A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

’Whew. That’s a relief.’

Lü Zhong didn’t dwell on it. He decided to find a Workshop Market and gather some information.

...

The Li Family of Panshi Plateau.

The Li Family was a great clan with a long heritage. One of their ancestors had even been a True Master.

Unfortunately, due to the changing world, they had been in constant decline.

Currently, the one with the highest cultivation in the clan was the two-hundred-year-old Clan Leader, Li Leqian. He had been grievously wounded in combat some time ago, and his condition had shown no sign of improvement despite a long period of rest.

”Leyuan, what was the result of your trip to buy medicine?”

Li Leqian looked to his side, where a middle-aged man in fine clothes was standing. This was Li Leyuan, his clan brother and the current acting Clan Leader of the Li Family. Unfortunately, his cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

With the Li Family in Li Leyuan’s hands, it seemed unlikely their decline could be reversed.

”My apologies, Clan Brother. I went to Qingyuan Market, but I was unable to purchase the Healing Elixir we need...”

Li Leyuan grew angrier as he spoke, grinding his teeth. ”Qingyuan Palace has gone too far!” he raged. ”A single Tier Two Purple Union Pill used to cost no more than a hundred Spirit Stones. But now, even when I offered ten thousand Spirit Stones, those damn lackeys wouldn’t budge! They specifically demanded our Li Family’s Thousand Rock Unbreakable Scripture!”

”Alas, everything has changed...”

Li Leqian had expected as much.

Ever since the cataclysm in the Crimson Demon Land a century ago, the adjacent Western Realm had been severely affected. The nature’s spiritual energy had changed, and the land was becoming less habitable by the day.

Cultivating Spirit Medicine had become increasingly difficult.

The Spirit Fields outside were so badly affected that they were now only suitable for growing Blood Spirit Rice.

Only Blood Spirit Rice could absorb the altered Crimson Spiritual Energy and survive.

Just then, a servant came to announce a visitor.

”Clan Leader, there’s someone outside asking for an audience. He claims to have... to have a high-quality Healing Elixir!”

”Could it be them, showing up now?”

Li Leyuan’s expression was grave as he looked at his clan brother, Li Leqian.

Li Leqian shook his head, his voice weak but firm. ”It shouldn’t be. They haven’t caused trouble this far out yet. Don’t worry. If it really is them, I, Li Leqian, would rather give up this broken life of mine than let the Li Family risk annihilation just to cling to life with their Pills!”

”There’s no use in blind speculation. Let’s go see them together. If the person’s demands are reasonable, it wouldn’t hurt to pay a heavy price this once. If they make an outrageous demand, we can just send them away. We won’t lose anything.”

”Alright. I’ll follow your lead, Clan Brother,” Li Leyuan nodded.

In the reception hall.

Lü Zhong, in Disguise and a change of clothes, had used Concealed Breath to suppress his cultivation aura to that of the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

He felt a little apprehensive.

It had been a month since he arrived in the Western Realm, and he had finally gotten a partial grasp of the situation here.

The good news was that the goods he brought from the Southern Barbarian lands could be sold for a great price here.

It wasn’t just the unique Spiritual Objects from the Southern Barbarian lands; even normal Spiritual Objects could fetch an astonishingly high price. The reason was that the contamination here was too severe.

Influenced by the outbreak in the Crimson Demon Land to the west, the environment of the Western Realm was undergoing a drastic transformation, rapidly turning it into another Crimson Demon Land.

Before long, this place would become another Crimson Demon Land.

There was bad news, too. Corroded by the Crimson Spiritual Energy—or rather, the Crimson Demonic Qi—many cultivators in the Western Realm had undergone drastic changes in temperament. In the short month since he had arrived, he had already acquired over a hundred Storage Bags.

Therefore, Lü Zhong couldn’t be sure if this Li Family would be like the previous people he’d tried to trade with.

’If they get greedy, then I’ll have no choice but to fight back!’

Of course, this wasn’t some attempt to bait them.

A series of soft footsteps approached.

The key players had arrived.

”I am Li Leqian, the current Clan Leader of the Li Family. It is a pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist,” Li Leqian said, cupping his hands. He subtly adopted a defensive stance, as if afraid Lü Zhong would suddenly erupt into a murderous rage.

Since the world’s cataclysm, the hearts of men had grown more corrupt with each passing day.

He himself had ended up in this state because he had been careless and fallen into a trap set by an Evil Cultivator.

Across from him, Lü Zhong was sizing up Li Leqian.

’His eyes are clear, and his vigilance is high. He doesn’t seem to be severely corrupted. A trade should be possible...’

With this in mind, he cupped his hands and smiled. ”I am Li Dong, a Loose Cultivator. I’ll spare you the pleasantries and get straight to the point. How much can you offer for this?”

As he spoke, he placed a jade box on the table.

Li Leqian didn’t take it himself. Instead, he had a clansman next to him step forward and open it.

”HISS... It’s a Tier Three Jade Sun Pill!”

The Purple Union Pill he had so desperately sought could only stabilize his injuries and prevent them from worsening. But this Jade Sun Pill could heal him completely, leaving no lasting side effects.

”Clan Brother!” Li Leyuan, standing beside him, went pale.

He was afraid Li Leqian wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation!

He turned to Lü Zhong and shouted fiercely, ”Take it away! The Li Family doesn’t want anything from you Sinful Cultivators! Isn’t killing so many people enough for you? Now you won’t even spare our Li Family?!”

’Sinful Cultivator?’

Lü Zhong had been hearing that term a lot lately.

He had originally thought it was just an excuse people used to rob others when they saw something valuable.

He had never imagined there was a hidden story behind it.

Lü Zhong gave a cold laugh and replied slowly, ”Heh, I am no Sinful Cultivator!”

Hearing this, Li Leyuan was about to say something but was stopped by Li Leqian.

”Not a Sinful Cultivator? Then I must trouble you, Fellow Daoist, to show us the palm of your left hand. A Sinful Cultivator will have an oath inscribed there. If you are truly not a Sinful Cultivator, I will apologize to you on behalf of my clan brother.”

Lü Zhong thought for a moment, then showed his palm.

Naturally, there was nothing on it.

”He’s really not...”

Li Leyuan looked shocked, as if he had been absolutely certain that a true Sinful Cultivator would have the so-called ”oath” inscribed on their left palm. Seeing that Lü Zhong was not a Sinful Cultivator, he began to doubt his own judgment.