A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

He refused to believe she was willing to resort to self-annihilation.

”Su Xu’er” fell silent. Lü Zhong was absolutely right.

After being sealed inside a Spirit Puppet for ages, and now having succeeded in this possession by a stroke of luck, she naturally had no desire to die again.

”I am Li Qionghua, once known as the Jade Flower Fairy. I personally founded the Jade Flower Sect’s Daoist Lineage. Tell me, does the Jade Flower Sect still exist in the world today?”

Lü Zhong’s expression didn’t change upon hearing her words.

Inside, however, he was stunned. ’I can’t believe the one who possessed Su Xu’er is this old monster.’

Years ago, while serving as an Honored Guest Elder for the Tan Family, he had naturally heard a great deal about the local hegemon, the Jade Flower Sect. This included stories about the Jade Flower Fairy. According to rumor, although Li Qionghua only possessed a Three Spirit Root talent, the speed of her cultivation progress far outstripped her peers, leaving even Junling True Monarch of the same era in the dust.

Not only had she founded a Nascent Soul Sect single-handedly, but she had also nurtured the Jade Flower Sect’s second Nascent Soul Sect Master.

The Jade Flower Sect was once incomparably glorious, nearly rewriting the political landscape of the Seven Southern Barbarian Sects.

But fortunes are fickle. Following the Jade Flower Fairy’s mysterious disappearance and the sudden death of the second Sect Leader, the Jade Flower Sect eventually fell into ruin, ultimately becoming a vassal of the Lingyue Sect.

Lü Zhong couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration for such a senior.

And so, he recounted everything he knew about the Jade Flower Sect’s current situation to the old monster before him.

As Li Qionghua listened, her expression grew increasingly grim.

Her knuckles turned white from clenching her fists. She ground her teeth so hard they audibly clicked, and a raging fire burned in her eyes.

”Feng Junling, how dare you humiliate me so!”

It wasn’t enough to plot her death; he had to strangle the very Sect she had founded, reducing it to a wretched den of whores. He made the whole world mock her, ensuring that whenever anyone spoke of the Jade Flower Matriarch, they’d call her a thirsty, promiscuous slut.

Lü Zhong stood to the side, silent.

Seeing her so agitated, he could guess the reason. The thought that he himself had a concubine from the Jade Flower Sect made him feel a sudden, baseless wave of panic.

He shot a subtle glance at Li Qionghua. ’So this is the pressure a Nascent Soul True Monarch exerts over a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator?’

This was despite the fact that she had just completed the possession, and her power level was on the verge of dropping to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Even so, he still had to muster all his courage just to dare point the Jade Nether Fire Fork at her.

”I’ll agree to it,” Li Qionghua said abruptly, her tone calm.

Lü Zhong knew what she meant. She was agreeing to go with him to the Golden Water Pool and fulfill his contract with Liuu Piaoniang.

He shook his head.

”No. I’ve changed my mind. You have to die!”

He had never been good at scheming; nearly being tricked by Guna moments ago was the perfect example.

Now, facing a Nascent Soul Old Monster, he stood even less of a chance.

Possession was an unforgivable sin.

With that justification, one could do anything to the possessor and still claim the moral high ground. Therefore, Li Qionghua would surely kill him to keep her secret. She would never allow anyone who knew to live.

Therefore, Li Qionghua had to die. She absolutely must die!

”Fellow Daoist Lü, why don’t we make a trade? Don’t be so quick to refuse. A deal only fails when the price offered isn’t high enough!”

”If I’m not mistaken, you only have Four Spirit Root Talent. Don’t you want to know how I, with my paltry Three Spirit Roots, managed to cultivate faster than a Celestial Spirit Root genius like Feng Junling? How I beat him to Nascent Soul Formation and became a Nascent Soul True Monarch whose name struck fear across the Southern Barbarian lands?” Li Qionghua suddenly asked, her eyes gleaming with a terrifying light.

Before Lü Zhong could respond, she continued, ”A cultivator with Three Spirit Roots normally stops at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Those who can form a Golden Core are few and far between. Even if by some fluke they become a Golden Core Master admired by all, their progress will halt in the early stage of Core Formation for the rest of their lives. Without rare Spirit Medicines, they can’t advance a single inch, let alone cultivate to Core Formation Perfection and glimpse the Nascent Soul Dao.”

”If that’s the case for Three Spirit Roots, the outlook for Four Spirit Roots is self-evident.”

”From what I can see of your current state, Fellow Daoist Lü, even if you use a Kun Cultivator’s Yin Yuan and this Pulse Refining Secret Technique to temporarily bypass the limits of your talent, the best you can hope for is to succeed in Core Formation. After that, your talent will become a bottleneck, and the speed of your cultivation will slow to a crawl, making it impossible to advance even half a step.”

Lü Zhong couldn’t deny the truth in Li Qionghua’s words.

After all, once a cultivator reached the Core Formation Stage, the primary ingredients for the necessary Spirit Medicines needed to be at least five hundred years old. Only Pills refined from such materials could advance a Golden Core Master’s cultivation. Spirit Medicines of such an age were incredibly difficult to find. Only major powers like Nascent Soul Sects had the resources to plant them in advance as a provision for future generations.

That, combined with the Tier Three Spiritual Veins occupied by Nascent Soul Sects, was what made it possible to nurture a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Even then, the annals were filled with countless records of sects that failed to produce a new Nascent Soul heir and subsequently fell.

There were only seven seats among the Seven Southern Barbarian Sects, but the Sects filling those seats had changed time and time again.

For an ordinary cultivator who succeeded in Core Formation and wished to advance further, there were only a few paths. They could venture into the Barbaric Land beyond the territory of the Human Race, fighting life-or-death battles with Demon Beasts in search of undiscovered, precious Spirit Medicines. They could resort to unscrupulous means—stealing, robbing, and plundering high-age Spirit Medicines from other Sects and Clans until they finally fell into the Demon Dao. Or, they could simply resign themselves to their fate, establish a Cultivation Clan, and while away the five-hundred-odd years of life granted by their stage.

Undeniably, Lü Zhong was tempted.

If something could allow a person with Three Spirit Roots to rapidly achieve Nascent Soul Formation, it surely wouldn’t be ineffective for someone with Four Spirit Roots.

If it worked, he too could have a chance to glimpse the Nascent Soul Dao.

”...How can I trust you?”

Li Qionghua smiled, a radiant expression that showcased the charm of the former Jade Flower Fairy. She was clearly prepared. ”I know you are familiar with the Silver Tadpole Script. It is a True Text of Universal Technique that carries the Celestial Dao Power within it. I can use the Silver Tadpole Script to swear a Daoist Oath, guaranteeing that what I said is true and that I will reveal my method for rapid Nascent Soul Formation. If I lie, may I be struck by fivefold lightning and my Divine Soul be obliterated!”

”Is that enough to show my sincerity, Fellow Daoist Lü?”

”That is acceptable,” Lü Zhong replied.

An oath sworn in Silver Tadpole Script truly could not be faked.

The interpretation of such an oath rested in the hands of the Celestial Dao itself. Countless cases throughout history proved that any who violated it, regardless of their cultivation, would inevitably suffer a backlash. That was why cultivators rarely dared to swear an oath using a True Text of Universal Technique, terrified they might lose their life over a single slip-up.

”Fellow Daoist Lü must also swear an oath, stating that you will not reveal the truth of my possession, and that you will never be my enemy for all eternity!” As she spoke, even for a Nascent Soul Old Monster who had lived for over a thousand years, Li Qionghua couldn’t help but feel a flicker of nervousness.

If Lü Zhong refused, then no matter how much her world-burning rage boiled within her, she was still helpless against the Bone Fork in his hand.

”I can swear not to reveal the possession, but the second condition must be changed.” ’I’ll just erase the memory of Li Qionghua’s possession after our transaction is complete,’ Lü Zhong decided. ’After all, I can’t defy the Celestial Dao. If the secret gets out by accident, it’s a death sentence for me. It wouldn’t matter if I let it slip in an Illusion Array or if my Heart Demon learned of it; the result would be the same.’

’Erasing the memory is the safest bet!’

However, making him swear to never oppose Li Qionghua for all eternity was impossible.

’With the cunning of a Nascent Soul Old Monster, there’s probably a hidden trap in that clause.’

Understanding her tactic—making an outrageous demand to make a lesser one seem reasonable—Lü Zhong countered, ”Let’s change it to a hundred-year limit. For one hundred years, we shall not be enemies.”

In a hundred years, if he failed to achieve Core Formation, he’d be nothing but a pile of dust anyway, so enmity wouldn’t matter. If he did become a Golden Core Master, he could leave the Southern Barbarian lands and wouldn’t have to fear that a vengeful Li Qionghua would abandon her own quest for revenge just to hunt him down.

”No problem,” Li Qionghua agreed with a nod.

This had been her goal all along. She had only proposed an unacceptable condition to make Lü Zhong more willing to accept a compromise, such as this hundred-year non-aggression pact.

Although the result still fell short of her expectations, it was barely acceptable.

Both sides then swore their oaths simultaneously using the Silver Tadpole Script.

The moment the oaths were complete, Lü Zhong felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his face turned deathly pale.

Li Qionghua, across from him, had the exact same reaction.

Just a moment ago, both had sensed the descent of a vast, unyielding will. Perhaps that was the entity known as the Celestial Dao. Its presence confirmed that their oaths had been accepted.

”Alright, Fellow Daoist Lü, you should step back. I’m afraid I might accidentally injure you while I break free,” Li Qionghua said, her voice tinged with residual fear.

No one knew the Celestial Dao’s criteria for judgment, or how it interpreted things. If even accidentally scratching the other person counted as an act of hostility, it would be a truly wrongful death.

A moment later, Li Qionghua broke free from her restraints and stepped down from the stone slab.

”This Spirit Puppet... may I have it?” Lü Zhong asked, pointing to the Silver-Robed Puppet on the ground.

It was a cage, to be sure, but one that could keep a Divine Soul from dissipating. He might find a use for it in the future.

”...Fine.” Li Qionghua gazed at the Spirit Puppet, a complex look in her eyes. She walked over and wiped away the puppet’s facial features—which had been molded in her own former likeness—before handing it to Lü Zhong.

”And one more thing. The secret I relied upon to achieve Nascent Soul Formation... I’ll give that to you as well.”

As she spoke, she retrieved a Jade Scroll from her Storage Bag. With a pulse of Magical Power, she erased its original contents before carving a wealth of new information onto it.

Lü Zhong took it and examined it. Recorded upon it was a method for creating a type of Spirit Liquid.

Creation Spirit Liquid!