Mortal: The Path to Immortality

Lu Nanzhu took the sachet, played with it in his hands for a while, and then put it into his storage bag.

He then took out two bottles of pills and pushed them in front of Han Yunzhi:

"I'll accept the sachet. But does Junior Sister have the recipe for this 'Spirit Control Powder'? I'll exchange these pills for it."

After thinking for a moment, Han Yunzhi also took out a formula from her storage bag and handed it to Lu Nanzhu.

Seeing that Lu Nanzhu had no objections after reading the formula, she accepted the pills.

"Since you're alright, junior sister, let's go our separate ways."

Han Yunzhi nodded after listening. Lu Nanzhu then walked straight behind her and picked the few Heavenly Spirit Fruits.

Afterwards, Lu and Han bid farewell to Han Yunzhi and continued on their way to Baihuawu.

......

Following the map and the directions of the little "Full Warehouse", Lu and Han arrived at the foot of a mountain.

After searching for a while at the foot of the mountain, Lu Nanzhu and his group discovered a valley entrance shrouded in thick fog in a secluded spot.

"This must be the entrance to 'Hundred Flowers Valley'." Lu Nanzhu put away the map in his hand and took out the sachet.

He poured the powder from the sachet and sprinkled some on himself.

He then handed some powder to Han Li:

"Brother Han, you should use some too. This thing might help us avoid some trouble."

Han Li hesitated for a moment, then took the "Spirit Control Powder" and sprinkled it on himself.

The two, who were ready, entered the narrow valley entrance one after the other.

As you pass through the valley entrance, the previously damp and gloomy air is much less, replaced by a refreshing fragrance.

What appeared before them was a misty mountain valley.

In this valley, countless flowers of various shapes and sizes bloom. These exotic flowers, nourished by the spiritual energy, shine brightly.

Compared to the forbidden area outside the valley, this place is like a paradise.

"Such rich spiritual energy, no wonder it can nurture so many rare herbs." Han Li lowered his voice, a look of surprise flashing across his face.

Lu Nanzhu nodded and led the way stealthily, keeping a low profile.

The "Spirit-Controlling Powder" emanating from the two of them emitted a faint, exotic fragrance. Within the Hundred Flowers Grove, the two were like two harmless spiritual herbs, attracting several colorful poisonous bees to circle around them a few times before flying away elsewhere.

Using the waist-high flower bushes as cover, the two men carefully made their way towards the center of the valley.

The deeper they went, the more deafening the buzzing became. It was hundreds and thousands of crystalline, jade-like bees.

They busily moved through the sea of ​​flowers, their bellies bulging, carrying the collected pollen in an orderly fashion to a huge cave not far away.

The cave was surrounded by jagged rocks, and several incredibly thick vines hung down from the entrance; it was the nest of the white jade bees.

Lu Nanzhu looked towards the cave entrance and discovered that several fiery red spiritual herbs were about to bloom nearby—those were the "Red Heart Sunflower" that Elder Xiao needed.

Just as the two were preparing to head to the cave entrance as planned, an unexpected event occurred.

A piercing explosion suddenly erupted from the previously quiet cave, followed by a gray figure flying backwards from the cave entrance in a disheveled state.

The man was a young cultivator. He looked pale and seemed to have been terribly frightened. He was wearing a gray robe with a dim spiritual light, and the robe was imprinted with some artifact patterns, which had the function of concealment.

He was clutching a strange flower tightly in his hand—the flower was completely black, and its petals emitted a cold luster.

"Buzz—!"

Before the two could react, another piercing shriek echoed from the cave.

Immediately afterwards, a white jade queen bee, more than two people tall and covered with a silvery-white carapace, suddenly rushed out of the cave.

Its enormous compound eyes flashed with angry red light, its six legs swung like spears, and a swarm of white bees followed closely behind, forcefully breaking through the cave entrance.

In a panic, the gray-robed cultivator summoned his flying sword and fled desperately toward the valley entrance.

Coincidentally, the direction he fled in was right past the hiding place of Lu Nanzhu and Han Li.

"Damn it!" Lu Nanzhu cursed inwardly.

The gray-robed cultivator spotted the two people hiding ahead as he sped along. He was startled at first, then shouted as he flew:

"Fellow Daoists! Run!"

As they spoke, the white jade queen bee behind them closed the distance.

Lu Nanzhu no longer hesitated and instructed Han Li:

"Lu will go and distract the queen bee. Brother Han, I'll leave the white jade bee swarms to you!"

Seeing Han Li nod, Lu Nanzhu sprang out and attacked the queen bee's abdomen, where the "White Jade Elixir" that the two of them had been craving was hidden.

Han Li didn't hesitate at all. He took out several fireball talismans from his storage bag and threw them at the swarm of bees, successfully attracting their attention.

The buzzing sound was incessant. Not only were the stingers of those white jade bees highly venomous, but they would also self-destruct once they got close to an enemy in order to severely injure them.

While dodging the attacks of the swarm of bees, Han Li manipulated the Golden Beetle Mother Blade flying through the air, attempting to drive the bees away. Finally, he managed to gather the scattered bees into one place.

"call--!"

He took out a red gourd from his storage bag—a magical artifact that he had taken from some unknown cultivator.

A thick, magma-like flame erupted from the gourd.

In an instant, the swarm of white bees that had gathered was engulfed by the sea of ​​fire. Only the smell of burning remained.

More bees gradually swarmed towards Han Li.

......

Meanwhile, Lu Nanzhu is engaged in a fierce battle on the other side.

The queen bee, as tall as two people, was incredibly fast. Lu Nanzhu pushed his movement technique to its limit, his entire body becoming a blurry afterimage as he weaved through the queen bee's spear-like legs.

He did not fight back directly, but mostly used the surrounding flower bushes and boulders as cover to avoid the queen bee's stings and venom spray.

A crisp "clang" rang out.

Lu Nanzhu seized the opportunity and slashed the queen bee's side with his double blades, but only left a light-colored scratch on her silvery-white carapace.

This beast's defensive capabilities far surpass those of cultivators of the same level.

The gray-robed cultivator stood blankly at the valley entrance, watching the two men struggle fiercely against the demonic insects.

He hesitated for a moment, then put the black flower into his storage bag. He gritted his teeth, drew a blue longsword, and attacked the queen bee.

With the gray-robed monk joining the group, Lu Nanzhu's pressure was greatly reduced.

Instead of simply dodging, he unleashed a burst of spiritual light on his twin blades, launching a fierce attack on the gaps between the queen bee's carapace in conjunction with the talismans.

In a two-against-one situation, the queen bee, who had initially held the upper hand, gradually shifted to a defensive posture.

......

In the distance, Han Li had already dealt with several swarms of bees. He also activated his magic, arrived beside Lu Nanzhu, and, wielding the Golden Cicada Mother-Child Blade, attacked the queen bee's eyes.

Under the relentless attacks of the three's magical artifacts and talismans, the queen bee gradually became unable to withstand the onslaught, and her silvery-white carapace was gradually covered with cracks.

At the critical moment, Lu Nanzhu connected the ends of the two blades together, perfectly assembling them into a single spinning blade with sharp edges at both ends.

As he poured his spiritual energy into it, the weapon spun rapidly like a halo, and with a whooshing sound, it was thrown out as a wheel.

"Pfft—!"

With a muffled thud as a sharp blade pierced flesh, the spinning blade precisely sliced ​​into the neck of the white jade queen bee.

Transparent blood spurted out instantly, and the huge bee head was flung into the air, crashing into the nearby flower bushes.

The mangled body, about two people tall, twitched a few times before finally collapsing completely to the ground.

With a wave of his hand, Lu Nanzhu sent the spinning blade gliding through the air in an arc before disassembling it back into a double blade and placing it in his hands.

He didn't rush forward immediately, but instead stared warily at the queen bee's corpse. Only after confirming that it was no longer moving did he breathe a sigh of relief.