A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Lü Zhong took in the entire scene but didn’t make a rash move.

’The enemy is out in the open while I’m in the shadows. This is a huge advantage for me.’

’Those two are just pawns. Capturing them for interrogation, or even a Soul Search, probably wouldn’t yield much useful information. It’s better to keep them around for now so I can discover their plans in time.’

With this in mind, Lü Zhong remained vigilant.

He checked the cabin, and seeing no hidden traps or devices, sat down cross-legged to cultivate.

He took out the Thunder Stone. It had already shrunk to the size of a fist.

He continued to draw power from the Thunder Stone, nourishing the Wood Thunder Seal in his Sea of Consciousness.

’Ancient Cultivation Techniques are great, but they’re too dependent on Spiritual Objects,’ Lü Zhong mused. ’Once I finish refining this Thunder Stone, the cultivation speed of my Wood Thunder Seal will slow drastically until I find a new one.’

’For the Thunder Seal to undergo new changes, I’ll have to find other Spiritual Objects.’

’Things like the Illusory Immortal Orchid or Silver Marrow.’

He put the thoughts aside, closed his eyes, and resumed his cultivation.

Instantly, flashes of lightning filled the cabin.

...

They had set off at sunset, and the fleet was expected to reach its destination by Midnight.

Snow Dragon Pass was known as the most formidable pass in the Southern Barbarian lands.

The pass was located at the border of two realms, an important mountain gap in the Snow Dragon Mountain Range which stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Beyond it lay the vast plains of the Inference Realm. If the Changchun Valley’s cultivator army were to attack from here, they could strike directly at the Yan Zhen Sect’s main gate, making its strategic position incredibly important.

For this very reason, Changchun Valley had reinforced the pass’s defenses the moment the war began.

The Ye siblings were currently on the lead Flying Ship of the fleet.

They were observing their surroundings while making idle chitchat.

”Brother, can you please not bring shame to the Ye Family? Elder Lü seemed very displeased with you today!” Ye Mei said with a look of resignation. ’My brother is great in every other way, he’s just too effeminate, like a woman.’

”I know, I know! I’m trying to change, aren’t I?” Ye Yun said, trying his best to sound manly, but his voice came out delicate and soft.

He couldn’t really be blamed for it. It was all because he had mistakenly eaten a Spirit Fruit in his youth.

Ever since then, he had grown more and more feminine with each passing day.

”Sigh...” Ye Mei sighed and said no more.

She took out a map to check their position. The fleet only had to cross a few more mountain ridges to reach Snow Dragon Pass.

Suddenly, she caught a flash of light from the ridge ahead.

”This is bad! It’s an ambush!” Ye Mei’s expression changed drastically as she cried out.

Ye Yun, beside her, reacted with incredible speed.

BANG! The Warning Fireworks exploded in the sky.

At almost the same instant, a vast expanse of Spiritual Light erupted from the ridge ahead. Bolts of light shot forth, surging toward them like a torrential downpour and blanketing the entire fleet.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The alarm bells began to ring wildly.

Lü Zhong was already on deck, his brow deeply furrowed as he watched the waves of light bolts assail them.

”Reporting, Elder! We’ve spotted an Allied Army battle formation ahead. Your orders?” a messenger cultivator at his side reported, having just relayed the message from the Ye siblings.

”Ignore them,” Lü Zhong said calmly. ”Push the Arrays to maximum output and head straight for Snow Dragon Pass!”

An indiscriminate, widespread attack like this posed no threat to the fleet; it couldn’t possibly break through the Flying Ships’ protective shields.

He was no greenhorn who had never seen a storm before; he wouldn’t lose his head and be frightened into retreating.

Enduring the sky-filling barrage, the fleet of Flying Ships sped past without a single loss.

In the process, Lü Zhong had already cast all of his buffing Magic Skills.

Flying Star Qi Introduction Skill, Star Blessing, Star Gathering Skill...

His entire aura strengthened rapidly.

’No Core Formation Cultivators are trying to intercept us. It looks like something really has happened at Snow Dragon Pass.’ As Lü Zhong expertly formed hand seals and chanted, he mobilized his True Essence to cast the Wood Thunder Skill, all while wondering what could have befallen Snow Dragon Pass.

The fleet gained altitude, quickly crossing a mountain ridge.

A brutal scene unfolded before their eyes.

A metallic, bloody wind carried the thunderous sounds of battle. The fighting at Snow Dragon Pass had reached a fever pitch.

For some unknown reason, the Grand Array—strong enough to withstand a Nascent Soul True Monarch’s attacks for half a year—had not been activated. The entirety of Snow Dragon Pass was engulfed in the flames of war, with cultivators fighting to the death for every inch of land.

Spiritual Light of all colors flashed, and Magical Artifacts rained down in dense barrages.

The sounds of explosions and whistling were incessant.

Seven Flying Ships of various sizes, all bearing the Allied Army’s banner, hovered in the air in a circular formation.

Cultivators on the ships were Casting, carrying out a targeted bombardment on Snow Dragon Pass.

Noticing the arrival of the Changchun Valley fleet, the surfaces of the seven Flying Ships glowed with Spiritual Light. They quickly reformed into a single-file line and charged toward Lü Zhong’s fleet, which had just entered the battlefield.

”Engage them!” Lü Zhong ordered.

Judging from the battle below, the resistance at Snow Dragon Pass was still somewhat organized.

They clearly hadn’t reached the breaking point.

After some consideration, he decided to lend them a hand.

It wasn’t that Lü Zhong was being reckless. If he stood by and did nothing, Changchun Valley would certainly hold him accountable when he returned. Since there was still a chance to turn the tide, he had to take it.

’Besides, even if we lose, I’m confident I can escape.’

In an instant, the two fleets clashed.

It was an ”old-fashioned” boarding battle.

Although the name ”War Flying Ship” included the word ”war,” in reality, their Defense was merely stronger than that of ordinary Flying Ships. Their combat power couldn’t compare to the Mountain Shaking Ships of Central Earth. With Central Earth controlling the distribution of Primordial Cannons, these ships lacked any potent long-range weapons.

With their protective shields up, neither side could harm the other.

Thus, boarding actions became the primary method for deciding victory or defeat.

The moment the battle began, Lü Zhong raised a hand and unleashed a Magic Skill at the opposing ship.

CRACKLE! SIZZLE!

A Thunder Swamp materialized out of thin air on the enemy’s deck.

In the ensuing chaotic bombardment, the cultivators on deck immediately suffered heavy casualties.

A disheveled figure flew out from the chaos. He wore his hair in a Primordial Bun and was dressed like a Daoist. Exuding the aura of an Early-stage Core Formation cultivator, he stared at Lü Zhong with a look of shock and suspicion.