Longevity Star... Longevity Star Peach... The rules of this mountainous opportunity, as well as the cost and various details, were all made crystal clear by that female cultivator from the Daughter Palace.
Even the common folk who happened to hear the speech could easily comprehend the key points.
In short, whether one could obtain the exotic treasure "Longevity Star Peach" depended entirely on one's blessing; fighting for it was futile, and so was forcing it.
However, even though most people knew this, many had chosen to keep their distance, though not entirely, exhibiting a skeptical and precautious demeanor.
They were clearly afraid that if a real treasure did appear, others might snatch it away.
They thought about moving farther away but felt it was better not to leave the vicinity of those female cultivators from the Daughter Palace.
This attitude was not only prevalent among the common folk but also among the cultivators.
Seeing this, Tao Qian did not show any sign of mockery; instead, he understood.
Extending one's life by a year was naturally tempting for ordinary civilians; how many would be willing to bankrupt themselves just to live a few more days, let alone a year?
Cultivators were equally obsessed with extending their lifespan, as the path of cultivation was long, and many indeed failed to advance their cultivation realm due to an insufficient lifespan. A year might not seem long, but perhaps it was the most critical year?
After Tao Qian entered the Qi Refining Realm and cultivated the Spirit Treasure Immortal Spirit Qi, his lifespan increased by eighty years.
Therefore, his lifespan was still considered sufficient.
Moreover, Tao Qian was well aware that cultivation bore its costs, and such heavenly gifts probably were not as simple as they seemed.
After a moment's thought, he also led Little Sui and Lian Jing'er to the side and silently awaited.
According to the female cultivator, the hour was drawing near.
Whether the "Longevity Star Transit" would occur this year would be revealed within thirty minutes.
That time passed in the blink of an eye.
Change? There was none at the moment.
But this opportunity, being related to lifespan, had given everyone exceptional patience, and even though the so-called Longevity Star had not yet appeared, no one stepped forward to express dissatisfaction.
It was at this moment that Tao Qian suddenly felt an extremely special and unprecedented throb in his mind.
It was very faint, as if separated by a vast distance, almost as if it were from another world.
However, through it, Tao Qian sensed an extremely terrifying aura.
Without any hesitation, Tao Qian looked up at the sky.
Unbeknownst to him, the stars and the cold moon had become dimmer, as if they were now needed to highlight another "star."
That star appeared suddenly in the sky, bright and dazzling.
Such a mysterious scenery would not be visible anywhere else.
Only from "Meiling" could one see that special star appear and grow increasingly large and bright. Five pure and dazzling types of light intertwined and twinkled on that star, casting a captivating aura across the entire territory of Meiling, making it impossible to look away.
Suddenly, a cultivator exclaimed with joy, "Longevity Star! There it is, the Longevity Star has arrived."
It seemed that it was this human's exclamation that caused the slowly moving star over Meiling, twinkling with five-colored light, to tremble slightly.
The whole of Meiling seemed to tremble along with it.
Soon, a vast number of spark-like starlight fell down.
Initially very tiny, as they neared the ground, these starlights eventually transformed into fist-sized, crystal-clear, juicy-as-jade peaches, seemingly carved from jade. As these peaches came closer, people could even see the enticing textures on their skins and the fine fuzz illuminated by the starlight.
It was real, yet incredible.
Within the territory of Meiling, countless Longevity Star Peaches scattered unknowingly.
However, the flying birds and beasts around showed no reaction to them as if they couldn't see them at all. The peaches that fell to the ground would roll for about fifteen minutes and then integrate into the soil and disappear unless caught by someone below.
Tao Qian was also stunned by the sight for a moment; he had seen powerful cultivators battle, encountered the bizarre being like the Heavenly Demon Buddha Mother, and witnessed arrays that could destroy mountains.
But such a "spectacle" was something he was seeing for the first time.
As two enticingly fresh fragrances emerged, Tao Qian couldn't help but reach out his hands.
For the falling peaches, two happened to fall towards him, requiring no extra effort as he simply needed to reach out his hands.
As two heavy sensations passed into his hands, Tao Qian now held a "Longevity Star Peach" in each.
Without any delay and with his senses triggered, information flooded his mind and was eventually arranged in a strange format.
"Record Name: Longevity Star Peach."
"Record Type: Exotic."
"Record: The Longevity Star, an outer realm god who has the habit of traveling through All Heavens at night and scattering seeds called 'Longevity Star Peach.' Consuming this peach can extend one's life in the human world by one year. However, once consumed, it also means being anchored by the 'Longevity Star.' Whenever the Longevity Star desires to descend to the world, it will choose a host from those of the Human Clan who have consumed this item. Due to his high status, the body born after his descent will inevitably mutate and fall."
"Remark One: Since Longevity Star prefers the orthodox Human Clan, thus demons, alien species, or those filled with evil thoughts at the time of consumption will be backlashed, mutate and fall, or even die on the spot."
"Remark Two: There is no limit to the number of times this item can be consumed, and its effects can be stacked. However, the more one consumes, the more favored by the Longevity Star he becomes, increasing the chances of being chosen as a host."
"Remark Three: This item originates from the Longevity Star himself. The peach core contains a trace of extraordinary origin. If one can ripen it using high-level Source Qi before it dissipates, one can obtain 'Longevity Star Peach Seed,' which can be planted and nurtured, but the result is unknown."
"Remark Four: Immunity from mutation, fall, and death!"
The third remark caused Tao Qian's eyes to light up slightly.
The mystery was unveiled, not exactly pleasant, but unexpectedly, not so dreadful either.
From the record, this entity called "Longevity Star" was not merely a star but a god from the outer realm?
He scattered the Longevity Star Peaches not out of idleness but because he favored the Human Clan, choosing them as hosts for his descent, using these peaches as a medium.
"Every three years, the number of Human Clan who manage to eat a Longevity Star Peach is probably not small. Although there is a sad possibility of being used as a host, from a probabilistic point of view, the human race is not losing."
Tao Qian quickly summed it up.
Then he actually clenched his hands forcefully, and with two "thump" sounds accompanied by splashing juice and pattering flesh, Tao Qian now had two black and glossy peach cores, seemingly carved from Black Jade, in his hands
Indeed, this was Tao Qian's plan.
Although his soul could be exempt from death or mutation costs, consuming the peach flesh clearly couldn't exempt him from the possibly being chosen as a host by the Longevity Star.
Extending life by a year was indeed a nice benefit, but it wasn't worth the risk for Tao Qian.
What if the Longevity Star really favored his body?
However, that third note piqued Tao Qian's interest; as soon as he took out the peach core, two strands of Spirit Treasure Immortal Spirit Qi surged forth within him.
Judging by their level, the upgraded version of Spirit Treasure Source Qi should be high level, right?
As the two strands of Immortal Spirit Qi touched the peach core, a sudden, strange transformation occurred.
The core, already resembling black jade, began to emit a lustrous jade light, the peculiar depressions and textures on it gradually magnifying, as though hiding another world within, irresistibly drawing one in. Soon after, Tao Qian even smelled a fragrance that seemingly should not exist in the human world.
Joy appeared in Tao Qian's eyes.
At this time, thirty minutes had already passed; the peach flesh on the ground had long since vanished.
Yet in Tao Qian's hands, two "Peach Seeds" emitting an intensely strong aura were clearly preserved.
"Back in the day, I realized the Three Calamities Heart Inquiry, where the secret within stated: 'With each calamity surpassed, one's fortune increases, without hindering cultivation, this is the Spirit Treasure Method.'"
"I initially had my doubts, but now it seems true, it's both a blessing and a curse for others."
"For me, though, it's a considerable opportunity not to be wasted."
Smiling to himself, Tao Qian suddenly took out the gourd specially used for storing demons.
After shaking it a few times, he directly shook out an Empty Demon.
Then Tao Qian pointed towards Meiling, where Longevity Star Peach fruits continuously fell.
Thirty minutes is far too short.
Using the Small Innate Nascent Soul Escape Technique, Tao Qian could indeed catch quite a few, but no matter how, his efficiency couldn't compare with that of an Empty Demon capable of Void Jumping.
Since he was going to delegate the task to someone else, Tao Qian wasn't stingy, and immediately promised, "If you help me catch more peaches this time, afterward I will give you a Heavenly Demon Blood Transformation Pill without any additives, how about that?"
Initially dissatisfied with Tao Qian, the demon's face showed unwillingness, but upon hearing this statement, it hurriedly nodded, "Master is really too polite, serving the Master is my honor."
While speaking, the Empty Demon voluntarily dissipated its body, wrapping towards Tao Qian.
The next moment, within the vast territory of Meiling, a figure appeared that concealed itself, invisible to others, and crazily performed Void Teleportations, flashing about.
This figure only caught "Longevity Star Peaches," yet didn't eat them.
Discarding the juice-dripping, fragrant, soft flesh, it took the peach cores, and immediately a stream of Spirit Treasure Immortal Spirit Qi was injected.
Soon, it was all over.
At an unexpected moment, the five-colored radiance flickering, the Longevity Star that illumined Meiling high in the sky, disappeared.
Meiling returned to its original state.
This made many who had participated in this blessing feel as if it had all been a dream.
Only those commoners or cultivators who had eaten the peaches, satisfied at heart, knew it was not only no dream but also a great boon.
Inside a certain mountain in Meiling, Tao Qian, having just refined another ripe Peach Seed, couldn't completely hide the smile on his lips.
This joy, because he now knew that of the 360 strands of Spirit Treasure Immortal Spirit Qi in his body, a full half had already been used up.
This meant that Tao Qian now possessed exactly one hundred eighty "Longevity Star Peach Seeds."
Tao Qian was satisfied counting his gains, but his thoughts couldn't help but wander:
"That female cultivator from the Daughter Palace once said: 'Whether one can get a peach all depends on karma.'"
"My mind's record once stated: 'The more Longevity Star Peaches obtained, the more the Longevity Star likes that person, and the higher the likelihood of being chosen as a host.'"
"Although I used the Divine Skills of the Empty Demon, looking at this result, if my choice had been to eat the peaches, I really might have eaten one hundred eighty Longevity Star Peaches at once, instantly extending my life by one hundred eighty years."
"Such a huge benefit would probably mean that next time the Longevity Star descends, it wouldn't bother flipping His card, and would directly choose this body of mine."
"Fortunately, I, Tao Master, do not like eating peaches."
With this final thought, Tao Qian couldn't help but feel relieved.
Though he had taken a minor, negligible risk, the benefits obtained filled him with satisfaction.
Because every ripened Longevity Star Peach Seed bore the same record: "This is a Longevity Star Peach Seed, if cultivated properly, it may grow into an Immortal Plant Spirit Root."
It was precisely because of this statement that Tao Qian hastily acted and acquired these one hundred eighty Longevity Star Peach Seeds.
Tao Qian had a strange feeling that these peach seeds would be of great use to him.
He he chuckled softly and carefully put away all the peach seeds.
Then, satisfied, he proceeded to transcend territories.
From Southern Yue, to Fumin.
However, just at that moment, as Tao Qian stepped forward with his right foot.
An unforeseen drastic change suddenly occurred.
A very crisp cry of an infant suddenly resonated throughout the entire Meiling territory.
At the sound of the cry, Tao Qian's Divine Soul trembled violently.
This familiar sensation made him freeze completely, thoughts bursting forth.
"Calamity strikes again!"
"My second calamity has arrived, just after gaining an opportunity?"
ps: The Longevity Chronicles exploded on the leaderboard again, can Fat Fish beg for a ticket? If not, I'll come again tomorrow to ask.