A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

A moment later, a streak of rainbow light arrived before the fleet of ships.

It was the Bidao Wanderer.

The Bidao Wanderer’s eyes were filled with malice, twisting his otherwise handsome features and making it impossible for anyone to feel any goodwill toward him.

Lü Zhong flew out from his Flying Ship, stared at the man, and said coldly, ”Bidao, the Chengde Commerce Association and your Bihai Cultivation Association have no grievances with each other, yet you slaughtered more than a hundred of my people. I advise you to surrender now, or you won’t like what happens next!”

”Hahaha! You want me to surrender? On what grounds? You’re just a newly-ascended Core Formation Cultivator!” The Bidao Wanderer laughed wildly. He had dared to move against the Chengde Commerce Association precisely because he knew Lü Zhong had just reached Core Formation and was certain Lü Zhong was weaker than him.

”Fellow Daoist Lü, enough with the pleasantries. If you want to kill me, Li Yuanzhen, then come and try!”

It was as if his words were a signal.

A pillar of water shot up from the sea below, revealing the aura of a Core Formation Cultivator.

’An ambush, just as I expected!’ Lü Zhong was not surprised.

According to the intelligence he had received, the Bihai Cultivation Association was extremely close to the Great Sun Ship Gang. If he wasn’t mistaken, the person emerging now was likely the Gang Leader of the Great Sun Ship Gang, Sea Dragon, a cultivator with a Water Elemental Spirit Body and an Early-stage Core Formation cultivation.

Once he saw the man’s figure clearly, especially the Flood Dragon Tattoo on his body, Lü Zhong instantly confirmed his identity.

It was indeed Sea Dragon, the Gang Leader of the Great Sun Ship Gang.

”It’s two against one. Master Lü, you should just surrender without a fight!”

Sea Dragon made no effort to conceal his aura, his tone exceptionally arrogant. His gaze had already drifted to the fleet of Flying Ships behind Lü Zhong, and he couldn’t stop a surge of intense greed, wishing he could claim them all for himself.

As the two men closed in, Lü Zhong smiled faintly. ”Do you two really think you have me cornered?”

The next moment, a formidable aura erupted.

The oppressive might of a Mid-stage Core Formation Cultivator immediately enveloped the entire battlefield.

”This is bad!” The Bidao Wanderer’s face fell.

Without a second thought, Sea Dragon, who was beside him, dove straight for the sea below.

He possessed a Water Elemental Spirit Body, and in the water, he was like a fish returning to the sea. It gave him a considerable advantage in combat. Even if targeted by a Mid-stage Core Formation Cultivator, he was confident he could escape.

Assuming he could get into the water.

”Hah!” Shuini, who had just appeared, let out a sharp cry.

At the same time, she pointed a delicate finger forward.

A Small Flag by her side vanished, reappearing in an instant beneath Sea Dragon.

This Small Flag Magical Treasure was of no ordinary origin. It opened like an umbrella, forming a hemispherical shield. Though Sea Dragon quickly shattered it with his Water-Splitting Needle Magical Treasure, her goal had already been accomplished.

It was too late for Sea Dragon to dive into the sea again.

Seeing the two of them engaged in combat, Lü Zhong looked away and turned his attention to the Bidao Wanderer.

”Now, it’s our turn.”

”As if I’m afraid of you! Die!” Before the Bidao Wanderer had even finished speaking, he threw out a Moon Wheel Magical Treasure, which swelled in the wind until it was ten feet across.

The Moon Wheel whirled and shot straight at Lü Zhong, intending to slice him apart.

Lü Zhong showed not a hint of fear.

He raised a hand and released the Star Mirror.

Sensing the powerful Spiritual Qi fluctuations emanating from the little mirror, the Bidao Wanderer felt a sense of foreboding. This Lü Zhong’s strength was far beyond what a new Core Formation Cultivator should possess.

Before he could react, several beams of Mirror Light struck the Moon Wheel.

The Moon Wheel’s advance came to a dead stop.

This was followed by another barrage of Mirror Light.

The Bidao Wanderer’s face was a mask of horror. He stared at Lü Zhong, now bathed in starlight, and was too shocked to speak.

”Y-your... what layer of Prohibition does your Magical Treasure have?”

”Tenth Layer!” Lü Zhong replied, his expression unchanging.

Unexpectedly, the Bidao Wanderer took him at his word. After all, they were both at the same cultivation Realm and were both Loose Cultivators. Logically, the disparity in their strength shouldn’t be this great.

The only explanation that made sense was an exceptionally powerful Magical Treasure.

”Stop, stop, stop! Loose Cultivators shouldn’t fight one another! Let me apologize, Fellow Daoist Lü!” The Bidao Wanderer was nothing if not pragmatic, completely forgetting his earlier bravado as he uttered these words.

But Lü Zhong had no intention of letting the man go.

The Chengde Commerce Association needed the Bidao Wanderer’s head to serve as a warning to any other crooks with sinister designs.

Otherwise, massacres like this would happen again and again.

The Bidao Wanderer fell even faster than Lü Zhong had anticipated.

In a little over ten exchanges, he was run through the chest by the sword, Rouge.

”You... don’t think... you can escape... Let’s die together!”

The Bidao Wanderer clutched his heart. Dazzling threads of Spiritual Light flared across his body as his centuries of cultivation rapidly dissolved. A terrifying, heart-stopping aura was brewing inside him.

But before he could finish self-destructing, a Thunder Swamp descended with a deafening ROAR.

Countless bolts of lightning materialized from the Void.

It triggered the Bidao Wanderer’s explosion prematurely.

All at once!

A terrifying explosion erupted.

Though he was hundreds of feet away, Lü Zhong was blown back several miles before he managed to regain his footing.

Looking toward the site of the explosion, he saw that the blast had parted the sea for hundreds of feet, revealing the coral reef below. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief. ’If not for that flash of inspiration, I would have been severely injured just now.’

This was the first time his Protective Gang Qi had ever been breached.

’He self-destructed the moment things looked bad. That Bidao Wanderer was a ruthless one. I’ll have to be more careful when dealing with Core Formation Cultivators in the future, or I’ll really get taken down with them.’ A wave of fear washed over Lü Zhong at the thought.

Suddenly, a miserable shriek echoed from the distance.

It was Sea Dragon. Unable to defeat Shuini, he had been hacked to pieces in midair.

From the beginning of the battle to its end, not even fifteen minutes had passed.

Two Core Formation Cultivators had fallen, one after the other.

Victory had come swiftly, but it had not been easy.

Lü Zhong had nearly been killed in the self-detonation.

Shuini’s situation was not much better. This was a battle between Core Formation Cultivators, after all. Even being a Small Realm higher in cultivation was no guarantee of emerging unscathed, and she had been wounded by Sea Dragon’s desperate final attack.