A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

At that moment, Lü Zhong snorted coldly. He stopped actively channeling the Water Flood Dragon Banner, instead letting it continue to gather water vapor, forming a layer of azure-blue light to counteract the effects of the Fire-avoiding Beasts’ True Flame.

Then, with a raise of his hand, a figure flew out from his sleeve.

It was another Incarnation.

Lü Zhong knew perfectly well that while it wasn’t impossible for him to kill the two beasts with his current strength, the chances were infinitesimally small. If he merely drove them away, they would surely return before long, and the High Wall Secret Tunnel would still be in jeopardy.

’So, the Fire-avoiding Beasts must die!’

BOOM!

The Incarnation successfully self-destructed, engulfing the Fire-avoiding Beasts.

Pitiful bellows of ”MOO, MOO” echoed out. Although the two Fire-avoiding Beasts were immune to high temperatures and fierce flames, they were still heavily injured by the shockwave. Blood began to seep from their mouths, noses, and other orifices, indicating that even their internal organs were damaged. They no longer looked as majestic as before.

’If only I could have killed them both with that one blast,’

Lü Zhong thought with a touch of regret. He then brought out all his main Magical Treasures: the Star Mirror, the Cangwu Bead, the Green Cauldron Sword... he summoned everything he had. At the same time, he didn’t forget to use Blessing Magic, especially the Star Gathering Skill from his Lifebound Treasure, aiming to further enhance his strength.

The Fire-avoiding Beasts were now completely enraged.

Their eyes glowed crimson as they let out a series of low roars. The flames burning on their bodies suddenly flared several times brighter, and their auras grew considerably stronger.

With a horrifying sound of tearing air, the Fire-avoiding Beasts condensed their internal True Flame into Fireballs and spat them out. The power of these Fireballs was astonishing. Even if they hit the stone walls, they could melt a tunnel right through them. If they hit flesh, one could only imagine turning to ash on contact.

Lü Zhong watched the Fire-avoiding Beasts’ movements intently, instantly dodging when the Fireballs came at him.

Just then, a golden light flashed in his eyes. A look of delight couldn’t help but appear on his previously expressionless face.

With a flip of his hand, a golden mask appeared.

It was the Giant Spirit Mask.

”Perfect timing!” Lü Zhong laughed, pressing the mask directly onto his face. He silently activated the Spirit Communication Mantra, and the Magical Power within his body began to drain rapidly.

A surge of golden light appeared, and a Giant Spirit God descended.

CLANG!

The Fire-avoiding Beasts never expected the Immortal Cultivator before them could transform into a Dharma Aspect. As Lü Zhong threw a fierce punch, the beast at the very front was struck. Even though it had instantly transformed into a state of pure flame, it couldn’t avoid being hit.

Under the impact of the Giant Strength, it was sent flying.

On to the next target.

Lü Zhong threw another series of punches. He paid no mind to his Dharma Aspect’s fists being melted by the True Flame and charged straight for the remaining Fire-avoiding Beast. Since his refinement of the Spirit Treasure was still shallow, the power he could draw from it was extremely limited, which in turn meant there was a time limit to using the mask.

Fist after fist met flesh in a satisfying flurry!

The Fire-avoiding Beast shrieked in pain as it was beaten back, its body retreating continuously. Not only did blood begin to seep from its mouth and nose, but one of its eyeballs was even punched out.

But Lü Zhong was paying a heavy price as well.

Scorched by the True Flame, the Dharma Aspect looked like a melting candle, on the verge of collapsing into a puddle.

’My refinement is still too low. If my Spirit Communication was at a higher level, I could channel more of the Spirit Treasure’s power. These mere Fire-avoiding Beasts would be nothing to worry about!’ Although Lü Zhong deeply regretted not being able to seize the opportunity to kill the Fire-avoiding Beast, he had no choice but to let the mask fall off.

Regrets were regrets, but his hands did not stop moving.

Magical Treasures, Thunder Skills... he unleashed everything at the same Fire-avoiding Beast, as if intending to vaporize it.

While Lü Zhong launched his barrage, the Fire-avoiding Beasts weren’t idle either. The flames on their bodies surged, instantly turning the entire cavern into a river of lava. The beasts, wreathed in roiling magma and spewing fire from their mouths and noses, shattered all the incoming Magical Treasures and Thunder Skills.

’Such powerful True Flame!’

Lü Zhong’s heart tightened. He continued to channel his Magical Treasures.

His goal was simple. He didn’t expect to actually harm the Fire-avoiding Beasts, but only to drain their Demon Power. This would create an opening for him to use the Shattering Star Finger.

Just as the Fire-avoiding Beasts began to pant, a burst of starlight suddenly appeared!

The targeted Fire-avoiding Beast was caught completely off guard. When the Shattering Star Finger struck, the True Flame enveloping its body vanished. Even the Demon Power protecting its demonic form was broken through, revealing its true body underneath, which looked like a wrinkled pig.

Now!

A sharp glint flashed in Lü Zhong’s eyes, and he abruptly vanished.

He reappeared above his target.

Gripping the Green Cauldron Sword with both hands, he swung down without hesitation, delivering a fatal blow to the Fire-avoiding Beast.

It began to struggle frantically, but its aura inevitably weakened. A massive amount of fire erupted from its body, indiscriminately burning everything—rock pillars, earth, and even itself—until it was reduced to ash by the out-of-control flames.

Lü Zhong retreated far away to avoid being caught in the blaze.

He felt no joy in having dealt with one Fire-avoiding Beast. After all, this was just a small victory; the real bitter struggle was yet to come. He immediately turned his gaze to the remaining beast and charged forward, preparing to kill it as well.

Just then, a wave of fire suddenly surged toward him.

It was the Fire-avoiding Beast that had been chasing Baqiong. Sensing the death of its kin, it had abandoned its nearly-caught prey and rushed back.

Just as he was about to face two enemies at once...

With a loud crash, a figure smashed through the cavern wall and appeared in Lü Zhong’s field of vision.

’It’s Baqiong!’ Lü Zhong breathed a sigh of relief.

He glanced at her and saw that although Baqiong was severely wounded, her injuries had stabilized. He figured she would make a full recovery once the matter here was settled.

The two sides clashed again.

Using the Shattering Star Finger, Lü Zhong repeated his old trick and heavily wounded another Fire-avoiding Beast.

At this point, the tide of battle finally became clear.

In the ensuing fight, he remained cautious to avoid any careless mistakes while also pressing his advantage, giving the Fire-avoiding Beasts no quarter.

Some time later, another Fire-avoiding Beast collapsed with a thud.

And then, the third!

When all the Tier Four Fire-avoiding Beasts had fallen, the herd of Tier Three Fire-avoiding Beasts, which was already being pushed back, finally broke. Having lost their last pillar of support, they scattered and fled in all directions.

With that, the great battle finally came to a temporary end.

Meanwhile, Lü Zhong was cleaning up the battlefield.

A Demon Beast’s entire body is a treasure, but the Fire-avoiding Beast was a clear exception. Once they died, the True Flame inside them would immediately go out of control, destroying all their flesh, bones, hide, and other materials in an instant, leaving nothing but a pile of ash for their killer.

”Good, I got three Fireproof Beads out of it.” Lü Zhong’s face lit up with a smile.

The Fireproof Bead was, in fact, the transformed Demon Pill of a Fire-avoiding Beast.

Tempered by the out-of-control True Flame, it contained the collected essence of the Fire-avoiding Beast.

For a cultivator practicing a Fire Element Cultivation Method, or for a fire-attribute Demon Beast, the Fireproof Bead was a first-class tonic. The effects after refining it were no less than that of a rare Treasure Pill. It could cause a visible leap in strength and even had some effect on improving one’s innate talent.

But for Lü Zhong, this item was also of great use.

After being processed by the Creation Secret Array and accepting some necessary losses, he could also turn the Fireproof Beads into ”Treasure Pills.” He figured he would gain considerable benefits after refining them.

All in all, this trip was not a loss!

...

「Several months passed.」

Lü Zhong’s peaceful days after dealing with the Fire-avoiding Beast trouble didn’t last long.

On this day, a new problem arose.

And it wasn’t a small one.

For some unknown reason, the Ten Thousand Witches Hall had reopened and activated the Profound City Celestial Attraction Secret Array. It had torn open a Void Channel directly overhead, and hordes of Celestial Demons, having caught the scent, were already on their way.

Upon receiving the news, Lü Zhong looked completely exasperated.

He had been planning to refine the processed Fireproof Beads to make a breakthrough in his cultivation.

Who would have thought something like this would happen?

’However, this is also a perfect opportunity,’ Lü Zhong thought to himself.

The Qian Nan Alliance was established and looked quite formidable.

It was time to test its mettle!