Eternal Life by Daily Divination

"Daoist Li, that Xue Lin is quite capable. You should be careful."

"Don’t worry, Daoist Gu. Xue Lin has already fled."

"He fled? So quickly?"

Hearing this, Gu Lingyu felt more surprise than joy.

Xue Lin’s Magical Combat skills weren’t exceptional, but he was a Golden Core Cultivator nonetheless. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Li Chang’an had forced him to flee.

"Daoist Li, it seems I’ve underestimated you."

"You give me too much credit, Daoist Gu. I just had the element of surprise with a sneak attack."

"A sneak attack is a skill in itself."

A hint of admiration had entered Gu Lingyu’s voice.

Every Golden Core Master possesses a keen Divine Sense, making a sneak attack no simple feat.

Li Chang’an said, "Daoist Gu, please wait a moment. Although this is a Tier Three Top Grade Array, I’ve already seized the Array Core from Xue Lin. You’ll be able to come out once I’ve finished its Refinement."

"Alright. I’ll leave it to you, Daoist Li."

Gu Lingyu sat down cross-legged, quietly waiting for Li Chang’an to refine the Array Core.

Little did she know.

Li Chang’an already had full control of the Array.

He could release her with but a single thought.

But he didn’t want Gu Lingyu to get a look at the opportunity, so he kept her temporarily trapped in the Array.

Li Chang’an spread his powerful Divine Sense and used his Escape Technique to meticulously search the area.

’According to the Divination, the opportunity should be right under this trap.’

He used his Escape Technique to travel deep underground. As he pressed further, he soon detected a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Power.

Following the fluctuations of Spiritual Power, he drew steadily closer.

Before long, a solitary underground chamber appeared before his eyes.

The chamber was protected by an Array, but it was long since broken and dilapidated.

Li Chang’an broke the rest of the Array with a casual gesture and collected the materials used in its formation.

’This chamber must hold the opportunity.’

He retreated to a safe distance, took a Puppet from his Storage Pouch, and, as was his custom, sent it in to scout ahead.

The Puppet moved forward and slowly pushed open the chamber door.

The inside of the chamber was exceedingly simple.

A lone skeleton sat cross-legged in the center of the chamber, a Storage Pouch resting beside it.

Other than that, there was nothing else.

Li Chang’an cautiously swept his Divine Sense over every inch of the chamber, confirming there was no danger.

Then, he commanded the Puppet to enter and bow before the skeleton.

"Thank you, Senior, for leaving behind your legacy!"

After paying his respects, he made a beckoning gesture, and the Storage Pouch flew into his grasp.

There were no restrictions on the Storage Pouch.

He probed it with a wisp of his Divine Sense and discovered more than a dozen Jade Scrolls inside.

’Could these Jade Scrolls all be Cultivation Techniques and Magic?’

Li Chang’an took one out, probed it with his Divine Sense, and gave it a cursory look.

It was, in fact, a Magic—and it was Earth Grade.

He continued checking the other Jade Scrolls and found that nearly all of them contained Earth Grade Cultivation Techniques or Magic.

There were only two exceptions.

One contained an Escape Technique called the Nine Heavens Cloud-Stepping Tour, and its Tier had, to his astonishment, reached Celestial Grade!

To Li Chang’an’s delight, it was an Attributeless Magic, meaning anyone, regardless of their Spiritual Root, could practice it.

’This must be the Escape Technique the Divination foretold.’

He placed it in his Storage Pouch, planning to practice it at his leisure after he returned.

Then, he turned his attention to the final Jade Scroll.

This Jade Scroll contained a few words left by the long-departed Senior.

"The Nine Great Immortal Sects face a great calamity. My Cyan Wood Sect, as an Affiliated Sect of the Ancient Wood Sect, cannot escape this disaster either."

"My master found me a Hermit Coffin, allowing me to escape this era and re-establish the Cyan Wood Sect in a later age."

"But my strength is meager. How could I possibly re-establish the Sect?"

Upon hearing these words, Li Chang’an understood the identity of the skeleton before him.

It was an Ancient Cultivator from the Cyan Wood Sect, one who had used a Hermit Coffin to awaken in a later age!

’The Cyan Wood Sect was just an Affiliated Sect. Their strongest expert was only a Nascent Soul True Monarch, not someone at Divinity Transformation. Yet they still managed to acquire a Hermit Coffin. It seems Hermit Coffins weren’t that difficult to obtain during the Ancient Times.’

Li Chang’an mused to himself.

Perhaps there were more people who had survived to the present age using Hermit Coffins than he had imagined.

The Senior had also left behind his own speculations in the Jade Scroll.

"Did the Nine Ancient Major Sects truly all perish? Why do I have a premonition that many of my old acquaintances are still alive?"

"Where are they now? And when will they return?"

"Alas, my lifespan is nearly at its end. I fear I will not live to see that day..."

The Senior’s final words were filled with regret and loneliness.

Clearly, he had never met any other Ancient Cultivators.

After awakening in this strange new era, he had quietly lived out the rest of his days.

Li Chang’an stood in the chamber, lost in thought for a long time.

’If the Nine Great Immortal Sects truly still exist and will one day return, then... is the Divinity Transformation master from my dream—the one from my first life in the Ancient Times—still alive?’

In the current Cultivation Immortality Realm, Divinity Transformation had long since become the stuff of legends.

The last recorded Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch was the Cyan Wood Celestial Monarch, thirty thousand years ago.

After the Cyan Wood Celestial Monarch vanished, no one in the subsequent thirty thousand years was able to reach the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Ten thousand years ago, Mo Qingkuang’s comprehension was so heaven-defying that he was thought to have a chance at reaching Divinity Transformation, but he vanished not long after achieving the Nascent Soul realm.

’If that master of mine is still alive, he could become my patron.’

Li Chang’an considered it. The idea was feasible, on the condition that his Divinity Transformation master was truly still alive.

’Even a weak disciple had a way to survive to a later age. A Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch like him should have been able to weather the great calamity as well.’

If he really could find a Divinity Transformation expert to act as his patron, he would be able to cultivate in peace.

Of course, this was all just speculation for now.

Perhaps the Nine Great Immortal Sects had been utterly destroyed long ago, becoming just another ripple in the long river of time.

Li Chang’an put away the Jade Scroll, bowed one last time to the Senior’s remains, then left the chamber and sealed the door behind him.

He returned to the surface and, with a casual wave of his hand before the Grand Array, the entire formation dissipated.

"Daoist Gu, you can come out now."

"Thank you, Daoist Li!"

With a grateful expression, Gu Lingyu stepped out of the Array.

She said sincerely, "Daoist Li, I don’t know how I can ever repay you for saving my life."

"There’s no need to repay me. Just give me some Treasure."

At these words, a wry smile appeared on Gu Lingyu’s face.

She had intended to exchange a few pleasantries, but she hadn’t expected Li Chang’an to be so blunt.

"Daoist Li, if there are any Treasures in the Cyan Cloud Sect Treasure Vault that catch your eye, just tell me directly."

"Excellent!"

This was the very sentence Li Chang’an had been waiting for.

Although he was controlling Wan Xing, he was ultimately just one person, and it would be too conspicuous for him to redeem too many items.

Before long, the two of them transformed into streaks of light and departed, heading back to the Cyan Cloud Sect.

Meanwhile, Gu Qinghong was still in the main hall of the Cyan Cloud Sect, sharing his Cultivation Insights with the disciples.

He glanced at two empty seats, a flicker of doubt in his mind.

’How strange. Where did Lingyun and Daoist Xue go? Why haven’t they returned after so long?’