A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Lü Zhong slowly concluded his practice.

After three months of secluded cultivation, his cultivation had increased as usual.

It was the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra that brought him a pleasant surprise. After unblocking the fourth Acupoint, both his vitality and physical strength had noticeably increased. The progress was visible to the naked eye.

In his good mood, he even ate a few extra bowls of Spirit Rice.

With the day’s cultivation finished, Lü Zhong decided to visit Yun Zhai after his meal.

With the Token he had, his passage was unobstructed.

”Fellow Daoist Lü, you’ve come! Please, come in!”

”Your cave abode is quite remarkable, Fellow Daoist. The air is filled with lightning. I imagine it’s a great help for practicing your Cultivation Technique?” Lü Zhong followed Yun Zhai into his cave abode. It was furnished with many lightning-attracting objects that would sizzle and flash with bolts of lightning from time to time. The air was especially thick with the aura of thunder and fire.

Cultivating in a place like this would surely have many benefits.

”Not at all, not at all. You flatter me, Fellow Daoist. It’s just for show.” Yun Zhai waved his hand humbly, but the smug look on his face clearly showed he didn’t mean it.

The two chatted as they walked and soon sat down in the main hall of the cave abode. A moment later, a female attendant brought them tea, while another set out a platter of fruits and pastries before respectfully withdrawing.

They called it a discussion, but it was really a trade of knowledge.

They took turns, each revealing a bit of information. If they felt the other party was sincere and the exchange was fruitful, they would continue.

If not, the conversation would end there.

Seeing Yun Zhai’s sincerity, Lü Zhong also shared some genuine insights.

Back and forth they went, and both of them gained quite a bit.

After a while, seeing that continuing the discussion would involve the core of their Cultivation Techniques—a cultivator’s most private secret—Yun Zhai proactively changed the subject. He picked up a cup of Spirit Tea, drank it, and looked at Lü Zhong. ”I was wondering, Fellow Daoist, do you still have a need for Silver Marrow?”

”Oh?” Lü Zhong’s interest was piqued.

For him, the more Silver Marrow, the better. He could never have too much.

”Please speak plainly, Fellow Daoist.”

”Alright, then I’ll be direct.” Yun Zhai set down his teacup and said, ”As far as I know, the Silver Marrow our Sect acquired a while ago all came from Chilian Mountain. It’s a notoriously dangerous place within the Xuanyang Sect’s territory. There’s still a lot of Silver Marrow there, and I’d like to team up with you to explore it, Fellow Daoist.”

Chilian Mountain.

Lü Zhong fell into deep thought after hearing this.

The name Chilian Mountain was infamous for danger throughout the Southern Barbarian lands.

Located in the treacherous Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Profound Sun Domain, it still preserved the environment of ancient times, which was why many Thousand-year-old Pills could still be found there. But at the same time, Chilian Mountain was fraught with peril. Many ancient, strange species lived within the mountains. Not only had several Golden Core Masters been lost there, their bodies never to be recovered, but even a Nascent Soul True Monarch had suffered a loss there, barely escaping with his life and sustaining heavy injuries.

Going to a place like that was a life-or-death gamble.

’My gains from this trip are already sufficient. Once I return and fully absorb them, my Thunder Skill should improve by several degrees. There’s no need to take excessive risks. That goes against my usual style.’

Thinking this, Lü Zhong had his answer.

...

In the days that followed, the situation in the Southern Barbarian lands grew increasingly turbulent and unpredictable.

From the westernmost Lingyue Domain to the easternmost Changchun Domain, incidents occurred one after another. The entire Southern Barbarian region seemed to have been thrown into a chaotic mess.

One day a Sect would be annihilated, the next some prodigy would be assassinated.

The Heling Sect was heavily affected, and Shuini had written to him several times to complain about her hardships. Lü Zhong knew exactly what she was getting at, so he allocated a batch of resources to support her, treating it as an investment.

’Once Shuini achieves Nascent Soul in the future, I, as her junior, will also benefit.’

The Bihai Island Group, on the other hand, was a picture of tranquility.

This was likely because the entire region was controlled by a single power. It wasn’t that there were no disturbances, but with the combined efforts of the Chengde Commerce Association and the Bihai Sect, any unrest was quickly suppressed.

As a result, the Bihai Island Group became a rare Pure Land in these chaotic times.

Recently, several families had already relocated here.

With the addition of these cultivators, the Bihai Island Group was poised to become even more prosperous.

The good news didn’t stop there. After a period of exploration, the Chengde Commerce Association had successfully established a foothold on the Nether Abyss Continent. The next step was to explore for mineral veins.

He was one step closer to finding the Nether Flame Purple Iron.

...

「Two years passed in the blink of an eye.」

On this day, Lü Zhong was sitting cross-legged in his Quiet Chamber.

He placed a Replenishing Qi Pill in his mouth, preparing to restore his consumed Magical Power and pass the time while waiting for the one-month period to end.

But after about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he opened his eyes with a frown. His gaze shifted toward the core area, his expression turning grim.

For some reason, Lü Zhong’s Heart and Spirit felt unsettled. His left eye twitched uncontrollably, and he had a persistent feeling that something major was about to happen, making him unable to sit still.

He couldn’t enter a state of Meditation.

’What on earth is causing this?’

Lü Zhong pondered inwardly. ’Based on my observations, the Evil Spirit hasn’t shown any unusual activity recently. Even the number of Souls of the Dead in the Underground Palace has decreased significantly.’

’Is my Spiritual Sense mistaken?’

’Or...’

Agitated, he simply got up and walked out of the Quiet Chamber.

’No matter what’s about to happen, it must be related to the suppressed Evil Spirit. Since that’s the source, there’s no harm in getting away from here.’

’I’m being really paranoid!’ Lü Zhong laughed at himself inwardly.

So he got up, walked out of the Quiet Chamber, and prepared to leave the Underground Palace at the bottom of the lake.

He wasn’t afraid of violating his contract. He had already prepared for a rainy day, having obtained permission from Changchun Valley to leave for one day. The price was an extra half a year of guard duty.

Half a year for one day. At first glance, it seemed like a terrible deal.

But Lü Zhong had always trusted his Spiritual Sense. Thinking of how terrifying that Evil Spirit was, he felt that even if it meant an extra half-year of guard duty, exchanging it for a chance to avoid danger was absolutely a worthwhile trade.

Just as he stepped out, a Female Cultivator dressed in black emerged from the Quiet Chamber opposite his.

This woman was named Gu Yao, and she was at the Mid-stage Core Formation.

Lü Zhong had seen her fight a few times before. She had mastered a Secret Technique that turned Magical Power into Talismans. The torrent of Evil-breaking Talismans she could unleash was nearly as effective against the Souls of the Dead as his Purple Nether Extreme Fire.

Of course, it was far inferior to his Wood Thunder Skill.

”Fellow Daoist Lü, you sensed it too?” Gu Yao’s hoarse voice came from beneath her black veil.

”That’s right.” Lü Zhong nodded.

The feedback from his Spiritual Sense was extremely distinct; it was impossible to ignore.

Even if he tried to deceive himself.

When the two arrived at the reception area, they found the other four were already there. They had all clearly sensed the approaching danger. Golden Flame Wanderer, seated at the head, had a grim expression. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he said with a wry smile:

”Everyone, we have a problem!”

”Then what are we waiting for? Let’s leave together!” The Thunder Manipulation Twins were remarkably decisive. They stood up and started walking toward the Underground Palace exit, preferring to suffer the backlash of breaking their contract rather than remain at the center of the storm.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong inwardly praised them.

’So I am not alone in this.’

He glanced at Gu Yao and Mur Xuan; they probably had the same idea.

”AHEM, AHEM!” Golden Flame Wanderer coughed heavily and said awkwardly, ”It’s not that serious. Changchun Valley has just informed us that a wave of malevolent thought is about to overflow. They’re gathering us to help eradicate the large number of Souls of the Dead that will spawn. It’s not a life-or-death crisis.”

Learning the true situation, everyone felt a wave of relief.

Sometimes, Spiritual Sense wasn’t reliable and could give false alarms.

The six of them then hurried to the location of the Life Gate. There, they saw the Core Formation cultivators from Changchun Valley, led by Yun Zhai, already in formation and battling a white monster.

The monster resembled a white wolf. It had eight limbs—half wolf legs, half human hands—but its head looked like a jellyfish. Its entire body was covered with a large number of Souls of the Dead. Even from over two hundred zhang away, they could feel a suction force.

The suction pulled at their Divine Souls, but fortunately, everyone present had Core Formation Cultivation and was not afraid.

Without needing Yun Zhai to say anything, the group consciously joined the fight.

Lü Zhong stood at the edge of the fray, occasionally casting a Thunder Swamp. He would also use Palm Thunder to deliver finishing blows, taking out the Souls of the Dead that got close to the main battle, all while keeping an eye on his escape route.

Golden Flame Wanderer and the others were mostly doing the same, perfectly exhibiting the characteristics of Loose Cultivators.

But things went smoother than they could have imagined.

Under the assault of Yun Zhai’s Thunder Skill, the monster born from malevolent thought was quickly defeated. With a final HOWL, it turned into black smoke and completely dissipated into the air.

Taking a moment, Lü Zhong observed the Evil Spirit in the direction of the core area.

He discovered that it had suddenly weakened a great deal.

It seemed that the destruction of that wave of malevolent thought had a significant impact on it.