622: impatient ancestors

The Seventh Ancestor didn't say much. His figure flickered as he teleported to the Jade Table, his withered fingers lightly picking up three jade bottles which landed steadily in his palm.

The stoppers fell off by themselves as his fingertips moved slightly. He tilted his head back and drank the three bottles of liquid medicine in one go, his movements crisp and decisive without the slightest hesitation.

Afterwards, the Seventh Ancestor sat back cross-legged on the Prayer Mat, his eyes tightly closed. A faint golden light shield rose around him, isolating him from the outside world.

He began to concentrate on internal visualization, silently feeling the changes of the medicinal liquid within his body.

Time passed quietly in the silence. Only Xu Yuan's slightly hurried breathing and the various gazes of the Old Ancestors remained in the hall.

He stared intently at the Seventh Ancestor's figure, his heart filled with both anticipation and nervousness, his palms already seeping with fine beads of sweat.

The Seventh Ancestor was the pillar with the highest seniority and strongest strength in the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, the Foundation of the Sect standing for a thousand years. He absolutely did not want any accidents to happen to the Old Ancestor because of this Potion.

After an unknown amount of time, the golden light shield around the Seventh Ancestor began to fluctuate violently. His body also trembled slightly. His originally hunched back slowly straightened, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out at a speed visible to the naked eye. His entire being radiated an indescribable ecstasy and vitality.

"Old Ancestor, are you alright?"

Seeing this, Xu Yuan could no longer suppress the worry in his heart and quickly stepped forward, his tone full of anxiety.

The Seventh Ancestor snapped his eyes open, golden light bursting from his pupils. A majestic Aura, even more powerful than before, swept out. He laughed out loud, his voice making the glazed tiles on the hall's roof buzz.

"Hahaha, Kid Xu, the effect of this Potion is truly Heaven-Defying! I can clearly feel that my Lifespan has increased by at least a hundred years!"

"Hiss..."

The sound of drawing in cold breaths rose one after another in the hall, like a sudden cold wind blowing through.

The other dozens of Old Ancestors all widened their eyes now, their gazes locking onto the Seventh Ancestor in unison, their eyes full of shock and disbelief.

One should know that the Seventh Ancestor was already the existence with the longest Lifespan and deepest cultivation in the Lingxiao Immortal Sect. His entire Dao attainment nearly touched the edge of the world's Great Dao. Whether he achieved Ascension or not depended entirely on his willingness and luck.

Over the years, to maintain his Lifespan, the Sect had offered up almost half of the Heaven And Earth Treasures in the treasury.

Thousand-year Snow Lotus, Ten-thousand-year Ginseng, Nine-Revolution Longevity Pill... all these were supreme treasures that were hard to find even for ten thousand gold in the outside world.

But even with such an outpouring of resources, everyone in the Sect knew that at most they could only extend his Lifespan for another hundred years. This was already the limit the Sect could reach.

But now, the Seventh Ancestor had easily gained a hundred years of Lifespan just by drinking three bottles of unknown Potion.

What made the Old Ancestors' hearts throb even more was that on the Jade Table, there were clearly twenty-seven bottles left in that neatly arranged row of white jade bottles.

This meant that twenty-seven more Heaven-Defying Opportunities were right before their eyes!

For a moment, the air in the hall seemed to become scorching hot.

The gazes the Old Ancestors directed at the Potions were like hungry wolves spotting fat sheep, so burning they almost spat fire.

Everyone present was an old monster who had lived for thousands or even nearly ten thousand years. The higher their cultivation, the more they could feel the despair and powerlessness of their Lifespan coming to an end.

They had long since looked past power struggles; only the word "living" was the heaviest obsession in their hearts.

"The quantity of these Potions is limited. Priority should be given to fellow Daoists whose time is near."

After a long silence, the Seventh Ancestor spoke slowly. His voice carried the majesty of accumulated years, instantly suppressing the faint commotion in the hall.

As soon as these words were spoken, the other Old Ancestors nodded in agreement. Even though they were extremely urgent in their hearts, they knew that now was definitely not the time to scramble. If the rules were broken, the loss might outweigh the gain.

After a brief but solemn discussion, nine Old Ancestors whose Lifespan had only a few decades left were finally identified.

One after another, brilliant spiritual lights poured in from outside the hall, turning into nine upright figures. It was the true bodies of these nine Old Ancestors descending.

They didn't hesitate for a moment. Each took three bottles of Potion and tilted their heads to drink them.

Like the Seventh Ancestor, the nine Old Ancestors all sat cross-legged in silence, concentrating on feeling the changes within their bodies.

The hall fell into silence again, with only the sound of everyone's steady breathing.

Xu Yuan stood to the side, his palms slightly sweating, both expectant and nervous. This was a matter of life and death for nine Old Ancestors; there was no room for any error.

About half an hour later, the first Old Ancestor snapped his eyes open, sharp light bursting from his pupils. His originally pale face actually flushed with color.

"Hahaha! Delightful! My Lifespan has increased by at least a hundred and fifty years!"

Immediately after, the other eight Old Ancestors also woke up one after another, each letting out a hearty laugh.

"Me too! A hundred years of Lifespan, a solid hundred years!"

"Incredible! I actually gained two hundred and thirty years of Lifespan!"

One of the most hunched Old Ancestors actually straightened his back now. The wrinkles on his face smoothed out quite a bit, and his tone was full of ecstasy.

This scene made the remaining Old Ancestors who hadn't received the Potion green with envy.

They looked at the now empty bottles on the Jade Table, their faces full of envy and urgency, and their gazes toward Xu Yuan became increasingly burning.

"Kid Xu, are there any more of these Potions? You must find a way to get more!"

An impatient Old Ancestor spoke first, his tone carrying an unquestionable pressure.

"Yes, Kid Xu, although we still have some years left in our Lifespan, having more protection is always good. You must work harder!"

"Since that Forbidden Land Faction could produce so many, they must have more in stock. You must go and negotiate again!"

The Old Ancestors spoke one after another, putting pressure on Xu Yuan.

The invisible pressure converged, making Xu Yuan feel his scalp go numb and fine beads of sweat break out on his forehead.

He quickly raised his hand to gesture for calm and said with a bitter smile.

"Old Ancestors, please remain calm! These Potions are no ordinary items. Since the Xili Empire could produce thirty bottles, they must have reserves. Now that we have befriended them, as long as we maintain this relationship, we will surely be able to ask for more Potions in the future, maybe even the recipe!"

"Xili Empire?"

The Seventh Ancestor's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"I have never heard of such a faction. Could it be a recently risen Hidden Sect?"

Xu Yuan hurriedly bowed and explained.

"To answer the Old Ancestor, this Xili Empire is precisely that Forbidden Land Faction from before..."

Seeing this, Xu Yuan did not forget to repeat Lin Jing's explanation in its entirety.

"So it's an Ancient Faction!"

The Old Ancestors realized suddenly, their faces showing understanding.

"No wonder they could produce such Heaven-Defying Potions. It turns out to be a faction left over from ancient times!"

The Seventh Ancestor stroked his beard and sighed, his tone full of emotion.

"In the ancient period, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was abundant, and great experts emerged in large numbers. The depth of a faction's Foundation was far beyond what we can imagine."

"What's even rarer is that most of them have actually transcended this world and headed to a broader heaven and earth!"

An Old Ancestor's eyes flashed with a hint of awe.

"Such a Foundation is definitely not something our Lingxiao Immortal Sect can compare to. We must wholeheartedly befriend such an ally and absolutely must not have any thoughts of enmity, otherwise, it would be seeking our own death!"

"I understand!"

Xu Yuan hurriedly bowed in response, but in his heart, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the Old Ancestors had recognized the weight of the Xili Empire. In future dealings with them, the entire Sect would surely give full support.

The atmosphere in the hall had now transformed from the initial excitement and scrambling into awe for the Xili Empire and anticipation for the future.

And Xu Yuan also knew in his heart that the bond between the Lingxiao Immortal Sect and the Xili Empire had only just begun...