A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

After his transformation into a Pure Spirit Body, his body was theoretically composed entirely of Spiritual Qi. Making it ”grow” back wouldn’t require much effort. The real concern, however, was how to restore its previous strength.

But those were matters for another time.

With his sword in his right hand, Lü Zhong continued his pursuit of the Corpse Demon.

After its left shoulder was shredded, the creature’s protective layer of Corpse Qi was also broken. As plumes of Corpse Qi gushed out, its body, once impervious to metal, began to grow fragile.

SQUELCH! The Thunder-Attracting Needle plunged a full foot deep.

Realizing this, the Corpse Demon finally felt fear.

It sensed a mortal danger.

For the first time in its existence, it experienced the same terror that it had inflicted upon the cultivators it once tormented with Corpse Fire.

Yet no matter how the Corpse Demon pleaded for its life, Lü Zhong remained unmoved.

He unleashed one Thunder Skill after another, finally blasting the Corpse Demon to smithereens. Then, he released the Purple Gold Extreme Fire, incinerating even its bones until nothing but ash remained.

”Whew!” Lü Zhong let out a long sigh of relief.

The ancient texts recorded that in the Cultivation Realm, the mere mention of a Corpse Demon was enough to make one’s face pale with fright.

Having seen one today, he knew its fearsome reputation was well-deserved.

If he hadn’t cleverly used the Singularity, he likely would have been forced to retreat.

’Now that the Corpse Demon is dealt with, the Ghost Flood Dragon’s body is next!’ Lü Zhong gazed at the colossal draconic form, unable to hide the excitement in his eyes or the smile spreading across his face.

But first, he planned to do some probing.

It had once been the body of a Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivator, so there was no guarantee it didn’t hold some hidden traps. Furthermore, observation with the naked eye alone couldn’t reveal if a Divine Soul was concealed within.

The idea that the Ghost Flood Dragon’s Primordial Spirit was gone was merely Lü Zhong’s own speculation. Until he had conclusive proof, caution was paramount.

He entered the Gray Mist Space and used True Retrospection.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lü Zhong began the process of possessing the Ghost Flood Dragon’s body.

The result: a success.

He obtained the ownerless body.

At the same time, he was also sealed within it.

Just like the Ghost Flood Dragon that had once caused countless upheavals, no matter how immense its Magical Power had been, it was completely helpless against the Sealing Chains that bound it. It had been suppressed in a hidden corner of the Chankong Forbidden Land until its Primordial Spirit dissipated completely, never getting the slightest chance to stir.

He had to admit, the methods of the Ancient Cultivators were truly thorough.

If not for the unexpected appearance of the Corpse Demon, the Ghost Flood Dragon would likely have remained suppressed for all eternity.

’Not a single chance to escape. No wonder the Corpse Demon’s plan was to break the seal first before attempting to possess the body.’

Having figured out the Corpse Demon’s motive, Lü Zhong withdrew from True Retrospection.

Gazing at the massive body of the Ghost Flood Dragon before him, he could still feel an oppressive aura. Although incredibly faint, it still inspired a primal fear, much like facing a Demon Saint of the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Lü Zhong began to contemplate how to break the Sealing Chains.

Or perhaps... find a way to undo the seal itself.

That way, he could claim the chains for himself.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Sealing Chains were a priceless treasure in their own right.

After studying them for a while, Lü Zhong came to a disappointing conclusion.

Just as he had suspected, the methods used for the seal on the Ghost Flood Dragon’s body were exceedingly brilliant. Though it was composed of countless Prohibitions, it was essentially a type of Array. Even when he pushed his Celestial Net Eye to its absolute limit, he couldn’t discern the slightest pattern in its operation.

Let alone find a flaw and devise a way to crack it.

Left with no other choice, Lü Zhong decided to follow the Corpse Demon’s example and destroy the seal by force.

He turned and approached the Sealing Chains. He could see signs of damage on one of the links—a notch had been carved into it, cutting a little more than halfway through.

His task now was simple.

He just had to break this link completely. That would create a flaw in the Grand Array, and the difficulty of finding a way to dismantle it would decrease by several orders of magnitude.

There was no time to waste. He got to work immediately.

For his method of destruction, Lü Zhong chose to use a Singularity.

In terms of sheer physical destruction, the power of Spatial Cutting was supreme; nothing in the world could surpass it.

Using it to destroy the chains was, theoretically, the best choice.

Reality, however, quickly threw a bucket of cold water on his plans.

For every spear, there is a shield.

The Ancient Cultivators had been remarkably thorough. The Sealing Chains they forged were imbued with a special Prohibition that could resist Spatial Cutting.

It didn’t render Lü Zhong’s method completely useless, but it did unavoidably increase the time it would take to break through.

Fortunately, he still had his Incarnations.

He dispatched his nine Incarnations, who took turns creating Singularities. The rate of destruction immediately skyrocketed.

Even so, it still took Lü Zhong three years to grind through the chain sealing the Ghost Flood Dragon, creating a fatal flaw in the massive sealing Array. He then spent another five years conducting countless experiments before he finally broke the Sealing Array completely.

With a series of shattering sounds, the Prohibitions covering the Ghost Flood Dragon’s entire body began to break apart.

Without the support of the Grand Array, the chains wrapped around the dragon’s body fell to the ground with a thunderous CLATTER and were promptly collected by Lü Zhong.

Although one of its links was broken, rendering the chain incomplete, it wasn’t beyond repair. If he could fix it, it would undoubtedly become a powerful sealing treasure.

As he attempted to refine the broken chain, Lü Zhong learned the treasure’s name.

Death-Suppressing Chain.

As its name implied, its purpose was to suppress near-immortal beings like the Ghost Flood Dragon. Its material was incredibly durable, designed to prevent both destruction by external force and escape by the one sealed within. However, it would also be an excellent choice for imprisoning enemies during combat.

Lü Zhong happily put away the two sections of the Magic Chain. He gazed at the mountain-sized Ghost Flood Dragon, pondering for a moment before approaching it and pressing his Storage Ring against its massive body.

This was necessary because its colossal body was simply too massive. Even if a Storage Ring had sufficient capacity, it couldn’t absorb an object of that size without direct contact.

With a brilliant flash of light, the Ghost Flood Dragon vanished.

With that, he had obtained the materials to refine his Puppet.

Having done all this, Lü Zhong left the area.

...

After obtaining the Nether Corpse Emperor Insect Juice, the obstacle to reaching the Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm was gone.

Lü Zhong now had only one task: to cultivate with all his might, break through the Mid-stage Nascent Soul bottleneck, and advance to the next Small Realm as soon as possible. This would provide a crucial layer of security for his upcoming journey to the Land of Immortal Arrival.

As soon as he returned to the Bihai Sect, Lü Zhong went into seclusion.

Time flew by in a flash.

Since its retreat, the Demon Court had not launched any further attacks. Under these circumstances, the situation in the Southern Barbarian lands returned to a state of peace.

Influenced by the lingering effects of the Spirit Tide, the production of Spiritual Objects in the Southern Barbarian lands continued to increase. Coupled with the Gui Miao Sect’s relentless acquisition efforts, there were no concerns about finding buyers, no matter how great the supply.

In this environment, even the income of Loose Cultivators grew substantially.

Fifty years passed.

Amid this prosperity, as one generation grew old, the memories of turmoil began to fade. With immense material wealth, the Southern Barbarian Immortal Cultivation World entered a golden age of cultivation.

As one brilliant talent after another emerged, Star Sun True Monarch—once the greatest source of turmoil in the Southern Barbarian lands—was gradually forgotten by the masses. Only the cultivators meditating in secluded retreats would occasionally recall the era when a single man had held an entire region in his sway.

Another ten years passed.

In front of the gates of Tide Cave, the air was filled with joyous laughter.

A crowd had gathered there, including handmaidens from the cave estate, Bihai Sect disciples who lived at the mountain’s base, and even cultivators from the Law Enforcement Team on patrol couldn’t help but stop to watch.

The center of attention today was a young man and woman.

Lü Tianwen and Lü Jiuge. Their status as descendants of Star Sun True Monarch was noble, and they were destined to draw everyone’s attention wherever they went, just as they were now.

The pair stood smiling before the great lake that connected to the deep sea and called out in unison:

”Senior Jiuying!”

Before the words had even faded, the calm lake began to boil. With a tremendous SPLASH, a white figure with six enormous, serpentine heads burst from the water, carried on a massive wave.

After so many years of growth, Jiuying had long since become a Tier Three Demon Beast.

”Chrrr...”

After appearing, Jiuying didn’t immediately gorge itself on the bloody meat laid out on the tables as it usually did. Though its Spiritual Wisdom wasn’t high, it knew that the sight of it eating was what this group of ”little ones” in front of it loved to see most.

Whenever it did, the little ones would erupt in cheers.

Ignoring the onlookers, Jiuying raised its six heads and gazed quizzically at the astonishing Spiritual Qi Vortex in the distance, in the direction of Tide Cave.

This celestial phenomenon—a vortex formed from a massive convergence of Spiritual Qi—had persisted for over a decade, yet its master had not emerged from seclusion.

Suddenly, an invisible ripple spread out.

Then, the celestial phenomenon changed abruptly!

The Spiritual Qi Vortex instantly shattered, transforming into a ring of pure Spiritual Qi.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A continuous, thunderous roar echoed.

The massive ring, containing an immense amount of Spiritual Qi, began to expand in all directions.

At the same time, an astonishing aura erupted forth.

It was the aura of the Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm!