A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Amid the ruins, two people began to talk.

"If I remember correctly, the hidden entrance should be right around here. The rest is up to you, Fellow Daoist Fang." A somewhat familiar female voice drifted over, carried by the night wind.

Lü Zhong was surprised to hear this. ’Could there really be a lost treasure from an Evil Cultivator here?’

"Leave it to me! Fellow Daoist Bai, just stand aside and let me take a look," a confident man’s voice replied.

He then produced a Compass with a flip of his hand and began forming seals and chanting.

Lü Zhong, watching from afar, noticed that the man’s initial casting gestures were the same as the Qi Observation Skill, but the subsequent Dharma Seals were vastly different. It looked more like the Geomancy Skill used by an Array Master.

’This is bad. Am I going to be found out?’

His heart tightened, and he pushed his Concealing Breath and Concealing Trace Techniques harder.

WHOOSH...

Just then, a mountain wind howled past.

The radiant moon, originally shrouded by dark clouds, broke through the heavy veil. Its pure, brilliant moonlight spilled down, fully illuminating the faces of the two people in the encampment—and startling Lü Zhong so badly he nearly bit his tongue.

’How could it be her!’

Wasn’t that Bai Xiaohan? What was she doing here? And the man in the brocade robes beside her... Lü Zhong recognized him as a Loose Cultivator like himself, Fang Yunjing. He usually ran a stall in the market district, making a living by setting up simple Arrays for others.

’Strange. How did the two of them end up here?’

Lü Zhong watched without blinking, growing more and more perplexed.

"Found it! It’s right here! Huh, something seems... off..." Fang Yunjing paused his work. Just as he was about to turn, a sharp pain shot through his neck, and his world began to spin.

As the headless corpse collapsed, spraying blood, Bai Xiaohan simply smiled.

Lü Zhong, having witnessed the entire scene, was shocked speechless.

Unbelievable!

’Could this be Bai Xiaohan’s true nature?’

’I thought they were here to find the rumored lost treasure of an Evil Cultivator. I never imagined I’d be so wrong from the start. She had clearly lured Fang Yunjing here to murder him for his possessions.’

Once again, he gained a deeper understanding of the treacherous nature of people in the Cultivation Realm.

After a quick search, Bai Xiaohan took Fang Yunjing’s Storage Bag and every other valuable on his person.

Afterward, she formed seals and chanted, conjuring a Fireball Bullet. With a flick of her slender finger, it shot toward the corpse. She had expertly completed the process of destroying all evidence.

Then, Bai Xiaohan departed.

Out of an abundance of caution, Lü Zhong remained hidden in the cave until the first light of dawn. Only then did he descend.

He returned to the ruins and stared at the ashes on the ground, lost in thought.

Shaking his head, Lü Zhong formed a seal and cast the Light Body Skill. With a few leaps, he vanished.

...

「A remote part of Ghost Cloud Valley.」

Lü Zhong swung the herb hoe in his hand, digging out a long, emerald-green vine.

’A Cyan Jade Vine. Three nodes on its surface... that means it’s at least thirty years old. It can be used to concoct Hundred Herbs Dew and should fetch at least thirty-five Spirit Stones on the market.’

Despite harvesting such a valuable Spirit Medicine, he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy.

The scene from last night kept replaying in his mind.

Just then, he heard a rustling in the grass.

’Someone’s here!’ Lü Zhong realized instantly.

Alone in the wilderness, he remained vigilant of his surroundings even while lost in thought. His gaze shifted toward the direction leading away from Ghost Cloud Valley, and two figures entered his vision.

It was a man and a woman, both at the Mid-stage of Qi Refining.

"The scenery here is nice, and it’s so remote. I say we pick this spot!" a voluptuous Female Cultivator purred, her hand already reaching for her male companion’s sash, ready to undress him.

"Don’t be so hasty! This place isn’t safe," the male cultivator said, but his own hands betrayed his words.

Lü Zhong was rendered speechless.

’So, a pair of lovers out for a tryst.’

’But in a place like this... is that really a good idea?’

Based on what he’d seen during his Spirit Seeking, there were signs of at least three different types of Demon Beasts in the area. He could tell from the faint Demon Qi still lingering in the air that they were extremely active here.

The couple didn’t look wealthy, and Lü Zhong had no interest in watching a live peep show. Besides, such activities were better experienced firsthand.

So, he turned to leave.

"AAAH!" A scream tore through the air from behind him.

Startled, Lü Zhong spun around into a defensive posture, his eyes fixed on the couple’s location.

A Demon Beast, nearly ten feet tall and shaped like a pangolin, had appeared without a sound. It was actually composed of countless rotting branches, its moss-covered body devoid of any facial features or limbs, and it moved by squirming like a maggot. A glowing green beam of light had already shot from its black-hole-like mouth, skewering the lovers together.

’When did it even...?’

A storm brewed in Lü Zhong’s mind. He was certain he had been using his Qi Observation Skill to scan the area, yet despite his caution, he had failed to detect the beast’s appearance.

’Was it hiding here the whole time, or did it somehow fool my Qi Observation Skill?’ He suspected the latter.

The Experience Book for the Qi Observation Skill specifically mentioned that some Demon Beasts possessed a natural talent similar to the Breath Concealing Skill, allowing them to evade detection. This one might be just such a creature.

As his gaze fell upon the Demon Beast chewing on the two corpses, Lü Zhong’s breathing grew ragged.

It was no wonder he was excited; the Demon Beast before him was incredibly valuable.

The hides of Demon Beasts with a natural Concealed Breath talent were prime materials for Dharma Robes. Inscribing a "Concealed Breath" Array onto such a hide was extremely effective, and they were typically used to craft expensive Middle-Grade Dharma Robes.

Instantly, he made his decision.

While it was still feeding, Lü Zhong drew his Golden Devourer Sword and began to inch forward.

Carefully, he closed the distance inch by inch.

...

At a distance of less than one hundred yards, the Demon Beast seemed to sense something and grew restless. The branch-like growths on its body bristled and rubbed against each other, emitting a strange, grating RUSTLE.

A few breaths later, it abruptly stopped feeding and snapped its head up.

Its black-hole-like maw twisted, as if scanning its surroundings.

Seeing it was about to "look" his way, Lü Zhong decided he could wait no longer, regardless of whether he was exposed.

He took a deep breath and formed a Sword Mantra with his left hand.

SWOOSH!

Guided by the Sword Mantra, the Golden Devourer Sword shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

Simultaneously, a magical Spirit Wind enveloped Lü Zhong. The Dharma Robe he wore pulsed with Spiritual Light—he had clearly activated his Wind-Avoiding Divine Technique.

As the final syllable of the Dharma Sound faded, he abruptly accelerated, the ground cracking like a spiderweb beneath his feet.

THUD, THUD, THUD!

In just three bounds, Lü Zhong was upon the Demon Beast.

As the beast spat a beam of light to repel the Golden Devourer Sword, Lü Zhong seized the opportunity. An azure light began to glow in his hand, quickly solidifying into a Magic Sword.

In a flash, he unleashed nine consecutive Sword Slashes, severing a great number of its "branches."

What puzzled Lü Zhong was that even after cutting seven feet deep into the Demon Beast—nearly cleaving it in two—his final strike still didn’t feel like it was piercing flesh. It felt exactly like hacking at a tree stump.

He rolled to evade the beast’s sweeping beam of light, then used his Light Body Skill to retreat with great speed.

As he moved, he rapidly formed seals and chanted.

Since the Demon Beast had no flesh and blood, its body was useless for crafting a Dharma Robe. There was no longer any reason to hold back his Magic Skills. Creating distance, he decided to annihilate it with the Qingyang Fire Rain Technique.

A volley of Fireball Bullets screamed through the air—a barrage of twenty-seven in total.

The nameless Demon Beast shrieked several times before being consumed by the blazing inferno.

Through his Qi Observation vision, he saw the blood-red aura representing the Demon Spiritual Qi rapidly fade.

Just then, Lü Zhong let out a small sound of surprise. Activating the protective barrier of the Small Earth Spirit Ring on his right hand, he leaped into the roaring flames, bent down, and picked up a lustrous, emerald-green crystal.

Leaping back out of the inferno, he examined the crystal with a curious gaze.

’What is this?’