Longevity through Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 1318: Chapter 443: Reunion of Old Friends; Stage 4 Serpent Appears!

"Vilified by others... huh!"

Hu Li let out a cold laugh as he spoke, "Since ancient times, only the incompetent busy themselves slandering others. If your own strength were enough, why would you need to look for trouble with someone else?"

"If their strength is beneath yours, what does their criticism matter? If their strength surpasses yours, why would they bother to criticize you?"

"Hu Mountain, the reason I’ve kept you at my side is because you have some shred of comprehension. Don’t let me down."

Hu Li said this and turned around, giving the young man a long, deep look.

The young man who had just been loudly praising him was now drenched in sweat, even his knees trembling as he knelt on the ground.

"Yes, Patriarch..."

"Alright, you may withdraw. I’ll be going into seclusion soon—no matter who comes, do not disturb me."

"Yes."

Answering, Hu Mountain hurriedly bowed and left the Fox Cave.

Hu Li stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching him leave, until he had completely gone.

Just as Hu Li was about to turn around, he suddenly heard a voice coming from the high platform he had just been sitting on.

"Then what if I come?"

Hearing this voice, Hu Li first froze on instinct, then suddenly came to his senses.

Just as he was about to use an Escape Technique to flee his Cave Mansion, he reacted again... this voice was so familiar.

Moreover, since the other party could silently get this close to him, it meant he had the complete ability to kill him.

In that case, was there any point in running?

In his astonishment, Hu Li slowly turned around, and when he saw the figure sitting on the high platform, leaning forward slightly, both elbows resting on his thighs, a cup of tea held in his hand—

He was stunned.

Even his breathing halted for a moment. Then, in a tone filled with disbelief, he spoke, his voice trembling:

"S... Senior, is that you?"

"You’ve finally come back."

The appearance and aura Ji Yuan revealed at this moment was naturally that of Qiu Qianhai from before.

So when Hu Li saw his face clearly, he was this shocked.

After all, when Ji Yuan had left this place back then, he hadn’t even said goodbye to him, just disappeared without a sound.

But now, coming back again...

Seeing that Hu Li, who had only been at the Peak of Foundation Establishment back then, had actually formed a Core.

He had even advanced to a Mid-stage Core Formation Cultivator. Ji Yuan couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

He hadn’t expected that upon returning this time, he’d actually run into an old acquaintance.

The main thing was that Hu Li had never left, and had been staying here in Profound Crystal Mountain this whole time!

This was what truly exceeded Ji Yuan’s expectations.

"What, I’m right in front of you and you still can’t recognize me?"

Ji Yuan asked in return.

With tears in his eyes, Hu Li hurriedly wiped his face when he heard this, then his knees went weak and he knelt on the ground.

"Senior, I... I’ve been waiting all these years for you to come back, not daring to take even a single step away."

Hu Li sobbed, speaking in a choked and garbled voice:

"Senior, I’ve finally waited for your return. This time, please don’t leave again. Hu Li will definitely stay by your side and serve you well."

Seeing his reaction... it was hard to tell how much was genuine and how much was fake.

But one had to admit, the fact that Hu Li had stayed on this Profound Crystal Mountain without leaving was indeed true.

"I didn’t expect it—you’ve already reached Mid-stage Core Formation."

Ji Yuan spoke as he set the teacup in his hand aside, then stood up and took one step to come to Hu Li’s side. He squatted down and patted his shoulder.

And with each pat from Ji Yuan, Hu Li’s body sank a little lower.

"It’s all thanks to Senior’s blessing. Without you, this junior wouldn’t even know in which ravine he’d have died by now."

"Alright, get up. There’s no need to keep kneeling."

Ji Yuan straightened up and stretched lazily.

Hu Li answered and hurriedly stood as well. But even though he stood, he followed behind Ji Yuan with drooping shoulders, looking meek and deferential.

"How have things been these past years?"

Ji Yuan glanced around at everything, asking curiously.

"Thanks to Senior’s blessing, with this Array protecting us over these years, and with some gains in this junior’s Cultivation, I’ve managed to barely stay alive."

"Since when does reaching Mid-stage Core Formation count as ’barely staying alive’?"

Ji Yuan suddenly shifted the topic with a smile. "These years, the pursuit and killing against me over here in Cangluo... how has it been?"

"This..."

Hu Li, who had just stood up, turned even paler upon hearing this.

Outsiders might not know who this cultivator standing before him was, but Hu Li did. The man before him carried the surname Qiu, given name Qianhai!

This was the peerless fiend who had once beaten the Young Master of Blood Luo Mountain into a ’maiden’. Though later, the Blood Luo King used great means to successfully make him give up on "having children."

But for the Young Master of Blood Luo Mountain, Jiang Hong, this was a knot in his heart he would never resolve in this lifetime.

Rumor even had it that the reason the Young Master of Blood Luo Mountain was still trapped in the Core Formation Stage was because this incident birthed a Heart Demon in him, leaving him too afraid to face his Heart Demon Tribulation.

And now, the very culprit who caused all this had appeared in front of him.

"What, are you thinking of sending out the news that I’m still alive to Blood Luo Mountain, so that Blood Luo King can come and hunt me down?"

Ji Yuan turned around, smiling as he looked at him.

"I wouldn’t dare... how would this junior dare?"

Hu Li seemed thoroughly terrified. His body shuddered and he directly collapsed to the ground, but quickly scrambled up again, trembling as he knelt and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Over these past hundred-plus years, this junior hasn’t revealed the slightest bit of Senior’s whereabouts. Now that Senior has returned, how could I possibly reveal anything? Furthermore, given Blood Luo Mountain’s way of doing things, if I told them of this, what awaited this junior would definitely be a dead end."

Bean-sized drops of sweat rolled down Hu Li’s forehead, falling to the ground and splashing apart.

But he still forced himself to press down the fear in his heart, so that he could think quietly and analyze calmly.

"That’s true."

"Then get up and speak."

Ji Yuan spoke, then clasped his hands behind his back and turned around again.

"Yes."

Hu Li stood up once more. After a brief silence, he continued, "In the few years after Senior disappeared, Blood Luo Mountain’s hunt was at its fiercest. Blood Luo Mountain all but turned the entirety of Shang Dong upside down, scouring mountains and seas, and only after finding nothing did they ease up a bit."

"As for now, over a hundred years have passed. Aside from the occasional mention of that Young Master Jiang’s past where some people bring it up, at other times, not many remember this matter anymore."

"On Blood Luo Mountain’s side, while the kill order against Senior hasn’t been officially rescinded, no one really pays it much mind anymore... Oh, right!"

As Hu Li spoke, something seemed to occur to him, and he suddenly looked up.

"What is it?"

Ji Yuan maintained his calm demeanor.

"A few years back when this junior went out, I happened to hear a piece of information, though I don’t know if it’s true."

"Let’s hear it."

"It’s said that over on the Jiyuan Continent, Blood Luo Mountain managed to obtain some news—that... that..."

"That what?"

Ji Yuan slowed his steps as he paced.

"That over on the Jiyuan Continent, there’s also an Old Demon Qiu, and there’s another Old Demon Ji. They also say that this Old Demon Qiu on our Cangluo Continent is actually a cultivator named Ji Yuan in disguise."

As Hu Li spoke, he kept glancing evasively at the green-robed man before him.

"Oh? There’s such a thing?"

Ji Yuan was not surprised by this.

What had happened back then in the Rashamon Sea had been seen by so many cultivators, and afterward he had even obtained the Star-Stepping Wheel under the eyes of the crowd.

With the minds of those Nascent Soul Monsters, it would be difficult for them not to expose him.

And since Blood Luo Mountain was now the number one Sect on Cangluo Continent, it was only natural for them to have gotten this news.

However... so what?

I, Ji Yuan, am now also an Old Demon at the Nascent Soul level!

As he was thinking this, an urgent voice from Tu Yue suddenly echoed in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Master, quick, look—Sister Long Fei has advanced to Tier Four!"

Ji Yuan immediately split off a portion of his consciousness and sank into the Mountain of Mind and Heart in his Spirit Platform.