Longevity by Grinding Skills

He gave one last look at the two people on the ground, their lives slowly fading.

Chu Xuan was completely still. Ning Wuque’s earlier attack had extinguished her vitality. Her eyes were locked on Ning Wuque, who was still staring up at the sky, his own gaze slowly growing vacant.

Xu Yunfan knelt and brushed his hand across their necks. Beneath their skin, which was still faintly warm to the touch, their pulses had long since stopped.

His True Blood had just awakened, only to have its vitality clawed out by Chen Tiangang. How could a Martial Artist who hadn’t even reached the Outer Three Harmonies possibly contend with a Blood Exchange Realm master?

He looked up. Ahead, General Cui’s figure appeared and disappeared amid the growing flames that were consuming the Celestial Cicada Sect’s buildings. The firelight stretched the General’s shadow long and thin. The Military Supervisor was unhurriedly wiping his saber, his foot planted on the head of the Celestial Cicada Sect’s last Elder.

The Elder’s eyes were wide open, bulging as if they would burst, filled with indignation and fury.

This Elder was the Celestial Cicada Sect’s only Grand Martial Master of the Outer Three Harmonies, yet he had been decapitated with a single slash.

For General Cui to arrive so late... it was obvious he had done it to let Ning Wuque be sent to his death.

Xu Yunfan hesitated no longer, hurrying toward the back mountain of the Celestial Cicada Sect.

The Flesh Refining Realm Kung Fu, the Celestial Cicada Robe, was not yet his. He needed to go to the Inheritance Cave in the back mountain to get it.

On the stone path of the back mountain, the stench of burning spread wantonly, hanging in the air like a haze that would not disperse.

As Xu Yunfan stepped over a still-smoldering broken beam along the path, his ears suddenly twitched.

In the pine forest a hundred yards away, the clash of Chain Armor and the gasps of the dying intertwined, piercing the quiet that was about to settle over the sect.

Amid the chaotic sounds, Xu Yunfan caught a familiar shout and an enraged roar. In an instant, his figure flashed, and he shot toward the source of the sounds like an arrow loosed from a bow.

When Xu Yunfan drew closer, the scene before him filled his chest with a baseless, surging killing intent.

He saw Lin Hanyi mercilessly pinned to an ancient cypress tree by three Armor-Piercing Spears. Blood trickled slowly down the rough bark, staining the ground a deep crimson.

The Profound Armored Soldiers surrounding her wore savage expressions. One was raising a Curved Saber, about to gouge out her remaining right eye.

Suddenly, the saber blade was shattered into dust by a flying piece of rubble.

Xu Yunfan’s figure crashed through several trees. He swept out his Jar Gold Hammer with the force of a thousand jin, and the resulting pressure wave sent two of the soldiers tumbling to the ground.

The third man couldn’t dodge in time. The head of the hammer pierced his chest, and the immense impact slammed his entire body into a three-inch-thick rock face, instantly splattering it with a spray of blood.

The remaining two tried to scramble back to their feet, but the oncoming Heavy Hammer sent them flying backward like broken dolls. The blow shattered most of their Profound Armor, and the flying fragments pattered against the earth, stones, and tree trunks.

After scanning the area and confirming there were no more enemies, Xu Yunfan walked over to Lin Hanyi. He gripped the shaft of an Armor-Piercing Spear, his biceps knotting like twisting steel cables as he slowly pulled it out.

The spearhead grated against bone, making a sound that set one’s teeth on edge. Lin Hanyi couldn’t help but let out a muffled groan, and cold sweat dripped from her pale chin.

As the three blood-soaked spearheads were pulled out one by one, they brought with them bits of shattered bone, which made soft, crunching sounds as they hit the ground.

"Hang in there."

Xu Yunfan tore a strip from the hem of his bloodstained robe. The crisp sound of ripping fabric filled the air as he wrapped the cloth around her wounds.

He noticed that Lin Hanyi’s left scapula was shattered. While bandaging her, he deliberately avoided the caved-in flesh around it. This was one of the most crippling injuries for a Martial Artist. Without some kind of Spiritual Elixir and Treasure Medicine, Lin Hanyi’s martial arts were basically ruined.

Lin Hanyi’s unfocused gaze gradually sharpened. Her blood-caked eyelashes fluttered, and her face was pale as she watched Xu Yunfan bandage her wounds with the torn cloth.

After a long moment, she said, "I was wrong about you. I thought you were just a latecomer who only came for the Celestial Cicada Sect’s martial arts, or even a spy from the Court. But now..."

Her face was full of bitterness, and she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

Xu Yunfan said with a wry smile, "Senior Sister, I did originally join the sect to find a backer and cultivate advanced martial arts. I never expected something like this to happen."

Looking at Lin Hanyi’s bleak expression, Xu Yunfan continued, "Right now, the disciples of the Celestial Cicada Sect are almost all dead or injured, and the sect itself has been destroyed. I’m going to the Inheritance Cave to find the Celestial Cicada Robe martial art."

He had studied it carefully. The Celestial Zen Force was extremely profound and possessed a Horizontal Training Skill. The Celestial Cicada Robe could take him to the next level, perhaps making him truly impervious to blades and spears, even immune to damage from Sharp Blade Level Weapons.

Hearing this, most of the fighting spirit in Lin Hanyi’s eyes died away. Looking somewhat helpless, she fell silent for a moment. After watching Xu Yunfan finish bandaging her wounds, she finally spoke. "The Celestial Cicada Robe isn’t in the Inheritance Cave. A few days ago, I moved it to the Thunder Tower on the summit of Thunder Accumulation Mountain. That’s where our Celestial Cicada Sect raises the Celestial Cicadas."

"The Thunder Tower..."

Xu Yunfan was a little surprised. He had been training on the summit for the past few days, so of course he had seen the Thunder Tower.

The entire tower was forged from Refined Iron, and at its peak was an exceptionally tall Lightning Rod. Thunder Accumulation Mountain was perpetually shrouded in dark clouds, and from time to time, thunderbolts would strike down. Basically, half of all the lightning that struck the summit hit the Thunder Tower.

"The Celestial Cicadas require thunderbolts as a catalyst to be raised successfully. That’s why they’re so precious."

Xu Yunfan nodded slightly and stood up. "Senior Sister Lin, there’s a small path down the mountain from here. I assume you know it."

Lin Hanyi’s line of retreat had been in the direction of that very path.

Her gaze slowly shifted to the Celestial Cicada Sect, which was engulfed in raging flames, her expression full of sorrow. She once thought that with an outstanding disciple like Ning Wuque in this generation, plus the addition of the exceptionally talented Xu Yunfan, the Celestial Cicada Sect would surely escape its predicament of having no worthy successors and restore its former glory.

And yet, all of it had been a conspiracy single-handedly orchestrated by their master, Chen Tiangang.

Now, things had come to this. The Celestial Cicada Sect’s foundation of several hundred years was destroyed in a single day.

To think, all of this was Chen Tiangang’s doing.

Now the situation was hopeless. It was all over.

"Junior Brother Xu, I’m leaving. If we have the chance to meet again, I will definitely repay your kindness!"

Lin Hanyi gave Xu Yunfan a deep look, then clutched her injured shoulder and staggered away, disappearing into the woods.

Xu Yunfan could see the unwillingness in Lin Hanyi’s eyes. She probably wouldn’t let this go. Even if the sect in Wuzhou’s Five Ridges and Seven Mountains was trampled by a hundred thousand Hu Ben Profound Armor troops, the scattered disciples would still represent a formidable force.

’That Empress... she’s truly ruthless.’ 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

’Instead of eliminating the Incense and Candle Sect, she mobilizes her armies against the martial sects.’

’The sects have their fair share of dirty laundry on a normal day, but in a situation like this, most would unite against a common enemy. What will the sects in other Daozhous think when they see this?’

’The slightest misstep could topple the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.’

’What is she trying to do?’

Xu Yunfan couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it. He pushed off with his feet and sprinted toward the summit of Thunder Accumulation Mountain. If he didn’t act now under the cover of chaos, he would lose his chance once the Profound Armor Army surrounded the mountain.

"What audacity! You still dare to go up the mountain!"