A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Zi Ming’s face turned ugly as she watched her Protective Demon Qi rapidly deplete.

She was only at the Early-stage Transformation Realm, a Small Realm below a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Facing Lü Zhong’s thunderous strike, she had almost no ability to resist. Defeat was only a moment away.

Seeing this, a fierce glint flashed in Zi Ming’s eyes.

“Since you refuse to retreat, then you can die with me!” she spat in human speech. She pulled a Hexagonal Crystal from her body and crushed it without hesitation.

Instantly, a pillar of light shot into the sky.

A vortex then unfurled.

‘Another Void Channel!’ Lü Zhong was alarmed.

The memory of the Gounan Ghost Emperor contacting the Ghost Realm still made his heart pound. If not for the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner’s crucial intervention, he would have likely suffered severe injuries.

“Hmph!”

Lü Zhong snorted coldly and formed a Shattering Star Finger.

Struck by the finger, the Insect Queen Zi Ming could no longer hold on. First, her Protective Demon Qi was shattered, then her massive body was pierced by pillars of lightning and fire.

The Insect Queen’s aura weakened instantly, her power dropping to Tier Three in a matter of moments. She no longer dared to fight Lü Zhong and turned to flee toward the Insect Swarm.

But unexpectedly…

A streak of green light, moving faster than her, flashed across the Insect Queen’s neck.

PSHHT! Violet insect blood spurted out as her large head flew high into the air.

Just then, there was a disturbance from the vortex in the sky.

A thousand-zhang Inverted Giant Peak descended, accompanied by countless black dots.

Using his Celestial Net Eye, Lü Zhong could see clearly that the black dots were all bizarre, strange insects. They had ferocious appearances and exuded a vicious aura.

The Inverted Giant Peak itself clearly had a hollow structure. Vast numbers of strange insects poured from its openings like water from a bursting dam.

The moment this third party appeared, they launched an indiscriminate attack.

The strange insects were astonishingly powerful, their auras comparable to Foundation Establishment Cultivators. The beams of electric-blue light they spat from their mouths caused immense damage, whether they hit a Skeleton Insect or a cultivator’s Flying Ship.

In just a short time, several Flying Ships were destroyed.

The situation was even worse for the Insect Swarm. Leaderless without their queen, thousands of Skeleton Insects were killed, and the number was climbing so fast it was only a matter of time before it surpassed ten thousand.

‘What realm did she connect to?’ Lü Zhong’s brows furrowed.

From his experience with the Gouchen Ghost Realm, he already understood that the Immortal Dao was not the only prosperous path in this universe. In the vast Void, it wasn’t just Celestial Demons that existed; there were surely other civilizations. Perhaps these strange insects were also backed by a flourishing civilization.

‘If I could gather the power of an entire realm to launch a counter-invasion of this one…’

That way, the crisis facing the Qinghe Realm might be easily solved.

The possibility flashed through Lü Zhong’s mind, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

From what he knew, the Reincarnation of the Human Race depended on the incredibly mysterious Nai River. No one knew if souls could reincarnate if this other realm was conquered. If they were to become trapped in that world, the consequences would be dire.

‘Perhaps the Land of Immortal Transmission holds the answer?’

For some reason, this thought surfaced in his mind.

Shaking his head to banish the distracting thoughts, Lü Zhong decided not to dwell on it.

The Void Channel in the sky was still expanding. If it grew to a certain size, even more powerful beings could pass through it, so it had to be destroyed immediately.

He actually had several ways to destroy a Void Channel.

For instance, he could have his Incarnation self-destruct.

At that moment, something strange happened. The Skeleton Insect Swarm, which had been attacking the fleet of ships, suddenly changed direction in unison, focusing their attacks solely on the newly appeared strange insects.

Even when attacked by cultivators, the swarm did not retaliate.

‘A new Insect Queen has been born!’

Lü Zhong quickly understood the reason for the swarm’s strange behavior.

Watching the scene before him, a look of appreciation appeared in his eyes. He chuckled lightly. “So they know how to prioritize. In that case, I should show some goodwill.”

With a single command, the Bihai Sect’s Grand Array also changed its target.

Shortly after giving the order, Lü Zhong’s gaze suddenly shifted behind him, toward the location of the Skeleton Insect Nest. Two points of light, one large and one small, were streaking toward him. Both radiated the aura of the Core Formation Realm. One was clearly a Core Formation Cultivator, while the other was rather peculiar.

It was like a person, but not a person; like an insect, but not an insect.

While he was lost in thought, the two Escape Lights had arrived and revealed their forms.

Chen Naigu looked at the young man in the distance, his heart pounding with anxiety. Although rumors claimed that this Star Sun Ancestor was devoted to his path and didn’t care much for the distinction between good and evil, convincing him to spare the Skeleton Insect Swarm in exchange for a tribute of Emperor Insect Juice would likely be no simple task.

‘For Yuan’Er’s sake, I have to risk it!’

He gritted his teeth, cupped his hands toward Lü Zhong from a distance, and spoke. “I, the foolish cultivator Chen Naigu, along with my daughter Ziyuan, greet you, Senior Star Sun! This junior has convinced the new generation’s Insect Queen, Ziyuan. She is willing to serve the Bihai Sect as her master from this day forward. She will turn over a new leaf and start anew as an insect, and she will atone for all past sins!”

Hearing this, Lü Zhong was slightly taken aback.

It wasn’t because the new Insect Queen wanted to surrender, but because he heard the words “my daughter.”

He couldn’t help but shift his gaze to the figure beside Chen Naigu. Looking at her half-human, half-insect appearance, he could vaguely see a slight father-daughter resemblance between the two.

Lü Zhong suddenly understood what had happened.

He gathered his Heart and Spirit.

He began to seriously consider Chen Naigu’s proposal.

A person driven purely by profit would surely agree without hesitation. After all, controlling the Skeleton Insect Swarm meant a continuous supply of Nether Corpse Emperor Insect Juice. From now on, the Bihai Sect would have another foundational resource for nurturing Nascent Soul Cultivators.

After a brief deliberation, Lü Zhong decided to agree.

He didn’t consider himself a good person, nor was he some grand, righteous figure. Compared to the massive blood debt owed to mortals, his own path to the Dao and the future of those close to him were clearly more important.

So, he swiped his Storage Ring and wrote out a Spirit Communication Jade Contract.

With a light flick of his finger, Lü Zhong sent the Spirit Communication Jade Contract flying toward Ziyuan. “If you truly wish to surrender,” he said flatly, “then sign this Spirit Contract.”

Ziyuan caught the Spirit Contract in terror. She didn’t sign it immediately, instead looking pleadingly at her biological father, Chen Naigu. When he took the contract and read it, his expression changed.

The terms of the Spirit Contract were incredibly harsh.

It was no different from a slave contract!

Gritting his teeth, he still decided to have Ziyuan sign it.

There was no other reason: at least this way, she could live.

‘Given Star Sun Ancestor’s character, as long as Ziyuan abides by the contract and diligently controls the Insect Swarm, he most likely won’t get rid of her once she has outlived her usefulness.’

While Chen Naigu struggled with his decision, Lü Zhong made his next move.

After a long period of brewing, another Meteor smashed down.

It struck the Inverted Giant Peak dead center.

There was a flash of intense light, accompanied by a deafening roar. However, when the smoke cleared, something unexpected was revealed: the Meteor had failed to destroy the peak.

‘A shield?’

Lü Zhong was quite surprised.

He paid no more attention to Chen Naigu and his daughter. With a flash of lightning, he vanished from his spot. Disregarding the potential damage to his Star Mirror, he used Thunder Escape more than a dozen times in a row, appearing before the Inverted Giant Peak.

It was only upon getting closer that he discovered the giant peak’s surface was covered in Runes.

Their style was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

They had no connection to the Immortal Dao; it seemed to be another system entirely.

At this moment, sparks flew everywhere on the Inverted Giant Peak, and strange insects crawled all over it. It was clear that the recent Meteor strike had caused significant damage.

Noticing Lü Zhong’s appearance, the strange insects quickly reacted.

The true purpose of this Inverted Giant Peak must be a mobile fortress. It not only has an astonishingly powerful defensive shield but also formidable firepower capable of firing light beams at enemies.

Frowning slightly, Lü Zhong’s body once again lit up with lightning. When he reappeared, he was a thousand zhang away. He raised his hand and sent out two Incarnations.

The Inverted Giant Peak was positioned perfectly in the center of the Void Channel. To destroy the channel, he first had to deal with this fortress.

To prevent his Incarnations from being focus-fired, Lü Zhong activated the Star Mirror to provide cover.

Instantly, countless Light Mirrors formed.

After resolving the issue with the Thunder Talisman, the Star Mirror had been nourished and had successfully broken through to the Twentieth-Layer Prohibition. Its Artifact Spirit had also benefited greatly. Upon being awakened, it had begun a path of Metamorphosis. This brought many benefits. Besides the increase in power, the most obvious improvement was in its control.

Although the nascent Artifact Spirit’s Spiritual Wisdom was still muddled, it could already provide considerable assistance.

For example, it now knew to proactively help its master form Light Mirrors.

He could command it with a single thought.

Thousands of Light Mirrors formed with every breath.