Chapter 26: The Shangguan Family

That’s about enough torment. Take out the Soul-Refining Banner and draw True Person Zidan’s soul inside, and let him endure the agony of soul refinement within the banner for all eternity!

After True Person Zidan was drawn into the Soul-Refining Banner, you learned part of his memories within the banner.

You learned the origin of the Longevity Art. It was actually Shangguan Lan’s ancestral technique!

So, the reason True Person Zidan wanted to wipe out Shangguan Lan’s entire family was for this technique that could increase lifespan!

Having learned the cause of events, if you want to obtain the complete version of the Longevity Art, you have no choice but to take Shangguan Lan as a disciple.

You tidied up True Person Zidan’s cave residence a bit, then prepared to leave with Shangguan Lan.

Before leaving, you erased the memories of the other two to avoid leaking your whereabouts.

“Come, your Master will take you away from here.” You summoned your flying sword and departed with Shangguan Lan on it.

With your current cultivation at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, your sword-riding speed was even faster.

Behind you, Shangguan Lan clutched tightly at your hem, not daring to open her eyes.

With her cultivation at only the third layer of Qi Refinement, this was her first time flying on a sword. It was only natural for her to feel some fear.

Upon reaching the sect’s territory, this time you did not proceed on foot, but chose to fly on your sword!

You still had more important matters to handle now, and simply did not want to waste time here. Moreover, with True Person Zidan killed by you, you did not know whether the higher-ups within the Azure Cloud Sect had other means of discovering this.

Therefore, you prepared to leave quickly.

Your sword-riding speed was extremely fast. Just as you were about to leave the Azure Cloud Sect, members of the Law Enforcement Team suddenly appeared, blocking your path.

You tossed over True Person Zidan’s Elder token and were about to speak.

Suddenly, the sect’s alarm bell rang out loudly, accompanied by a cry that resounded through the clouds. “True Person Zidan has been murdered! From this day forth, the entire sect is under lockdown. Entry is permitted, exit is not!”

Hearing this, you knew the matter had been exposed. Seizing the moment when the Law Enforcement Team was off guard, you directly piloted your flying sword and charged out of the sect!

By the time the sect guards and Law Enforcement Team behind you snapped to their senses, you were already long gone.

“The suspect has escaped the sect and is fleeing north. Requesting support!” Behind you, the Azure Cloud Sect’s Law Enforcement Team shouted loudly. A group of cultivators shot into the sky, pursuing in the direction you had fled.

“Where is your home?” you transmitted to the girl behind you.

“The G-Great Qin Imperial City!”

You took out the map of the northern part of the Heaven Mystery Continent and quickly located the Great Qin Dynasty, which bordered the Great Yan Dynasty.

You turned your head to look at the pursuers behind you, grabbed Shangguan Lan with one hand, and directly used the Blood Escape Art toward the Great Qin Dynasty!

With the Blood Escape Art at the Grandmaster Realm, given your current cultivation, each use could teleport you over a thousand li!

Five consecutive uses meant five thousand li! Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would never be able to catch up to you!

You directly shook off the Azure Cloud Sect’s pursuers and arrived at a mortal city.

Using the Blood Escape Art five times had burned a massive amount of your essence blood. Even though you possessed a Golden Core-level physical body, your body had still grown somewhat weak.

The moment you landed, your body went weak. Beside you, Shangguan Lan was quick to react and hurriedly supported you.

“Master, are you all right?” Shangguan Lan asked with a face full of concern.

“It’s nothing. Your Master just needs to meditate for a bit.” You waved your hand, sat down on the ground, and took out pills to begin recovering.

A moment later, you rose and led Shangguan Lan into the city.

“Master, this is the Great Qin Dynasty’s Imperial City!” Shangguan Lan looked around, speaking with great joy. Then something seemed to occur to her, and her face gradually turned pale. She clenched her teeth, holding back her tears.

“Ah, it’s all right. Your Master has already avenged you. If you want to cry, then cry.” Looking at her like this, you ruffled Shangguan Lan’s hair and comforted her. “Where is your home? I’ll take you there.”

“Mm!” Shangguan Lan nodded heavily.

The Shangguan Estate — because it had only recently been massacred, it still retained the appearance from when True Person Zidan had wrought his destruction. No one dared approach to investigate.

The moment you stepped into the Shangguan Estate, you saw corpses lying everywhere from violent deaths. After long exposure to the sun, they had long since become dried corpses.

Half a year since the massacre, and not a single person had dared come to collect the bodies!

“Father, Mother! Your daughter has avenged you!” Looking at the dried corpses everywhere, Shangguan Lan came before two bodies and could no longer hold back, breaking into loud sobs.

Judging by the appearance of the corpses, they bore some resemblance to Shangguan Lan. You knew these two must be Shangguan Lan’s parents.

Watching this scene, you could not help but sigh. In the end, you used your cultivation to dig a large pit in the Shangguan Estate, then moved all the corpses of the Shangguan Estate into the pit.

“Let them rest in peace in the earth.” You looked at Shangguan Lan, who was clutching the bodies, and reminded her.

“Mm, thank you, Master.” Hearing this, Shangguan Lan wiped the tears from her face, forced out a smile, and replied to you. “But disciple wishes to bury my parents with my own hands.”

Watching Shangguan Lan digging a pit nearby, you began to wander around the Shangguan Estate.

Your purpose in coming to the Shangguan Estate was very clear. Aside from collecting the bodies of Shangguan Lan’s parents, it was to find the Longevity Art!

A technique that could increase lifespan — who wouldn’t want it?

As for the origins of the Longevity Art, you had also asked Shangguan Lan, but she did not know.

She only knew that it was a technique passed down from their ancestors. As for how many years it had been passed down, even Shangguan Lan’s father did not know.

You released your divine sense, enveloping the entire Shangguan Estate to see if there was anything unusual.

Very quickly, you discovered that your divine sense was actually unable to penetrate the Shangguan Ancestral Hall!

You did not rush in. Instead, you waited for Shangguan Lan to finish burying her parents.

“Come, take me to your family’s ancestral hall.” You looked at Shangguan Lan, covered in mud, and casually cast a spell to clean her off.

“Master, follow me.” Shangguan Lan led the way, and you followed closely behind.

Shangguan Lan pushed open the ancestral hall’s main door and stepped inside first. You followed closely behind.

Bang! The ancestral hall’s main door actually shut directly, and the interior was pitch black.

Shangguan Lan was just about to light a candle when the ancestral hall suddenly lit up brightly.

Immediately after, a grandfather’s soul body appeared from the topmost ancestral tablet in the hall.

You sensed the other party’s strength. After confirming it was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, you did not immediately act.

“Ancestor, is that you?” Beside you, upon seeing the old man, Shangguan Lan dropped to her knees with a thud and cried out.

“Ah, you’ve suffered, child.”