A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

The sky in the Western Realm was always a dim, crimson red.

The closer one got to the West Extreme Sword Domain, the deeper the color became. There wasn’t a soul to be seen along the way—only vegetation that had been corroded by the Crimson Spiritual Energy, twisted into bizarre shapes that filled one’s heart with a sense of oppression.

Seeing no need to fear his movements being exposed, Lü Zhong simply traveled at full speed.

At the Escape Speed of a Core Formation Cultivator, he could cover over a thousand li in a single ancient hour.

But to guard against potential threats and to counteract the effects of the Crimson Spiritual Energy, he would land every ancient hour to take a Pill, replenish his Qi, and regulate his breathing, all while restoring his exhausted Heart and Spirit.

He alternated between flying and stopping, occasionally changing direction along the way.

The farther west he went, the higher the concentration of Crimson Spiritual Energy became.

Given this trend, he couldn’t dare to imagine what the situation was like in the West Extreme Sword Domain, ninety thousand li away.

「Six months later.」

Lü Zhong successfully set foot in the West Extreme Sword Domain.

The concentration of Crimson Spiritual Energy here was clearly higher than in the Ye Ling Domain and Liluo Domain he had visited before. Fortunately, his Purple Nether Extreme Fire could still hold up, just barely managing to negate the effects of the Crimson Spiritual Energy.

Recalling the map of the Western Realm, he knew there was a Workshop Market ahead.

’I wonder if it’s been abandoned.’

He flew until the sky darkened, finally reaching the Workshop Market on the map.

Gazing at the lights of the Workshop Market nestled in a canyon ahead, Lü Zhong thought that this was finally some good news. The journey had been nothing but twisted vegetation and mutated monsters, unrecognizable from their original forms. As for the skeletal remains of creatures that had perished in the cataclysm, they were too numerous to count.

Some places were simply seas of bones stretching for a thousand li.

After Concealing his Breath and Traces, Lü Zhong changed into the clothes of a Western Border Cultivator and entered the Workshop Market.

”Ningyun Square.”

That was the name of this Workshop Market.

The square wasn’t large, but it had all the necessities.

The streets stretched along the canyon, lined with one shop after another. However, most had already gone out of business or were on the verge of it. Many couldn’t even afford to hire a Receptionist, leaving the Shopkeepers to attend to customers themselves.

Only shops selling high-demand resources like Pills and Spirit Rice, or establishments like eateries and taverns, would occasionally see cultivators coming and going.

The air inside the Workshop Market was pure. Compared to the outside, the concentration of Crimson Spiritual Energy was like the difference between heaven and earth.

This was clearly thanks to the Spirit Suppression Array within the Workshop Market.

Lü Zhong planned to sell his goods in Ningyun Square and then, depending on the situation, decide whether to purchase a batch of local specialties to take back to the Southern Barbarian lands for a profit. That way, he could make money twice on one trip.

He didn’t rush to the trading houses, first taking the time to inquire about the prices throughout the square.

The prices of most items were not much different from those in the Ye Ling Domain and Liluo Domain, with only a slight increase. The truly expensive goods were the materials strictly controlled and embargoed by the True Central Sect, such as various Healing Elixirs and the Spirit Oil needed to maintain Magical Artifacts. All had seen price hikes to varying degrees.

In contrast, the prices for various spiritual ore materials were less than a quarter of what they were in the Southern Barbarian lands.

”Shopkeeper, how much for this piece of Tier Three Star Iron Stone?” Lü Zhong asked, pointing to a stone covered in specks of light.

Refining Star Iron Stone into his Star Mirror could effectively amplify the power of his Star Gathering Skill, which was a roundabout way of increasing his own strength. That’s why he had taken a liking to it the moment he saw it.

”For trade only, not for sale. Fellow Daoist, you should know the value of this item. In the past, it would have been a priceless heirloom. The baseline price for exchange is ten thousand jin of high-quality Spirit Rice. However, if you have something else that catches my eye, I’m open to that as well,” the shop owner stated his terms.

’Ten thousand jin of Spirit Rice?’

Lü Zhong heard the price and thought it was surprisingly cheap.

In the Southern Barbarian lands, it would cost at least fifty or sixty thousand Spirit Stones.

But here in the Western Realm, he estimated the shop owner would agree in a heartbeat even if he offered old, stale rice.

”What about this Soul Wind Crystal?”

Soul Wind Crystals were also good items, essential for refining Floating Arrays. The larger the crystal, the greater the buoyancy it provided. One of the reasons the Southern Barbarian lands couldn’t build Mountain Shaking Ships was the inability to find suitable Soul Wind Crystals.

This material was only produced in the West Extreme Sword Domain.

The one before him was as large as a human head, enough to lift a miniature Mountain Shaking Ship into the air.

”This item is precious. It was once a treasure from a Major Sect’s vault. You must trade for it with Tier Three or higher Healing Elixirs, or perhaps a hundred jin of Soul Evil Spirit Dust.”

Another term he had never heard before. Lü Zhong committed ”Soul Evil Spirit Dust” to memory.

”Do you have any Star Stones in the shop?”

”Apologies, customer. I don’t have that in my shop. You could ask elsewhere, someone might have it.” Perhaps sensing Lü Zhong was just a window-shopper, the shop owner’s reply grew more impatient.

Lü Zhong pretended not to notice and continued inquiring about prices, one item after another.

After visiting every open shop, he had his eye on several Spiritual Objects.

Seeing that the sky had already grown dark, he went to the only inn in the Workshop Market.

In a small market square like this, the inn offered more than just lodging; it also functioned as a brothel. As it happened, Lü Zhong had some matters he wanted to inquire about, so he invited a Western Border Female Cultivator to join him for a night of... ”discussion.”

The gains were not insignificant.

He found out what Soul Evil Spirit Dust was.

Gazing into the Water Mirror Technique at the shadowy monsters with skull-like faces coalesced on their heads, Lü Zhong was completely stunned. So *that* was a Soul Evil—a creature twisted from the remnants of souls and spirits.

When a Soul Evil dies, its remains combine with the Crimson Spiritual Energy to produce a type of red spiritual dust.

This spiritual dust had extraordinary uses.

According to the long-legged Female Cultivator, it could be used to refine the ”Anti-Ape Pill,” which could effectively clear away the effects of the Crimson Spiritual Energy. It was said to be the latest achievement of the Western Border Alliance.

’The Western Border Alliance again...’ Lü Zhong realized this group wasn’t just spouting slogans; they were actually taking action.

He suspected that the ”Spirit Suppression Array” was also something the Western Border Alliance had developed.