But the problem was, if that happened, the Great Xia Dynasty would undoubtedly face the wrath of the Immortal Sect's Immortals. At that point, the Great Xia Royal Family and their powerful experts could hide in a Secret Realm, but the lands of Great Xia would likely suffer catastrophic devastation!

At this moment, Cao Yu stood up and walked towards the exit of the hall.

As he passed several Grand Elders of the Profound Phoenix Celestial Sect, he glanced coldly at Ouyang Qinglan. Suddenly, he raised his hand and pointed. A shaft of pale white True Qi abruptly struck Ouyang Qinglan.

Instantly, Ouyang Qinglan's entire body trembled. She cried out in pain and collapsed onto her chair.

Her once rosy and full facial skin aged at a speed visible to the naked eye; her muscles withered, and wrinkles proliferated across it.

In the blink of an eye, this Eighth-Layer Perfection expert transformed from a woman in her twenties into a crone in her fifties!

Third Princess Xiaoo Ying'Er exclaimed and quickly walked over to support the trembling Ouyang Qinglan. The four Celestial Sect Grand Elders beside her looked at Ouyang Qinglan with deep concern, then frowned at Cao Yu.

At this moment, whether it was Xiaoo Ying'Er or these Grand Elders, their True Qi was circulating... yet none of them dared to make a move against Cao Yu!

Cao Yu said coolly, "The sixty years of Lifespan stripped away by the Time Technique—I can still restore them for this Elder Ouyang. However, this is limited to within three months. Once three months have passed, those sixty years of Lifespan will be impossible to recover! Sixty years of Lifespan, how precious. I hope you all cherish this, lest you end up like Elder Ouyang! I wish to have news of the Immortal Artifact within three months!"

After speaking, this True Disciple of the Spiritual Crane Immortal Sect elegantly floated up and, in an instant, had flown out of the conference hall, heading towards Linshui Pavilion.

Third Princess Xiaoo Ying'Er looked at the aged Ouyang Qinglan, a wave of helplessness and heartache washing over her. Among the many Grand Elders of the Profound Phoenix Celestial Sect, Elder Ouyang was the one who doted on her the most. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been the first to come to Great Marsh Prefecture to assist her. Tragically, watching Ouyang Qinglan, who was like kin to her, age so suddenly, Xiaoo Ying'Er felt utterly powerless.

"Cao Yu's Tier Two Celestial Demon Bone and the Time Technique, its associated Demon Technique... I'm afraid only he himself can undo it. Elder Ouyang's Lifespan..." Bitterness flashed in one Grand Elder's eyes, and the faces of the other three Grand Elders were also filled with anger.

Ouyang Qinglan patted Xiaoo Ying'Er's hand and forced a smile. "Third Princess, don't feel sorry for this old woman. I am at Eighth-Layer Perfection; my Lifespan is over three hundred years. Losing sixty years isn't enough to cause my demise."

At this, she secretly transmitted her voice, "Third Princess, if you obtain news about the Immortal Artifact and that expert, you absolutely must not tell that Cao Yu! So what if he uses the Time Technique on me again? So what if this old woman perishes? My life is insignificant compared to the future of the Celestial Sect and the Great Xia Dynasty!"

Hearing Ouyang Qinglan's words, Third Princess Xiaoo Ying'Er sighed, the helplessness in her heart deepening.

Silently perceiving the Third Princess's turmoil of emotions, Lin Xuankong's brows furrowed tightly. He could clearly sense the helplessness, anger, and pain of the Third Princess of Great Xia.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he empathized, he absolutely could not reveal the information about the Immortal Artifact he had obtained to the Third Princess of Great Xia!

The Spiritual Crane Immortal Sect's power is absolutely immense, and the various Immortal Techniques they possess must be terrifying. Otherwise, how could they mobilize the countless Cultivators of the entire Great Xia Dynasty? Facing such a behemoth, I must be exceedingly cautious!

Now that I possess the Immortal Sword, I can, of course, severely injure Cao Yu from a great distance, but it's still uncertain whether I can kill him!

After all, Cao Yu is an Immortal Sect True Inheritance and definitely carries powerful Magical Artifacts and Treasures. He himself possesses the Celestial Demon Bone and can retreat into a Secret Realm at any time... Unless he's killed instantly, Cultivators with the Celestial Demon Bone are very hard to eliminate!

The most crucial point is that Cao Yu's Celestial Demon Bone Demon Technique is truly bizarre; it can instantly strip sixty years of Lifespan from others... Although I still have nearly two hundred years of Lifespan left, if I were to face Cao Yu and he casually used his Time Technique on me a few times, I'd revert to an old man on the brink of death. Cao Yu's Time Technique is truly something ordinary Cultivators cannot hope to withstand!

It seems that for the near future, I must be cautious and maintain a low profile. The collection of Demon Flesh must be temporarily halted for Little Hu and the others!

Replenishing Qi Blood must quickly shift to cultivating medicinal herbs, but the critical difficulty is the lack of manpower!

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Lin Xuankong returned to the Lin Residence and then to his Ba Mountain Secret Realm.

「In the stone tower atop the mountain in the Secret Realm,」

Seeing Lin Xuankong return, Zhao Yufei and Liii Xiaolan smiled and brought out dozens of dishes prepared in the kitchen.

Seeing Lin Xuankong's furrowed brows, Liii Xiaolan frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked. "You look so crestfallen, completely gloomy."

Lin Xuankong briefly recounted the day's events. "Without a large supply of Demon Flesh," he explained, "while my Cultivation progress won't be delayed, the advancement of my Celestial Demon Bone and the Great Reincarnation Technique definitely will be! Also, without an immense amount of Demon Flesh to nourish the Immortal Sword Miss Xiao helped me refine, I certainly won't be able to wield it freely! The current solution is to plant a large quantity of medicinal herbs in the Secret Realm..."

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