A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

”This is the Profound Ice Banner, a disposable Magical Treasure I refined by imitating the Spirit Treasure, the Water-Chasing Banner. It’s powerful enough to freeze the Fire Vein for a full ancient hour. With that much time, and with the two of us working together, how could we possibly fail?”

’So he has something like this.’ Lü Zhong thought he had miscalculated, but his expression remained unchanged.

As he carefully observed the Profound Ice Banner, he could indeed sense a terrifying freezing power. Its might was nearly comparable to the Twelve-layered Forbidden Treasures recorded in ancient texts.

With such power, it was certainly worthy of being called a replica of a Spirit Treasure.

Perhaps they really could use the Profound Ice Banner to freeze the Fire Vein and eliminate the Molten Earth Dragon’s home-field advantage. If so, their odds would increase dramatically, giving them a real chance at victory.

’Then what about the reward? Mere Fire Dragon Tea obviously isn’t enough...’ Lü Zhong wondered what kind of payment he should demand for a task as dangerous as facing the Molten Earth Dragon.

’That’s it, the Flood Dragon Essence!’

When he heard Lü Zhong demand the Flood Dragon Essence as payment, Huo Yezi shot to his feet.

”My friend, I only want to bring the Molten Earth Dragon back under control, I have no intention of slaying it! After spending so many years of time and energy, why would I kill it just to harvest its materials?”

Hearing this, Lü Zhong gave an awkward smile, unable to help but feel embarrassed.

’So he wants to beat it into submission and continue raising it as a Spiritual Beast?’

’That’s understandable. A single Tier Three Molten Earth Dragon is enough to protect a family for several thousand years. Huo Yezi probably realized he had no hope of breaking through to the next realm, so he began making plans for after he’s gone.’

’He just didn’t expect it to go out of control.’

”So... have you found the reason it went out of control?” Lü Zhong asked, changing the subject.

’Considering how meticulous Huo Yezi is—he even prepared a backup plan like the Profound Ice Banner—how could he have let the Molten Earth Dragon go out of control?’

’There must be another reason behind this.’

Seeing Huo Yezi glare at him, eyes wide with fury, Lü Zhong had a good idea of what had happened. ’Probably another one of those touching stories about a kind master and his filial disciple,’ he thought. He had heard similar rumors before and quickly cut in:

”Say no more. I’ll take the job. But as for the reward...”

’Business is business. If the reward isn’t right, there’s no way I’m getting involved.’

At the same time, another thought surfaced.

’The Fire Dragon Tea is good, but its side effects are significant. It actually managed to unsettle my mind. Under normal circumstances, I would never have spoken so rashly and provoked him.’

’I’ll have to be more careful about that in the future,’ Lü Zhong thought. He then looked at Huo Yezi, awaiting his answer.

Huo Yezi sat back down. Once he had composed himself, he pondered for a moment before saying, ”Ten leaves of Eighth-Grade Fire Dragon Tea, and I’ll refine one item for you!”

”No problem,” Lü Zhong said after a moment’s thought.

He found the offer acceptable and agreed.

Ten leaves of Eighth-Grade Fire Dragon Tea were worth at least ten years of hard cultivation, maybe even more.

But what he valued even more was the time this would save him in his cultivation.

For a cultivator with Four Spirit Roots like Lü Zhong, this effectively increased his chances of achieving Nascent Soul Formation. Reaching the Fake Infant Realm faster meant he would have more time to prepare for the breakthrough.

”Since you’ve agreed, there’s no time to lose. Let’s set off immediately!”

Huo Yezi got to his feet, and Lü Zhong followed right behind him.

They entered an Artifact Refining Workshop, the grandest Lü Zhong had ever seen. Inside were several Fire Pools where Magical Treasures bobbed and tumbled, continuously being tempered by the Earth Fire.

Artifact Refiners would occasionally add supplementary materials into the pools.

The Fire Pool would then surge violently, making the Magical Treasures within even purer.

Lü Zhong even spotted a Magical Treasure with an Eighth-Layer Prohibition in one Fire Pool and couldn’t help but think, ’It seems there’s more to Artifact Refining than I imagined!’

’If Artifact Refining is this complex, Alchemy probably is too.’

After passing through numerous sections of the workshop, the two arrived before a Molten Rock Pool.

BLUB! BLUB!

Bubbles constantly rose to the surface of the pool. As they burst, they released dense waves of Demon Qi that felt as tyrannical as a Water Flood Dragon’s, yet tinged with a unique ferocity. It was clearly the aura of the Molten Earth Dragon.

”Are you ready?” Huo Yezi asked, turning to face him.

”Once we go down, if we can’t succeed on the first try, there’s no telling if we’ll make it back alive. If you’re not confident enough, it’s best to back out now!”

”What are you suggesting?”

Lü Zhong had slain a Flood Dragon before, so he had a decent estimate of the Molten Earth Dragon’s power.

He was confident that even if he couldn’t defeat the Molten Earth Dragon, he could definitely escape, even if the beast had the home-field advantage.

At worst, he would only suffer some injuries.

”Good. Let’s go.”

Seeing Lü Zhong’s response, Huo Yezi said no more.

He summoned the Profound Ice Banner and cast a few Technique Mantras upon it. Instantly, two rays of blue light shot out, forming an icy-blue shield around both of them.

”This is the Profound Ice Shield. It will protect us from the molten rock, but it will only last for about ten minutes. We must find the Molten Earth Dragon within that time.”

He then turned and leaped into the Molten Rock Pool.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong didn’t hesitate either, jumping into the pool with him.

Protected by the Profound Ice Shield, the intense heat of the molten rock was completely blocked. Lü Zhong didn’t need to expend his own Magical Power to resist it, allowing him to move through the magma as he pleased.

In the molten rock, the range of his Divine Sense Projection was limited.

Nevertheless, he quickly located Huo Yezi’s figure.

Without a word, he swiftly followed.

This being a Cultivation World, the molten rock was naturally not devoid of life.

Along the way, they were constantly beset by emerging Fire Spirits. These were Spirit Monsters born from concentrated Fire Spiritual Qi. Killing one would yield a Fire Core, an excellent artifact refining material.

Ordinarily, Lü Zhong would have made sure none of them escaped.

But right now, he needed to conserve his strength for the great battle that lay ahead.