The Long Journey to Immortality

She used a simple spell to remove the water from her body, and then activated the True Phoenix Manual again. A phoenix feather robe appeared on Han Lu in a different style.

It was still early, but Han Lu, who felt that she had already lost 70% of her brain cells from thinking about the true meaning of swordsmanship, had no desire to cultivate at all.

She was unusually tired and couldn't wait to take the mattress out of the storage bag.

Lying on the thick, soft mattress, Han Lu squinted her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 181 The Situation in Eastern Continent

Five days before the 2000th anniversary celebration of Jiulong Mountain, the entire celebration officially began according to the schedule.

Apart from a small number of guests who came specifically for the ceremony, nearly 1,200 guests from outside Jiulong Mountain arrived as scheduled and participated in the Jiulong Mountain public relations event in various ways under the arrangement of the Jiulong Mountain cultivators.

Because she was unwilling to display her strength on such an important occasion, Han Lu didn't have much to do at Jiulong Mountain. Her few activities in the past few days included browsing the temporary market and participating in the auctions prepared for cultivators inside and outside Jiulong Mountain.

Xiao Ran, on the other hand, because he lost his storage bag, didn't miss any opportunity to make money at the celebration, even though he had finally obtained more than 300 spirit stones.

Xiao Ran would come to the gambling arena every day to participate in the gambling battles.

He even participated in the internal competition of Jiulong Mountain as an invited cultivator, hoping to rely on his own strength to win a high ranking and earn rewards.

Xiao Ran was constantly on the go, running around Jiulong Mountain, even busier than an office worker who was running around doing business in the ancient cultivation secret realm.

However, such efforts yield tangible results.

Almost every evening, Xiao Ran would take out the "trophies" from his storage bag to show off to Han Lu during their competition, and also thank Han Lu for lending him start-up capital.

In just three days, Xiao Ran increased the value of his assets from three hundred spirit stones to one thousand five hundred spirit stones.

In addition, he also acquired two medium-to-high-grade magical artifacts through a gambling match.

Although, according to Xiao Ran himself, these two magical treasures were not suitable for him and could not be considered a great gain.

However, he also planned to find a suitable opportunity to sell these two medium-to-high-grade items, exchange them for three or four hundred spirit stones, or directly exchange them for the magic weapon he desired.

In just three days, judging by his assets alone, Xiao Ran had gone from being penniless to being as wealthy as an average Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he had a couple more handy mid-grade magic artifacts, no one would believe him when he told the story of losing his storage bag.

As for the money Xiao Ran owed Han Lu for the invitation and the twenty spirit stones he borrowed, he repaid her with a full fifty spirit stones.

Considering the swordsmanship knowledge that Xiao Ran imparted to Han Lu and the friendship they built together, Han Lu's investment in Xiao Ran as an "investor" was definitely worthwhile.

The only regret is that Han Lu still hasn't broken through that barrier and hasn't elevated her understanding of a certain word technique to a new level.

She even considered going to auctions or markets to find a spiritual sword cultivation technique written by another cultivator, hoping to learn from their experience and find a new path to break through this bottleneck that she was just about to overcome.

Just as Han Lu, Xiao Ran, and the other invited rogue cultivators were participating in this rare grand event for Dongzhou Prefecture in their own ways, a secret meeting about the changing landscape of cultivation in Dongzhou Prefecture over the next ten or even a hundred years was being held in a hidden hall inside Jiulong Mountain.

The number of people attending this meeting was not large; there were only twenty-five monks in the not-so-small room.

All twenty-five cultivators were at the Golden Core stage, late Foundation Establishment stage, or pseudo-Core stage.

Five of the Golden Core cultivators came from Jiulong Mountain and were the organizers of this secret meeting at Jiulong Mountain.

Of the other twenty cultivators, fifteen came from small cultivation sects in Dongzhou Prefecture that were affiliated with Jiulong Mountain.

Of the remaining five, three are representatives of large cultivation families in Dongzhou Prefecture, and have always had a close relationship with Jiulong Mountain.

The last two were rogue cultivators, both at the Golden Core stage.

These two rogue cultivators not only possessed high cultivation levels, but they also privately expressed their desire to join Jiulong Mountain to several Golden Core cultivators. This is why Jiulong Mountain allowed these two cultivators to participate in this meeting.

Firstly, it was to express trust and acceptance of the two individuals; secondly, it was to test them.

Once the last Golden Core cultivator from Jiulong Mountain took his seat, the secret meeting officially began under the guidance of the current head of Jiulong Mountain.

"The main reason I've invited you all here is to inform you of two things, so that those of you who have always fought alongside Jiulong Mountain can prepare in advance and cooperate with Jiulong Mountain in our actions." Master Xuyu of Jiulong Mountain set the tone for this secret meeting from the very beginning.

This meeting was merely an announcement of the decision that Jiulong Mountain had already made, without any intention of consulting with anyone.

Such an overbearing display of power from the very beginning naturally displeased many leaders of various sects.

However, given the disparity in strength between them, no one raised any objections. Instead, they were curious about what important matter Jiulong Mountain had to announce to everyone.

The Taoist paused for a moment, and only continued speaking after confirming that no one intended to speak.

However, he didn't get straight to the point; instead, he laid some groundwork before getting to the main topic.

"A year and a half ago, the Jitian Palace underwent a change of leadership. The Nascent Soul cultivator, Zhetian Venerable, unexpectedly took the throne as the new Palace Master of Jitian Palace, despite not being a direct descendant of the previous Palace Master," Xuyu Daoren said, recounting the events at Jitian Palace. "After Zhetian Venerable took the throne, he caused quite a stir within Jitian Palace. As the saying goes, 'To deal with external threats, one must first secure internal stability.' As you have probably noticed, Jitian Palace has maintained a contractionary attitude towards external forces for the past year and a half, but its attitude towards internal forces has been extremely firm."

“Not only were five Nascent Soul cultivators arranged to be far away or even disappeared from the Great Yu Dynasty for various reasons, but many large and small sects that were attached to the lineage of the previous palace master were regarded as having impure bloodlines and were alienated.”

"Xuanyu Temple, which stands in Dongzhou Prefecture along with my Jiulong Mountain and the sects of everyone else, has become an object of alienation because it was recruited by the mysteriously disappeared Hermit Wanghan."

At this point, Daoist Xuyu casually interjected with a side note, "It is said that half a year ago, the special envoy of the Jitian Palace, who would visit Xuanyu Temple once every ten years, failed to do so as scheduled, and the relationship between Xuanyu Temple and Jitian Palace has reached a freezing point."

Having said all that, and considering the rumors that had already circulated before the ceremony began, most of the attending cultivators guessed what Daoist Xuyu was going to say next.

A cultivator from a minor sect who was acquainted with Daoist Xuyu asked, "Does Master Xuyu intend to organize us to attack Xuanyu Temple?"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Xuyu laughed three times and said without any pretense, "I also want to do something to completely drive Xuanyu Temple, which has been riding on my Nine Dragons Mountain for 1,500 years in the past two thousand years, out of Dongzhou Prefecture. But unfortunately, the time is not ripe yet, and it is too early to directly attack Xuanyu Temple."

"Then?" the cultivator continued, as if playing the straight man in a comedy quip, "Whom does the Mountain Lord intend to use his spirit sword against?"

The Taoist priest picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and continued, "Of course, it's for those stubborn little sects that are still following Xuan Yu Temple around."

Chapter 282 The Situation in the Eastern Continent

These words from the Daoist Xuyu sent a chill down the spines of several sect leaders present.

The sects to which these sect leaders belonged had only recently ended their wavering between the two major sects and decided to join the Nine Dragons Mountain.

If they hadn't taken such action, they could have imagined that they wouldn't have attended this meeting, which would likely determine the situation in Dongzhou Prefecture for the next ten or even a hundred years. Instead, they would have appeared on the list of sects to be attacked and wiped out at the meeting.

Secretly relieved, the two minor sect leaders who had just been sweating profusely immediately spoke up to express their support for the decision of Daoist Xuyu and Jiulong Mountain, to show their loyalty.

"Master Xuyu is a man of great talent and ambition; this arrangement is certainly excellent."

"Eliminating these sycophantic minor sects will not only strengthen the power of Jiulong Mountain and us, but also serve as a warning to Xuanyu Temple, weakening their strength and accumulating power for their complete destruction and annexation in the future. This move is truly brilliant."

……

The flattery from these two minor sect leaders caused a great stir, prompting other sect leaders present to also express their opinions.

These sect leaders were already on the side of Jiulong Mountain when they were arranged to attend the meeting, so naturally they wouldn't contradict Master Xuyu at this time.

Only the cultivator who was acquainted with Daoist Xuyu had doubts and raised some concerns, "Lord Xuyu, this idea is not bad, but has Jiulong Mountain already decided which small sects to target? In Lord Xuyu's opinion, how will Xuanyu Temple react?"

Such objective questioning naturally did not offend Daoist Xuyu. On the contrary, Daoist Xuyu felt that this familiar cultivator was a key figure who was truly contributing to the cultivator alliance, with Jiulong Mountain as the main force.

He spoke softly and gently, not in a hurry to answer the monk's question, but instead "showed affection" in front of everyone.

"Brother Jinghu is meticulous and has great talent."

"Why not accept my brother's invitation from a few days ago and join my Nine Dragons Mountain as its tenth master?" Master Xuyu once again extended an invitation to Hermit Jinghu.

"Brother Xuyu, you flatter me. I am just rather dull and have many questions. I have no talent. I am also used to being lazy. At most, I can do some work for you."

"I am not qualified to take on the position of mountain lord."

The hermit of Jinghu declined.

Although he had a good relationship with the current head of Jiulong Mountain, Master Xuyu, he was unwilling to get involved in such pointless disputes.

He would be happy to listen in as a friend and offer suggestions.

But to have him charge into battle for Jiulong Mountain...

The Mirror Lake Master was unwilling to do such a thankless and arduous task.

Master Xuyu shook his head with a hint of helplessness, but did not extend any further invitations. He finally answered the question raised by Hermit Jinghu, "As for the sects that need to be attacked and conquered, our Nine Dragons Mountain already has an answer. Now let's discuss it and see if it is appropriate."

The words were spoken very politely, but listening was one thing and doing was another. Apart from a few sect leaders from medium-sized sects, probably no one present dared to voice any objections.

"Tianwu Sect, Jingyue Sect, Ranshan Sect."

What do you all think?

These three sects all have some connection with Xuan Yu Temple and each only has one Golden Core cultivator stationed there, making them very suitable as a warning to others.

"If we only deal with these three sects, Xuan Yu Temple will most likely just issue a few condemnations and won't actually start a war with us." Although Daoist Xuyu spoke these words lightly, as if he lacked confidence, in the eyes of the well-known cultivators of Dongzhou Prefecture, this was probably the outcome.

"Even if war breaks out, we are well-prepared and have been waiting in comfort. We will not be intimidated by those fame-seeking scoundrels from Xuanyu Temple." Master Xuyu was full of confidence.

Upon hearing this, the Hermit of Mirror Lake nodded and said, "Brother Xuyu has indeed thought things through thoroughly, but reckless conquest and suppression are not very beneficial to the reputation of Nine Dragon Mountain."

"Even if Xuanyu Temple is destroyed in the future, a good reputation will be needed to properly manage Dongzhou Prefecture and consolidate forces."

Jinghu Jushi did not doubt that Jiulong Mountain, under the management of Xuyu Daoren, was unable to achieve its desired outcome despite having such a good opportunity. He was only worried about his friend, worried about his reputation and the reputation of Jiulong Mountain.

Although unorthodox methods have a market in the Great Yu Dynasty, a good reputation is still needed to govern the territory of a prefecture, at least a good reputation on the surface.

“That’s easy,” Master Xuyu said with a smile. “A while ago, two of my Foundation Establishment disciples went missing. It was most likely the work of the Tianwu Sect cultivators. We can use that as a pretext to launch an attack on the Tianwu Sect.”

"The Burning Mountain Sect and my Nine Dragons Mountain have never gotten along, they are practically enemies. We can just openly and fairly attack them, and no one will have anything to say about it."

"As for the Pure Moon Sect, it is a bit far from my Nine Dragons Mountain, and usually has nothing to do with my Nine Dragons Mountain. I wonder if any of you here have any grudges with the Pure Moon Sect? Would you be willing to let my Nine Dragons Mountain step in and help to uphold justice?"

The Taoist priest's plan was shrewd.

After a few whispered discussions among the leaders of several sects, one of them raised his hand and said, "The Pure Moon Sect does have some minor conflicts with my Kunwu Dao Sect..."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Xuyu clapped his hands and laughed, "Very good. Fellow Daoist from Kunwu Dao Sect, would you please stay a while and have a detailed discussion with me?"

"Respectfully, Master Xuyu Mountain speaks the Dharma words." This cultivator from the Kunwu Dao Sect was overjoyed, feeling that he had seized an opportunity and made contact with the Nine Dragons Mountain, which would one day dominate the Eastern Prefecture.

Having explained the problem clearly, the Taoist Master Xuyu glanced at his friend, the Hermit of Mirror Lake, and asked, "Well, Brother Mirror Lake, is there anything else?"

“Yes,” said the Hermit of Mirror Lake, who had considered everything very thoroughly. “Brother Xuyu, what will happen after you expel Xuanyu Temple? How will you explain this to the Jitian Palace?”

"After all, although the Jitian Palace has distanced itself from the Xuanyu Temple, the Xuanyu Temple is still under the name of the Jitian Palace and is a vassal force of the Jitian Palace."

The Daoist Xuyu took out a letter from his storage bag and said, "If it weren't for the elders of the Jitian Palace contacting our Jiulong Mountain, we wouldn't have dared to so openly eliminate the Xuanyu Temple's influence."

"That elder of the Jitian Palace promised that once we succeed, we will become the only force in Dongzhou Prefecture that cooperates with the Jitian Palace and will receive the support of the Jitian Palace."

"In this way, the cause will be legitimate, the state will be peaceful and the people will be happy. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Although the hermit of Jinghu still had concerns, he said no more.

After all, nothing can be perfect. Master Xuyu's arrangement is as comprehensive as possible, enough to make Jiulong Mountain take action and try to become the number one in Dongzhou Prefecture.

After a short while, the Taoist finished speaking and looked at the crowd.

The leaders of several minor sects were quite sensible and offered a few flattering words.