A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

「Evening.」

Lü Zhong returned to Lintao Pavilion, his steps unsteady.

Yu Feng’Er happened to be resting in the courtyard. When she saw his sunken eyes and utterly haggard appearance, she paled and rushed over to support him. ”Husband,” she said, her voice full of distress, ”wh-what happened to you?”

”It’s nothing. I was just testing a Magic Skill and got a little carried away,” Lü Zhong said. He took the cup of water a handmaiden offered, gulping it all down in one go. The feeling of a parched mouth and dry lips finally began to subside.

’Flying at several times the speed of sound is a lot more thrilling than that slow Flying Technique,’ he thought.

He’d just gotten a bit careless and flown thousands of miles away.

By the time he snapped out of it, he was in this sorry state.

”Is that so?” Yu Feng’Er gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him for a second. She knew a new place called Yihong House had opened in the city, and she’d heard it was filled with accomplished Fox Spirit cultivators.

’Don’t tell me my husband just...?’

”It’s really not what you’re thinking!” Lü Zhong looked completely exasperated.

’How is she still like this, even after reaching Foundation Establishment?’

With Yu Feng’Er helping him, he lay back in the Grandmaster’s Chair.

After using Meteor Escape, he felt his Essence Blood was drained, and even his cultivation showed signs of instability. ’Looks like I can’t use this Secret Skill casually,’ he thought. ’At least, not just to burn through my cultivation and Essence Blood for fun.’

...

The seasons turned, and spring followed summer.

A gentle spring rain drizzled on.

In the courtyard, a barrier of light kept the drizzle at bay.

Lü Zhong was drinking tea, as usual.

It had taken him a full six months of recuperation to finally overcome the aftereffects.

’Whew, that was rough!’

Thinking back on the past six months, Lü Zhong felt a pang of lingering fear. The feeling of having his Essence Blood drained was worse than any injury. He’d spent his days feeling listless and utterly drained of energy. Even more terrifying, Yu Feng’Er had been the one constantly taking the initiative.

It was the first time he’d ever felt that way since he began his journey of cultivation.

’Thankfully, it’s all over now.’

Cradling the sleeping Yu Feng’Er in his arms, Lü Zhong gently rocked the Grandmaster’s Chair. Filled with a sense of leisurely calm, he began to admire the curtain of spring rain.

”SLAP!”

A wandering hand was slapped away.

Yu Feng’Er rubbed her eyes, sat up, and stared at Lü Zhong. She straightened her messy collar, her face blushing as she pouted, ”Husband, why are your hands always wandering?”

”Haha, was I?” Lü Zhong played dumb.

For some reason, he’d recently found himself losing interest in dual cultivation.

He hadn’t visited the four new concubines he’d taken in a long time.

After all, the four of them were quite attractive—fair-skinned, beautiful, with long legs. And when it came to their oral and manual skills, they were nearly on par with the female cultivators of the Joyful Union Sect. Yet, Lü Zhong just couldn’t muster any interest.

’Was he getting tired of it?’

Not entirely.

After all, when it came to Yu Feng’Er, he could never get enough.

It was beneficial for both body and mind and even boosted his cultivation.

”By the way, I need to go on a trip soon,” Lü Zhong said, revealing his plans.

He still hadn’t managed to gather all the materials for the Star Mirror, and it seemed unlikely that he’d succeed by just waiting around. The ancient texts said that the Western Realm was rich in Magical Treasure Materials, which gave him the idea to head there.

But before he could do that, he first needed to find the Transmission Array leading to the Western Realm.

”Then...” Hearing this, Yu Feng’Er’s neck instantly flushed beet red.

Seeing her hesitate, Lü Zhong knew exactly what she was thinking. ’An old married couple, and she’s still too shy to say it.’ He leaned in close to her ear and whispered something.

”Ah? No way! That’s too embarrassing!” Yu Feng’Er exclaimed, immediately trying to get up and flee.

But Lü Zhong grabbed her before she could.

’Hmph, you think I can’t handle you?’ he thought.

He had been at a serious disadvantage for the past few months.

Today, he was going to settle the score.

With interest!

...

「Half a month later.」

Lü Zhong appeared thousands of miles deep within the Northern Great Forest Sea.

He was only a few thousand more miles from the Forest Sea’s innermost region.

After his breakthrough to the Core Formation Stage, the Gray Mist Space had changed. The cost of using Time Reversal was now lower, making it much easier for him to trace Lady Butterfly’s past movements.

After half a month of this tracing, Lü Zhong made a significant discovery.

Before him lay a valley overrun with a poisonous miasma.

It wasn’t large, only about three miles long.

’I’m certain of it. This is where Lady Butterfly emerged from.’

Being cautious, he didn’t rush in immediately.

Instead, relying on his Gray Mist Space, he first scouted the surrounding area. His caution paid off—he discovered a hidden danger. The valley looked peaceful, but in reality, it was a massive nest of Poisonous Insects.

’There are too many insects. I won’t be able to get in anytime soon. I’d better establish a cave-abode first.’

Deep within the Northern Great Forest Sea, even a Core Formation Stage Cultivator couldn’t withstand the terrifying Ten Thousand Trees Poisonous Miasma. A place to purge the poison was essential.

He would advance cautiously and consolidate his position at every step.

He would not be greedy and rush ahead recklessly.

He found a rocky hill and used a Fossil to Mud Talisman to quickly hollow out a space within the mountain. Then, using the Mud into Stone Axe skill to create partitions and setting up the necessary Arrays, his new cave-abode was complete.

With the mountain itself as a barrier, the Ten Thousand Trees Poisonous Miasma couldn’t seep in.

After several days of effort, Lü Zhong purged the toxins that had accumulated in his body.

Then, he began tackling the valley of Poisonous Insects.

The process proved to be difficult.

A Golden Core Master was still human, and humans could be poisoned.

The valley was an ideal breeding ground for Poisonous Insects. Consequently, there were hundreds of Tier One and Tier Two Insect Swarms. The valley, which stretched for several miles, was dotted with large Insect Nests, and the total number of Poisonous Insects likely reached a hundred thousand.

After suffering several setbacks, Lü Zhong abandoned his initial idea of a brute-force assault.

The presence of the Insect Swarm also served as a cover for the Transmission Array.

It was located deep in the Great Forest Sea and protected by a terrifying number of Poisonous Insects.

No wonder the Transmission Array had remained undiscovered for so long.

Based on his observations, the Transmission Array was most likely hidden inside an earthen mound within the valley. On several occasions when he’d gotten close enough to probe with his Divine Sense, he had detected the presence of artificial structures inside.