A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Just when everything was ready, a sudden, unexpected event disrupted Lü Zhong’s plans.

Just a moment ago, he had sensed a pillar of Spiritual Qi shoot into the sky from the direction of Bidao Market. It was so immense that it even surpassed the Yue Spirit Peach Tree Spiritual Vein of the True Spirit Sect.

A short while later, Luu Baokui came rushing over.

”What happened?” Lü Zhong asked calmly.

Luu Baokui quickly bowed and reported every detail. ”Reporting to the Ancestor, ruins have emerged! About a hundred li off the coast from Bidao Market, a cultivator discovered an undersea ruin while gathering Coral Spirit Grass... It seems to be hundreds of thousands of years old and is exceptionally well-preserved!”

”Ruins?”

’This is strange,’ Lü Zhong thought.

As far as he knew, ever since the Immortals spread the Dao, no power had ever occupied the Bidao area. The reason was simple: its resources were barren, lacking even a single valuable mineral vein.

If the Bihai Sect didn’t have the Great Honey Insect Swarm to provide a stable supply of Spirit Ascending Honey, it would likely still be operating at a loss.

’How could ruins suddenly appear in a backwater place like this?’

’Could it be... a prehistoric ruin?’

The ”prehistoric era” referred to the time before the Immortal Dao’s arrival in this land, an age when its living beings coexisted with Evil Spirits. It wasn’t an era without civilization. In fact, some apocryphal texts of questionable authenticity indicated that many prosperous cultivation civilizations had existed, such as the Paperman Dao and the Yellow Springs Dao.

’Speculating is pointless.’ Lü Zhong decided to go see for himself.

The appearance of ruins was often accompanied by the emergence of long-lost Spirit Medicines and rare materials.

’Whether I can use them or not, since these ruins are on my doorstep, they naturally belong to the Bihai Sect.’

’Then, whether I organize a team to explore it like a dungeon or just hoard its resources, or even open it to other cultivators for a fee—plucking a feather from every passing goose—the Bihai Sect will hold all the cards.’

He transformed into a streak of rainbow light and traveled at full speed.

Within the hour, he arrived to see the ruins emerging.

The sea churned as mud and earth were pushed aside, and a colossal ruin slowly ascended from the depths.

The ruins were enormous, their scale no less than the neighboring Bidao. It was impossible to know what method had been used to conceal them until now. The surface was covered in palatial structures, built in an architectural style completely alien to him, and constructed entirely from a type of azure stone.

A crowd of cultivators had gathered to watch, and there was no shortage of bold ones who wanted to rush inside.

Unfortunately, though the ruins appeared unprotected, they were actually covered by a dark green defensive shield.

Unlike a cultivator’s purely defensive Array shields, this dark green shield possessed immense destructive power. When a greedy Foundation Establishment True Cultivator slammed into it, his entire body instantly burst into green flames.

His death was so swift that he didn’t even have time to scream.

The green fire burned for a moment before his ashes drifted down.

A few disbelievers, thinking they could brave it, conjured their own shields and charged in, only to meet the same fate.

Seeing how vicious the ruin’s ”Array” was, killing anyone who approached, no one else dared to make an attempt.

Lü Zhong spotted Liu Yuqian, who was in charge of the Workshop Market, and gave his order. ”Relay my command: seal off the ruins immediately. Forbid anyone from entering or leaving. Violators will be killed without mercy!”

”As the Ancestor commands!” Liu Yuqian replied with a deep bow.

The blockade was soon in place.

Next came the exploration.

Lü Zhong would never personally undertake a perilous task like exploring ruins. He had an Incarnation that could briefly unleash the power of a Late-stage Core Formation cultivator. All he had to do was sit back and reap the rewards.

Soon, Lü Zhong’s Incarnation personally led a handpicked exploration team and set out.

It took half a day to find the entrance to the ruins.

Using the Object Control Skill to clear away the silt and rubble, they uncovered a great avenue lined with statues. As if a seal had been broken, the statues, which were covered in marine growth, came to life. They transformed into ten-foot-tall humanoid monsters wielding strange weapons and charged forward to attack.

Since they were still outside the ruins, the Incarnation simply drew upon the power of Lü Zhong’s true self.

As streaks of Mirror Light descended from the sky, the monsters, who were only at the Qi Refining Stage, were instantly riddled with holes. In a matter of moments, they were reduced to a pile of mangled flesh, utterly and completely dead.

The Incarnation, seeing the path was clear, executed a Body Technique and shot through the gateway at the end of the avenue, heading deeper into the ruins. But just then, it sensed something amiss and abruptly stopped, turning to look back.

The previously empty gateway suddenly lit up with blood-red Runes.

Lü Zhong had never seen these Runes before. They looked as if they were made of fresh blood. Some were bright, others dim; some were fragmented, others whole. They covered the entire gateway.

They flickered in and out of existence, as if they were breathing.

In the space of a breath, they coalesced into a crimson barrier, sealing the team’s escape route.

’Seeing this, Lü Zhong was secretly glad for his foresight. He had only dispatched his Incarnation and some Outer Disciples. Otherwise, who knew how great the losses would have been.’

Meanwhile, the Incarnation summoned a Jade Ruler. It was a One-layered Restriction Magical Treasure called the ”Jade Orchid Ruler,” obtained from killing a Lingyue Sect Elder. It would come in handy now.

It continued forward.

’I don’t know the origin of these ruins. It’s best to be cautious.’

...

「Three years later.」

「Bidao Market, Temporary Palace.」

Lü Zhong withdrew from his meditative state and opened his eyes. ’Now that I’ve reached the Late-stage Core Formation, improving my cultivation has become more and more difficult. The progress isn’t as noticeable as before... Still, it’s a relief that the small gains add up. I can at least perceive some improvement, rather than complete stagnation, which would be truly despairing.’

Even though his current aptitude was comparable to that of a cultivator with Three Spirit Roots, cultivation remained arduous. If it were easy, the Southern Barbarian Land wouldn’t have produced only a handful of Nascent Soul cultivators with Four Spirit Roots over so many years.