Longevity: Starting from Refining Gu

Wei Qingchen saw an Undying Dragon Cavalry member hurling a large stone as he climbed out from the Death Sea and asked, "Is it possible to pursue their retreat path?"

The Dragon Cavalry member said, "Can't chase after them. The underground terrain there has been dug into a honeycomb by those Rat Demons, and one misstep could lead to a plunge into the Death Sea."

Xu Yaofeng clenched his fists, anger apparent, "Despicable!"

Wei Qingchen said, "It seems that this war cannot be brought to an end in short order."

Xu Yaofeng said, "Let's wait for Brother Taiyi to return, then we'll make plans."

Meanwhile, beneath the Death Sea, Chen Qing repelled Feng Qiwu with a single punch. Coughing up blood, Feng Qiwu retreated with great force in the direction of the Rat Demons' withdrawal.

After a chase, Chen Qing gave up; the Death Sea was much more familiar to Feng Qiwu than himself, and if he continued the pursuit, the opponent might have a way to seal him off.

Venturing deeper alone was no different from courting death.

Chen Qing returned to the shore, stepped out of the Death Sea, and faced the approaching army, commanding, "Undying Dragon Cavalry, take a moment to regroup. Prepare to encircle Chaotian City with chains; we are going to pull Chaotian City out from the Death Sea!"

This was an incredibly lengthy process. Even with Chen Qing personally entering the water and exerting his Moving Mountains and Filling Seas strength to pull Chaotian City, it still took a significant amount of time.

A full month passed before Chen Qing and his forces finally pulled Chaotian City from the Death Sea.

In the process, over five hundred of Chen Qing's army died in battle, and another six hundred perished due to the incursion of the Death Sea.

This was the first time Chen Qing's forces had suffered such a heavy blow.

Fortunately, they had thoroughly subdued the members of the Jiguang Sect, replenishing a large number of troops.

Fengdu.

After the great bell of Fengdu struck three times, Wei Qingchen, Xuan Mang, Shen Changye, Su Yi, Wang Yuan, Lu Shenglong, Zhang Can, Yan Bailiang, and Qing Ran entered the Council Hall in single file.

The last to enter was Hou Ying, who was somewhat surprised that, as only a Deputy General, he also qualified to participate in the highest-level meeting.

The third to last to arrive was Wushang.

Clad in a Qilin Robe, Wushang's aura was somewhat unstable. Having received the Merit accumulated by Xu Yaofeng's side, he was currently making a rapid breakthrough to the peak of the Ghost Face Realm.

Entering the Council Hall, he glanced at Su Yi, who stood up to lead him to the first seat on the left.

The second to last to arrive was Xu Yaofeng.

Xu Yaofeng, a regional overlord in his own right, naturally could not sit together with these martial and civil officials.

In terms of status, Xu Yaofeng was actually equal to Chen Qing, both leaders of their respective factions.

However, originating from the Jiguang Sect, Xu Yaofeng's position was slightly below that of Chen Qing.

Su Yi led Xu Yaofeng to the seat on the left side of the three steps at the head of the hall. After taking a careful look, Xu Yaofeng said, "With the continuous great war in the Death Realm, let us not divide into two factions."

"I was sent by the Sect to assist Taiyi."

"From now on, let's follow Taiyi as the leader, to avoid conflicting commands and unnecessary complications."

Xu Yaofeng moved the chair to the left of Chen Qing, placing it at the front on the right side, then sat down and smiled as he nodded to Wushang.

Seeing that Xu Yaofeng was also willing to temporarily follow Chen Qing's command, Wushang naturally returned the smile.

With Xu Yaofeng speaking so, indicating his willingness to integrate into the group, the atmosphere in the hall immediately grew more harmonious.

Chen Qing actually didn't wish to be the very last to arrive, but it was Su Yi who advised him to pay attention to his status and image.

In reality, Chen Qing abhorred such tedious formalities.

He was a person who valued substantial righteousness over petty forms.

Arriving in the hall, Chen Qing scanned the assembly, noting that both the Jiguang Sect members and his own generals seemed to get along well, and then sat down in the main seat.

Chen Qing, sitting down, glanced at Su Yi, "Su Yi, give us the current situation."

Su Yi stood up with a bow, "Yes, Lord Wen!"

Su Yi spread out the map of the Death Realm in the center of the hall, then said, "Let's first discuss our current situation."

"The Death Realm has two hundred and thirty-two cities. We currently control merely thirty-two of them."

"To the very south lies seven cities near Fengdu, while further south from Fengdu, eighteen cities have been seized by Feng Qiwu."

"The good news is, with our forces stationed in Fengdu and the newly erected Chaotian City, we have contained Feng Qiwu's expansionist trends. He cannot move north and can only be confined to these eighteen cities."

"The awkward part is, the cities occupied by Feng Qiwu are surrounded by the Dead Swamp."

"Traveling in the Dead Swamp, one wrong step could mean falling and plunging into the Death Sea below."

"Moreover, Feng Qiwu's main army is elusive and difficult to eliminate in one fell swoop."

"So, in the short term, it is hard for us to completely wipe out Feng Qiwu."

Hearing Su Yi's explanation, Chen Qing slightly nodded, "Hmm, continue."

Su Yi went on, "To the north, due to Ji Dang, we lost thirteen cities, and a large number of cities north of Chaotian City have fallen into Ji Dang's hands."

"Now that the northern wolf demons are rampaging across the land, and Li Chonghuan was gravely wounded in the previous battle, this is an opportune time for us to retake these lost lands."

"Furthermore, should Ji Dang join forces with the ancient dragons, and once Li Chonghuan recovers from his injuries, Snow Wolf Lord will have to face three King-level opponents simultaneously."

"In that case, Snow Wolf Lord won't be able to hold out for long."

Chen Qing said, "Considering this, only I can stand guard in Fengdu, intimidating Feng Qiwu and preventing him from moving north, thus completely locking him down."