A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

’Fighting a Divinity Transformation cultivator to a standstill?’

Even if the opponent was holding back, it was still a feat worth bragging about.

At this thought, Lü Zhong wasn’t alarmed. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised.

Compared to their feat of fighting a Divinity Transformation cultivator to a draw, the way the Mengshan Three Heroes died was rather lamentable. The three of them had a massive flaw, which allowed their discoverer, Mengshan Monarch, to take them on three-to-one and wipe them out. The great fame they had built for themselves only served to glorify another after their deaths.

Perhaps it was for this reason that this highly entertaining biography had been preserved to this day, even after the Human Race had experienced several major upheavals.

Seeing that it would be difficult to win quickly, Lü Zhong decided to test an idea.

With a flick of his sleeve, he released two Incarnations.

In the biography, Mengshan Monarch relied on the Clone Technique. He exploited the Mengshan Three Heroes’ weakness—their strength in Combined Attack Skills but their lack of adaptability—to separate and defeat them one by one, ultimately killing them all.

Lü Zhong now wanted to replicate this very method.

Otherwise, given the strength of these three, it was highly unlikely he could find a way to break their formation while they were using their Combined Attack Skill.

After all, his current opponents were suspected to be the original ”Mengshan Three Heroes.”

Lü Zhong had already tried to fight them head-on.

Even when he used Shattering Star Finger to break one of their Protective Gang Qi, the injured person would get a chance to catch their breath and restore their Gang Qi under the cover of the other two, rendering his previous efforts futile.

He gave his new strategy a quick try and, sure enough, there was a pleasant surprise!

Under the harassment of his Incarnations, the trio, who had previously coordinated flawlessly, quickly showed a flaw in their formation.

Lü Zhong seized the opportunity, gradually widening the opening. Then, with the speed of a thunderbolt, he used a Shattering Star Finger to shatter one person’s Gang Qi, and his sword struck like a dragon.

The kill was successful!

With one person gone, the remaining two, though still strong, were now at a normal level. They no longer possessed the power to fight a Divinity Transformation cultivator to a standstill.

By killing them one by one, Lü Zhong passed the trial smoothly.

”The trial is over. You are granted Volume Three of the Little Purple Sky Thunder Skill and the General Outline of the Little Purple Sky Thunder Skill.”

Hearing this voice, Lü Zhong was overjoyed.

’I finally got it!’

Combining the Technique from Volume Three with the previous ones did indeed form the complete ”Little Purple Sky Thunder Skill.” Paired with the general outline, he now had a complete Thunder Skill.

’I thought I’d have to pass nine trials to assemble the complete Thunder Skill. I didn’t expect it to be this easy,’ Lü Zhong rejoiced inwardly.

After reading through the entire Thunder Skill, he discovered that, just as he had expected, this Little Purple Sky Thunder Skill was indeed closely related to the Purple Sky Divine Thunder.

”When activated with Immortal Power, it can unleash the Purple Sky Divine Thunder.”

Immortal Power...

Reading this, Lü Zhong thought to himself that it was a pointless truth. His current Realm was only Late-stage Nascent Soul. He was more than a world away from Ascension to Immortality; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to add a few more zeros to that distance. There was absolutely no way he could use the Little Purple Cloud Divine Thunder now.

’But this is already enough.’

The might of the Little Purple Cloud Divine Thunder was far inferior to Immortal Thunder, but it was still a first-class Thunder Skill.

When used against Ghost Cultivators and Demon Cultivators, it was a great weapon on par with Tribulation Thunder. In normal combat, it was also an extremely powerful technique.

The only problem was that it was too difficult to cultivate.

At least, that was the case for a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Possessing a Primordial Spirit to sense the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was the first threshold to cultivating this Technique. Even if one managed to learn it, they would only have mastered a fraction of it, unable to unleash even one percent of its true power. After all, driving it with Immortal Spiritual Qi was a great injustice to this Thunder Skill.

To unleash the true power of the Little Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, one would need at least a Divinity Transformation Cultivation.

Composing himself, Lü Zhong stepped towards the Fourth Daoist Palace.

He thought it would be another combat trial, but to his surprise, it was a test of willpower. The seemingly flawless Illusion Realm was as laughable as a shadow puppet play to him, who possessed the Gray Mist Space.

He passed it with ease, but this time, there was no reward.

In front of the Fifth Daoist Palace, Lü Zhong saw Feng Rui again.

When Feng Rui saw him appear, he could no longer hide the shock on his face. He looked utterly astonished and couldn’t help but ask, ”Fellow Daoist Lü, could it be that you’ve been here before?”

It was no wonder Feng Rui was so shocked.

After all, back when he was trying to clear the first four Daoist Palaces, even with the accumulated experience of his clan, it had still taken him nearly a hundred years and dozens of attempts to finally pass by a stroke of luck.

According to Feng Rui’s initial estimate, no matter how strong Star Sun True Monarch Lü Zhong was, it should have taken him at least thirty to fifty years to possibly pass the first four Daoist Palaces.

But now, Lü Zhong had cleared four gates in less than a day.

”Never mind. The first four Daoist Palaces are actually quite easy. The trials in the later palaces are the real challenge.” Feng Rui regained his composure, his expression turning solemn as he said in a deep voice:

”Fellow Daoist Lü, you must be careful. Unlike the previous trials, you are very likely to encounter danger in the later ones. You will only be restored to your original state if you pass the trial in one go. Therefore, if you feel you cannot pass, you must give up early and try again later.”

”You absolutely must not accumulate injuries, especially serious ones! They will be reflected on your physical body in the real world. Otherwise, if you are too heavily injured, you will have no choice but to temporarily withdraw, Fellow Daoist. You can only come back to continue the challenge after you’ve healed.”

’So, you’re saying it’s a realistic Illusion Realm?’ Lü Zhong understood what Feng Rui meant.

”Yes, that’s more or less it. Please be extremely careful, Fellow Daoist Lü. There’s no benefit in saying more. This is all the advice I can give. I will wait for you in front of the Seventh Daoist Palace.” After speaking, Feng Rui gave Lü Zhong a rare bow before passing through the Fifth Daoist Palace and disappearing from sight.

Recalling Feng Rui’s warning,

Lü Zhong regulated his breathing for a while before starting the challenge.

...

Unlike the previous times, Lü Zhong appeared in a desolate, mountainous wilderness.

He assessed his current situation and felt a sense of helplessness.

’My Realm is only the Qi Refining Third Layer, and even my clothes have changed. I look like a Wandering Daoist. I have no idea what this trial is specifically testing...’

He didn’t dwell on it. He glanced at the deepening darkness around him as the ghostly whispers grew louder. It was clear that something bad would happen if he remained where he was.

Thus, Lü Zhong set off, walking towards the small mountain village ahead.

As soon as he entered the village, he noticed something was wrong.

Although every house was lit, it was far too quiet.

So quiet it made one’s heart pound with unease!

Yet, behind every window, shadowy figures stood crowded together. They seemed to be peeking through the paper-paned windows, spying on the Daoist who had just entered the village. They whispered amongst themselves, unabashedly voicing their thoughts of wanting to divide up the newcomer and devour him.

No matter how you looked at it, the scene was utterly bizarre.

If this were a normal situation, Lü Zhong would have long since summoned a Thunder Swamp.

How could mere ghosts dare to run rampant in front of a cultivator?

Alas...

Due to his insufficient Magical Power, Lü Zhong had no choice but to resort to his Qi Observation Skill. When he perceived that the place was shrouded in malevolent energy—especially in the direction of the village center, where a blood-red light soared into the sky—a terrible premonition grew in his heart.

’This is bad. I need to find a place to draw some talismans for protection first.’

As for talisman-drawing materials, he happened to have a box of cinnabar and several dozen sheets of Yellow Paper on him.

Whether he could actually draw a successful Talisman depended on the quality of the Yellow Paper.

The Talisman Paper was the medium. If its quality was subpar, drawing a Talisman would be like trying to cook a meal without rice. Without sufficient Magical Power, and relying solely on his Third Level of Qi Refining Cultivation, his chances of success were slim.

Using his Qi Observation Skill, Lü Zhong found an unlit house.

The inside of the house was a complete mess. Pots, bowls, and pans were overturned on the floor, and dark, dried bloodstains remained on the walls, as if telling a visitor of the tragedy that had once occurred here.

Glancing at the bone fragments on the ground, Lü Zhong’s expression remained unchanged.

He had seen plenty of dead people.

After a thorough inspection to confirm that the place was temporarily safe, Lü Zhong righted a square table in the room and cast a Cleaning Skill on it with a flick of his fingers. The tabletop was instantly spotless.

He took out the Yellow Paper to inspect it and breathed a sigh of relief.

Aside from a dozen fake sheets that had been soaked in vinegar, the rest were genuine Talisman Paper that could be used to draw talismans.

As for a source of Yang Qi...

At this time of night, it was out of the question.

He’d just have to use his own blood.

Lü Zhong had long since discovered that this current body of his cultivated a Supreme Yang and Firm Skill, which was why he had attracted the attention of the ghosts the moment he entered this ghost village.

Yang Qi had its pros and cons.

At least for now, he could use his blood to draw talismans.