A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Leaden clouds blanketed the sky, leaving no gaps.

Only when the wild winds howled could they part the thick cloud cover. Dim light would then spill through, coating the land in a somber, fading light. Paired with the cries of unknown beasts, it gave one a visceral sense of the world’s strange transformation.

Soon, a fog started to roll in.

Lü Zhong had to slow his flight speed to avoid crashing into anything.

The benefits of cultivating the Celestial Net Secret Eye Technique became apparent.

With this technique, he could easily see for miles around and better spot potential threats. Any other cultivator would likely find it difficult to even travel on foot, let alone fly.

Lü Zhong also discovered something else.

The Withered Tide was a catastrophe for the Human Race, causing tens of thousands in the Southern Barbarian lands to die at the hands of Evil Spirits every day for one reason or another.

Sometimes, not even cultivators were spared.

But for Demon Beasts and other creatures, the Evil Spirits seemed to be just a missing part of their daily lives, their return causing no real impact.

’Perhaps this is the world’s natural cycle...’ Lü Zhong realized.

After receiving the legacy of the Immortals, the Human Race used their cultivation of the Immortal Dao to gain immense power. They then forcefully excised the Evil Spirits—creatures harmful to them—from this cycle for a million years.

’Is that really what happened?’

He felt that to find the real answer, he would probably have to go to the place where the Immortals first passed down their teachings.

There, he could view a trace of the past.

’I might be able to uncover the truth.’

He stopped letting his mind wander. After all, that was something far beyond his current abilities.

He continued flying as the sky grew even darker.

Lü Zhong casually unleashed a Palm Thunder, blasting apart a half-human, half-beast Evil Spirit that blocked his path. He continued on his way through the darkness. With his Celestial Net Secret Eye Technique, there was no difference between day and night for him.

Suddenly, a sense of danger washed over him!

SHWISH! SHWISH! SHWISH! A series of sharp whistles tore through the air.

Lü Zhong’s body blurred, carving an exaggerated arc through the air to easily evade the volley of ten-foot spikes. At the same time, with a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a shower of golden needles. It was the Magical Treasure he had acquired earlier, the Golden Jade Mother and Child Needle. The needles instantly transformed into a rain of light that blanketed the area on the ground from where the spikes had been fired.

He didn’t stop there. Starlight began to converge on the surface of his body.

Star Gathering Skill.

Flying Star Qi Introduction Skill.

As for the Rising Star Seal of his Flood Dragon Patterned Robe, he had already activated it earlier to reduce the Magical Power cost of flying.

Meanwhile, the rain of light descended to the ground.

The piercing sounds were incessant.

The conjured Golden Needles plunged into the earth, blanketing an area hundreds of yards across. They quickly flushed out the ambusher: a mountain-sized Demon Beast covered in thorns. It looked somewhat like an ordinary hedgehog, but it had the hornless head of an ox.

It let out a miserable cry: ”MOO! MOO! MOO!”

Lü Zhong paid the Tier Three Ox-headed Badger no mind. Its strength was strangely weak. Instead, his attention was completely focused on its head.

A white mist swirled there, in which stood a gaunt, human-like figure that constantly dripped mud. Through his Celestial Net Secret Eye, Lü Zhong could see it clearly. Its face was a conglomeration of moss, sludge, and branches, and it was draped in a tattered robe. The creature looked as if it had just been dug out of the earth and radiated an intense, unconcealed malice.

’This is an Evil Spirit, too?’

Slightly surprised, Lü Zhong raised his hand and sent a Thunder Swamp its way.

Ever since he had channeled the Tribulation Thunder, several profound new markings had appeared on his Wood Thunder Seal. As a result, the power of his Thunder Skills was inexplicably enhanced, and they now carried a trace of the Tribulation Thunder’s aura.

The Evil Spirit probably never expected its prey to know a Thunder Skill. Before it could even scream, the Thunder Swamp blasted it to dust. The Ox-headed Badger was caught in the blast as well.

Half of the badger’s head was obliterated, and its massive body crashed to the ground.

A moment later, he had carved out two prime strips of meat.

Lü Zhong inspected the meat and, after confirming it wasn’t tainted by the Evil Spirit’s power, stored it away. He planned to eat it after he reached the Western Realm.

He then extracted the Ox-headed Badger’s Demon Pill.

’It’s shriveled?’

He guessed it was because the Ox-headed Badger had been controlled by the Evil Spirit.

If a cultivator were possessed, their Qi Sea would be similarly depleted, or their Essence would be drained dry. After all, for Evil Spirits to sustain themselves, they must feed on something.

Navigating by the landmarks on the ground, Lü Zhong soon arrived near the Poisonous Insect Valley.

Compared to his last visit, the Green Spot Ghost Insects’ territory had actually shrunk instead of expanding. Their numbers had also clearly plummeted. Judging from the destroyed Poisonous Swamps and fragments of insect carapaces, they must have clashed with some Demon Beast.

This was to be expected. Every expansion of the Insect Swarm meant less living space for other Demon Beasts, and territorial disputes were almost always conflicts to the death. The swarm’s previous expansions had been so successful that they were able to spread far beyond the original Poisonous Insect Valley.

This time, however, the Green Spot Ghost Insects seemed to have run into a tough opponent.

Following the signs of battle on the ground, Lü Zhong discovered that the Demon Beast had headed straight for the Poisonous Insect Valley, likely intending to wipe out the entire swarm.

The closer he got to the Poisonous Insect Valley, the more fresh insect corpses he saw in the Poisonous Swamps. Their numbers increased rapidly, soon forming a veritable carpet of dead insects.

”’Don’t tell me it actually wiped out the whole swarm?’ he couldn’t help but wonder.

Only after confirming it was safe did he approach the Poisonous Insect Valley.

The forest of Insect Nests that once stood here had been mostly destroyed, ravaged by fire and water. Only two remained standing, and even they were covered in cracks. Swarms of Green Spot Ghost Insects scurried in and out, busy repairing the walls of their nests.

From the looks of it, the Insect Swarm had won, but it had been a pyrrhic victory.

As for the invading Demon Beast, its corpse now lay at the bottom of the Poisonous Insect Valley.