Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 159: The Jiang Family of Imperial Beasts

Li An accepted the pear blossom and the two cows and brought them back to Qingfeng Village.

He taught them the basic techniques that Zhao Yi had practiced and arranged for two friendly bandits to personally instruct them.

Then, Li An announced that he would be in seclusion, but in reality, he quietly headed towards the Wan Zhang Abyss with the two Transcending Tribulation jades he obtained from the Luo Sha Village and the Jin Gang Village.

He wouldn't engage in a battle without preparation.

When people from Yan Kingdom arrived, they would definitely use Li An to take them to the Wan Zhang Abyss.

And then?

There are two possibilities.

If Li An is useful to them, they will keep him.

If he is useless, they will kill him!

Of course, Li An judged that since Yan Kingdom has invested so much in Zhao Yi and put in a lot of effort, they probably wouldn't directly kill him, but would continue to use him as a pawn.

However, he had to be cautious.

Therefore, Li An had to make preparations and calculations along the way.

If the situation wasn't right, he would escape or fight back.

After leaving Qingfeng Village, under the cover of night, he went to Tianning Village without anyone noticing and approached the grave of Pear Blossom's grandfather.

He used a drop of Pear Blossom's blood to touch the beast bone.

As the blood fell on the bone, it immediately emitted a glow. Li An activated his spiritual consciousness and absorbed all of the light into his mind.

"The Profound Extreme Beast Control Technique!"

This was the technique contained within the beast bone!

Indeed, it was an Earth Grade technique, and it was not a fragment, but a complete inheritance.

He buried the beast bone again, leaving no trace.

He didn't plan to take the bone with him; obtaining the technique was enough.

After all, if Pear Blossom really had some significant background, the people behind her would definitely come to Tianning Village to investigate in the future.

If nothing was left, they might suspect Li An instead, especially since he was the only cultivator who had been to Tianning Village.

Leaving the bones here would make it seem like Li An hadn't discovered anything.

These bones belonged to a fourth-order spirit beast, which was already extraordinary. Li An not discovering them would be considered normal.

After completing all of this, he headed towards the Wan Zhang Abyss.

The Wan Zhang Abyss was quite far away, and he had to cross three forests and four hills along the way.

Li An proceeded with great caution, constantly calculating his route.

Finally, he arrived at the edge of the Wan Zhang Abyss.

"There is Innate Yin Qi contained within this Wan Zhang Abyss..." The voice of Shangguan Xiaoxiao echoed in his mind. "There should be something here. If you go down, be careful of the invasion of Yin Qi."

"I suggest you first cleanse the malevolent energy from the two Transcending Tribulation jades. If you encounter malevolent energy down there, the purified Transcending Tribulation jades can help you avoid disaster."

Li An followed the advice, opened the box, infused it with demonic energy, dispelled the malevolent energy from the two Transcending Tribulation jades, and then absorbed the demonic energy back. The Transcending Tribulation jades immediately became crystal clear.

With the two jades in hand, Li An quietly descended the cliff.

After walking down a dozen steps, Li An unexpectedly found steep stairs carved into the cliff, the work of an unknown person.

By the moonlight, Li An witnessed an astonishing scene:

The cliff walls of the abyss were covered with coffins!

Each coffin emitted a strong malevolent energy.

The cliff was thousands of feet high, with a steep and rugged serpentine path. Coffins were hung all over the cliff. Even the outermost coffins were terrifying, but the first three coffins had already been opened and were empty. As for the fourth coffin, it emitted a shocking malevolent energy. On top of the coffin lay a withered bird corpse, beneath which was a fist-sized green bird egg...

The aura of the withered bird corpse was exactly the same as the bone buried under Pear Blossom's grandfather's tombstone!

"It seems that Pear Blossom's grandfather was likely a master who explored the abyss in the past. However, for some reason, he escaped but lost his memory and went crazy, eventually dying in the village..."

Li An's heart stirred.

"The most dangerous is the third empty coffin. Although the malevolent energy seems to have dissipated, its position is special and can easily absorb the malevolent energy from the valley floor. It is very dangerous... When you go over there, you must not linger."

In his mind, Shangguan Xiaoxiao solemnly warned, "This abyss should be a place where a malevolent cultivator practices or trains, with a cultivation level far higher than yours..."

Li An nodded, then turned back directly.

Shangguan Xiaoxiao: ???

She had been analyzing the situation for this guy, but Li An just turned around and left?

"There are dangers that cannot be controlled, so there is no need to go."

Li An spoke.

That fourth coffin's bird was a fourth-rank spirit beast, equivalent to a Nascent Soul expert!

And it had died.

Only a madman would go over there.

"You...," Shangguan Xiaoxiao was speechless. Although this place was dangerous, there must be opportunities as well.

Li An possessed two Transcending Tribulation jades and had the capital to take a risk!

But Li An just didn't want anything...

He was willing to give up his life for this?

...

After returning to Qingfeng Village, Li An took stock of the items in the storeroom. Fortunately, he found a set of materials that could be used for array formation.

Now Li An was so poor that he was bleeding!

In the battle of Tianyang City, he had basically emptied his wealth.

Now he only had a few magic treasures, over a thousand spiritual stones, and the consumption of second and third-grade runes and formations had depleted him.

Using the remaining time, he carefully crafted a set of second-grade formations and set them up in a hidden place in the abyss.

The purpose of this formation is to attract malevolent energy!

Within this abyss, there is an endless supply of malevolent qi. Li An only needs to use a formation to activate it, and by then, even Foundation Building cultivators would not be able to withstand it...

Setting up this deadly trap puts my mind at ease.

Moreover, he has two third-grade magical weapons in his hands - the Frosty Little Sword and the Black Poison Little Sword. With his demonic cultivation and life essence, he can resist the malevolent energy. Li An feels relatively secure.

...

In the blink of an eye, ten days have passed.

During this time, Zhao Yi came back once.

He brought the news that Li An wanted.

No one knows what happened during the battle in Tianyang City that year. All they know is that the King of Jingbei attacked Nascent Soul stage, and the White Tiger Mountain went to attack. Then... the entire city inexplicably turned into a dead city.

Not a single survivor!

The Great Core cultivator Baihu Zhenren and the Nascent Soul cultivators who were there to support the King of Jingbei all disappeared.

The Da Li Dynasty has investigated many times, but it is unclear whether they have made any progress. They have kept it a secret and have not disclosed anything to the public.

White Tiger City is still operating, but it is rumored that it has changed hands and is now controlled by the Da Li Dynasty.

...

Amidst the ups and downs, it seems like everything has changed, yet nothing has changed.

Li An couldn't help but speculate that Shangguan Shengxian destroyed Tianyang City to maintain secrecy...

After all, her Divine Ability to freeze the entire city... is too terrifying.

If she really wants to unify the Emperor Yuan Realm, she should start with the Da Li Dynasty, right?

Seizing this opportunity, he must find a chance to return to White Tiger City and obtain the elixirs...

In addition, he arranged for someone to temporarily send Li Hua and Er Niu away from Qingfeng Village and back to Tianning Village.

Li Hua is important to Li An. If there is any conflict with people from Yan Kingdom, he cannot afford to be distracted and unable to protect them.

...

Two days later.

Everyone in Qingfeng Village stood solemnly.

A group of more than ten people, dressed as merchants, rode into Qingfeng Village on horses.

Leading them was an old woman, accompanied by a young man.

The old woman remained composed, while the young man seemed dissatisfied as he glanced around, "Grandma, do you really believe what these insignificant bandits say?"

The old woman remained indifferent and looked towards the crowd, "Who is Wu Qin?"

"Wu Qin" was the alias Zhao Yi had been using in the bandit stronghold for these years. He did not use his real name.

Li An hurriedly stepped forward respectfully, "I am Wu Qin, the leader of Qingfeng Village. I welcome you, esteemed guests!"

"I have prepared food and wine to welcome you..."

He was quite surprised in his heart.

Because this old woman was actually a... Foundation Establishment cultivator!

The young man by the old woman's side was also remarkable. He was young, probably not over a hundred years old, and already at the mid Foundation Establishment stage.

A true genius!

With just one glance, Li An already knew that these people definitely came from a powerful force.

The old woman said, "No need!"

"Lead the way directly to the Wan Zhang Abyss."

Decisive and efficient!

Li An nodded and bowed, "Yes!"

He was about to mount his horse when the young man beside the old woman suddenly whistled. From under his black cloak, a golden falcon shot out like lightning and ruthlessly killed all the people standing on both sides of Qingfeng Village.

It was a mid second-grade falcon, extremely fierce. Li An's villagers were no match for it.

In an instant, corpses were strewn everywhere. Even Chen Gui, who wanted to stop them with his sword, was directly killed.

The villagers cried out in horror. Many of them hurriedly fled, but in front of this falcon, they were like powerless little chicks, one by one being killed...

Li An's face showed shock, "Sir..."

But a thought flashed through his mind. This young man was obviously an expert in beast taming. Could it be that he was the famous Jiang Family from Qingzhou in Yan Kingdom?

A Nascent Soul family!?

The old woman seemed somewhat dissatisfied and glanced at the young man.

"Grandma, we are infiltrating enemy territory. We can't let the news leak. These people, if we don't kill them, they will be a disaster. Leaving one to lead the way is enough..."

The young man casually smiled, "Besides, my 'Chang Kong' hasn't tasted human blood in a long time. It's time to feed it."

Seeing that the field had been cleared, he beckoned, and the falcon flew onto Chen Gui's corpse, pecking out his heart and eating it before flying back to the young man's hand.

"Qi Refining ninth layer, my Chang Kong is not interested anymore..."

He finished speaking and intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Li An.

Li An's heart skipped a beat.

This beast actually wanted to let the falcon eat him?

Li An's heart was filled with killing intent.

But he still showed a respectful expression, "These villagers were already deeply sinful. Young Master, by taking action to deal with them, you have actually liberated them... Please follow me, esteemed guests!"

Li An led the way.

Before long, they arrived at the Wan Zhang Abyss.

"It is indeed this place... Back then, Yan Kingdom was only one step away from swallowing the Da Li Dynasty. But in the end, so many experts were lost here."

The old woman looked at the Wan Zhang Abyss, feeling a thousand emotions in her heart.

"Even our clan's former patriarch, Jiang Riqing, perished here..."

Listening to her sigh, Li An immediately became convinced... It really is the Nascent Soul family, the Jiang family!

He hesitated for a moment... Should he kill her after going down this abyss, or not?

Even though this old woman is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, if she really triggers the malevolent energy and Li An launches a sneak attack... there might be a chance to kill her.

"Grandma, this place is so dangerous, are we sure we want to go down?" The young man hesitated.

But the old woman said, "We must go. Don't worry, with the Transcending Tribulation Jade, we should be able to safely travel a certain distance... We don't necessarily have to explore all the way to the bottom."

"Wu Qin, lead the way."

"Okay."

Li An immediately took the lead and climbed down the cliff. The old woman, the young man, and the other cultivators followed one by one, leaving only two people to provide support from above.

"That... is the Azure Flame Divine Sparrow of our sect?!" As soon as they descended, the young man exclaimed, pointing at the large bird on the fourth coffin.

"The Azure Flame Divine Sparrow... it really is the Azure Flame Divine Sparrow!" The old woman was also surprised. "It seems that the former head of the Jiang family, Jiang Riqing, did indeed die here... No, there's also an egg. Did the Azure Flame Divine Sparrow gather its vitality before dying and leave behind offspring?!"

"If this egg still has vitality, as long as we bring it back, Ruo Lin, you will have the opportunity to become a core figure!" She became somewhat excited.

"You, surnamed Wu, quickly go and get it for me..."

Jiang Ruolin was eager.

Li An felt heavy in his heart, but still reached out and felt his way forward along the coffins.

The path on the cliff was extremely narrow. He had to climb over the first coffin and reach the fourth coffin one by one.

As Li An walked, he lightly released the malevolent energy. He climbed into the second coffin and was about to climb out and move forward when he was suddenly attacked by the malevolent energy. His body stiffened, he foamed at the mouth, and fell back into the coffin!

"He was attacked by the malevolent energy!" The old woman frowned. "You guys go over--"

She spoke to the others behind her.

The others looked at each other, but still had to move forward.

But at this moment, the malevolent energy had already stirred. These cultivators had only taken a few steps before being affected by the malevolent energy, just like Li An.

"Ruolin, take the Transcending Tribulation Jade and go over--" The old woman spoke.

Jiang Ruolin's face changed, showing some fear.

"Holding the egg of the Azure Flame Divine Sparrow, you will definitely become one of the three core figures. This is your only chance--" The old woman spoke sternly!

Jiang Ruolin gritted his teeth and held the Transcending Tribulation Jade in his palm. He flipped it over and indeed, it was not attacked by the malevolent energy. He walked to the front of the fourth coffin, and the coffin lid gently shook, releasing a burst of malevolent energy. Jiang Ruolin hurriedly used the Transcending Tribulation Jade to defend himself.

Then, he took out the green divine egg from under the withered bird's corpse and turned around with great joy, saying, "Grandma, I succeeded—"

At that moment!

Boom!

Under the valley, it seemed like an angry dragon roared, and a murky yellow malevolent energy instantly shot up into the sky.

"No..."

The cultivators from the Jiang family were all shocked. The malevolent energy suddenly attacked, and they were almost wiped out in an instant!

They fell off the cliff one by one!

"Quick, Ruolin, activate the Transcending Tribulation Jade to block—"

Jiang Ruolin hurriedly activated the Transcending Tribulation Jade, but the malevolent energy at this moment was too fierce. The clear Transcending Tribulation Jade in his hand quickly became turbid, and the malevolent energy entered his body—

"Ah!"

Jiang Ruolin almost went crazy!

A falcon flew out from his sleeve, trying to escape, but after flapping its wings a few times, it still fell from the sky—

"Ruolin!"

The old woman's true dan cultivation erupted, but the malevolent energy was extremely chaotic at this moment. She could only protect herself and rushed forward, wanting to save Jiang Ruolin. However, she felt a surge of energy in her body, and a mouthful of old blood sprayed out. She was almost powerless!

"Elder, the coffins... the coffins can block the malevolent energy."

At this moment, Li An seemed to have recovered and quickly reminded them.

He pondered for a moment... and finally decided not to kill the old woman.

Keeping her would be useful!

The old woman took a closer look and indeed, Li An was inside the coffin, receiving very little malevolent energy. She quickly jumped into the first coffin and said, "Ruolin, the coffins—"

Jiang Ruolin's face turned pale, and he stumbled and fell into the third coffin, holding the green bird egg.

...

The malevolent energy surged in the abyss, never ceasing.

After a long, long time.

Li An reluctantly got up from the coffin, stepped back, and checked. He found that the old woman and her grandson had both fainted.

Even true dan cultivators couldn't withstand it!

First, Li An carried the old woman out of the abyss. The two cultivators waiting outside the abyss had already been scared away and were nowhere to be seen. Li An found a place to put down the old woman, then found another place to hide his third-grade flying sword, Transcending Tribulation Jade, and other items.

Only then did he go back to carry her grandson.

Li An carefully checked and found that Jiang Ruolin's body was heavily filled with malevolent energy and couldn't be saved.

But Li An still activated the malevolent energy inside the Transcending Tribulation Jade and let Jiang Ruolin be beyond saving!

"This bird egg actually has vitality..."

Li An checked the bird egg again and felt a faint movement beneath the stone-cold eggshell.

He pondered for a moment, then injected the same killing intent, crushing the vitality of this bird egg until only a trace remained...

Then, he quietly injected a hint of life essence.

"The divine bird egg lacks vitality. After the Jiang family obtains it, they will also need to save it..."

And Li An used a trace of life essence to sustain its life, so that it would remember Li An's aura!

This was a contingency plan left by Li An for himself.

In case something happened after entering the Jiang family, this would be Li An's trump card.

To hold the divine egg and control the Jiang family!

After completing all this, Li An finally held the egg in one hand and carried Jiang Ruolin on his back with the other.

After carrying her out, Li An continuously took out spirit stones and placed them beside the old woman and Jiang Ruolin to replenish their spiritual energy. Despite this, a day and night passed before the old woman slowly regained consciousness.

"I'm still in the mortal realm..."

The old woman's face was pale as she struggled to lift her eyes.

"Elder... You're still here, cough, cough..."

Li An coughed incessantly as he approached with difficulty.

"You, Wu Qin... You're still alive. What about my grandson?"

"He's still alive, still breathing..."

Seeing that Jiang Ruolin still had a breath, the old woman was truly overjoyed, tears streaming down her face. "What about Awu and A Liu?"

"Are you referring to the two Fellow Daoists who stayed here? It seems like they left, no one was seen..."

The old woman sighed, "So it was you who saved us?"

"Yes, everyone else died, only the elder and the young master were left, so I had to carry you out..."

The old woman nodded, "Wu Qin, from today onwards, I owe you a great favor."

"But this killing intent has invaded our bodies, and it's extremely difficult to treat. You must quickly take us away..."

Li An nodded. Supporting his body invaded by killing intent, he carried the old woman on his back, then picked up the unconscious Jiang Ruolin and hung the divine egg around his waist, step by step descending the mountain.

He stumbled several times, looking extremely miserable, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

The old woman lay on Li An's back. Even though her cultivation was profound and she had seen countless people, at this moment, she felt that Li An was extremely reliable. When she thought about her clansmen actually fleeing and abandoning them, in comparison, she had a slightly better impression of Li An...

After a day and night, Li An finally brought the two of them back to Qingfeng Village.

Li An was exhausted. As soon as he put them down, he fainted and fell asleep.

...

Two days later, Li An finally woke up weakly. He saw the old woman sitting beside Jiang Ruolin with a sorrowful expression, as if she had aged several decades!

"Elder, what about the young master..."

"He's dead."

The old woman's expression was extremely tragic.

"It's all Wu Qin's fault, it's all Wu Qin's uselessness. If I could have carried the young master out of Sijing Mountain, perhaps there would have been a chance..."

Li An couldn't help but shed tears, "Senior, please take care of yourself. You have also been affected by the evil energy..."

As he spoke, Li An took out various detoxification pills, "Senior, these pills might be useful to you..."

The old woman shook her head, "Wu Qin, you are a good child."

"You bury my grandson in a good place."

After saying that, she stood up, her body swaying.

Li An hurriedly supported her, "Senior, I know there is a village at the foot of the mountain. How about burying the young master there? My two disciples are also in the village. If the young master is buried there, they can pay their respects every year and he won't become an ownerless grave..."

The old woman nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, "Good, good, do as you say!"

Li An then carried the corpse and walked down the mountain. Before leaving, he glanced around and noticed that the green divine egg was no longer there, apparently taken by the old woman.

Furthermore, Li An's storage bag had also been thoroughly searched!

Obviously, even in a state of extreme sadness, the old woman did not lose her rationality. She was cautious and calculating in everything she did.

If Li An had shown any flaws, he might not have survived until now!

But Li An didn't reveal anything.

Immediately, the old woman followed Li An down and soon arrived at the entrance of Tianning Village.

When the people of Tianning Village saw Li An carrying a corpse, they all came forward to inquire with concern. Li An only said that it was a relative and that he was going to bury him next to Grandfather Li's grave.

Li An deliberately brought the old woman here!

The old woman now owed Li An a favor and had gained trust... And Li An needed to further solidify his position in the Jiang family in the future.

"Er Niu, quickly bring a hoe. Li Hua, come and help me..."

Li An spoke, preparing to arrange the burial, but the old woman suddenly looked around and said, "Something's not right..."

"This grave!"

She stared at Grandfather Li Hua's grave.

Li An said, "Senior, this is Li Hua's grandfather's grave..."

Before he finished speaking, the old woman suddenly slapped the tombstone of Grandfather Li Hua's grave, revealing a bone from within!

"The bone of the Green Flame Divine Sparrow, our clan's inherited treasure, how could it be here?"

The old woman was greatly shocked, staring at the grave in front of her, "Could it be that the buried person here is Jiang Riqing, the head of the Jiang family?!"

Her voice trembled, then she suddenly turned around and stared at Li Hua, "You said this is your grandfather?"

Li Hua was frightened by the old woman's gaze and instinctively hid behind Li An.

"Senior, what is this?" Li An frowned.

But the old woman took a step forward, and in the next moment, she had already crossed Li An and grabbed Li Hua's hand. With a scratch of her nails, blood splattered from Li Hua's palm. In the old woman's hand, a jade plate appeared, and the blood entered the plate, causing it to emit a bright light.

"You are of the Jiang bloodline!"

The old woman stared at Li Hua and spoke loudly!

...

(End of this chapter)