The Long Journey to Immortality

Chapter 227 Selling Oneself

"This can't go on," Zhongli thought in despair. "We might be able to win, but we definitely can't win in three minutes."

"As for running..." Zhongli looked around, feeling frustrated, "Comparing speed with a true spirit is like showing off one's skills before an expert."

"Besides, even if I could fly faster than this phoenix, the surrounding area is flat, where could I hide in three minutes?"

Feeling he had reached a dead end, Zhongli Li decided to take a desperate gamble, thinking that he could only survive by putting himself in a do-or-die situation.

He dissipated the spiritual power he had borrowed from the "old man" in the ring, and slowly landed on the ground, stepping on the spirit sword.

When Zhongli landed, his aura was not as strong as before, and was only about the same as that of an ordinary Qi Refining Level 4 or 5 cultivator.

Han Lu could sense the changes in Zhong Lili, but she was worried that it was a feint and dared not be negligent. She kept her phoenix eyes on Zhong Lili's every move, afraid that the little fat boy was plotting some conspiracy.

"I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not fighting anymore!" Zhongli shouted, ignoring the old man's advice in the ring. He threw the storage bag aside and surrendered. "Senior Han's magic power is so great that I am ashamed to admit defeat."

This change was unexpected by Han Lu.

She felt that in the short time that the two sides had fought, they had already developed a considerable grudge.

Not to mention the ruthless treatment Han Lu and Wen Erya showed to Chu Fei and Yuwen Bing when they surrendered.

In Han Lu's view, the two sides had reached a point of no return, so why would this seemingly intelligent but chubby boy surrender at this moment? Han Lu was very puzzled.

However, since the other party had already gone this far in their performance, Han Lu naturally had to reciprocate.

After a phoenix cry, a light blue light shone once again on the phoenix she had transformed into.

Her feathers shed and transformed into clothing. After the light disappeared, Han Lu transformed back into human form and stood in front of Zhong Lili.

Zhongli was completely dumbfounded by this amazing transformation technique.

He secretly complained to himself that the only fortuitous encounter he had had was picking up a strange old man who could only hide in a ring and chatter incessantly, instead of receiving a true spirit inheritance that could transform into a powerful true spirit like Han Lu.

"Little Fatty, what's wrong?" Han Lu noticed the little fat boy's expression and teased, "Weren't you so arrogant just now? Now you're practically begging for mercy on your knees?"

Han Lu's words gave Zhong Lili an idea.

He thought Han Lu enjoyed seeing people kneel before her and getting a sense of conquest from it, so he immediately disregarded his pride and knelt down in front of Han Lu, saying again, "Isn't it because I was captivated by Senior Han's charm and strength? It's all my fault for being blind and misled by Yuwen Bing, which is why I became an enemy of Senior Han."

"Hmph," Han Lu snorted coldly, "You keep saying the same old things. With such poor writing skills, you think you can save your life with your mouth?"

At the same time, Wen Erya also came up.

She had already drawn her spirit sword, as if waiting for Han Lu's command to finish off the chubby boy who had previously insulted her with a single strike.

The situation became urgent, but Han Lu's words gave Zhong Lili a glimmer of hope.

Fortunately, he confessed and told everyone what he had been thinking.

"Isn't this the true spirit that Senior Han has transformed into, which I can't defeat even with my secret techniques?"

“If we continue fighting, it will only add to our grudges, and if I use my secret technique any longer, it will also cause me considerable damage.”

"I can't beat him, I can't outrun him, and it's harmful and not beneficial. I might as well stop and try to communicate with Senior Han for a few words to resolve the grudge. It would be good for both of us."

Zhong Lili's words didn't hold much appeal for Han Lu, but since he had said so, he must have enough leverage to sway her, so Han Lu didn't mind spending a moment listening.

Noticing the change in Han Lu's expression, Zhong Lili, disregarding the fact that this was an incredibly beautiful sight for someone who loved women, quickly showed his sincerity and said, "If Senior Han and Senior Wen are willing to spare my life and let me leave the ancient cultivation secret realm safely, I am not only willing to offer all my magic treasures, spirit stones, and pills, but I am also willing to swear on my soul and inner demons to sign a contract with the two seniors."

"Oh..." Han Lu raised her eyebrows, clearly intrigued by those words.

Seeing this, Zhongli Li pressed his advantage, his face beaming with a fawning smile, and said, "Compared to killing me and getting a useless corpse, I believe Senior Han wouldn't mind gaining a loyal pursuer, a loyal servant."

“There’s some truth to that,” Han Lu said, looking at Wen Erya for her opinion. “Senior sister, what do you think?”

“It’s feasible,” Wen Erya replied simply, “but how effective will this contract be?”

Such complex and obscure matters involving the soul were naturally unknown to Wen Erya, an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, while Han Lu only learned about them after obtaining Xiaoyaozi's memories.

As if promoting a product, Zhongli Li introduced the Soul-Demon Contract to Wen Erya, saying, "After signing this Soul-Demon Contract, which is based on the soul, I will serve the two seniors as my masters. I cannot disobey the wishes of the two seniors in any way. If I violate it, the soul-demon will devour me and turn me into an idiot."

Han Lu nodded slightly; Zhong Lili had not lied to her about this matter.

Perhaps feeling that his few pounds of fat wouldn't fetch a good price, Zhongli started marketing himself again, introducing his identity and background in Xuan Yang Valley.

With such a background and identity, Zhongli Li's status in the eyes of most elders of Xuan Yang Valley was even lower than that of Wen Er Ya.

But it was precisely because of this that Han Lu became more inclined to sign the contract with Zhong Lili.

"I have no objection. What about Senior Sister?" Han Lu decided to let Zhong Lili, this annoying little fat boy, off the hook.

“I have no objection either.” Wen Erya also felt that there was no need to kill Zhongli after he had made such a gesture.

Seeing that he had successfully persuaded Han Lu and Wen Erya, two formidable figures, Zhong Lili was almost moved to tears.

He choked up as he said, "Thank you both, seniors..."

Despite having "sold himself into slavery," Zhong Lili still has to say thank you. He's really suffering in silence.

Obediently following the ritual to offer blood and swear an oath, Zhongli Li established a spiritual demon contract with Han Lu and Wen Erya at the level of their souls. Only then did he realize that he had indeed escaped death and saved his life.

Looking at his two beautiful mistresses, the chubby boy had a premonition that this might not necessarily be a bad thing.

Sensing the subtle connection established with Zhongli Li at the spiritual level, Han Lu issued several more instructions, ordering Zhongli Li to keep everything he had just experienced a secret and not to return to the Central Plains to seek help and take revenge. Only then did Han Lu allow him to make his own arrangements.

Zhongli Li was very sensible.

He left the now-ruined, abandoned football field using the only flying artifact Han Lu had left him.

After Zhongli Li left, Han Lu looked at Wen Erya and asked with concern, "Senior Sister, are you alright?"

"It's nothing," Wen Erya popped another pill into her mouth, "I'll recover about 80% after half a day of rest."

"As for you, junior sister, shouldn't you give me a proper explanation of what just happened?"

Han Lu pursed her lips, nodded slowly, and began to tell her close friend Wen Erya the story she had previously kept hidden.

Chapter 228 Forest Treasure Hunt

Although Han Lu was telling stories and speaking the truth, she actually kept a lot from Wen Erya in her words.

The moment she finally spoke, Han Lu realized that she had so many secrets she couldn't reveal to her closest friends.

This is what Han Lu said about possessing the bloodline of a true spirit.

"I'm not very clear, and I don't know whether the true spirit bloodline in my body was inherited from my father or my mother."

"But before joining the sect, I knew that I possessed a unique talent that ordinary cultivators did not have."

"That time, outside the forbidden area of ​​the Yanzhao Yanyang Sect, I sensed an incredibly familiar aura within the forbidden area that resonated with the bloodline within me."

"When I entered the forbidden area, I discovered that there was an ice phoenix that had lived in this world for at least six thousand years trapped inside."

"That True Spirit Senior named Feng Rubing taught me a lot and also gave me a portion of the power of the Ice Phoenix bloodline, which I fused with and successfully gained a second True Spirit power."

……

"The power of a second true spirit?" Wen Erya couldn't help but interrupt.

Han Lu answered questions, mentioning the Nine Phoenixes to Wen Erya, who knew many stories of ancient cultivators, and also the Phoenix Clan's harmony.

"That's why I can now freely transform into a true spirit and unleash many powerful illusionary and water-attribute magical abilities."

Han Lu paused for a moment before continuing.

"As for why I kept this from my senior sister..."

Before Han Lu could explain her reason, Wen Erya preemptively answered, "Are you afraid of being discriminated against?"

"There are several reasons." Han Lu paused for a moment, then nodded.

In the cultivation world of the Central Plains, human cultivators dominate, and naturally, a large number of cultivators advocate pure blood, regarding those cultivators who have mixed bloodlines with other races such as true spirits, demon beasts, and spirit beasts as heretics.

While it might not be as extreme as binding a cultivator like Han Lu to a cross and roasting her, extremists have frequently harassed mixed-race individuals for no reason.

Han Lu kept it a secret partly because of this, and partly because she found it difficult to tell Wen Erya in a private way.

Han Lu couldn't imagine what it would be like if she grabbed Wen Erya and said, "Senior sister, look how I can become a true spirit, isn't that awesome?"

Rather than facing embarrassment, it seems more natural to let Wen Er Ya know this secret under the current circumstances.

Wen Erya's gossipy nature also manifested itself; she pressed Han Lu for a few more questions before finally stopping.

After smoothing things over, Han Lu changed the subject and brought up their original plan to go treasure hunting in the primeval forest.

“Well then,” Wen Erya said, knowing that her injuries were not serious. “Since my junior sister is so powerful and my injuries are not severe, let’s continue as planned, but at a slightly slower pace. Give me half a day to recover.”

The injuries Zhongli inflicted on her were all external and scalp wounds. With the help of many effective healing medicines, Wen Erya felt that a quick recovery would not be difficult.

Rather than seeking a "health resort" to recover her health, Wen Er Ya was more looking forward to the potential secrets hidden within the primeval forest.

"Then let's listen to Senior Sister's suggestion." Han Lu respected Wen Erya's opinion.

Just as the two of them were about to leave the desolate place after the fierce battle, they unexpectedly found Zhongli flying slowly towards them in a flying boat.

"What's wrong? Fatty, why are you back?" After signing the contract, Han Lu addressed Zhong Lili more casually.

Zhongli Li looked miserable and said, "Senior Han, could you give me a ride with you?"

"Why?" Han Lu asked, puzzled.

Zhong Lili then recounted the scene he had just witnessed to the two "masters".

"Outside, the Hans Company's army has completely surrounded this area. If I were to leave alone in my flying vehicle, I'm afraid I would be shot down by those planes and cannons."

Zhongli's spiritual power is currently only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, which is enough to barely control a flying magic tool. He is indeed helpless against many modern technological weapons.

Upon hearing this, Han Lu recalled Yi Qiyan's experience at Hans Company in Pengcheng. She nodded slightly and said, "I don't want you to die here or be captured by Hans Company and used as experimental subjects right after I took you in as a servant and let you leave..."

"How about this, you come with us."

Han Lu also harbored the idea of ​​getting closer to Zhong Lili, this promising servant, so that he would not only serve her and Wen Erya because of the contract.

Senior Fang Lin's words still echoed in Han Lu's ears: it was foreseeable that the Central Plains, and even the Western Regions and Southern Xinjiang, would inevitably face a calamity and fall into chaos.

In times of great chaos, having an extra talented helper is always a good thing.

Han Lu had a beautiful dream. She thought to herself, "If I have already reached the Nascent Soul realm when the calamity comes, and I have a group of Golden Core realm followers and friends, then no matter how great the calamity is, it will not pose any threat to me."

Upon hearing this, Zhongli Li was overjoyed.

He successfully boarded Han Lu's flying horse carriage, and the two of them headed north together.

Han Lu and Wen Erya knew Hans Company, which produced flying magical artifacts, so they had no intention of stopping or intercepting them.