A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 665: Chapter 363: Thunder Escape Technique

Comprehending the Runes would still take some time.

So, Lü Zhong took up temporary residence at the True Spirit Sect. He planned to first study the Sleeve Universe Technique while also sending three of his incarnations into the Vast Forest Sea to probe the Demon Court for details.

Whatever they could find out was better than doing nothing at all.

At the same time, he also notified his Bihai Sect incarnation of the news that the Demon Court had been reestablished.

A war between the Human and Demon Races was unavoidable.

Lü Zhong refused to believe that the Demon Court’s resurgence was truly born from an “admiration for the Immortal Dao,” a mere desire to learn the ways of Immortal Cultivators.

Based on the typical nature of Demon Cultivators, they were always vengeful over the smallest slight. The Demon Court had surely endured immense suffering in the Vast Forest Sea—hardships that would only have multiplied, not diminished. When all the old and new grudges were added together, a final reckoning was inevitable.

Therefore, preparing for war was essential.

Plans had to be set in motion: stockpiling resources, expanding the Flying Ship workshops, and developing smaller, imitation Warships based on the Mountain Shaking Ship’s design.

Beyond that, they also had to guard against the infiltration of spies.

Once all the arrangements were made, Lü Zhong entered his Quiet Chamber. He first sat on a meditation cushion to regulate his breath and calm his spirit. Then, he took out the pages detailing the Sleeve Universe Technique and carefully reviewed the method for constructing the Singularity. Only after confirming that he had memorized it perfectly did he officially begin the work.

The construction of the Singularity involved a total of thirty-six nodes. Each one had to be perfect, with no room for even the slightest oversight, or the disaster would fall upon him.

The process was one of complex and tedious calculations.

Even for a Nascent Soul True Monarch, the Primordial Spirit could not withstand such immense pressure, so Lü Zhong had to rest periodically.

Fortunately, these fragments of time were not completely wasted; they were perfect for taking Pills and cultivating.

And so, time began to pass.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

After an arduous struggle and three complete recalculations, Lü Zhong finally confirmed his deduction for the first node. The next step was verification. He planned to perform this in the Gray Mist Space; only after it succeeded in True Retrospection would he apply it to one of his incarnations.

This way, even if there was an error in the result, it would not endanger him personally.

‘Success or failure, it all comes down to this!’

Lü Zhong took a deep breath before beginning the True Retrospection.

The result was a success.

The next step was to apply it to an incarnation.

There were no mishaps.

He could perceive that a spatial anomaly had indeed formed at the base of the incarnation’s elbow. It was fixed in place, moving along with the incarnation.

Thrilled by his immediate success, Lü Zhong felt a surge of excitement.

Just as he was about to forgo rest and begin deducing the next node…

At that very moment, the Magical Power in his body was drawn upon.

It then surged out like a flood.

‘Hm? What a coincidence!’

Lü Zhong’s smile vanished. He immediately understood what was happening: one of his incarnations had encountered danger and had been forced to activate the Spirit Fusion Secret Technique to borrow power from his main body.

‘A perfect opportunity for an experiment!’

Without a second thought, he took control of the incarnation.

…

「Deep within the Forest Sea.」

A chase was underway.

The moment Lü Zhong opened his eyes, he saw a glowing claw slash coming for him.

“Hmph, you’re courting death!” he snarled, flaring his aura and enveloping himself in Spiritual Light.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, his figure flashed away.

He had dodged the attack by the barest of margins.

“Tch. You humans really are a cunning bunch,” a mocking voice called from above Lü Zhong. “For a second there, I actually thought you were going to meet my attack head-on. Turns out it was just a feint!” The speaker was an uncanny woman with long whiskers on her cheeks and cat ears perched atop her head.

‘A Transformed Demon Cultivator!’

Lü Zhong stared at the woman in the tree, his expression unchanging. ‘This incarnation is weak,’ he thought, ‘so the Spirit Fusion Secret Technique will only last for a quarter of an hour. I have to use this “frail” body to test my theory within that time.’

He couldn’t be bothered to waste words on the Demon Cultivator.

Without another word, his hands began to form a hand seal.

He was casting the Spirit Sword Skill.

With no Magical Treasure for protection, this was the incarnation’s only offensive Magic Skill.

As he channeled his Magical Power, a Spirit Sword quickly condensed into form.

WHOOSH! The Spirit Sword shot forward.

Seeing this, the Demon Cultivator’s face twisted into a mocking sneer. She flicked her hand, sending a streak of green light to intercept the Spirit Sword.

With a sharp whistle, the Spirit Sword and the green light collided.

In a single clash, the green light shattered the Spirit Sword to pieces.

At the same time, Lü Zhong’s expression changed.

He tried to dodge, but he was a step too slow.

A furball exploded behind him, spewing out thousands of fine filaments that instantly pierced through the incarnation’s body. Then, they suddenly retracted, inflicting a second wave of damage as they reformed into a ball.

In an instant, his body was riddled with holes.

THUD! Lü Zhong’s eyes were wide with shock.

He collapsed weakly to the ground, looking as if he was on death’s door.

“Tch, pathetic!” Seeing this, the Demon Cultivator on the branch couldn’t help but look disappointed.

She had been hoping to toy with her prey a little longer for her own amusement.

Who would have thought he’d be so fragile? He was less durable than her usual playthings. Just one hit from her furball-piercer and he had completely lost the will to fight.

“Oh well, might as well eat him,” the Demon Cultivator said, licking her lips.

She then leaped down from the tree and walked toward Lü Zhong, one step at a time.

To a Demon Cultivator, a cultivator—especially a High-level cultivator—was an absolute top-tier tonic, its effects surpassing even those of Spirit Medicines.

Having tasted one before, this Demon Cultivator was thoroughly addicted.

A hundred yards… ten yards…

Just then, Lü Zhong, who had seemed on the verge of death, suddenly shot up from the ground. A Spirit Sword had appeared in his hand as he charged forward at incredible speed, aiming straight for the Demon Cultivator’s abdomen.