A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

A shadow of a sword shot forth, becoming a beam of Sword Light that slashed toward the Black Corpse Nuo.

Lü Zhong wielded Rouge, Spiritual Light shimmering around him as his aura surged, growing stronger by the moment.

Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. Before attacking, he didn’t forget to bolster himself with the Flying Star Qi Introduction Skill, the Star Blessing from his Star Patterned Robe, and the Star Gathering Skill Divine Technique from his Lifebound Treasure.

”CLANG!”

The Flying Sword struck the Black Corpse Nuo’s body. Instead of the expected scene of a blade sinking into flesh, a shower of sparks erupted with the sound of metal on metal.

Spiderweb cracks appeared at the point of impact.

Black Qi seeped from the cracks, emitting the distinctive color of Corpse Qi through the lens of his Qi Observation Skill.

A stench of rot, as if it had fermented for countless years, poured out from the fissures.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong unleashed a Palm Thunder. The lightning bolt struck the creature, instantly igniting the black Qi, but the electric flames were quickly extinguished by a fresh surge of Corpse Qi. He followed up with several more lightning bolts, but the Black Corpse Nuo dodged them with surprising agility.

The ground trembled. The Black Corpse Nuo, moving at a speed that defied its size, closed the distance to Lü Zhong in the span of a breath.

It reared back slightly, then swung its two wheel-sized palms. A gurgling sound escaped its mouth as its arms became a blur of afterimages, slapping madly toward him.

But all of these attacks were blocked by two Flood Dragon Spirit Banners.

The only price was that the Flood Dragon Spirits on them dimmed considerably.

’What fine treasures!’ Lü Zhong praised inwardly.

Seeing the Black Corpse Nuo fall into a temporary state of weakness after its outburst, he activated his Star Mirror. The attack blasted a large swath of new fissures across its body. Even more Corpse Qi poured out, and with a flick of his hand, Lü Zhong sent a wisp of Purple Flame flying.

The moment the Purple Nether Extreme Fire landed on the Black Corpse Nuo, it immediately ignited the Corpse Qi covering its body.

In an instant, the creature became a living torch.

”AARGH!” A continuous, bloodcurdling scream escaped its mouth—a sound that was part human, part beast.

It was no longer able to resist.

Watching this from a distance, Liu Yu’s face was a mask of horror.

How could he not know that the power Master Lü had just unleashed was Yang Fire? To run into a cultivator like this meant that no matter what incredible abilities he possessed, he would be utterly suppressed by that same Yang Fire.

In the Cultivation Realm, the decline of the Demon Dao was no accident.

Yang Qi talismans, Thunder Skills, and Yang Fire—all were methods that countered Demon Cultivators.

And all of these methods originated from that sermon given by the Immortals.

Ever since then, the Demon Dao and other Heterodox Daos had declined day by day.

With a THUD, Liu Yu dropped to his knees and cried out:

”Senior, I know I was wrong! Spare me!”

Just as he spoke, something unexpected happened to the Black Corpse Nuo. All the flames on its body sank inward, followed by an eruption of even more black Qi. A heart-pounding aura burst forth.

Its power level instantly shot up from Early-stage Core Formation to a level comparable to the Mid-stage Core Formation.

It let out a roar that sounded like one of liberation.

The next moment, without the slightest warning, it exploded into action.

It transformed into a black shadow and lunged at Lü Zhong.

”Hahaha, I knew you weren’t so simple!” Liu Yu scrambled up from the ground, all traces of his previous groveling gone. A vicious glint appeared in his eyes as he hastily activated the broken effigy in his hand.

”Kill him for me!”

It was like the coming of a gale!

Enveloped in black Qi, the Black Corpse Nuo’s arms no longer resembled human hands. They were more like bestial claws, each of its five fingers tipped with sharp, foot-long black nails. With a single swipe, it tore the incoming Mirror Light to shreds.

”SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!”

Its left and right claws moved in unison, weaving a net of phantom claws.

Lü Zhong remained undaunted, materializing a Late Sun Magic Sword in each hand to counter the attack.

For a moment, the sound of striking metal was as dense as a drumroll.

Stray gusts from the claws or beams of Sword Light would occasionally escape the fray, kicking up clouds of dust wherever they landed in the ruins. One beam of Sword Light from a Late Sun Magic Sword, in particular, struck a stone pillar that had stood for countless years.

It was instantly sliced in two, the cross-section as smooth as a mirror.

In just a few breaths, the area was completely transformed.

”AARGH!”

The Black Corpse Nuo shrieked in pain as three fingers were sliced off its left hand. It dissolved into a black cloud and retreated.

”So that’s the extent of it.” Lü Zhong dispelled the Magic Swords in his hands, his expression remaining placid.

’I don’t know what happened to the Black Corpse Nuo to make its aura surge to a level approaching the Mid-stage Core Formation,’ he thought, ’but its actual strength doesn’t seem to match its Realm. It might be stronger than an average Early-stage Core Formation cultivator, but it’s still far inferior to a veteran Core Formation Cultivator like Yue Cang.’

He began to walk slowly toward Liu Yu.

At the sight, Liu Yu’s back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

”Get up there! Why aren’t you attacking!” Liu Yu frantically activated the broken effigy, ordering the Black Corpse Nuo forward. When he saw it cowering in fear of Lü Zhong, he flew into a humiliated rage and kicked it viciously several times.

Unexpectedly, this only served to provoke the Black Corpse Nuo’s ferocity.

It turned and bit off Liu Yu’s head in one go, leaving behind a headless body spouting blood.

With a flick of its tongue, it snatched the broken effigy and swallowed it.

Then it slammed a palm down, leaving nothing but a dispersing mist of blood where the body had been.

Immediately after, it tilted its head back and inhaled.

The entire blood mist was drawn into the Black Corpse Nuo’s mouth.

Its aura instantly recovered a great deal.

Then, the wound on its left palm began to squirm, and the three fingers Lü Zhong had severed regenerated completely.

”ROAR!”

The Black Corpse Nuo roared and shot off like an arrow from a bow.

It charged rapidly toward the outskirts of the Workshop Market.

Lü Zhong was stunned for a moment, but he quickly recovered. ’This foul creature is surprisingly cunning,’ he thought. He had expected it to charge and fight him to the death, but instead, it had turned to flee.

”But, do you really think you can escape?”

The Black Corpse Nuo had barely covered a hundred zhang when it suddenly felt an energy lock onto it.

The Wood Thunder Skill that Lü Zhong had been preparing for some time appeared with pinpoint accuracy ten zhang ahead of the creature.

Lightning materialized from the Void, instantly creating a vast Thunder Swamp.

The roar of thunder lasted for a full second before fading.

When the lightning dissipated, all that remained was a cloud of white ash drifting down.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had heard the commotion and rushed over from a distance, witnessed this astonishing scene. They were utterly dumbfounded, unable to hide the shock on their faces.