Longevity Chronicles

Seeing that the island was about to mysteriously revert back to an unknown secret realm, Tao Qian subconsciously moved away.

Just as he appeared outside the island, a slight "hiss" suddenly reached his ears.

Looking up, he saw Bai Yin pull off one of her white as snow, crystal clear as jade snake scales with her extra hand, and then she tossed it over to him.

As the cool and smooth snake scale landed in his hand, Tao Qian had no time to consult the Record.

From beside him, Bai Yin's last words reached him:

"With this scale, you can summon me."

"But don't call me when I'm sleeping; I'm not in a good mood when I just wake up, and I might bite you."

"It's best not to call me to help you fight; you can ask for anything else, even Dual Cultivation, as long as you can withstand it. But going out to fight is bothersome, and I don't like it."

Although Tao Qian was still pondering what he had seen and heard about Uncle Qin Jiao's life, he was momentarily stunned by the bold and ferocious words of Immortal Aunt Bai Yin.

He was about to say something, but in the blink of an eye, he saw that both Spiritual Tablet Island and Immortal Aunt Bai Yin had disappeared without a trace.

All Tao Qian could do was to put away the snake scale and say, "This Aunt Bai Yin is indeed very much like Aunt Spider from the Pan Si Dojo; their personalities mesh well. The only problem is both are top-tier homebodies; compatible as they are, they never seem to come together."

Once he had safely stored the snake scale, Tao Qian did not make any moves.

Instead, he stayed in place, silently sorting through the information he had glimpsed from the Spiritual Tablet.

By now, he had realized that what truly enlightened him on Spiritual Tablet Island was the statue of Uncle Qin Jiao.

The rest were just a preface.

"Spirit Treasure Cultivators refine their Dao Foundation, indeed prioritizing what is suitable for themselves,"

"Take Uncle Five Coins, for example; his Dao Foundation was actually perfect, and his death was merely due to poor fortune."

"But at the same time, the Upper, Middle, and Lower Methods indeed have their differences."

"The main difference lies in the gains. Those who take the Lower Method can gain the power of the alien object itself; those who choose the Middle Method can gain the power contained within the heavenly omens and phenomena; those who take the Upper Method can obtain power from the operation of heaven and earth, the birth and death of all things."

"If one could cultivate the Upper Method, most Spirit Treasure Cultivators would wish to do so, even though the difficulty is extremely high and the probability of death is very great."

"Yet those suitable for the Upper Method are also pitifully few."

"Uncle Qin Jiao was suited and succeeded, and so he acquired the incredible Divine Skills that allowed him to peer into people's hearts and manipulate fortune."

"It was using this Divine Skill that he raised a beggar to the position of the Founding Emperor, and then took advantage of the fortune of the country for his Cultivation. In just a few decades, he advanced to the Realm of Ultimate Happiness."

"Pity Uncle Qin Jiao was too greedy; fortune made him and fortune broke him. His overreliance on it led to his downfall when that mysterious organization struck back at him, leaving him severely wounded and on the brink of death. If not for their fear of the Spirit Treasure Sect, Uncle Qin Jiao wouldn't have even been able to flee back to the Mountain Gate."

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Tao Qian frowned.

Coming from the Mortal World and having once been one of the lower class, he couldn't help but be shocked at uncovering the secrets of the powerful operation of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty.

"No wonder people always say, 'History is but a little girl to be dressed up by anyone.'"

"Uncle Qin Jiao created such a legacy, yet in the history books I read in my original life, he barely got a mention and was depicted as someone from the Devil Path. There are many rumors in unofficial histories, but his name is never Qin Jiao; it's always changed to something else."

"Such was his case, and the organization that wounded him was even more secretive; not a single word about them appears in either official or unofficial histories."

"The organization is called the 'Alchemist Organization', with its first and foremost duty to uphold the 'Longevity Heavenly Dynasty' name. Anyone trying to change the dynasty name is their enemy, including those from generation to generation of the Imperial Family who ruled over the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, who would be mercilessly executed if they contradicted."

"The organization is also well aware of the logic behind the change of dynasties so they do not hinder the chaos in the realm, heroes battling for supremacy, and sometimes even add fuel to the flames, and might even choose a new Emperor to assist, to stabilize the realm as quickly as possible, and continue the dynasty name."

"Uncle Qin Jiao and that Founding Emperor were both exceptional talents who complemented each other. Knowing the power of the 'Alchemist Organization', they unceremoniously borrowed that power to take the world."

"And after accumulating and brewing for decades, when Uncle Qin Jiao broke into the Ultimate Happiness Realm and the Emperor felt he had complete control over the court, the desires in their hearts could no longer be restrained."

"Uncle Qin Jiao wanted to change his fortune and advance into the Daoist Transformation Realm and perhaps even take the first step towards becoming a Tribulation Immortal."

"As for the Emperor, what he wanted was longevity... no, more accurately, he wanted to enjoy forever the lands, the power and wealth, the beauties of the world, not just to hand over the throne after a mere few decades. He was unwilling, he was not content."

"Both of them hit it off immediately and even pulled in the Qin Family, a millennium-old noble house, plotting to change the nation's name and expel the Alchemists."

"The outcome was quite obvious; their rebellion was crushed in one blow by the Alchemist Organization, and the fate of Uncle Qin Jiao need not be mentioned."

"The Founding Emperor died suddenly, with his position passing to his son, who discredited his father extensively after his death."

"The Qin Family fared slightly better, but also paid a heavy price, declining significantly to date."

...

"Alchemists!"

Tao Qian caught his breath as he untangled these secrets, rolling the word around in his mouth.

Putting himself in the shoes of Uncle Qin Jiao, he immediately felt a vast expanse of terrifying dark clouds weighing on his heart, heavy and dreadful.

What truly frightened him was that this powerful organization known as "Alchemists" was also not the deepest existence.

At this moment, Tao Qian's mind recalled the secrets he had learned in Southern Yue from fishing bait for Dragon Worms, from Qin Wuxiang, and later, the glimpses he caught from Alcohol and Meat Uncle Li Changle after returning to the sect.

"The Alchemist Organization, capable of defeating Uncle Qin Jiao, the Founding Emperor, and the combined forces of a millennium-old noble house."

"Yet, they also follow the orders of a group of special creatures."

"Was the founder of the Immortal Fish Technique one of these creatures?"

Tao Qian paused involuntarily when he reached this point in his musings.

Despite the lack of further clues, conjectures uncontrollably rose from the depths of his heart.

However, he did not continue pondering and simply pressed these thoughts deep into his heart.

The level was too high!

For now, all of it was irrelevant to him.

As Tao Qian thought this, he quietly estimated the time.

After some consideration, he directly took out a Colorful Feather.

Upon exhaling Immortal Spiritual Qi, the feather instantly burst into Golden Light and transformed into a majestic rooster with a golden crown behind its head.

Just like the first time, the rooster nodded at Tao Qian as soon as it appeared.

Following a resounding crow that echoed in all directions, the golden halo moved, and the rooster vanished from sight.

Fortunately, having had the experience, Tao Qian had promptly let out the Star Zha Demon and swiftly followed.

After about half an hour, the rooster suddenly paused.

With a bang, it transformed back into the Colorful Feather and burned up completely.

Tao Qian didn't have time to look any longer; at that moment, his mind encountered a commotion and change that he had never experienced before.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom,"

It felt like hundreds, thousands of war drums beating at once, with an intense roaring sound.

Tao Qian looked into the distance, and in the next moment, his eyes began to hurt severely.

As tears streamed down, Tao Qian vaguely saw the sky ahead divided audaciously by eight different but all Mutated and Fallen terrifying auras, separated into eight parts.

Each of the eight columns of Fallen aura reached to the sky, dividing the area into two realms.

One realm was the Absolute Immortal Sea; the other was Eight Demon Domains.

"Is this... Eight Immortals Island?"

Tao Qian was stunned, then whispered to himself.

ps: Humbly asking for a monthly ticket.