Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1441 - 909: Researching the Path of Life and Death

The downpour ceased, and the skies cleared.

The couple made their way back to the Spirit Fruit Garden.

"Give it a try now!" A faint blush still lingered on Yu Qingyi's cheeks.

Yang Zhenshan offered a gentle smile and located a Three Yellow Li Tree.

This particular section boasted the highest concentration of ancient Three Yellow Li Trees. Yang Zhenshan selected one with a trunk measuring a foot in diameter, his gaze sweeping over it as a subtle Dao Rhyme emanated.

Extending a hand, he touched the coarse bark. A sliver of grey Dao Rhyme emerged from his Sea of Consciousness, bridging with the life force of the Three Yellow Li Tree.

Instantly, a potent surge of vitality flowed from the tree into his body.

This vigorous life essence was invigorating, leaving him feeling remarkably revitalized.

However, the effect was transient.

As time trickled by, the refreshing sensation gradually faded.

Yang Zhenshan once again turned his attention to his own remaining lifespan.

Two hundred and thirty-two years, three months, and eighteen days.

"It seems to have increased by a single day compared to before!"

"Only by a day?"

He furrowed his brow and cast another look at the Three Yellow Li Tree.

Half of the tree's vitality had already been siphoned away, yet it had only granted him an extra day of life? He pondered this.

After a moment of thought, he employed the green Dao Rhyme once more, re-establishing the connection with the Three Yellow Li Tree.

Immediately, the tree's vitality surged substantially, but Yang Zhenshan's expression soured, and he quickly broke the connection.

"D*mn it, this is a losing transaction!"

Trees, too, possess lifespans, but these are exceptionally prolonged. Barring unforeseen circumstances, they can endure for centuries, millennia, or even tens of thousands of years, with their final duration contingent upon the species.

Spirit Trees, in particular, commonly live for thousands of years, and lifespans reaching ten thousand years are not unusual.

Yet, a tree's lifespan differs from a human's; while humans rarely see their lifespans fluctuate, a tree's longevity can be altered by environmental changes.

Regarding the Three Yellow Li Tree before him, it appeared to have three hundred years remaining. However, this figure was evidently imprecise.

This represented its current lifespan; it was possible for this number to remain static or even increase beyond three hundred years within a few years.

He had just extracted approximately a century's worth of lifespan from the Three Yellow Li, only to gain a single additional day.

Furthermore, after utilizing the green Dao Rhyme, the Three Yellow Li Tree's lifespan augmented by a hundred years, but he expended ten days from his own life.

In this exchange, he suffered a net loss of nine days of lifespan, while the Three Yellow Li Tree's lifespan remained essentially unchanged.

Yang Zhenshan withdrew his Dao Rhyme. "Extracting the lifespan from Spirit Plants is indeed possible, but the conversion rate is abysmal! A hundred years yields merely a single day!"

"Disregarding potential repercussions, these Spirit Fruit Trees here could only add a scant few years to my lifespan!"

He surveyed the hundreds of Spirit Fruit Trees scattered across the Spiritual Spring Mountain Plateau. If he were to absorb all their vitality, Yang Zhenshan estimated an increase of five or six years to his lifespan.

"Let's try with animals next!"

Subsequently, Yang Zhenshan conducted experiments involving various animals, mutated beasts, and Spirit Plants, ultimately confronting a stark reality.

He could now siphon lifespan from other living beings, but the cost was substantial, and the efficiency remarkably low.

The Death Dao Rhyme, the grey wisps within his Sea of Consciousness, numbered only eighteen. Each extraction consumed one, and their replenishment was excruciatingly slow, requiring three to four months for each wisp to reform.

As for the efficiency of lifespan extraction, the more advanced the target's grade, the more effective his extraction became. However, a single wisp of Dao Rhyme could grant him at most one month of lifespan.

He gained a month of life, while the target forfeited ten or even a hundred times that amount.

Therefore, extending one's life through this method was achievable; adding several decades was relatively straightforward, requiring only increased time and effort.

But as for attaining eternal existence, that seemed out of the question.

"If I desire everlasting existence, I must advance my cultivation! While the Path of Life and Death can aid in acquiring lifespan, it can only prolong it by a few decades!"

"Perhaps this limitation stems from my shallow comprehension; if I attain deeper insights, I might yet rely on this path towards eternal life!"

Yang Zhenshan spoke softly, seated across from Yu Qingyi.

Yu Qingyi responded, "Cultivation forms the bedrock; Divine Power Skills serve merely as supplementary tools. Dedicating time and energy primarily to Divine Skills would be a misguided approach, akin to placing the cart before the horse!"

Yang Zhenshan offered a slight nod; her words held undeniable truth.

Cultivation forms the bedrock of power. Achieving a Golden Core would grant an extended lifespan of three millennia. Furthermore, advancing one's cultivation directly bolsters the comprehension of the Path of Life and Death.

Consequently, the Path of Life and Death can only serve as a supplementary path for him. Should his cultivation ever stagnate and his lifespan dwindle, this path could allow him to struggle for an additional few decades, or perhaps even a century.

However, pondering lifespan is not his priority at this moment.

Naturally, this contemplation pertains to his personal longevity. From a purely combat-oriented standpoint, the Path of Life and Death is utterly terrifying.

The Death Dao Rhyme embodies the cessation and ultimate finality of all life, granting the ability to plunder lifespan. It signifies that Yang Zhenshan can strip it from others, drawing forth life's essence.

In stark contrast, the Vitality Dao Rhyme represents the genesis, growth, and flourishing of life itself. Its essence lies in bestowing life force, thereby extending the years of other beings or mending damaged life functions, invigorating them with greater vitality and power.

To put it plainly, the Vitality Dao Rhyme is the very fountainhead from which life continues.