A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

And then—

A colossal BOOM!

Shaking mountains and earth!

In an instant, the Ten Thousand Demon Nest was slammed into the ground. Countless Celestial Demons perished in the process, pulverized by the might of the Divine Technique before they could even scream. The earth’s crust then rippled like ocean waves, accompanied by violent eruptions of golden-red lava. The few lucky Celestial Demons that hadn’t died were spewed out with the molten rock.

The lava raged wildly, engulfing the Celestial Demon army on the ground.

The scene was like the apocalypse itself, so shocking it took one’s breath away.

At that moment, a horn sounded!

The Allied Army Cultivators, arranged in their Iron Wall Formation, began to advance steadily.

Suddenly, a giant Fireball shot toward them—an enraged Great Demon had attacked. However, it was blocked by a protective shield from the Grand Array, which used the many Flying Ships as its nodes, and caused no damage whatsoever.

An enraged bellow echoed.

The leading Great Demon on the Celestial Demon side was a terrifying sight. It had the head of a bull and the body of a man, but its height was like a mountain. It wore a suit of Thorn Armor and had wings on its back large enough to block out the sun. The aura it radiated was no weaker than that of a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

It flapped its bat-like wings and ascended, charging straight for Hee Yun.

According to ancient records, this was a ”Bloodthirsty Great Demon” from among the Celestial Demons.

Besides this one, the other six Great Demons each had their own notorious origins.

For instance, Lü Zhong was now facing two Great Demons: a Blood Demon and a Shadow Demon.

The first was a monster with six twisted heads and a body covered in malformed, coiling spikes. It looked strangely like a basket that had sprouted heads and horns, and it was wrapped in heavy, blood-colored armor covered in flickering crimson Runes.

The second was formed from a shapeless, shifting mist that constantly arced with purple lightning. It sometimes took a humanoid form, other times a bizarre bestial one. Only its pair of pitch-black eyes remained constant, always filled with killing intent.

Fighting two against one, Lü Zhong was under considerable pressure.

Fortunately, he was well-prepared. Furthermore, the two Great Demons were only equivalent in power to Early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, so they weren’t too difficult to handle.

Elsewhere, Shuini, Fire Dragon, and Mu Guan had also engaged the Great Demons.

Hee Yun, meanwhile, was tied up with the Bloodthirsty Great Demon and a slightly weaker Blood Demon. While it looked like they were trading blows, she was actually more on the defensive, being suppressed by the berserk Great Demons.

As for the Allied Army Cultivators, they were already at war with the remaining Celestial Demons.

However, despite the fierce battle raging below, the outcome of this war still rested in the hands of the Nascent Soul cultivators. If the five of them failed to repel the Great Demons, then even if the Elders and disciples of the various sects fought a bloody battle and crushed the Celestial Demon host, the war would still end in defeat.

Sidestepping a chilling tentacle, Lü Zhong ignored the dense volley of Ice Needles that followed, letting his Flood Dragon Spirit Banner block them. He hastily activated his Star Mirror and Green Cauldron Sword, channeling his Magical Power so furiously that his meridians ached faintly. He was preparing to focus all his strength on slaying the Blood Demon first.

As for the other Shadow Demon, he left it to the Cyan Nether Forbidden Bottle to keep it occupied.

The Cyan Nether Forbidden Bottle happened to be the perfect counter to its Instant Teleportation ability. A Shadow Demon that couldn’t appear and disappear like a phantom had its power effectively halved.

After a brief exchange.

A low, dissonant hum emanated from the Blood Demon’s mouths.

Immediately after, Runes and blood flames appeared on the surface of the blood-red longsword in its hand. It then expanded wildly, becoming a hundred-foot-long greatsword that it swung madly at Lü Zhong.

Lü Zhong was already confident he could slay this demon.

He didn’t even need to use his trump card. He just had to wait for the Mirror Light and Sword Light from his Magical Treasures to wear down most of the billowing Demonic Qi protecting the Blood Demon’s body.

Just then, his eyes narrowed slightly.

The Thunderous Spears he had been charging for some time shot out—three of them in a triangular formation.

The Blood Demon opposite him steeled itself. Its pride prevented it from retreating a single step, but it already felt a deep-seated fear toward the cultivator before it.

Facing the incoming Thunder Spears, the Blood Demon swung its Demon Sword, easily shattering them in mid-air.

RUMBLE! A series of thunderclouds exploded.

But before it could even catch its breath, a streak of fire pierced through the thunderclouds, easily broke through its dwindling Demonic Qi, and then tore through its demonic body.

A large amount of foul, bloody energy immediately gushed from the charred black wound.

At that moment, Lü Zhong gave a cold smirk.

He changed his Sword Gesture, and the Human-Faced Flood Dragon Banner he was controlling sprang into action.

The pillar of fire inside the Blood Demon churned a few times. Already weakened, the demon could no longer hold on. It let out a tremendous howl, and then it was as dead as could be.

Seeing the Blood Demon slain, the Shadow Demon, which had witnessed the entire process, was also filled with fear. However, under the control of the Cyan Nether Forbidden Bottle, it couldn’t use its Instant Teleportation to escape. Seeing the cultivator who had just slain a Great Demon turn on it, it could only brace itself for a fight.

As soon as they began to fight, the Shadow Demon understood why the Blood Demon had been killed.

Its opponent’s power was simply too terrifying, and he possessed numerous techniques that countered Celestial Demons. From his Thunder Skills to his purple-gold flames, everything seemed specifically designed for hunting demons.

After trading blows for less than a hundred breaths, the Shadow Demon was already at a significant disadvantage.

”Immortal Cultivator, let me go, and I’ll give you this!” it suddenly said, speaking in a human tongue.

Lü Zhong wasn’t particularly surprised to hear this.

After all, when he underwent his Nascent Soul Heart Demon Tribulation, he had communicated with a Desire Celestial Demon that had come for the trial. It wasn’t strange to encounter another Great Demon capable of communication.

Lü Zhong’s interest was piqued as he looked at the object the Shadow Demon threw over.

The item looked like jade but wasn’t. A puff of smoke seemed to be sealed within it, giving it a very strange appearance. Although it had no Spiritual Qi fluctuations and emitted no Spiritual Light, his Spiritual Sense told him that this was definitely a treasure.

At the same time, Lü Zhong caught a glimpse of another Blood Demon out of the corner of his eye. With no one to hold it back, it was charging into the cultivator army. ’It wouldn’t hurt to spare this demon for now,’ he thought.

Compared to slaying this demon, preserving the Southern Barbarian Cultivators was more important.

With this in mind, Lü Zhong looked at the Shadow Demon and said coldly:

”What is this?”

”Shadow Jade! This is something you Immortal Cultivators covet!” Seeing Lü Zhong pause his attack, the Shadow Demon was overjoyed and hastily explained.

At the same time, an unforgettable memory surfaced in its mind.

It was a demon-terrifying memory it had witnessed in its youth, back when it was just a lowly Shadow Celestial Demon. A terrifying Immortal Cultivator, seeking Shadow Jade, had broken directly into the Shadow Demon nest. After brutally slaying several Demon Gods, he had swept the place clean of all its Shadow Jade.

Meanwhile, Lü Zhong was puzzled.

’Shadow Jade?’

He had never seen this term in any ancient records.

’I suppose this Shadow Jade involves some secret that the Immortal Sects don’t pass down. It must be knowledge that the Central Earth Immortal Sects keep under strict lock and key. To find out the true value of Shadow Jade, I’ll probably have to trade with Central Earth for the relevant texts first...’ Lü Zhong thought to himself.

Not knowing what Shadow Jade was didn’t stop him from making the deal.

After taking the Shadow Jade, Lü Zhong let the Shadow Demon go as promised.

With his current strength, it wasn’t impossible to kill the demon, but the price would have been too high. The Great Demon that had charged into the Allied Army Cultivators was now on a rampage. After destroying dozens of Flying Ships, it was now, of all things, heading straight for the Bihai Sect’s main formation.

’As their ancestor, I can choose not to save outsiders, but my own disciples and grand-disciples...’

Lü Zhong sighed silently and gave up on the idea of killing the Shadow Demon.

He immediately used Rainbow Transformation, streaking toward the Blood Demon.

A few breaths later, the man and the demon clashed. Under Lü Zhong’s deliberate guidance, the fight moved farther and farther away. The Allied Army Cultivators, whose formation had been thrown into chaos, seized the opportunity to regroup.

Just then, an unusual disturbance came from the Molten Rock Sea below, which had been created by the Divine Chapter’s strike.

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the Sea of Lava, formed from the convergence of ten thousand Fire Veins, actually began to show signs of boiling. But the cultivators quickly realized what was happening.

This wasn’t boiling at all.

It was clearly an imminent, massive eruption!

’The might of a Divinity Transformation cultivator is truly incredible!’ Lü Zhong couldn’t help but exclaim internally.

He figured the Divine Chapter’s strike must have truly reached the depths of the planet’s crust.

He immediately ordered the Allied Army to retreat to avoid being injured by the eruption of the Fire Veins. Then, he shifted his gaze upward to the Void Channel, which looked like a giant mouth, still spewing out an endless stream of Celestial Demons.

’Perhaps this massive Fire Vein eruption will bring an unexpected surprise!’