A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Let alone the treasures hidden inside the Void Netherstone Storage Ring, the Human-faced Flood Dragon Essence alone made the entire journey worthwhile. He hadn’t traveled thousands of miles for nothing.

Three or four days passed peacefully. On this particular day, he was flying over a stretch of wilderness. Just as he crossed a barren hill, his expression suddenly froze. He snapped his head to the left and saw several specks of light on the horizon. A look of surprise appeared on his face, which quickly turned grim.

’Am I being followed?’

He pondered for a moment but couldn’t find any reason for it.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lü Zhong decided to wait for them and find out what was going on. Besides, his earlier senses told him they were all at the Core Formation Stage. No matter how strong they were, there was a limit to their power.

At the Escape Speed of a Core Formation Cultivator, the journey from the horizon to right before him would take no more than a hundred breaths.

When the Escape Light dissipated, it revealed three cultivators: two men and a woman.

"H-how is this possible?" Lü Zhong murmured to himself after getting a clear look at the Female Cultivator’s face. An incredibly complex expression washed over him.

’There are no two identical leaves in the world, so how can there be two people with the exact same face?’

Silently reciting the Ice Heart Mantra, Lü Zhong forced himself to look away, resisting the urge to gaze at the face that was a mirror image of Li Hejun’s. He quickly calmed himself and turned a cold stare on the approaching trio.

"What business do you three have with me?"

The leader of the trio was an old man in a red robe, with Mid-stage Core Formation Cultivation. He had a rather burly build and a kind face set with a faint smile, yet there was something about him that felt disingenuous. He cupped his hands toward Lü Zhong and said with a smile:

"You must be Lü Zhong. I am Gongsun Yu, the current Patriarch of the Gongsun Family in the Profound Sun Domain. I heard that when my second uncle, Huo Yezi, was murdered by that vile disciple, you happened to be present. Would you be willing to accompany us back to the Gongsun estate for a chat? Once I’ve clarified the details of this matter, I will not only apologize to you, but will also present you with a handsome reward!"

’Apologize? A handsome reward?’

Lü Zhong sneered inwardly. Gongsun Yu’s words were certainly grand and high-minded.

’But who is he kidding? Not even a three-year-old would fall for that.’

The moment Gongsun Yu introduced himself, Lü Zhong had already guessed their true purpose. It was almost certainly about Huo Yezi’s possessions.

"You’d better not be a fool! If the Patriarch weren’t so merciful, you’d be dead by now. My advice is to cooperate, or don’t blame me, Kan, for being merciless!" One of his companions was a bald man in a yellow robe with a scar on his face. His brutish features and cruel expression made it clear he was bad news. Seemingly growing impatient, he was the one to level the threat at Lü Zhong.

Hearing these words, Lü Zhong, who was already agitated, immediately made his decision. This matter would not be resolved peacefully. ’If that’s how it is,’ he thought, ’then let’s settle this with force.’

He then opened his mouth and unleashed the Star Mirror.

Simultaneously, his hands blurred through a series of seals, casting buffs like the Star Gathering Skill and Star Blessing upon himself. Even though it was broad daylight, when starlight was faint, his aura surged, growing stronger by the second.

The three on the other side seemed to have expected this. They all summoned their Magical Treasures and charged forward. The bald man in the yellow robe was the first to attack, rushing to the very front.

The Magical Treasure he unleashed was a Coiling Snake Pestle.

As Lü Zhong closed in, Kan A’Er, despite being only at Early-stage Core Formation, was pleased rather than alarmed. His Coiling Snake Pestle was a Magical Treasure designed for trapping and killing. It had a powerful sealing effect, even against a cultivator one Small Realm higher than him.

He tossed the small pestle into the air. Eager to show off for his Patriarch, he put his all into it, spewing a cloud of hazy yellow Pill Qi onto the Magical Treasure before beginning to chant an incantation.

The Coiling Snake Pestle trembled slightly and began to glow with a dazzling light.

Instantly, a foul wind kicked up as a colossal, lifelike, green-scaled serpent materialized. The beast was over a thousand feet long. It opened its cavernous maw, preparing to swallow Lü Zhong whole.

"Haha! You refused to do this the easy way, so now you’ll do it the hard way! To think you’d dare oppose the Gongsun Family—you’re really courting death!" Kan A’Er cackled, his face alight with smug satisfaction. At the same time, he didn’t forget his opponent was at Mid-stage Core Formation, so he pushed his Magical Treasure harder, intending to trap Lü Zhong in a single move.

Lü Zhong saw this and scoffed inwardly at the flashy display.

With no wasted motion, he raised his hand and unleashed a Thunderous Spear.

Wherever the Thunder Spear passed, the giant serpent dissolved into raw Spiritual Qi. A sharp PING! rang out as the ghastly green Coiling Snake Pestle was knocked into the air, where two Flying Swords immediately struck it again and again.

In moments, it was battered and broken.

"GACK!" Kan A’Er coughed up a mouthful of blood. He never imagined Lü Zhong would be this powerful, severely damaging his Lifebound Treasure in a single clash.

He didn’t dare fight any longer and hastily recalled the Coiling Snake Pestle.

Seeing the outcome of this initial test, Gongsun Yu and Gongsun Rou exchanged a look, their expressions darkening. After a brief exchange via voice transmission, they each summoned a fiery red Flying Sword.

Both were Si Fire Swords, a Magical Treasure documented in the Gongsun Family’s ancestral Si Fire Scripture. As a Yin Attribute Fire Element Flying Sword, the Si Fire Sword was renowned for its immense power, rivaling the Lifebound Treasure of a Sword Cultivator.

Their trajectories flickered in and out of sight, like faint flames that refused to be extinguished.

To Lü Zhong, it felt like two venomous fire pythons were lunging at him.

Without a second thought, he flicked his wide sleeve, and three miniature Little Flood Dragons shot out. Two sharp CLANGS immediately echoed from ahead.

"This man’s power is extraordinary! Attack him together!" Gongsun Yu roared.

At once, the three of them swarmed Lü Zhong.

In an instant, Spiritual Light flared violently as multicolored radiances shot into the sky. The wilderness below suffered the consequences; deep gullies were carved into the earth, and entire hilltops were sheared away.

Sparks rained down, instantly setting the land ablaze in a roaring inferno.