A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

The items with the highest number of Prohibition layers were their two Lifebound Treasures.

For Nascent Soul Cultivators, this was perfectly normal; Lü Zhong was no exception. After all, rare spiritual materials were hard to come by. No cultivator would bear to waste them, so they would always refine them into their own Lifebound Treasures.

The Green Cauldron Sword, a Twelve-layered Forbidden Treasure.

Wanmu’s Lifebound Treasure was the Cangwu Bead, refined with Cangwu Wood as its primary material. This treasure was even more incredible; after being nurtured by him for so many years, it had long since become a Sixteen-Layered Forbidden Treasure.

Holding the Cangwu Bead, Lü Zhong’s face showed his astonishment. He couldn’t help but say, ”This Cangwu Bead is actually a higher tier than my Star Mirror. I have no idea how much effort Wanmu poured into this. Tsk tsk, if you were to convert its value into Spirit Stones, wouldn’t it be in the millions?”

The Divine Techniques of both treasures were of the auxiliary techniques type.

Green Cauldron Sword: Divine Technique, Evergreen Mantra.

Once activated, it could continuously heal injuries by consuming Magical Power.

’No wonder when I was in combat with Qingding that day, he could clash with me for so long without the protection of the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner. It must have been this Evergreen Mantra at work.’

Having figured this out, Lü Zhong shifted his gaze to the Cangwu Bead.

He was already quite familiar with this bead’s Divine Technique from the day he slew Wanmu. If he wasn’t mistaken, it should be a Divine Technique that could conjure a protective shield.

After a simple refinement, the truth was indeed as Lü Zhong had expected.

The Divine Technique was named ”Cangwu Shield.” It inherited the characteristics of a Wood Element Technique, allowing the shield to regenerate endlessly. Even when hit by powerful attacks, the shield could recover at an extremely fast rate, achieving a near-indestructible effect. It could definitely be called a ”turtle shell.”

Unfortunately, Wanmu had been hit by the Heart-Loss Curse that day.

Most of his Magical Power had already been drained by Bulan, and with both his body and Primordial Spirit weakened, he was completely unable to unleash the Cangwu Bead’s true power.

’This is a fine treasure indeed!’ Lü Zhong thought gleefully.

Now that he had these two Magical Treasures, he could finally replace his old Fire Crow Sword.

”Tsk tsk, the old saying ’arson and murder are the fastest way to riches’ proves true once again! I never expected to reap such astonishing rewards from a single expedition.” After organizing the two Storage Rings, Lü Zhong couldn’t suppress the satisfied smile on his face.

Adding the half-blossom of the Qiluo Immortal Lamp, over ten thousand-year-old Spirit Medicines, the Healing Spring Skill, and other gains, he roughly estimated that if his haul from the Ten Thousand Witches Hall trip were converted into Spirit Stones, it would be worth at least ten million.

It was truly worth being swallowed by that ”darkness” and walking the precipice of life and death.

All in all, the effort was worth it.

A harvest this bountiful would take him over a hundred years to fully assimilate.

...

In the days that followed, everything was calm and uneventful.

Once one’s cultivation reached the Nascent Soul Stage, as long as they didn’t go looking for trouble, avoiding it was all too easy with their astounding Spiritual Sense.

Seeing that the auction was still half a month away, Lü Zhong took advantage of the free time. Aside from his daily routines, he went out several times to deeply experience the local customs of this Exotic Realm.

He had to admit, the Snow Maiden concubines of the Northern Border had a certain unique charm.

Half a month passed peacefully, and the Yongchun Immortal Harbor auction began as scheduled. Since this auction was exclusively for High-level cultivators, the venue was set at Yongchun Pavilion.

Lü Zhong, having altered his appearance, arrived in front of Yongchun Pavilion.

As a major city in Central Earth, even if it were tucked away in a corner, Yongchun Pavilion, located in the center of Yongchun Immortal Harbor, was naturally no simple place.

From the outside, Yongchun Pavilion was built in the style of a multi-eaved tower. It appeared to be only nine stories and eighty-one zhang tall, looking far less magnificent than the surrounding pavilions. However, only upon entering did one realize that the floors within were clearly all Sumeru Mustard Seed Spaces. The interior was enormous, at least a thousand zhang in length and width, large enough to fit an entire Workshop Market without issue.

The closest equivalent in the Southern Barbarian lands would be the White Jade Tower in Bihai Immortal City.

The White Jade Tower had once hosted the Qian Nan Grand Assembly, and calling it the number one tower in the Southern Barbarian lands would not be an exaggeration. Yet, only its top floor was a Sumeru Mustard Seed Space, measuring a mere hundred-odd zhang—a far cry from Yongchun Pavilion.

Not long after entering, Lü Zhong sensed several Nascent Soul auras. The cultivation of the other cultivators wasn’t low either; the weakest were at Early-stage Core Formation Cultivation. This scene could be described as ”Core Formation cultivators everywhere you look.” As for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining Cultivation stages, not a single one could be seen.

Following the crowd, he discreetly entered the auction hall.

The auction was being held on the ninth floor of Yongchun Pavilion.

The ninth floor was also a Sumeru Mustard Seed Space, arranged to look like a small world of its own. The Spiritual Qi inside was so dense it was almost tangible, and the carefully arranged scenery was exceptionally beautiful.

The true auction hall was situated beside a Spirit Pool in the center.

It was also divided into private rooms and open seating.

To conceal his identity, Lü Zhong chose a private room, which offered better privacy.

He had to admit, Central Earth Cultivators certainly knew how to live. The private rooms here floated on Cloud Qi. Outsiders couldn’t see what was happening inside, but from within, one had an unobstructed view of the outside.

Soon after, beautiful Female Cultivators served tea and refreshments.

Lü Zhong declined the ”extra services” and waved for the Female Cultivators to leave. He had no interest in taking a few Furnace Cauldrons back for his ”amusement” like other Nascent Soul Old Monsters.

And so, he leisurely sipped his Spirit Tea, quietly waiting for the auction to begin.

...

Soon, the auction began.

Whether it was because Lü Zhong had high standards or the auction was falsely advertised, a series of items were presented, yet not a single one managed to pique his interest.

”The next auction item is the Three Snake Nether Fire Shield...”

The auctioneer carefully opened a brocade box. Wisps of white flame immediately spilled out, and the temperature in the hall began to rise rapidly. A solemn-faced male cultivator in a profound robe standing beside him then formed a Technique Mantra, pulling the object from the box to display it to the crowd.

It was a ghastly white bone shield, formed from three intertwined snake skeletons.

”This treasure was meticulously refined by the Eight Treasures True Monarch of the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace. Using three rare Tier Three Netherfire Snakes and a section of Tier Four Celestial Snake Bone as the main materials, it was cultivated and refined in the Heavenly Origin Fire Land with pure fire for over forty years before this Three Snake Nether Fire Shield was finally created. It was a Twelve-layered Prohibition treasure from the very beginning.”

Upon hearing this, Lü Zhong’s interest was immediately piqued.

But after he examined the Three Snake Nether Fire Shield more closely, a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.

’This Magical Treasure’s potential has been exhausted!’

Normally, a Magical Treasure should have its Spiritual Light contained within, rarely revealing its power so conspicuously. For this to happen meant something was wrong with the Magical Treasure itself.

Its power was leaking uncontrollably.

The Twelve-layered Prohibition was likely the peak this treasure would ever reach.

However, even though Lü Zhong looked down on it, in the eyes of the other cultivators participating in the auction, the Three Snake Nether Fire Shield was still a rare treasure. It offered the power of a Twelve-layered Prohibition without needing to be nurtured. For many families or Sects, buying such a Magical Treasure would be a quick way to boost their strength.

Thus, as soon as the auctioneer announced the starting price, bids rose one after another.

The atmosphere in the auction hall instantly grew incredibly heated. In no time, the price soared from the starting bid of 1.2 million to 3 million Spirit Stones, and the momentum showed no signs of slowing. Many of the Nascent Soul Cultivators in the private rooms had joined the bidding war for this treasure.

After a fierce bidding war, it was finally sold for the high price of six million Spirit Stones.

’Central Earth Cultivators really are rich!’ Lü Zhong thought to himself.

The auction then continued.

New items continuously appeared on stage, occasionally even breaking transaction records.

Each time this happened, the atmosphere in the hall would reach a new peak.

Soon, another new auction item was brought out.

”A Profound Gang Heavenly Talisman, a Tier Five Talisman from the North Immortal Talisman Palace, personally drawn by the Profound Robe Grand Venerable. Its quality is beyond doubt. Its effect is to instantly restore your Protective Gang Qi to its original state by consuming your own Magical Power... The starting bid is one hundred High-grade spirit stones, with a minimum increment of five High-grade spirit stones.”

Before the host had even finished speaking, the hall erupted into a frenzy once more.

This was a Tier Five Talisman!

In combat, having a Profound Gang Heavenly Talisman was equivalent to having an extra layer of Protective Gang Qi. Gaining such an advantage in a battle between peers meant you could practically crush your opponent by trading injuries.

At this moment, Lü Zhong didn’t join the bidding. Instead, he recalled a past event.

Back when the Lingyue Sect was destroyed, its Grand Elder, Chen Hao, had used a Profound Gang Heavenly Talisman. It had to be said that this was an extravagant act. He had clearly been forced into a corner with no other choice, compelling him to waste such a valuable Tier Five Talisman on him, who was just a Core Formation Cultivator at the time.