A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Their saliva was poisonous, contaminating the land and water over time to form Poisonous Swamps.

"Just as the records described."

Lü Zhong steered clear of these small Insect Swarms, soon reaching the former site of the Poisonous Insect Valley. The original valley was now shrouded in a dense, poisonous fog, resembling a purple-black toxic pool from a distance.

Amidst the thick poisonous fog stood one gourd-shaped Insect Nest after another.

They were all nests of the Green Spot Ghost Insect.

Clearly, the Green Spot Ghost Insects were the final victors in the Poisonous Insect Valley.

The other Insect Swarms, having been defeated, had either fled in a panic or been utterly annihilated by the Green Spot Ghost Insects, with not a single one left alive.

He turned toward the old passage leading into the Underground Palace. As expected, it was submerged in poisonous water. The only good news was the absence of any signs of Poisonous Insect activity; he just had to get rid of the water to enter.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong took out a stalk of Cangyi Grass and consumed it.

When he had first released the Poisonous Insect Swarms, he had anticipated the possibility of them spiraling out of control. Thus, the swarms he’d chosen had been carefully selected.

Cangyi Grass was a specific antidote for the Green Spot Ghost Insect’s poison.

He dove into the poisonous water. His Protective Gang Qi sizzled as it corroded. The concentration of Poisonous Spiritual Qi in the water was extremely high and began to eat away at his body, but thanks to the Cangyi Grass, it was no cause for concern.

He proceeded down the passage, clearing obstacles along the way, and soon reached the Underground Palace.

Due to the Poisonous Insects’ activity, the Array he had left behind was long since destroyed. The walls of the Underground Palace had been chewed through until they resembled a sieve, and the interior was flooded with poisonous water. The Transmission Array was severely damaged.

’Another massive project!’ Lü Zhong estimated the workload, and his scalp went numb.

But for the sake of the Outer Body Incarnation Skill, he could only grit his teeth and get to it.

The repairs began.

First, he laid down a few Prohibitions to force the poisonous water out of the Underground Palace. Then, he began repairing the walls, primarily using the Fossilized into Mud Magic Skill. He mixed in some bone ash from an Infernal Fang Beast—a natural predator of the Green Spot Ghost Insect. This would make the Green Spot Ghost Insects instinctively avoid the area, reducing the chances of the Underground Palace being damaged again.

After a flurry of activity, he finally finished repairing the Underground Palace.

To confirm the effectiveness of the bone ash, Lü Zhong made a point of using a scene regression technique to scout the area. The Green Spot Ghost Insects outside were indeed showing signs of avoidance.

’Excellent!’

He breathed an inward sigh of relief and immediately began repairing the Transmission Array.

This process was pure physical labor.

The difficulty in setting up a Transmission Array lay in the precise calculation of spatial coordinates, the results of which manifest as the Array itself. With the Gray Mist Space to assist him, Lü Zhong only needed to replicate the original design exactly.

...

Yanhu Square was located near Xunyan Lake, from which it took its name.

Every morning and evening, hunting parties would return to the lakeside docks. They would stop in the dock area to sell their catch, which consisted almost entirely of Eyeless Demon Fish from Xunyan Lake.

Eyeless Demon Fish was a general term.

Deep underground, where the sun never shone, there was naturally no need for eyes. Most native creatures here were eyeless, relying on other means to gather information.

Perhaps because they grew in Xunyan Lake, the Demon Fish always had a sulfurous taste, no matter how they were cooked.

In these days of scarce food, cultivators and mortals who couldn’t afford Spirit Mushrooms had no choice but to eat these to survive. Compared to starving to death, the foul-tasting Demon Fish was a minor issue.

As the Sunlight Array above the Workshop Market grew brighter, more and more people came to the docks to buy fish.

All the light in Yanhu Square was provided by this Grand Array.

They worked when the Array activated and rested when it went dark.

For the younger generation of the Western Realm, who lived deep underground to escape the pollution of the Crimson Spiritual Energy and had never seen the surface, this was their entire concept of a day.

"What is that?"

Suddenly, someone spotted a flash of purple light in the lake.

The purple light grew increasingly brilliant as it rapidly approached the docks. Seeing this, none of the cultivators on the shore dared to be careless. They all drew their crudely made Magical Artifacts and assumed defensive stances.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The Alarm Bell Sound erupted.

At the same time, the Sunlight Array’s brightness surged to its maximum, illuminating every last detail of Yanhu Square.

The intense light pierced through the mist over Xunyan Lake, allowing the people on shore to finally see clearly. What approached from the lake was a ball of purple flame. Steam billowed wherever it passed, kicking up a massive cloud of thick fog.

From a distance, it looked as if an ancient behemoth was approaching.

"Is that... a cultivator inside?" A cultivator who had practiced the Qi Observation Skill mustered his courage to take a look. His eyes immediately streamed with tears, nearly blinding him, but he still managed to make something out.

"How could that possibly be a cultivator!" a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator who had rushed to the scene retorted.

The billowing Purple Flame emanated a terrifying aura that made one’s very Divine Soul tremble. That was definitely not something a mere cultivator could produce—at least, she, an Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, could not.

"Could it be... a legendary Golden Core Master!"

It was unclear who shouted it, but the crowd fell instantly silent.

Since the founding of Yanhu Square, none of the cultivators here had ever seen a Golden Core Master. To the younger generation of residents, cultivators of that Realm were the stuff of legends.

Who would have thought they would actually see one today!

Fear suddenly washed over them like a tide, drowning everyone on the docks.

Lü Zhong saw this from afar, not expecting his appearance to cause such a fright.

Six months ago, he had finally repaired the Transmission Array.

Upon setting foot in the Western Realm again, he was met with a horrifying sight.

As far as the eye could see, everything had turned a dark, bloody red. The land was covered in crimson pools of decay, and the sky was thick with Crimson Spiritual Energy so dense it was almost tangible.

Under such conditions, even just traveling had become an arduous task.