A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Just as he had heard.

The route and map to the Southern Barbarian lands could indeed be purchased in Jade Yuan Immortal City.

There were quite a few choices, with several shops offering them.

Lü Zhong chose the Eight Directions Pavilion.

In a private room on the top floor, the fragrance of tea wafted through the air.

Lü Zhong sat upright and proper, pouring and drinking tea by himself.

Just then, his expression shifted. A hint of doubt appeared in his eyes as he raised his head and looked toward the entrance.

At the same time, the beaded curtain was gently pushed aside by a delicate hand, and three figures filed in. In addition to the Pavilion Master of the Eight Directions Pavilion, who looked like an old man in green robes, there were also a male and a female cultivator.

Both of them possessed Nascent Soul Stage cultivation. The leader was a burly, middle-aged man in a fiery-red, fur-lined Magic Robe, his hair and beard bristling wildly. This man also held another title: the current Palace Master of the Little Yuan Palace.

The Palace Master of the Little Yuan Palace, Huo Yuanhao, had been worrying about how to solve the Snow Beast disaster. When he heard that an unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivator had arrived in the city, he had rushed over.

As soon as he entered, upon seeing the ridiculously young Lü Zhong, Huo Yuanhao couldn’t help but wonder if the Little Yuan Mirror’s feedback had been mistaken.

But he quickly erased the doubt from his mind.

For Huo Yuanhao could clearly sense that the depth of the other party’s cultivation, as well as the faint Spiritual Pressure he emitted, not only surpassed that of his junior sister, Huo Yuanling, but was actually greater than his own.

One must understand, he had achieved Nascent Soul Formation more than five hundred years ago.

By any measure, he could be called a Veteran Nascent Soul cultivator, yet now, upon meeting such a young Nascent Soul, he was actually inferior in terms of cultivation.

The matter was simply inconceivable. How could one not be astonished?

But for all his shock, Huo Yuanhao’s years of practicing his Qi Nourishing Technique had not been in vain.

His expression showed not the slightest change.

”I am Huo Yuanhao, Palace Master of the Little Yuan Palace. Greetings, fellow Daoist. I have come uninvited because I’ve encountered an intractable problem and wish to request your assistance. Please forgive me for any disturbance this intrusion may cause!” Huo Yuanhao said apologetically as he gave a deep bow.

Behind him, the Pavilion Master of the Eight Directions Pavilion and the Nascent Soul Female Cultivator, Huo Yuanling, also bowed in kind.

”There is no need for such pleasantries, fellow Daoists. Please, be seated,” Lü Zhong said calmly.

To be honest, he breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing they had come with a request. At the same time, his mind began to race. Their mention of the ”Snow Beast disaster” made him think of the recent, frequent calamities in the Southern Barbarian lands, and of the Western Realm, which had long since been destroyed by disaster.

No matter how one looked at it, this series of events seemed to have a hidden force pushing things from behind the scenes.

The goal behind it all was, he feared, still the Nai River.

’Is it the work of that person from the Mysterious Dao Sect, or is it...?’

Lü Zhong pondered this for a moment but did not dwell on it further.

For now, knowing too much was not a good thing.

He shifted his gaze back to Huo Yuanhao. Lü Zhong figured that Spiritual Objects capable of nourishing his Divine Soul were hard to find in Jade Yuan Immortal City; even a great deal of effort might yield nothing. However, the Little Yuan Palace’s Treasure Vault likely had a considerable number of such special Spiritual Objects in stock. This was a rare opportunity to acquire them.

With this in mind, he decided to ask about the origin of the Snow Beasts.

He needed to judge the difficulty of the situation to decide whether to get involved.

”I am new to this fine land and do not yet know of this Snow Beast disaster. I would ask the Fire Palace Master to enlighten me.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Yuanhao explained forthrightly, his expression unchanging, ”This Snow Beast disaster is related to the Yanling Wasteland to our north. That was supposed to be the Snow Saint’s domain, and the Snow Beasts were the subjects under its protection. For the tens of thousands of years since the Snow Saint’s rise, it and the Nascent Soul powers of our Northern Border have always kept to ourselves, with neither side interfering with the other. That is, until 138 years ago...”

”One hundred and thirty-eight years ago?” Hearing this, Lü Zhong’s expression remained as calm as before, but inside, a storm was raging.

That time was exceptionally significant—it was precisely when the cataclysm in the Western Realm had occurred. This Snow Beast disaster was also a calamity that could potentially lead to the destruction of the Cultivation Realm.

No one would believe the two events were unconnected.

”Yes, exactly 138 years ago. On that day, a massive roar suddenly came from the heart of the wasteland. Everyone knew it was the Snow Saint. Then came a sky-shattering explosion, and the once boundless, snow-white plains became what is now the Yanling Wasteland,” Huo Yuanhao recounted. A flicker of fear crossed his face as he remembered the world-destroying impact of that day.

”What does ’Yanling’ mean?” Lü Zhong asked, though he already had a guess.

”It means exactly what it sounds like.” Huo Yuanhao’s expression turned grave. ”After that massive explosion, a strange power emerged from the wasteland. It seems to be the antithesis of Spiritual Qi; the moment it makes contact with Spiritual Qi, it annihilates it. That is how the Yanling Wasteland got its name.”

After a pause, he continued, ”As for the Snow Beasts, they were affected by the wasteland’s aura, changing from their originally docile and conflict-averse nature to become fierce and bloodthirsty. At first, they kept their original appearance, but as time went on, the wasteland’s influence grew more severe by the day. Eventually, even their forms became monstrous. You will understand once you see this, fellow Daoist. It’s an Ice Crystal Mirror.”

Huo Yuanhao formed a hand seal, and a mirror of ice quickly materialized.

An image appeared on its surface.

Under a pitch-black sky, a tide of monsters—each with a bizarre, ferocious form and bearing no resemblance to the others—surged forward, crashing head-on into an army of cultivators. The two sides locked in a desperate battle to the death on the wasteland. In an instant, the ground was littered with corpses, and enough blood was shed to float shields.