A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 386: Chapter 223: The Great Explosion (Part 2)

Sect members and disciples were dying in droves, and no rescue was possible.

Changchun Immortal City had long since descended into chaos.

That afternoon, the latest news arrived.

The Temple Master of Huayi Temple, a Supreme Elder of the Yan Zhen Sect, had launched an attack to probe Changchun Valley’s strength. He was repelled by Wanmu True Monarch and the Yun Yao Ancestor, and the great battle filled the sky with crimson light.

Countless more beings on the ground were caught in the crossfire and killed or injured.

’After this, I’m afraid Changchun Valley is destined for decline,’ Lü Zhong thought.

’This is the first time I’ve seen this Yun Yao Ancestor. I never expected his methods to be so demonic. That crimson light filling the sky... no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t match the traditional Cultivation Techniques of Changchun Valley.’

’And those Souls of the Dead...’

With so many Souls of the Dead, who knew how many Foundation Establishment Cultivators had to die?

"I really am a walking disaster; trouble follows me everywhere!" Lü Zhong laughed self-mockingly, then immediately dismissed the thought. After all, none of this was his fault.

’I just have bad luck.’

’Yes, that must be it!’

...

「One year later.」

「In the Quiet Chamber.」

Lü Zhong finished his cultivation session.

The chaos in the Changchun Domain was escalating. With Changchun Valley unable to manage its own affairs, the turmoil had spread from the outskirts of the city throughout the entire domain. The once vast and stable region was now engulfed in the flames of conflict.

As a result, his speed at gathering resources had plummeted.

This was reflected in his cultivation progress, which had once again slowed to a crawl.

However, one could expect a great number of Spiritual Objects to appear in the near future, as great chaos was the easiest time for sects and clans to be wiped out. But given the choice, Lü Zhong still preferred a slow and steady approach.

In these chaotic times, bad news arrived one after another.

Due to turmoil along the trade routes, transportation had been completely cut off. Large quantities of Spiritual Objects were piling up in various locations, causing the East Sea Route to shut down. The Commerce Association had suffered immense losses as a result.

Fortunately, there was good news from the Bihai Islands to offset the bad.

The chaos in the Changchun Domain had made mass migration much easier. Before, Changchun Valley would have restricted it, but now, as long as one paid enough Spirit Stones, they could get as many people as they wanted.

Because of this, Lü Zhong had made a sweeping decision.

He raised the target for the Three Sects of Bihai from one million people to one million households. With such a large population, the three sects only needed to gather the mortals with the potential of an Immortal Seed to periodically refresh their ranks. Their continued existence would then be secured.

With matters on this side settled,

Lü Zhong prepared to make another trip to the Western Realm as planned.

This time, he was bringing a large haul of goods he had recently collected—things like Spirit Rice and Pills—with a market value of at least two hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

The Southern Barbarian lands were growing more turbulent by the day, making it increasingly difficult to gather supplies. He didn’t know how many more trips he could make to the Western Realm, so rather than wasting time on many small-scale trips, it was better to make one big score.

It wouldn’t be too late to restart his resale trade with the Western Realm once the chaos in the Changchun Domain had subsided.

「Early morning.」

A thin, gloomy mist hung in the air.

Lü Zhong awoke and gently moved aside the delicate body wrapped around him. As was his custom, he cast a few Cleaning Skills on himself before donning his Star Patterned Robe.

When he reached the Central Courtyard, the fragrant aroma of wontons filled with sea fish assailed his senses.

The broth was simmered with Spirit Medicines, not only containing dense Spiritual Qi but also boasting a flavor no ordinary Spiritual Food could match. A single bowl sold outside would fetch at least a hundred Spirit Stones.

Only a Golden Core Master could afford such an extravagant meal.

One bowl wasn’t enough, so he had another.

As he ate, his Cultivation Body automatically began to operate, refining the food into Spiritual Qi. After one Grand Circulation, it was converted into a slight boost to his cultivation.

The effect was nearly nonexistent.

Lü Zhong didn’t mind; he was only interested in the food’s taste and texture.

After leaving the house, he made a deliberate detour past Changchun Immortal City.

Floating hundreds of feet in the air, he looked down at the city.

Just as the reports had described, the once-prosperous Immortal City was now desolate and ruined. The air was thick with the stench of corpses, and flashes of Spiritual Light could be seen intermittently within the city walls.

The extent of the disaster was far greater than Lü Zhong had anticipated.

Even the Port District had been ravaged, showing signs of widespread fires.

The once-bustling commercial street was now a ruin. Cultivators, like ants, swarmed over the rubble, digging for any treasures that might have been left behind.

In the face of such devastation, Lintao Pavilion hadn’t been spared either; only a broken half of it remained standing.

Looking toward Changchun Valley’s main gate,

he could see a bottomless black abyss.

It was hard to imagine what could have happened to blast such a crater into existence.

’Changchun Valley has ruled the Changchun Domain for tens of thousands of years. Is its reign finally coming to an end?’

Lü Zhong sighed and headed straight for Poisonous Insect Valley.

...

The following days were a blur of constant travel.

To be cautious, Lü Zhong adopted a strategy of selling his goods in small batches across multiple transactions. He would also intentionally switch locations from time to time. In this way, nearly half a year passed peacefully.

During that time, he did spot a few cultivators from the True Central Sect.

He randomly picked one unlucky soul and performed a Soul Search. From it, he learned that the True Central Sect had noticed the unusual increase in Spiritual Objects within the Western Realm, and a Nascent Soul True Monarch was monitoring the situation closely.

As if to confirm this intelligence, starlight flared on his body several times that very night.

Clearly, the True Central Sect was Peeping at Celestial Secrets in an attempt to determine his identity.

They likely never imagined that Lü Zhong possessed the Star Shifting and Dipper Changing Divine Technique, which allowed him to shield himself from such divination. Thus, their repeated attempts all ended in failure.

「Illusionary Sound Realm, Bailing Ruins.」

Lü Zhong started selling his wares at dawn. In total, he sold over eight thousand pounds of Spirit Rice, various bottles of Tier One and Tier Two Pills, and some specialty Spiritual Objects from the Southern Barbarian lands. A single trip like this netted him a profit of at least ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Just like the last few times, some tactless fools were bound to follow him.

Considering he might not return to the Western Realm for a long time, Lü Zhong changed into an ordinary Dharma Robe and deliberately revealed only the cultivation of an Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, a precise method to filter for and bait his targets.

Sure enough, some took the bait.

He wouldn’t let a single one of these wicked-minded thugs escape. If they dared to murder others for their treasures, they should be prepared to be killed themselves.

Adding up the loot from these small encounters, he could actually pocket an extra two or three thousand Spirit Stones.

He had gotten a taste for it.

So, every time Lü Zhong moved to a new location, he made sure to repeat the process. He was using a Spirit-Hosted Puppet as a decoy anyway, so he had no fear of falling into a trap.

...

The days passed one by one.

Lü Zhong wasn’t foolish enough to sell exclusively to purchasing agents; his methods were flexible. For instance, today he had set up a stall in the public market area, returning to his old trade, so to speak.

"Fine Green Marrow Spirit Rice, aged three years!"

"Tears-in-my-eyes clearance sale! Only three Spirit Stones a pound!"

Lü Zhong shouted at the top of his lungs. This aged Spirit Rice was cheap in the Southern Barbarian lands, costing only fifteen talismanic coins a pound. But here in the Western Realm, its value skyrocketed; he had no trouble selling it for twenty times that price.

Soon, people began to approach and ask about the price.

Top Grade goods like this, untainted by the Crimson Spiritual Energy, were practically guaranteed to sell.

「One hour later.」

Lü Zhong emerged from the Small Workshop Market. He skillfully cast a Light Body Skill to summon a Spirit Wind, which enveloped him as he sped toward his next destination.

Halfway there, just as he’d expected, he was ambushed by Evil Cultivators.

Figures flickered among the mountain trees as strong fluctuations of Spiritual Qi pulsed from within.

Two sword shadows—one gold, one black—shot toward him, followed closely by five Fireball Bullets. They were perfectly coordinated, sealing off all his possible escape routes.

Lü Zhong smiled. ’More Spirit Stones, delivering themselves right to my doorstep.’

He didn’t dare let his guard down, however. In an instant, his vast Divine Sense swept through the forest.

He instantly got a clear count of the Evil Cultivators.

There were two Foundation Establishment cultivators, one at the early-stage and the other at the middle-stage, plus fifteen Qi Refining cultivators for support. Among the gangs of Evil Cultivators he had wiped out before, this was a fairly large one.

He raised his left and right hands, and two beams of Sword Light—one gold, one red—shot out.

Midway, they deflected the incoming sword shadows.

"AH!"

The next instant, two bloodcurdling screams rang out almost simultaneously.

What followed was a one-sided slaughter.

They were all Evil Cultivators. Killing them was no big deal.

Lü Zhong felt no psychological burden whatsoever.

’One Lower-grade Spiritual Artifact, one High-grade Magical Artifact Flying Sword, over a hundred assorted Talismans, a thousand pounds of contaminated Spirit Rice, 3,091 Spirit Stones, and seven Storage Bags... What a fat, juicy group of Evil Cultivators!’

’Excellent. Now I have goods to sell in Hundred Forest City.’