Chapter 1028: Strange Spring

Somewhere in the Golden Origin Mountain Range, there was a secluded mountain.

A rumbling thunderclap rang out as a golden lightning array appeared above the mountain before vanishing in a flash, following which two figures plummeted out of the sky, crashing down into a dense forest on the mountain summit.

A string of loud thumps rang out as several giant trees were felled before the two figures finally collapsed beside a giant rock.

The two figures were none other than Han Li and Weeping Soul, and the latter called out in an urgent voice, "Master!"

She then hurriedly helped Han Li up into a seated position.

At this moment, Han Li's robes were in tatters, and there was a wry smile on his face as he said, "I'm fine, it's just that I've completely exhausted my immortal spiritual power reserves."

"That Qi Mozi really is a despicable man! He swooped in right as you were in a vulnerable condition after your battle against Dongfang Bai," Weeping Soul complained.

Han Li took a deep breath, then said, "He really did appear at the worst possible time for us. We're still not safe yet, so we have to keep going after I take a short rest."

Weeping Soul nodded in response, and Han Li devoured a pill before sitting down with his legs crossed to meditate.

Some time later, he opened his eyes, looking in slightly better condition than before, and as he rose to his feet, Weeping Soul hurriedly did the same before arriving by his side.

"Master, I'm afraid Qi Mozi most likely isn't going to be the only one coming after us. Before we arrived at the Golden Origin Immortal Palace, Dongfang Bai contacted a Great Encompassment cultivator of the Nine Origins Temple, who told him that she would send the Lan siblings after us," Weeping Soul said in an urgent manner.

"The Lan siblings..." Han Li murmured to himself.

"They seem to be quite powerful. Dongfang Bai doesn't have many memories of them, but I can tell that he has a lot of trust in them," Weeping Soul added.

"We've already killed Dongfang Bai, so there's no need to entangle ourselves with these people any further. The Golden Origin Immortal Palace's territory is mainly focused in the western region of the Golden Origin Mountain Range, while the central and eastern regions are under the control of countless immortal sects and clans.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

“Given how complex the situation in those regions is, they should make for good hiding spots for us, so let's leave this place right away," Han Li said, and Weeping Soul nodded in response.

"In order to prevent being tracked, I'm going to be temporarily sealing away my own immortal spiritual power and traveling solely using my physical powers. During this time, I'll get you to stay in the Flower Branch domain to rest and recover," Han LI said as he conjured up a door of silver light, and Weeping Soul readily obliged, stepping through the door of light and into the bamboo pavilion.l

After closing the door of light, Han Li took a glance up at the sky, then sprang up into the clouds.

......

Two years flew by in a flash.

There was a long mountain range in the central region of the Golden Origin Mountain Range, within which was a small and unremarkable col by the name of the Azure Silk Col.

Inside the col was a village called the Spare Food Village that was completely isolated from the rest of the world, and the village had several hundred residents.

One night, the Spare Food Village was brightly lit, and not a single villager had retired to their beds. Instead, all of them had changed into clothes woven using bamboo fibers, and they were holding torches and banging on gongs and drums as they carried several bamboo sedan chairs toward the foot of the mountain behind the village.

The sedan chairs were all occupied by elderly men with heads of white hair, and they looked as if they were not long for this world.

Amid all of the villagers was a tall, azure-robed man who stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd.

He was walking alongside a young man who was leading the way, and he asked, "Where are we going, Chief?"

The man that was being referred to as chief was quite youthful in appearance, but he possessed a pair of eyes that seemed to have seen far more than his age would suggest.

"We're going to White Head Valley, Doctor Han," the village chief replied.

This Doctor Han was none other than Han Li.

Half a month ago, he just so happened to arrive in the village, which was suffering from a plague, and he decided to help them to do a good deed. As a result, he became revered as a miracle-working doctor, and the villagers insisted that he stay and enjoy some hospitality.

Han Li initially had no intention of staying in the village for long, but after spending two days in the village, he discovered some very abnormal things. For example, this village chief appeared to be no more than forty years of age, but in reality, he had already lived for over five hundred years.

Mortals in the Immortal Realm enjoyed longer lifespans than those in other realms, but even so, their lifespans were usually capped at around two hundred fifty years. None of these villagers were cultivators, so it didn't make sense for them to be able to live this long.

"Why are we going there?" Han Li asked.

A hesitant look appeared on the village chief's face, following which he replied, "You saved our village, so I'm not going to keep this a secret from you any longer, Doctor Han. How old do you think those people on the sedan chairs are?"

"They look to be around a hundred and fifty years old to me," Han Li replied.

"That's right, all of them are indeed roughly that age. However, they are actually juniors of mine as I'm currently five hundred and thirteen years old," the village chief revealed.

"What?" Han Li exclaimed as he feigned a stunned expression.

The village chief smiled at the sight of Han Li's stunned expression, then patted him on the shoulder as he said, "There's no need to be so surprised, Doctor Han. Truth be told, there are people in this village who are even older than me."

"How is that possible? Could it be that you've all obtained some type of miraculous medicine?" Han Li asked.

"It's all thanks to a spring in the White Head Valley," the village chief explained.

"A spring? What kind of springwater could possibly extend one's lifespan to such an extent?" Han Li asked.

"I don't know what to tell you. It's a very strange spring that only appears once every over a hundred years, and whenever it appears, we'll carry those in our village who are about to die of old age into the valley. There, they'll soak in the spring for a day and a night before we return to collect them," the villager replied.

"Could it be that bathing in the spring can restore one's youth?" Han Li asked.

"It's kind of like that, but it's not that simple. The spring only works some of the time. Sometimes, the people bathing in it end up dead, while other times, their youth is restored. It's all down to luck," the village chief explained.

"I see," Han Li replied with a contemplative nod.

"You're still in your prime at the moment, so don't try to bathe in the spring, Doctor Han. The spring can restore one's youth, but it can't cure ailments, so we can still die from illness. I'm telling you this because I would like you to stay and live in our village. That way, far fewer of us will die from illness, and in return, you'll hopefully be able to live a long life thanks to this spring," the village chief said.

"I'm but a traveling doctor, so I'm truly honored that you think so highly of me, Chief. Having said that, this is quite a significant decision for me to make, so would I be able to think about it before getting back to you?" Han Li asked.

"Of course," the village chief replied with a smile.

The two of them continued onward, and their conversation gradually shifted to more mundane small talk. The village chief was still very keen to convince Han Li to stay, and he asked Han Li if he had a wife.

He then offered to introduce to Han Li a woman in the village, one that was already around a hundred years of age, but still had the appearance of a young woman, leaving Han Li both amused and exasperated.

Due to the fact that they were traveling on foot at a mortal pace, it was already past midnight by the time arrived in the White Head Valley.

The valley was completely silent, but the jagged rocks on the mountain faces on either side of the valley appeared to be rather sinister under the dim light of the moon.

Upon entering the valley, the atmosphere became very solemn, and looks of awe and veneration had appeared in the eyes of all of the villagers.

Deep within the valley were two enormous rocks that were leaning against each other to form a triangular archway, beneath which was a spring that was no more than a hundred feet in size.

The water in the spring was extremely clear, and even under the dim light of the moon, it was possible to see the mud and leaves at the bottom of the spring.

Upon arriving by the spring, everyone joined their palms and closed their eyes in prayer, while the village chief began reciting a verbal prayer.

While no one was paying attention, Han Li drew a ball of water out of the spring and into his grasp, and after examining it for a moment, his brows furrowed slightly with intrigue.

Standing beside the spring, he could sense some barely detectable time law power fluctuations, but this ball of water from the spring was no different from any normal springwater.

Meanwhile, the village chief had already ordered for the elderly men to be carried down from their sedan chairs before being lowered into the spring.

The men sat down with their legs crossed, and the springwater reached all the way up to their chests.

After that, all of the villagers extended respectful bows toward the spring before leaving the valley, preparing to return a day and a night later.

On the way back, everyone was looking much more relaxed, and they quickly returned to the village.

Han Li bade farewell to the village chief before returning to his own thatch hut, but no more than a few minutes later, he snuck out of the hut agin before quickly vanishing into the distance.