A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

”So, the mist is to blame?”

Lü Zhong observed the mist in the room, a thoughtful expression on his face.

The mist drifted and spread, filling the entire room. Its concentration grew with distance, yet it never drew close to him.

After a moment’s thought, Lü Zhong began searching for the cause.

He tested his Magical Power, his spiritual pressure, and his various artifacts...

In the process, Lü Zhong discovered that the Purple Gold Extreme Fire also had a significant effect on the mist.

However, its effect was limited to purification.

After eliminating the incorrect possibilities one by one, he quickly found the answer. It was somewhat unexpected: the Celestial Tribulation Aura from his Wood Thunder Seal.

”In that case...” Lü Zhong activated the Thunder Seal in his Sea of Consciousness.

In an instant, a powerful aura descended.

Almost simultaneously, the mist in the room—and even farther beyond—shrank back like a startled rabbit. It flashed with white light before rapidly scattering and vanishing.

”Ngh...”

Shuini let out a soft groan and finally opened her eyes.

She struggled up from the ground, her gaze falling on Lü Zhong, who had saved her. Her face showed no surprise; instead, she looked as if she had expected it.

”I... I wasn’t wrong. This Puppet-Making Mist really can’t do anything to you!”

She then broke into a coughing fit. COUGH, COUGH!

Then, she retched and spat out a mouthful of black blood.

Lü Zhong lowered his gaze and saw that the blood was teeming with countless tiny insects. Just as they began to crawl out of the puddle, a sheen of moonlight washed over them. The insects froze instantly, their life force rapidly draining away.

”What are these?”

”Puppet Insects. Once they invade the body, they can suppress one’s Divine Soul. It’s a good thing you woke me up in time. If these Puppet Insects had been eroding me for much longer, there would have been no escape.” Shuini took a Healing Elixir and sat cross-legged on the ground to circulate her energy. Once her complexion had improved, she continued, ”This Puppet-Making Mist is spat out by the Puppet Tower. I never thought the Demon Cultivators here would find such an Exotic Beast. Logically, they should have gone extinct in this realm long ago. I can’t believe a Tier Four Puppet Tower still exists.”

’Puppet Tower...’ Lü Zhong searched his memories and did, in fact, recall some relevant passages from ancient texts.

But they were all just bits and pieces, mostly from ancient scriptures, and every entry was vague and contradictory. Without knowing it was the name of an Exotic Beast, it was impossible to decipher their true meaning.

Seeing that their surroundings were temporarily safe, he voiced a question he had.

”Is there some connection between the Puppet Tower and the Limb-Attaching Sect? I just killed many grafted monsters, and their style is clearly very similar to the creations of the Limb-Attaching Sect.”

”The Puppet God. That’s what those Heterodox Cultivators call the Puppet Tower.” Shuini sneered. ”Only those who follow the Heterodox Dao, incapable of achieving Longevity, would call a Tier Four Demon Beast a God.”

In the eyes of Immortal Cultivators like them, the Puppet Tower was merely a Tier Four Demon Beast.

As for the grafted monsters Lü Zhong had just slain...

”Speaking of which, why aren’t you affected by the Puppet-Making Mist? This mist is the Puppet Tower’s Innate Divine Technique, obtained at the cost of a fragile body. Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator can’t easily shake it off if they inhale it. Prolonged exposure carries the risk of being controlled. And yet, you’re completely immune!”

Shuini changed the subject, her eyes filled with astonishment.

Lü Zhong just smiled and revealed the real reason.

”That Celestial Tribulation Aura is incredibly useful...” Shuini didn’t hide her envy. Her expression then turned serious. ”Since you’re immune to the Puppet Tower’s Innate Divine Technique, its greatest advantage is effectively nullified. We mustn’t delay. Let’s take this opportunity to kill that Puppet Tower!”

Once the Puppet Tower was dead, the Puppet-Making Mist would dissipate on its own!

The crisis facing the fleet would also be resolved naturally.

Lü Zhong nodded, not forgetting to separate a portion of his Purple Gold Extreme Fire to protect Shuini.

According to Shuini, whenever the Puppet Tower uses its Puppet-Making Mist, it first creates a hidden Barrier to protect its fragile body. So, he immediately brought Shuini along. While using his Celestial Tribulation Aura to drive back the mist, they began to hunt for the Puppet Tower’s true body within the Barrier, cutting down grafted monsters as they went.

Every second counted.

By the time Lü Zhong and Shuini fought their way to Yuu Mingzi’s giant vessel, they found a figure sitting cross-legged on deck. He was drenched in sweat, enveloped in a layer of golden light that was helping him fend off the attacking grafted monsters.

Seeing that Yuu Mingzi had not yet been corrupted and controlled, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to use Thunder Descends to disperse the mist around Yuu Mingzi, his gaze suddenly shot to a certain spot on the deck.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP! The sound of frantic footsteps.

A petite figure scrambled away, tumbling and crawling as it fled.

”That’s the Puppet Tower!” Shuini shouted.

Lü Zhong nodded, raising his hand and releasing a Thunderous Spear.

This Thunder Spear carried a significant amount of Celestial Tribulation Aura. While it couldn’t free Yuu Mingzi from the Puppet-Making Mist, it could slow the Puppet Insects’ corrosion, buying him some time.

Without hesitation, Lü Zhong executed Shooting Star Escape, his form flickering as he teleported.

He quickly gave chase, but before he could teleport more than a few times, the Puppet Tower—still locked by his Divine Sense—suddenly vanished. It reappeared in a flash over a thousand feet away and resumed its panicked flight.

As it fled, the Puppet Tower hissed continuously, spewing out large amounts of mist.

From Lü Zhong’s perspective, it looked like a moving cloud of mist.

’It sure can run!’ Lü Zhong thought.

He immediately used Shooting Star Escape again.

He still had plenty of Magical Power, so expending a bit more was no issue.

And so the chase began: one man, one beast, a desperate race of hunter and hunted.