Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Song Qinghong’s legs went weak with fright. He pulled a thick stack of Talismans from his robes, threw them all out without even looking, and then bolted.

’He knew his own strength all too well. Against a Tier Two Demon Beast, he wouldn’t even be a mouthful. Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing was the best!’

The Demon Wolf clearly hadn’t expected the human to be so decisive. With one swipe of its claw, it tore the fluttering Talismans to shreds, then shot after him like a whirlwind.

Song Qinghong could hide within the Clan Protection Array, and he also carried a large amount of powder that could conceal his aura. As a result, it was difficult for the Tier Two Demon Wolf to catch up to him.

The chase, with one pursuing and the other fleeing, lasted for a short while before Song Qinghong finally slipped up. A powerful gust of wind kicked up by the Demon Wolf sent him tumbling to the ground.

Watching the approaching Demon Wolf, Song Qinghong couldn’t help but let out a despairing sigh. "Am I going to die here?

I wonder if anyone will collect my body. I’ve never even held a woman’s hand in my whole life... I wonder if I’ll get a chance in the afterlife. And all my savings... I don’t even have an heir, so I guess it’ll all go to the clan..."

Song Qinghong’s mouth ran on and on, muttering about all sorts of trivial matters that were enough to make one laugh and cry.

Just then, a resigned voice sounded in his ear. "If you don’t move, I won’t be responsible if you get caught in the crossfire."

Song Qinghong opened his eyes and saw Song Chang’an standing before him, clad in green robes and holding a Three-Foot Sword, a look of resignation on his face.

"Uncle Chang’an!"

The Little Fatty’s eyes instantly filled with tears. ’He arrived just in time! I’m saved!’

Seeing the Little Fatty’s face covered in tears and snot, the look of resignation on Song Chang’an’s face deepened. ’This guy is a disgrace to the clan. The Song Clan is built on unyielding strength. How did we end up with a character like him?’

"AWOOO—"

Seeing the two of them acting as if it weren’t even there, the Demon Wolf was thoroughly enraged. ’Are they pretending I don’t exist?’

The howl jolted the Little Fatty back to his senses, and he suddenly remembered the predicament he was in.

He laughed awkwardly. "Uncle Chang’an, I’ll let you get to it. This nephew will be on his way."

With that, he bolted into the dense fog.

Song Chang’an shook his head. ’It’s better this way. If he stayed, I’d have to split my focus to protect him.’

Gazing at the enormous Demon Wolf, the aura around Song Chang’an gradually grew sharp and fierce.

The Silver Moon Demon Wolf clan had sent more than a dozen Tier Two Demon Wolves into the Array this time, roughly three times the number of the Song Clan’s experts. Although the Array could temporarily lure them into running in circles, they would eventually converge. When that happened, the Song Clan would be in serious trouble.

Therefore, he had to eliminate the beast before him as quickly as possible, then hunt down the remaining Tier Two Demon Beasts and take them out one by one.

With this in mind, he took the initiative and charged forward.

His first move unleashed a sky full of Sword Light, enveloping the Demon Wolf from every angle with no blind spots.

Demon Qi billowed from the Demon Wolf’s entire body. With a shudder, it unleashed countless Wind Blades.

"BOOM—"

A massive explosion erupted with the Demon Wolf at its center, clearing away all the fog within a radius of several hundred feet.

"CLANG!"

Song Chang’an’s Sword Qi was like a rainbow, with each strike carving countless furrows into the ground.

The Sword Qi was so sharp that the Demon Wolf didn’t dare to face it head-on, hastily dodging the attacks.

Despite its massive size, the Demon Wolf was incredibly fast, moving like the wind. For a moment, it managed to dodge every single attack and even found an opening to counter.

Song Chang’an had only recently broken through to Foundation Establishment and sorely lacked experience in Magical Combat. Fortunately, the Clan Protection Array weakened the strength of any Demon Wolf that entered by thirty percent. Relying on his fierce Swordsmanship, he fought a bitter battle for nearly an hour before gradually suppressing the Demon Wolf.

"AWOOO—"

The Demon Wolf threw its head back and roared. A Qi Vortex slowly formed beneath it, frantically absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Qi and transforming into a massive storm dozens of yards in diameter.

Its body was already covered in sword wounds, and its stamina was draining rapidly. It had to start fighting for its life.

Song Chang’an was also greatly drained, but he roused every last bit of his concentration. A demon beast’s final, desperate struggle was the most terrifying of all; he couldn’t afford to be careless now.

He thrust his Long Sword into the ground before him. Lines of white light spread out across the earth, eventually forming a complex and profound Array Map with the sword at its center, stirring up an endless storm of Sword Qi.

His talent in the way of the sword was not outstanding. He was not only inferior to Song Qingxing, but even a bit weaker than Song Qingxia.

However, the reason he had been able to stand out among the many Cultivators of the Song Clan and take the top position was precisely this Sword Array.

He had obtained it by chance during his travels abroad. Once deployed, it could establish a Sword Qi Domain with a radius of several hundred feet. Any enemy who entered it would face omnipresent Sword Qi. It was incredibly powerful.

"AWOOO—"

The Demon Wolf, its eyes crimson, let out a long howl and charged straight at Song Chang’an, braving the storm. This was a do-or-die attack!

"BOOM—"

"SHRRIIIIIP—"

The instant they made contact, the storm the Demon Wolf had gathered held for less than a moment before being torn to shreds by Song Chang’an’s Sword Array.

Endless waves of Sword Qi surged forward. Amidst agonized howls, the Demon Wolf was stripped of all its flesh and blood, leaving behind nothing but a ghastly white skeleton.

Leaning on his sword for support, Song Chang’an struggled to his feet. His face was pale. Killing a Tier Two Demon Beast for the first time had taken a significant toll on him.

But time waited for no one. He simply tossed a few [Replenishing Essence Pills] into his mouth, then raised his sword and set off to find his next target...

The slaughter continued until dusk, at which point the Demon Wolves finally retreated from Vast Mist Peak, leaving behind over a hundred corpses.

In this initial clash, they had lost three Tier Two Demon Wolves and over one hundred and thirty Tier One Demon Wolves.

The Song Clan, on the other hand, had the support of the Array. They suffered only sixteen deaths and nearly twenty injuries. Song Chang’an and Song Luhuai were lightly wounded, but it would not affect their ability to fight in the battles to come.

This loss ratio angered Silver Moon. While the dense fog could confuse its pack, it could not fool their leader. It had taken in the entire state of the battle, and the performance of its underlings was deeply disappointing.

"Tonight, you will hunt for Blood Food! Tomorrow, we continue the attack!"

At Silver Moon’s command, the Demon Wolves split into more than a dozen packs to hunt Blood Food and replenish their strength.

Meanwhile, the Yu and Wang Families, who had long been lying in ambush, finally seized their opportunity. They silently followed the packs to launch a surprise attack from the rear...

「The night passed.」

When Silver Moon did a quick headcount, it discovered that two Tier Two Demon Wolves and nearly fifty Tier One Demon Wolves were missing. This sent it into another furious rage.

After figuring out what had happened, the incandescently furious Silver Moon dispatched five Tier Two Demon Wolves leading three hundred Tier One Demon Wolves to pin down the Yu and Wang Families. It, meanwhile, would personally lead the remaining forces to attack Vast Mist Peak.

After the previous day’s battles, the disciples of the Song Clan had matured considerably. They had even revised their tactics, no longer acting alone. Instead, they moved in groups, using their numbers to overwhelm smaller enemy forces.

Although this was less efficient, it greatly reduced their casualties...

The moment Silver Moon stepped within the bounds of the Array, it found its power being suppressed.

But it had absolute confidence in its own strength. Even with only seventy percent of its power, it was more than enough.

Gazing toward the mountain’s peak, it bared its ghastly fangs. From its observations the previous day, it had already grasped the fundamental strengths and weaknesses of this Array.

’As long as I kill the human holding the Array Banner, this Array will be halfway broken!’

It transformed into a gust of wind and shot up the mountain.

Any Cultivator that appeared in its line of sight along the way instantly exploded. None survived.

It advanced with such speed that when Song Xianyun attempted to block its path, Silver Moon simply swiped a claw dismissively. He was slammed into a stone wall, his fate unknown.

Silver Moon was in no mood to waste time on him and headed straight for Song Xianming’s position.

Seeing Song Xianyun so grievously wounded, Song Xianming’s eyes nearly split with rage. With a flick of the Array Banner in his hand, he appeared directly in front of Silver Moon.

The Demon Wolf’s colossal body and his own tiny frame formed a stark contrast.

But Song Xianming’s face was devoid of fear. He waved the Array Banner in his hand, and the entire Grand Array began to turn with a thunderous rumble.

He opened his mouth and let out a thunderous shout: "Stabilize the Realm, and slay the demon!"

"CLANG!"

A heaven-shattering sword hum echoed through the clouds. From the mountain’s peak, a flying sword wreathed in Sword Qi shot into the sky. Phantasmal images of mountains and rivers manifested around it as, with the force of a rainbow, it slashed down toward the Silver Moon Demon Wolf’s massive body!

...