A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

"Of course!"

Tang Chengchu withdrew his gaze, his tone firm.

"Don’t be fooled by all the Fog Mirages in the Wuming Sea. There’s a real island here, and that’s our destination. You’ll understand the details soon enough."

"Now, conceal your presences!"

With that, he activated a Jade Pendant in his robes, and his aura immediately vanished almost completely.

At the same time, Fang Hongshang began circulating her Breath Concealing Skill.

Seeing that the effect of her concealment was even better than that of the Divine Concealment Jade Pendant he’d spent a fortune on, Tang Chengchu couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. ’I know the Breath Concealing Skill too, but without a proper lineage, my version can’t compare to those from the great families. That’s why I have to rely on external items.’

The same was true for the giant of a man surnamed Zhong.

He was relying on a Tier Three Talisman known as a Divine Concealment Talisman.

Judging by this, he was clearly a Loose Cultivator as well.

Once they were ready, the three continued forward.

The mist exhaled by the Fog Mirages could confuse one’s Divine Sense and cause hallucinations. As the guide, Tang Chengchu was prepared for this, allowing him to navigate through the vast, foggy sea.

After bypassing several more Fog Mirages, they landed on an island shrouded in mist.

From a distance, the island resembled a Mist Island. Only upon setting foot on it did they realize it was a real islet made of rock, several miles long and wide. In its center stood a small, black mountain resembling a brush rest.

Through the dense fog, they could vaguely make out the mouth of a cave in the mountainside.

That was the destination of their journey.

...

Only after seeing Tang Chengchu’s group of three enter the cave did Lü Zhong approach from a distance.

The Celestial Net Eye at the center of his brow was faintly glowing. It was thanks to this Spiritual Eye that he had avoided getting lost in the Wuming Sea and successfully tracked them all the way here.

His vision was now filled with a pale red aura.

This aura came from two sources. Part of it was the insidious, hallucinogenic Demon Power of the Fog Mirages mixed into the mist. The rest belonged to the Water Flood Dragon—a tyrannical, frenzied Demon Power that Lü Zhong would recognize even if it were burned to ash.

’It seems there was some truth to Tang Chengchu’s words after all.’

With this in mind, Lü Zhong continued to replay the scene in his mind.

He then carefully skirted the Prohibition at the mouth of the cave. The trio had set it up before entering to act as an alarm.

Interestingly, they had set up quite a few Prohibitions.

According to the information he’d seen from replaying the scene, Tang Chengchu’s group, while appearing harmonious on the surface, was secretly wary of one another. It was clear no one trusted anyone else.

"Heh. A classic feature of any group expedition," Lü Zhong sneered.

His expression then turned serious as he cleared his mind of stray thoughts. ’I’m about to enter a Water Flood Dragon’s lair. I can’t afford to be distracted.’

On high alert, Lü Zhong headed into the cave.

The cave was clearly natural. The deeper he went, the more it branched off—up, down, left, and right. The paths intersected and split, forming a veritable labyrinth.

’This place is much larger than I expected,’ Lü Zhong thought.

He continued to sneak along, descending more than a thousand feet underground until he arrived before a stone door.

The stone door was of an ancient style, obviously constructed by cultivators, with faint reliefs and patterns still visible. A ten-foot-wide hole had been smashed through its center, the edges of which were stained with the dense aura of the Water Flood Dragon.

’There’s a cultivator’s estate inside?’

Lü Zhong thought. ’What a huge "surprise".’

He continued deeper.

Along the way, he saw the carcasses of many Sea Beasts—all of them the Water Flood Dragon’s leftovers. Judging by the variety of remains, the creature was clearly a picky eater.

’If I’d known earlier, I might have been able to find a way to poison it.’

But now...

Lü Zhong stopped in his tracks.

According to the scene he had replayed, Tang Chengchu’s group had already found the Bone Jade in a large hall.

What puzzled him was the Water Flood Dragon’s absence. Logically, with a treasure like the Bone Jade at stake, it should have been in the cave, standing guard.

’Could it have gone out to hunt?’

’That’s too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?’

Tang Chengchu’s group had realized this as well.

"Heh. Fellow Daoist Fang, Fellow Daoist Zhong, there’s plenty of Bone Jade. We don’t need to cause any more trouble. Why don’t we just split it and go our separate ways?"

Tang Chengchu proposed this to his two companions with a faint smile.

But the instant his words fell, Fang Hongshang’s figure blurred. Her aura exploded as she unleashed her Magical Treasure with a flick of her hand. At the same moment, Zhong Pan also struck. Stomping the ground so hard that spiderweb cracks appeared, he charged at Tang Chengchu.

Caught in their pincer attack, Tang Chengchu seemed completely unprepared. Fang Hongshang’s sword shattered his Protective Gang Qi, and an instant later, Zhong Pan’s fist struck a vital point on his chest, sending him flying into a stone wall.

His entire body was embedded in it.

Blood streamed onto the floor.

Tang Chengchu’s aura was faint; he was clearly not going to make it.

"Fellow Daoist Zhong, you certainly don’t pull your punches!" Fang Hongshang said, retracting her Flying Sword Treasure, Red Robe. A hint of killing intent flickered in her eyes as she looked at Zhong Pan.

The death of Fang Xiaoyun had greatly diminished the power of the Buhong Mountain Fang Family.

Coupled with the overt and covert suppression they had faced in recent years, their prestige was a shadow of its former self.

Therefore, to restore her family’s fortunes, she had to have the Bone Jade.

And she had to have all of it!

"Look who’s talking," Zhong Pan said, his expression unchanging. He glanced at Fang Hongshang and added flatly, "Now that it’s just the two of us, I see no need to..."

Before he could finish, his entire body erupted in red light, and he shot forward like a Blood Shadow.

He intended to use the physical advantages of a Mystic Cultivator to close the distance to Fang Hongshang at extreme speed, forcing the combat into the close-quarters fighting that favored him most.