A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Wu Guiyun drew near the edge of the restriction, his gaze penetrating the layers of pale mist. At last, he could see the newcomer clearly—a young man in a black robe. Despite his emotionless face, his appearance was striking and elegant, every bit as impressive as the scions of the Noble Families and Major Sects he had seen in his time.

His heart, which had been lodged in his throat, finally settled back into his chest.

Wu Guiyun sighed in relief. ’The man across from me is clearly a living person, and he seems to be from a Noble Family or a Major Sect. In Central Earth, background is practically synonymous with power. The more distinguished a cultivator’s status, the stronger they are.’

’It’s not surprising that such a distinguished individual would have the ability to travel through the night.’

”I am Wu Guiyun of Wunan. And you are, Elder...?”

”Wunan Wu Family? Never heard of it,” Lü Zhong said coolly, sizing up the sickly-looking cultivator before him. He deliberately released an aura equivalent to Foundation Establishment Cultivation. ”My name is Chen Dong. Might I stay here for a night? I’d also like to ask you about a few things.”

”So it is Elder Chen! The Wu Family is merely a minor clan, so it is only natural that you haven’t heard of us!” Wu Guiyun’s attitude became even more deferential upon sensing the aura. He added, ”As for your request, Elder, I am not in a position to make that decision. Please forgive me. If you would wait here for a moment, I will go and report to our Clan Leader.”

”Go on, then. Be quick about it,” Lü Zhong said indifferently.

Watching the figure run back toward the stockade walls as if he’d been granted a pardon, Lü Zhong was reminded that today was a special occasion. Exactly half a year had passed since he had come to Central Earth through the High Wall Secret Tunnel.

What he had seen and heard on his journey could only be described as hell on earth.

Bones were piled into mountains, and the vast, once-populated lands were silent and deserted.

Across the vast lands, only the Soulless and swarms of Ghost Cultivators, like flies, remained. It made one wonder what had happened here.

Neither posed a threat to Lü Zhong. He had tried to get the information he wanted from them, but every attempt had failed.

The former possessed no Spiritual Wisdom to speak of, were aggressive toward all living beings, and without a soul, even the Soul Searching Technique was useless. As for the latter, it was as if excessive Yin Qi had corroded their minds; they were all in a muddle, and it was nearly impossible to get any information out of them.

’Now that I’ve finally encountered living people, I can’t let this opportunity pass.’

Soon, a group of people emerged from the stockade.

At that moment, Wu Renxun was at the head of the group. His eyes fell upon the cultivator who called himself ”Chen Dong.” Sensing the man’s Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he breathed a small sigh of relief.

’I’m at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment. Even if this man truly comes from a Noble Family, I can still reliably overpower him.’

But he quickly considered that for someone at only the Early-stage Foundation Establishment to dare travel alone, he must be carrying a Talisman Treasure or some other Protective Spiritual Object. The confidence that had just begun to swell within him was instantly doused, as if by a bucket of ice water.

Wu Renxun’s thoughts shifted again. ’The Wu Family has fallen so far; there’s nothing of value for him to covet. The only things even slightly valuable are some Cultivation Method Manuals and the ten thousand-odd Spirit Stones we have left. If ”Chen Dong” wants them, he can have them.’

’At any rate, he’s a living person and appears to be a righteous cultivator.’

’He’s unlikely to kill indiscriminately.’

’So, by allowing him to stay, it’s actually the Wu Family that stands to gain. With an extra Foundation Establishment Stage expert, our safety tonight will be that much more assured.’

With this in mind, a smile appeared on his face as he spoke to ”Chen Dong.”

”I am Wunan Wu Renxun. Mr. Chen, please, come in!”

Wu Renxun led Lü Zhong into a tidied-up hall within the Dock Fortress. This was supposed to have been Wu Renxun’s own quarters for the night, but it was now perfectly suited for receiving an honored guest.

Host and guest took their seats, and tea was served shortly after.

Only then did the two formally begin their conversation.

”May I ask where you have come from, and where you are headed?” Wu Renxun asked with a smile.

”My origins... it’s not convenient to speak of them at the moment, my apologies. I’ve come to your door unannounced simply to ask for directions to the Immortal Spirit Sect.” Lü Zhong delivered his prepared lines.

”No matter. However, the Immortal Spirit Sect you speak of is in the Gui Miao South Territory. We are currently in the Northern Mountain region, also known as the Gui Miao West Territory—a difference of hundreds of thousands of miles. In the past, that would be one thing, but with your current cultivation, I’m afraid...” Wu Renxun stroked his long beard, his brow furrowed.

He paused before continuing, ”How about this? Why don’t you travel with my Wu Family to Qingbu Square? If we have the misfortune of running into Soulless that we can’t handle, or those vicious Ghost Cultivators, we can at least watch each other’s backs.”

Lü Zhong remained silent.

Inwardly, however, he thought that Wu Renxun’s proposal suited him perfectly.

So, without refusing, he agreed.

The two then spoke late into the night by candlelight. Lü Zhong asked about everything he wanted to know and finally gained a basic understanding of his current location, the Northern Mountain region.

He even obtained a map in the process.

...

The night passed peacefully. Early the next morning, the Wu Family’s convoy set out once more.

Lü Zhong was assigned to a Beast Vehicle. Inside were two sixteen-year-old maids, who were quite pretty and even had cultivation at the first or second layer of Qi Refining.

After some conversation, he learned they were sisters, singing girls raised by the Wu Family.

The two women’s words were full of hints.

If not for their apprehension about Lü Zhong’s status, they probably would have started to disrobe for him.

Lü Zhong was well aware of what they were thinking.

’They’re just trying to find someone to protect them in these chaotic times.’

Ignoring the two women, Lü Zhong closed his eyes and sat in quiet meditation, his mind turning over the purpose of his journey.

’On one hand, I need to understand the severity of the ”Soul Loss Syndrome” and its impact on Central Earth’s Cultivation Realm, especially the Gui Miao Sect. This will inform my future decisions.’

’On the other hand, I plan to treat this as a journey of experience, to see if I can find some opportunities to advance further on my path of cultivation.’

Due to constant encounters with the Soulless, the convoy’s progress was slow, and they frequently had to take long detours to avoid danger ahead.

They continued on like this until noon, when they finally chose a place to rest.

It was originally a manor. One could tell it had once been an idyllic place of scenic beauty, with paths crisscrossing through vast stretches of fertile fields.

But with the arrival of the disaster, the mortals who lived here had all been killed, and it had long since become a dead land. Only the withered seedlings in the desiccated soil remained to tell of its former prosperity.

Perhaps their luck was turning, for the Wu Family actually found a buried granary in the manor’s ruins. The Restriction Array was undamaged, so the grain inside was perfectly preserved.

After taking inventory, they discovered not only over 70,000 catties of ordinary grain but also several thousand catties of Spirit Rice—a pleasant surprise.

After this little episode, and as they drew closer to their destination, the atmosphere in the convoy finally lightened up considerably.

After traveling for another half a day, the convoy chose a place to spend the night.

This time, however, the Wu Family was not as lucky as the night before.

The convoy arrived in a hilly area, filled with small hills dozens of yards high. There were still signs of terraced fields carved out by mortals in the past, but aside from ruined villages, there was nowhere safe to be found.

With sunset fast approaching and the dangerous night about to fall, Wu Renxun, as the Clan Leader, had no choice but to order them to make camp on the spot.

However, just as the convoy began to set up camp, Lü Zhong sensed a large number of living people to the northwest. The strongest Spiritual Qi fluctuations among them were only at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Sensing no threat, he simply ignored them.

Before long, magical fireworks lit up the sky in that direction.

After the two groups sent representatives to communicate, Lü Zhong learned that it was another family convoy, just like the Wu Family, heading for Qingbu Square. They were not from Wunan Prefecture, however, but were the Lin Family from the neighboring Guangyuan Prefecture.

According to the Lin Family Patriarch, Guangyuan Prefecture had been completely destroyed after a recent attack by Ghost Cultivators, during which its guardian True Master had fallen.

They themselves had narrowly escaped with their lives, losing more than half of their clan members before they were fortunate enough to break free.