The Medicine King Sect cultivator looked surprised when Xiao Heng and the other two addressed him as “Senior” with utmost deference.
He waved his hands repeatedly. "Fellow Daoists, why such formality? Are you making fun of me?
"We are all Nascent Soul cultivators. We should address each other as peers," he said, directing his words to Zhang Haobo and Su Xiaomei.
"Nascent Soul cultivator?"
Upon closer inspection, Xiao Heng and the others realized that this cultivator, who had slumbered for thousands of years, indeed seemed to possess only Nascent Soul cultivation.
Yet, the aura he exuded felt distinctly different from that of modern Nascent Soul cultivators, which was why they had failed to realize it initially.
Regardless, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the ancient era surviving to this day was anything but ordinary. Xiao Heng and his companions remained vigilant, pondering how to continue the conversation and extract some information.
Before they could formulate a plan, the man launched into a torrent of words like a chatterbox.
"I am Linghu Chang, an inner disciple of the Medicine King Sect.
"When we fell into the Xuanhuang World, I recall the Sect Leader had already sealed the entire Medicine King Cauldron and sent a distress signal to the world outside.
"For you to have entered the Medicine King Cauldron, the rescue forces from the Ten Immortal Dao Sects must have arrived, I presume?
"How are my fellow disciples faring? Has the Sect Leader awakened?"
As he spoke, Linghu Chang eagerly moved toward the open door. But catching sight of the strange expressions on the faces of Xiao Heng's trio, he froze in alarm.
"Has... has something happened?"
With that, he hurried outside. Xiao Heng and the others quickly followed.
"Hmm? What's going on? Why is the Oneiric Seasons Array still operating?
"Am I the only one who awakened early?"
"Where are the rescue cultivators from the Ten Immortal Dao Sects?"
Linghu Chang's voice, thick with shock and suspicion, echoed through the empty Medicine King Cauldron.
"The Gate of Life and Death has descended? What happened to the Sect Leader?
"What in the world is going on?"
His voice trembled with barely suppressed panic. After scanning his surroundings, he flew back to stand before Xiao Heng's group.
He fixed them with a piercing stare. "Just who are you people, and how did you enter our sect's Medicine King Cauldron?"
Xiao Heng pondered for a moment before replying slowly, "The matter is somewhat complicated. Fellow Daoist, you might need to prepare yourself."
Linghu Chang narrowed his eyes, waiting silently for him to continue.
"In truth, Fellow Daoist, you have been asleep for several thousand years. The Medicine King Cauldron left this world in the ancient era..."
Before Xiao Heng could finish, Linghu Chang cut him off with a dismissive wave of his hand.
He let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh. "What utter nonsense! Do you take our Medicine King Sect's Oneiric Seasons Array for a mere decoration? That it would lose track of how many years have passed?
"You claim twenty-four years are several thousand? If you want to deceive someone, at least craft a plausible lie!"
Linghu Chang's expression turned hostile. With a light tap, a gourd appeared in his hand.
"No wonder something felt off about you from the very first glance. So you are demons and heretics, trying to trick me.
"Die!”
As Linghu Chang's words fell, dozens of thin, green rays shot forth from the gourd in an instant. They were as sharp as sword blades and swift as lightning, arriving before the trio in the blink of an eye.
"Xiao Heng, watch out!" Zhang Haobo's face darkened with fury at Linghu Chang's sudden assault.
Above his head, the Blood Sea Grotto-Heaven manifested abruptly. Amidst churning waves of blood, crimson light flew out, colliding head-on with the green rays.
Boom!
Amidst the violent explosions, Linghu Chang glanced up at the scene of the boundless blood sea above. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, but it only solidified his conviction.
Righteous indignation burning, he roared, “So you are indeed demonic cultivators! Now, quickly accept your—”
Before he finished his sentence, several voices, speaking in unison, came from all directions.
“You are truly annoying. From the very start, you’ve been spouting incomprehensible nonsense.
“Have you been sleeping for too long? Are you not fully awake yet?”
Linghu Chang looked around and saw that, without him noticing, many bloody faceless figures had already surrounded him.
“No matter. I guess we simply have to beat you until you wake up.”
The numerous faceless figures tilted their heads, emitting waves of eerie laughter.
Then their forms vanished from their positions, all pouncing toward Linghu Chang simultaneously.
Linghu Chang’s heart tightened, but he did not panic.
He spat out a Mini Medicine King Cauldron from his mouth, suspending it above his head.
Immediately, light cascaded down like a waterfall, forming a protective barrier.
At the same time, he slapped the gourd.
The green gourd spun rapidly in the air, and willow-leaf-thin green glints of light poured out from it like a torrential downpour, shooting toward Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo.
Xiao Heng knew that with his current strength, he could not intervene in a battle at the Nascent Soul level. Forcing it would only make him a burden. So he quietly retreated, intending to distance himself from the battlefield.
Just then, he suddenly caught a whiff of a strange fragrance.
Recalling that his opponent was a disciple of the Medicine King Sect, his heart jolted with alarm.
“Be careful, this fragrance seems odd.”
He hurriedly sent a mental message to warn them, while holding his breath to resist the scent.
But this fragrance operated through some unknown means; Xiao Heng simply could not withstand it.
As the scent grew stronger and stronger, Xiao Heng suddenly felt dizzy. His vision swam, and even his body grew weak and limp.
In contrast, Zhang Haobo and Su Xiaomei simply paused for a moment before returning to normal.
The willow-leaf green glints from the gourd seemed endless, and the Mini Medicine King Cauldron’s defense was impenetrable.
The attacks from Zhang and Su only caused the barrier to shudder; for the time being, they could not break the cauldron’s defense.
“Haobo, stop holding back!” Su Xiaomei seemed to have been provoked into fury.
A crimson sun rose into the sky, leaping above the sea of blood.
The countless faceless figures that had been shredded by the green glints from the gourd instantly recombined into a single visage, contorted with rage.
Under the illumination of the crimson sun, the monstrous face suddenly burst into flames.
Emitting a bizarre laugh, it crashed toward Linghu Chang, who was sheltered beneath the Mini Medicine King Cauldron.
Meanwhile, the boundless sea of blood slowly parted in the middle.
A giant, festering hand reached out from the seabed, clawing toward Linghu Chang.
Faced with this pincer attack, the Medicine King Sect disciple’s expression turned grave, yet he remained unflustered.
With a light wave of his right hand, a row of twenty-four golden needles unfurled in sequence.
As he muttered incantations, the golden needles suddenly shot forth like swords, tracing brilliant, crisscrossing lines through the air.
They avoided the burning face and the festering giant hand, heading straight for the true bodies of Zhang Haobo and Su Xiaomei.
These golden needles were incredibly fast. Before the two could react, the needles had already pierced clean through their hearts, leaving their bodies riddled with holes.
Strangely, not a single drop of blood gushed from their wounds. Even more unsettling was the fact that their offensive momentum showed no sign of weakening in the slightest.
Boom!
The Mini Medicine King Cauldron shuddered violently. Linghu Chang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and his face instantly turned pale. Yet without hesitation, he produced a pill and swallowed it.
Moments later, in full view of everyone, color returned to his face, and his complexion once again flushed with vitality.
What kind of evil technique is this...?
Watching as the two cultivators recovered from their wounds even as their bodies were pierced by the Samsara Golden Needles again and again, a chill crept into Linghu Chang’s heart.
After a brief hesitation, pain and reluctance flashed through his eyes.
He produced another artifact: a round mirror.
Gripping it tightly, Linghu Chang unleashed a beam of white light toward Su Xiaomei. As the light shot forth, the mirror itself slowly crumbled into dust. Where the beam struck Su Xiaomei, a faint, illusory figure gradually took shape behind her.
It shared a 80% resemblence to Su Xiaomei.
The phantom let out a furious roar. In an instant, its hair turned crimson red, and its form split apart, dividing into several faceless, blood-smeared clones. They lunged at Su Xiaomei simultaneously, their movements fierce and unrestrained.
Astonishingly, these manifestations appeared capable of replicating even Su Xiaomei’s innate divine abilities and techniques.
Meanwhile, on Zhang Haobo’s side, another festering giant hand rose from the sea of blood. From deep within that crimson expanse, it felt as though a gaze was peering outward into the world beyond.
Linghu Chang observed this for a moment, then produced a wooden talisman sword.
The sword shot skyward above the sea of blood, summoning a bolt of green lightning that crashed down with thunderous force.
The two festering giant hands surged upward to intercept it, crackling and popping beneath the lightning’s fury. Arcs of thunder wrapped around the wooden talisman sword, green light flickering relentlessly along its surface.
The festering giant hands were quickly wrecked and seemed incapable of counterattacking. Yet no matter how severe the damage they sustained, they swiftly reverted to their original state.
The battle descended into a stalemate.
Relying on his numerous miraculous artifacts and what appeared to be an inexhaustible supply of restorative pills, Linghu Chang held an unassailable position.
Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo, meanwhile, benefited from a trait of the new methodology: as long as the Grotto-Heaven remained unbroken, the cultivator would not die. Though visibly battered, neither faced any real danger.
For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand. A grim solemnity settled over the battlefield.
Just what origins do these people have, to possess such strange techniques? Linghu Chang thought darkly. Although my reserves are abundant, I can only hold out for ten days to half a month at most. If I still can’t defeat them by then, I’ll have no choice but to flee to the world outside and call for reinforcements.
How infuriating! Su Xiaomei snarled as she launched attack after attack, each one blocked by layers upon layers of defensive artifacts. He’s just like Shuo Feng, using artifacts to bully others! Just wait until his trinkets run dry. I’ll give him a proper beating then!
This Linghu Chang is only an inner disciple. Zhang Haobo mused silently. In ancient sects, above them are hereditary disciples, and even Dao Heirs. It’s hard to imagine how terrifying their strength must be.
As the three fought in a tangled, chaotic melee, Xiao Heng, who had been affected by the bewitching incense earlier, gradually regained his clarity.
“Stop fighting!” he shouted urgently.
“Fellow Daoist Linghu, this is all a misunderstanding! I swear to the heavens that not a single word I speak is false! It truly has been thousands of years since the era you know of. The world has changed beyond recognition, even the Ten Immortal Dao Sects you speak of have long since turned to dust!”
He paused briefly, then pressed on.
“Think about it. If we truly intended to deceive you, why would we fabricate such an utterly absurd excuse?”
Xiao Heng shouted one sentence after another.
When Linghu Chang heard that the world had changed and that the Ten Immortal Dao Sects had vanished into ash, his body trembled faintly.
“Fellow Daoist Linghu, Sect Leader Liu’s premonition back then was correct!” Xiao Heng continued fervently. “He saved your entire sect!”
At these words, Linghu Chang’s offensive finally began to slow.
“Xiaomei, Haobo, stop as well!” Xiao Heng called out hastily.
Though extremely displeased, Su Xiaomei still halted her attack. However, the grotto-heaven domains of both Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo remained deployed, their gazes fixed warily on Linghu Chang.
“Fellow Daoist Linghu, every word I speak is true,” Xiao Heng said earnestly. “Could it be that after so much time, your sect’s Oneiric Seasons Array has malfunctioned?”
As he spoke, he retrieved a Mini Medicine King Cauldron from his storage ring.
“This small cauldron was excavated from the ruins of your former sect,” he explained. “It was only by relying on it that we were able to enter this place.
“With your discerning eye, Fellow Daoist, I believe you can judge its authenticity.”
Xiao Heng laid everything out plainly.
When Linghu Chang saw the small cauldron in Xiao Heng’s hand, exuding an aura of antiquity, his pupils contracted violently.
He could immediately recognize that the slightly flawed Medicine King Cauldron was likely a defective product left behind during the sect’s hurried migration. Yet the marks of time etched upon it were impossible to falsify.
What exactly was going on?
Could it be that the array’s chronology truly had gone awry?
Linghu Chang did not respond. Instead, he turned and hurried back to his own chamber.
He verified it carefully once more.
There was absolutely no mistake.
Since the activation of the Oneiric Seasons Array and the slumber of the entire sect, only twenty-four years had indeed passed.
Then, are those demonic outsiders lying?
Killing intent gradually rose again in Linghu Chang's heart.
Just then, he suddenly heard the other party say, "By the way, there is actually a very simple way to verify this."
"Ever since the Great Reformation, the Exclusivity of Immortal Techniques has held true.
"If you do not believe me, Fellow Daoist, you can try cultivating your own technique. The result will be clear at a glance."
Upon hearing this, Linghu Chang's first thought was that it was absurd.
This wasn't the legendary eternal life realm they were talking about; how could there be such a rule?
Yet hearing the unmistakable sincerity in Xiao Heng’s words, and feeling that it might be worth a try, Linghu Chang resolved to test the truth for himself.
He quietly operated the Medicine King Sect’s legacy art, the Salvation Longevity Scripture.
In the very next instant, his world shattered.
Spiritual qi circulated through him several times, yet it was as though he labored for nothing. There was no cultivation progress, only a voice that resounded within his sea of consciousness.
“Salvation Longevity Scripture, Dao Unity Technique.
“Current practitioners: 462.”
Linghu Chang froze.
What... is this?
His face drained of all color. Beads of cold sweat slid down his brow, dripping silently to the floor.
“No. No—this must be an illusion,” he muttered hoarsely. “Some kind of demonic deception.”
He refused to believe it.
With trembling hands, Linghu Chang produced several pills and swallowed them whole. Like a man possessed, he began to circulate the technique once more.
Again.
And again.
Even after a hundred cycles, his cultivation progress remained utterly unchanged. Worse still, a restless agitation coiled tighter and tighter within his chest.
Then, without warning, a strange clarity bloomed in his mind.
He could feel them.
Four hundred and sixty-one other cultivators, each one practicing the same Salvation Longevity Scripture. Their presences appeared before his perception like distant stars, fixed and unmistakable.
A thought burst forth, savage and sudden.
Kill them. Kill them all.
Linghu Chang shuddered violently and forced the thought down, his heart pounding.
“How can this be... how can this be...”
Everything unfolding before him lay far beyond the limits of his understanding.
Though he struggled against it, deep within his heart, he already knew: the words of those three outsiders were, in all likelihood, true.
To him, it had been nothing more than a nap, shorter even than a routine session of seclusion.
Yet in the vast Xuanhuang World, thousands of years had flowed by like a river.
But... how could such a thing be possible?
As fear swallowed him whole. Linghu Chang sank into a boundless, disorienting confusion.
At that moment, hearing no movement from within the chamber, Xiao Heng and the others finally stepped inside.
“Fellow Daoist,” Xiao Heng asked softly, “were we lying?”
Linghu Chang did not answer.
“In truth, we are no less curious than you,” Xiao Heng said quietly, his tone gentle yet insistent. “What exactly befell the Medicine King Sect all those years ago?
He paused, then continued, voice steady. “Perhaps, Fellow Daoist, you could recount in detail what transpired after your sect boarded the cauldron and left the Xuanhuang World.
“If we pool our thoughts,” he added, “we may yet uncover the truth of all this.”
After a long silence, Linghu Chang finally spoke. His voice was distant, as though drifting out of a half-remembered dream.
“To be honest... I do not truly know either. What happened back then feels unreal, like something in a dream.
“At the time,” he said slowly, “Sect Leader Liu employed a great divine ability, shattering the shackles of the Xuanhuang World and steering the Medicine King Cauldron into the depths of the void.
“The original intent was to seek out other rumored cultivation worlds beyond our own, but...”
He trailed off, his eyes unfocused as memory pulled him backward.
“Not long after, alarms rang throughout the cauldron.
“We were informed that a mysterious force had seized us, and that our trajectory was no longer under our control.
“Orders were issued for all disciples to return to their chambers and prepare to enter the Oneiric Seasons Array, to fall into hibernation.”
Linghu Chang’s brows knit slightly.
“But the Medicine King Cauldron began to shake more and more violently. Even the activation of the Oneiric Seasons Array was disrupted. It failed to initiate.
“And then...”
His eyes narrowed.
“A transmission arrived from the Sect Leader. He said the attempt to breach the world’s boundary had failed. We were being forced back toward the Xuanhuang World.
“The true Medicine King Cauldron had taken great damage, so severe that it could no longer transport us.
“To preserve what little remained, all residual power was redirected into protection.
“We allowed the Medicine King Cauldron to fall freely back toward the Xuanhuang World.”
“After that,” he continued, voice growing fainter, “the cauldron’s vital functions shut down one after another.
“My fellow disciples entered hibernation in succession.
“I was refining pills in the Medicine Hall at the time. When I rushed back to my quarters, I hadn’t even managed to shut the door completely.
“The cauldron shook even more violently.
“In the midst of that overwhelming tremor... I lost consciousness.
“When I awoke,” Linghu Chang said softly, “you were already here.”
He fell silent.
Xiao Heng and Zhang Haobo exchanged glances, both equally perplexed by the account.
Only Su Xiaomei frowned.
“That doesn’t sound right,” she said. “From your account, you only left the Xuanhuang World briefly before you were forced to return.”
Linghu Chang nodded. “That is exactly what happened.”
“And you only entered hibernation when you were about to crash back into the Xuanhuang World?” she pressed.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Yeah, right—my foot!” Su Xiaomei suddenly snapped, her voice leaping several notches.
“From our perspective, the Medicine King Cauldron left the Xuanhuang World thousands of years ago. It only returned not long ago!
“Every cultivator under heaven saw the blazing meteor tearing across the sky before crashing down.”
She paused mid-sentence.
“...That would’ve been...” Her eyes widened. “Twenty-four years ago.”
Su Xiaomei froze.