Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

’Grandfather, Mother, Fifth Uncle... you have to hold on.’ Song Changsheng cried out internally. All he wanted now was to go faster, just a little bit faster!

BOOM—

Suddenly, a clap of thunder exploded in his ears.

Song Changsheng shuddered, and the crimson hue in his eyes rapidly faded.

A wave of fear washed over him as he came to his senses. He had nearly been overcome by a Heart Demon.

As the dark side of cultivation, the Heart Demon is omnipresent and insidious.

Ever since learning that Great Demons were besieging the mountain, Song Changsheng had been unable to contact his clan. Consumed by anxiety, he had gradually lost his grip on reason and was almost consumed by the Heart Demon.

Fortunately, he had snapped out of it. Otherwise, the consequences would have been disastrous.

Realizing his state, Song Changsheng quickly took out the Eight Trigrams Diagram. He sat cross-legged on it and recited the Purifying Heart Technique several times, forcing the invading Demonic Qi out of his body.

After doing all this, Song Changsheng gradually regained his composure. ’At this point, worrying is useless,’ he thought. ’I need to calm down and figure out a plan.’

’The clan has the Clan Protection Array to rely on, and Grandfather is there to command it. They shouldn’t fall this quickly. The inability to make contact is likely because the Demon Wolves are blocking the battlefield.’

’I need to find a way to contact the clan and figure out the state of the battle.’

Having organized his thoughts, Song Changsheng changed course, heading first for the clan’s territory in the Mortal Realm. For one, it was closer. For another, he needed to get a clearer picture of the situation.

The Mortal Realm was the clan’s rearguard, but it was also a tempting prize.

If Vast Mist Peak were to fall, the Demon Beasts certainly wouldn’t pass up hundreds of thousands of mortals as Blood Food. Thus, by reaching the Mortal Realm, he could determine if the clan had already been overrun.

Besides, the Mortal Realm was the clan’s foundation; they would surely have it heavily guarded. If it was still safe, he might even be able to gather reinforcements there to help the main clan.

A few Foundation Establishment Cultivators might not be able to turn the tide, but he hadn’t forgotten the superweapon he was sitting on.

The Black Star Ship was only Tier Two Top Grade, but it possessed Attack Power comparable to a Celestial Ship. If used well, it could be enough to change the course of the battle!

The only problem was that Song Changsheng couldn’t operate it alone.

A Quasi-Celestial Ship was far larger than a Flying Ship. To take part in a Purple Mansion Level battle, it required at least three Foundation Establishment Cultivators to operate—the main reason he was heading to the Mortal Realm for reinforcements.

Soon, the silhouettes of several cities appeared before his eyes.

He gazed into the distance. The surroundings were in disarray, and the Mortal Realm’s Defensive Array was operating at full power. Song Changsheng’s heart leaped. ’Has the fighting already reached here?’ he wondered.

Piloting the Black Star Ship closer, he saw a group of people brawling outside the city walls.

One side, numbering nearly a hundred and clad in white robes, was composed mostly of Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They were battling a group of cultivators in tight-fitting black attire amidst the rain. Bodies already littered the ground, a testament to the brutal fighting.

Song Changsheng recognized the ones in black attire at a glance—they were Law Enforcement Disciples from his clan. They were clearly outnumbered, with fewer than forty remaining, yet their morale was high. They were practically overwhelming the white-robed fighters, despite being outnumbered two to one.

His gaze shifted to the sky, where another battle was raging. He couldn’t see the combatants, but he could sense familiar auras among them.

’It’s Uncle Lutong and Mother. And three unfamiliar auras... Wasn’t this a Demon Wolf invasion? Why are Human Race Cultivators involved? Are they trying to loot a burning house?’ Looking down at the white-robed figures, Song Changsheng’s gaze turned icy.

He stepped out, and in a few flickers, his figure appeared in the midst of the battlefield.

A white-robed man froze, stunned by the figure that had abruptly appeared before him. His pupils then constricted in terror, and he immediately tried to flee.

But Song Changsheng, filled with rage, wasn’t about to let him escape. With a flick of his finger, a sharp strand of Sword Qi pierced the man’s heart. He collapsed, falling stiffly to the ground.

Song Changsheng then attacked with abandon, moving as if through an empty battlefield. In less than a quarter of an hour, he had slaughtered all of the nearly one hundred white-robed assailants.

The Law Enforcement Disciples were stunned. ’Where did this fiend come from?’ they wondered.

"It’s the Young Clan Leader!" someone suddenly cried out.

"Thank goodness, the Young Clan Leader is back." More and more of them recognized Song Changsheng, their faces lighting up with joy.

Song Changsheng gave them a nod before soaring into the sky, decisively charging into the aerial battlefield.

At that moment, Xia Yunxue and Song Lutong were struggling in their fight against three white-robed cultivators. Their opponents used bizarre techniques and had the numerical advantage, leaving the pair struggling to defend themselves.

Just then, a voice rang in their ears: "Mountain-Flipping Seal, suppress and kill!"

BOOM

They looked up to see a massive seal, intricately carved with mountains and rivers, descending from the sky with terrifying might.

One of the white-robed men, caught completely off guard, had a rather intimate encounter with it and was instantly obliterated into a mist of blood.

"A Little Divine Technique! A Purple Mansion Great Cultivator?" one of the white-robed men exclaimed. He exchanged a glance with his companion, and they immediately turned to flee, wishing their parents had given them two more legs.

"Stop them!"

Although Xia Yunxue was also stunned by this sudden turn of events, she operated on the principle that the enemy of her enemy was a friend. She acted decisively, taking Song Lutong with her to intercept the fleeing men.

Seizing the opportunity, Song Changsheng immediately pressed his attack.

When Song Changsheng revealed himself, both his allies and his enemies froze for a moment. Then, in a classic display of face-changing, both sides revealed expressions of joy.

Xia Yunxue was overjoyed because her son, whom she hadn’t seen in so long, was finally back by her side, and his Cultivation had clearly advanced.

The white-robed men were relieved to see he wasn’t a Purple Mansion Cultivator. Though they were at a disadvantage, escaping should still be possible, right?

"Mother, let’s finish them off first!"

With a loud cry, Song Changsheng attacked one of the white-robed cultivators, a man at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment...

They fought fiercely for nearly an hour, and in the end, one of the two white-robed men was dead and the other was grievously wounded.

With no time for interrogating the prisoner or for pleasantries, Song Changsheng asked urgently, "Mother, what’s the situation with the clan?"

Xia Yunxue’s expression was grim as she shook her head. "We lost contact as soon as the battle began. But I doubt the clan has been breached. If it had, it wouldn’t be these people showing up here."

"Who are they?" Song Changsheng wondered. Their methods were bizarre, not at all like those of Righteous Cultivators.

"I don’t know. They seem to be after the mortals in the city. They started by causing chaos inside the walls to draw our attention, then this group took the opportunity to bury something outside the city.

"I was worried they were trying to sabotage the Grand Array, so I chose to meet them in battle outside the city, leaving only Changxuan to hold the fort." A vicious glint flashed in Xia Yunxue’s eyes. The chaos had resulted in the deaths of at least several hundred mortals.

"Mother, time is of the essence. Let’s go back and reinforce the clan together." Song Changsheng was in no mood to deal with these attackers; the safety of Vast Mist Peak was his top priority.

"But what if they return?" Xia Yunxue hesitated. This place was the clan’s foundation, after all.

"Mother, Uncle, look over there." Song Changsheng pointed.

The two followed his finger and saw the behemoth hiding among the leaden clouds.

"What a huge Flying Ship!" Song Lutong exclaimed. It was the first time he had ever seen such a colossal vessel.

"Uncle, this is a Quasi-Celestial Ship. Its origin is a long story, but with it, we can increase the clan’s chances of victory by at least thirty percent. But I can’t control it fully on my own. I need your help."

The two of them were stunned. They were, of course, familiar with the reputation of a Quasi-Celestial Ship.

"Sister-in-law?" Song Lutong rubbed his hands together, looking at Xia Yunxue with an expectant expression. He had been eager to leave this place for a while.

"In that case, we’ll hand the captive over to Changxuan. The three of us will go reinforce the clan." Xia Yunxue was decisive, agreeing to Song Changsheng’s plan.

The captive was handed over to Song Changxuan. Song Changsheng also left behind his sister, Song Qingxi, and Little Lingyun. However, no one was paying them much mind. And so, it was only after the Black Star Ship had flown away that anyone noticed Song Qingxi was holding a child in her arms...