A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Lü Zhong’s eyes flickered as he mulled something over.

After a moment, he finally made his decision. In a deep voice, he said, ”It seems... you know a great deal about ancient secrets. But if you think that alone is enough to make me let you go, you’re dreaming.”

Ancient secrets concerning Ascension were still too remote for a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Compared to that, Lü Zhong was more concerned about the threat this person posed.

Bulan, a suspected Divine Witch of the Witch Cultivator path, had easily suppressed Wanmu and his two companions using the Heart-Loss Curse. Lü Zhong couldn’t imagine what would happen if a being comparable to a Divinity Transformation Old Monster were let loose in the Southern Barbarian region. There was no telling what kind of chaos he would unleash.

And the Southern Barbarian region was, for all intents and purposes, his domain.

For the sake of his future on the Immortal Dao, Lü Zhong decided to seize this opportunity to completely snuff out the source of this disaster before it could grow. If he let it fester, Bulan would only become stronger, plunging the Southern Barbarian lands into turmoil. Even if he managed to kill him later, the region would be left a barren wasteland.

Besides, knowing fewer ancient secrets wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Lü Zhong knew this from personal experience.

”It seems, Fellow Cultivator, that your mind is made up. A real pity. You should know, I was being sincere about making a deal... But since it has come to this, then I invite you down to the Nai River!” Hearing this, Bulan’s calm expression twisted into a sneer.

Before the words had even faded, his figure vanished in a flash!

Lü Zhong wasn’t surprised. The other man’s offer had clearly been a stalling tactic.

He activated his Celestial Net Secret Eye, but as he scanned his surroundings, his heart skipped a beat.

The Secret Skill Bulan had just used, though incredibly stealthy, should have still left some trace for his Celestial Net Secret Eye Technique, which was on the verge of Great Success.

But now, there was no sign of Bulan within the range of his Spiritual Eye.

Lü Zhong’s heart sank.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the unease in his heart. With a flick of his sleeve, he released all his Flood Dragon Spirit Banners. Five nimble Little Flood Dragons materialized and coiled around him, shielding his vital points.

Only then did he increase his Magical Power output.

This enhanced the effects of his Celestial Net Secret Eye Technique.

Lü Zhong had still miscalculated. He didn’t know what method Bulan had used, but he had vanished without a trace. If it weren’t for the blaring alarms in his mind, he would have thought Bulan had fled.

Suddenly, the Poisonous Flood Dragon Banner flared with light.

At almost the same instant, a shadowy black claw appeared silently over Lü Zhong’s lower abdomen. Just as it was about to touch his skin,

the Poisonous Flood Dragon Banner intercepted it, blocking the blow.

CLANG! A sharp ring echoed.

Seeing his strike fail, Bulan let out a laugh, retreated a few steps, and vanished once more.

Lü Zhong’s expression turned grim. That single blow had drained a full thirty percent of the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner’s power. Normally, even taking a direct hit from a Magical Treasure of the same rank would only consume five percent of its power at most. It was a testament to the terrifying power of Bulan’s attack; he was truly worthy of his former title as a Divine Witch.

Before he could think any further, he suddenly dodged to the side.

This time, a sudden premonition allowed Lü Zhong to narrowly, just barely, evade another strike.

”Your Spiritual Sense seems sharper than most, Fellow Cultivator,” Bulan sneered. His aura was still growing stronger, and his apprehension toward Lü Zhong had diminished significantly.

”But how many more times can you hold out?”

With that, he vanished once more.

This time, Lü Zhong calmed himself.

This former Divine Witch was undoubtedly one of the most difficult opponents he had faced since beginning his journey on the Immortal Dao. If he made a single mistake today, he could very well die here.

To defeat him, he had to break through Bulan’s method of concealment.

’With my Celestial Net Secret Eye being ineffective...’

’I have no choice but to use that method!’ Lü Zhong’s gaze hardened with resolve.

As he thought this, he glanced over at Wanmu and the others. Due to the Heart-Loss Curse, they were now weakened to their limits. They probably wouldn’t last much longer before Bulan devoured their Nascent Souls.

If that happened, Bulan’s power would surely skyrocket once more.

The thought was naturally a source of great frustration for Lü Zhong.

Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, Bulan’s own thoughts were racing. He might seem to have the upper hand, but it had come at a great cost.

There was a technique within Shadow Escape called ”Instant Shadow Step.”

Bulan had created this technique back when he was still a Divine Witch, referencing the Shadow Escape Techniques of Immortal Cultivators and later gaining his own insights into the world. Though it was still classified as a form of Shadow Escape, it actually involved the manipulation of space. The principle was to hide within a spatial interstice to evade the detection of an Immortal Cultivator’s Spiritual Eye Skill.

In his current state, every time Bulan used Instant Shadow Step, he had to burn a considerable portion of his soul.

’Three more chances at most...’ Bulan thought.

If he couldn’t finish his enemy in three more attacks, his defeat would be certain.

With a sinister smile, Bulan moved again.

Hiding in the spatial interstice felt like wading through a swamp. Every step forward consumed an immense amount of energy; more than half the power he gained from burning his Divine Soul was spent just on movement.

This was also why he didn’t take the opportunity to escape.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but that he was unable.

In fact, Bulan suspected that Lü Zhong already knew the limitation of his Instant Shadow Step. He’d gleaned this from the moment ago when that Female Cultivator had suddenly flinched and moved away.

One hundred yards... fifty yards... ten yards!

The corner of Bulan’s mouth curled into a cruel smile at Lü Zhong. ”You want to kill me? Then let’s just wait and see who gets the last laugh!”

Then, he thrust out his claw once more.

Lü Zhong’s expression remained unchanged. He took a small step back, just enough to avoid the black claw aiming for his vitals. Then, instead of dodging, he let it plunge into his right arm. A smile spread across his face as his hands, already prepared, formed a Technique Mantra, instantly imprisoning the black claw.