My Longevity Simulation Chapter 4: Immortal Spells and Swords

The pair of immortal cultivators soaring through the skies were taken by surprise and struck squarely on their faces.

No gory display of blood and gore occurred. Instead, circular waves rippled in the atmosphere around them. Some unseen energy was repelling the barrage of bullets.

"Hmm, what sort of treasure is this?" Despite the abrupt assault from countless ordinary humans, the two immortal cultivators remained utterly composed. Kou Hong extended his right hand and yanked a soldier skyward, snatching the firearm from the soldier's grasp to inspect it closely before tossing the man aside without a second thought.

"Fascinating, it relies on a refined mechanical design rather than a spell array, and harnesses the blast from everyday materials instead of spiritual energy. Yet it manages to unleash force comparable to the initial Qi Refining phase…" Kou Hong grasped the firearm's workings with just one look.

He shook his head, "I never imagined that after thousands of years, the humans exiled to the Immortal Extinction Land could develop something so ingenious. Regrettably, it functions solely in this realm devoid of the Great Dao. Beyond the Land of Immortal Extinction, it's merely scrap metal and forged iron." With those words, the weapon in his grip vanished abruptly, as though he had stored it away effortlessly.

"As insignificant mortals, you dare to attack us immortal cultivators. I felt a twinge of remorse before, but now it's clear you're courting your own doom!"

Kou Hong stood proudly and gazed at the horde of mortal troops shrouded in shadows, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.

His right hand swiftly traced elaborate symbols in the void ahead.

Suddenly, myriad sparks ignited from the gloom, coalescing into massive orbs of flame like a wildfire compressed into blazing spheres.

"Dao Art: Fire Dragon's Roar!”

As Kou Hong intoned the name in an icy tone, scarlet fires erupted from the enormous fiery masses acting as anchors, surging outward together. Within seconds, the blaze mimicked living tissue, linking the blazing nodes across the heavens.

A terrifying crimson-flame dragon materialized above Xuanjing City.

The blazing serpent lifted its head, emitting a thunderous bellow as it uncoiled and plunged earthward.

"Boom!"

Deafening blasts echoed without cease.

Structures throughout Xuanjing City crumbled like fragile playthings, offering no resistance whatsoever.

And the scarlet inferno seemed sentient, consuming and scorching all it encountered upon hitting the earth.

In mere instants, Xuanjing City was engulfed in a raging sea of fire!

Yet Kou Hong, the instigator of this devastation, furrowed his brows in astonishment, his expression one of utter incredulity.

For he noticed that while Xuanjing City appeared devastated below, most of the troops had actually endured his attack!

One must understand that the Fire Dragon's Roar he had unleashed in anger represented his utmost power.

The prowess of a Foundation Establishment at Great Perfection was beyond what mortals could withstand!

Even if the soldiers were disciplined and had deployed their shields and ducked into building nooks the instant they spotted him invoking the spell, the death toll should have been far higher!

What's happening here?

Kou Hong felt stunned and doubtful, but in a flash, realization dawned. With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved one of the small metal projectiles that had been shot at him earlier but effortlessly deflected by his protective aura.

"This is…" Kou Hong's features twisted in shock, and he warily scanned the area, the disdain in his eyes shifting to derision.

"These hidden arms have been tainted with human blood, infused with Immortal-Mortal Miasma..." Dao Xuanzi's voice joined in, his countenance grim.

"We've barely entered this area and faced an ambush. Plus, they've weaponized the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, showing they were ready for us. Might there be immortal cultivators directing these mortals from the shadows?" The pair exchanged looks, various suspicions racing through their thoughts. "Regardless, this is a snare, and we mustn't linger."

Though Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong were locked in a deadly struggle over the Golden Core Technique, that remained their personal conflict.

With thousands of mortals springing this surprise, years of mutual restraint led them both to instinctively opt for retreat simultaneously.

Seeming to sense their bid to escape, the silenced gunfire from the Fire Dragon's Roar erupted anew!

This only fueled the doubts in Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong's minds.

These mortals clearly had ulterior motives!

"Let's go!" The duo prepared to bolt when a shout rose from beneath.

"Dao Xuanzi! Kou Hong! Escape if you dare, and the secret of your Golden Core technique will echo across the entire cultivation world!"

The proclamation issued from every corner of Xuanjing City, reverberating endlessly through the night.

The voice carried an aged timbre, yet rang with unyielding certainty and chill.

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi halted abruptly, their forms rigid with shock, faces etched in utter disbelief.

"Impossible! Only we two knew of acquiring the Golden Core Technique, so how could it have leaked?" In that instant, terror gripped the pair deeply.

They had delved into a cavern for its mysteries, then Kou Hong grabbed the method and bolted. Dao Xuanzi gave chase, and in desperation, Kou Hong breached the Land of Immortal Extinction for a slim chance at survival…

Everyone they met in this ordeal paraded through their thoughts.

Who could it be?

And as turmoil seized their minds, from the obscurity, scores of shells trailing flames launched from unforeseen spots, hurtling toward the pair.

“You're asking for death!" Kou Hong snapped from his daze, rage intensifying.

"Dao Art: Inferno Explosion!"

A vast fiery circle materialized from nowhere.

"Watch out, dodge now, Kou Hong!" At that precise moment, Dao Xuanzi's urgent cry sounded.

"Eh?" Kou Hong paused in confusion, but a probe with his divine sense filled his eyes with dread.

He sought to evade, yet it was too late.

Dozens of projectiles burst nearby.

No thunderous detonations followed; rather, a haze of deep crimson fluid formed a localized blood shower, soaking the two immortal cultivators!

"Ahh…"

Piercing wails tore through the air immediately.

Simultaneously, the baleful energy radiating from them waned rapidly.

After brief defiance, the pair could no longer hold on and plummeted from the heights.

Thousands of armed soldiers encircled them.

This sight of the two "immortals" sent shivers through the elite death squad trained for such encounters.

Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong, who looked in their twenties and thirties moments ago, had their hair bleach to white in a flash after the blood drenching. They aged decades in breaths, faces lined with countless wrinkles.

The duo slumped hunched on the ground. Kou Hong appeared on the verge of passing, while Dao Xuanzi's superior cultivation left him marginally better, though still teetering on the edge.

The once arrogant immortals had devolved to this state!

Even Li Fan, concealed in the rear and issuing secret orders, received the update from his forces and sensed an uncanny chill then.

"Esteemed immortal masters, our Imperial Advisor commands: surrender, and your lives shall be spared!" A trooper bellowed from a distance at the pair.

“Surrender…" The gravely wounded Dao Xuanzi eyed his companion's reluctant gaze and meant to respond but couldn't. Yet his ally's signal prompted a sudden icy chuckle.

Noting Dao Xuanzi's actions, Kou Hong anticipated his intent.

He shook his head faintly, then mustered his final vigor to hand over his storage ring to Dao Xuanzi.

"Go…" Kou Hong's lips parted slightly, then his head drooped lifelessly, ending him swiftly.

Far overhead, an eerie vision emerged abruptly!

A twisted red dragon materialized in the firmament. It writhed in agony, thrashing and howling, desperate to break free of some burden.

But resistance proved futile.

It withered gradually, reduced to mere hide and frame in no time.

Soon after, the dragon was wholly consumed, bones and all erased.

Only then revealed a mundane brown twig that had embedded in the dragon, devouring it utterly!

Though but a simple branch, it had engulfed a dragon!

This grand spectacle blazed like dazzling pyrotechnics, lighting the expanse for miles.

Every witness, mortal or not, found these words surfacing instinctively in their consciousness.

"Foundation Establishment Cultivator Kou Hong possessed two hundred and five years of mortal cultivation and formed his Dao Foundation via the unique artifact [Gnarled Dragon Branch]. In the Immortal Extinction Land, he was beset by thousands of mortals and afflicted by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma."

“Losing his cultivation and years of life.”

“In death now, his Dao merges with the cosmos!"

Suffering, honor, the harsh path of solitude…

All observers around Xuanjing City sank into sentiments like these, unable to extricate themselves.

The awe-inspiring display endured nearly half an hour before fading away.

The troops regained composure and quietly regarded the remaining fading Immortal Cultivator on the scene.

"Immortal Master Dao Xuanzi, our Imperial Advisor seeks no fatal clash with you. Cease resistance, and our Imperial Advisor vows your protection…" The troops persisted in their calls, per Li Fan's directives.

From his hidden vantage, Li Fan inwardly lamented, recognizing that his scheme to seize immortals this lifetime had faltered.

He hadn't foreseen the Immortal-Mortal Miasma's potency in slaying and maiming immortal cultivators.

True enough, Dao Xuanzi disregarded the pleas entirely.

He too lifted his eyes to the vanished spectacle, nostalgia gleaming within.

"Gnarled Dragon Branch…"

After an age, he lowered his sight and endeavored to upright his bent form.

Surveying the vicinity, Dao Xuanzi sought the hidden orchestrator.

"I know not your identity." He addressed Li Fan. "Nor do I grasp your true aims."

"Perhaps it's this Golden Core Technique you covet, or perchance another prize." Dao Xuanzi eyed the storage ring on his finger and stated evenly. "With my brother and me ensnared by you unto death, words seem superfluous now."

"Yet I refuse to yield." Dao Xuanzi declared icily.

"To trail us undetected, privy to our every move, your cultivation base must be formidable."

“With such might, you shun direct confrontation. Resorting to schemes, cowering behind mortals, wielding even the reviled Immortal-Mortal Miasma that all cultivators scorn…”

Dao Xuanzi inhaled deeply.

"My brother Kou Hong met an unjust end!"

Dao Xuanzi ascended slowly into the air, resuming his lofty stance, facing the alerted masses with an impassive visage.

"You've beheld my brother's Foundation Building marvel. Now, behold mine as well."

"By heaven and earth's prodigies, I forge my foundation." Dao Xuanzi proclaimed resonantly.

"My foundation bears the name Dao Xuan."

A colossal fractured iron blade manifested in the skies over Xuanjing City.

All beneath the immense sword's umbra felt their thoughts sluggish, as if gears rusted and jammed.

"I wield a sword; bear witness!"

The world flared brilliantly, and Xuanjing City's denizens plunged into total stasis.

Then, akin to fissures in crystal, the whole city fragmented in a heartbeat!

“[Truth].”

The advancement gauge crashed, and in the instant before oblivion claimed him, Li Fan whispered inwardly.