A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

The gates to the Heling Sect’s Outer Sect residence.

Having purchased the Harmonizing Spirit Pills, Lü Zhong walked out, his expression as calm as ever.

His mind was now filled with questions.

’Who on earth is this person?’

Using scene regression, Lü Zhong had seen the man’s subtle actions just now. He had a rough idea of what the liquid was for—it had to be some kind of hidden marker used for tracking.

Judging from this, the other party clearly had malicious intentions. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have resorted to such a method.

Lü Zhong wracked his brain the entire way back.

But even after searching all his memories, he couldn’t find a face to match.

Still, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

’So, what now? Should I lure him to a secluded spot and deal with him, or should I pretend not to notice and keep observing?’ Lü Zhong leaned toward the first option. After all, being secretly watched was an unsettling feeling.

With that thought, he quickened his pace and headed toward South City.

After just a few streets, Lü Zhong, who had been keeping a close watch on his back, noticed that someone was indeed following him.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

’If you’re looking for death, then I’ll be happy to grant your wish!’

...

The ruins of Changle Square.

Ever since it was destroyed during the war between the Three Sects, this place had been left desolate.

It was only after the truce that a bit of life gradually returned.

Many mortals or struggling Loose Cultivators who couldn’t afford to rent a place in the city would come here to build shack-like homes or simply hide among the crumbling walls, seeking temporary shelter from the elements.

A youth in a Daoist Robe now strode quickly toward the riverside courtyard where Lü Zhong used to live.

The youth looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen, with a boyish face. Yet, an unnatural and sinister expression would inadvertently surface in his eyes, completely at odds with his appearance.

Gazing at the exquisite wooden box on the ground, which had been sprinkled with Dark Fragrance Water, his expression suddenly turned ugly.

The youth had considered his actions stealthy and had been extremely careful along the way. Logically, he shouldn’t have been discovered. But reality had just slapped him hard in the face, grinning widely in merciless mockery.

At that very moment, the shadow of a sword suddenly shot out from the side.

It came from such a difficult angle that even though the youth spotted it instantly, he couldn’t use his agile Body Technique to dodge it. He could only activate the Protective Jade Talisman on his body.

HUMMM! A protective barrier materialized and blocked the sword’s shadow.

But it wasn’t over. Out of the corner of his eye, the youth caught sight of a green light.

His eye twitched violently. He felt an intense sense of crisis!

CRACK!

With a crisp sound, the barrier from the Protective Jade Talisman shattered.

The youth summoned a shield, but when it was struck by the green spear of light, he was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string. He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood in mid-air, and his face instantly turned pale.

Lü Zhong dismissed the Earth Wood Sharp Spear released by his Spirit Ring, a rare look of astonishment on his face.

’Is this the power of a Spiritual Artifact Embryo?’

The opponent’s aura was clearly a notch higher than his own. He had to be a Qi Refining Seventh Level Cultivator.

Yet, before the Earth Wood Sharp Spear, he was surprisingly fragile.

He was severely wounded at the very start of the fight.

’A pity. If only it consumed less Spiritual Power,’ Lü Zhong thought, a bit dissatisfied.

Perhaps because it was a Half-Spiritual Artifact, the Spirit Ring’s consumption of Spiritual Qi was exorbitant. Like a whale swallowing the sea, it had drained a full half of his Spiritual Power to unleash that single terrifying strike.

The stray thoughts churned in his mind for an instant before Lü Zhong completely snuffed them out.

This was not the time for distractions. He had business to attend to—interrogating the youth to find out why he was being followed.

SWISH!

The severely wounded youth fell to the ground again, his feet having been cut off.

"Speak. Why were you following me?" Lü Zhong said, retracting his Late Sun Magic Sword. His face was expressionless, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"Cough, cough! How did you find out...?" the youth on the ground asked, coughing up blood.

Just then, he realized with despair that the previous strike hadn’t been simple.

A vicious energy, like maggots clinging to bone, was now rampaging through his organs and meridians, showing signs of corroding his Qi Sea Dantian.

This was why he had started vomiting blood.

Lü Zhong remained indifferent. With a flash of the Late Sun Magic Sword in his hand, he cut off one of the youth’s arms.

As the severed arm landed with a THUD, a small, fiery-red bead dropped out.

"Cough, cough, cough!" The youth’s bloody coughs grew more violent.

The crimson blood he spat out now contained fragments of his internal organs.

"You know, I regret this now."

"Regret what?"

"BLEGH!" The youth spat out another large mouthful of blood. His face, once as pale as gold foil, suddenly turned ruddy.

"I regret teaching you..."

Before he could finish, his head suddenly lolled to the side, and he went silent.

Looking at the corpse on the ground, Lü Zhong suddenly had a guess.

He reached out, and the Storage Bag flew into his hand.

There wasn’t much inside, but it was all sorted by category.

The most eye-catching items were a stack of a hundred-odd Spirit Stones.

Next to the pile of Spirit Stones were two Harmonizing Spirit Pills.

There were also various daily necessities, dozens of sheets of Talisman Paper wrapped in paper, and several different types of Talisman Ink.

Several bottles and jars with unknown purposes.

In an exquisite jade box were three small, fiery-red spheres labeled with the words "Flaming Fireball."

Finally, his gaze settled on a set of Talisman-Making Tools.

"Just as I thought. It’s Li Dong..." Lü Zhong murmured.

He could guess what the man’s last words were going to be.

As for why the originally old Li Dong had turned into a youth...

If nothing else, he must have possessed someone’s body.

He didn’t dwell on it further.