Eternal Life by Daily Divination

The next day.

On Changqing Mountain.

Jiang Xuanyuan finally decided to meet with Jiang Muyu.

The father and daughter had been separated for decades, making their reunion especially moving.

Li Chang’an didn’t disturb them, using an Array to shield them from all noise.

At this moment, Changqing Mountain was incredibly lively.

Li Chang’an’s Blood-Dripping Incarnation sat in the courtyard, dealing with the various visitors.

Back when he reached Foundation Establishment, he had barely rested for a month, constantly dealing with guests.

Now that he had reached Core Formation, he was even busier.

Fortunately, he could now multitask with ease.

His true body had already left Changqing Mountain and entered the Ancient Wood Secret Realm.

Yesterday, when he formed his Immortal Golden Core, he had sensed a Treasure in the Ancient Wood Secret Realm calling to him.

Moreover, this Treasure seemed to be related to the Ancient Wood Evergreen Technique.

Upon entering the Ancient Wood Secret Realm, Li Chang’an discovered that the feeling of being summoned grew even stronger.

’It’s in the depths of the Ancient Wood Secret Realm.’

After sensing it carefully, he immediately set off, heading straight for the depths of the Ancient Wood Secret Realm.

After achieving the Golden Core realm, many of the dangerous areas in the Ancient Wood Secret Realm were no longer a threat to him, but he still cautiously avoided them.

When it came to Secret Realms, Li Chang’an was always on full alert.

About five days later, he neared the location of the Treasure.

What appeared before him was a bottomless cliff.

It was dark and gloomy below, as if some terrifying monster was hiding there, reminding Li Chang’an of the Soul-breaking Cliff in the Blood Stone Secret Realm.

Although last night’s Divination hadn’t shown an Evil Trigram, to be safe, Li Chang’an didn’t go down himself. He simply flicked out a drop of his blood.

’There shouldn’t be any danger.’

He activated his Blood-Dripping Incarnation and slowly descended into the cliff’s gloom.

About a quarter of an hour later, Li Chang’an finally reached the bottom of the cliff.

He sent out a ray of Spiritual Light, illuminating the silent space at the bottom.

Before him were countless, densely packed skeletons.

Thousands upon thousands of them, too many to count, covered the entire bottom of the cliff, filling the air with an aura of deathly silence.

’Could this place be an ancient battlefield? Or a body dumping ground from some bygone era?’

Li Chang’an casually picked up a human bone and briefly examined it.

This bone might have once belonged to a Cultivator, but its Spiritual Energy had long since dissipated over time, making it no different from an ordinary bone.

He sensed that the Treasure was beneath this field of skeletons.

Without hesitating, Li Chang’an immediately used an Escape Technique to travel deep into the ground.

To his surprise, beneath the skeletons lay more endless skeletons, layered one on top of the other, seemingly without end.

It was as if the entire earth was paved with bones.

Finally, ten thousand feet deep, Li Chang’an saw the Treasure that had been calling to him.

’A Hermit Coffin?’

The object was over ten feet long and jet-black all over. It looked unremarkable, but its appearance was identical to the Hermit Coffin Li Chang’an had bought in the past.

The memory of that Hermit Coffin was still fresh in Li Chang’an’s mind.

Back then, after he lay down in the Hermit Coffin, he had dreamt of the ancient past and obtained the memories of a Cultivator named Li Ping’an.

To this day, he still didn’t know if the experience in that dream was real or fake, or if it had actually happened in history.

After waking from the dream, he had nearly forgotten himself, believing that he was that Li Ping’an.

’I can’t believe the Treasure that I sensed would be this thing.’

Li Chang’an was truly surprised.

Based on his original speculation, he had expected it to be a Treasure like a Jade Scroll, especially since it was related to the Ancient Wood Evergreen Technique.

’What connection could this Hermit Coffin possibly have with the Ancient Wood Evergreen Technique?’

Li Chang’an looked at the coffin before him, tapping and knocking on it.

’Could it be that the material used for this coffin was some kind of special Treasure Wood?’

Just then, he suddenly recalled his conversation with the stall owner when he bought that first Hermit Coffin.

The owner had said he’d dug up that Hermit Coffin in the Blood Stone Secret Realm, in an area full of skeletons, after digging for over ten thousand feet.

’The environment here is similar to what the stall owner described, but this is the Ancient Wood Secret Realm, not the Blood Stone Secret Realm.’

Li Chang’an’s eyes were calm as he looked at the countless skeletons around him, and a theory formed in his mind.

’A Treasure like the Hermit Coffin perhaps has to be placed among countless skeletons to achieve its hermit-like effect.’

However, it was still unknown whether it could truly let one escape the world.

What Li Chang’an had experienced back then was more like possession.

’Whatever, I’ll take it back first.’

He suppressed his various thoughts and, with a wave of his hand, put the Hermit Coffin into his Storage Pouch.

Afterward, he searched the entire skeleton-filled area.

He didn’t find any other Treasures.

He had no choice but to leave.

...

「A few days later.」

Li Chang’an returned to Changqing Mountain.

He took out the Hermit Coffin and placed it in a separate secret chamber deep within his cave mansion.

Inside this secret chamber was also the first Hermit Coffin he had bought.

The two coffins were identical, with no discernible difference.

’A Hermit Coffin can only be used once. I’ve already lain in the first one, so as for this second one...’

Li Chang’an pondered for a moment.

Since this object was related to the Ancient Wood Evergreen Technique, he would naturally have to lie in it once.

But, to be safe, he would first check the Divination.

He sat to the side and waited quietly.

The time of Midnight quickly arrived.

A golden light appeared before his eyes.

[Divination has been refreshed]

[Today’s Divination: Auspicious]

[You lie in the Hermit Coffin and obtain a clue to the subsequent stages of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Technique]

The content of the Divination was very brief, but it was exactly what Li Chang’an wanted to see.

’An Auspicious Trigram.’

He felt a little more at ease and looked at the Hermit Coffin.

Since the Divination was auspicious, there should be no possibility of his body being taken over.

Li Chang’an called over Dahuang and Xiaohai, ordering them to guard the cave mansion and not let anyone enter.

Then, he slowly retreated to a distance and shot out a burst of Magical Power.

BANG!

The coffin lid immediately flew up and landed to the side.

The inside of the coffin, just like the other Hermit Coffin, was completely empty.

Li Chang’an took a deep breath, dropped into the coffin, and slowly lay down.

Just a moment later, he fell into a deep sleep.

...

An unknown amount of time passed.

Li Chang’an’s mind was groggy, and his vision was blurry, with figures seeming to flicker before him.

Vaguely, he heard someone calling his name.

"Daoist Li! Daoist Li, wake up! It’s time for our patrol."

Then, his vision slowly cleared, and a strange man wearing a Magic Robe appeared before him.

Li Chang’an’s mind quickly cleared, and he understood what had happened.

Right now, just like the last time he used the Hermit Coffin, he was like a remnant soul attached to someone, able to experience everything only from that person’s perspective.

「A few days later.」

Li Chang’an figured out his identity in this dream.

The person’s name was Li Tai’an, a Sect Disciple of the Profound Artifact Sect, one of the Nine Ancient Major Sects.

The place he was in was not the real Profound Artifact Sect, but a Sub-Sect of the Profound Artifact Sect located inside a Secret Realm.

The Profound Artifact Sect in the outside world had already been destroyed in a great calamity.

He was one of the disciples sent to the Secret Realm to take refuge.

This Secret Realm was jointly controlled by two Major Sects: the Ancient Wood Sect and the Profound Artifact Sect.

The person who had woken him up earlier was named Mu Hong, a disciple of the Ancient Wood Sect.

The two had a good relationship and often patrolled the area around their two Sects together to guard against Demon Beast attacks.

One day, while on patrol again, they were ambushed by a Demon Beast lurking in the Secret Realm.

Although they killed the Demon Beast, Mu Hong was gravely injured and on the verge of death.

Before he died, he took a key from his Storage Pouch and gave it to Li Tai’an.

"Daoist... Daoist Li, my master gave me this key before he died. He said it’s related to the core legacy of my Ancient Wood Sect, but I don’t know what that legacy is. Please... I ask you to..."

Before he could finish, he breathed his last.

Li Tai’an stared at the blood-stained key in his hand, momentarily unsure of what to do with it.

Meanwhile, Li Chang’an, through his eyes, saw what the key looked like.

The front of the key was engraved with the character for "Ancient."

He recalled that to open the Changqing Cave Mansion back then, he had needed to gather four keys, one for each of the four characters in the phrase "Ancient Wood Evergreen."

This key in front of him was similar to the keys for the Changqing Cave Mansion, but with subtle differences.

’Could this be the key to another cave mansion?’

Li Chang’an’s heart stirred as he fell into thought.

’If I’m guessing correctly, the cave mansion this key corresponds to holds the subsequent stages of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Technique!’