A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

One day before the Lantern Festival, Lü Zhong finally returned to Tide Cave.

”It’s good to be home,” he sighed.

He had barely stepped through the door when Yu Feng’er came to greet him with a smile. She had good news: Su Caocao had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment half a month ago and was now a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.

”Oh? In that case, the heavy burden of the Vice Sect Leader can be passed on to her,” Lü Zhong said happily.

Although Luu Baokui had done a decent job, he had also been secretly lining his own pockets, and negative rumors about him would occasionally surface. Lü Zhong had allowed Luu Baokui to remain in his position until now partly because, credit or not, the man had put in the effort, and partly because there was no one else available.

Now, it was time for him to step aside.

Arriving at the Waterside Pavilion, the two began to chat as usual.

”My dear, did something happen on your journey? Why were you gone for so long this time? I thought you wouldn’t be back until after the Lantern Festival,” Yu Feng’er said with concern, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

”I did run into a bit of trouble…”

Lü Zhong told her about the matter with the Qin Family, deliberately omitting the dangerous parts to make it sound as trivial as possible and keep his wife from worrying.

”Oh, right. Look what I bought for you.”

Lü Zhong took the Cold Jade Flute out of his Storage Ring.

”A flute?”

Yu Feng’er seemed to think of something, and her cheeks instantly flushed red.

Seeing her reaction, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but laugh. His wife really hadn’t changed at all. He teased her a bit more, earning a series of eye-rolls in response.

In the end, however, Yu Feng’er couldn’t refuse Lü Zhong’s request.

She played a rendition of ”Phoenix Courting the Phoenix” on the spot.

Later that night, Yu Feng’er played much more.

...

At the crack of dawn, Lü Zhong emerged from the bedroom.

Following his usual routine, he first went to the Training Ground to practice his martial arts and warm up. After sunrise and breakfast, he went to his Quiet Chamber to begin a new day of cultivation.

As was his ironclad routine, he started by taking a Pill to refine his Qi.

He swallowed a Spring Mist Returning Essence Pill, and even before he began to refine it, Pure Spiritual Qi began to emanate from it.

Not daring to waste it, Lü Zhong activated his Cultivation Body and refined the Spiritual Qi into Magical Power.

To put it simply, increasing one’s cultivation in the Core Formation Stage was a process of accumulating Pill Liquid. Once enough Pill Liquid was gathered, one would gradually expand the Golden Core until it reached the upper limit of the Fake Infant Stage.

To achieve this, one usually had to compress their Magical Power again and again.

Otherwise, the Pill Liquid would be impure, leading to a so-called cultivation ”bottleneck.” This would prevent any further progress, and over time, one’s Dao heart would erode, causing them to lose all confidence in advancing further.

Before long, he had finished refining the Pill.

He carefully sensed the changes within him. Just as the description of the Spring Mist Returning Essence Pill promised, his cultivation had indeed improved significantly. However, the accumulation of Pill Poison that came with it was also quite noticeable.

It was roughly equivalent to taking three or four regular Pills. But this amount of Pill Poison was nothing to Lü Zhong; he could eliminate it simply by circulating his Spirit Forging Fire.

...

It was the annual Lantern Festival. Colorful lanterns of all sizes, along with massive sky lanterns created by Magic Skill illusions, decorated the Bihai Sect from the inside out, making it a blaze of glory. A lantern fair was held at the main gate, which was always incredibly lively at this time of year, filled with the sounds of laughter and celebration.

Lü Zhong and Yu Feng’er, lightly disguised, also appeared at the fair. They sampled all sorts of novel snacks while admiring the dazzling variety of lanterns, each vying for attention. In the long life of a cultivator, moments so full of worldly charm were rare.

Participating once in a while could help alleviate a good deal of their ennui.

Just then, Lü Zhong’s expression shifted slightly, a trace of resignation on his face.

Yu Feng’er noticed and followed his gaze, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary. ”What is it, my dear?” she asked curiously.

”An Outer Heaven Demon has possessed a cultivator’s body,” Lü Zhong replied via voice transmission.

Perhaps when the Seven Sects had attempted to draw out the Ten Thousand Witches Hall, a Formless Celestial Demon had been accidentally released at some point. This had led to a recent spate of strange incidents in the Southern Barbarian lands. Cultivators were constantly acting out of character, committing acts like murder for treasure, betrayal, and assassination, which in turn had destabilized the current situation.

Even the Bihai Sect had experienced such incidents.

Right now, to Lü Zhong’s left front, beneath a painted lantern bearing a fortuitous design, stood a pair of deeply affectionate Dao Companions. But the Female Cultivator, lost in a moment of sweetness, likely had no idea that the soul of the Dao Companion who had been by her side day and night had long since been devoured by a Celestial Demon.

With the aid of his Celestial Net Secret Eye Technique, Lü Zhong could clearly see the possessed, dark-faced male cultivator. There was an obvious phenomenon of a ”mismatched body and soul” about him, and he was exhibiting numerous signs of physical decay.

Moreover, after devouring the original owner’s Divine Soul, the Celestial Demon also gained all of their memories. Combined with its cunning, superb acting, and endless sweet-talk, the Female Cultivator was completely unable to detect anything amiss.

After some coaxing, the Female Cultivator followed the dark-faced man into a secluded alley.

A moment later, rustling sounds could be heard.

Yu Feng’er, who had followed Lü Zhong, realized what the two in the alley were doing. A blush crept onto her cheeks, and she shot her husband an eye-roll. ’Since it’s a Celestial Demon, why not just get rid of it? Was there really a need to follow them in here and listen to... or watch... them do their business?’

Lü Zhong was focused on watching the Celestial Demon infest the Female Cultivator and didn’t notice Yu Feng’er’s expression. He thought to himself:

’It seems Celestial Demons can not only possess cultivators but also have the ability to split off and create parasitic sub-entities… If they’re allowed to spread, it could become a real problem, maybe even trigger some kind of ’Celestial Demon Plague.’ But I don’t need to be too worried. After all, Immortal Cultivators have plenty of ways to deal with them.’