A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

’This man is not someone I can fight head-on!’

Without a second thought, Yinn Qiao shot backward.

’As they say, better you die than I.’ He could tell that although Hou Lan and Zhang Guo appeared calm, they had likely lost their last shred of courage.

Rather than fight a bitter battle alongside them, it was better to look out for himself. That way, he might still have a chance of survival.

At the same time, he flicked his hands, slapping multiple Talismans onto his body.

He had carefully collected and arranged this set beforehand. They offered the maximum possible Defense without conflicting with one another. Combined with his own Protective Gang Qi, they could even block a strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Layer after layer of defenses deployed, instantly encasing his entire body.

Lü Zhong had no desire to attack such an "Iron Turtle," so he shifted his target to the Daoist Nun. After the failed teleportation, her will had been crushed by his presence.

’Right now, she’s just meat on the chopping block.’

CLANG!

The two of them clashed.

Hou Lan felt a Giant Strength wash over her, severely injuring her internal organs and causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood. Before she could even process the shock of her opponent’s immense power—it was as if she were fighting a Body Refining Mystic Cultivator—she saw the golden Flying Sword in Lü Zhong’s hand flicker with lightning.

CRACKLE!

A blast of lightning erupted, instantly engulfing them both.

A bloodcurdling scream rang out.

When the lightning dissipated, Lü Zhong was holding the Thunder-Attracting Needle, its blade run through Hou Lan’s abdomen. With an expressionless flick of his wrist, he ensured she was utterly dead.

He gazed at the lightning-wreathed Thunder-Attracting Needle.

Lü Zhong hadn’t expected the sword to have changed so much after undergoing the Thunder Tribulation.

The original Artifact Spirit had perished, unable to withstand the Celestial Thunder. But after being nurtured by him for a long time, a new "Artifact Spirit" had now been born. Perhaps because it was born in Lü Zhong’s hand, the new spirit was clearly more attached to him, lacking the sense of distance the old one had.

Now, having helped Lü Zhong slay an enemy, the Thunder-Attracting Needle trembled slightly, conveying a sense of joyful excitement.

Elsewhere, the old Daoist Zhang Guo’s face fell.

Hou Lan was dead, and Yinn Qiao had vanished without a trace. He was left alone to face Lü Zhong—a powerful opponent whose strength exceeded his own by a realm and a half. Even though his Daoist heart was as firm as iron, he couldn’t stop a deep sense of despair from welling up inside him.

The despair was mixed with regret.

’If only I had been more restrained before, I probably wouldn’t be in this situation...’

But he had no time for such thoughts now.

Gritting his teeth, the old Daoist Zhang Guo took a three-foot-long Jade Box from his Storage Bag. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, yet it faintly pulsed with powerful Sword Qi. Despite the life-or-death crisis he was in, an uncontrollable look of heartache flashed across his face as he took it out. The box contained his true trump card.

The Sword Summoning Box.

He tossed it into the air.

"Come forth, my treasure!"

At his cry, the Jade Box flashed, and the phantom of a small sword emerged. It was a rare, swordless flying sword design. Unlike lifeless Magical Artifacts and Magical Treasures, this sword, though only a phantom, felt vibrant and full of life, as if it were truly alive.

An intense sense of danger immediately washed over Lü Zhong.

Staring at the small sword, he thought, ’If I don’t handle this well, I’m going to get hurt today.’

"Slash! Slash! Slash!"

As the old Daoist Zhang Guo shouted, Lü Zhong immediately felt an aura lock onto him. At the same time, he saw the small sword in the distance conceal its glow and abruptly vanish.

A cold glint of light appeared out of nowhere!

A peerlessly sharp Sword Light descended from the sky, erupting with unbelievable Sword Qi. It aimed straight for the top of Lü Zhong’s skull, carrying enough force to cleave a mountain—or him—in two.

At that very moment, a green shadow blocked its path.

First, an invisible shockwave exploded outward.

CLANG!

The sound of the impact followed a moment later.

Accompanied by a teeth-grating screech, numerous cracks appeared on the surface of the Poisonous Flood Dragon Banner before it was sent flying by the small sword. The other three Flood Dragon Spirit Banners finally arrived, roaring as they gathered and unleashed a dazzling Spiritual Light, once again blocking the small sword’s advance.

No matter how hard the small sword pressed down, the Flood Dragon Spirit Banners did not yield an inch.

Even as their flag bodies cracked!

Finally, the small sword’s power was exhausted.

It spun around and flew back into the Jade Box, disappearing from sight.

CLICK! The Jade Box snapped shut, its luster gone.

Seeing this, the last shred of hope vanished from the old Daoist Zhang Guo’s heart.

Meanwhile, relying on his formidable physique, Lü Zhong generated a circular ring of Cloud Qi around himself, his speed instantly breaking the sound barrier. The resulting gale kicked up sand and dust, shrouding the area. He had already rushed in front of the old Daoist and slashed out with his sword, showing not a hint of mercy.

The Sword Light crackled with lightning!

Facing this strike was like facing the might of the heavens.

Zhang Guo had no way to dodge; his aura was already locked down.

He had to receive this strike, whether he wanted to or not.

BOOM!

A circular shockwave erupted.

The edge of Lü Zhong’s full-power strike sliced through the Spirit General protecting Zhang Guo. Its momentum unabated, it slammed viciously into the latter’s Protective Gang Qi, causing it to ripple violently.

But that wasn’t all.

He condensed a Thunderous Spear in his hand and thrust it directly at the old Daoist.

At such close range, even Lü Zhong would be harmed by the Thunder Spear’s power, but the old Daoist’s defenses would fail first. Before his terrified eyes and amidst a series of shattering Spiritual Lights, the Thunderous Spear erupted with a blinding flash, piercing what little remained of his Protective Gang Qi.

A single sword strike then took his head.

Lü Zhong’s face was now as pale as paper, and his back was completely drenched in a cold sweat.

He was thankful for the protection of his Flood Dragon Spirit Banners. If the Poisonous Flood Dragon Banner hadn’t reacted in time, that small sword would have shattered his Gang Qi in a single blow. He didn’t know if he would have died—after all, his physique was far superior to that of an ordinary Core Formation Cultivator—but he would have definitely been severely injured.

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