Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 524: Chapter 524: A Man Must Rely on Himself

’I’d have to wait for a time more chaotic than today, a time that could better obscure the Celestial Secrets and distract the True Monarchs. Otherwise, trying to attain the Golden Attainment Fruit Position would be a fool’s errand.’

The best-case scenario would have been the chaotic war between the Three Sects a thousand years ago, when all the Golden Core True Monarchs were too preoccupied to interfere. Only then would there have been a chance.

His mind swimming with countless thoughts, Xu Yunfan slowly walked over to Chu Chengnan’s side.

The once imposing Daoist Master Hundred Peaks, who had sought to reach the Golden Core realm, was now a withered husk, like a piece of deadwood drained of all its Essence Blood, collapsed wretchedly on the ground.

His meridians were shattered, and the Grotto Heaven that had supported his Realm was shriveled to the point of near collapse. His Cultivation plummeted visibly, knocking him almost all the way back to Early-Stage Foundation Establishment, or perhaps even lower.

The air was thick with the rich scent of blood and char. The faint light emanating from his shattered Dao Foundation flickered like a candle in the wind, illuminating Chu Chengnan’s paper-white face.

However, when Xu Yunfan’s gaze met his, he saw that the bloodless face had managed to force a faint smile.

An unimaginable calm resided deep within Chu Chengnan’s eyes. There was none of the anger, despair, or resentment one would expect. It was as if what had just been shattered wasn’t the slim hope of Dao Attainment he had fought five lifetimes to grasp, but a mere worldly possession.

His breath was faint as he spoke, his words halting. Each one seemed to drain the last of his strength.

"Junior Brother Xu, I have failed after all. This attempt to ascend to the Golden Core realm... it fell short at the final moment."

His voice was dry and hoarse, yet it held a strange sense of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted. "In the end, I’ve failed to live up to True Monarch Qing Yuan’s expectations. He invested so much in me..."

Xu Yunfan was silent.

The bone-chilling, oppressive feeling in the air had not yet dissipated, and the scene before him was a testament to the terrifying nature of the Human Tribulation he had just witnessed.

Seeing the once high-spirited Daoist Master Hundred Peaks reduced to such a state, his heart grew heavy.

He squatted down and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother, there’s no need to be so hard on yourself. The path to the Golden Core is fraught with a thousand difficulties and dangers. This tribulation was vicious, but it is not the end of the road. A Cultivator’s path is long. If you are willing to reincarnate and cultivate anew, you may yet have another chance."

Upon hearing this, a faint trace of bitterness and helplessness finally flickered in the depths of Chu Chengnan’s calm eyes.

He slowly, very slowly, shook his head, as if the motion itself drained all his energy.

"Five lifetimes, Junior Brother. Five lifetimes at Foundation Establishment. This is the limit for a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator’s Divine Soul.

"Every path has its end. Beyond this..." He took a breath. "The chances of re-entering the path of Cultivation are slim. Perhaps after countless reincarnations, there might be a sliver of an opportunity."

Xu Yunfan fell silent for a moment, his mind flashing back to the obsession with power Chu Chengnan had shown when they made their deal before his Dao Attainment attempt.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Senior Brother, your promise of half a Great Daoist Master’s resources before your Dao Attainment attempt was genuine. If you can reincarnate and return, no matter where you are, I, Xu Yunfan, will guide you back onto the path."

These words were like a faint ember tossed into the stillness of Chu Chengnan’s eyes.

For the first time, a clear, even somewhat gratified smile appeared on his placid face, though it was twisted and distorted by the intense pain wracking his body.

"Good. With these words from you, Junior Brother, I..."

His voice trailed off, as if even the strength to speak was rapidly draining away.

However, the whisper that followed carried a calm that seemed to see through the ways of the world. "True Monarch Qing Yuan has already abandoned me. From now on, I can only rely on myself."

Xu Yunfan’s gaze sharpened, but his heart remained untroubled.

’Yes. A considerable amount of time has passed since Chu Chengnan’s attempt failed, yet True Monarch Qing Yuan has not appeared.’

’That in itself said everything.’

’In a sect like the Primordial Sect, where demonic influence runs rampant, those who have exhausted their value are naturally cast aside like a worn-out shoe.’

Xu Yunfan gave a wry laugh, feeling he could now speak more openly.

"There’s a reason people have long called the Primordial Sect the Primordial Demon Sect.

"True Monarch Qingyuan’s coldness toward you, while ruthless, is perfectly logical.

"If, after this disastrous failure, he had been overly enthusiastic and solicitous, you’d probably be scared to death, wouldn’t you, Senior Brother?"

Chu Chengnan’s lips twitched with great effort, as if he wanted to laugh, but the movement only pulled at his myriad injuries, turning the expression into a stifled groan.

He closed his eyes and was silent for a long time, as if gathering his final ounce of strength.

The wind, tainted with Muddy Fiend, whistled as it blew through his tattered Daoist robes.

After a long while, he spoke again. His voice was clearer than before, but it sounded more like the delirious last words of a dying man:

"Junior Brother Xu, remember this: on the path of the Dao, you must rely on yourself."

His delivery was pained, yet calm.

"True Monarchs and mighty figures of high station cannot be trusted. Do not rely on them. What has happened to me today is the result."

He gasped for breath again, as if the sharp pain in his chest had cut him off. After recovering for a moment, he said faintly, "Your talent and Destiny are both greater than mine. Perhaps things will be different for you. Do not follow in my footsteps. Remember this. Trust no one but yourself.

"A person must rely on themselves."

Xu Yunfan listened quietly, his heart a roil of emotions.

The cautionary words Chu Chengnan had carved for him with his own bloody lesson were heavier than any Cultivation Technique or secret knowledge.

He said in a solemn voice, "I, Yunfan, will remember your words, Senior Brother! The lesson within them is now carved into my very bones. I will not dare to forget it."

Just as Xu Yunfan thought Chu Chengnan had finished his final words and was about to activate a Secret Technique with his remaining Soul Power to prepare for Reincarnation, something astonishing happened.

The body that should have been an extinguished lamp, on the verge of collapse, suddenly moved.

With immense difficulty, Chu Chengnan used his elbows to prop up his upper body. The movement was agonizingly slow. Every grind of bone and tear of a sundered meridian was accompanied by a teeth-grating sound as crimson Blood Beads seeped from his ruptured skin.

But the eerily calm expression on his face did not change in the slightest, even carrying a sort of indifference born of desperation and rebirth.

A look of profound surprise flashed in Xu Yunfan’s eyes. He subconsciously reached out to help, but then stopped, asking in confusion, "Senior Brother? You’re... not dying?"

’Honestly, he had already been fully prepared to see the man off, perhaps even to protect him during his reincarnation. He had even managed to dredge up a bit of sadness to put on a proper show.’

Chu Chengnan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he gritted his teeth and endured a pain unimaginable to an ordinary person, struggling with extreme difficulty to cross his legs and force himself into a seated meditation posture.

By the time he finished, his forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and his lips had turned a purplish-blue from blood loss.

He gasped heavily, his chest heaving violently like a broken Bellows, wheezing with every breath.

After his breathing calmed slightly, he finally lifted his eyelids. His eyes, still as tranquil as a deep pool, looked at Xu Yunfan. His voice, though weak, was no longer halting. Instead, it held a rock-like tenacity.

"Junior Brother Xu, did you really think I couldn’t hold on and was about to head into Reincarnation?"

He gave a self-deprecating smirk. "My Dao Foundation being destroyed is one thing, but death is another. I’m still a long way from that."

Hearing this, Xu Yunfan’s own lips couldn’t help but twitch.

’What a waste of a good expression.’

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