Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao had very thick skin.
Caught red-handed doing something mischievous by his junior brother, he showed no signs of guilt. He even winked, asking Li Fan if he wanted to give it a try.
Before Li Fan could respond, the sword of Eldest Senior Brother arrived in an instant.
A murderous aura pervaded, scattering the mischievous cats in all directions.
Second Senior Brother, embarrassed, gave a wry smile, put away his pen, and sneakily escaped the cave to find new toys for his amusement.
"Junior Brother, you must never imitate your Second Senior Brother."
"When choosing a Transformation Object, you should go for something more serious."
Eldest Senior Brother Sī Xīng earnestly advised Li Fan.
Li Fan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
...
There were many interesting incidents like this.
In general, the atmosphere within the Ancient Body Transformation Dao sect was harmonious and friendly.
In this environment, Li Fan continued to stimulate the hidden potential within his body, strengthening his frail body, all while practicing "External Body Transformation."
In the sixth year after Li Fan possessed Tian Yang's body and entered the simulated world, a series of urgent and breathtaking bell chimes echoed from the distant horizon.
As the bell chimes reached his ears, Li Fan felt a surge of blood and energy throughout his body, and an inexplicable fear filled his heart.
All the senior brothers, each engrossed in their activities, were also abruptly awakened.
"This bell chime... is it the Immortal Summons Bell?!"
The several senior brothers who rushed over showed expressions of shock.
"The last time the Immortal Summons Bell rang, I remember it was because the Longevity Clan, which was kept by the sects as livestock, collectively rebelled, right?"
"That's right. At that time, the Ten Great Immortal Sects issued a wanted order. Anyone who caught any of the fleeing Longevity Clan members would be rewarded with a 'Hundred Lives Pearl,' adding dozens or even hundreds of years to their lifespan."
"The temptation of living a hundred more years is something not many cultivators can resist. To compete for the heads of those runaway Longevity Clan members, cultivators went on a killing spree, creating a huge bloodbath."
"I wonder what major event has happened in the cultivation world this time."
The senior brothers discussed with astonishment.
Li Fan, silently listening on the side, took advantage of the pause in their conversation, putting on a curious expression, "Senior Brothers, what are the Longevity Clan and the Hundred Lives Pearl?"
This time, the senior brothers didn't avoid the question as they usually did when asked about other matters.
Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao sighed and, with envy in his eyes, said, "Junior Brother, you must know, the heavens have never been fair."
"For ordinary humans, living over a hundred years is considered long-lived."
"Even for cultivators, if they haven't reached the Longevity Immortal realm, a lifespan of a few thousand years is the limit."
After a pause, Ling Xiao continued with a faint tone, "However, in this world, some creatures are naturally gifted with extremely long lifespans. Even ordinary members of their tribes, without powerful cultivation, can easily live for a thousand or two thousand years."
"For people with short lifespans like humans, this is truly unfair!"
"Longevity Clan..." Li Fan's heart stirred.
Before his transmigration, he had read about similar settings for the Longevity Clan in various webnovels.
But in the real cultivation world, he had never seen any information about the Longevity Clan.
Not to mention witnessing a living Longevity Clan member.
"Senior Brothers, what do these Longevity Clan members look like? Are they similar to the mythical creatures in legends?" Li Fan looked at Ling Xiao with innocent eyes, asking aloud.
Ling Xiao patted his junior disciple's head, explaining, "Hehe, there are many variations. Some look like spiritual beasts but can speak human language."
"Some are like plant and tree spirits."
"Some of them look similar to humans, and each one is extremely beautiful..."
"By the way, Junior Brother, I once wrote a book called 'Tales of Wind and Moon,' and the main characters were the Longevity Clan members from a distant continent. Let me check if I still have a copy..."
Ling Xiao's topic suddenly changed, and his face became excited.
Before he could finish, the expression on Eldest Senior Brother's face darkened as he appeared behind Ling Xiao.
Second Senior Brother had to awkwardly halt the inappropriate topic and get back on track.
"Uh, what was I saying just now? Right, the Longevity Clan..."
"There is a special type of Longevity Clan member. They look almost identical to ordinary humans, or you could say, they are humans."
"The only special thing is that they possess lifespans that are difficult for ordinary people to reach."
"These people hide among the crowds, living cautiously. Every once in a while, they change their appearance and identity to avoid being discovered."
Li Fan immediately asked, "Why are they afraid of being discovered? Does it have anything to do with those Hundred Lives Pearls?"
Ling Xiao said seriously, "Junior Brother, imagine this. You can only live a little over a hundred years, and by that time, you are already considered old. But when others are several hundred or even over a thousand years old, they still look as young as ever. Wouldn't you find it unfair and infuriating?"
Li Fan nodded vigorously, "It's infuriating! It's so unfair!"
"Yes, normal people find it hard to tolerate such a disparity. As I mentioned earlier, some Longevity Clan members don't have formidable cultivations."
"Hmph, it's their own fault. Those cultivators who reach Soul Transformation or Dao Integration stage but have no hope of longevity, how can they not envy those Longevity Clan members?"
Ling Xiao lowered his voice, "Those major immortal sects possess a secret technique called 'Life Dao Transformation' which can extract lifespan from living beings and utilize it."
"And the lifespan extracted from Longevity Clan members is the purest."
"Drawing from tens of thousands of ordinary people over the years can only condense a few Longevity Fruits, adding a hundred or so years to their lifespan."
"But the lifespan provided by a Longevity Clan member can be refined into dozens or even hundreds of 'Hundred Lives Pearls.'"
Ling Xiao's eyes revealed a trace of greed, "The higher the cultivation of the Longevity Clan member, the higher the quality of the refined 'Hundred Lives Pearls.'"
"Back then, I was fortunate enough to participate in a hunt for Longevity Clan members and received a 'Hundred Lives Pearl.' After swallowing it, I felt as if I were floating, as if I had returned to my youth."
"That feeling..."
Ling Xiao smacked his lips, savoring the memory.
"A 'Hundred Lives Pearl' is only like that. I really wonder what the legendary 'Thousand Lives Pearl' or even the 'Ten Thousand Lives Pearl' tastes like."
At this moment, the usually silent Third Senior Brother suddenly spoke, "Xiaoxiao, with your cultivation, even if you managed to swallow a Thousand Lives Pearl by chance, it would only mean it would be your fate to have your lifespan extracted." [1]
Ling Xiao looked at Liang Chang with a disgruntled expression, "Xiaoxiao? Is that how you address me? Old Third, you're really becoming more and more disrespectful."
Third Senior Brother, with an amused expression, looked at Ling Xiao, "What? Do you want to spar with me?"
But Ling Xiao wasn't backing down, "It seems like I haven't shown my dominance as a senior brother in a long time, making you have this misconception."
"Today, I will completely demonstrate my authority as a senior brother!"
After saying that, the two of them started fighting.
Meanwhile, Eldest Senior Brother stood by, smiling and watching.
What a warm and harmonious scene.
However, soon after, the storm of war would shatter everything.
*****
[1] Xiaoxiao is like an endearing way of addressing Ling Xiao as if a parent had addressed their child
Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao had very thick skin.
Caught red-handed doing something mischievous by his junior brother, he showed no signs of guilt. He even winked, asking Li Fan if he wanted to give it a try.
Before Li Fan could respond, the sword of Eldest Senior Brother arrived in an instant.
A murderous aura pervaded, scattering the mischievous cats in all directions.
Second Senior Brother, embarrassed, gave a wry smile, put away his pen, and sneakily escaped the cave to find new toys for his amusement.
"Junior Brother, you must never imitate your Second Senior Brother."
"When choosing a Transformation Object, you should go for something more serious."
Eldest Senior Brother Sī Xīng earnestly advised Li Fan.
Li Fan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
...
There were many interesting incidents like this.
In general, the atmosphere within the Ancient Body Transformation Dao sect was harmonious and friendly.
In this environment, Li Fan continued to stimulate the hidden potential within his body, strengthening his frail body, all while practicing "External Body Transformation."
In the sixth year after Li Fan possessed Tian Yang's body and entered the simulated world, a series of urgent and breathtaking bell chimes echoed from the distant horizon.
As the bell chimes reached his ears, Li Fan felt a surge of blood and energy throughout his body, and an inexplicable fear filled his heart.
All the senior brothers, each engrossed in their activities, were also abruptly awakened.
"This bell chime... is it the Immortal Summons Bell?!"
The several senior brothers who rushed over showed expressions of shock.
"The last time the Immortal Summons Bell rang, I remember it was because the Longevity Clan, which was kept by the sects as livestock, collectively rebelled, right?"
"That's right. At that time, the Ten Great Immortal Sects issued a wanted order. Anyone who caught any of the fleeing Longevity Clan members would be rewarded with a 'Hundred Lives Pearl,' adding dozens or even hundreds of years to their lifespan."
"The temptation of living a hundred more years is something not many cultivators can resist. To compete for the heads of those runaway Longevity Clan members, cultivators went on a killing spree, creating a huge bloodbath."
"I wonder what major event has happened in the cultivation world this time."
The senior brothers discussed with astonishment.
Li Fan, silently listening on the side, took advantage of the pause in their conversation, putting on a curious expression, "Senior Brothers, what are the Longevity Clan and the Hundred Lives Pearl?"
This time, the senior brothers didn't avoid the question as they usually did when asked about other matters.
Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao sighed and, with envy in his eyes, said, "Junior Brother, you must know, the heavens have never been fair."
"For ordinary humans, living over a hundred years is considered long-lived."
"Even for cultivators, if they haven't reached the Longevity Immortal realm, a lifespan of a few thousand years is the limit."
After a pause, Ling Xiao continued with a faint tone, "However, in this world, some creatures are naturally gifted with extremely long lifespans. Even ordinary members of their tribes, without powerful cultivation, can easily live for a thousand or two thousand years."
"For people with short lifespans like humans, this is truly unfair!"
"Longevity Clan..." Li Fan's heart stirred.
Before his transmigration, he had read about similar settings for the Longevity Clan in various webnovels.
But in the real cultivation world, he had never seen any information about the Longevity Clan.
Not to mention witnessing a living Longevity Clan member.
"Senior Brothers, what do these Longevity Clan members look like? Are they similar to the mythical creatures in legends?" Li Fan looked at Ling Xiao with innocent eyes, asking aloud.
Ling Xiao patted his junior disciple's head, explaining, "Hehe, there are many variations. Some look like spiritual beasts but can speak human language."
"Some are like plant and tree spirits."
"Some of them look similar to humans, and each one is extremely beautiful..."
"By the way, Junior Brother, I once wrote a book called 'Tales of Wind and Moon,' and the main characters were the Longevity Clan members from a distant continent. Let me check if I still have a copy..."
Ling Xiao's topic suddenly changed, and his face became excited.
Before he could finish, the expression on Eldest Senior Brother's face darkened as he appeared behind Ling Xiao.
Second Senior Brother had to awkwardly halt the inappropriate topic and get back on track.
"Uh, what was I saying just now? Right, the Longevity Clan..."
"There is a special type of Longevity Clan member. They look almost identical to ordinary humans, or you could say, they are humans."
"The only special thing is that they possess lifespans that are difficult for ordinary people to reach."
"These people hide among the crowds, living cautiously. Every once in a while, they change their appearance and identity to avoid being discovered."
Li Fan immediately asked, "Why are they afraid of being discovered? Does it have anything to do with those Hundred Lives Pearls?"
Ling Xiao said seriously, "Junior Brother, imagine this. You can only live a little over a hundred years, and by that time, you are already considered old. But when others are several hundred or even over a thousand years old, they still look as young as ever. Wouldn't you find it unfair and infuriating?"
Li Fan nodded vigorously, "It's infuriating! It's so unfair!"
"Yes, normal people find it hard to tolerate such a disparity. As I mentioned earlier, some Longevity Clan members don't have formidable cultivations."
"Hmph, it's their own fault. Those cultivators who reach Soul Transformation or Dao Integration stage but have no hope of longevity, how can they not envy those Longevity Clan members?"
Ling Xiao lowered his voice, "Those major immortal sects possess a secret technique called 'Life Dao Transformation' which can extract lifespan from living beings and utilize it."
"And the lifespan extracted from Longevity Clan members is the purest."
"Drawing from tens of thousands of ordinary people over the years can only condense a few Longevity Fruits, adding a hundred or so years to their lifespan."
"But the lifespan provided by a Longevity Clan member can be refined into dozens or even hundreds of 'Hundred Lives Pearls.'"
Ling Xiao's eyes revealed a trace of greed, "The higher the cultivation of the Longevity Clan member, the higher the quality of the refined 'Hundred Lives Pearls.'"
"Back then, I was fortunate enough to participate in a hunt for Longevity Clan members and received a 'Hundred Lives Pearl.' After swallowing it, I felt as if I were floating, as if I had returned to my youth."
"That feeling..."
Ling Xiao smacked his lips, savoring the memory.
"A 'Hundred Lives Pearl' is only like that. I really wonder what the legendary 'Thousand Lives Pearl' or even the 'Ten Thousand Lives Pearl' tastes like."
At this moment, the usually silent Third Senior Brother suddenly spoke, "Xiaoxiao, with your cultivation, even if you managed to swallow a Thousand Lives Pearl by chance, it would only mean it would be your fate to have your lifespan extracted." [1]
Ling Xiao looked at Liang Chang with a disgruntled expression, "Xiaoxiao? Is that how you address me? Old Third, you're really becoming more and more disrespectful."
Third Senior Brother, with an amused expression, looked at Ling Xiao, "What? Do you want to spar with me?"
But Ling Xiao wasn't backing down, "It seems like I haven't shown my dominance as a senior brother in a long time, making you have this misconception."
"Today, I will completely demonstrate my authority as a senior brother!"
After saying that, the two of them started fighting.
Meanwhile, Eldest Senior Brother stood by, smiling and watching.
What a warm and harmonious scene.
However, soon after, the storm of war would shatter everything.
*****
[1] Xiaoxiao is like an endearing way of addressing Ling Xiao as if a parent had addressed their child
