“Zong Shentong? He wants to see me?”

In the vast white mist, Li Fan paused from his work.

Listening to He Chen’s report, Li Fan furrowed his brows slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled.

He had only met him briefly in the “Contemplation of Dao”, and they had never formally met in the real world.

Seeing Li Fan’s expression, He Chen lowered his voice and said, “According to Zong Shentong, he has a method to extend Master Li’s lifespan. But he insists on seeing you in person.”

“Although this person only has the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Stage, his body emits a colorful divine light, which is truly mysterious and extraordinary, even able to resist the Devouring Elemental White Mist. The elders in the Immortal Stronghold also speak highly of him.”

“Moreover, this Zong Shentong has a wide circle of friends. This time, he was introduced and guaranteed by a Nascent Soul cultivator before the Immortal Stronghold agreed to let him come over.”

“Master Li, there’s no harm in meeting him,” He Chen suggested.

Among the cultivators rescued by Li Fan two years ago in the Outpost, He Chen was the most grateful to him.

Even when Li Fan’s lifespan was nearing its end, he continued to strive at the forefront of constructing arrays.

He Chen admired Li Fan to the point of fervor, even obeying his words unquestioningly.

Li Fan nodded slightly, saying, “Very well, then lead me to meet this Zong Shentong.”

But in his heart, he thought, “It seems like someone comes knocking when you’re about to fall asleep. Setting aside whether this so-called method of extending lifespan is true or false, it’s good to probe into the origin of his colorful divine light.”

Returning to the Outpost, in the meeting hall, an old man with white beard and hair, dressed in Daoist robes, had been waiting for some time.

As Li Fan stepped in, the Zong Shentong’s gaze instantly focused on him.

After exchanging glances, Li Fan bowed first, saying, “Friend Zhong, I’ve heard much about you!”

The Zong Shentong also sighed, “Under the great reputation lies no falsehoods. The rumors outside actually turned out to be true. Friend, indeed, you are at the brink of life’s end with rapidly declining vitality.”

At these words, He Chen’s gaze turned somewhat hostile.

But Li Fan’s heart stirred, signaling He Chen to leave for now.

Once they were alone in the hall, he clasped his hands and said, “Friend, your words seem profound?”

Zong Shentong stroked his beard and nodded, “It is precisely because I have experienced a situation similar to Friend’s that I can be so certain.”

“To be honest, when I was in the outside world, upon hearing about Friend’s deeds, I actually didn’t believe it,” he admitted.

Because of my personal experience, I know how strong the fear is when the previous moment you still have a lot of life left, and the next moment death is near. The extreme disparity and the fear brought by death are so intense.”

“I once thought of myself as having a strong will, but I almost collapsed. It took a long time to recover.”

“But compared to Friend Li…”

Fate-Creating Bell shook his head, “Friend Li seemed to be overseeing the construction of an array in the white mist? Putting his own life aside… This realm is beyond my reach!”

Li Fan smiled faintly, “I know there is no hope for prolonging my life, so I just want to do a little more if I can. As for how noble…”

“I don’t think so.” Li Fan said sincerely.

But Zong Shentong was even more excited, “Yes, it’s this kind of transcendent and free attitude.”

“How did Friend Li do it? Please teach me!” Zong Shentong asked with earnestness.

After saying that, he bowed deeply.

Li Fan also reacted quickly, dodging this courtesy.

Solemnly, he said, “Fellow Daoist, your visit here is perplexing, and your behavior is even more baffling.”

“If you continue to speak nonsense, don’t blame me for losing my temper!”

“Although your seven-colored divine light is formidable, I’m not afraid of you!”

Zong Shentong smiled bitterly, slapped his head, “Friend Li, forgive me, I was reckless.”

Standing up straight, he pondered for a moment and said slowly, “What I said earlier about the method of prolonging life for Friend Li is indeed true.”

“And I sincerely want to ask Friend Li for advice.”

“Have you heard of my exploits, Fellow Daoist?” the Divine Clockmaker asked Li Fan.

Li Fan nodded, “I’ve heard of you. Fellow Daoist is renowned for his great late bloomers.”

“You were a mortal cultivating the Qi Condensation realm in your sixties. After decades of Qi Condensation, you finally reached the Foundation Establishment stage.”

“You never gave up the hope of breaking through to higher realms until your death. I truly admire your perseverance.”

Upon hearing this, Zong Shentong’s aged face actually blushed.

Looking around and seeing no one else, he said in a low voice, “Fellow Daoist overly flatters me.”

“There is actually another hidden story behind this.”

“It’s also related to my visit to seek you out today.”

“I’ll share it with you today, but please don’t spread it around.”

Li Fan’s expression changed slightly, but he still nodded in agreement.

The Zong Shentong cleared his throat and asked, “Fellow Daoist, have you heard of procrastination disorder?”

“Procrastination disorder?” Li Fan was somewhat surprised.

“Yes, this old Daoist suffers from a very severe case of procrastination disorder. It’s an incurable disease,” Zong Shentong sighed.

“Back when I was eighteen, I had already obtained a part of the mysterious cultivation technique by chance. However, I had no motivation to practice it. I thought since I was still young, there would be plenty of time in the future. So, my cultivation became more and more lax.”

“I spent three days fishing and two days drying the nets, living a carefree life. Until I was in my fifties, I still hadn’t broken through to the Qi Condensation realm.”

“And at that time, I still wasn’t in a hurry.”

The Zong Shentong squinted his eyes, as if reminiscing.

“I was complacent that, with my physical condition at the time, I could easily live until seventy or eighty years old. There were still thirty more years for me to enjoy life.”

“Until that day, I mistakenly swallowed a poisonous fruit.”

“Although I managed to survive and didn’t die on the spot, my body was in critical condition, not far from my demise.”

“I had never felt that death was so close to me before, and I became more terrified than ever.”

“Between life and death, there is great terror!”

“So I thought about breaking through to the Qi Condensation realm, which would cause my longevity to surge.”

“It was like grasping the last lifeline. I abandoned everything else from my mind and focused solely on cultivation.”

“Under the pressure of death, my cultivation speed was unimaginably fast.”

“In just a day and a night, I successfully entered the Qi Condensation realm!”

“But after that, with my longevity increasing again, I lost all motivation once more. I thought since I still had so much time left to live, I might as well enjoy life first.”

“It wasn’t until decades later that I once again faced the limit of my lifespan.”

“Under the threat of death, I finally cultivated and broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage!”

After Zong Shentong finished speaking, Li Fan’s expression became extremely strange.

If he wasn’t lying, then this person was truly a talent.

“So, what is this method of extending longevity you mentioned?” Li Fan tried his best to maintain a pleasant expression and patiently asked.

The Zong Shentong said confidently, “I heard that you, Fellow Daoist, have given up on advancing to the Nascent Soul stage due to your limited remaining longevity. In my opinion, there’s no need!”