Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Just as Shen Changchuan emerged from his seclusion,

Countless billions of miles away...

Within the vast, boundless firmament,

a colossal, majestic mountain that blotted out the sun floated high above the nine heavens, standing amidst a boundless sea of clouds.

Above the floating mountain, an immortal radiance shone down,

layer after layer of light curtains,

enveloping the entire Floating Immortal Island within.

Through the layers of immortal light, one could vaguely make out rare flowers and exotic herbs vying for beauty, Immortal Cranes taking flight, and ancient trees reaching for the sky. Magnificent buildings were hidden amongst the lush greenery, shrouded in mist and appearing only intermittently.

This place,

was none other than the home of the Yuqing Immortal Sect, floating high above the nine heavens!

And at this moment,

inside the main hall of the Immortal Sect,

the atmosphere was heavy and solemn,

baring no resemblance to the tranquil, detached scenery outside.

The Yuqing Immortal Sect Leader,

Master Xuan Feng, was currently seated in the place of honor. He wore a moon-white robe, his silver hair was tied up in a crown, and his face was sharp and distinguished. His eyes were as deep as an abyss, brimming with the boundless wisdom accumulated over the ages.

Behind him, an enormous, suspended Tai Chi Eight Diagram emitted a soft, spiritual glow, rotating slowly as if reflecting the Great Dao of this world!

Below, the Elders were seated on both sides.

One, an old man with crane-white hair but a youthful face, held a fly-whisk and had his eyes slightly closed. The Spiritual Qi around him fluctuated faintly, as if he were one with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Another, a young man with sword-like brows and star-like eyes, was dressed in a red robe as brilliant as fire. The sword at his waist was plain and unadorned, yet it faintly exuded an endless sharpness capable of sundering the heavens and earth.

A graceful lady had gentle features and a soft gaze. A cerulean glow undulated around her like flowing water. If one stared intently, it was as if one could see a vast ocean descending upon the mortal world!

The last person, however, was entirely unremarkable,

or rather, completely out of place in the grand hall.

He was slovenly, his long hair was a mess like a bird’s nest, and he looked like a middle-aged beggar who had been wandering the streets for ten years, soaking up all the grime. He was sprawled gracelessly on his chair with his legs crossed, a tattered straw sandal dangling from his toes, jiggling as he shook his right foot.

This was a person who should never have appeared in such an august hall of an Immortal Sect.

An appearance like this,

could be described as a stain on the immortal scenery of the Sect.

But the other three, including Xuan Feng Sect Leader at the head, paid him no mind at all.

It was as if they didn’t even see him.

Sandalwood incense smoke curled up in the hall,

and Spiritual Qi suffused the air.

"The matter in Nanyue, how does it progress?"

Master Xuan Feng spoke slowly, his voice deep and powerful, like the tolling of a great bell, reverberating throughout the hall for a long time.

"It is said there was a great victory a year ago, and our forces have established a firm foothold in the north of the Nanyue Kingdom."

"As long as Master Wandering Dragon is there, and the Netherworld Sect doesn’t send out a Profound Pill Realm Zhenren, with his strength, even if he can’t conquer the entire Nanyue Kingdom, he at least won’t suffer a major defeat."

"However, if we are to restart a full-scale war and wish to avoid repeating the disaster of three hundred years ago, it would be best to order the Heisei Domain to keep a close watch."

the crane-haired, youthful-faced old man said in a low voice.

His voice was devoid of any emotion, completely impartial, merely stating a fact.

No one in the hall spoke.

This matter concerning Master Wandering Dragon,

was somewhat thorny...

No one was willing to speak up.

The slovenly middle-aged man, for his part, acted as if it had nothing to do with him.

Another moment of silence fell.

A moment later,

"It seems Master Wandering Dragon does keep the bigger picture in mind. Ultimately, he has not failed the Sect’s expectations."

After carefully choosing his words,

the Sect Leader, Master Xuan Feng, spoke, passing judgment on Master Wandering Dragon’s character.

Then,

his tone shifted,

and an immense, world-shaking sharpness erupted from within his deep pupils as his voice turned stern.

"Since that’s settled and the future trouble is eliminated, then it is time to begin!"

"After so many years of recuperation, our Immortal Sect has recovered its Primordial Qi. It is time to finish the war left unfinished three hundred years ago!"

"Esteemed Elders, what are your thoughts?"

Master Xuan Feng’s resonant voice boomed through the hall, carrying an aura of absolute dominance over all.

At that very moment,

within the floating mountain,

all the Disciples of the Immortal Sect within the Mountain Gate felt that powerful, heaven-soaring aura erupt from the grand hall on the summit!

The very heavens and earth trembled!

"Agreed!"

"The time is right!"

"It should be so!"

"No objections from me."

The gazes of the several people present all turned sharp in unison.

Within the great hall,

no one objected.

"Good!"

"In that case, the crusade against the Celestial Demon Sect resumes today!"

...

Meanwhile,

in the Nanyue Kingdom,

in a certain land of corpse mountains and a Sea of Blood.

The sky was dim,

and upon the earth,

piled-up corpses formed layer upon layer of macabre, terrifying "peaks." The scene was bizarre and horrifying beyond belief.

Between heaven and earth,

a sinister, crimson hue permeated the air.

In the center of these corpse mountains,

stood a pyramid-shaped altar thousands of feet high.

Atop the altar,

a figure completely shrouded in a blood-red robe was gazing at a blood crystal in the center of a blood pool. The crystal continuously emitted a crimson luster that seemed to faintly distort the very air around it.

"Is it still not enough...?"

The blood-robed figure stared at the crystal as it absorbed the essence of the Sea of Blood, muttering in a low voice.

At that very moment,

BOOM!!!

On the distant horizon,

two streaks of light shot rapidly towards the altar.

In just a few breaths’ time, they easily crossed the distance of several miles.

One was the figure of a youth,

and the other was a skeletal figure shrouded in a black cloak, which landed on the ground.

The youthful figure was none other than the Seven Extremes Old Demon, the patriarch of the Seven Extremes Sect—one of the two major sects among the Nanyue Kingdom’s one cult, two sects, and four tribes.

As for the skeletal figure,

it was the White Bone Old Demon from the other major sect, the White Bone Sect.

Moreover,

without a doubt,

this was merely a White Bone Puppet.

The White Bone Old Demon’s true body,

was hidden somewhere unknown.

However, despite it being only a puppet body,

the black-robed skeletal figure landed without any hesitation and immediately launched an aggressive tirade at the blood-robed figure on the altar:

"Hmph! Netherworld Sect, what is the meaning of this?!"

"After the battle at Broken Soul Mountain, the forces from the Tian Nan Domain have already occupied more than a fifth of the Nanyue Kingdom’s territory! The situation in the north has completely collapsed, and now, not only do you not plan to send reinforcements, you’re preparing to withdraw a Divine Travel Realm cultivator?"

"If you don’t want to play this game, then none of us will! We small sects don’t have the ability to resist a behemoth like the Yuqing Immortal Sect!"

The White Bone Old Demon had every reason to be furious.

Within the Broken Soul Mountain Range, there was a small Spirit Stone Vein.

It had originally belonged to the White Bone Sect and was also its most important source of income.

But a year ago, the Demon Alliance Army suffered a major defeat at Broken Soul Mountain,

causing that small Spirit Stone Vein to fall directly into enemy hands. This was a crippling blow to the White Bone Sect!

In that battle,

in order to protect its own interests,

the White Bone Sect believed it had already given its all, leading to the grievous losses it now suffered within the Sect.

Its other allies in the alliance army had also suffered considerable losses coming to help fight the Tian Nan Domain’s forces, so the White Bone Old Demon couldn’t be too harsh on them.

But the Netherworld Sect was another story.

As a hegemon of the Demon Dao, a branch propped up by the Celestial Demon Sect—a power on the same level as the Yuqing Immortal Sect—they had casually sent a mere two Divine Travel Realm cultivators.

And not long ago,

they were even planning to withdraw one of those two Divine Travel Realm Cultivators!

They were blatantly putting in no real effort,

How could the White Bone Old Demon, who had suffered such heavy losses, possibly accept this?