The Long Journey to Immortality

But how could such ordinary methods of a Qi Refining cultivator possibly harm a Golden Core cultivator?

Ci Daoren didn't dodge at all, letting the low-grade magic tool dagger pierce his chest.

[Author's Note] The absence of water is a setup.

Chapter 310 Settling the Grudge

The short dagger naturally couldn't harm Cidaoren in the slightest.

It was as if Ci Daoren was wearing soft armor; the short dagger "slipped" away from its target just as it approached his body, spun in the air, and landed in Ci Daoren's outstretched hand.

This is a protective aura that only Golden Core cultivators possess, which they can activate at will.

"Huh?" Ci Daoren looked at the dagger in his hand, slightly puzzled. "I wonder why you wanted to assassinate me, young friend?"

The cultivator's face was filled with rage as he roared at Ci Daoren, "You old bastard, do you still remember the thirteen families you killed in Guangping Village seventeen years ago?"

These words, whether true or false, stirred up a storm in everyone's hearts.

The opening remarks briefly described the story of Ci Daoren, and everyone present knew that Ci Daoren had been doing good deeds and accumulating merit for twenty-three years, and had stopped being an evil person and doing evil deeds.

At this moment, a young man with a face full of bitterness and hatred, as if he had killed his father, boldly attempted to assassinate a Golden Core cultivator with his Qi Refining cultivation.

Furthermore, this Cidao person is only putting on a show; seventeen years ago, he committed the atrocity of massacre.

All these factors combined make it hard not to be surprised.

Han Lu, who had long been skeptical of Ci Daoren's story, was just short of taking out her melon seeds and stool.

She used her vision-enhancing magic to boost her five senses, wanting to see and hear clearly the grand spectacle that was about to unfold.

Speaking of Guangping Village, Cidaoren recalled a past event, "I did visit Guangping Village seventeen years ago, so who were you?"

The boy raised his head and said, "You old bastard, listen carefully, I am Fu Hao's son, Fu Chou."

When the boy spoke of his father's name, his voice became a little louder than before.

"Fu Hao's son?" This name made Ci Daoren's memory clearer. "Indeed, seventeen years ago in Guangping Village, I did kill a cultivator named Fu Hao."

"You still have the nerve to admit it?" Fu Chou was surprised by Ci Daoren's reaction.

He was here like a death knight, attempting an impossible assassination, not to kill Cidaoren, but to destroy the reputation Cidaoren had built up.

In his imagination, once he uttered his first words and revealed Cidaoren's true colors, Cidaoren would surely stubbornly deny everything he questioned.

"It was just fulfilling the promise I made twenty-three years ago to Hongyuan, to rid the people of evil, and to kill a wicked cultivator. Why shouldn't I admit it?" Ci Daoren casually tossed the short dagger back to Fu Chou, clearly having figured out the whole story.

Fu Chou habitually caught the dagger and pointed it at Ci Daoren, saying, "You old bastard, you killed someone and now you're trying to slander my father?"

Ci Daoren was scolded again, but he remained calm and showed no sign of anger.

He said, "Seventeen years ago, when I went to Guangping Village, I discovered that there was a Foundation Establishment evil cultivator in the village who was using ordinary people in the village as materials to cultivate evil magic and make puppets."

"After finding out the truth, I took action and killed that evil cultivator named Fu Hao, purifying all thirty-six flesh puppets he had made from the corpses of villagers."

“At that time, I noticed your existence, but considering that you were only three years old and still young, unaware of your biological father’s evil deeds, I concealed your identity and gave you and twenty taels of gold to a family in the village to raise.”

"I didn't expect that you were already old enough to remember this matter back then, and that you would actually come to Mingsha Village today."

Another version of the story, told by Cidao, makes this revenge tale even more enigmatic.

"You old bastard, stop talking nonsense." Fu Chou had been thinking about revenge for seventeen years, so he naturally wouldn't believe Ci Daoren's story just because of his words.

Both sides had their own version of events, but even Han Lu was more willing to believe what Ci Daoren said.

After all, Ci Daoren was a Golden Core cultivator, and the story Fu Qiu told could be explained by Ci Daoren's story.

However, Cidaoren was clearly not satisfied with making the "spectators" believe that he had not committed any evil deeds seventeen years ago.

“Fu Chou, I know you don’t believe what I’m saying, but do you believe what your sister Xiao Lan says, Fen Lan?” Ci Daoren winked at one of his female disciples.

The female disciple, who was also Ci Daoren's eldest disciple, stepped forward and said, "Little Chou, do you still remember your Sister Lan? I used to take you around the village all the time, and I even gave you two sugar figurines and a wooden knife. Do you remember?"

The female disciple who called herself Sister Lan stirred up Fu Chou's memories. "You're Sister Lan? Of course I remember you. But how did you become this old bastard's disciple? Could it be..."

“What Master said is all true,” Fenlan said. “Xiao Chou, you have misunderstood Master.”

"My father was a heretical cultivator? And he even turned my playmates and neighbors into flesh and blood puppets?"

Fu Chou's hazy childhood memories gradually became clearer. In his childhood, the blank expressions, dull eyes, and stiff language of several neighbors became wonderful evidence for the stories told by Ci Dao.

The goal he had pursued for seventeen years was just a misunderstanding; the father he admired was actually the murderer and the villain.

This brought Fu Chou's inner world to the brink of collapse.

Fu Chou knelt on the ground, the short dagger in his hand fell to the ground, and he felt as if his body was about to explode from his heart.

Seeing this, Ci Daoren quickly recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra to appease Fu Chou, while saying, "But in the end, I did kill your father, so it is only reasonable for you to come to me for revenge."

“That’s right, you old bastard,” Fu Chou used the reason Ci Daoren had given him to justify his presence here. “As the saying goes, a life for a life. Do you dare to pay for my father’s life here?”

These words were somewhat nonsensical, but they still made it difficult for Cidaoren to handle, as he feared that this matter would tarnish his unfulfilled grand ambition.

“I dare not. I still have 8,433 good deeds to do. I will not abandon thousands of ordinary people who are waiting for my help because of your words, for the sake of a heretical cultivator.”

“However, I can give you a chance to take revenge on me,” Ci Daoren said, pointing to the dagger. “From now on, you might as well follow me to cultivate your Daoist arts, improve your cultivation, and then fight me fair and square. What do you say?”

This idea was quite interesting, and Fu Chou, who already knew the truth, was clearly somewhat tempted.

He argued a few more times, and when Ci Daoren promised in front of everyone that he would treat him like a true disciple, he cursed "old bastard" viciously before agreeing to Ci Daoren's plan.

Ci Daoren took his enemy as his disciple, resolving the crisis and settling the score in this way, which earned him a round of applause.

In the future, when people talk about Cidao Ren, there will likely be another story worth telling.

After the incident with Fu Chou, the Immortal Fate Society did not cause any further disturbances.

Only after Master Ci led his six senior disciples and two new disciples away on their flying magical artifacts did the crowd disperse.

Han Lu had counted that Ci Daoren had given away a total of thirty magical items and three magical treasures during the two-hour Immortal Fate Gathering.

"He's an interesting person, though."

And so, Han Lu really did seem like a tourist visiting Mingsha Village, wandering around the village for two days and inquiring about a lot of information about the Deep Blue Desert.

When the appointed time arrived, she reverted to her cultivator demeanor and went to the agreed-upon location to meet Xiao Ran.

Chapter 311 Meeting and Departure

Because they didn't know what landmark buildings were in Mingsha Village beforehand, and Han Lu and Xiao Ran were only Foundation Establishment cultivators, they couldn't use their divine sense to quickly search a small area.

Therefore, Han Lu simply arranged to meet Xiao Ran at the west gate of Mingsha Village.

As Han Lu sat in a teahouse on the west side of Mingsha Village, holding a ceramic teacup and idly glancing at the crowds entering and leaving the west gate, she was surprised to find that Xiao Ran, who appeared before her, was very different from what she had imagined.

Looking at Xiao Ran sitting in front of her, looking disheveled and covered in dust, Han Lu teased him.

"Long time no see, what happened to you? Did you go to the Deep Blue Desert and stay buried in the sand for ten days before coming here?"

Xiao Ran took a big gulp of tea before replying, "Fairy Han is joking. It's just that I didn't use a single spell on my way from Jiulong Mountain to Mingsha Village."

"For a mortal without spiritual power to travel more than four hundred miles naturally, enduring wind and rain along the way, it's already quite good that we're only a little disheveled now."

"Traveling without using spiritual power?" Han Lu asked. "Is this some kind of secret or mystical technique before forming the Core Formation stage?"

Xiao Ran said, "I guess so. After all, in our cultivators' view, advancing to the Golden Core stage and becoming a Golden Core cultivator is the only way to completely break free from the mortal body."

"Therefore, it is said that living as a mortal for a period of time before forming the core will give one a special understanding of the process."

Han Lu listened with great interest, "Really? You've been living a life of hardship for two months, what are your thoughts? Would you mind sharing them with me?"

“I don’t mind,” Xiao Ran replied seriously, giving a slightly humorous answer. “Actually, I don’t have any special insights. I just feel more and more that cultivation is not easy and that one’s cultivation level is not easy to obtain. This has strengthened my belief in reaching the pinnacle of the Great Dao in the future.”

"It's roughly equivalent to recalling past hardships and appreciating present happiness?" Han Lu used an idiom to summarize.

Xiao Ran nodded, "Absolutely right."

"What's next?" Since Han Lu was only responsible for protecting the Dharma and acting as an assistant, after the two met, she arranged the itinerary according to Xiao Ran's wishes. "Do you want to rest in Mingsha Village for a few days before going with me to the Deep Blue Desert to find a suitable place for Core Formation, or should we set off directly and you continue to travel on foot?"

Xiao Ran touched his messy, sandy-colored hair and said, "I want to find a place to rest for a while. Let's set off again this afternoon."

Han Lu nodded, and at the same time reminded Xiao Ran, "It seems that quite a few cultivators know about the spiritual energy eruption in the Deep Blue Desert seven days from now."

“In the past few days, I have seen at least three pseudo-core cultivators in Mingsha Village. They are obviously cultivators who will also enter the Deep Blue Desert in the next few days to try to form their core, just like us.”

"Xiao Ran, do you need to spend some spirit stones to hire another Foundation Establishment cultivator to help protect you? Otherwise, I alone cannot guarantee that I can protect you completely."

Han Lu was confident that after transforming into a True Spirit Three-Winged Phoenix, no fake Core cultivator would be able to gain the upper hand against her.

However, she has no intention of using this tactic on Xiao Ran for the time being.

The Great Yu Dynasty borders the Wilderness, and the relationship between the True Spirits who were banished to the "Wilderness Region" since the ancient times of cultivation and the cultivators of the Great Yu Dynasty is generally not very good.

Asking Xiao Ran to find one or two more helpers was a friendly suggestion from Han Lu.

Xiao Ran said dismissively, "I believe in Fairy Han's abilities, and besides..."

"I have no other friends here. I'm only offering spirit stones as payment to find someone to protect me. It might turn into inviting trouble and I'll end up getting myself into trouble instead."

"Having Fairy Han alone is enough."

Xiao Ran's experience in the cultivation world of the Great Yu Dynasty was far richer than Han Lu's.

I've heard stories of "mercenaries" who help protect Core Formation cultivators by launching sneak attacks when the cultivators are weak.

He was unfamiliar with the place and its people, and he was unwilling to entrust his life to a few spirit stones and the professional ethics of a stranger.

Upon hearing this, Han Lu gained a deeper understanding of the moral bottom line of the cultivators of the Great Yu Dynasty.

After paying for the tea, Han Lu led Xiao Ran to the room she rented in Mingsha Village.

After washing up and changing his clothes, Xiao Ran appeared before Han Lu again after a quarter of an hour. Apart from his beard being much longer than it had been two months ago, he still looked as dashing as ever.

Noticing that Han Lu's gaze lingered on his beard for a moment, Xiao Ran explained, "A Golden Core cultivator would look more like a master if he had a long beard, so I decided to grow one."

After achieving the Golden Core stage, cultivators gain the ability to control the growth of body hair.

For someone like Xiao Ran, wanting to grow a beard and have a flowing long beard was just a thought after advancing to the Golden Core stage, and a matter of a few days.

It's that simple, so there's no need to start growing a beard now.

Han Lu was too lazy to expose Xiao Ran's laziness and casually asked, "Shall we set off now?"

When the topic of Core Formation came up, Xiao Ran became a little more serious. "Of course, it will take several days to find a suitable location. The Deep Blue Desert is so vast, it will probably take a lot of effort."