Immortality Begins with Comprehending the Dao Scripture 

Song Xianyun's white eyebrows bristled as he shouted in fury, "Evil arts and heresy how dare you!" 

With a wave of his hand, he flung a golden orb into the air. The orb shone with dazzling brilliance, illuminating heaven and earth in an instant. 

Zzzzz 

Thin wisps of green smoke suddenly rose into the air, releasing a sickening stench. 

Feng Wuming's expression changed dramatically. Alarmed, he hurriedly recalled the Gu worms he had just released. Three in total all of them had sustained varying degrees of damage, causing him visible heartache. 

"You audacious Gu cultivator, how dare you stir trouble in our Lingzhou territory! Do you think Lingzhou is without defenders? Surrender now!" Song Xianyun bellowed, the golden orb hovering above his head as his voice boomed like thunder. 

"What is that thing? It can harm my lifebound Gu!" Feng Wuming was both shocked and furious he had never encountered such a magic artifact before. 

"It was made just for the likes of you!" Song Xianyun declared with the roar of spring thunder. A surge of powerful spiritual energy coursed through him as the orb's radiance grew even more intense. 

Feng Wuming suddenly felt an intense discomfort that came from his lifebound Gu nestled in his heart. He could sense it writhing in agony as if it were about to burst from his chest. 

"What's happening? What kind of artifact is this? Why do my Gu worms seem so completely suppressed by it?" Feng Wuming was thoroughly overwhelmed by the orb's suppression. Meanwhile, the others were closing in from all sides. 

Seeing that he was about to be surrounded, he clenched his teeth, a trace of madness flashing in his eyes. He raised the three damaged lifebound Gu worms and activated them: 

"Blood Gu Purges the Heavens!" 

In an instant, the three lifebound Gu worms exploded, turning into a thick, filthy blood mist. The crowd gasped in shock, each of them quickly activating their protective qi to guard themselves, fearful that some hidden Gu might take advantage of the chaos. 

Moments later, streaks of golden light pierced through the blood mist and dispelled it entirely. When the mist cleared, only a pool of blood remained Feng Wuming had vanished without a trace. 

"What a ruthless Gu cultivator, even self-destructed his lifebound Gu just to escape," Wang Wanzhou said grimly. 

"He's lost more than half his life. Even if he did escape, without his lifebound Gu, he's no longer a serious threat," remarked the Li Clan's guardian calmly. 

"That may be true, but we still shouldn't let our guard down. I suggest we conduct a full sweep of the entire market, inside and out, in case any Gu worms are hiding." 

"Agreed." 

The group quickly split up and began searching. It was clear this would be a sleepless night for Liuyun Market… 

..... 

"Ugh…" Song Changsheng felt completely drained, his whole body limp and powerless. His blurred vision slowly cleared to reveal the face of an elderly man. 

"Child, you're finally awake." Song Xianyun looked at the newly awakened Song Changsheng with visible relief. 

"Grand Elder…" Song Changsheng tried to sit up, but couldn't summon the strength. 

"Lie down and rest. You're still very weak." 

"Forgive me for being impolite…" 

"No need for such formalities we're family. What happened? Did your cultivation go awry?" Song Xianyun tucked the blankets around him, his tone full of concern. 

"I was careless and got hit by a Gu worm. I had to fight it off it drained me." 

Song Xianyun's expression changed drastically. "Where is the Gu worm now?" 

"I've already refined it to death. Has the Gu cultivator been caught?" That was what he truly cared about. 

Song Xianyun sighed. "He managed to escape, but we've given him a serious warning. He won't be able to cause trouble again anytime soon." 

Song Changsheng frowned, unease flickering in his heart. Gu cultivators were not ones to let grudges go easily. Could he swallow this defeat? 

Perhaps sensing his worry, Song Xianyun smiled and said, "Even if he dares return, there's no need to worry. Our clan possesses a special artifact specifically crafted to suppress insect-type creatures. As long as he doesn't reach the Purple Mansion realm, we have nothing to fear." 

Song Changsheng couldn't help but feel deeply moved. 

A single Gu worm had tormented that wandering Foundation Establishment cultivator for decades, forcing him to risk exposure just to consume poisonous bait to survive. 

And yet, the Song Clan had an artifact tailor-made to counter Gu worms able to easily resolve such dangers. 

This... this was the strength of a true legacy. 

From the very start, this world had never been fair. The lofty disciples of sacred sects stood above all while wandering cultivators struggled just to survive. 

Song Changsheng was, without a doubt, one of the lucky ones he had a family that stood behind him like a mountain. 

"When you've recovered, come back with me to Cangmang Peak," said Song Xianyun earnestly. "You've given us quite a scare this time your mother even requested several times that we bring you home. 

"Whether it's Little Azure Mountain, Cangmang Peak, or any of the other spirit mountains, they're all far better environments than here." 

"I understand." Song Changsheng didn't refuse this time. He'd been through enough chaos lately to realize just how lacking his strength still was. 

Once he returned, he would begin preparing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage then go on to face the wider world… 

After Song Xianyun left, Song Changsheng finally had the chance to inspect his condition. His spiritual sense swept through his body with no major issues, only minor damage to his dantian. It would require him to pause his cultivation for a while. 

All things considered, this was already the best possible outcome. 

But what pained him was the loss of his hard-earned Primordial Qi he only had a single wisp left. It would take years of cultivation to restore it. 

His heart ached just thinking about it. 

.... 

Five days later, most of Song Changsheng's injuries had healed, and he was ready to set off for Cangmang Peak. 

Although he was leaving, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of reluctance. After all, the past year here had been more exciting than the previous twenty years of his life combined. He had made many like-minded friends during this time. 

He specifically asked Song Xianyun to let him stay one more day, so he could properly say goodbye to Zhu Yiqun and the others. After all, who knew when they'd meet again? 

His only regret before leaving was not being able to see Xu Yunhe one last time. According to Zhu Yiqun, shortly after returning from the cave-dwelling, Xu Yunhe had left alone, and no one knew where he had gone. 

But one thing was certain when they met again, Xu Yunhe would have undergone a complete transformation and become a renowned figure. 

"Changsheng, it's time to go," Song Xianyun said gently. 

"Coming." 

Song Changsheng stepped onto his flying sword, and together with Song Xianyun, turned into a streak of light and soared into the sky… 

Inside the Treasure-Seeking Pavilion, Song Luyuan looked at his daughter, Song Changqian, who stood motionless by the window. He said, "He's gone now. You can't see him anymore." 

Song Changqian turned around, forcing a bitter smile. "Father, I want to go out and train somewhere else." 

"What brought this on all of a sudden?" Song Luyuan asked, surprised by his daughter's words. 

"Father, you've protected me too well. Compared to cousin Changsheng, I fall short in every aspect. If this continues, one day I'll make a mistake I can't fix. 

"I can't live under your wing forever. Only by facing the storms on my own can I truly grow." Song Changqian's eyes were resolute, her tone firm. 

Song Luyuan let out a long sigh, then finally gave a difficult nod. He couldn't shelter her for a lifetime. If she was to survive in this harsh world, her path couldn't be confined to the small space of the Treasure-Seeking Pavilion… 

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