A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

After shaking off Yuo Qing’s pursuit, Lü Zhong didn’t dare delay for a second. He immediately rushed toward the Sect.

As a member of the Heling Sect, it was his duty to report the fall of the Little Yuan Valley Mine. If he failed to do so and an investigation was launched later, he would be sentenced to several years of hard labor, at the very least.

Hiding until the war ended would be an extremely unwise move, unless he planned on deserting the Sect entirely.

Less than half a day after his departure, Lü Zhong saw a fleet soaring through the sky toward him.

It was a fleet of ten large Flying Ships. The Three Spirits Unification Seal on their hulls shone brightly. According to the Heling Sect’s standard configuration, each large Flying Ship was commanded by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. If fully staffed with high and low-level disciples, the entire fleet would number close to a thousand—a sizable detachment.

After a moment of consideration, he decided it was best to reveal himself.

He took out a Spiritual Power firework, infused it with a trace of Spiritual Power, and set it off.

POP! A brilliant firework burst in the sky.

The fleet reacted quickly, dispatching one Flying Ship to pick Lü Zhong up.

The Foundation Establishment True Cultivator in command of this Flying Ship was Master Lin Zhenghe, someone Lü Zhong had met once before. His striking appearance—red hair and a long beard—combined with his unexpectedly good-natured personality made him difficult to forget.

Aboard the Flying Ship, Lü Zhong recounted everything that had happened at the Little Yuan Valley Mine. He omitted how he had discovered Yuo Qing’s true identity, but he did provide a detailed description of the bizarre Possession Technique and her habit of laughing for no apparent reason.

As Lin Zhenghe listened, his calm expression faltered. Finally, he gave a wry smile and said, ”Nephew Lü, you ran into Chen Jiang’nu, the Saintess of the Black Corpse Hall. You were incredibly lucky to have escaped from her clutches...”

He paused, pondering for a moment. After a glance at Lü Zhong, he continued, ”If you return to Heling Mountain now, you’ll undoubtedly be sent to the front lines as cannon fodder. Your master once did me a great service... How about this? Come with me to Little Yuan Valley for now. By the time we retake the mine, the battle at Jufeng Pass should be settled. It won’t be too late for you to return to Heling Mountain then.”

”Thank you, Master!” Lü Zhong said, bowing respectfully.

’So this is another perk of having a master,’ he thought to himself.

The Flying Ship couldn’t match the speed of a Tier Two Red-tailed Eagle, but it was still far faster than a Qi Refining cultivator traveling on their own. Thus, after only two ancient hours, the fleet arrived above Little Yuan Valley.

Down in the valley, some Heling Sect disciples were still holding out, their resistance marked by intermittent flares of Spiritual Light.

But anyone could tell at a glance that their strength was spent.

Fortunately, their persistence had not been in vain.

Upon seeing the approaching fleet, the scattered Allied Army of the Golden Rainbow Sect and Luoyun Sect immediately launched warning fireworks and began to respond.

The Allied Army was also quite familiar with the composition of a Heling Sect fleet.

Their raid on the Little Yuan Valley Mine was led by only two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, just enough to handle the mine’s leaderless defenders. They were no match for a full Heling Sect relief force.

Thus, the Allied Army began to retreat without hesitation.

Lü Zhong was assigned to an interception mission.

Coincidentally, the spot he was assigned to block was the very same cave entrance from before.

Returning to the same spot, he was filled with mixed emotions.

Assigned to the ambush with him were three other Late-stage Qi Refining Inner Sect Disciples. Farther back, thirty Outer Disciples were on standby, ready to provide support at a moment’s notice.

This in itself highlighted the difference between the Heling Sect and the two-sect alliance.

With the great Yongling City under its control, the Heling Sect’s financial and manpower resources were immense. It could easily crush either the Golden Rainbow Sect or the Luoyun Sect on its own. Faced with such a massive disparity, the two smaller sects had no choice but to team up.

With a powerful tool like Divine Sense at his disposal, monitoring the mine tunnel was a simple task for Lü Zhong.

After a short wait, his targets appeared.

It was a group of three Sword Cultivators from the Golden Rainbow Sect, each carrying a Sword Box on their back.

They were laden with bags—each carried at least three Storage Bags—and had clearly reaped handsome rewards from looting the Little Yuan Valley Mine.

Situations like this were rare opportunities to get rich, and Lü Zhong had no intention of hiding his true strength.

Taking the lead, he attacked the trio the moment they stepped out of the cave entrance, getting the jump on his fellow disciples.

Considering the gap in their Swordsmanship, Lü Zhong decided against using his Golden Devourer Sword. Instead, he directly activated his Earth Wood Spirit Ring, willingly expending a tenth of his Magical Power to do so.

HUMMM!

The Sharp Wood Spear shot forth, forming a piercing beam of light.

With a sickening squelch, it pierced straight through one of the cultivators who failed to dodge in time, leaving a wound the size of a washbasin.

Moments later, the man was breathing his last.

The remaining two cultivators were scared out of their wits.

One of them stared at the Spirit Ring on Lü Zhong’s hand and cried out in shock, ”A Spiritual Artifact!”

Spiritual Artifacts were typically wielded by Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

After all, it was common knowledge in the Cultivation Realm that one could not use a Spiritual Artifact without Divine Sense.

The two quickly realized that Lü Zhong must have simply developed his Divine Sense early, but they still didn’t dare to charge him.

The three Heling Sect disciples standing by were stunned to see Lü Zhong instantly kill a Golden Rainbow Sect disciple. They had all experienced the strength of the Golden Rainbow Sect’s Sword Cultivators; it usually took several of them working together to surround and kill just one.

And yet...

Lü Zhong paid no mind to the others’ stares.

So what if the existence of his Divine Sense had been exposed?

It wasn’t unheard of for those with naturally strong Divine Sense to awaken it during the Qi Refining Stage. Such cases were just exceedingly rare, and thus, quite conspicuous.