Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 388 - 243: Beast in a Cage

The group surveyed the area, then gathered together to arrange the details of their patrols.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators only cared about the results; they wouldn’t interfere with the specific process, so the team still needed to set their own rules.

To play it safe, they discussed and decided to station more people on the two main routes, while the rest would patrol along the established paths.

"Our main task is still to block Red Cloud Daoist’s escape routes. The rest, we can leave to those True Men!"

Lu Chang’sheng said.

As the core of this team, his words carried tremendous weight.

This left the patriarchs who didn’t know Lu Chang’sheng well utterly shocked.

After all, there were several elders from White Cloud Pavilion present; each elder was a top figure among Qi Cultivation cultivators. Even if Fang Family’s ancestor Fang Yuan showed up, he’d have to keep a low profile and wouldn’t dare act out of line.

Of course, that wasn’t just because of their cultivation; their status as alchemists mattered too. The elders of White Cloud Pavilion couldn’t hold their position with only late-stage Qi Cultivation.

Lu Chang’sheng paid no mind to their surprise. The family leaders didn’t know him well yet—if their ancestors were here, they’d probably make the connection.

But not everyone trusted Lu Chang’sheng. Out of twenty people in the team, only five patriarchs plus Nangua and the White Cloud Pavilion group were familiar with him; around ten had no relationship.

Quite a few late-stage Qi Cultivators had been drafted—hundreds, in fact—so the team divisions had to ensure each group had enough numbers, in case they ran into Red Cloud Daoist and got wiped out.

This was exactly why Lu Chang’sheng didn’t mind letting outsiders join the team.

With more people, things got done, and the margin for error was bigger.

"I think we should focus on finding Red Cloud Daoist. Sure, the True Men never mentioned rewards, but Immortal Sect cultivators aren’t stingy." The speaker was a man in Taoist robes, with no white in his beard, and a sharp glint in his eyes.

Several people sat nearby, clearly deferring to him.

"Red Cloud Daoist is injured now, boxed in by four True Men; he’s a beast in a cage, meat on the chopping block. If we don’t make a move, we’ll miss an incredible chance."

Wu Feng spoke.

His words made quite a few people waver.

He made a good point—the White Stone Ridge wasn’t very big, and with four True Men keeping watch, even running into Red Cloud Daoist only meant holding out for a while.

This level of risk, more than a few were willing to take.

But Lu Chang’sheng didn’t think that way. He just needed to wait for the Heaven-Burning Valley’s people to arrive and hop on that big ship—why take on some unknown risk?

"Fellow Daoist has a point. Still, I think caution comes first. Right now, Red Cloud Daoist’s power isn’t clear. If we really run into him, there’s no guarantee anyone gets away intact." Lu Chang’sheng said.

"Daoist, you have a laid-back attitude." Wu Feng chuckled. "But we cultivators aren’t ones with flawless spirit roots; if we don’t fight for every chance on our path, how will we ever reach Foundation Establishment?"

Lu Chang’sheng stopped pressing the matter and went with the flow.

"Fellow Wu makes sense. What do the rest of you think?" He left the choice to the others.

It was clear Wu Feng was a smooth talker; in just a few words, he got plenty of people interested—even Xiao Feng and the others.

Luckily, they knew Lu Chang’sheng’s potential, so they wouldn’t ditch him over this.

After the previous incident targeting Lu Chang’sheng, this group had grown hyper-aware and would never shift sides easily when it came to him.

The key point was, Wu Feng only guessed at Immortal Sect rewards. If Gu Wei or the others actually promised anything, that would be a different matter.

So, many voiced their support for Lu Chang’sheng.

Wu Feng’s face twitched briefly, but he shrugged it off and fell silent.

······

Next, everyone got down to patrolling each route, doing their best to leave Red Cloud Daoist no opportunities.

Nobody knew if the Supreme Profound Sect’s elder was on Zhu Qing’s side. If anyone left proof for the other group, they might face disaster.

Xiao Feng and the others knew this, too, so they didn’t slack off for a second.

Time ticked by bit by bit.

After about an hour, a sudden surge of magical power erupted from afar.

Clearly, Red Cloud Daoist had slipped up, forced to reveal himself in a moment of panic.

Lu Chang’sheng felt relieved—the magical surge came from the southeast, meaning his group was away from the center of the danger zone.

"As long as Master Gu Ming, who controls the Spirit Array, can lock onto his location, there’s no way he escapes!"

A smile crept onto Lu Chang’sheng’s face.

Before long, he and Li Nangua returned to the arranged rendezvous point.

Xiao Feng, Elder Li, and the rest arrived as well.

This spot was the only way out of White Stone Ridge from their side.

He planned to wait here.

But just then, he heard from a cultivator that Wu Feng and his group had already left.

One of them was Chen Family’s clan leader, Chen Ming.

"Chen Ming and Wu Feng go back a ways, probably got talked into it."

Fang Family’s clan leader Fang Shan spoke to Lu Chang’sheng.

He had some ties to Chen Ming and knew his connections.

"Everyone has their own goals; you can’t force them." Lu Chang’sheng replied.

He hadn’t interacted much with Chen Ming, but knew the man had a sharp streak; otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten close to Wu Feng and the others.

The team lost seven members at once, just thirteen remained.

Lu Chang’sheng felt a bit uneasy, but as time passed, the sound of magical combat from the southeast steadied him.

Judging by the fluctuations, several Foundation Establishment cultivators had already cornered Red Cloud Daoist. For him, escaping this time would be no easy thing.

But just then, something unexpected happened. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

A figure suddenly appeared in Lu Chang’sheng’s line of sight.

"Fellow Daoist Lei?"

The newcomer had a thunder god’s face, with a thick beard along his jaw, wild as a mountain hermit, and a hulking frame.

Lu Chang’sheng glanced at Elder Li, searching for a sign.

"Fellow Daoist Li, do you know him?"

"Yes, met him a few times."

Elder Li answered.

The man had come to him for alchemy before, and was generous enough for his face to be remembered.

But—

"Why are you here, Fellow Daoist?"

Elder Li asked.

Lei Tian flashed a smile: "The True Men have driven Red Cloud Daoist into a dead corner. I figured there’s no point hanging around over there, so I slipped out early."

"Is that so!" Elder Li smiled meaningfully.

Not everyone here had been recruited; some, bold and skilled, were after the secrets hidden on Red Cloud Daoist.

Although the Supreme Profound Sect claimed Red Cloud Daoist escaped multiple Foundation Establishment True Men thanks to being possessed by a great demon, in some eyes that sounded like a cover story.

Red Cloud Daoist is hiding something major!