A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Lü Zhong could tell by now that Huoyaozi clearly had no intention of letting him go.

Her intentions must have been hostile from the very beginning. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have secretly released poison the moment they met, which had in turn triggered the counterattack from his Purple Nether Extreme Fire.

Had it been anyone else, they might have truly fallen for her scheme.

A murderous intent flared within Lü Zhong.

Since his opponent had struck first with malicious intent, there was no reason for him to hold back.

’I wonder just how significant the gap between Nascent Soul Cultivators really is... I’ve never experienced it firsthand. This is the perfect opportunity to find out. It’s better to learn now than to be caught off guard in a future fight.’

As this thought crossed his mind, Lü Zhong’s expression turned frigid. Two Magical Treasures flew from his sleeve: the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner and the Star Mirror.

The Flood Dragon Spirit Banner for defense, the Star Mirror to slay his foe.

The Treasure Mirror flared with brilliant light, instantly shooting out more than ten rays of Mirror Light. Mid-flight, they split and multiplied, transforming into over a hundred beams that swept toward Huoyaozi.

When Huoyaozi saw Lü Zhong’s move, she knew her plot had been exposed. Yet, she showed not the slightest hint of panic. Instead, she let out a strange laugh. Without even glancing at the incoming Mirror Light, she took out a small purple gourd, aimed it at Lü Zhong, and began to chant.

As she chanted, the small gourd spewed a hazy purple smoke.

The purple smoke collided with the Mirror Light mid-air. It merely faded in color slightly as it shattered every ray of light, then continued rushing toward Lü Zhong.

With a surge, it swirled into a ball, trapping Lü Zhong inside.

Seeing he was trapped, Lü Zhong’s expression remained unchanged. He quickly channeled his Magical Power, intending to use Instant Teleportation to escape.

But in that instant, his expression changed abruptly.

’My Magical Power isn’t circulating properly!’

Lü Zhong realized with a start that his Magical Power, which normally flowed as he willed, now felt as thick as mud. No matter how he tried to command it, its response was sluggish.

In this state, using an Escape Skill was completely out of the question.

’It’s a compound poison!’ He finally understood.

This Huoyaozi certainly lived up to her reputation.

Clearly, the poison that had triggered the protective reaction from his Purple Nether Extreme Fire was merely a diversion. Its purpose was to conceal the true poison that was now taking effect.

Not only had she poisoned him, but she had also precisely calculated the onset time.

It hadn’t taken effect too early or too late, but precisely after he had activated his Magical Treasures. If he had noticed it from the start, Lü Zhong could have reacted immediately.

But now, he was in deep trouble.

Lü Zhong, of course, would not simply wait for death. Without a second thought, he activated his Purple Nether Extreme Fire. Countless Purple Flames erupted, shrouding his body and rapidly refining the poison within him.

The move was incredibly effective.

Meanwhile, the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner was not idle. It transformed into four agile Little Flood Dragons, blocking the incoming attacks to buy him time to neutralize the poison.

"Hmph. Let’s see how long you can last," Huoyaozi sneered.

The Purple Smoke Gourd combined with the Delayed Spirit Poison was her meticulously crafted, foolproof combination. She had used it to successfully ambush countless cultivators. In the battle that had made her famous, this was the very technique she used to destroy her opponent’s physical body.

In Central Earth, no one would fall for such a trick.

But this was the Southern Barbarian lands.

Huoyaozi pointed at the distant, trapped Lü Zhong. The six jade hairpins on her head instantly transformed into six small snakes and shot forward.

These hairpins were her Lifebound Treasure, known as the Six-Green Snake Hairpin.

A series of TING TING TING sounds rang out.

To her surprise, the Six-Green Snake Hairpins were all knocked away by the Little Flood Dragons.

Huoyaozi was startled. She immediately cast aside her disdain and looked closely at the four Little Flood Dragons. A look of horror flashed in her eyes as she finally recognized the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner.

’The Flood Dragon Spirit Banner! How does he have such a treasure?’

The might of the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace’s Fire Dragon Spirit Banner was known to all in Central Earth.

Huoyaozi, of course, knew how formidable the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner was in combat.

A single Flood Dragon Spirit Banner was merely an ordinary Defensive Treasure. However, when multiple Banners were used together, their defensive power would multiply with each additional Spirit Flag. It was the kind of Defensive Treasure that gave opponents a massive headache in combat—a type of Magical Treasure everyone coveted but dreaded facing.

’But since you’ve been hit with my Delayed Spirit Poison and are trapped by the Purple Smoke Shield... Hmph, so what if you have four Flood Dragon Spirit Banners? You’re just a fish in a barrel. The treasures will be mine sooner or later!’ Huoyaozi thought smugly. Her movements, however, did not slow in the slightest. A glint of greed appeared in her eyes as she pushed her Lifebound Treasure even harder.

The Purple Smoke Gourd trembled, letting out a HISS. The amount of purple smoke gushing out surged, transforming into a purple venomous python with a gaping maw. It slithered across a distance of thousands of feet and, in one gulp, swallowed the Purple Smoke Ball that trapped Lü Zhong, causing the ball to visibly swell by a full size.

"Go!" Huoyaozi shouted, throwing out three Jade Tubes.

The tubes contained three Poisonous Insects, each one meticulously raised by her.

They were impressively lethal, even against Nascent Soul Cultivators. Furthermore, the venom they spat would enhance the effects of the Delayed Spirit Poison, making the two mutually reinforcing.

Just as she was about to deploy her next move, her expression changed abruptly.

Her figure flashed, and she reappeared hundreds of feet away.

At the same time, a purple light began to glow from a spot on the Purple Smoke Ball. The light grew intensely dazzling before a pillar of light erupted from it, tearing the ball open. With unbelievable speed, it shot past the spot where Huoyaozi had just been standing, finally striking a mountain ridge several miles away.

The pillar of light vanished into the mountains as if nothing had happened.

Yet Huoyaozi’s eyes were filled with absolute horror, for she could clearly see where the purple pillar of light had struck. A ten-foot-wide hole had appeared out of nowhere.

It was bottomless!

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