A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Inside the Quiet Chamber, Lü Zhong was tending to Yu Feng’Er’s injuries.

Her condition had taken a slight turn for the worse a moment ago. Fortunately, after he helped circulate her qi and blood, she was no longer in serious danger. As long as she rested well, she would make a full recovery.

After helping her get dressed, Lü Zhong turned his attention to dealing with the Zhang Family.

Based on his previous investigation, Zhang Xiyun was likely hiding in the Zhang Family’s estate. He was under the entire family’s strict protection, allowing him to safely prepare for Core Formation under the cover of their Mountain-Guarding Grand Array.

However, that didn’t mean Lü Zhong was without options.

Core Formation was a perilous endeavor with only a slim chance of survival.

Otherwise, with so many Foundation Establishment True Cultivators in all of Changchun Immortal City, there wouldn’t be merely a dozen or so Golden Core Masters.

This just went to show how difficult Core Formation truly was.

To attempt Core Formation, one needed either a heaven-sent opportunity, outstanding natural talent, or profound resources.

Having just one of the three offered a glimmer of hope for achieving Core Formation.

Zhang Xiyun was a Family Cultivator with a Three Spirit Roots aptitude. Judging from the current situation, it was clear he only had a shot at Core Formation because he had the full backing of the Baihua Plateau’s Zhang Family.

Of course, it was also possible that he had already obtained some sort of opportunity for his Core Formation.

But regardless, the bankruptcy of the Wangxi Commerce Association would inevitably have a major impact on Zhang Xiyun’s Core Formation.

Therefore, Lü Zhong planned to start there.

Since the Wangxi Commerce Association had already broken the rules, the Chengde Commerce Association no longer needed to abide by any code of conduct.

It was time for an eye for an eye.

Members of the Wangxi Commerce Association would be killed, their industries seized, and people could be sent to cause trouble at their shops in the city. In short, the goal was to drive the Zhang Family to a dead end.

The only variable was whether Zhang Xiyun would risk attempting Core Formation.

However, this wasn’t too great a concern.

A cultivator’s Core Formation wasn’t as simple as just Solidifying the Pill and triggering a Celestial Tribulation.

It involved the cultivator’s personal state. If one rashly attempted Core Formation before the time was right, the Pill Formation Rate would plummet.

At the same time, the location for the Core Formation attempt had to be kept secret.

When the Three-Nine Celestial Tribulation descended, if someone were to intrude upon it, the might of the Tribulation Thunder would double. There was no shortage of cases in historical texts where a cultivator failed their Crossing Tribulation due to an enemy seeking revenge.

Therefore, what Lü Zhong needed to do was simple: while suppressing the Wangxi Commerce Association and the Zhang Family, he would closely monitor Zhang Xiyun’s movements. The moment he dared to leave, Lü Zhong would hunt him down and kill him.

Given Zhang Xiyun’s combat strength as a Family Cultivator, even if he had reached the Fake Pill Stage, he would be no match for Lü Zhong.

Once Zhang Xiyun was dead, the rest would be easy to resolve.

...

「A year passed in the blink of an eye.」

During that time, the Chengde Commerce Association and the Yu Family never ceased their operations.

The two sides had clashed several times, but each encounter ended in defeat for the Zhang Family’s forces.

Lü Zhong had personally taken action, killing the succeeding Zhang Family Patriarch, Zhang Xiwang.

Affected by this, the Wangxi Commerce Association’s influence shrank dramatically, losing all its commercial shares in Changchun Immortal City. At the same time, the Zhang Family backing it also suffered heavy losses and was forced to withdraw all its forces, holing up in the Baihua Plateau and refusing to come out.

Seeing the Zhang Family on strict lockdown, Lü Zhong wasn’t anxious.

This time, he had the righteous cause of revenge on his side, so Changchun Valley would not interfere.

As for the Zhang Family’s connections through marriage,

the Yu Family and the Chengde Commerce Association were not incapable of handling them.

All he needed to do was lie in wait patiently at Baihua Plateau. Judging from the Zhang Family’s recent movements, they were about to reach their breaking point. After all, a clan of that size consumed a vast amount of resources daily. Lü Zhong didn’t believe the Zhang Family would willingly let themselves be trapped and starved to death; a desperate, last-ditch struggle was far more likely.

And that played right into Lü Zhong’s hands.

He just needed to kill the Zhang Family’s remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and then Zhang Xiyun would be all alone.

At that point, he could rely on scene regression to track him down and hunt him relentlessly.

”BOOM!” A bright firework exploded in the sky.

It was a warning signal from one of their cultivators.

It meant the Zhang Family was on the move.

’So they finally couldn’t take it anymore?’ A glint appeared in Lü Zhong’s eyes. The firework had risen from the east. Without a moment’s hesitation, he released his Flying Ship and sped in that direction.

With his scene regression ability, he didn’t need to worry about it being a feint.

If the Zhang Family was truly breaking out, he would just kill as many as came his way.

As for Zhang Xiyun’s true escape route, he could simply use scene regression afterward to carefully check and find out which direction he had fled.

By the time Lü Zhong arrived, the two sides were already locked in a fierce battle.

Yu Yuqing, who was in charge of this direction, had arrived long before him and was currently fighting a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Zhang Family.

When Zhang Donglin saw Lü Zhong appear, his feelings became extremely complicated.

He felt both the despair of imminent death and the relief of having successfully drawn the enemy’s attention.

”Ah, you villain, die!”

Zhang Donglin executed several Technique Mantras, and his body began to overflow with a crimson light. Then, heedless of everything, he charged madly toward Lü Zhong.

Any onlooker could see he was preparing to self-destruct his Qi Sea.

Seeing this, Yu Yuqing quickly ordered her clan members to fall back. She also retreated far to the side, afraid of being caught in the blast’s aftershock. At the same time, she didn’t forget to summon a Magical Artifact to obstruct him, trying to buy time for Lü Zhong to retreat.

As for Lü Zhong, he just sneered.

’Villain?’

’In this matter, there is no good or evil, only different standpoints.’

’If the Zhang Family had won this time, the entire clan would have enjoyed immense benefits. When it comes to the ability to seize resources, a Golden Core Clan far surpasses a Foundation Establishment Clan.’

’But unfortunately for them, they had failed.’

’And with failure comes a price to pay.’

Lü Zhong summoned the Qingyang Mirror, and beams of Body-Fixing Mirror Light shot out.

When a cultivator self-destructed, they had to gather all their True Essence in their Qi Sea to unleash its immense power; otherwise, it was no different from simple suicide. During this process, their movements would be restricted, making them perfectly susceptible to the Body-Fixing Mirror Light.