A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Honestly, he was starting to understand Puhuo now.

Huo Yezi really was an old coot.

The man had a mountain of good things, one treasure after another; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him "Duobao." Yet he was unwilling to share even a sliver with his own disciple.

He was clearly a stingy miser who deserved to be killed by his own apprentice.

SQUELCH. The bloody tongue was torn off.

Puhuo’s face on its surface had its eyes shut tight. Huo Yezi knew this was because his soul was bound within the Molten Earth Dragon’s body, so the tongue was now just a piece of rotten flesh.

Huo Yezi tossed it to the ground expressionlessly and raised his foot to stomp it to a pulp.

As his master, he was naturally well aware of the Secret Technique Puhuo had used to attach himself to the Molten Earth Dragon. It was merely an esoteric Secret Skill from the Si Fire Scripture, one collected and recorded by an ancestor of the Gongsun Family.

It was called the "Dragon Transformation Technique," and he never imagined Puhuo would actually succeed in mastering it.

Just as his foot was about to descend, Huo Yezi froze.

"Hm? Oh no!"

Huo Yezi’s expression changed drastically. At the same time, on the severed tongue, the eyes of Puhuo’s face snapped open. His expression instantly became crazed and twisted. He opened his mouth and spat out a crimson orb, then began to laugh maniacally.

"Hahaha, you old bastard! In the end, I was still one step ahead of you."

"Let’s die together!"

The scene gave Lü Zhong a slight pause before he shot away in an instant.

He estimated that with Puhuo being completely spent, the self-destruction of his Demon Pill wouldn’t have much power. Aside from possibly taking Huo Yezi with him, it probably couldn’t even break the Trapping Array Lü Zhong had set up.

Still, just to be cautious, he decided to get some distance first.

BOOM!

A destructive shockwave swept over him, tearing away half of Lü Zhong’s Protective Gang Qi in moments. It was followed by terrifying light and heat, which sheared off most of what remained.

The molten rock that had been sealed by the Profound Ice Banner was now affected by the massive explosion. It began to surge up from the rock layers below, resembling a host of soaring Evil Flood Dragons.

The once-dim underground space was instantly bathed in a golden-red light.

’So this is how it ends...’

To be honest, Lü Zhong hadn’t expected this outcome.

’But I like it!’

His Divine Sense swept over the epicenter of the blast. Not much was left; even the Molten Earth Dragon had been blown in half. Before the golden magma could swallow everything, he conjured a large hand of Magical Power and scooped up the remains.

Huo Yezi, naturally, was gone.

But he had left behind a simple, ancient-looking ring.

Its body was pitch-black, but it was covered in silver patterns.

Looking at the Crystal Stone on it, which emitted a hazy glow, how could Lü Zhong not recognize the ring’s origin? It was clearly a Void Netherstone Storage Ring—a treasure whose spatial capacity was second only to a Cave Heaven Treasure, and whose value was a hundred or even a thousand times that of a regular Storage Bag.

’Hm? It won’t open. Right, I have to refine it like a Magical Treasure first.’

Lü Zhong put the Storage Ring away and turned his attention to the other two items.

One was the smaller half of the Molten Earth Dragon’s body.

From the severed edge, he could see that this flood dragon was truly a unique species of heaven and earth. Its body was not composed of flesh and blood, but more like a Spirit Monster formed from grass and stone.

’A pity. I probably can’t eat it.’

’Perhaps it’s a good material for Artifact Refining...’ Lü Zhong thought. He took out a Hundred Directions Storage Bag and stuffed the creature’s remains inside. It was a perfect fit, no more and no less.

The last item was a miniature Little Flood Dragon.

Upon closer inspection, he saw this was a miniature Molten Rock Earth Dragon Flood Essence. It had the body of a flood dragon but the face of a man—a face that bore a slight resemblance to Puhuo.

Interesting!

If he used this Essence to refine a Flood Dragon Spirit Banner, he would likely get some unexpected results.

After a moment’s thought, Lü Zhong took out a jade box. He placed the Flood Dragon Essence inside and laid down nine successive Sealing Prohibitions. He had no desire to play mind games with Puhuo.

Once he had done all this, he went to look for the Fire Dragon Tea plant.

Unfortunately, it had long since been destroyed in the self-destruction.

"Heh, I really am greedy," Lü Zhong laughed self-deprecatingly. He confirmed that nothing else of value remained. Seeing the magma gradually rising and fearing the place would soon be submerged, he knew it was time to leave.

He formed a hand seal, condensed a Magical Protection Shield around himself, and turned to leave.

He soon reached the surface.

Puhuo’s self-destruction had severely affected the Artifact Refining Workshop above. The ground was now raised high, with golden magma spewing from fissures, having effectively turned the area into a volcano crater.

Yao Yuting was directing a group of people, doing their utmost to suppress the erupting Fire Vein.

Just then, a streak of rainbow light shot out from within, leaving a hundred-zhang-high trail of fire in its wake. It did a loop in the air before landing on the ground, revealing Lü Zhong, who had just emerged from the Fire Vein.

"Elder Lü, my master...?"

"I’ve recorded a detailed account of what happened in this Jade Scroll. See for yourself." Lü Zhong handed her the prepared Jade Scroll, and without waiting for her reaction, slowly floated into the air.

He glanced at the Magical Treasures in the Sword Casting Pool, then quickly looked away.

’If I were a Loose Cultivator, I’d definitely make a huge score here.’

So many Magical Treasures, all commissioned by the various major powers of the Southern Barbarian lands, and every single one was a treasure among treasures. If sold for cultivation resources, it would be enough for a person to achieve Nascent Soul Formation.

As for the retaliation that would follow?

A Loose Cultivator is all alone, with no ties or worries to speak of. They can make their home anywhere under the heavens. If they couldn’t stay in the Southern Barbarian lands, they would simply leave.

’What a pity...’ Lü Zhong extinguished the thought and transformed into a streak of rainbow light, flying into the distance.

Back on the surface, after reading the contents of the Jade Scroll, Yao Yuting’s expression was incredibly complicated.

She was well aware of Huo Yezi’s character and the resentment her Second Martial Brother, Puhuo, held in his heart. She knew these things better than any outsider, so she didn’t doubt the contents of the Jade Scroll.

She just never expected this to be the final outcome.

After a long moment, she let out a long sigh.

...

After leaving Zhonglong Peak, Lü Zhong flew onward, lost in thought.

Although this trip to the Profound Sun Domain hadn’t achieved his original goal, his gains had been anything but small.