The Long Journey to Immortality

However, Han Lu felt that the golden bowl that Tang Sifan had once used still had some use.

"Although striking the golden bowl and using a soul attack technique like a beggar begging is not very aesthetically pleasing, it is at least a soul-level attack method."

"Furthermore, this golden bowl also has the function of raising spirit insects. If we keep it by our side, we can raise any excellent spirit insects in the future and use them for great purposes."

Thinking of this, Han Lu casually wiped away the remaining aura of Tang Sifan on the golden bowl, acknowledged it as her own, and solemnly put it into her storage bag.

The magical treasures were few and of poor quality, and naturally, there were even fewer elixirs.

The two True Essence Gathering Pills that Lin Jin had "snatched" from Han Lu while purchasing for the sect were now returned to their rightful owner.

The remaining thirteen Spirit Gathering Pills in their storage bags also became Han Lu's spoils of war.

Seeing that there were only so few elixirs, Han Lu couldn't help but sigh, "Indeed, the Heaven-Stealing Bottle of the Zhengyi Sect is one of the most powerful magic treasures in the world."

Compared to magical treasures and elixirs, Lin Jin and Tang Sifan, who were assigned to go out and purchase items, had a considerable amount of spirit stones in their storage bags.

The public funds, plus their individual assets, totaled a full one hundred and twenty spirit stones.

External possessions are things you can't take with you when you die. These spiritual stones, which many cultivators regard as their lifeblood, naturally became the possessions of Han Lu, who emerged victorious in the life-or-death battle.

These gains are better than nothing.

Instead, it was the three invitations in their storage bags that caught Han Lu's attention.

The three invitations were beautifully made, but neither the inviter nor the invitee's name was specified on them.

Han Lu picked up one of the invitations, flipping through it inside and out, and murmured as she read the words on the invitation: "A special invitation to fellow Daoist to attend the 2000th anniversary celebration of the founding of Jiulong Mountain?"

Based on the invitation, the clever Han Lu could roughly guess why Lin Jian and Tang Sifan had come to Yuxi County.

"They're probably sending invitations to nearby sects and buying some supplies for the celebration."

Thinking of this, Han Lu felt a tightness in her chest and said nervously, "If I kill them both, it will definitely ruin the important business of Jiulong Mountain."

"Although it shouldn't be uncommon for cultivators to die unexpectedly in this world."

"But there's no guarantee that Kowloon Mountain will arrange for people to investigate thoroughly and find out the reason for the two people's disappearance."

"They might trace it back to me..."

Han Lu recalled the scene of meeting Lin Jin in front of the pharmacy owner that day, and her expression became more serious.

"Although all of this is just my imagination, I must plan ahead and prepare for the worst, lest a Golden Core cultivator come knocking on my door."

Thinking of this, Han Lu hastily put the valuables on the floor of the room into a storage bag for "trash," secretly plotting how to make amends so that she, the victim, wouldn't get caught up in some inexplicable trouble despite being in "self-defense."

After pondering for a long time, Han Lu looked at the invitation in her hand and suddenly had a good idea.

“Hey, I can use this invitation to my advantage.”

Thinking of this, Han Lu did not hesitate. She strolled towards the pharmacy she had visited before, while mentally adding details to her plan to cover up her lie.

After explaining her purpose again, Han Lu successfully met the shopkeeper once more.

The shopkeeper was quite surprised to see Han Lu, this important customer, for the third time in a few days.

Before Han Lu could speak, the shopkeeper said, "What's wrong, Fairy Han? Have you run out of pills?"

Han Lu shook her head, putting on an act and making an embarrassed expression, saying rather dejectedly, "We didn't use them all, but we're definitely out of pills."

The shopkeeper asked, "What's wrong? Is it that the esteemed disciple from Nine Dragons Mountain is causing you trouble?"

Han Lu hesitated slightly, but still said, "More or less, but it's not really troublesome. It's just that you made a slightly unfair deal with me."

“Yesterday, that cultivator from Jiulong Mountain named Lin Jin came to me to discuss business, using the name of Jiulong Mountain to pressure me.”

"I didn't want to cause trouble, and the conditions he offered were barely acceptable, so I sold the six True Essence Gathering Pills back to him for eight spirit stones each."

"Besides spirit stones, Fellow Daoist Lin also gave me an invitation."

Han Lu casually took out the invitation, seemingly not taking it seriously.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper comforted Han Lu, a major customer, saying, "This transaction is fair enough. Fairy Han, there's no need to be too upset. May I ask what business you wish to discuss with our shop today?"

Han Lu was secretly pleased to see that the shopkeeper believed her words, and her expression improved slightly. "I came here to ask you two questions and ask for your help."

The customer was a Nascent Soul cultivator, Han Lu, who had done a big business deal with the pharmacy before. Now that she had something to ask for, the shopkeeper naturally wouldn't refuse her outright without even listening to her.

"Please speak, Fairy Han..." The shopkeeper refused to agree.

Han Lu nodded and continued, "It's just that I've run out of True Essence Gathering Pills, which is affecting my cultivation. So I wanted to ask the shopkeeper for help. If you have any True Essence Gathering Pills in the shop within the next half month, please let me know."

The shopkeeper, of course, wouldn't refuse a business that could make money, and readily agreed, "It's a piece of cake. What about the second thing?"

Chapter 264 Celebrating the Two Thousandth Anniversary of the Founding of the Sect

Han Lu pointed to the invitation in her hand and said, "The shopkeeper should have noticed that I am not from Dongzhou Prefecture. I wonder if the shopkeeper would be willing to take the time to tell me about Jiulong Mountain and the two-thousand-year celebration."

It was a small matter, so the shopkeeper naturally had no reason to refuse Han Lu.

The shopkeeper took a sip of tea and replied, "Since Fairy Han has asked, I will do my best to answer."

"Thank you." Han Lu bowed and pretended to listen.

"Before we talk about Nine Dragons Mountain, we should first tell you about the general situation of the cultivation world in Dongzhou Prefecture."

"The number, strength, and influence of cultivators in Dongzhou Prefecture would probably rank in the middle among the thirty-two prefectures of the Great Yu Dynasty."

"Among them, the Xuanyu Temple, which is affiliated with the Tianji Palace, is the most powerful and is also a sect recognized and supported by the Dongzhou Prefecture."

"Jiulong Mountain is not far away, ranking second."

"In terms of the number of high-level cultivators, Jiulong Mountain even has two more Golden Core cultivators than Xuanyu Temple."

"However, because of the support of the Jitian Palace, and because the abbot of Xuanyu Temple is a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, Xuanyu Temple is ahead of Jiulong Mountain in terms of power."

……

Having heard this, Han Lu roughly understood the strength of the cultivators in Dongzhou Prefecture. She thought to herself, "Of the thirty-two prefectures in the Great Yu Dynasty, Dongzhou Prefecture is only ranked in the middle. Yet it has two forces with Nascent Soul cultivators. The strength of the Jitian Palace, which is independent of the thirty-two prefectures, must be even more terrifying. Perhaps it even has a few legendary Nascent Soul cultivators who have not yet ascended."

"Being suppressed like this all the time, Jiulong Mountain was naturally not convinced and secretly caused a lot of trouble for Xuanyu Temple."

"This celebration, besides being a ostensible event, is also a way for Jiulong Mountain to win over other sects and powerful independent cultivators in Dongzhou Prefecture and challenge the status of Xuanyu Temple." Because he worked for the county, the pharmacy manager had heard about the power struggles among the higher-ups in the prefecture.

Han Lu nodded slightly, "Then it seems I'd better not attend this celebration."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper shook his head and continued, "Fairy Han, don't rush to make a judgment."

"Although the nine mountain lords of Nine Dragons Mountain will inevitably hold meetings with other sect leaders during the celebration to discuss cooperation, it is still a celebration after all. Even as a rogue cultivator, one can still reap considerable benefits from it."

At this point, the shopkeeper gave an example, "Take the True Essence Gathering Pill, for instance. In Yuxi County, it might take half a month to receive even one."

"But if it's at the trade fair during the Jiulong Mountain celebration, whether it's a public auction or a private transaction, as long as Fairy Han has the money, she can definitely collect a lot at a reasonable price."

Hearing this, Han Lu's eyes lit up. "That makes sense."

The shopkeeper continued, "In addition, there will be a martial arts competition during the celebration."

"If Fairy Han is skilled in combat, she can participate. Perhaps she can even earn some spirit stones, pills, and magic treasures from Nine Dragons Mountain to comfort your heart, which has been broken by Fellow Daoist Lin."

"Oh, right..." the shopkeeper said at the end, "It is said that at the end of the celebration, the Supreme Elder of the Nascent Soul Realm from Nine Dragons Mountain will also appear and give a sermon in the venue."

"Judging from Fairy Han's appearance, one can tell that she is exceptionally intelligent. Perhaps, after listening to a few words from that Nascent Soul Realm expert, she will be able to break through her bottleneck."

The shopkeeper felt a pang of sadness. He looked at the invitation Han Lu was pressing lightly on the table and said, "If only I could also get an invitation to witness this once-in-a-century grand event in Dongzhou Prefecture, that would be wonderful."

He had been unable to make any progress in his cultivation for more than a decade, but the shopkeeper still cherished the memories of his youth when he was seeking the Dao. He also wanted to pay his respects in person and see this grand event that brought together nearly half of the cultivation forces in Dongzhou Prefecture, and to see what the differences were between Nascent Soul cultivators and Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Although Han Lu still had two invitations in her storage bag, she had no intention of being a good person and giving away these valuable things that she didn't need.

After thanking her again, Han Lu emphasized once more the matter of helping to collect True Essence Gathering Pills.

Perhaps because he had vented his depression, the shopkeeper spoke more readily, repeatedly assuring her, "Please rest assured, Fairy Han, as long as I manage to find True Essence Gathering Pills within the next half month, I will definitely save them for you."

Having put on a show for the not-so-familiar shopkeeper and achieved a fairly good result, Han Lu was quite satisfied. She praised the shopkeeper to continue before leaving the pharmacy with the red invitation in her hand.

After the shopkeeper's introduction, Han Lu became very interested in the celebration event held at Jiulong Mountain.

She currently has spirit stones in her hands but nowhere to use them, and this celebration provides her with a good opportunity to collect elixirs and precious stones.

"If there are some high-level private trade fairs, I might be able to exchange one or two of my magical artifacts for new ones of the same rank but more suitable for me. I might even be able to buy a piece of Dark Raven Mithril."

Although Han Lu had only advanced to the early stage of Foundation Establishment ten days ago, she had already begun preparing for cultivation towards the Golden Core realm.

Back at the hotel, Han Lu temporarily entered into a rhythmic life of spiritual practice.

After two days of secluded cultivation in his guest room, he went out of the city to find an open space to test his magical treasures, trying to select the one suitable for his combat from the many equally powerful magical treasures in his storage bag.

This back-and-forth continued for half a month.

In the past two weeks, Han Lu has tried the treasure four times, but she has never encountered a situation similar to the first time.

Occasionally, Foundation Establishment cultivators would fly past the area where Han Lu was testing her treasures on their swords. Only one of them would stop for a moment, observe with interest, and then leave.

This situation actually made Han Lu slightly improve her opinion of the cultivation atmosphere in the Great Yu Dynasty. She felt that not everyone in this chaotic place was evil; it was just that the lack of moral constraints made it easier for the dark side of people's hearts to be revealed.

Perhaps, the principle of "I will not offend others unless they offend me" is the rule followed by many cultivators of the Great Yu Dynasty.

After Han Lu selected five magical artifacts for self-defense and spent thirty spirit stones from the pharmacy owner to receive two True Essence Gathering Pills and fifteen Spirit Gathering Pills,

Han Lu then decided to set off and officially begin her journey in the Great Yu Dynasty.

She planned to spend a month and a half traveling from the small town of Yuxi County, visiting several larger counties in Dongzhou Prefecture along the way, and finally arriving at Jiulong Mountain with an invitation to participate in the grand ceremony.

If you come all the way to the Great Yu Dynasty and then just stay in a small place to cultivate in seclusion, then you've wasted your trip.

Here, one can find far more cultivation resources than in the Central Plains.

Han Lu chose to travel in this somewhat dangerous place in a relatively low-key manner, honing and improving herself, half a month after arriving in Dayu Dynasty.

Chapter 265 Investigation

A few days after Han Lu left Yuxi County, a cultivator from Jiulong Mountain was secretly arranged to come to Yuxi County.

As disciples assigned by the sect to purchase resources near Yuxi County, Lin Jin and Tang Sifan were only given fifteen days of leave.

As time passed and they did not return to their sect, they were naturally temporarily classified as missing.

Disciples going missing is not uncommon in the Great Yu Dynasty.

Even the Nine Dragons Mountain, one of the top sects in Dongzhou Prefecture, experiences several disciple disappearances every ten years.

Therefore, in response to the fact that Lin Jin and Tang Sifan had not returned, Jiulong Mountain, as was its custom, arranged for a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator who knew the two to go out and search for them, in order to confirm whether the two had been delayed on the road due to an accident, or whether they had disappeared or died.