The Long Journey to Immortality

Although there were only two of them, and the task of surveillance was quite troublesome, they did not slack off in the slightest for the sake of at least thirty spirit stones. They discovered Han Lu's whereabouts the moment she left the inn and prepared to leave the city.

However, because Han Lu immediately chose to fly on her sword after leaving the city, they dared not follow closely behind her and could only slowly follow from a distance on their spirit swords.

To their surprise, Han Lu's flying speed on her sword far exceeded that of the two of them, and before long, they lost track of her.

Fortunately, they had a general direction, and after spending some time searching, they finally found Han Lu in the deep mountains and forests.

Lin Jin had originally planned to have an open and aboveboard discussion with Han Lu after finding her, but under Tang Sifan's persuasion, he had no choice but to remain patient and observe from the sidelines for a while.

You wouldn't believe it until you see it, and what you find is astonishing. Han Lu magically produced three mid-to-high-grade magic artifacts from her storage bag, leaving the two men, each with only one magic artifact, speechless.

Having not learned any concealment techniques, it was this emotional fluctuation, coupled with their whispered conversation, that made Han Lu realize the presence of the two.

Chapter 260 Greed for Money

Seeing that the two people who had been secretly watching from the side and had now come out at her invitation were not familiar faces, Han Lu was slightly suspicious.

"What, could it be that someone just happened to pass by, saw me testing my magic weapon here, and became curious, so they spied on me from nearby?"

But upon closer observation and perception, Han Lu, who was skilled in illusion magic, discovered that the two people's faces were covered by a layer of illusory magic, which changed their facial features and appearance.

Given their deliberate actions, Han Lu could easily guess that the two men had ill intentions.

Having secretly observed that Han Lu possessed so many mid-to-high-grade magic treasures, even Lin Jin, who had some feelings for Han Lu, abandoned any thought of peacefully negotiating business with her in the face of such a great opportunity.

Tang Sifan was even more direct, wishing he could take all of Han Lu's magical treasures for his own use.

Therefore, when they stepped out, the two of them tacitly used a spell to conceal their facial features, so as not to attract the attention of others during the later magical duel, expose their identities, and lose face for Nine Dragons Mountain even though they obtained a great treasure.

"Who are you?" Han Lu asked sharply.

While asking the symbolic question, Han Lu was already prepared for a magical duel, thinking to herself, "This spirit sword that has just recognized its master is probably going to have a chance to be used."

Because Lin Jin and Han Lu had already spoken, it was inconvenient for Lin Jin to speak.

Tang Sifan, trying to ease Lin's worries, laughed twice before answering bluntly, "We two are here to discuss business with the fairy. Does the fairy want your life or your treasure?"

"What kind of business?"

"A deal to buy several of the fairy's most precious treasures with a single spirit stone."

Tang Sifan spoke of forced buying and selling with complete confidence.

With a quick thought, Han Lu, who had only been in Yuxi County for a few days, had already guessed the identity of one of the two.

Since the other party had been so direct, Han Lu didn't mince words either. "Oh, so you're Fellow Daoist Lin from Nine Dragons Mountain? We've met once before and had a pleasant chat. Why are you being so secretive today, and even conspiring with thieves to take my life?"

Han Lu's words made Lin Jin blush.

In reality, Lin Jin's past conduct could still be arguably categorized as righteous and a good person within the Great Yu Dynasty.

But three years ago, Tang Sifan led her astray, and after they had each other's weaknesses, the broken window effect naturally occurred, causing Lin Jin to lower her moral standards again and again.

Now that Han Lu has spoken so frankly, he naturally felt a little ashamed of his true colors and greed.

Tang Sifan noticed Lin Jin's change and quickly said, "Fairy, please stop being unreasonable. Nine Dragons Mountain? That's a hundred and eight thousand miles away from here. How could we be disciples of such a sacred cultivation ground as Nine Dragons Mountain?"

"Don't think that just because we've helped you climb the social ladder, we'll let you off the hook."

"Things have come to this point, and there's no way to just let this go."

These words were actually meant for Lin Jin.

After hearing Tang Sifan's words, Lin Jin, who was still somewhat hesitant, was once again forced to stand with his junior brother, who was capricious, unconventional, and ruthless.

He had already made the robbery and murder clear, and now he no longer had the right to reveal his true colors or tolerate the matter.

There is only one path to follow to the end.

Han Lu knew from the start that this matter could not be resolved peacefully. The previous conversation was just a way to buy time and let her figure out how to conduct this first life-or-death battle in the Foundation Establishment realm as Han Lu.

Now that she had figured out the key points, Han Lu naturally didn't want to waste any more words with the two people who were eyeing her magic weapon.

"So it seems you two are just petty highway robbers? If you want to steal my magic weapon, why don't you ask the spirit sword in my hand first?" With that, Han Lu patted her storage bag and took out the longsword that had just been recognized as her master, holding it in her hand like an ordinary swordsman.

Unfortunately, the sword was too thin and too long, and didn't quite match Han Lu's figure. Holding it in her hand, it looked rather comical.

However, at this critical moment, neither Tang Sifan nor Lin Jin showed any sign of laughing.

On the contrary, seeing Han Lu take out her magic weapon, the two of them hurriedly took out the only magic weapon of their own.

The magical artifacts in their hands were both stolen from other cultivators three years ago through a sneak attack.

In Lin Jin's hand was a mid-grade fifth-rank magic weapon, a fire-attribute sword. It was skilled in magic but not good at fighting, and had rendered countless merits in his hands.

This time, he was able to gain the appreciation of the sect elders and be assigned to be in charge of procurement, which was due to his outstanding performance in the sect competition using this spirit sword.

Tang Sifan's magical artifact was a low-grade seventh-rank golden bowl, which contained several spirit insects. The bowl itself could also be used for transformation techniques in combat, and its power was no less than that of the mid-grade fifth-rank spirit sword in Lin Jin's hands.

In terms of variety and unexpected victories, this golden bowl surpasses Lin Jin's spirit sword by a considerable margin.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Tang Sifan still said one more thing to appease Lin Jin, who considered himself a "gentleman."

"Since the fairy is willing to resort to violence and refuse to do business with us, then we two have no choice but to let the fairy see blood and learn the principle of not flaunting wealth."

These words were spoken with such confidence, as if Han Lu had been the one to overturn the table and start a fight.

He seemed to have taken all the credit.

Hearing this, Han Lu shook her head and chuckled, "I think you two are tired of living, taking the initiative to provoke me. Instead of taking the main road, you insist on crashing into my Nanshan Mountain."

"There's no going back when you're bleeding from a head wound."

Although it had only been less than seven days since she advanced to the early stage of Foundation Establishment, Han Lu felt that she could easily defeat the two of them when she was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, so she naturally did not feel the slightest fear at this moment.

The only thing that made Han Lu slightly uneasy was that this was her first time fighting against cultivators from the Great Yu Dynasty, and she didn't know if they would use some strange methods that she, a country bumpkin from the Central Plains, had never seen before.

Such arrogant remarks made Tang Sifan laugh. "This mere country bumpkin cultivator has stumbled upon some incredible opportunity and obtained a few magical treasures, and now he's completely lost his way?"

"Do you really think you can take on two of us and win?"

Initially, when Lin Jin saw that Han Lu had so many powerful abilities, he also suggested that Han Lu might have a powerful background and was someone that the two of them could not afford to offend.

But with such a treasure right in front of them, their greed outweighed their reason. They mustered their courage, thinking that there was strength in numbers, and put on this show that Han Lu thought was overestimating their abilities.

Han Lu looked at the two of them and smiled, "Easy."

Jiulong Mountain ranks second in Dongzhou Prefecture. Tang Sifan has made achievements even in the small and large competitions of the sect. How could he have been treated with such contempt?

He was angry even though he was robbing someone on the street.

Tang Sifan snorted coldly and said, "Then let's see who's the real deal."

Chapter 261 The Contest Between Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators

Tang Sifan's words sounded like the starting signal given by the referee during a competition.

As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them used their respective abilities, and three not weak spiritual energies surged in the open space in the desolate countryside of Yuxi County.

Although she only chose this one longsword as her most commonly used defensive magic weapon during the Foundation Establishment stage, it doesn't mean that Han Lu can't use the many magic tools she acquired during the Qi Refining stage in battle, or use the many magic weapons that she hadn't chosen before to deal with these two highway robbers.

After tossing her longsword into the air and using her weapon control technique, Han Lu patted her storage bag again, and three more beams of light flew out from it.

The three beams of light were: the Silver Serpent Scissors, which had been shelved in the ancient cultivation realm and used only once during the final trial; the Thunder Bamboo Sword, which Han Lu had once cherished and which she had obtained from Xiaoyaozi's cave; and the bamboo flute, a high-grade magic weapon, which Han Lu had just tested but which, for various reasons, had not been favored by her.

Having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, Han Lu, despite not specifically learning techniques to control multiple magical treasures, was still able to control a significant number of magical treasures simultaneously.

With all four treasures at the same time, Han Lu, whose sword control skills far surpass those of other cultivators at the same level, faced no pressure.

Lin Jin and Tang Sifan were taken aback when they saw Han Lu suddenly produce so many high-grade magical artifacts.

Lin Jin had a bad feeling. The thought that had crossed his mind before resurfaced: "Could this Fairy Han really be the young lady of some extraordinary cultivation family? Or a highly skilled disciple sent by a major sect in another prefecture? Or perhaps a descendant of a Nascent Soul elder of the Extreme Heaven Palace? Otherwise, why would she carry so many high-grade magic tools and artifacts with her!"

Tang Sifan also wavered a little, but things had come to this point, and there was no reason to turn back.

He spoke up, trying to reassure Lin Jin and himself, saying, "Senior brother, don't panic. They're just some magical tools. If this Fairy Han were truly a disciple of some important figure, why wouldn't she have one or two bodyguards with high cultivation levels by her side?"

This statement makes some sense and is enough to persuade Lin Jin, who has already taken action, to work even harder to activate the spirit sword he seized three years ago and cast spells.

Unexpectedly, just as Lin Jin's spirit sword, which was suspended above his head, emitted a faint red light, Han Lu's pair of silver snake scissors struck.

The elemental advantage of the magic weapon, coupled with the fact that the quality of the superior magic item and the mid-grade magic weapon are roughly equal, gives Han Lu's Silver Snake Scissors the ability to counter Lin Jin's magic weapon, the Spirit Sword.

The silver snake scissors opened their "fangs" and immediately clamped down on Lin Jin's spirit sword.

The dazzling red light emanating from the spirit sword dimmed in an instant.

The cracking sound of metal tearing terrified Lin Jin. By then, it was too late to end the spell and free the spirit sword from the silver snake scissors' grip.

Han Lu stretched out her right palm, held it in the air, and suddenly clenched her fist.

The silver snake scissors followed Han Lu's movements and slashed down fiercely.

With a loud bang, both magical treasures dimmed, and in an instant, they fought to the death, each suffering heavy losses.

The silver snake scissors broke, and Lin Jin's spirit sword also had two scars, each a centimeter deep.

Both magical artifacts have lost their ability to continue fighting and need to be taken back for repair before they can be used again.

Han Lu didn't care. She was the Daoist Duobao, and the loss of a magic weapon was nothing to her.

But Lin Jin felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart, and blood was dripping from there.

This is his only magic weapon.

If it weren't for the magical duel, he would have even felt like crying for a while.

While Han Lu and Lin Jin were engaged in a fierce battle, they did not neglect Tang Sifan, the instigator of this highway robbery.

Tang Sifan had just released the four small insects he had been raising in the golden bowl, and before he could even unleash the other supernatural powers of the golden bowl, he was met with a head-on attack from Han Lu.

The two spirit swords that Han Lu controlled danced gracefully and nimbly in the air, like embroidery needles.

A spiritual sword unleashed bursts of lightning.

The other spirit sword, with every gesture, released bursts of cold light capable of freezing most things.

The four spirit insects, which were only the size of fingernails, appeared somewhat clumsy in front of the two spirit swords.

In just one exchange, Tang Sifan's four little insects were defeated.

Two were frozen into ice blocks by the cold light, and one was turned into dust by lightning.

The only one that could get close was one that Han Lu had to let go of the water for.