A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Afterward.

A new day had begun.

Lü Zhong got up and dressed. Too lazy to cast a Cleaning Skill, he simply sent a jolt of Magical Power through his body. The grime on his skin was instantly repelled, which he then precisely gathered into a ball and sent flying into the courtyard’s flowerbed.

Shuini, combing her hair before the mirror, was undoubtedly a fairy-like beauty.

Yet he no longer felt much of anything.

The process of dual cultivation had truly become just like any other training session.

It was all for the advancement of his cultivation.

’Where was the passion he had for such carnal matters in his youth?’

Shuini was pinning up her hair, and she placed a Flower Ornament on the spot between her eyebrows. Noticing Lü Zhong’s gaze, she couldn’t help but smile faintly and ask in a soft voice, ”By the way, how have things been in the Southern Barbarian lands recently?”

”Same as always.” Lü Zhong walked up behind Shuini and helped her with her hair. ”Over with the Daoist Sect and the Xuanyang Sect, even though their True Monarchs were rescued, they’ve all suffered a great loss of Essence Blood and their Primordial Qi is severely damaged. I don’t expect Yun Yan and the others will be able to stir up any trouble for a while. So, for now, the situation in the Southern Barbarian lands is still relatively peaceful.”

He said ”relatively” because after the arrival of the Ten Thousand Witches Hall, the traps set by the Witch Cultivators had killed far too many High-level cultivators, leading to an imbalance of power among the various factions in the Southern Barbarian lands.

Additionally, the Nascent Soul True Monarchs, who served as the region’s Stabilizing Needles, were all unable to appear and control the situation for one reason or another.

Thus, various sects and families began to vie for benefits and resources, both openly and in the shadows.

In the near future, the situation in the Southern Barbarian lands was not expected to change drastically. It would likely remain in this state of overall stability, but with localized turmoil.

”I’m so envious of your Outer Body Incarnation Divine Technique!” Shuini said.

After Lü Zhong had taught her the art, she had also tried to cultivate and comprehend it, but her progress was incredibly slow, as if she had no talent for it at all.

Lü Zhong didn’t know the reason for this either.

Just then, his expression changed slightly, and he stopped what he was doing. ”I’ve suddenly lost contact with my Incarnation. It seems something’s happened. You should continue to rest and recuperate. I’ve already made arrangements with the Chengde Commerce Association; the fleet heading back to the Southern Barbarian lands will depart in three days.”

Lü Zhong pushed the door open and quickly walked out of the mercantile post.

He casually hailed a Beast Vehicle and told the driver to head for the Gui Miao District.

He was currently in the Southern Barbarian District, an area filled with the mercantile posts of the major Southern Barbarian Commerce Associations. The Gui Miao District, on the other hand, was in the heart of Changchun Immortal City. His Incarnation had gone there this morning to obtain travel papers, preparing for the next leg of the journey to Central Earth.

Everything had been going smoothly.

But just a moment ago, the Incarnation had suddenly lost contact.

’What in the world happened?’ Lü Zhong’s expression turned cold.

At the same time, he thought to himself, ’I really must have the constitution of a walking disaster. I just wanted to enter seclusion for a while and refine the Golden Qi Nourishing Truth Pill, but now another problem has shown up.’

But no matter what, since trouble had come knocking, he had no choice but to deal with it.

’I just hope I can have a few hundred years of peace after this.’

He soon arrived at the Gui Miao District.

Compared to the Southern Barbarian District, this area wasn’t as bustling with people, but the prestige of the buildings lining the streets was by no means lower. The shops mostly sold high-end goods from Central Earth, with items produced by the Gui Miao Immortal Sect—such as Pills, Talismans, Magical Treasures, and other Spiritual Objects—being the most highly sought after.

Lü Zhong glanced inside and saw that all the customers had cultivation at the Core Formation Stage.

Soon, he got out of the vehicle at the side of the street.

Looking up, he could see a magnificent complex of buildings ahead. It was situated in the very center of the Gui Miao District. Above the entrance hung a plaque with a restrained Spiritual Light, on which were written the five words ”Gui Miao Southern Barbarian Hall” in Silver Tadpole Script.

All Southern Barbarian Cultivators who wished to travel to Central Earth had to first obtain travel papers here upon arriving at the East Sea by ship, before they could board a sea vessel for the next stop.

And according to Lü Zhong’s understanding, this process was usually very simple, with no obstacles whatsoever.

’How strange. Why would the Incarnation suddenly lose contact?’

Lü Zhong replayed the events in his mind, but he still couldn’t understand it.

His East Sea Incarnation was the one with the highest cultivation and greatest strength among all his Possession Incarnations. It had been the first to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and also the first to reach Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

If nothing had gone wrong, it should have been the first Incarnation to successfully reach Core Formation.

But now... it had vanished without a trace.

’Forget it. I’ll take a look first and figure it out from there.’

Lü Zhong stopped overthinking it and focused on replaying the scene in his mind.

...

「Meanwhile.」

Inside a secret chamber within the Gui Miao Southern Barbarian Hall.

Lü Zhong’s missing Incarnation was currently lying on a jade bed.

Standing beside it were a male and female cultivator: an ordinary-looking young man and a cold-faced woman in plain clothes.

The latter was currently forming hand seals and Casting, continuously striking the Incarnation’s body with one Prohibition after another.

Nearby, several other jade beds were lined up in a row.

On each of these beds also lay a figure.

Every single one of them was devoid of any aura.

And without exception, each had a large hole in their abdomen, their Golden Core mysteriously gone.

Seeing the woman’s solemn expression, the young man couldn’t help but feel surprised.

”Senior Sister Zhao, it’s just a mere Core Formation cultivator. Why are you so serious?”

”Core Formation cultivator?” Hearing this, the woman in plain clothes gave the young man a cold look. ”Why don’t you take a look for yourself and see if this is an ordinary Core Formation Cultivator, or the Incarnation of some Nascent Soul Old Monster!”

”What? An Incarnation?” Hearing this, the young man hurriedly released his Divine Sense.

After a careful inspection, a hint of unease appeared on his previously calm expression.

”It really is an Incarnation! The purity of this Incarnation Body is remarkably close to that of a Pure Spirit Body. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It doesn’t come from the western Daoist Sects, nor is it the handiwork of the one from the Immortal Palace...”