Mortal: The Path to Immortality

Lu Nanzhu formed hand seals and channeled his magic power into the array plate in the air, and a huge circular halo appeared in the sky.

Upon seeing the halo, the three pursuing cultivators stopped at a distance and dared not go any further.

Just as the three hesitated, Lu Nanzhu activated his light wheel to envelop them and threw the puppet at them.

The moment the puppets flew out, thousands of transparent threads descended from the array's light wheel and connected to the puppets.

With the enhancement of the formation, these puppets grew larger, faster, and stronger.

It turned out that this was the "Thousand Machine Suspended Thread Formation" that Lu Nanzhu had learned from Xin Ruyin. As soon as the formation was completed, the puppets in the formation began to fight with the three people.

Seeing that the enemy was preoccupied, Lu Nanzhu turned to Hu Ning and Senior Brother Su and said:

"This formation can hold them off for a while; let's get out of here quickly!"

Everyone nodded and rode their magical artifacts southward.

......

Two beams of magical artifact light sped through the clouds.

Seeing Senior Brother Su's pale face, Lu Nanzhu asked the question that had been bothering him: "Senior Brother Su, what happened to you after we separated? Why did you end up in such a state?"

Senior Brother Su replied in a deep voice:

"Since we were chased by the Fu family thieves last time, my junior sister Fan and I each led a few Hu family disciples to escape the Fu family's pursuit, and we entered the territory of Dongyu Kingdom with great anxiety."

We originally planned to follow Madam Xie's instructions, find the Hu family's residence in Dongyu Kingdom, and escort the Hu family members there.

But who could have imagined...

At this point, Senior Brother Su paused for a moment.

"We had just stepped into the stronghold of the Hu family in Dongyu Kingdom, and we thought the mission would be completed smoothly."

As a result, the Hu family "relatives" who came to greet them suddenly turned hostile. They seemed to have been prepared, and several Foundation Establishment cultivators launched an attack at the same time.

Before we could react, the escorting members of the Hu family were trapped by their array.

Hearing this, Hu Ning, who was standing next to him, was also surprised. Her mouth opened slightly and her pretty face turned pale.

"Seeing that the situation was not good, Junior Sister Fan and I had no choice but to fight our way out. We barely managed to break through the formation and escape from there."

Those people clearly had no intention of letting us go, and their attack was fierce. At the critical moment of our escape, Junior Sister Fan was severely injured by one of them using demonic arts.

After I helped her break through the encirclement, I managed to stabilize her injuries. Without pausing for a moment, I fled with Junior Sister Fan, and that's when we encountered you all.

After listening, Lu Nanzhu's expression grew even colder:

"This confirms my previous suspicions. It seems the Hu family of Dongyu Kingdom has already betrayed us. It's a pity that Madam Xie schemed for so long, only to be betrayed by her own relatives and allies."

However, the Hu family seemed to have no other choice at this time. The "Three Sects of Yuanwu" were too busy to take care of themselves, and the seven factions of Yue Kingdom did not dare to touch them.

Madam Xie lost her bet. She wondered if Hu Family Fort was safe at this moment.

After considering these points, Lu Nanzhu continued:

"The Hu family of Dongyu Kingdom has probably already formed an alliance with the Fu family or even the demonic path. We absolutely cannot go to the Hu family of Dongyu Kingdom now."

He looked ahead again and said, "Hu Family Fortress is probably in imminent danger. Since you are all injured, staying here will not help. You should return to the sect and make other plans."

Hu Ning stood to the side with her head down, remaining silent. This huge change had truly left her somewhat at a loss.

Over the next few days, the group bypassed the Fu family's stronghold and headed towards Yueguo.

During a break, Lu Nanzhu, together with Senior Brother Su, helped stabilize Senior Sister Fan's injuries once again. With the help of spiritual energy and pills, Senior Sister Fan also woke up.

Hu Ning took on the responsibility of caring for Senior Sister Fan. After several days of caring for her, the two became much closer.

However, the information gathered along the way inevitably left everyone disappointed.

It is rumored that several days ago, Hu Family Fortress was completely captured by the Fu family and the allied forces of the demonic path. The Fu family sent a Core Formation elder to oversee the situation, while the Demon Flame Sect dispatched two Core Formation cultivators.

Seeing that the city was about to fall, Madam Xie resolutely activated the forbidden formation, causing several Foundation Establishment stage puppets to self-destruct, perishing together with the dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators who were besieging them.

In that battle, Hujiabao was reduced to ruins, and the Fu family also paid a heavy price, only managing a Pyrrhic victory.

Upon hearing the news, Hu Ning collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably. Her only support, her dignified yet kind grandmother, was gone.

"Grandma...is gone." The girl's voice was hoarse after a bout of crying, her eyes filled with confusion. "...Where should I go?"

Senior Sister Fan knelt down, gently leaning against Hu Ning, stroking her back with her hand, and softly comforting her:

"Ning'er, you have excellent talent. If you keep wandering around, you will only waste your talent."

"Why don't you come back to Spirit Beast Mountain with us? With your talent, the sect will definitely accept you, and reaching Foundation Establishment is only a matter of time."

As she spoke, Senior Sister Fan patted her chest, adding, "I'll have your back!"

"Sister Fan..." Hu Ning looked at Lu Nanzhu and Senior Brother Su again.

Lu Nanzhu and Senior Brother Su nodded in agreement. For a Qi Refining stage female cultivator who was now helpless and alone, seeking the protection of the sect was indeed the best option.

Hu Ning immediately stood up and bowed to everyone in thanks:

"Thank you for your kindness, seniors. I will always remember it!"

With everyone's encouragement, Hu Ning stopped crying, and a hint of determination appeared in her eyes.

Several days later, the group finally returned to Spirit Beast Mountain, weary from their journey.

With the introduction of Senior Brother Su and Senior Sister Fan, Hu Ning successfully entered the sect and became a formal disciple of the Spirit Beast Mountain thanks to his outstanding talent.

After making the arrangements, Senior Brother Su and Senior Sister Fan took their leave because they were in a hurry to report back to their sect.

Looking at Hu Ning, who had changed into a disciple's robe, Lu Nanzhu felt a sense of emotion. Hu Ning had become less delicate and more capable.

Before parting, Lu Nanzhu looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then took out an exquisite box from his storage bag and handed it to Hu Ning.

"What is this?" Hu Ning asked in confusion as he opened the box, and a rich spiritual energy immediately rushed out.

"Zhu...!" she exclaimed, swallowing back the words she was about to say. She quickly returned the box to Lu Nanzhu.

"No, senior, this is too precious. Hu Ning cannot accept it."

"Keep it." Lu Nanzhu held her hand and said seriously, "That day I killed Fu Kuang and found this Foundation Establishment Pill in his storage bag. I have no use for it."

You are now a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, and you will need this item in the future.

Remember, this item is valuable; don't flaunt your wealth, and never reveal this to anyone. Put it away quickly.

Hu Ning looked at Lu Nanzhu, her eyes reddening again. She nodded heavily and put the brocade box into her storage bag.

"Senior Lu, I will definitely work hard in my cultivation."

Lu Nanzhu didn't say anything more, just nodded slightly, and then flew towards the Abandoned Spirit Valley on his magical artifact.