A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

All Spirit Fires on the Spirit Fire List are born with Spiritual Wisdom.

The only difference is the degree of this wisdom. They cannot be treated like ordinary Spirit Fires; touching one rashly will trigger an instinctual counterattack.

Lü Zhong observed for a moment and sensed that the Purple Nether Extreme Fire had not yet undergone Spirit Transformation.

When a Spirit Fire with Spiritual Wisdom awakens over a long period, it can form an independent consciousness, also known as a Fire Spirit.

If the Purple Nether Extreme Fire had truly birthed a Fire Spirit, he would have turned and fled without a moment’s hesitation. A Spirit Fire of that level was simply beyond the ability of a Small Foundation Establishment cultivator like him to subdue.

To be cautious, Lü Zhong expended some of his Power of Divine Sense, attempting to ”interfere with reality” from within the Gray Mist Space.

’It really hasn’t undergone Spirit Transformation.’

Reassured, he began to subdue the Purple Nether Extreme Fire before him.

He opened his mouth and spat out a golden Spirit Flame.

Forming a finger mantra, he executed the Flame Manipulation Technique, slowly guiding the Golden Sun Insect Fire to split into over a hundred golden threads. They traced an arc through the air, binding the purple flame like a giant net.

Just as he was about to suppress the Purple Nether Extreme Fire, a burst of astonishingly high temperature erupted.

Lü Zhong thought he had been careful enough but hadn’t expected the fire to be so volatile. He was forced to release his Dragon and Tiger Banner to defend himself.

Like a blooming flower, the Purple Nether Extreme Fire flared out violently.

Yang Fire’s defining trait is its ability to ignite negative-attribute spiritual energies like Death Qi and Yin Qi.

In an instant, the surrounding Death Qi ignited like oil poured on a fire, bursting into a raging inferno.

Although the oppressive Death Qi quickly forced the exploding Purple Nether Extreme Fire back to its original size, that sudden flare-up must have alerted the people and the Blood Corpse fighting outside.

Lü Zhong’s heart sank. ’This is bad!’

He had planned to take the Purple Nether Extreme Fire stealthily, but now his position had been revealed.

’Can’t worry about that now!’

After its outburst, the Purple Nether Extreme Fire’s intensity rapidly dwindled, leaving only a small flickering flame. He drew it into his hand in one motion but didn’t dare to store it away immediately.

The fire possessed Spiritual Wisdom; it was not a mere inanimate object.

He cast several Prohibitions, and in the blink of an eye, sealed the Golden Flame and the purple fire within it.

After carefully stowing it away, Lü Zhong prepared to leave.

Suddenly, his expression changed.

He spun and thrusted his sword, forcing back an attacking fist of shadow. Then, Lü Zhong flickered several times, retreating over a hundred feet. He stared at Ning Zhongyun, who was slowly retracting his fist, and sneered.

”Fellow Daoist Ning, what is the meaning of this?”

”Leave the Purple Nether Extreme Fire, and I promise to let you leave,” Ning Zhongyun said calmly.

His losses on this trip had been immense. A single High-tier Array-Breaking Bead was worth over a hundred thousand spirit stones, not to mention he had also used his only Teleportation Talisman. The loss was so great he could spit blood. If he couldn’t find something to make up for it, he would have no hope of reaching Core Formation within the next thirty years.

As for whether forcing Lü Zhong to hand over the Purple Nether Extreme Fire would offend both the man and the Chengde Commerce Association... Ning Zhongyun believed the potential gains far outweighed the costs. Besides, with his master, Qingding Master, backing him, dealing with any subsequent trouble would not be a problem.

”Heh, you’re so certain you can defeat me?” Lü Zhong laughed in fury. ’These sect elites are far too arrogant, completely looking down on Loose Cultivators.’

In that case, there was no need for more words.

He summoned the Qingyang Mirror, the Golden Sun Spirit Sword, and the Dragon and Tiger Banner in quick succession.

Seeing Lü Zhong take the initiative to attack, Ning Zhongyun momentarily wondered if he had misjudged. But then he saw that the Blood Corpse was still securely trapped, and his expression darkened. A silver light enveloped his fists as his body suddenly swelled to ten feet tall, his muscles bulging like an ancient, awakened bear.

He immediately unleashed a ferocious punch.

BOOM! The air cracked under the force.

Ning Zhongyun followed the path of Body Refining Mystic Cultivation. He had possessed Giant Strength since childhood, and his power had soared even further after completing his Body Refining.

Now, the power in a single punch was immense!

The two clashed, Fist Gang and sword shadows weaving a dazzling, deadly dance.

Lü Zhong was completely unafraid. He used his Star Shifting Step to constantly change position, looking for openings to unleash a furious barrage with his Late Sun Magic Sword. His Sword Momentum was as swift as a tempest, forcing even a Mystic Cultivator skilled in close combat to evade its sharp edge.

He relied on his powerful meridians and a Divine Soul that crushed others of his generation.

His onslaughts came in relentless waves, as ceaseless as the tide.

Ning Zhongyun grew increasingly alarmed, his expression losing all its earlier composure.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t read the intelligence reports on Lü Zhong.

How could one not make the necessary preparations before trying to snatch another’s prize?

Slaying the long-famous Sword Cultivator Ma Cheng, and the suspected killing of the notorious Demon Cultivator Lady Butterfly—both were remarkable achievements.

Ning Zhongyun was confident he could have accomplished the same, perhaps even better than Lü Zhong.

But now, he realized Lü Zhong’s strength far exceeded that.

This level of strength was enough to compete with the True Inheritance disciples of Changchun Valley’s nine core peaks.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Lü Zhong relentlessly blasted him with Palm Thunder.

Ning Zhongyun gritted his teeth and took the hits; there was no dodging a Thunder Spell.

At the same time, he calmed his mind, searching for an opportunity to counterattack.

He was a Mystic Cultivator; all his power resided in his body and his fists.

Facing a Magic Cultivator with such an agile Body Technique, Ning Zhongyun felt an unprecedented frustration. Lü Zhong’s movements showed no signs of exhaustion; he could go wherever he pleased, in any direction.

He was as slippery as an eel, giving Ning Zhongyun virtually no chance to land a punch.

Even when he occasionally revealed an opening, that damned Dragon and Tiger Spiritual Barrier would protect him.

After unleashing more than a dozen Palm Thunders in a row, Lü Zhong gave his opponent no chance to breathe, surging forward to clash again as he looked for opportunities to whittle down Ning Zhongyun’s surface layer of Gang Qi.

He had to admit, the strength of this Changchun Valley True Inheritance disciple was truly extraordinary.

Only after they fought did Lü Zhong realize he had still underestimated these favored children of the heavens.

The man’s Protective Gang Qi was ten times stronger than that of an ordinary cultivator; the only word to describe it was ”freakish.”

’Time to just chip away at him!’

’If I keep this up, I’ll wear him down sooner or later.’

Since they were in the Bone-Transforming Abyss and Lü Zhong had the advantage in speed, he wasn’t worried about his opponent escaping.

Taking a punch head-on, Lü Zhong condensed a Spirit Sword in each hand and shattered the Gang Qi on Ning Zhongyun’s body. Although a protective shield immediately formed, Lü Zhong still managed to land a vicious strike with his Golden Sun Spirit Sword, opening a foot-long wound.

This scene was witnessed by Yuan Ni, who was presiding over the Six Binding and Six Xun Array from a distance. A pained expression immediately crossed her face. Seeing ”the man she loved” injured, she instantly ordered her six subordinates to change their target.

”But...” The six men looked at the Blood Corpse trapped in the array. That was their most dangerous enemy.

With the strength of a Changchun Valley True Inheritance disciple, it would be no problem for him to hold out until they finished off the Blood Corpse.

”Just do it!” Yuan Ni commanded in a tone that brooked no argument.

She had another trump card: a protective treasure from her clan’s ancestor. It could suppress the Blood Corpse for a period of time—long enough for her six subordinates to trap and kill the Master of Lintao Pavilion.

At this, the six men hesitated.

She was a direct-line daughter of the Yuan Family; she had that right.

Disobeying her was a capital offense.

They exchanged a look.

Since Yuan Ni had given the order, they could only obey. Otherwise, their family members being held as hostages by the Yuan Family would all be executed.

They were not heartless people.

It was precisely because they had this vulnerability—a weakness they could not abandon—that they had been chosen to practice the Six Binding and Six Xun Array.