A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, winter gave way to spring, and it was almost time for the Lantern Festival again.

’I never expected that cultivating the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra would become so much easier after my Nascent Soul Formation...’

Inside the Quiet Chamber.

Lü Zhong slowly opened his eyes.

His face was alight with joy.

In just half a year, he had broken through four Acupoints, bringing his cultivation of the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra to a total of twenty-seven. The process had been completely natural, without the slightest bit of resistance.

His physique grew stronger once again.

’My body now is probably not much weaker than a Flood Dragon’s.’ Lü Zhong’s heart filled with joy. Feeling the mercury-like blood essence within him, he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face.

’I really wonder what it’ll be like when I’ve completely mastered the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra!’

According to the description in the Cultivation Technique, upon reaching the Great Success stage of the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra, just like with the Small Success stage, he would directly gain a Divine Technique—and not one of the Pseudo-Divine Techniques either.

’I’m really looking forward to it!’ Lü Zhong thought.

In addition, he had finally made a breakthrough with his Spirit Forging Fire.

Due to the lack of Spirit Forging Fire Pills, his progress in this Secret Skill had been extremely slow. Each time he comprehended and practiced it, he made negligible gains. It wasn’t until he broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage that his progress finally accelerated considerably.

’It won’t be long now before I can master the Third Layer of this Secret Skill.’

He then got up and left the Quiet Chamber.

A thunderstorm was raging outside. Dark clouds shrouded the sky, casting the world into gloom. Bolts of lightning, large and small, snaked through the clouds as the rumble of thunder echoed intermittently.

A torrential downpour was falling from the sky.

Raindrops the size of beans pattered against the glazed tiles, creating a crisp sound.

Lü Zhong walked slowly along the path.

Thanks to his Protective Gang Qi, not a single drop of rain touched him.

He walked to the front of the Waterside Pavilion and looked up at the leaden, overcast sky. Frowning, he mustered his full Magical Power and lightly stomped his foot.

The next moment, an immense surge of Magical Power shot up toward the heavens.

As if stirred by a giant hand, the clouds churned violently, and the cloud cover for several miles around was parted.

The rain stopped, and sunlight returned to the land.

’Worthy of the name True Monarch. I can alter the weather in a small area just by willing it,’ Lü Zhong thought.

But that was the extent of it.

Altering the weather on a large scale was still beyond the capabilities of a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Unless one possessed a Divine Technique like Call the Wind and Summon the Rain, only a Divinity Transformation cultivator—a being akin to a Land Immortal who could communicate with and borrow the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi—could forcibly reverse the weather through sheer power.

’Sigh, even though my cultivation has reached the Nascent Soul Stage, there’s always someone stronger!’ He felt a little frustrated.

He couldn’t help but think of the Divinity Transformation Grand Venerable from the Mysterious Dao Sect. He wondered if, after all these years, that person was still searching for him.

A Nascent Soul might be unrivaled in the world.

But if a Divinity Transformation expert appeared, they would be nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter.

’Looks like I still have to keep a low profile!’ Lü Zhong thought.

He drained the cup of Spirit Tea.

He got up, walked out of the Waterside Pavilion, and went to the Transmission Array beneath Tide Cave.

He planned to go to the Western Realm personally. Besides trading away supplies like Spirit Rice and Spirit Medicine, he also intended to make a show of force to intimidate the Western Border Alliance.

Lately, there had been a series of ”accidents” over there.

It was highly likely that something had gone wrong within the Western Border Alliance.

No matter what had happened, Lü Zhong couldn’t afford to ignore the Spiritual Energy Conversion Technology. It was his hope for advancing to the Divinity Transformation Stage, and he couldn’t allow any mishaps.

...

「Western Realm.」

Haoguang City, the heart of the Western Border Alliance.

Mo Yaozi was staring intently ahead.

The moment his target appeared, his aura turned incomparably cold, and his previously benevolent face twisted with killing intent:

”Do it!”

Behind him were three black-robed Core Formation Cultivators, all concealing their auras just as Mo Yaozi was.

Upon hearing the voice transmission, they all acted without hesitation.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The three of them each threw out a black bead.

Its name was the Profound Evil Yin Thunder Pearl.

This bead was made from the extremely difficult-to-gather Profound Evil Yin Thunder. It required a Nascent Soul Cultivator practicing a special Secret Technique to damage their own cultivation and spend over three hundred years of painstaking effort to refine it, and even then, the success rate was low.

Once this bead was unleashed, not even a Nascent Soul could withstand it!

Now that it was being used against an Early-stage Nascent Soul, the target’s death was all but guaranteed.

In order to kill Flowing Sword True Monarch and seize control of the Western Border Alliance, he had played his final trump card.

Moreover, just a short while ago, he had deliberately arranged for Flowing Sword to fight a Tier Four Underground Demon Beast. This had successfully inflicted considerable injuries on the Nascent Soul True Monarch, further reducing the possibility of his plan failing.

RUMBLE!

Dark purple lightning-fire exploded, instantly leveling hundreds of yards of walls and houses.

At that moment, Mo Yaozi led the three Core Formation Cultivators in brandishing their Magical Treasures, shouting in unison, ”Kill Flowing Sword and cleanse the source!”

”Mo Yaozi, you—!” He had taken the full blast of three Profound Evil Yin Thunder Pearls. All his attendants were dead. Master Flowing Sword himself had only survived by a stroke of luck, thanks to a secret treasure, but his power was now severely depleted. Hearing Mo Yaozi’s shout, he was so shocked and enraged that he couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

He couldn’t believe that Mo Yaozi, the man he had always considered his right-hand man, had actually led an ambush against him.

”Why? Give me a reason!”

”A reason?” one of the black-robed cultivators laughed aloud. ”Flowing Sword, don’t you get it yet? No one wants to repair the world of the Western Realm with you! Everyone just wants to leave this godforsaken place as soon as possible. Otherwise, why do you think... we were able to ambush you so successfully?”

”For a reason like that?” Flowing Sword felt his body go limp, as if all his strength had been drained away. But he quickly rallied and questioned loudly, ”Have you—have you all forgotten the hundreds of millions of our fellow Daoists and our people who died at the hands of the Mysterious Dao Sect?”