A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

This powder was one of the Daoist Sect’s Secret Medicines. It could enhance the effect of a Nascent Soul Immortal Guide, boosting even the most common one by nearly thirty percent. Its power was undeniable, making it a treasure that countless cultivators aspiring to Nascent Soul Formation dreamed of obtaining.

However...

But Lü Zhong’s mind was perfectly clear at this moment.

It was true that an alliance between the True Spirit Sect and the Daoist Sect could solve his current predicament, but it would also escalate the conflict between the Daoist Sect and Changchun Valley into a confrontation among the Seven Southern Barbarian Sects. When that happened, even the Xuanyang Sect and the Celestial Blade Sect might be dragged in.

Ultimately, it would lead to a great war across the Southern Barbarian lands.

It was hard to say who would win or lose, but Bihai, isolated at sea and unable to receive swift reinforcements, would undoubtedly be targeted and crushed at the very outset of the war.

Rather than suffer such a fate, it was better to maintain the status quo.

With this in mind, he made his decision.

"I think you may have misunderstood something, Fellow Daoist. True control of the Bihai Sect isn’t in my hands; I’m merely in the role of a ’Vice Sect Leader,’ so to speak. Regarding the alliance, your sect should really be speaking with my master, Radiant Moon True Monarch." Lü Zhong casually made up an excuse.

Master Xuming’s brow furrowed at this, but his expression quickly returned to normal.

"I’m afraid you still don’t understand Changchun Valley’s true strength, Fellow Daoist.

If we don’t join forces to stop them now, I fear the Southern Barbarian lands will fall under their rule. When that happens, not only will the Bihai Sect be reduced to a vassal state, but even your master, Radiant Moon True Monarch, will likely lose her authority, be forced to join Changchun Valley, and receive the empty, powerless title of Supreme Elder. Do you really want to see that happen?

Besides, even if you truly don’t care about Radiant Moon True Monarch, Fellow Daoist Lü, you should at least consider your own path. You are surely aware of the effects of Hidden Dragon Powder, so I won’t belabor the point. To be perfectly honest, I have the authority to exchange it for Hidden Dragon Secret Powder. Its medicinal efficacy is several degrees more potent than that of Hidden Dragon Powder. With it, your chances of reaching Nascent Soul Formation... will increase dramatically!"

"You need not say more, Fellow Daoist. My hands are truly tied!" Lü Zhong didn’t know what Shuini was thinking, but since she hadn’t agreed, there was no need for him to cause extra trouble. If he disrupted her plans, he might be the one to truly suffer.

Seeing that Lü Zhong refused to budge, Master Xuming was helpless. With no intention of staying any longer, he immediately rose to take his leave.

Lü Zhong made no move to stop them, simply watching as the group departed.

...

’I’ve finally repaired it. I never expected it to be so difficult...’

Lü Zhong had thought it would take him six months to repair one Primordial Cannon, but it ended up taking nearly a full year. He worked from the beginning of the year to the end, facing constant problems both large and small. Only on the very last day of the year did he finally manage to repair the first one.

’I wonder how powerful it is?’

Looking at the Mountain Shaking Ship parked in the shipyard, Lü Zhong decided to take it out for a test run. The Main Floating Array had also just been repaired, so he could test its top speed as well.

He put his plan into action immediately.

He used the Control Array to open the waterway gates, and the Mountain Shaking Ship slowly set out, heading for open water.

It traveled submerged until it reached the Outer Sea, at which point Lü Zhong had the Mountain Shaking Ship surface.

It was the dead of night, the sky filled with faint starlight. It was also a full moon.

After taking a moment to familiarize himself with the controls, Lü Zhong had his Incarnation begin the test.

A flicker of Spiritual Light flashed, and all the Prohibitions on the Mountain Shaking Ship lit up. The Floating Array then ramped up to maximum power, and the ship’s speed began to increase rapidly. In moments, it became a streak of rainbow light, soaring into the sky. As its massive hull skimmed across the surface of the sea, it kicked up enormous waves.

"Hahaha! Excellent, keep accelerating!" Lü Zhong laughed.

Soon, the Mountain Shaking Ship broke the sound barrier.

But this was not its limit.

Mach two, Mach three... Mach four!

The entire ship became a great Fireball as it streaked through the sky.

At this speed, it had already surpassed the limits of a Core Formation Cultivator’s speed. When the Mountain Shaking Ship reached Mach five, its acceleration suddenly slowed dramatically.

"This is the ship’s top speed," the Incarnation reported.

"’Mach five?’" Lü Zhong mused, resting his chin on his hand.

An Escape Speed like this was already comparable to that of an Early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

For a gigantic Flying Ship like this to reach such an astonishing speed was already a miracle. It would be unrealistic to make it any faster; otherwise, it would diminish the prestige of Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

"Let’s test the Primordial Cannon!"

Lü Zhong was eager to see the power of the Primordial Cannon.

At his command, the Incarnation immediately tilted the ship toward the target, simultaneously reducing speed to ensure a steady supply of Spiritual Qi to the Primordial Cannon. It then took aim at a barren island up ahead. As the Mountain Shaking Ship flew into position, a five-colored light coalesced at the cannon’s muzzle before spitting out a white ball of light.

The ball of light flew in a high arc, striking a corner of the barren island.

Then came the second shot, and the third... Under the continuous bombardment, the barren island quickly disintegrated, and the surging seawater completely submerged it.

This demonstration gave Lü Zhong a comprehensive understanding of the Mountain Shaking Ship.

’Its power is equivalent to a full-force strike from a Mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, and its rate of fire is astonishing—nearly one shot per second. If powered by Spirit Stones, and if all the Primordial Cannons were intact, they could create a dense barrage. It might even be able to hold off a Nascent Soul True Monarch.’

However, despite its many cannon emplacements, the Mountain Shaking Ship was not designed as an offensive gunship.

In reality, the ship’s primary purpose was troop transport. Its massive hull, over six hundred zhang long, could accommodate an entire army of ten thousand cultivators. Everything from war materiel to various Spiritual Beasts could be loaded at once, and there would still be room to spare.

If necessary, its five decks could be opened, allowing the embarked cultivators to swarm out.

As for modifications?

Perhaps in the future, once Lü Zhong had mastered the ship’s Array schematics, he would be able to modify them.

For now, however, rashly modifying the Arrays would almost certainly cause problems. In a worst-case scenario, it wasn’t impossible for the Mountain Shaking Ship to be damaged.

Finally, he tested its defenses.

With the main protective array still unrepaired, it couldn’t even block Lü Zhong’s own attacks. From a design standpoint, however, it was an indestructible turtle shell. He imagined that once all the ship’s Arrays were fully repaired, it would have no problem withstanding a Nascent Soul True Monarch’s attacks for a short period.

Having gotten his results, Lü Zhong lingered in the open sea for a while longer.

He then decided to return, heading back to his bedroom.

The continuous days of cultivation had been exhausting, leaving him with no energy for anything else. He simply held the soft, fragrant woman in his arms and quickly fell asleep.

...

「Half a month later.」

Lü Zhong was resting in the Waterside Pavilion.

As his cultivation level advanced, his cultivation speed continued to slow. It had already decreased by thirty percent compared to when he first broke through to the Late-stage Core Formation, and the trend showed no sign of stopping.

Just then, Yu Feng’Er hurried in from outside, her expression grave.

"Husband, something terrible has happened in the Southern Barbarian lands!"

As she spoke, she handed Lü Zhong a Jade Scroll.

After receiving and reading it, Lü Zhong gazed in the direction of the Southern Barbarian lands, unsure of what expression to wear.

Changchun Valley and the Daoist Sect were at war again.

Except this time, the Daoist Sect had been the aggressor.

The Daoist Sect had allied with the Celestial Blade Sect, gathered three Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and launched another successful sneak attack. They had injured Wanmu True Monarch, who had just finished recovering from his last wound. This time, the injury was severe—it would take Wanmu True Monarch three to five years to recuperate.

For their True Monarch to be ambushed twice in such a short time meant that Changchun Valley’s inner ranks had been infiltrated by the Daoist Sect and were now riddled with holes. There had to be spies in high positions; otherwise, there was no explaining how the Daoist Sect knew the Nascent Soul True Monarch’s whereabouts.

Once the war began, the Xuanyang Sect also declared its stance, siding with Changchun Valley.

Suddenly, this put the True Spirit Sect in a delicate position.

With a True Monarch like Shuini, whichever side the True Spirit Sect chose to join would greatly influence the scales of victory.

Lü Zhong held his teacup, gazing at the misty curtain of rain outside the pavilion.

’How will Shuini choose?’

There was one more thing he couldn’t figure out.

’Why did the Daoist Sect suddenly attack Changchun Valley? Logically speaking, they should have been on the defensive.’

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