A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 65: Chapter 64: Killing Again

He took another Origin-Nurturing Pill. This Pill was far more effective than the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill.

After swallowing it, streams of Pure Spiritual Energy dispersed throughout his body. He circulated his Cultivation Body to refine it, and his cultivation began to grow at a visible rate, far surpassing cultivation through absorbing nature’s spiritual energy.

The Pills were good, but the price was exorbitant. Even as a Talisman Maker, he couldn’t afford to buy many.

Soon, the medicinal effects of the Origin-Nurturing Pill were completely refined.

Lü Zhong shook the small, empty porcelain bottle, thinking, ’Cultivation really burns through money.’

’It’s time to buy more Origin-Nurturing Pills. Fortunately, I just had a windfall, so I won’t have to worry about money for Pills for a while.’

He had no intention of keeping the Dharma Saber he’d taken from Thousand-Faced Lang as a spare. After all, switching Magical Artifacts required time to grow accustomed to them. The control methods for different artifacts could be worlds apart, and it would take practice to unleash their full power.

Besides, if he encountered a problem his Green Frost Sword couldn’t solve, an extra Dharma Saber would likely be useless anyway.

He arrived at the Yanling Mountain Five-Ring Area, the most densely packed shopping district in the Workshop Market.

The street was teeming with people. Lü Zhong headed straight for a shop that bought Magical Artifacts.

”A Lower-grade Magical Artifact, the Blood Shadow Saber. The blade is inlaid with a sliver of Iron Essence, but the wear and tear is a bit high, and...” The shop attendant behind the counter examined it for a moment, casually listing the Magical Artifact’s pros and cons.

”For this Blood Shadow Saber, I’m willing to offer one hundred sixty-five spirit stones. Same as always: if you’re willing to sell, I’ll waive the five-Spirit-Stone appraisal fee.”

”Too low. Add another ten spirit stones!” Lü Zhong’s tone was firm.

The attendant stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and agreed.

The profit margin at this price was a bit low, but a Magical Artifact like the Blood Shadow Saber was an easy sell. Plus, it was simple to refurbish. With a quick turnaround, the Spirit Stones earned would be decent enough.

With the transaction complete, Lü Zhong walked out of the Magical Artifact shop.

He had only taken a few steps before he felt someone following him.

He quietly cast a Malice Detection spell, and sure enough, an alarm rang in his mind.

Without showing that anything was amiss, Lü Zhong continued walking toward the shop that sold Origin-Nurturing Pills.

While passing a small stall selling wontons, he ordered a bowl of wontons with Demon Beast meat filling from the owner.

Of course, eating the wontons wasn’t his goal.

This was to give himself a plausible reason to perform a Scene Rewind. Otherwise, stopping suddenly in place might alert the trackers behind him.

A moment later, Lü Zhong opened his eyes, already confident of his plan.

Based on the results of the rewind, he had confirmed there were a total of three people following him.

The leader was a cultivator at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, a cold, beautiful woman in a crimson dress. During the Scene Rewind, he had used his Qi Observation Skill and found the woman’s aura to be superficial and unstable. Either her foundation was weak, or she had only recently broken through.

The other two appeared to be twin sisters. They were quite pretty, but their cultivation was slightly lower than the leader’s—both were at the Qi Refining Third Layer.

Lü Zhong reckoned that with his strength, dealing with the three of them wouldn’t be difficult.

Feeling somewhat reassured, he began to savor the steaming hot wontons.

He had to admit, the wontons from this stall were truly excellent. Not only was the meat filling fresh, fragrant, and savory, but it also contained a decent amount of Spiritual Qi, qualifying it as a Spiritual Food.

No wonder it had so many customers, even at one Spirit Stone a bowl.

...

In the distance, three figures were gathered together, glancing toward the wonton stall from time to time.

”Third Lady, are we really going to make a move on that man?” one of the twin sisters asked the cold woman in a low voice.

”That’s right. I want him dead!”

The cold woman’s name was Ma Sanniang. She was a minor leader of a nearby group of Evil Cultivators. That Thousand-Faced Lang had been her old lover. The two had been intimate for a long time, and she never expected him to suddenly be gone.

The moment she received the news, she had rushed here.

Staring at Lü Zhong’s back, Ma Sanniang’s heart burned with rage. Suppressing her anger, she said, ”Wait for him to get to a deserted place, then make your move. If you two use that technique, he definitely won’t be able to resist. After we kill him, I can release your Slave Contract on the spot. From then on, you’ll be free.”

Hearing this, the twin sisters looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and delight.

”Yes, Third Lady!”

...

But Ma Sanniang and the others had no idea that Lü Zhong had already learned of this conversation through his Scene Rewind.

They had only themselves to blame for being too close—a mere twenty zhang away.

During a Scene Rewind, Lü Zhong could move within a ten-zhang radius. When he was only ten zhang from the trio, even their hushed voices couldn’t escape his ears.

Now, he changed his previous plan and decided to eliminate the three of them.

After finishing his wontons, Lü Zhong first went to Ming Medicine Hall.

Without any fuss, he bought an entire bottle of Origin-Nurturing Pills. Buying in bulk like this let him haggle the price down, saving three Spirit Stones compared to purchasing them one by one.

Afterward, he headed toward his small courtyard in the bamboo forest, just as he usually did.

Although Yanling Mountain Market was prosperous, it covered a vast area, so there were still plenty of secluded spots between the clusters of buildings in each ring.

Walking into an alley that was usually deserted, Lü Zhong used his Qi Observation Skill to confirm that no one else was around. His figure suddenly flashed to the side as he immediately activated his Breath Concealing Skill and Stealth Technique.

His hand swept over the Storage Bag at his waist, and a long, green sword appeared in his hand.

Without waiting for the three to arrive, he began to sneak toward them.

At this moment, Ma Sanniang and the others were still wondering how they had lost their target—an utter humiliation for Evil Cultivators—unaware that a ghostly figure had already appeared nearby.

Without a shred of hesitation, Lü Zhong, positioned in their blind spot, made his move.

His target was naturally the closest one, the ”Third Lady.” He formed a Sword Mantra with his left hand, and the Green Frost Sword shot out like an arrow from a bow.

As a former Wilderness Independent Cultivator, Ma Sanniang had seen her fair share of betrayal. She was always vigilant and always kept an ace up her sleeve to prevent her own demise.

She was both shocked and enraged by Lü Zhong’s sneak attack.

Feeling a stabbing pain between her eyebrows, she crushed a Jade Token at her waist without hesitation.

SWISH! A green light surged upward.

A green Spiritual Shield instantly formed around Ma Sanniang’s body.

This was her life-saving trump card, bought at great expense. It could instantly form a Spiritual Shield to protect her, capable of withstanding at least three attacks from a Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

With a flick of her hand, Ma Sanniang produced a Golden Light Talisman from her sleeve and prepared to activate it.

But at almost the same instant, Lü Zhong’s Green Frost Sword arrived.

The tip of the sword pierced the Spiritual Shield, but it only managed to deform it significantly, not break through.

Lü Zhong was not surprised by this.

He lunged forward, his mouth slightly open, forming a seal and Chanting an incantation.

A blue radiance appeared, coalescing into a sharp Magic Sword that slashed out.

One... two... six, seven!

Compared to when he hunted the Steel-maned Boar, he was now slightly faster when executing the Late Sun Sword Skill. Thanks to the purifying effect the Four Spirits Technique had on his Spiritual Power, he could now unleash seven sword strikes in a single breath.

Ma Sanniang’s shield blocked only three strikes before it shattered.

One sword severed an arm; the remaining three each struck a vital point.

It happened so fast that the twin sisters had no time to react before Ma Sanniang was stabbed in the chest and abdomen.

Then, her head flew high into the air.