A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Lü Zhong did not answer.

He simply smiled coldly and looked at the Gounan Ghost Emperor. ”Instead of worrying about that, you should be more concerned about your own safety. Don’t get yourself killed here!”

”Haha, what arrogance!” Instead of anger, the Gounan Ghost Emperor burst into laughter. His eyes glowed a bright green as he said sinisterly, ”No matter where you come from, now that you’ve entered my Five Directions Prison, your life is no longer your own. Don’t even dream of leaving in one piece!”

As he said this, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

A dark light flashed around him, and a jet-black scroll materialized in his hand.

The scroll’s rollers were gilded and silvered, carved from a single piece of black jade—clearly no ordinary object. However, in contrast to its exquisite rollers, the yellowed paper of the scroll itself looked far more archaic.

’It even... looked a little worn out?’

As the scroll slowly unrolled, its surface remained shrouded in a layer of mist, completely obscuring its contents. Gusts of yin wind howled out from it, carrying the faint wails of ghosts. Before long, three plumes of black smoke erupted from the scroll and shot straight toward Lü Zhong.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong’s expression remained unchanged. ’As long as it isn’t a vile artifact like the Ghost-Devouring Sword, it will take him considerable effort to break my defenses.’ He activated the summoned Star Mirror and Green Cauldron Sword, sending the two treasures toward the encroaching black smoke with a single thought.

The Silver Mirror in the air flashed, instantly firing a volley of a thousand rays of Mirror Light. Overtaking the Green Cauldron Sword, they crossed nearly a thousand zhang and struck the three plumes of black smoke first.

A series of explosions erupted as blinding Spiritual Light illuminated the Yin Earth.

When the light faded, the black smoke had been blasted away, revealing its true form: three ten-zhang-tall, red-haired great ghosts with green faces and long fangs, exuding the aura of the Early-stage Nascent Soul Realm. They were not only clad in full battle armor but also wielded Ghost Head Sabers, from which Yin Souls constantly spilled out only to be sucked back into the blades.

Just then, the Gounan Ghost Emperor formed a hand seal and fired three streams of Black Light that struck the great ghosts.

The three red-haired ghosts roared at the sky as black light erupted from their bodies. Amidst coalescing Yin Qi, their ten-zhang frames abruptly shot up to over twenty zhang tall. Their auras swelled in tandem, becoming no weaker than that of a veteran Nascent Soul Immortal Cultivator.

Lü Zhong witnessed this and quickly understood what was happening.

’It must be a Rule Illusion Realm.’

’The Gounan Ghost Emperor must be using the rules of this place to empower these ghosts. Such a method certainly befits his ’Ghost Emperor’ title.’

”Hahaha!” The Gounan Ghost Emperor threw his head back and laughed.

He looked at Lü Zhong again, his eyes filled with derision. ”Well?” he gloated. ”My three red-haired Ghost Generals are all battle-hardened veterans. Are they worthy of your attention?”

”Heh. Mere wandering spirits,” Lü Zhong said dismissively.

Hearing these ”tough” words, the Gounan Ghost Emperor said no more. He simply sneered, ordering the three Ghost Generals to charge. He then activated the Jade Seal above his head, cast out a crimson Banner Flag, and began chanting an incantation while forming hand seals.

”Fire Obscuring Prison...”

”Appear! Appear! Appear!”

As the Ghost Emperor roared, the environment drastically changed.

Earth Fire erupted from the ground, and rivers of lava flowed.

In an instant, Lü Zhong found himself in a molten hell. Simultaneously, a black fire began to spread across his body, manifested from his own inner desires. It used his wish for Longevity as kindling, immediately flaring into a raging inferno.

Under these conditions, his Magical Power actually grew sluggish.

To make matters worse, the three Evil Ghosts then broke through the blockade of his Magical Treasures.

After letting out a piercing, ghostly shriek, their bodies swelled in unison to over thirty zhang. As their faces grew more ferocious, their auras spiked, and the Ghost Head Sabers in their hands swelled to several times their original size. Amidst the wails of countless ghosts, they slashed down hard at Lü Zhong.

”This is the so-called ’Desire Fire Burning Body.’ The higher the Realm you Immortal Cultivators reach, the stronger your desire for Longevity becomes—like a great tree so deeply rooted it cannot be freed. My Fire Obscuring Prison was designed precisely for your kind.” Green light flickered in Gounan’s eyes, as if he could already see his opponent being hacked to paste.

Just then, a blinding flash of lightning erupted.

It was Lü Zhong, unleashing ”Thunder Descends.” Simultaneously, a violet-gold Spirit Flame wreathed his body, completely devouring the fire born of his desires and using it as fuel to grow even stronger.

Meanwhile, the might of Thunder Descends proved unstoppable.

The three Evil Ghosts bore the brunt of the attack, letting out mournful wails as they covered their eyes and staggered back. The great sabers in their hands fared even worse. Struck by the lightning and its Celestial Tribulation Aura, the thirty-eight thousand fierce souls imprisoned within were mostly obliterated in an instant. The weapons’ power plummeted, falling to less than twenty or thirty percent of their original strength.

Seeing this from a distance, the Ghost Emperor’s face turned pale.

If one were to name what Ghost Cultivators feared most, it would undoubtedly be the thunder of a Celestial Tribulation.

Ghostly bodies were of the ultimate yin attribute. Until they could shed their phantom forms, the supremely yang and unyielding Celestial Tribulation Thunder was the absolute bane of all Ghost Dao Cultivators. A light strike would severely damage their cultivation; a heavy one would mean complete annihilation of the soul.

’No wonder he was so fearless. He’s mastered this kind of Thunder Skill!’

’Even the Fire Obscuring Prison can’t affect him.’

The Gounan Ghost Emperor glanced at Lü Zhong and saw an utterly shocking sight: Lü Zhong was hurling his Thunderous Spear, picking off the Ghost Generals one by one.

If one Thunder Spear wasn’t enough, he used several.

He did it with such ease, it was just as Lü Zhong had claimed earlier—like he was slaughtering mere wandering spirits.

”The Celestial Dao is so unfair!”

Gritting his teeth, he made a decision. With a flick of his wide sleeve, three rays of white light shot out and manifested as three ghastly white skulls. A white candle burned atop each, emitting a surprisingly pleasant fragrance.