Longevity Chronicles

Tao Qian fluttered away the clouds and mist to reveal the Linglong Cave Mansion, where, in the ethereal Immortal Pond, a Daoist figure was sitting in meditation.

Just as he was about to apologize and retreat, the rosy clouds and ethereal mist within the cave seemed to breathe, suddenly withdrawing back into the Immortal Pond.

This allowed Tao Qian to see the corpse seated in the pool waters.

It was unexpectedly a female cultivator. She possessed a delicate and pretty face, eyes tightly shut, naked, with her jet-black hair cascading down, her skin white as snow. If it weren't for Tao Qian's perception sensing not the slightest hint of life from her body, he might have mistaken her for being immersed in a bath or in cultivation.

Tao Qian, with his knowledge, cultivation, and combat capabilities, was far beyond what any ordinary Qi Refining Realm cultivator could compare to.

Even without touching, he could discern the female cultivator's state using his own senses.

She had long died, the time of her demise unknown. The reason her body had remained so well-preserved was probably due to the "Spirit Treasure Immortal Pond."

"Master once said, 'The disciples of Spirit Treasure Sect establish their foundation here.'"

"That is to say, this one must have been one of my sect siblings, at least she was a senior sister, dead because of a failed Foundation Establishment?"

Tao Qian frowned, thinking.

Suddenly, his eyes shifted, and he saw on the wall of the cave emerald-script etched by sharp sword light, leaving behind several lines of elegant and ancient characters:

"My name is Li Xiuqing, who encountered my Master, Peony Immortal, on the night before my marriage."

"Master taught me patiently, and I diligently practiced cultivation, one day achieving a No-leak Body, planning to establish my Dao Foundation in this pond."

"Alas, my greed was too much, my No-leak Body leaked, and I lost all my progress, deserving to die here."

Though the words held no anger, they were filled with sorrow.

Tao Qian instantly understood; clearly, this senior sister who perished here, unknown in which year, was named Li Xiuqing.

Her death resulted from being too greedy during her practice, which caused her No-leak Body to fail, leading not only to the abandonment of her previous achievements but also to the loss of her life.

However, why?

Why does Spirit Treasure Sect treat the remains of their disciples this way? Not gathering them up, but instead leaving them here forever?

Tao Qian stood at the entrance of the cave and, after a moment of contemplation, paid his respects to the remains of his senior sister before stepping back into the clouds and mist.

"There are many more caves here; naturally, there is no need to compete with a deceased senior sister, so I shall seek another."

No sooner had he muttered this than Tao Qian took seven or eight steps.

To both his left and right, stars and clouds began to swell out, each shining over Tao Qian's body.

After consideration, Tao Qian first went to the left.

"Hmm?"

As usual, he dispersed the clouds and mist, and the sight inside caused Tao Qian to exclaim in surprise.

It was still a Linglong Cave Mansion, decorated with even more opulent and ornate objects, but the crucial element remained the Spirit Treasure Immortal Pond.

At this moment, in the pond, there was also a corpse, this time a male cultivator, similarly sitting upright, stark naked, eyes tightly closed, devoid of life, not even leaving behind a couple of parting words.

Tao Qian immediately turned to the right, and as expected, there was a corpse in the pond on that side too.

It was an old cultivator with white hair and beard, who had left his final words on the wall of the cave:

"In my youth, I left home to seek immortality, and at the age of eighty, I was fortunate to meet my Master Peng, who did not despise my dull talent and took me in."

"I had hoped to establish my Dao Foundation, revert to youth, and cultivate sublime methods. Alas, my myriad distractions were too substantial, my No-leak Body leaked, unfit for creation, unfit indeed."

Reading this farewell filled with reluctance, Tao Qian suddenly had a guess.

Could it be that in each of these caves in the front, all were in such a state, all leaving behind the remains of seniors who failed in Foundation Establishment?

Although Spirit Treasure Sect took away items like Storage Treasure Bags, they did not deal with the corpses, leaving them in place as a warning to future generations?

"Seek immortality and ask the Dao, all to pursue longevity."

"Yet the Dao path is cruel, and a mere misstep leads to both death and the annihilation of one's Dao."

After sighing over this phrase, Tao Qian also paid his respects to this old predecessor and continued moving forward.

What he saw next confirmed his speculation.

Along the way, in every cave he encountered, there were almost always corpses present, each sitting naked in the Spirit Treasure Immortal Pond.

Some left final words, while others did not.

Not only were there Human Clan Cultivators, but there were also devil beasts and Mountain Spirits and Ghosts, among others.

The cause of death was the same: Foundation Establishment failure!

Seeing this scene after scene of tragedy, Tao Qian couldn't help but feel a heaviness in his heart.

Although he had long known that the path of cultivation was fraught with danger, each stage was a life-and-death test for cultivators.

One misstep would lead to a violent death.

And this Foundation Establishment stage was especially pivotal and perilous.

What is Foundation Establishment?

For Spirit Treasure Cultivators at the peak of Qi Refinement, it represented not just the next realm but also a significant barrier.

Successfully laying the Foundation allows one to transcend the ordinary world.

Thus, when Spirit Treasure Cultivators reach this point, they need to absorb as much Immortal Spirit Qi into their bodies as possible with their Spirit Treasure No-leak Body, under the premise that the more, the better, provided no leaks occur.

This is because, once Spirit Treasure Cultivators step into the Foundation Establishment Realm, they can no longer absorb Immortal Spirit Qi. They must close their No-leak Body and refine themselves internally and externally to create that Transcendent Taoist Body.

Thus, they can leap directly into the Transcend Mortality Realm.

The key to Spirit Treasure Cultivators absorbing Immortal Spirit Qi lies in these cave accessible Immortal Ponds, which are condensed from Immortal Spirit Qi and connected to one another as if they were the veins of the Spirit Treasure Miao Tree roots.

To establish the Dao Foundation to the greatest extent, naturally, they must strip off their clothes, without any entanglements or obstructions, and sit in the pond to draw Immortal Qi from the Spirit Treasure Immortal Veins.

But once it started, there was no stopping.

Should a problem arise in the middle, it could be fatal.

Why is that?

When Tao Qian came up, Duobao Daoist had specially reminded him not to be greedy and to prevent his No-leak Body from developing leaks.

For once there were leaks, they would completely drain away.

Tao Qian walked towards an unoccupied Cave Mansion while pondering in his heart.

Suddenly, a thought struck Tao Qian's mind, giving rise to doubts.

"Why did all these seniors die from failed Foundation Establishment? It's understandable, but why are all their death states exactly the same, so peaceful and tranquil?"

"If a No-leak Body developed leaks, while it's not exactly a horrifying torture, to watch one's cultivation drain away surely many would mutate and fall, their deaths should differ, shouldn't they?"

"Why are they so identical? Could it be that the Sect has helped in handling this?"

With this question in mind, Tao Qian saw the corpse of a former peer from the Alien Species in one of the Immortal Ponds within a Cave Mansion.

He was a Snake Demon who had entered the Dao, with his original form being a White-Scaled Giant Snake. Even in death, he appeared lifelike, as if the most exquisitely carved statue in the world.

The only unseemly factor was the predecessor's corpse lying face down.

Seeing this, Tao Qian didn't immediately retreat. Instead, he gave an apology and stepped forward to prop up the corpse of this Alien Species senior brother.

As Tao Qian's hands touched the snake's body in an instant, only he knew what kind of Record information burst forth in his mind.

Uncharacteristically, Tao Qian lost his composure.

A flicker of horror passed through his eyes; he sensed something the next moment, abruptly turned his head, and looked outside the Cave Mansion, shouting, "Who is there? Show yourself."

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Almost as soon as Tao Qian's words fell, the misty glow unexpectedly stirred, and three different non-human figures materialized.

While they were non-human, aside from some unique limbs, the rest of their bodies were dressed like the Human Clan.

One was an old man in a thick yellow robe with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, his small mung bean eyes filled with slyness.

One was a youth in a black gauze dress, with a dark complexion, holding an oil-paper umbrella embroidered with big Cicadas.

And a woman wearing a gorgeous dress, a floral crown upon her head, with wings growing from her back.

Clearly, all three were of the Devil Species, but they bore no Demonic Qi, instead exuding a very rich Immortal Spirit Qi.

Ordinary people would mistake them for Devil Immortals.

Discovered by Tao Qian, they remained calm, and after appearing, they all bowed to Tao Qian, saying,

"The Three Immortals of Miraculous Tree pay respects to this Young Master."

"May we inquire what commands the Young Master has for calling upon us?"

Hearing these two sentences, Tao Qian seemed to be provoked to laughter.

After propping the predecessor's White-Scaled Giant Snake's relic upright, Tao Qian walked out of the Cave Mansion and stood in front of the three demons, scoffing,

"Me call you? Weren't you three Devils hiding in the tree roots, spying on me?"

"If just now I hadn't gone to support this senior brother's relic and caused your Qi to leak, I wouldn't have caught you."

"Three Immortals of Miraculous Tree? When I came up, my master, Duobao True Monarch, certainly did not mention that this Spirit Treasure Miraculous Tree's roots contained three Devil Immortals."

"I see you three are clearly Evil Demons hiding here, plotting to covertly harm the Disciples of the Spirit Treasure Sect..."

Tao Qian uttered the first few words without the three demons flinching.

But as soon as the words "Duobao True Monarch" were spoken, the three demons' expressions changed.

Almost immediately, they gathered around, each one politely making amends,

"It's a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding."

"We couldn't imagine the Young Master to be a disciple of the true lord, like a flood washing the Dragon King temple, one's own kin are not recognized."

"Young Master, do not be upset. Since you are a Disciple of the true lord, during the Foundation Establishment, we three immortals will surely lend you a helping hand."

"Spirit Treasure Immortal Spirit Qi will be more than sufficient."

"Absolutely, with the assistance of us Three Immortals of the Miao Tree, Young Master will certainly lay most vigorous Dao Foundation."

These three demons were showing off their flattery.

Tao Qian still scoffed coldly, then even more impatiently interrupted,

"I don't wish to die, how dare I let you three Devils assist me? What assistance do you speak of?"

"Just like you did to the relics of my predecessors—drain their Essence Blood and Primordial Spirits and swallow them into your bellies, leaving only their quiet, dead husks soaked in this Immortal Pond as a display?"

Unexpectedly, the three demons were taken aback, not anticipating Tao Qian to reveal such an alarming truth so suddenly.

That was the Record information that burst forth in Tao Qian's mind the instant he touched the remains of the Snake Cultivator.

"Relics of Spirit Treasure Cultivators... perished during Foundation Establishment... their Essence Blood and Primordial Spirits depleted by the Yellow Aphid Immortal, Black Cicada Immortal, and Flower Moth Immortal."

This first Record, with a slight connection of the dots, suffice to send chills down Tao Qian's spine.

There was almost no other possibility!

Tao Qian recalled the predecessors he had seen along the way in each Cave Mansion, whose relics had failed Foundation Establishment.

Their death states were uniform, peacefully and serenely sitting in the Immortal Ponds.

Initially, Tao Qian was relieved that the predecessors had not suffered before dying, considering it a fortunate matter.

But now, it was clear what happened before their deaths remained uncertain.

Yet their Essence Blood and Primordial Spirits after death likely entered the bellies of these three demons.