Longevity starts from having a daughter in old age

The long-forgotten sky was still murky, the lead-gray clouds immutable, like a static oil painting.

The unchanging landscape since her birth had suddenly taken on a desolate feeling.

This world seemed like a cage, encompassing her brief life.

Chilly gusts of wind swept through the empty streets, causing eerie noises. The rough dwellings on both sides of the street showed no signs of inhabitation, and only from a three-story pavilion nearby, intermittent moans of pain from unidentifiable genders could be heard.

“The boss is really energetic!” A guard commented enviously, looking towards the distant pavilion.

“There’s not much else to do in this hellhole!”

Another guard licked his lips, an envious look on his face as well.

The two crossed the street and walked towards the pavilion.

Instead of using the main entrance, they circled around to the backyard.

Before they even entered, a powerful stench of blood hit them. Xu Ling’s heart pounded uncontrollably, fear creeping up again.

Even the most numbed soul struggles to stay calm in the face of death.

How she wished someone would come to save her!

She suddenly felt a twinge of regret. Why did she think she could handle a situation that was obviously beyond her control, given she was just a little older than the other boys and girls?

With a creak, the courtyard door was pushed open.

The scene inside was not overly horrifying. A few gallows-like structures, over a dozen different types of knives, a few furnaces. Everything was cleaned impeccably – the work of cultivators, who utilized spells to ensure cleanliness.

The nauseating blood stench outside seemed diluted in the courtyard. The faint hint of a strange smell came from a small pile of hair and bones in a corner.

“Who’s in charge today? Why is this stuff still here?!”

After hanging them on the gallows, one of the guards pointed to the pile of hair in the corner.

“It must be The Fifth, that lazy bastard. He always likes to pile things up and deal with them all at once!” The other guard sneered.

“Ignore him! I bet he’ll end up getting his just deserts soon enough!”

Afterwards, both guards picked up a knife each. After invoking the Blade Sharpening Spell, they walked towards Xu Ling’s cousin. What Xu Ling saw next was a horrifying disembowelment scene.

Because they had performed a spell on her, she was immobilized. All she could do was watch helplessly as her cousin suffered, his face contorted in death.

The two guards appeared indifferent, comfortably discussing amongst themselves as if what they were doing was routine.

Meanwhile, Xu Ling was shaking in terror, almost passing out.

After they had finished with the boy, the two guards walked towards her. After clearing away any blood with spells, they were spotless. Their faces were smiling. If she didn’t see everything with her own eyes, she would never have guessed that they were performing brutal killings.

“Save me, someone, please save me. I’ll do anything you want if you save me!”

Xu Ling prayed fervently.

As if her prayers were answered, an old man in blue robes suddenly appeared out of thin air.

The old man’s hair and beard were completely white, he looked incredibly old, and it seemed as if taking just a few steps would leave him gasping for breath.

But at that moment, in Xu Ling’s eyes, he seemed like a godsend.

Confronted with the sudden appearance of the elderly man in blue robes, the two guards abruptly halted. Before they could decide whether to ask what was happening or call for help, the old man reached out towards them, and two souls were forcibly extracted from their bodies and gulped down by the old man.

The just-rescued Xu Ling was once again frightened stiff.

The old man before her eyes felt even more sinister than the two guards.

The elderly man in blue paid no heed to Xu Ling’s complicated feelings. He closed his eyes and remained still for a few breaths, then extended his hand towards the pavilion, and a swarm of souls flew out of it and were swallowed by him.

Xu Ling recognized one soul from among them which had an eerie middle-aged man countenance, as the so-called boss mentioned by the guards, and also the perpetrator who had harmed her father – he was originally one of the managers of this town.

She never imagined that her vengeance would come so easily.

Who was this elderly man? Could he be from the palace?

However, it seemed that the bigwigs in the palace were not as formidable as he was.

Her mind swirled with various thoughts, and her emotions were like waves crashing. She didn’t know what to do.

After the old man swallowed up all of the souls, he again closed his eyes and remained silent for a few breaths, a faint smile appeared on his face, “What good luck, to find a complete map.”

After saying this, the old man prepared to leave. He had just taken a step when he abruptly stopped and waved a hand at her.

Xu Ling got a scare, thinking that her soul was about to be ripped from her body next.

It was only in the next moment that she realized this was not the case. Instead, the bindings on her body had been lifted.

“What’s your name?” the elderly man casually asked.

“Xu Ling!” Xu Ling instinctively answered. She was still a bit perplexed, not understanding why he would release her.

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the moment the old man heard her name, his body seemed to tremble slightly, and his eyes suddenly softened.

“Seems like we do have quite the connection!” he said.

The old man gestured, emitting a green light that enveloped her. Suddenly, Xu Ling felt lighter, a rushing comfort like never before, as all the cold toxins within her body were cleared in an instant.

The old man then produced a storage bag from somewhere and placed it in her hand.

“Leave town and head north. If you encounter anyone, tell them I sent you. The contents of this storage bag should be enough to ensure your safety.”

After these words, the old man vanished before her eyes as though she had been dreaming.

It took Xu Ling a long time to come back to her senses, unsure of what to do next. She simply kneeled down, bowed a few times, before finally getting up and running outside.

…

“So bodies could be transformed into treasures through this Iron Armor Martial Method. Fascinating!”

Xu Mu recalled the Martial Method he had learned from the Soul Search, marveling at it.

Although he hadn’t collected the method for making corpses in the town, he could somewhat guess it from the Martial Method practiced by the townsfolk.

First, they would capture ordinary cultivators from outside and make them practice this special Martial Method, transforming their physical constitutions. It was like nurturing material, which they later processed further.

These people were likely ordinary cultivators caught and farmed by Prince Jade. However, with Prince Jade’s demise, there was an upheaval here, turning it into a closed deathtrap.

Although it was a little tragic, Xu Mu had seen plenty such things and didn’t feel much about it anymore.

In contrast, the little girl, who shared a similar name with his own daughter, stirred up feelings within him.

“I wonder how Little Ling’er is doing now. One day, I’ll slaughter that woman!” Xu Mu murmured.