A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Niu Congjiang was an ordinary resident of Niu Family Village.

As a child, he studied in a private school and was once praised by his teacher as a ”child prodigy.” He should have pursued the path of a scholar and official, but a severe illness left his left leg completely crippled. A cripple was not eligible to serve as an official.

His once-bright future was cut short.

Niu Congjiang turned to business, starting with the fur trade. Relying on his daring and aggressive nature, he managed to earn a small fortune over a dozen years. With his newfound wealth, he returned to his hometown to purchase land, buying a large mansion and over a thousand acres of fertile fields. He became a renowned wealthy landlord in the surrounding area.

Having seen the vast world outside, returning to a remote mountain village left him feeling discontented.

This was especially true after witnessing Immortal Masters on several occasions. His heart had long been captivated by their god-like Magic Skills, and he realized that the tales in novels were actually true—people really could fly through the sky.

Niu Congjiang had once sought this path but failed, for he did not possess a Spirit Root.

To become an Immortal Master, one must have a Spirit Root.

Thus, he could only place his hopes on the next generation. He desperately took eighteen wives and concubines, hoping that one day he would father an heir with a Spirit Root.

He didn’t expect to walk the Immortal Path alongside them; at the very least, he wanted something to boast about when he met his ancestors in the afterlife.

’Look, the Niu Family can produce an Immortal Master too.’

「A sleepless night.」

Niu Congjiang got out of bed and glanced at his disheveled wives and concubines. The women in his household were a complete disappointment. He had fathered ten children, both boys and girls, yet not a single one of them could make the Spirit Testing Talisman react. It was a complete waste of the hundred taels of gold he had spent to buy the talisman.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t doubted the authenticity of the Spirit Testing Talisman.

But as a mere mortal, how could he dare to question Immortal Master Wang of Qingfeng Temple?

’If the talisman is real, then won’t I have offended the Immortal Master? I’ll never be able to buy another Spirit Testing Talisman again, and the Niu Family’s hope of producing an Immortal Master will be dashed.’

Niu Congjiang was stewing in silent anger. He wanted to call a maid to help him walk in the courtyard to clear his head, but when he saw the usually obedient Lvhe Hongcui sleeping like a log, his rage intensified.

’Looks like I’ll have to find a time to beat one or two of them to death...’

Kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.

His usually kind and amiable face unconsciously twisted into a grimace.

Just then, he heard a voice calling his name.

Following the sound, Niu Congjiang arrived at the ancestral hall.

Hanging in the ancestral hall was a portrait he had spent a great sum to acquire from Immortal Master Wang. It was said that by burning incense and praying before it day and night, he could increase the chances of producing an Immortal Seedling.

Niu Congjiang had been doing so diligently.

This portrait, one could say, held all his hopes.

All of them.

Sometimes, he would drink sullenly before the portrait, longing for a master to appear and help him escape this mundane, mortal world and enter the magnificent Cultivation Realm.

At that very moment, he suddenly let out a soft gasp.

The portrait had come to life.

An old Daoist in a gray robe stepped out from it. With his white hair and youthful face, he had the very air of an immortal, and his every move matched Niu Congjiang’s imaginings of a transcendent expert.

The old Daoist slowly walked up to the astonished Niu Congjiang.

”An Immortal lays his hand on my crown, and I receive the gift of Longevity...”

”Foolish child, you see your Master before you. Why do you not kneel?”

An overwhelming feeling surged through Niu Congjiang’s heart!

Tears welled up in his eyes. He knew that his sincere heart, devoted to the Dao, had finally moved the Master who had been observing him from the shadows. The venerable master was going to take him away to practice cultivation!

”Master, please accept this disciple’s bow!”

Three kowtows and nine prostrations.

The ritual was complete!

A hazy, murmuring voice began to echo in Niu Congjiang’s ears.

He knew.

’This must be Master imparting the Dao!’

Not daring to be disrespectful, he quickly perked up his ears to listen.

”The Taichu Treasure Talisman states: An Immortal is one who has ascended...”

”Volume One: The Immortal Spirit Celestial Talisman, also known as Laojun’s Root Token...”

「...」

’This is what I need!’

Niu Congjiang had desperately sought a connection to the immortal world to no avail, all because he lacked the crucial Spirit Root. This Immortal Spirit Celestial Talisman, however, could remedy that defect and help him set foot on the Immortal Path he had longed for.

’This is a true Supreme Immortal Scripture!’

Humans are the spiritual pinnacle of all creation. As long as he absorbed enough ”spirit,” he could use the Immortal Spirit Celestial Talisman to practice cultivation just like those Immortal Masters with Spirit Roots.

He understood.

’I understand!’

”Mortal flesh and common wombs, I need you to aid my cultivation!”

Niu Congjiang panted heavily, his eyes shot with scarlet veins. His gaze shifted to his wives and concubines sleeping soundly in their rooms, and a strange, cruel smile spread across his face.

After a round of pleading, screaming, and the sound of chewing flesh and blood...

”Hahaha, a Spirit Root! I have a Spirit Root!”

「...」

「Wangxiang Mountain.」

Shuini stared straight ahead.

A hundred li away stood a Light Wall that shot straight into the clouds. It was composed entirely of Spiritual Qi and held back the encroaching Withered Tide, allowing only a small portion of the mist to seep through.

’What in the world is this...’ She was still in shock.

The scene before her was simply unbelievable!

According to the information she had received, the Light Wall seemed to encircle the entire Southern Barbarian region, stretching from the coast of Changchun Valley in the east to the border where the True Spirit Sect met the Forest Sea in the west.

It was thanks to this ”Spiritual Energy Great Wall” that the Withered Tide was kept outside the Southern Barbarian lands.

According to fragments from ancient texts, this great wall was most likely a remnant left by Ancient Cultivators. She had no idea what kind of methods they had used to directly condense such a structure.

However, the wall was not complete.

Whether due to the passage of time or pre-existing damage, the section in the True Spirit Domain alone had nearly a hundred gaps of various sizes.

The largest of these was located right at Wangxiang Mountain.

This was precisely why Shuini had moved the Double-Tailed Helix Barrier here to seal the gap.

Three other large gaps were also sealed with Barriers, and a large number of cultivators were stationed there to prevent any unforeseen incidents with the Barriers.

As for the smaller gaps and any undiscovered ones, those would have to be dealt with later.

This was also the reason for the frequent incidents involving Evil Spirits throughout the True Spirit Domain.

Shuini had also discovered something from the latest intelligence reports.

For some unknown reason, the Evil Spirits emerging from the mist seemed to have lost their ability to conceal themselves. Cultivators could spot them without using the Spiritual Eye Skill, and even mortals could see them.

’It’s hard to say if this is good or bad!’

「...」

「The new year began.」

The sky above Bihai was once again a perfect, cloudless blue.

Lü Zhong rarely left his home, but now he had traveled ten thousand li from the Bihai Island Group. Looking northwest from here, he could see a continent shrouded in mist. That was the Southern Barbarian region.

And at this very moment, he could see a Light Wall soaring into the sky.

’The Spiritual Energy Great Wall?’

That was the collective name the Southern Barbarian Immortal Cultivation World had given the Light Wall.

Shifting his gaze closer, he saw that the sea’s surface was also covered in mist, though it was much thinner than on land. Within the field of vision of his Celestial Net Secret Eye, he could occasionally spot Evil Spirits moving within the mist.

Just as Nascent Soul cultivators were rare, Evil Spirits with comparable strength were also few and far between.

As for the two Great Witches, Tiger and Deer, running into one... one could only say their luck was truly terrible.

Furthermore, the Withered Tide seemed to spread only across the land. For the isolated Bihai Island Group, this event was more like good news, as large numbers of cultivators began migrating here.

Now, the Bihai Sect only needed to send out ships to easily bring back boatloads of people.

Before this strange transformation, such a scene would have been impossible.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about it.

Regardless, the massive influx of people would surely accelerate Bihai’s development and promote the exploitation of local resources. Given time, it wasn’t impossible for this place to develop into the ”South Barbarian Eighth Domain.”

As for the ensuing chaos in public order and other side effects, those would just have to be swallowed as part of the price.

He stopped dwelling on it.

A layer of Purple Flame ignited on Lü Zhong’s body, and he transformed into a streak of rainbow light, heading toward the Southern Domain.

Experience had shown that as long as one didn’t fly at high altitudes, it was difficult to attract the attention of High Tier Evil Spirits. This was also why sea vessels could travel safely; they only needed to deal with the occasional weak Evil Spirit that appeared.

In this regard, even a Low Tier Evil Exorcism Talisman could serve to repel them.

Lü Zhong was protected by his Purple Nether Extreme Fire, so he wasn’t afraid of encountering Evil Spirits.

After flying for a day and a night, he smoothly arrived at Changchun Immortal Harbor.

BOOM!

A meteor of Purple Flame landed.

Lü Zhong’s figure materialized.

The Law Enforcement Team, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, saw that he was a Core Formation Cultivator. After making a simple record, they hurried away.

Recently, incidents with Evil Spirits had become frequent in the city. The reason was that although the Double-Tailed Helix Barrier could block the Withered Tide’s mist, it wasn’t very effective against weaker Evil Spirits. As a result, people were dying all over the city, and the team needed to go handle it.

Lü Zhong ducked into a remote alley and emerged in a different set of clothes.

It had been a long time since he’d visited the Port City, so he decided to take a good look around.

”Evil Exorcism Talismans! Selling Evil Exorcism Talismans!”

”Freshly made! Produced by the Chen Family Talisman Hall! Only ten Spirit Stones each! A must-have for protecting your home and your life! Buy now while supplies last, buy now...”

A Talisman Shop on the street released a new batch of talismans, immediately attracting a large number of cultivators who rushed to buy them with Spirit Stones in hand.

After the strange transformation began, the Evil Exorcism Talisman, which was originally only effective against Demon Cultivators, was now found to repel Evil Spirits. Consequently, its price had soared again and again, rocketing from the original two Spirit Stones to ten Spirit Stones.

If it weren’t for the large number of Talisman Makers who knew how to create this talisman, the price would have likely skyrocketed to astronomical heights.

There was no helping it. Who could argue when the talisman could repel Evil Spirits?

As long as you didn’t want to die, you had to grit your teeth, swallow the pain, and buy one. Hanging it in your home would ward off evil, preventing Evil Spirits from invading, lest you die without even knowing how it happened.

The Evil Exorcism Talismans were quickly sold out.

Lü Zhong, who had witnessed the entire scene, had now seen firsthand the changes the Withered Tide brought to the Cultivation Realm.

It didn’t stop there. The sales pitches at the Magic Shops had also changed.

”Thunder Skills! Daoist Sect Thunder Skills!”

Lü Zhong scoffed at the sight. ’Do they really think anyone can learn a Daoist Thunder Skill? Something like the Palm Thunder Secret Skill might be possible, but the requirements for cultivating an orthodox Daoist Thunder Skill are incredibly strict. Otherwise, that Xuyin fellow wouldn’t have held a grudge against me for over a hundred years just because his disciple died.’

But quite a few cultivators were still drawn inside.

Lü Zhong guessed this was because Thunder Skills had become the most popular direction for cultivation. In this age overrun with Evil Spirits, everyone felt insecure. Mastering one or two useful Thunder Skills would be of great use, whether for traveling outside or for exorcising spirits for others.

He then went to Changchun Street.

To participate in an auction.

As he had predicted, the prices of Low and Middle Level Pills had all risen, anywhere from ten percent to double their original cost. In contrast, High Tier Pills were not much affected for the time being.

After a round of bidding, Lü Zhong obtained four bottles of Tier Three Pills, all of which were for improving one’s cultivation.

Afterward, he transformed into a purple meteor and flew towards the Northern Great Forest Sea.

Visiting Changchun Immortal City was just a stop along the way. The purpose of his trip was still to go to the Western Realm, both to obtain more Double-tailed Helical Crystals and to test out that Token from Qii Yun.

Lü Zhong even had an idea.

’What kind of sparks would fly if I combined the Mountain Shaking Ship with the Double-Tailed Helix Barrier?’