Longevity: Starting as a Sect Servant

Right now, we directly lost one.

Everyone felt... the Yan Country had kicked an iron board this time.

The Great Li is strong, very strong!

"The Sovereign ordered, engage in a decisive battle with the Great Li..."

Jiang Rilan spoke heavily, "Our clan is on the frontline in Qing Province, we cannot avoid the battle, this battle... we can only win!"

"The whole clan, prepare for battle!"

He gave the order.

Li An also felt a chill in his heart.

The death of a Nascent Soul cultivator directly raised the intensity of the war... to a new level.

The great decisive battle between the two countries is imminent.

For a time, the forces of the Qing Province gathered, experts from other major forces flocked in, and a more powerful coalition army was formed.

Even Li An was not exempt this time. As a Guardian Elder of the Jiang Clan, he led a force of hundreds of elites, following the Jiang Clan's Ancestor, Jiang Qingcang, to the front lines.

Clearly, Jiang Qingcang also did not quite trust him, hence kept him close by.

Before departure.

"The great battle is upon us, since the Peak Master is heading to the front lines, we ought to follow."

On South Spirit Peak, Grand Steward Sun Jinxue and a group of confidants spoke.

Over so many years, they had been loyal to Li An to a fault.

Lihua and Er Niu were also in the great hall, Lihua's eyes showed worry, but she didn't say a word, knowing that she was already an invalid, going to the front lines would only burden Li An.

Li An shook his head, "No, for this battle, I'll only take Er Niu with me."

He looked at Er Niu, "You have my true teachings; if you can follow me to achieve merit and prestige this time, upon our return, I can request the clan to officially allow you to marry a Jiang Clan girl, enter the Jiang Clan, and even compete for a core position!"

Upon hearing this, Er Niu was shocked, but there was an inexplicable trace of guilt in his eyes before showing excitement: "Thank you, Master... Er Niu will do his utmost!"

"Good, go prepare quickly."

Li An waved his hand and added: "Lihua, Jinxue, stay for a moment, I have something to instruct."

Everyone else dispersed.

Only Lihua and Sun Jinxue remained.

"After I leave, you two will manage the matters on South Spirit Peak."

Li An picked up a cup of tea and took a casual sip, saying: "Especially since I'm absent, and the other elders are also not present... you should seize the opportunity to capture their assets!"

Saying this, he took out a brocade pouch and handed it to Lihua, "Open it after I go to war; it contains some arrangements regarding this matter."

"Steward Sun, Lihua's Dantian is shattered, her cultivation severely damaged, so you'll need to assist her at that time."

Sun Jinxue felt a tinge of bitterness in her heart, Li An had given the brocade pouch to Lihua, clearly showing more trust in her...

Yet just as the thought arose, Li An handed her a brocade pouch too, "This brocade pouch, open it after I have left."

Sun Jinxue's heart inexplicably warmed!

"Understood, Jinxue will remember."

She spoke, feeling strangely comforted, perhaps after so many years on South Spirit Peak, she finally saw some return...

"You may leave now. After all, this is about seizing resources from others, don't leak it to a third party!"

Li An gave another instruction.

"As you command!"

Lihua and Sun Jinxue both left.

Li An watched their backs, letting out a soft sigh.

Hope you can successfully escape...

The contents of the brocade pouches were not schemes to seize others' assets; he said it only to mislead others.

Rather, they were plans for escape!

Moreover, fearing that Lihua and Sun Jinxue might distrust each other, he gave each a brocade pouch, having them possess parts of the information, ensuring they could only cooperate fully.

In this vast Jiang Clan, only Lihua and Sun Jinxue mattered slightly to him over the decades!

Even Er Niu... Although Li An showed no signs over the years, he was fully aware that Er Niu was actually a spy for the Jiang Clan!

Many of Li An's affairs on South Spirit Peak were regularly reported by Er Niu to the Jiang Clan.

But instead of exposing him, Li An used Er Niu to convey much false information, reducing the Jiang Clan's wariness of him.

Now, since he's heading to the frontline, he might as well take the boy to meet his end...

Thinking back, he could not help but recall Lihua's words from years ago when she went to war with the Great Li...

"Master, you are the only good person I've met in this Cultivation Realm..."

Li An picked up a cup of tea, sipped it slightly, tasting a hint of bitterness.

To have survived till now, climbing so far, how could there possibly be any good people left... True good people, like Wang Dazhu, were long since harmed by others!

...

Dozens of days later, the coalition army reached the frontline battlefield.

This time Jiang Qingcang personally appeared, and with his Rank Four Cyan Flame Divine Sparrow, they swept through, quickly slaughtering two Great Li armies, leaving corpses scattered across the landscape, with Li An following behind collecting countless spoils.

Besides Jiang Qingcang, many other Nascent Soul level experts of the Great Yan came, showing great strategic prowess.

The Great Li army suffered a brief defeat, but soon, several Nascent Soul experts from the Great Li appeared, triggering a terrifying battle.

"The enemy attacks from the left; I will intercept them!"

Li An finally found an opportunity, leading his troops towards a mountain range.

"Protector Wu, don't act recklessly!"

Patriarch Jiang Rilan's expression changed, the Ancestor had given him secret orders not to let Li An leave the battlefield.

He quickly followed along.

At the left mountain range, indeed, there was an enemy force, led by two True Core cultivators, and Li An with the Cyan Flame Divine Sparrow engaged them in battle.

Spiritual power clashed in the sky.

"Patriarch, assist me—"

Li An shouted.

Jiang Rilan joined the battlefield.

The terrifying battle between True Core cultivators made the mountains' vegetation fly, rocks disrupt the sky, runes continuously burst, extremely tragic.

In the blink of an eye, both sides seemed nearly spent, and fearing the two True Core enemies might unleash a Rank Four talisman, Li An and the Divine Bird were blasted to the ground, he shouted:

"Patriarch, flee quickly, I'll hold off the enemy; you mustn't die—otherwise our Jiang Clan is doomed!"

The two True Core heard this and immediately surrounded Jiang Rilan, using all means to attack.

Jiang Rilan's face was grim, but he had substantial reserves, and he stubbornly held on, Li An appeared heavily injured, only providing occasional assistance to little effect.

"You dare court death—"

Jiang Rilan roared, unleashing a Rank Four magical artifact.

The two True Core adversaries also brandished various magical artifacts.

BOOM!

Smoke and dust roiled, the two True Core powerhouses were severely injured, Jiang Rilan was also unstable in cultivation, coughing blood profusely.

"Quickly, Protector Wu, drive the Divine Bird to kill them!"

He shouted at Li An.

Li An responded, "Alright!"

Li An charged with the Divine Bird, but as he passed by Jiang Rilan, various runes suddenly erupted from his body!

"You—!"

Jiang Rilan's face showed extreme terror, as Li An directly detonated over a hundred Rank Three runes!

Also unleashing Cold Ice Small Sword, Black Poisonous Small Sword to strike.

Jiang Rilan had no defense, managing only a heart-wrenching scream before being blasted on the spot.

...

On the other side, the two True Core cultivators looked at Li An in shock and disbelief.

Li An quickly made sure Jiang Rilan's corpse was dead with several dozen more sword strikes before turning to face the two True Core.

"Go, retreat—"

The two True Core cultivators, already severely wounded from the struggle, were unwilling to fight further and prepared to flee.

But at this moment.

BOOM!

The aura of a Rank Three grand array suddenly descended, trapping the two True Core cultivators directly!

At the same time, Li An's aura finally revealed itself without reservation.

"This is... Golden Core?!"

The two True Core cultivators were utterly stunned.

Li An and this bird... were both Golden Core level.

Moreover, when was this array set up??

They hadn't noticed at all!

And in their somewhat dazed eyes, the light from the explosion of several hundred Rank Three exquisite talismans filled their vision—

...