Chapter 356 - 239: Lifespan Increases Again, A New Seed Added

Chapter 356: Chapter 239: Lifespan Increases Again, A New Seed Added

An extra half-year of lifespan!

Lin Changheng’s expression showed that this was just as he’d expected. His Lifespan had now reached three hundred and fifty-two years.

...

Afterward, Lin Changheng remained at the Xu Family estate to cultivate in peace, in no hurry to leave.

He planned to wait for Mo Zhaoli.

After spending seven days with Tantai Feiyue and sparring with Xu Hanji to discuss the path of Cultivation, a Dharma Ship appeared in the sky one day.

It streaked across the sky like a bolt of lightning, moving with incredible speed.

It arrived swiftly at the Hidden Peak Dojo, and a Female Cultivator in an Immortal Skirt, with a Cinnabar Seal on her brow, flew down from it.

Her face was etched with urgency. It was none other than Mo Zhaoli.

With a flicker, she instantly appeared in her grandfather’s courtyard.

Lin Changheng soon received the news, came out of his seclusion, and flew over as well.

The distance was short, and he arrived in an instant. However, Lin Changheng didn’t enter, not wanting to disturb them, and simply waited outside.

"Grandfather..."

As Mo Zhaoli gazed at Elder Mo lying on the bed—his life force silent, his consciousness nearly halted—her eyes instantly filled with tears.

She felt lost and panicked.

"Gently pat his palm. That should be enough to wake Elder Mo."

Suddenly, a gentle male voice quietly echoed in Mo Zhaoli’s ears. "I used an Elixir to temporarily slow the fading of Elder Mo’s life force."

"Brother Lin?"

Mo Zhaoli instantly felt as if she had found her anchor. Her Divine Sense surged outward, "seeing" the Green Robe Cultivator in the courtyard with a look of concern. A light of reliance appeared in her beautiful, tear-filled eyes.

Following Lin Changheng’s instructions, she took a deep breath, suppressed the panic in her heart, and extended a trembling hand. Following a specific rhythm, she began to pat Elder Mo’s withered palm with extreme gentleness while whispering in his ear:

"Grandfather... Grandfather... Wake up... It’s me, Li’Er..."

Her voice was soft, laced with sobs, and filled with deep affection.

Under the dual effect of Lin Changheng’s Elixir and the call of his beloved kin, Elder Mo’s nearly silent life force flickered weakly, like a candle flame stirred by a faint breeze.

His withered eyelids trembled with difficulty once more. This time, they seemed to open a fraction faster than before, and a tiny, faint point of focus appeared in his cloudy eyes.

"...Li...Er..." His chapped lips moved, producing a nearly inaudible, breathy sound.

He was still at the very pinnacle of weakness, but at least... his consciousness had been pulled back, just for a moment, from the brink of absolute silence!

"Grandfather!" Seeing Elder Mo respond to her again, Mo Zhaoli’s tears burst forth like a broken dam. She was both overjoyed and grief-stricken, clutching her grandfather’s hand tightly as if afraid he would vanish the moment she let go.

Lin Changheng stood in the courtyard, "watching" this scene with his Divine Sense, and let out a quiet sigh of relief. ’This is only a temporary measure,’ he thought. ’But it’s good that I could buy this grandfather and granddaughter a little more time to say goodbye.’

...

Lin Changheng quickly withdrew his Divine Sense, not wanting to intrude upon the final words between the Mo family members.

He stood under the veranda with his hands behind his back, gazing at the somewhat desolate courtyard scenery. His expression was calm, but his eyes held a distant look.

From inside the room, he could faintly hear Mo Zhaoli’s suppressed, intermittent sobs, as well as Elder Mo’s faint, almost indiscernible, fragmented words of advice.

These sounds did not last long.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the wisp of life force inside the room—held together by the Elixir and as faint as a candle in the wind—gave a final, gentle flicker, like a burnt-out wick, and then completely and silently dissipated.

Elder Mo was no longer of this world.

Immediately after, a wail of utter, unrestrained grief erupted from within the room. It was the sound of Mo Zhaoli, finally unable to hold back her sorrow. Her cries were filled with the endless pain and helplessness of losing her closest relative, a heart-wrenching sound to anyone who heard it.

Lin Changheng sighed quietly to himself. ’Birth, old age, sickness, and death. The pain of parting from loved ones. This is the cycle of the Celestial Dao, a tribulation on the path of Cultivation that no one can escape.’

He did not go in to disturb her immediately, but just stood quietly outside the door, waiting.

A long time passed. Only when the wails from inside the room had subsided into quiet sobs did Lin Changheng gently push the door open.

He saw Mo Zhaoli kneeling before the bed, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably, her lapels long since soaked with tears. On the bed, Elder Mo’s face was serene, as if he were merely in a deep sleep, but his body was devoid of any trace of life.

Lin Changheng walked over and silently handed a clean, simple handkerchief to Mo Zhaoli.

"Elder Mo passed peacefully," he said, his voice low and gentle. "You were the one he was most worried about. He would be glad that you were able to see him off on his final journey."

Mo Zhaoli lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at Lin Changheng. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, but also a hint of gratitude. She knew that if not for his Elixir, she wouldn’t have even had this final chance to speak with her grandfather.

"Brother Lin... Thank you..." she said, her voice choked with sobs.

A Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, yet right now she was no different than a girl only a few decades old.

’From now on, her greatest weakness and her strongest attachment in this world are gone.’

"My condolences," Lin Changheng said softly. A pang of pain struck his heart as he knelt and pulled Li’Er into his arms.

He tried to offer her some warmth, to ease her suffering.

Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened, as if it too were mourning the passing of an old man.

...

The Xu Family held a grand funeral for Elder Mo, an affair of the highest standard. He was buried in the Xu Family’s clan cemetery, next to a Middle Grade Alchemist of the Xu Family who had also been a good friend of his.

That friend had been killed by the rival Chen Family, creating a desperate need for the Xu Family to find a replacement. This, in turn, had indirectly given Lin Changheng, a non-clansman, the opportunity to obtain the [Middle Grade Alchemy Inheritance].

After that, Lin Changheng’s Alchemy Dao had taken flight.

It could be said there was a bit of karmic connection there.

It had to be said, the Xu Family handled matters impeccably. Their actions led Mo Zhaoli to state clearly that she would remember this kindness in her heart.