Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method-Chapter 47: Lying in Wait

Not long after Song Changsheng left, a white-haired old man strolled leisurely out of the dense forest.

The old man had a youthful face despite his white hair. He wore a patched-up gray robe and looked quite sloppy, his hair a disheveled mess. If not for the ancient Long Sword slung across his back, he would be indistinguishable from a seventy-year-old beggar on the street.

Zhu Yiqun’s eyes widened, and he exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Old man, when did you get here?"

Moo Zhexian scratched his temple and chuckled. "I arrived back when that kid was dealing with the Blood Demon in Luoxia City."

"What? So you just stood there and watched? You wretched old geezer, can’t you be a little more reliable?" Zhu Yiqun grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Heh, you little rascal, still got the nerve to complain. Hurry up and get your things, you’re coming back with me."

---

Night fell. A bright moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery-white glow. It was adorned by a sprinkling of dazzling stars.

Bathed in the moonlight, a streak of earthy-yellow light shot rapidly across the sky, startling countless birds into flight.

Suddenly, a cold glint of light shot out from a nearby mountain hollow, intercepting the speeding streak of light and forcing it to a halt. The figures of Wang Wanzhou and Song Changsheng were revealed.

"Who goes there? How dare you block my path!" Wang Wanzhou’s white eyebrows shot up as he bellowed at the mountain hollow below.

"Wang Wanzhou, leave Song Changsheng behind, and we will let you go." Two streaks of light shot out from the hollow, hovering on either side of Wang Wanzhou.

"Cheng Yufei, Du Huating, your Earth Fire Sect truly has no sense of shame! To think you’d send two Foundation Establishment Cultivators after a junior. Aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"

Wang Wanzhou said mockingly, his tiger-like eyes sweeping over the two.

"Elder Wang, this matter does not concern you. Why must you get involved? Your Wang Clan has already shed so much blood for the Song Clan. No matter how great the debt, it should be repaid by now. You should leave at once." Du Huating said calmly, his hands tucked into his sleeves and his eyelids drooping.

"Du! Your master was once defeated by my hand. What, you think you’re stronger than him?"

"I have naturally not yet reached my master’s Cultivation Realm, but today, my senior brother and I are here together. You cannot protect him. You have grown old." Du Huating watched Wang Wanzhou calmly, a faint flicker of lightning surging at his side.

Song Changsheng’s face was as dark as water. He hadn’t expected the Earth Fire Sect to be so desperate to take his life. Not only had they sent Cheng Yufei, a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but even the Guardian Elder of Liuyun Marketplace, a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, had come as well.

"Lad, this is indeed troublesome. Although I am not afraid of these two, I won’t be able to protect you once the fighting starts. I’ll hold them off in a moment. You must flee immediately."

While Wang Wanzhou confronted the two men openly, he secretly sent a message to Song Changsheng using his Divine Sense.

Song Changsheng took a deep breath. ’I’ll have to rely on you, Elder.’ It was the only way. With his level of Cultivation, getting caught in a battle between Foundation Establishment Cultivators would mean certain death.

"Junior Brother, why are you wasting so much time talking to him? We’ve been tracking him for so long since he left the Marketplace. If we delay any longer, that person from the Li Clan will notice."

Cheng Yufei stared at Song Changsheng, who was being sheltered behind Wang Wanzhou, his eyes filled with icy coldness. ’No matter what is said, he must die today. Ling Province cannot have a second Song Xianming!’ 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Sigh... My apologies!"

Du Huating sighed softly, and his body erupted in a dazzling purple light of thunder. Countless arcs of electricity leaped across his skin, making him look as if he were bathed in Thunderbolt, an awe-inspiring and terrifying sight.

"Bring it on!" Unafraid, Wang Wanzhou summoned a Seven-Colored Glaze Mirror, which reflected a brilliant, multicolored light in the dark night sky.

"[Celestial Fire Meteor Technique]!"

Cheng Yufei formed a Magic Technique with his hands. The sky instantly filled with a fiery glow as meteors formed from Spiritual Power, trailing long tails of flame, rained down like an apocalypse.

VMMMM—

The Glazed Mirror suddenly expanded dozens of times, shielding the two beneath it. The meteors crashed down on it with a RUMBLE, sending ripples across its surface.

CRACKLE!

A chain condensed from Thunderbolt whipped up from below, crackling with arcs of electricity.

Wang Wanzhou’s hair and beard stood on end, making him look like a furious male lion. He reached out with his left hand, which transformed into a giant, illusory hand of Spiritual Power and seized the chain.

Fighting one against two, Wang Wanzhou didn’t lose any ground. However, Song Changsheng, who was behind him, was not faring well. The pressure erupting from the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators made it difficult for him to breathe.

"Now, go!"

Once both opponents were engaged in battle, Wang Wanzhou enveloped Song Changsheng in Spiritual Power and threw him far into the distance, then turned to face the two alone.

Seeing Song Changsheng escape, Cheng Yufei not only didn’t try to stop him, but a sly, triumphant smile appeared on his face.

A bad feeling instantly rose in Wang Wanzhou’s heart. He roared angrily, "You did this on purpose?"

"Elder Wang, we would naturally not break the rules and attack a junior ourselves. We only came today to hold you back. Let the juniors resolve matters between themselves."

Du Huating said without a hint of emotion, standing amidst the Thunderstorm.

"Shameless!" Wang Wanzhou glared. ’Let the juniors resolve it? They’ve obviously set an ambush up ahead.’

"Hmph, you can just stay here and spar with us. That kid is dead for sure." Cheng Yufei sneered. Since he was making a move on Song Changsheng, he had naturally planned it meticulously, taking not only Wang Wanzhou into account but the Song Clan as well.

Before dawn, no one would come to disturb them. And that amount of time was more than enough for Song Changsheng to die several times over!

"Bastards."

Enraged, Wang Wanzhou once again clashed with the two...

Wrapped in Spiritual Power, Song Changsheng flew for several miles through the air before landing in a dense forest. Feeling the fluctuations of Spiritual Power from behind, a worried look appeared in his eyes.

’Elder Wang is powerful, but he’s old, after all. His qi and blood are deficient. He might not necessarily have the upper hand against those two.’

’I have to get back to the Marketplace as soon as possible.’ He understood clearly that staying here would only hold Elder Wang back.

After getting his bearings, Song Changsheng sped toward Liuyun Marketplace.

The surrounding scenery flew past him, but Song Changsheng gradually realized something was wrong. ’It feels like I’m running in circles.’

He came to a sudden halt and began to survey his surroundings intently. Suddenly, a thick vine shot out at an angle from an extremely hidden spot.

He quickly summoned his [Water Element Shield] to block it, then immediately dodged to the side. The next moment, a sharp earthen spike shot up from where he had just been standing. If he had hesitated for even a second, he would have been impaled.

Withdrawing his [Water Element Shield] to guard his side, Song Changsheng called out, "I wonder which fellow Daoist has set up this [Earth and Wood Qiankun Array]? Would you show yourself?"

His voice echoed through the Grand Array, but the only response was more vines and earthen spikes...