been binding Wang Qianling, one after another.

A moment later,

Wang Qianling was free.

She looked toward the spot where the old crone had dissipated, a complicated expression flickering in her beautiful eyes.

’No matter what, she was still the master who taught me for over a century.’

"Daoist Li, thank you again. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid that old hag would have replaced me."

"If you truly wish to thank me, Daoist Wang, you can give me that Withered Spirit Flower."

"Of course!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Qianling immediately took the Withered Spirit Flower from her Storage Pouch.

Though the Tier Four Treasure was precious, it was nothing compared to the debt of having her life saved.

「Back then.」

The reason she had wanted to trade it for a Soul Nourishing Jade

was to nourish the old crone’s Soul and slow the Speed of its dissipation.

Now that the old crone was completely gone and her true nature revealed,

Wang Qianling no longer needed to spend resources acquiring a Soul Nourishing Treasure.

"Daoist Li, this Withered Spirit Flower can only be used once. You must make the most of this opportunity."

"I understand."

Li Chang’an took the Withered Spirit Flower.

In that instant,

the Magical Power within his body showed signs of drying up and withering.

This Withered Spirit Flower possessed such power even before it bloomed.

Once it fully bloomed,

it would surely be able to halt an entire Tier Four Array!

He put the flower away and left with Wang Qianling, heading back to the Central Domain.

Along the way,

Wang Qianling gazed at the snowy landscape and was moved to speak.

"My Wang Family ancestors started out in this bitter, cold Northern Domain, overcoming countless hardships to build the vast foundation we have today..."

Li Chang’an remained silent, listening to her story.

Over the next several days,

Wang Qianling told him a great deal about the Wang Family.

Among the Four Nascent Soul Powers of Zhao Country, the Wang Family had indeed had the most difficult start.

The Great Qi Immortal Dynasty had received boons from a Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch.

Although the Purple Mist Sect and the Yellow Sand Sect had no gifts from a Celestial Monarch, they could still plunder vast resources from the Southern and Western Domains.

Only the Wang Family, a Cultivation Immortality Family, had clawed its way up from a bitterly cold land, relying on the meager resources of the Northern Plains to get where it is today.

Finally,

Wang Qianling asked, "Daoist Li, would you be willing to join my Wang Family?"

Her gaze was as gentle as water, and her beautiful eyes, full of anticipation, were fixed on Li Chang’an.

Li Chang’an had expected this.

He told her directly, "Daoist Wang, I am already a Golden Core Guest Elder of the Great Qi Immortal Dynasty."

As he spoke, he took out the gleaming gold Guest Minister Token and showed it to her.

Seeing the Token,

Wang Qianling’s expression fell, knowing it was now impossible to recruit Li Chang’an.

Before the war between the sects, there might have been a chance, but now the two Nascent Soul powers were locked in a fight to the death.

The war between the Wang Family and Great Qi was far bloodier than the one between the Yellow Sand Sect and the Purple Mist Sect.

This was because the Wang Family had lost a Tier Four Demon Monarch.

The two of them

were now, for all intents and purposes, on opposing sides.

For the next few days, Wang Qianling became somewhat withdrawn, not mentioning the Wang Family again for the rest of the journey back to the Central Domain.

Li Chang’an did not stay in the Central Domain for long.

After bidding farewell to Wang Qianling, he took the Withered Spirit Flower and hurried back to the Southern Domain.

「A few days later.」

Li Chang’an finally returned to Changqing Mountain, arriving before the entrance to the Secret Realm at its base.

He stood before the Array, the Withered Spirit Flower in his hand.

’As long as I can break this array, I’ll have a Secret Realm all to myself.’