Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 554: Chapter 554: Blood Demon

"So this is the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm!

’With such abundant Spiritual Qi, all I have to do is cultivate step-by-step. Reaching Foundation Establishment should be no problem...’

A realization dawned on Han Shi, and for the first time, a glimmer of true hope appeared on his withered face.

However, the hope was fleeting, quickly overshadowed by a deeper anxiety.

He frowned.

’The Wansheng Sword Technique is wondrous, hailed as the foundation of the Supreme Sword Dao, but it only goes up to the Qi Cultivation Level.’

’Without a corresponding Sword Technique for the Foundation Establishment Realm, even with all this Spiritual Qi, I’d be like a tree without roots. I’ll never be able to break through the bottleneck...’

"Xu! Yun! Fan!"

The name escaped through his clenched teeth like a blood-soaked curse.

A towering hatred, suppressed for nearly a century, instantly washed away the joy of his newfound vitality. His eyes, honed by the years until only ruthlessness remained, glinted with a cold, sword-like light that seemed ready to devour someone whole.

"If not for your treachery, you monster, I, Han Shi, would never have been trapped in this spirit-barren wasteland for nearly a century, my Origin depleted and my life all but spent! I will not rest until one of us is dead!"

With his disposition, he would never be content as another man’s clone.

If he killed Xu Yunfan, he would become the original!

Just as this hatred surged, a sudden impulse struck Han Shi.

He whipped his head around, his sharp, sword-like gaze piercing the void toward a distant point on the horizon.

From that direction, a boundless Sword Intent surged into the sky. It was majestic and vast, threatening to pierce the nine heavens and sweep across the universe.

Its will—bitingly pure, domineering, and righteous—acted like an invisible Magnetic Stone, tugging at the humming Wansheng Sword Intent inside him.

’That’s the Wansheng Sword Sect’s Sword Domain. Their mountain gate lies in that direction.’

Realization dawned on Han Shi. The ruthlessness in his eyes remained, but a flash of wild joy and ambition joined it.

’Though my hair is white and my vitality has faded, I still possess Sword Heart Clarity, and my Realm remains.’

’With this foundation in the Sword Dao, I should have no trouble entering their ranks.’

Without further hesitation, he buried all emotion beneath his frigid Sword Intent.

The sword light around him flared, its dimness gone, and he transformed into a rainbow of Sword Qi that streaked across the sky, aimed directly at the mountain gate of the Wansheng Sword Sect, the source of the soaring Sword Intent.

* * *

"It’s done."

A faint smile touched Xu Yunfan’s lips. The operation had been mentally taxing. He’d had to use the Primordial Sect Gate to precisely pinpoint a spatial node and open a passage. More importantly, he’d constructed an imperceptible Knowledge Barrier around the clone, Han Shi. This would make Han Shi believe his own Sword Dao had advanced, that a burst of inspiration had led him to naturally choose the path of joining the Wansheng Sword Sect.

’With Han Shi’s current talent for the Sword Dao, supplemented by the pure Wansheng Sword Technique, joining the Wansheng Sword Sect should be a simple matter.’

’When the time is right, he’ll be able to stir up a massive storm.’

’I’ll leave him to it for now.’

Xu Yunfan’s attention shifted elsewhere.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Wilderness, Clone Wukong had endured countless trials alongside Master Sanzang and his party of four. The King Buddha Ritual was now on the verge of completion.

A vast aura—at once compassionate and yet filled with supreme majesty—was quietly brewing in the Eastern Wilderness.

Xu Yunfan could clearly sense it. Once the Ritual was complete, golden light would pierce the heavens and Buddhist hymns would wash over the land. It would be like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, instantly roiling the waters of the Three Sects and drawing innumerable eyes.

’The ensuing chaos will be the perfect opportunity to fish in troubled waters and get what I need.’

’After all, while the World Honored One Tathagata has his eyes on the Zizai King Buddha Fruit Position, the other two Sects have their own Daoist Lords. It won’t be that easy for him to just take it.’

’That will be my chance.’

’Looks like I need to hurry up with my own Cultivation and reach Foundation Establishment Perfection.’

’It seems my isolated training has to end for now. I’ll need to find some opportunities out in the world to advance my Daoist Cultivation.’

’The best would be to find some Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. Condensing the Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends would be ideal. Those are the best supplements for increasing my Skill Level.’

"Xu Yunfan! Get out here and die!"

Just as Xu Yunfan was lost in his calculations, secretly anticipating the coming upheaval in the Eastern Wilderness, a furious shout pierced the air. The voice was as sharp and cold as a bone-scraping knife, filled with towering rage. It tore through the multiple restrictive arrays of Divine Sky Peak and the eternal roar of the Divine Sky Thunderbolt, crashing down upon the entire mountain.

The pressure of a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator contained within the voice was almost tangible as it bore down on them.

RUMBLE!

The thick thunderclouds perpetually shrouding the skies above Divine Sky Peak began to churn violently, as if stirred by an unseen giant hand.

The protective array enveloping the peak flared with a blinding light. Vast ripples spread across its surface as it emitted a low, strained hum.

The tiny Thunder Runes etched into the cliff face lit up in sequence, spreading like wildfire as they struggled to withstand the cataclysmic pressure.

Throughout the peak, disciples laboring in their residences and the Spirit Fields, or those stoking the flames for Artifact Refining, paled under the terrifying pressure.

Many of the items being refined were instantly ruined by the oppressive force.

"Argh!"

"ACK!"

"Damn it, we’re under attack!"

The disciples in the Qi Cultivation Stage felt as though they had been struck by an invisible sledgehammer. The weaker among them immediately felt their chests tighten, struggling to breathe. Their knees buckled and their faces turned white as sheets. Some even staggered and fell, blood trickling from their lips.

Even Bi Yuan and the other disciples at Late-Stage Qi Cultivation felt as if an immense mountain was crushing them. Veins bulged on their foreheads as their True Essence frantically circulated to fight the omnipresent pressure, and the light from their Protective Magical Artifacts flickered erratically.

They struggled to lift their heads, their eyes filled with unconcealable horror as they stared at the terrifying figure outside the peak—a figure that blotted out the sky like a descending, blood-red sun.

"Late-Stage Foundation Establishment! It’s that Blood Demon from the Scripture Pavilion!"

A Steward Disciple recognized the attacker, his voice trembling.

The Blood Demon’s reputation was infamous. His Cultivation Technique was sinister and cruel, his personality twisted and perverse. He was a notorious Evil Star within the Sect.

Bi Yuan fiercely wiped a trickle of blood from his lips. There was no trace of retreat in his eyes, only a surge of fierce resolve.

He roared, "Activate the Small All Heaven Thunder Attraction Formation! Protect the disciples with lower Cultivation! Disciples of Divine Sky Peak, to me! Form the array!"

He didn’t care who the attacker was or how high their Cultivation was. As long as Divine Sky Peak stood, the laws of the Sect would be upheld.

At that moment, faced with a terrifying enemy far beyond their level, not a single disciple on Divine Sky Peak—Inner Sect or Outer Sect—fled. Instead, they gritted their teeth against the immense pressure and struggled to gather together. They attempted to form a weak defensive line, the thin Thunder Essence within their bodies resonating in solidarity. In their desperation, a moving spirit of unified defiance shone through.

They knew full well that their resistance against a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment expert was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

But standing divided was not an option. If they scattered, they would be picked off one by one. Their only hope was to rely on the Divine Sky Thunder Array established by their Peak Master and try to hold on.

Deep within his grotto-residence, Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow at the commotion.

The bone-chilling killing intent from the outside world, that familiar, foul, and bloody aura... The violent tremors of the Divine Sky Peak Array and the faint, collective will of his disciples struggling to form ranks—all of it was reflected clearly in his Sea of Consciousness.

Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but nod in silent approval.

’The disciples of my Divine Sky Dharma Lineage are a clever bunch.’

’Then again, none of them would have survived this long if they were fools.’

His expression was as calm as an undisturbed well, showing no surprise. A brief moment of calculation was all it took for him to understand the situation.

’So, that little episode in front of the Scripture Pavilion did indeed lure out the man himself.’

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