A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

He had flown for less than half a day, but the crimson corruption he’d accumulated was already life-threatening, forcing him to stop and purify himself with the Purple Nether Extreme Fire.

All told, he was spending more time on purification than on travel.

That was why, after spotting traces of cultivator activity on the ground, he had followed the trail of ruins.

And that led to the current scene.

Lü Zhong stopped just shy of provoking the cultivators on the shore. He then dispelled the Purple Nether Extreme Fire purifying the crimson corruption within him, revealing his form.

Gazing at the handful of elderly Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the shore, he couldn’t help but frown. There was no new blood among them.

’Has it only been thirty years? How has the Western Border Immortal Cultivation World degenerated so much already?’

’At this rate of decline, it probably won’t even take a hundred years before the strongest cultivator of the Human Race here is only at the Peak of Qi Refining Cultivation.’

’And this was all thanks to *that person*.’

At this thought, Lü Zhong drew a clump of mud from the lakebed and used the Mud into Stone Technique to shape it into a stone pillar. Then, with a touch of the Storage Ring on his left hand, he retrieved ten thousand pounds of Spirit Rice, piling it on top of the pillar.

"A small token of my sincerity."

Then, he looked at the people of Yanhu Square and said, "Please send someone out to speak with me."

The crowd on the shore stirred at his words. In the end, they pushed forward a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator: Li Yuming, the current Master of Yanhu Square. With all the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators needed to defend the square, he was the only suitable person they could send out to negotiate.

"I am Li Yuming," he said, struggling to stay calm. "Greetings, Senior!"

As he spoke, his gaze couldn’t help but shift to the pile of Spirit Rice beside them.

’So this is the Spirit Rice recorded in the ancient texts?’

’It’s as crystalline as jade and gives off such an alluring, fresh scent. And the Spiritual Qi within it... it’s incredibly dense, countless times more potent than the Spirit Mushrooms we grow in the square.’

Noticing this, Lü Zhong guessed how valuable the Spirit Rice was to these cultivators. Its worth had likely multiplied several times over the last thirty years. He also suspected, however, that they had no Spiritual Objects left to trade for it.

’Otherwise, their cultivation levels wouldn’t have fallen this low.’

"Answer a few of my questions, and you can have the Spirit Rice."

"Yes, Senior!" Li Yuming replied, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Are there any large settlements nearby?" Lü Zhong asked.

"Twenty years ago, a cultivator arrived, claiming to be from Ye Ling Immortal City. He said the city was five thousand miles northwest of the square. That is all the information I have."

"Ye Ling Immortal City?" Lü Zhong repeated, a strange look on his face.

As far as he knew, that city had already become a land of the dead thirty years ago.

’With the calamitous changes in the world growing more severe, how could any cultivators possibly survive there?’

Since that was the only answer he was going to get, he moved on to the next question.

"Do you have a way to dispel the Crimson Spiritual Energy?"

Lü Zhong asked because he’d noticed the cultivators here bore no signs of corruption from the Crimson Spiritual Energy. This suggested they likely possessed some means of purification.

"In response, Senior, we primarily rely on consuming the dried powder of the Crimson Mushroom to counteract the effects of the Crimson Spiritual Energy." As he spoke, Li Yuming took a vial of red mushroom powder from his pouch.

"This is the dried Crimson Mushroom powder. Although it can purify Crimson Spiritual Energy, it is highly toxic itself, so..."

"Just a strong poison? Not a problem."

Lü Zhong took out a Detoxification Pill and swallowed it, then secretly cast a Malice Detection spell.

When he confirmed there was no issue, he took a pinch of the dried powder and consumed it.

’The effect is mediocre, but I suppose it’s better than nothing.’ Lü Zhong quickly reached his conclusion, clearly unsatisfied. He then turned to Li Yuming and said, "How much more of this dried Crimson Mushroom powder do you have? Bring it all to me. I’ll trade one pound of Spirit Rice for each vial of powder."

He was currently still in the Ye Ling Domain, a vast distance from the West Extreme Sword Domain. Stocking up on the dried Crimson Mushroom powder would save him a great deal of time. Otherwise, it would likely take him three to five years just to reach Shaxuan Valley.

’By the time I retrieve the remnant page and come back, who knows how long will have passed.’

"Ah! Yes!" Li Yuming couldn’t hide his delight upon hearing this and actually laughed out loud.

’This Senior is truly a great benefactor!’

When he returned to the docks, he gave a full report to the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators there, recounting his conversation with Lü Zhong and the terms of the proposed trade.

There was nothing to discuss. The decision was unanimous.

Having lived underground for so long, they had long since abandoned any thought of returning to the surface. Keeping the dried Crimson Mushroom powder was useless, so they might as well take this opportunity to trade it for Spirit Rice.