Mortal: The Path to Immortality

On the vast ocean, there is an unnamed deserted island.

A spiritual light suddenly shone from the depths of the cave, which had been silent for countless years.

Immediately afterwards, a blinding white beam of light suddenly descended from the sky, piercing through the thick rock layer and disappearing into the cavern of the small island.

Inside the cavern of this isolated island, there is also a massive ancient teleportation array.

As the beam of spatial light dissipated, the figures of Lu Nanzhu, Han Li, and Qu Hun appeared out of thin air in the center of the teleportation array.

Several breaths passed before they gradually recovered from the intense dizziness.

Lu Nanzhu shook his slightly dizzy head and stepped out of the teleportation array first.

After the group stepped out of the formation, Lu Nanzhu immediately activated his magic power, raised his hand, and shot out several blue-green needle-shaped beams of spiritual light, which slammed into the ancient teleportation array behind him.

A loud bang exploded in the cave, and the moment the spiritual light touched the array, a powerful explosion occurred.

The intricate array patterns on the stone platform were instantly torn apart, turning into a pile of lifeless ruins.

"In this way, those demonic villains won't be able to find us through that ancient teleportation array," Lu Nanzhu said confidently.

Han Li looked at the completely destroyed formation, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes, and nodded slightly.

Without saying much, Qu Hun took out his greatsword and led the way, splitting open the layers of decaying rock above the cave.

A moment later, a warm sea breeze carrying a salty, fishy smell swept over us through the newly broken rock crevice.

The three of them arrived on the ground one after another. Looking around, the surrounding area was no longer a continuous stretch of green mountains and valleys.

All that comes into view are a few sparse reefs surrounding the island and an endless, surging blue sea.

"This is... the ocean!?...Where exactly are we?" Han Li stared at the vast ocean, his brows furrowed, his face full of astonishment.

"We'll find out exactly where we are by asking around. Let's look around and see if there's any large landmass or other humans nearby."

As Lu Nanzhu spoke, he pointed to a flock of seabirds taking flight in a certain direction and suggested,

"Follow those seagulls. Since there are migrating animals, we might be able to find passing ships or islands inhabited by humans along the way."

Han Li withdrew his gaze, finding the words reasonable, and immediately summoned the Divine Wind Boat, inviting the three to stand on it.

He then made a hand seal, steer the Divine Wind Boat into a streak of light, closely following the flock of seabirds, and flew at full speed into the depths of the ocean.

……

After flying over the vast ocean for several days, a huge wooden ship finally appeared in Lu Nanzhu's divine sense.

The wooden boat was quite large and was now sailing across the sea, cutting through the waves with the wind.

However, the atmosphere on the ship was clearly chaotic, with a large number of ordinary people gathering in panic on the deck and around the ship's sides, each holding a simple steel fork, spear, or even a wood-chopping shovel.

They screamed hysterically as they desperately drove away the strange, fish-like sea monsters that were trying to climb onto the ship from the sea.

"Brother Han, it looks like they're in trouble. Why don't we go over and check it out, and find out what's going on?"

Lu Nanzhu looked down at the chaos below and spoke.

Han Li responded in a low voice, and immediately lowered the flight altitude of the Divine Wind Boat, hovering steadily directly above the huge wooden ship.

Before the mortals on the ship could react, Lu Nanzhu, standing at the stern, waved his hand and flung out dozens of needle-shaped beams of spiritual light.

These flashes of light pierced the heads of those fish monsters with unparalleled precision.

These low-level sea beasts, which weren't even considered level one demonic beasts, were all killed on the spot and sank into the sea, turning the surrounding waters a bloody red.

Only then did the survivors on the ship, still in shock, look up at the sky.

Upon seeing the three people on the Divine Wind Boat, the group of mortals immediately bowed down, repeatedly kowtowing and thanking Lu Nanzhu and the other two.

However, they were speaking in an extremely unfamiliar language, which Lu Nanzhu and Han Li found completely incomprehensible.

Han Li stowed the Divine Wind Boat on an open space on the deck, and the three of them landed steadily on the boat.

Han Li walked at the front with a wary expression, while Lu Nanzhu and Qu Hun lagged behind by half a body length.

"Why did you end up here? What exactly is this place?" Han Li asked in a deep voice.

However, when he asked them questions, the kneeling crowd looked completely bewildered.

Everyone looked at each other, clearly unable to understand Han Li's language at all, and no one could respond to Han Li's question.

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming tense, a commotion arose in the crowd, and an old man with a rather large but unusually robust build, wearing gold satin, stepped forward.

He respectfully bowed with his hands clasped, and said with trepidation:

"Many thanks to the immortal masters for saving my life! I am Gu Changsheng, the owner of this cargo ship."

My crew members are all unsophisticated and ignorant men who don't understand the language of immortals. They are unable to answer your questions, so please forgive them.

The old man swallowed hard, his tone becoming even more humble:

"When I was young, I traveled all over the country and was fortunate enough to learn a few words of immortal language from a master. That is why I dare to stand up and answer a few questions for the masters."

This is the edge of the sea area under the jurisdiction of Kui Xing Island. We were merchants transporting goods here, but we were unlucky and encountered a low-level demon beast. Thanks to the intervention of several immortal masters, my Gu family and about a hundred people were able to escape this calamity.

"Kui Xing Island?"

Han Li and Lu Nanzhu exchanged a glance, both seeing the unfamiliarity in each other's eyes.

Lu Nanzhu stepped forward and asked kindly through his mask, "Master Gu, you're too kind. To be honest, my fellow disciples and I were in seclusion in our cave cultivating when we lost our way and came here for the first time."

I'm looking for a quiet place to stay nearby. Does Kui Xing Island offer that?

"So the immortal masters were highly skilled individuals in seclusion."

Master Gu's face showed a mixture of realization and awe, and he repeatedly cupped his hands in response.

"To be honest, Immortal Master, there happen to be several excellent rooms vacant on my merchant ship."

If you immortal masters do not mind, you may stay on the boat for the night.

"After the merchant ships arrive at Kui Xing Island's dock in a few days, the immortal masters will then enter the island to make further plans. What are your thoughts, immortal masters?"

"Very well then, I'll trouble you, Master Gu." Lu Nanzhu smiled slightly and readily agreed.

Upon hearing this, Han Li's brows furrowed imperceptibly.

He immediately pulled Lu Nanzhu aside to a secluded spot and said in a low, deep voice:

"Junior Brother Lu, why did you agree to this person's request so easily?"

Lu Nanzhu, with a nonchalant air, chuckled and asked, "Brother Han, do you see anything wrong with this?"

Aren't you afraid...?

Han Li turned his head and glanced at Master Gu, who was waiting respectfully in the distance, out of the corner of his eye. His eyes were full of suspicion as he continued,

"Aren't you afraid they have ulterior motives...?"

"Haha, I see. Brother Han is indeed cautious; I admire him."

Lu Nanzhu reassured him in a low voice, "But Brother Han, don't worry. When I went up to the deck just now, I had already used my divine sense to scan the entire ship inside and out several times."

No one on the boat, including Old Man Gu, possessed any spiritual energy; they were all ordinary mortals with normal blood and qi.

If this Master Gu were a hidden cultivator, perhaps I would be a little more wary.

But since he is merely a mortal with a physical body, seeking wealth in this chaotic world, he would never dare to antagonize us cultivators without good reason.

If he really offends us, isn't he afraid that we might wipe out his entire Gu family in a fit of rage, and sink this ship to the bottom of the sea along with them?

If he couldn't even distinguish between what's important and what's urgent, he would never have been able to build such a vast fortune, let alone afford such a large ocean-going merchant ship.

At this point, Lu Nanzhu tapped the solid wooden deck beneath his feet and continued in a firm, deep voice:

"He took the initiative to keep us on the boat, probably because he wanted something from us and wanted to use our divine power to seek some protection or benefits."

Brother Han, you can rest assured. We are newcomers here, so we will take advantage of these few days on the boat to get some information out of him and get to know the local customs and the way people practice here.

"It won't be too late to make plans after we've found out the details in a few days."

After hearing Lu Nanzhu's words, the surprise and doubt in Han Li's eyes gradually faded.

Afterwards, the two returned to Master Gu and accepted the invitation, following him into the cabin.

Old Man Gu was indeed a shrewd and resourceful man. Seeing that the immortal master was willing to stay, he was overjoyed and personally arranged two clean and spacious adjoining rooms for the three of them in the best location in the cabin.

In the following days, Master Gu was even more attentive, sending people from time to time to deliver rare and exotic treasures from the depths of the ocean, as well as rare and delicious fruits and delicacies.

Not only that, in order to please the two immortal masters, Old Man Gu would personally teach them some of the local language of Kui Xing Island every day with great patience.

In their conversation, he subtly revealed to the two the general features of the sea, the rules of the Chaotic Star Sea, and the distribution of mortal forces on Kui Xing Island, showing utmost care and attention.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

That night, the sea was calm and peaceful.

Inside the room, Lu Nanzhu and Han Li, who had thoroughly learned the local language and had a general understanding of the local landscape, sat facing each other at the table.

Hearing the knocking on the door again, the two exchanged a knowing glance.

It's time to ask this Mr. Gu what he's really planning.