Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method-Chapter 40: Inside the Ruins (Part 1)

Sword Cultivators were renowned for their immense Attack Power. Even a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator like the Black Steward had to treat a full-force strike from a Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator with the utmost gravity.

The Black Steward waved his sleeve, unleashing a winding river of blood to engulf the Sword Light. But he had miscalculated. The Sword Light sliced straight through the river and slammed into his Protective Gang Qi with unabated force.

"Hmph."

The Black Steward let out a muffled grunt, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. The blow had left him with a minor injury.

Slowly wiping the blood from his lips, the Black Steward’s rage peaked. He was done toying with them. All he wanted now was to utterly crush and kill them!

"[Blood Sea Overturning Heaven]"

With a shake of his arms, the Black Steward conjured a vast sea of blood that immediately surged toward Song Changsheng and his companions.

By then, Song Changsheng and the others had already fled into the Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array. Only two unlucky souls, a step too slow, were engulfed by the rushing tide of blood.

After a brief struggle, they dissolved and became part of the bloody sea.

As the sea of blood continued to spread, a faint barrier of light materialized, holding the menacing tide at bay.

The foul blood sizzled violently upon contact with the light barrier.

"What? The Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array?" The Black Steward’s face paled. ’Wasn’t this Grand Array already broken?’

Zhu Yiqun and the others stared at the reactivated Array, their expressions a mixture of shock and awe. In unison, their eyes fell upon Song Changsheng.

Meeting their gazes, Song Changsheng stated calmly, "I managed to gain control over this Array. It was a contingency for this very kind of emergency."

The survivors exchanged a look. Zhu Yiqun was the first to break the silence. "Well, it’s a good thing you did. Otherwise, I doubt we would have survived today."

Zhuang Yuechan agreed. "We have Fellow Daoist Song to thank for leaving us this path of retreat. I’ve already sent for aid from my elders. We just need to hold out for a while longer."

"This Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array is one of supreme Yang and firmness, a renowned Refining Demon Array. That Blood Demon may be a powerful Foundation Establishment Stage foe, but he won’t find it easy to break through. We can explore the rest of these ruins at our leisure."

Song Changsheng wasn’t surprised by their relief. ’I’d probably react the same way in their shoes,’ he thought. He chose to ignore their chatter and turned his gaze toward the dwelling not far behind them.

Their original group of over a dozen people had been reduced to just four: Zhu Yiqun, Zhuang Yuechan, Xu Yunhe, and Song Changsheng. The rest had already returned to the dust.

’All for the sake of this dwelling...’

The entrance to the Foundation Establishment dwelling was a cavern at the foot of a low hill, its mouth choked with ivy. A deep, dark corridor bored straight into the heart of the mountain.

Song Changsheng led the way, Treasure Gourd in hand. Zhu Yiqun supported the gravely wounded Xu Yunhe in the middle, and Zhuang Yuechan brought up the rear, cradling her Jade Zither.

The corridor was long and silent. If not for the Grand Array standing guard outside, no one would have ever suspected this was the dwelling of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

At the end of the corridor, a bluestone door blocked their path.

Song Changsheng cautiously approached to examine it. He discovered an Array blocking the stone door, but what struck him as odd was that a piece of it was missing.

Furthermore, the Array’s grade wasn’t particularly high. However, because its creator possessed profound skill in Array Formation, the simple design had been rendered incredibly intricate and complex.

"Changsheng, what’s the situation?" Zhu Yiqun asked quietly.

"The Array on the door is unusual. It needs to have its missing section completed before the door will open."

"Are you sure you can do it?"

Song Changsheng frowned slightly, then nodded. "I’ll give it a try."

With that, he sat cross-legged before the stone door and began his attempt to complete the Array.

Only then did Zhu Yiqun have a moment to tend to Xu Yunhe’s wounds. His right arm had been severed at the shoulder, the stump tainted by the Blood Demon’s signature crimson demonic glow. If it wasn’t treated immediately, Xu Yunhe would likely be knocking on death’s door.

Zhu Yiqun retrieved a white Jade Bottle from his Qiankun Bag. He tipped out a round, milky-white Pill and held it to Xu Yunhe’s lips. "This Pill will help you recover. Take it."

From his blood loss, Xu Yunhe’s face was a deathly pallor. He stared at the fragrant Pill before him, his eyes vacant. "Fellow Daoist Zhu, don’t waste such a treasure on me. My path is severed. All I want now is to die."

His voice was thick with the resolve to die, like a dead branch in a swamp, quietly waiting to decay.

To a Swordsman, his sword is everything. Now, he had lost the very arm he used to wield it. ’What’s the point of living? I might as well be dead!’

Zhu Yiqun’s anger flared. He grabbed Xu Yunhe by the collar, keeping his voice to a harsh whisper. "What damned nonsense are you spouting? So you lost your right arm—can’t you learn to use a Left-Handed Sword?

"You’re still young! So what if you have to start over? Why are you so willing to give up? So many of our fellow cultivators have died today. We who survived should cherish our lives all the more!"

Xu Yunhe gave a wretched smile, his heart filled with ashes. "I’m just a Loose Cultivator. Striving on the path of immortality, trying to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, was already a monumental struggle.

"Now my body is mutilated, my Meridians and flesh incomplete. The hope of reaching Foundation Establishment has become even more remote. I would rather die than cling to a pointless existence."

Zhu Yiqun fell silent. An ordinary Cultivator had only about a ten percent chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment. Even those with superior talent only had a twenty or thirty percent chance.

Xu Yunhe’s aptitude, while decent, was merely average. His chances of reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage were slim to begin with; now, they were almost nonexistent.

This twin assault on his body and spirit had shattered Xu Yunhe’s will to go on.

Just as Zhu Yiqun was at a loss for words, Song Changsheng, having completed the Array, rose to his feet. "A Swordsman," he said coldly, "would rather snap than bend, rather break than yield. No matter the hardships or obstacles that lie ahead, they should be indomitable, forging ever forward.

"To speak of giving up, to welcome death at the first sign of hardship—do you think you are worthy of the Three-foot Cyan Blade in your hand? Are you even worthy of the title Swordsman?

"Even if you are to die, you should die on the path forward, not cowering in some desolate wasteland!"

"I..."

Xu Yunhe’s spirit was shaken to its core, turbulent waves crashing within him. ’That’s right,’ he thought, ’I am a Swordsman. No matter how difficult the path ahead, I should cut it down with my blade. Only then would I be worthy of my Cyan Blade!’

"Fellow Daoist Song, your words were a much-needed wake-up call. You’re right. Even if I am to die, it shouldn’t be here."

The light returned to Xu Yunhe’s eyes. With great effort, he raised his left arm, took the Pill from Zhu Yiqun’s hand, and swallowed it. As the Pill dissolved into a sweet, medicinal fluid that spread through his limbs and Meridians, the color began to return to his face.

Zhuang Yuechan shot Song Changsheng a surprised glance. ’This man is full of surprises,’ she thought.

"Changsheng, did you solve the Array?" Zhu Yiqun asked, his gaze on the bluestone door still blocking their path.

"It’s done," Song Changsheng said. "But I suspect there’s another Array behind this door, so listen carefully: follow in my exact footsteps." With a wave of his hand, the great door rumbled open. RUMBLE... The inner sanctum of the dwelling was finally revealed...