Mortal: The Path to Immortality

Several days later, on an unnamed hill near Jinma City.

Lu Nanzhu stood outside the courtyard, using his divine sense to explore the area.

After a moment, he gathered his divine sense and analyzed to himself, "The restriction here was broken from the outside by someone using a powerful external force."

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators don't have this ability unless they use talismanic artifacts. Or... is this the work of some Core Formation cultivator?

Upon hearing this, Qi Yunxiao's heart sank, and his face was filled with worry.

Then, he followed Lu Nanzhu into the courtyard, where he saw Lu Nanzhu carefully searching for something in the courtyard and several rooms.

After searching for a while, Lu Nanzhu came out of the inner room, shook his head, and said:

"There are no signs of this place being searched. It seems that this person came for Miss Ruyin, not to look for any object."

Then, he glanced at the table next to him, on which lay a diagram of an array that had not yet been tidied up.

Seeing that Lu Nanzhu had noticed the blueprint, Qi Yunxiao seemed to remember something and said:

"A senior once wanted to buy a formation from Ruyin and immediately took a liking to this formation. Ruyin has been busy these past few days making this formation."

Oh, right. The formation you requested, senior, has been repaired by Ruyin, but I wonder... where Ruyin put it?

After hearing Yunxiao's words, Lu Nanzhu quickly took out "Full Warehouse" from his spirit beast bag.

"Mancang" sniffed the air hard, then trotted into the inner room. The two followed the little guy.

"Mancang" was seen jumping and bouncing on a huge wooden box in the inner room, looking very happy.

Lu Nanzhu then opened the wooden box, his face full of joy. Inside was a huge array plate and several array flags—this was the "Star-Pulling Array" that had been restored.

He immediately accepted the wooden box and took out a bag of spirit stones, handing it to Qi Yunxiao:

"Brother Yunxiao, I'll accept this formation for now. Please keep these spirit stones for Miss Ruyin."

Qi Yunxiao looked at the bag of spirit stones handed to him, his eyes filled with worry. Then he looked at Lu Nanzhu and bowed deeply.

"Yunxiao humbly begs senior to help me find Ruyin. Yunxiao understands that this is presumptuous, but I really have no other choice."

If you agree, senior, I will serve you for the rest of my life!

Seeing that Qi Yunxiao hesitated to accept the bag of spirit stones and earnestly sought his help, Lu Nanzhu was undecided and thought to himself:

"Now that we have the formation, who knows what dangers we might encounter if we rashly search for Xin Ruyin? Should we go or not?"

Lu Nanzhu rested his chin on his hand, weighing his options for a moment. Qi Yunxiao, on the other hand, was hunched over, sweat dripping incessantly from his forehead.

"Brother Yunxiao, there's no need for this. Although Miss Ruyin's life is not in immediate danger, the person behind the scenes may be someone we cannot contend with."

Lu Nanzhu took back the bag of spirit stones, helped the still bowing Qi Yunxiao to his feet, and continued speaking.

"In that case, I will do my best to find out about Miss Ruyin. However, I cannot guarantee that I can bring her back safely..."

If all I can do is find her whereabouts, it will be the least I can do.

Upon hearing Lu Nanzhu's reply, Qi Yunxiao raised his head, a long-absent smile appearing on his face. He immediately took out a book from his storage bag and handed it to Lu Nanzhu:

"Yunxiao understands. Senior should act according to your ability. However, we cannot let Senior's efforts be in vain."

I don't have anything valuable on me, only the weapon-forging experience I've accumulated over time. If you don't mind, please accept it.

"We'll discuss this matter after I've ascertained Miss Ruyin's whereabouts," Lu Nanzhu said, pushing the book back.

"You previously mentioned that Miss Ruyin was harassed by a strange cultivator while purchasing supplies at the market. Where did that happen?"

Yunxiao's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly composed himself and said:

"It's in the market town on the west side of the city. There are shops there that sell materials for array formations. I've looked there before, but everyone said they didn't see Ruyin there."

Lu Nanzhu immediately instructed Qi Yunxiao to lead him to that market town.

After wandering around several shops specializing in array materials, Lu Nanzhu finally found a clue at a stall owner's stall.

"To be honest, senior, a few months ago, there was indeed a cultivator dressed in black robes who pestered a female Daoist, insisting that she help him look at a formation." The stall owner recalled while stroking his goatee.

"What does that person look like? Who is he? Do you know?" Lu Nanzhu pressed.

"The person was wearing a mask that obscured their divine sense, so I couldn't see their face clearly." The stall owner shook his head again, paused, clapped his hands, and continued.

"I remember that person bought something from my stall. When he paid with spirit stones, I saw a mark of the 'Mind Control Spell' on his palm."

"Mind control spell?" Lu Nanzhu asked, somewhat puzzled.

Seeing Lu Nanzhu's puzzled expression, Qi Yunxiao said:

"The Fu family specifically set up this restriction for the rogue cultivators they recruit in order to prevent them from betraying the Fu family."

"Yes, yes, yes!" the stall owner quickly agreed. "If I'm not mistaken, that person must also be a rogue cultivator recruited by the Fu family."

Once the news of the Fu family recruiting cultivators spread, countless unidentified rogue cultivators arrived in our Jinma City.

This place is a melting pot of all sorts of people; a young woman showing her face in public is bound to attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.

"So the Fu family is actually eyeing the ancient teleportation array ruins too?" Lu Nanzhu pondered for a moment, then took out a few spirit stones and handed them to the stall owner. "Thank you!"

"You're too kind, senior. It's quite a coincidence that you're looking for someone from the Fu family. It's said that the Fu family has recruited another Core Formation cultivator as a clan elder."

A grand ceremony will be held at Zidao Mountain in two days. All the cultivators from the Fu family will undoubtedly attend; you can try to find out more."

After thanking the stall owner profusely, the two left the market.

......

Two days later, at Zidao Mountain.

Lu Nanzhu arrived at the foot of the mountain alone. Looking at the mountain peak shrouded in layers of spiritual light array, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

Although he had made up his mind to investigate the Fu family, he had never been a person who liked to take risks.

Just yesterday, he had sent Qi Yunxiao with his letter and jade slip to the Spirit Beast Mountain at top speed.

Firstly, the Fu family has already set their sights on the ruins, and this news needs to be informed of the sect as soon as possible; secondly, Lu Nanzhu feels that his own abilities are limited, and he still needs to call for more help.

He took a deep breath and then took out a prepared gift from his storage bag.

At this moment, the mountain gate was crowded with people, and various magical artifacts and their ethereal light intertwined.

To demonstrate their wealth and status, the Fu family held an extremely lavish ceremony, welcoming all the independent cultivators who came to offer their congratulations, though they only symbolically accepted a few gifts.

Lu Nanzhu walked up the steps, mingling among a group of excited rogue cultivators, his head bowed. He was pondering how to find the person who had kidnapped Xin Ruyin.

Upon entering the mountain gate, one immediately feels the abundance of spiritual energy; Zidao Mountain truly lives up to its reputation as a treasure land for cultivation.

"Please follow me, esteemed immortals. Spiritual fruits and fine wine have been prepared, and the ceremony will officially begin shortly."

A disciple of the Fu family led Lu Nanzhu and his group to an open-air square.

Lu Nanzhu chose a seat at the back, pretending to be reserved as if he were entering such a prestigious mansion for the first time, but his divine sense inadvertently swept around the surroundings.

Just as he was figuring out how to find Ruyin's whereabouts, the entire mountain suddenly trembled.

Several beams of red light descended from the sky, transforming into three cultivators. The leader, a young man in fine clothes, was arrogant, followed by two Core Formation cultivators.

"Even the Demon Flame Sect members have come!"

Lu Nanzhu overheard whispers: "This person has quite a background; he's the direct grandson of the famous 'Blood Torch' Master."

The two people following behind him were the two protectors of the Demon Flame Sect.

"Wow! That's incredible. The Fu family is being so high-profile; it seems they're planning to reveal their hand and are no longer afraid of the Yuanwu Three Sects." Another person whispered among themselves.

Lu Nanzhu felt a chill run down his spine. He recognized Helian Yu at a glance; it was this man who had chased and killed him when he was escorting the Hu family members.

As the guests took their seats, three streaks of light landed steadily on the high platform in front of the square.

As the light faded, several Core Formation cultivators from the Fu family were revealed.

The patriarch of the Fu family stepped forward, his face beaming, and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Thank you all for attending the Fu family's recruitment ceremony." He turned to the side and pointed to the black-robed man standing beside him. "This Fellow Daoist Cheng, from this day forward, will be an elder of the Fu family!"

Lu Nanzhu stared intently, and when he saw the face clearly, he instinctively lowered his head, startled and breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Luo Jin!? How is this possible..."

No one could have imagined that Luo Jin, who had disappeared without a trace, would complete the Core Formation in just two years.

Even with his extensive knowledge, this situation was simply inconceivable to him.

Luo Jin, standing on the high platform, listened to the congratulatory voices rising and falling around him, took a step forward, and scanned the crowd with his divine sense.

Finally, that divine sense stopped on Lu Nanzhu.

Luo Jin seemed to have discovered something interesting, staring intently in Lu Nanzhu's direction with a malicious smile.

"Oh no!"

Lu Nanzhu wanted to escape, but considering the restrictions placed on this place, a sudden escape would only bring more trouble. Seeing that Luo Jin had not yet made a move, he prepared to seize the opportunity to slip away.

Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was raising their glasses in celebration and congratulating Luo Jin, Lu Nanzhu used the crowd of people around him as cover, lowered his head and quickly moved out of the square, fleeing the gate of Zidao Mountain as if he were escaping.

Once outside the restricted area, Lu Nanzhu held nothing back, unleashing the full power of "Stepping into the Sky Song," transforming into a streak of azure light as he fled towards the sect.

"Damn it! Damn it! If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have come to this damn ceremony!"

As Lu Nanzhu flew through the air, he gritted his teeth in regret. He had thought the Fu family was just recruiting a rogue cultivator, but who would have thought he would run into his old nemesis, Luo Jin.

Just as he had flown less than a hundred miles at full speed and was pondering his next move, a familiar laugh suddenly came from the clouds behind him:

"Young friend Lu, you're quite fast. Now that you're here, why the rush to leave?"

Lu Nanzhu turned around abruptly and saw a purple streak of light flash like lightning, arriving several feet behind him in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that he could not escape this calamity, Lu Nanzhu's face turned pale. He was about to fight to the death when he summoned the "Star-Pulling Array" from his storage bag and risked everything.

But Luo Jin's attack was extremely fast. Before his fingers could even touch the storage bag, Luo Jin stretched out his giant hand and gripped him tightly, no matter how much he tried to use his magic power, he couldn't break free.

"Since we're old friends, come back with me and let's catch up."

Luo Jin smiled sinisterly and blew a puff of purplish-black smoke towards Lu Nanzhu's face.

Upon smelling the smoke, Lu Nanzhu only lasted a few breaths before his vision went black and he fainted.