Longevity Family: Let Her Live At The Beginning, Let Her Live

Zhang Ran instantly understood that Hua Weimian was observing his loyalty, and she must have already known about Elder Sun's intention to take him as a disciple.

"Master Hua, my family is located at the foot of Evergreen Sect's mountain in the Qi Kingdom. Is there anything you're worried about?"

Hua Weimian calmly replied, "Elder Zhang, I never said I didn't trust you. Have you misunderstood something?"

Listening to Hua Weimian's probing, Zhang Ran didn't like this roundabout way of speaking.

So he straightforwardly asked, "If there's something you're worried about, Master, just say it. I am upright and have nothing to fear from interrogation."

Seeing Zhang Ran's sincere and open attitude, Hua Weimian also felt relieved. Knowing that she had been overly suspicious and had upset him, she then worriedly said, "Do you know where the master of Utmost Bliss Peak has gone?"

Utmost Bliss Peak's master? Zhang Ran had only met him three times and hadn't heard from him since. Now that the sect master didn't mention him, he had almost forgotten about this person.

"I don't know. What happened to the master of Utmost Bliss Peak?"

"He defected and even presented our sect's formation map to the Heavenly Demon Temple. Although he didn't obtain much, it still caused us trouble."

No wonder the sect master suspected him. Zhang Ran was also slightly surprised upon hearing this, and then wondered if other peak masters had also defected.

Immediately, he asked, "Master, what about the other peak masters? Are there any defectors among them now?"

Hua Weimian shook her head. "Not at the moment, but as time goes on and with the persuasion of the Heavenly Demon Temple, it's hard to guard against. Some elders can't resist the temptation and join the Heavenly Demon Temple directly. But do they think they'll have a good life after going there? Once they go, they become nothing more than a pile of nourishment, becoming something neither human nor ghost."

Hua Weimian sneered repeatedly, as if she could already see the regret of those who chose to join the Heavenly Demon Temple.

Zhang Ran thought that the sect master seemed to know a lot about the Heavenly Demon Temple, probably because she was a Nascent Soul cultivator. Could it be that she had crossed Ten Thousand Beast Mountain and been to the southern region?

Hua Weimian withdrew her gaze and looked at Zhang Ran, then continued, "I heard that Elder Sun has taken a liking to your talent in formations. But now that you're like this, it seems you don't intend to agree?"

"My family is still here after all. If I go to the Heavenly Demon Temple, my family's property will be ruined. How could I really be willing to go?"

"But I remember that the Heavenly Demon Temple has a very domineering soul control technique called Soul Control Art. It doesn't require the cooperation of the enslaved person. As long as their cultivation level surpasses a certain realm, they can cast the spell. Haven't you been affected?"

Zhang Ran calmly replied, "I have been affected, but I have a treasure that protects my divine soul, blocking it for me."

After hearing this, Hua Weimian also dispelled her doubts. "It seems you're quite lucky. A treasure that protects the divine soul is something I envy. But you still need to be careful. Elder Sun is not someone who shows mercy. If you don't want to go to Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, I'll cover for you."

Zhang Ran indeed didn't want to go. If he were discovered one day, it would be dangerous. He finally realized that Evergreen Sect had brought him some benefits. He immediately bowed and expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Master. I really don't want to go anymore. I'll trouble you from now on."

"Well, at this stage, I can still help you with this favor. But once Ten Thousand Beast Mountain opens, everyone will have to rely on their own abilities to protect themselves."

Zhang Ran immediately asked the question that had been on his mind, "Master, if you're so unwilling to open Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, why did you agree to let me set up the formation?"

Hua Weimian spoke frankly, "I don't agree, but no one in the other five sects disagrees. They all have their own ulterior motives and want to escape this tiny place. I can understand their actions. They have reached the Nascent Soul stage, and if they can advance further, they will gain thousands of years of lifespan and make progress towards the Great Dao. It's really hard to see hope in this place."

Listening to Hua Weimian's sorrowful words, Zhang Ran could only sigh softly. He didn't see anything wrong with the actions of the other five sects. For the sake of the Great Dao and the pursuit of longevity, why not? Why let these ancestral rules restrict oneself? If he didn't have his system, he definitely wouldn't stay here if he could reach the Nascent Soul stage in this place.

Zhang Ran also admired Hua Weimian. She was someone who followed the ancestral rules from tens of thousands of years ago and was very honest and trustworthy.

And at that moment, Hua Weimian suddenly smiled.

It seemed as if the flowers were blooming beautifully, like blossoming roses.

However, Zhang Ran felt uneasy in his heart. When a beautiful woman smiles, there must be demands.

Sure enough.

Hua Weimian kindly greeted, "Elder Zhang, how is your wife and family doing?"

"Yes, Sect Master."

"Elder Zhang, with the impending chaos, your family is still quite far from the Evergreen Sect. Why not move to the Evergreen Sect?"

Zhang Ran hesitated and said, "Sect Master, there are over a hundred thousand people in my family. It might be too crowded to come to the Evergreen Sect."

Hua Weimian chuckled, "Elder Zhang, are you joking? Just bring your cultivators and three hundred descendants. You don't need to worry about ordinary people."

Zhang Ran bowed and said with a strong sense of responsibility, "But those ordinary people are also my descendants. I can't abandon them."

...

When Zhang Ran finally left the Sect Master's hall, he only knew that the Sect Master's expression wasn't too good. Now, the Evergreen Sect needed a large number of manpower, and his family was a piece of fat that could be recruited.

However, Zhang Ran stubbornly refused, which made Hua Weimian very angry.

Thinking about recalling all the Zhang family disciples in two years, Zhang Ran was afraid that he would have a fight with the Sect Master.

Whatever, as long as I can protect myself, it's fine.

Afterwards, Zhang Ran went to Little Rain Peak, hoping that Yu Yan would go back with him. In order to prevent the Sect Master from spying, the two of them chatted for a long time after leaving the sect.

Unfortunately, Yu Yan didn't want to leave Little Rain Peak for the time being. She said that the Evergreen Sect treated her well. Zhang Ran also understood that the Evergreen Sect currently had more than ten Core Formation cultivators.

The Sect Master was in the Nascent Soul stage, and the large formation of the Evergreen Sect was arranged four thousand years ago. The Evergreen Sect's territory of nearly a million acres was enveloped by it. It can be imagined how much material and manpower were consumed to arrange a fourth-grade formation back then.

Moreover, even if a cultivator in the later stage of Nascent Soul came, they would have to pay a heavy price. There might even be a danger of falling. The Evergreen Sect seemed safe for now.

However, Zhang Ran was worried about internal problems in the Evergreen Sect. After all, those Core Formation elders, if they couldn't resist the temptation of the Heavenly Demon Temple and launched a surprise attack from within, the Evergreen Sect would be finished.

But in the Zhang family, all those formations were under his control. Unlike the Evergreen Sect, which had changed several generations over tens of thousands of years, the secrets of the protective formation might have leaked out.

Back at the Qingyang Zhang family, Zhang Ran began to cultivate the spiritual fields. They needed maintenance every year, sometimes entrusted to his wife, sometimes personally observed by him.

Looking at the various spiritual fields and medicinal herbs, Zhang Ran was very pleased.

"It's a pity that the growth rate is a bit slow. These second-grade elixirs need at least a hundred years of medicinal properties to be usable. Waiting for a hundred years is a bit inefficient. If I want to cultivate fourth-grade spiritual herbs in the future, will I have to wait a thousand years?"

Zhang Ran realized that this was not a solution, so he began to collect methods to accelerate the growth of spiritual herbs.

Time flew by, and five years passed.

There was only one chance left to completely open up the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain.