A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Lü Zhong was about to make his move when a tremendous crash suddenly erupted.

Startled, he looked in the direction of the sound.

’It’s Ruoshui Pond!’

What was happening over there?

Meanwhile, Yuan Ni’s face filled with worry as she saw the disturbance at Ruoshui Pond. Gritting her teeth, she took out a Purple Talisman wreathed in lightning. Pinching it between two fingers, she spat a mouthful of Essence Blood onto it and began chanting.

”Thunder Urgent Talisman, go!” She sent the talisman flying, her face paling considerably.

The Purple Talisman flew out, transforming mid-air into a cerulean Thunder Ball that emanated a shocking aura of lightning.

It shot erratically toward the Copper Armor Corpse Demon and, upon closing in, unleashed a dense barrage of lightning.

The Copper Armor Corpse Demon, which had been completely unscathed under the siege of Yuan Ni and her six companions, now had sparks of electricity gushing from its mouth and nose. The keratinous plates covering its body glowed red-hot before finally being pierced by the lightning.

A moment later, only a pile of ash remained on the ground.

In the distance, Lü Zhong’s heart pounded as he watched.

’That Yuan Ni is really something, to just use up a rare Tier Three Thunder Talisman like that.’

’Seeing her rush off so hastily, without even taking a moment to catch her breath, Lü Zhong guessed the true identity of the cultivators who had broken through the forward base. It was most likely the Changchun Valley True Inheritance disciple this woman admired.’

’Ning Zhongyun, what is your true purpose here?’

...

Ruoshui—like water, yet not.

The so-called Ruoshui Pond was, in fact, a hollow where Yin Qi had settled.

Ning Zhongyun’s face was ashen. The situation had developed far beyond his expectations. As he stared at the colossal figure across from him, wreathed in bloody flames, his heart sank.

”You’re not a Celestial Demon King. What in the world are you?”

He had come to the Bone-Transforming Abyss this time to obtain the Essence Blood of a Celestial Demon King.

The Essence Blood of a Celestial Demon King could break through the shackles of the physical body.

It was a supreme treasure that Mystic Cultivators like Ning Zhongyun dreamed of acquiring.

If he could obtain it, there would be no further obstacles to him forming a Profound Pill.

But who could have predicted that after breaking the seal on Ruoshui Pond, what emerged was not the remnant soul of a Celestial Demon King as expected, but a terrifyingly powerful Blood Corpse.

In a single clash, the six junior martial brothers Ning Zhongyun had brought with him were all slain.

”CRUNCH, CRUNCH... Are all the juniors of the Human Race so impolite these days?” The Blood Corpse, humanoid in shape but with the head of a bird, spoke in a sinister tone while devouring the mangled corpse in its hand.

The words it spoke were all in Silver Tadpole Script.

Ning Zhongyun had never studied this script. He could tell it was speaking Silver Tadpole Script, but he could not understand its meaning.

He assumed it was just making a show of power.

Sensing the Blood Corpse’s powerful aura rapidly rising toward the peak of Tier Two, his heart leaped into his throat. He couldn’t help but wonder about the origins of this horrifying Blood Corpse.

How could it have replaced the remnant soul of the Celestial Demon King that was supposed to be sealed here?

”Tsk, tsk, the flesh of you Human Cultivators is truly delicious—so tender and smooth, marinated to perfection by Spiritual Qi. Back in my day, I, Turtledove Plume... interesting. You junior, you actually don’t understand what I’m saying?”

The Blood Corpse stopped eating, seemed to realize something, and began to cackle.

Looking around, it recognized where it was.

In the age of the former Demon Court, this had been the territory of the Earth Turtle clan. The Earth Turtles and its Spirit Dove clan had been as incompatible as fire and water, fighting for tens of thousands of years. But alas, that was all in the past. With the fall of the Demon Court, both the Earth Turtle and Spirit Dove clans had vanished like smoke.

The innate talent of the Spirit Dove clan was Mind Illumination.

Turtledove Plume had been a Demon King of the Spirit Dove clan, and its talent for Mind Illumination far surpassed that of ordinary Spirit Doves. It was thanks to this that its True Spirit had remained clear throughout the long years of its sealing. The familiar scene stirred old feelings, and a wave of melancholy washed over it as it recalled memories of a bygone era.

”I thought after holding it in for so long, I’d finally find someone to talk to, but it turns out you’re a mute. Forget it. This king will let you die in ignorance. It’s not a good thing to know you’re about to be possessed by my Celestial Demon Soul Revival Skill anyway!” Turtledove Plume muttered to itself, dropped the half-eaten corpse from its hand, and walked step by step toward Ning Zhongyun.

Sweat beaded on Ning Zhongyun’s brow. He kept shuffling backward but didn’t dare turn and run.

The Blood Corpse’s speed was terrifying. It had killed his companions in a single exchange. To turn his back on it now would be suicide.

’What do I do?’

He pulled out a Teleportation Talisman. It was a Life-saving Talisman given to him by his master, Qingding Master, when he first became a True Inheritance disciple of Changchun Valley.

He had one, and only one.

Teleportation Talismans were exceptionally precious. Only a Nascent Soul True Monarch could refine such a Tier Four High-Grade Talisman. In the Southern Barbarian region, only the Temple Master of Huayi Temple knew how to draw them, so once used, it would be impossible to replace.

’I can’t escape. I have to use it!’

Ning Zhongyun saw with perfect clarity that the Blood Corpse’s power was not something he could contend with.

He feared that even the chief True Inheritance disciple of the valley could, at best, only defeat and drive it away, not slay this terrifying Blood Corpse.

Gritting his teeth, he crushed the Talisman in his hand.

Unexpectedly, there was a flash of Spiritual Light.

And nothing happened!

”Hahaha! This is killing me!” The Blood Corpse cackled, clutching its stomach.

Ning Zhongyun didn’t know it, but Turtledove Plume knew perfectly well that this place was under a Spatial Prohibition cast by a Great Power of the ancient Human Cultivators. Forget a mere Teleportation Talisman; even if it were revived as a Demon King, it wouldn’t be able to use a Spatial Escape Technique here.

If its Escape Skills hadn’t been sealed back then, with its astonishing speed as the Bright Pigeon Demon King, crossing a million li would have been child’s play. How could it have ever ended up dead?

It couldn’t win the fight, but it thought it could still escape.

But back then, there was no escape.

Seeing the Teleportation Talisman fail, Ning Zhongyun felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.

Listening to the Blood Corpse’s mocking tone, he realized he was facing a life-or-death crisis.

Yet there was no fear in his heart. After all, the title of True Inheritance was not easily earned. He, Ning Zhongyun, had distinguished himself from the thousands of disciples in Changchun Valley; he would not easily tarnish the name of his sect.

Besides, fear was useless.

It was better to fight with all his might; perhaps there was still a sliver of hope.

Suddenly, Ning Zhongyun looked past the Blood Corpse, a joyful surprise flashing in his eyes.

Yuan Ni had appeared!

...

Lü Zhong had followed Yuan Ni. He watched as she and her people joined forces with Ning Zhongyun to fight the Blood Corpse, but he had no intention of revealing himself. Instead, his gaze shifted toward the depths of Ruoshui Pond.

There, a faint purple glow could be seen.

’Is the Purple Nether Extreme Fire in there?’ he wondered.

He didn’t act rashly, choosing instead to first observe the distant battle.

The six people Yuan Ni had brought with her were clearly skilled in a formidable Trapping Array. Each held a large, cyan banner, and as they waved them, the very sky seemed to change color. They condensed walls of deathly wind that shifted unpredictably, trapping the astonishingly powerful Blood Corpse. Despite charging left and right, it could not break free.

’The Six Binding and Six Xun Array?’ Lü Zhong was surprised.

’The Yuan Family of Guiyuan River really has a deep foundation to possess even a Secret Array like this.’

’It seems that Blood Corpse won’t be able to escape for now.’

This was the perfect opportunity.

Lü Zhong had no desire to meddle in other people’s business. Revenge and the like could be set aside. The people who died weren’t close to him anyway, so how could that be more important than retrieving the Purple Nether Extreme Fire?

He immediately concealed his presence and crept toward the spot where he suspected the Purple Nether Extreme Fire was located.

He had only taken a few steps before he felt the deathly qi suddenly intensify, washing over him like a tide.

Under these conditions, even his Star Yang Gang couldn’t completely block the deathly qi. It began to corrode his skin, turning it bluish-gray. Even when he countered it with his Golden Sun Insect Fire, he couldn’t reverse the decaying trend.

’Thankfully, the Golden Sun Insect Fire just advanced. It should be able to hold on for a short while.’

Enduring the intense pain, Lü Zhong crept toward the source of the purple glow.

He crept to within two hundred zhang and stopped, using scene regression to investigate the source of the purple glow.

It was a fist-sized flame, purple with hints of white.

’Excellent! It’s the Purple Nether Extreme Fire!’

’I thought it would take me a year or so of slow exploration, and I even prepared a large number of Pills for the task. I never expected someone would clear the obstacles for me, letting me walk right in and find my target—the Purple Nether Extreme Fire.’