Peaches! Heaven-Defying Peaches!

"Since it is [Peach Garden], then the most precious physics should be - peaches?"

Standing before this boundless peach orchard, all that could be seen was a sea of pink flowers, layer upon layer, as vibrant as clouds. The vast and boundless vitality seemed to overflow the heavens and the earth. Qi Yun's mind raced with these thoughts.

His gaze then fell upon the peach tree closest to him.

This peach tree has an ancient and rustic appearance, with gnarled branches and seven or eight peaches hanging sparsely on it.

These fruits were small, with green skin, and looked far from ripe, making them quite unremarkable.

To verify his suspicions, Qi Yun took a step forward, intending to pluck one to examine it.

Just as he lifted his foot to truly step into the peach grove.

An unprecedented sense of crisis, like a cold, poisonous needle, suddenly pierced the depths of his Divine Soul.

Within this magnificent Peach Garden before us, an unseen and eerie suction force suddenly arose.

Buzz!

Qi Yun felt a jolt throughout his body, and even before he had truly set foot on the peach grove's ground, countless sparkling green light spots involuntarily appeared on his skin.

The purest essence of life was forcibly squeezed out from his pores, transforming into wisps of light, about to leave his body and be cast into that seemingly peaceful and beautiful peach grove.

His skin visibly lost its luster, and a sense of weakness and exhaustion from the depths of his being crept in.

With a slight change in expression, Qi Yun quickly retreated. As he moved away from the peach grove, the suction force dissipated, and the life force that had appeared on his body returned to his body.

This one visit changed everything; the entire peach grove was no longer the vibrant paradise he perceived it to be.

Instead, it is an invisible abyss, swallowing the lives of all intruders.

Standing at a distance, gazing at the entire peach orchard, Qi Yun pondered.

Could it be that the silver bracelet was actually a trap, luring people so recklessly into the peach grove, only to have their life essence drained away?

But if that's the case, then the randomness of this trap is too great.

Unable to understand the root of the problem, Qi Yun pinched his fingers, blood-red light swirling around his fingertips. With his cultivation level, it was impossible for him to deduce the cause and effect of this peach grove.

Therefore, he needs to deduce his own situation.

To deduce the good or bad fortune of continuing to stay in this peach grove!

As the secret technique was activated, fine bloody cracks suddenly appeared on the skin of his arm, and they continued to deepen. Intense pain came, but Qi Yun remained unchanged.

Simultaneously, he activated [Gather Form and Disperse Qi], instantly transforming his body into ethereal pure qi. The surging True Qi rapidly flowed towards the wound, repairing the damage.

One loses and the other gains, thus offsetting each other.

The restrictions of [Blood-Guided Profound Mysteries] were broken, allowing an incredibly clear glimpse of heavenly destiny to gradually appear before Qi Yun's eyes.

[Great Fortune]

Really!

Seeing his own fortune manifest, Qi Yun felt certain that this peach grove was indeed a mysterious and blessed place.

The suction force just now was probably just the peach grove's instinctive mechanism, rather than a deliberately set trap or danger.

Oh, right!

That peach branch

Whenever something beneficial is involved, Qi Yun's mind always works exceptionally fast, and in the blink of an eye, he thinks of that mysterious peach branch hidden in the silver.

When he fell into the tree hole, he stored the peach branch in his storage bracelet to prevent it from falling.

Qi Yun flipped his hand and took out a peach branch, holding it tightly in his hand. He gazed at the peach grove in front of him and took another step.

One step, two steps. He once again reached the critical point where that terrifying suction force had surged forth.

Almost the instant he stepped onto the ground.

That strange, powerful, and life-giving force of attraction descended once again with a deafening roar.

An invisible force attempted to forcibly extract the life essence from his body, and specks of crystalline green light once again uncontrollably reappeared on his skin, trying to leave his body and fly away.

Qi Yun's brows furrowed suddenly, and he instinctively tried to retreat.

At this moment, the peach branch in his hand, which had been dormant, seemed to be awakened by some force, and suddenly bloomed with a soft and warm pink halo.

The light was not dazzling, but rather like a mother's hand gently brushing across the body, transforming into a curtain of light that slowly descended and enveloped Qi Yun.

The strange suction force, which was originally domineering and incomparable and capable of instantly draining the life of cultivators below the Foundation Establishment, melted and disintegrated into nothingness as soon as it touched this pink light barrier, just like ice and snow meeting the sun.

It works!

Seeing that the peach branch had taken effect, Qi Yun's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Finally in."

Having successfully entered this mysterious peach grove, Qi Yun walked to the nearest peach tree and picked a small, green peach.

Hmm? It's so heavy... and picking this peach actually depletes my True Qi!

Looking at the peach in his hand, which was only the size of an egg but weighed hundreds of pounds, Qi Yun looked surprised.

He used up a small portion of his True Qi while picking the peaches.

Although few in number, they were quite eerie.

"This world is truly a vast cultivation circle; even picking a peach requires a test of cultivation level—"

With a chuckle, Qi Yun carefully examined the green peach in his hand, and as he held it up to the light to observe its surface...

Several dark and dim ancient seal characters, imprinted on the surface of the green peach, faintly appeared.

[May your lifespan be extended by ten years]

His pupils suddenly contracted as he stared in disbelief at the unremarkable green peach in his hand, the kind that wouldn't even be picked up if left on the street Qi Yun couldn't help but swallow hard.

"So the peaches growing in this Peach Garden are Longevity Peach?"

Heaven and earth, all things, and all living beings are boundless and vast.

If there is anything that all existence must fear and dread, it is only one thing—time!

Even those who cultivate immortality and defy the heavens can only lament their helplessness in the face of the erosion of time and the aging of lifespan.

For ordinary people, seventy is considered old age, and even for Qi Refining at the Great Perfection stage, the lifespan is at most one hundred and thirty-six years.

Even Foundation Establishment True Person, who stands high above all living beings, can only sit and watch the changes in the world for eight hundred years.

This lifespan is the maximum value ordained by Heaven!

No elixir can surpass it.

But aside from that one thing, there was the Longevity Peach in Qi Yun's hand at that moment!

This is an item with inscriptions that is recognized by the entire cultivation community as a longevity-enhancing artifact.

Legend has it that four hundred years ago, a Longevity Peach that could extend one's life by one hundred and fifty years appeared in the world, even causing a crowd of Foundation Establishment True Person to scramble for it.

At least four Foundation Establishment True Person perished in the struggle, and the prize was ultimately won by the Eastern Land Chan Sect.

"Could it be that this entire peach orchard is full of Longevity Peach?"

Coming to his senses, Qi Yun suddenly looked at the vast peach orchard in front of him, which had at least tens of thousands of peach trees.

A surge of overwhelming joy, like falling from a mountain of gold, nearly made him faint.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately reached out and grabbed another equally unripe peach from the same tree, intending to take it with him.

But this seemingly ordinary green peach now appears to blend seamlessly into the entire peach grove.

No matter how tightly Qi Yun tightened his five fingers and pulled hard, the peach remained motionless, as if it were cast in iron or bronze and had taken root.

"Hmm?" Qi Yun frowned, puzzled, but continued his actions.

His Innate True Qi surged and circulated within his body, instantly channeling immense power into his arms. His muscles twitched slightly, and a terrifying force capable of crushing metal erupted once more.

Because he used too much force, his fingertips rubbed against the peach skin, making a teeth-grinding sound.

But the green peach remained firmly attached to the branch, without the branch even swaying.

I refuse to believe it!

Qi Yun's eyes sharpened, and his indomitable spirit was completely ignited.

With a thought, a flash of dark light appeared beside him, Sunken Abyss Iron Sand roared out, instantly condensing into a giant, pitch-black, icy metal hand. With terrifying power enough to flatten a small mountain, it fiercely grabbed at the stubborn peach!

Boom!

The giant iron sand hand and the peach made contact with each other with a dull thud, the violent force even causing ripples in the surrounding air.

But the result was still unbelievable.

The slender branches bent into an astonishing arc with remarkable flexibility, yet showed no sign of breaking.

The green peach remained unharmed, hanging there perfectly intact, without even a scratch on its skin!

"Does that mean each person can only pick one?"

A thought flashed through Qi Yun's mind like lightning.

He immediately let go, put down the green peach he had picked earlier, and then tried to pick another peach that was clearly different from the one next to him.

Really!

This time, it felt as light as if it were nothing. With just a gentle pluck, the new Longevity Peach was already in his hand, a process that was completely different from before.

However, before Qi Yun could examine the second Longevity Peach closely...

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed that the first green peach he had just placed down had blurred momentarily, as if it were a phantom.

It then reappeared perfectly, intact, in its original spot on the branch, as if it had never been picked.

Qi Yun froze instantly. He looked at the freshly picked peach in his hand, then at the first peach that had mysteriously "returned" to the tree. The initial burning passion in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a sense of understanding and deep apprehension.

This world has its own rules.

Each person can only pick one Longevity Peach from here.

Greed is useless.

After realizing that he could only take one Longevity Peach peach with him from this place, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Qi Yun's eyes, and he instantly changed his mind.

Since you only get one chance, you should naturally take the best one.

Holding the now-dimmed peach branch in his hand, he strode off into the depths of the peach grove.

The deeper you go, the more ancient and vigorous the surrounding peach trees become, and the Longevity Peach hanging from their branches are completely different from those on the outer edge.

No longer small and green, the fruit gradually becomes large and plump, its color changes from green to pink, and it emits an increasingly rich and enticing fragrance.

Ten years... twenty years... thirty years... fifty years... seventy years... one hundred years!

With each step deeper into the forest, the potency of the Longevity Peach on the branches increases by an astonishing level.

However, as they ventured deeper into the peach grove...

Qi Yun keenly noticed that the mysterious peach branch in his hand, which had originally emitted a soft glow and shielded him from the peach orchard's suction, was now gradually dimming.

The branches themselves began to dry out slightly, curl up, and even show signs of yellowing at the ends.

The deeper one ventures into the core area of the peach grove, the more terrifying the invisible, mystical power that draws upon the very essence of life becomes.

Although this peach branch is miraculous, it is clearly not omnipotent. Its inherent power is being rapidly depleted and is nearing its limit.

"Phew!" Qi Yun frowned, realizing he had to make a decision before the peach branches withered completely.

He stopped in his tracks, his gaze sharp as lightning, quickly sweeping over the longevity Longevity Peach on the branches ahead that exuded an even stronger aroma, and then assessing the remaining strength of the peach branch in his hand.

This is it!

This is the maximum distance at which he can safely stand.

That was also the limit that his True Qi could withstand.

The next moment, he made his move decisively.

The target was the most eye-catching Longevity Peach on a branch diagonally in front of us.

Delicate and vibrant, with a flawless pink hue, and a size as large as a large bowl, it hangs quietly on the branch.

The moment his fingertips touched the Longevity Peach.

Carbohydrate.

With a barely perceptible soft sound, a withered, yellow section at the end of the peach branch quietly broke off and fell.

But Qi Yun had no time to spare; he had already steadily picked the exquisite Longevity Peach, the size of a large bowl, and placed it in his palm.

A vast, ocean-like life essence instantly surged into his body through his palm, causing every pore on his body to involuntarily open up.

Success!

Without the slightest hesitation, Qi Yun, clutching the Longevity Peach and the soon-to-expire peach branch, retreated rapidly, heading back the way he came at top speed.