Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 389 - 244: Red Cloud Daoist

Elder Li didn’t read too much into it; Lei Tian was just a loose cultivator, so when it came to matters like these, he tended to be a lot more casual.

Lu Chang’sheng and Li Nangua stood off to the side, conversing with warm smiles. Lately, the family’s third-generation had reached marrying age one by one, and Li Nangua was starting to worry about it.

Having experienced being pressured into marriage herself, Li Nangua was somewhat open-minded regarding marriage for her descendants, but she’d realized the younger generation in the clan may have been influenced by Lu Ziyou’s "Gou Dao" philosophy, making them rather uninterested in getting married and having children—thus her headache.

"Every generation forges its own fortune. Isn’t there still Chang’an?"

Lu Chang’sheng said.

He glanced into the distance, where Lei Tian and Elder Li were chatting, a shadow of some indescribable emotion flickering across his face.

"Chang’an is passionate about growing the family, but for him alone, I doubt—"

Li Nangua hadn’t given up hope yet.

Lu Chang’sheng could only steer the conversation elsewhere.

Over the years, Li Nangua hadn’t advanced much in cultivation, and Lu Chang’sheng had heard some things from Wang Futian. Nangua’s talent had a certain time-sensitivity; just like the Root Bone in Martial Dao, if she couldn’t reach Foundation Establishment by a certain age, that very talent would turn into a shackle.

That was the flaw of certain Spiritual Bodies.

Li Nangua must have noticed it too, which was why she’d started shifting her focus from cultivation to the clan’s affairs.

Lu Chang’sheng gently stroked the back of her hand, his gaze tinged with melancholy.

He knew, as time passed, the gap between him and Nangua would only widen.

·····

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I’ll take my leave for now."

Just then, Lei Tian came over to bid farewell.

Elder Li wore a cheerful smile; clearly, after their brief conversation, the two got along well enough.

"Let’s catch up again sometime."

Lei Tian was quite enthusiastic, greeting the other Daoists. Platinum Immortal City wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either—for those at their level, as long as there was no conflict of interest, everyone offered some courtesy.

And as a late-stage Qi Cultivation loose cultivator, Lei Tian didn’t need to worry like the rest, so people still gave him face.

But just then, Lu Chang’sheng said, "Fellow Daoist Lei, why not wait here a little longer?"

Lei Tian’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of displeasure on his face.

The others stared at Lu Chang’sheng in shock, bewildered by his intent.

Especially those familiar with Lu Chang’sheng, like Xiao Feng—they were even more surprised. After all, Lu Chang’sheng was known as the Red Bull Alchemist.

The Red Bull was known for unstinting hard work and a mild temperament. If it hadn’t been for the drama with the house complex earlier, causing many to see Lu Chang’sheng in a totally new light, the "Red Bull" moniker would’ve hardly stuck anymore.

Seeing everyone’s confusion, Lu Chang’sheng smiled apologetically. "Red Cloud Daoist is still at large. If anything happens later and the True Men need our help, it’d be awkward for all of us if you left now, Fellow Daoist."

At these words, everyone immediately understood.

Some thought even deeper: if this person was actually colluding with Red Cloud Daoist and they simply let him leave, the rest of them would be in big trouble.

When the True Men held them accountable, wouldn’t they all be finished?

"Exactly, Fellow Daoist Lei, please understand our predicament. Why not rest here for now? I even have some Spirit Tea to share,"

Xiao Feng and the others chimed in with smiles.

Xiao Feng fished a few chilled teas and spiritual springs, plus some tea-brewing tools, from the Treasure Vault Immortal Insect.

Lei Tian shot the group a sullen look, then forced a smile. "Very well, I’ll stay here for now—"

Before he finished, a flash of light suddenly shot from his hand, striking straight toward Xiao Feng.

"Watch out!"

"How dare you!"

······

Xiao Feng was closest to Lei Tian. Furthermore, whatever method Lei Tian used, the attack was both swift and disguised; the moment Xiao Feng sensed it, a chill crept across his scalp—a sense of doom looming.

He instantly realized: no reactive Magical Artifact on his person could block this spell.

Fortunately, just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw another ray of light intercepting in front of him at just the right moment.

A sharp clang echoed as Lei Tian’s attack slammed aside the Magical Artifact, then barreled into Xiao Feng.

Luckily, the earlier collision with the Magical Artifact had absorbed much of the force, so the glow flaring from Xiao Feng’s body barely managed to fend it off.

Gripped by shock and rage, Xiao Feng hurriedly backed off, layering himself with defensive spells to guard against Lei Tian’s pursuit.

"He’s not Lei Tian!"

Elder Li shouted in anger.

At those words, Lei Tian stopped pretending. His facial skin began to writhe, slowly revealing an unnaturally pale face.

At the same time, the hair on his head shifted hue, swirling like a floating Red Cloud.

It was Red Cloud Daoist himself!

"Fellow Daoists, why not let me leave? The Secret Treasure that Supreme Profound Sect wants to snatch from me—I’m willing to share it with you all!"

Red Cloud Daoist ignored their looks, as if they wanted to rip him apart, and spoke calmly.

"We Qi Cultivators all seek Foundation Establishment and longevity. My Secret Treasure can open the cave-dwelling secret realm of the Profound Turtle Alchemist. When the time comes——"

At the mention of Profound Turtle Alchemist, everyone present couldn’t help a flicker of excitement.

In Guangnan Domain, Profound Turtle Alchemist was renowned, even above Supreme Profound Sect. He was a genius alchemist—the rumor was that he nearly reached the Golden Core stage.

From what Red Cloud Daoist said, it sounded as if the man perished in seclusion somewhere near Platinum Immortal City.

Now, they finally understood why Red Cloud Daoist was haunting the area near Platinum Immortal City.

For a moment, the hostility in everyone’s eyes eased just a little.

Seeing this, a hint of imperceptible sneer flashed in Red Cloud Daoist’s eyes.

The reason he’d escaped so many encirclements unscathed—his bewitching arts had been the key.

"Loose cultivators like these just don’t have the resilience of Immortal Sect cultivators."

Immortal Sect cultivators often practiced the Spirit Stabilizing Technique and had no lack of Foundation Establishment paths, so they were less vulnerable to his mind tricks than loose cultivators.

As long as desire stirred in their hearts, it was like falling right into his net—he could manipulate them easily. Sometimes, just a gentle nudge from him was enough to break up even the closest of teams.

"Red Cloud Daoist isn’t dead—the True Men will find out soon enough, and we’ve all seen him now, so secrecy is out of the question. If anyone leaks a whisper, we’ll all face annihilation!" Just then, a voice broke through, snapping the distracted cultivators back to their senses.

"Chang’sheng is right! Besides, don’t forget Red Cloud Daoist is possessed by a demonic creature!"

Xiao Feng took a deep breath, still shaken.

Their obsession with Foundation Establishment ran deep—so when Red Cloud Daoist manipulated them, it was easy for them to fall under his spell.

But Lu Chang’sheng was different—his own path was clear, so he had no reason to take such a risk.

Seeing his scheme exposed, and that even his supposedly flawless plan had failed, Red Cloud Daoist’s face twisted with rage as he lunged straight at Lu Chang’sheng.

The man clearly bore a grudge—Lu Chang’sheng had ruined his plans twice now.