The Long Journey to Immortality

After failing to break the formation by force, the light emanating from the three demonic beasts that returned to the book had dimmed to the point of being blurry, and their forms were almost invisible.

The spear fared slightly better, since Han Lu hadn't actively activated the sword formation to deal with the magic weapon. After one round, the spear was undamaged except for a layer of earth-colored coating on its surface.

Seeing the sword formation that had blocked out the sun and turned a sunny day into a cloudy one still looming over them, the bearded cultivator and the slightly overweight cultivator looked increasingly uneasy.

“This female cultivator is truly strange,” said the bearded cultivator. “Second brother, you’ve read many miscellaneous books, can you recognize what kind of sword formation this is, and do you have any way to break it?”

The slightly overweight cultivator recalled for a moment, but was still completely confused, unable to discern the origin of the sword formation that Han Lu had unleashed.

“This sword formation has not been fully activated yet; it’s only set up, so I can’t tell what it’s called,” the slightly chubby cultivator guessed. “However, judging from the way the sword formation is set up, it shouldn’t be an ordinary sword formation; it does have some ancient characteristics.”

"Ancient method?" The bearded monk didn't understand for a moment.

"It's an ancient cultivator's formation," the slightly overweight cultivator said in full.

Anything associated with ancient cultivators is bound to be powerful.

The bearded cultivator felt a pang of anxiety and could only offer words of comfort, "This formation must be quite powerful, but the one who cast it is, after all, only a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stages."

"Perhaps, when the formation is activated and an attack is launched, it will reveal a flaw."

“Big brother is right,” the slightly chubby cultivator agreed. “How much spiritual power can a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator possibly have at her disposal? Perhaps activating this formation is already her limit.”

“This formation is quite good. I’ll definitely ask about it after we defeat this female cultivator,” the slightly chubby cultivator said, having a good grasp of the calculations. “If it’s about spirit stones, let’s say it’s three hundred spirit stones.”

Before even breaking the formation, he was already planning what would happen after the victory. If Han Lu had heard the slightly chubby cultivator's words, she would have definitely returned that word "arrogant" to him.

The two cultivators were on high alert, ready to unleash defensive spells and magical artifacts, then find an opening to counterattack.

But their third brother, the short and thin monk, seemed to have reached his limit.

With the lowest strength, he was powerless to do anything except repeatedly chant those few calming mantras; he couldn't even transmit a message through the blue light band.

Hearing his two elder brothers' arrogant words, the short, thin cultivator, who had already sensed Han Lu's formidable strength, felt a darkness before his eyes and knew that his defeat was not far off.

After much effort, Han Lu finally managed to gather enough lightning from the nine spiritual swords she controlled.

Feeling the thunderous power emanating from the nine points of the magic array, Han Lu muttered to herself, "Even if the five elements are not compatible here, with my current strength and the unique properties of the magic array in utilizing thunder, I should be able to unleash Hundred Thunderbolts seven or eight times without any problem."

The thunder roared, and the ground trembled slightly.

A hundred bolts of lightning were poised to strike, and just hearing the sound sent a chill down the spine of the bearded cultivator.

Unlike last time, this time, because of the strange blue light band that connected the three thieves, Han Lu decided to implement the strategy of "it's better to break one finger than to injure all ten," thinking that she should first defeat one of the three and break the secret technique before talking about anything else.

As for who to fight...

Although the short, thin cultivator had reached his limit while helping the three resist the illusion, he had left a good impression on Han Lu. Feeling that she had a 90% chance of winning, Han Lu did not want the weakest of the three cultivators to suffer serious injury.

The bearded cultivator was the strongest of the three. Choosing to deal with him wouldn't pose a major problem, but it would be somewhat troublesome.

In contrast, the slightly overweight cultivator not only disrespected Han Lu, but also...

Anyway, Han Lu finally decided to give the slightly chubby cultivator who had improper thoughts about her and wanted to rob her a good beating, and beat him down first.

A hundred bolts of lightning shot out simultaneously, with Han Lu aiming the majority of them at the slightly overweight cultivator.

The slightly overweight cultivator, who was still communicating with his elder brother through the blue light screen and preparing several defensive spells, was completely unaware that he was about to face a great calamity.

"Go!" Han Lu's voice was amplified a hundredfold, echoing in the center of the sword formation.

The shout contained a trace of the Illusory Phoenix Divine Power, and it struck the already rotten sea of ​​consciousness of the three cultivators like a heavy hammer.

Upon hearing the sound, the short, thin cultivator spat out a mouthful of blood and pinched his thigh hard to barely keep his mind clear.

The other two cultivators were also momentarily dazed.

When they regained their senses after three breaths, the scene within the sword formation had changed completely.

The shock of being struck by a hundred bolts of lightning from all directions was indescribable.

But when he saw so many bolts of lightning rushing towards him, the short, stout cultivator seemed to be under an illusion again, and was stunned for a moment before he realized what he should do.

Three pre-prepared spells were quickly cast, and then the short, stout cultivator took out a mid-grade magic tool from his storage bag.

The magical implement is an umbrella. When opened, it can cover the body and serve as a defensive magical artifact.

These defensive measures, which were somewhat inferior to those of other mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, were futile in the face of the hundred bolts of lightning controlled by Han Lu.

Amidst flashes of lightning and thunder, nearly seventy out of a hundred bolts struck the slightly overweight cultivator.

His meticulously constructed "defenses" only lasted for three breaths before collapsing.

When the lightning dissipated, only a charred, inhuman-looking monster lay on the ground, barely breathing, its fate unknown.

The magical light band between the three was also broken due to the slightly overweight cultivator losing consciousness.

This created a chain reaction.

Without the spiritual power support of his two elder brothers, the short and thin cultivator could no longer resist Han Lu's illusion and completely lost consciousness.

Without the cleansing spell cast by the short, thin cultivator, the bearded cultivator was also controlled by the illusion and voluntarily dispelled his defenses.

The repurposed bolts of lightning struck him cleanly and easily. After the lightning subsided, he lay on the ground trembling, his beard bent, clearly indicating a serious injury.

In just three rounds, Han Lu, relying on the sword and lightning formations taught by Senior Fang Lin, blew the three cultivators off their feet.

After all three of them lost consciousness, Han Lu casually dispersed the sword formation, returned the spiritual energy sword to its original form, and absorbed it back into her body.

Wenren Ou used his lightness skill to walk quickly towards Han Lu.

His eyes lit up; he had clearly become a "fan" of Han Lu.

Han Lu's performance left Wenren Ou, who had rushed over to offer his congratulations, speechless for a moment.

All he could do was offer a non-literal compliment, "Sister Han, those moves were truly amazing!"

Chapter 347: Small Punishment

"Just some minor tricks," Han Lu said modestly.

Wenren Ou asked curiously, "Where did Sister Han learn these moves from?"

Han Lu jokingly told the truth, "It was given to me by the legendary ancient cultivator, Senior Fang Lin."

Wenren Ou smiled, clearly taking it as a joke, "Sister Han, don't joke around. Senior Fang Lin, the ancient cultivator, ascended to the Spirit Realm 100,000 years ago. How could he possibly teach you this?"

"Even if he becomes a disciple of a disciple, there will probably be nearly a hundred 'second' words before that."

“Hehe,” Han Lu said, “You’re quite clever. Actually, my master found it in an ancient book and then taught it to me.”

Wenren Ou believed this lie. "I see. Then, Sister Han, can you teach me this trick? I can pay with spirit stones."

As a second-generation immortal, Wenren Ou's method for handling difficult problems remains as simple and clear as ever.

Han Lu thought to herself, "Sure enough, some unbelievable truths are much easier to believe than lies."

“That won’t do,” Han Lu refused. “It’s not that I’m unwilling to teach, but I only have a superficial understanding myself. If I teach you, you probably won’t learn anything. I’ll only be misleading you.”

"Just the basics?" Recalling the awe-inspiring scene of the sword formation with its thunderous roar, Wenren Ou said in surprise, "Sister Han is already so powerful with just the basics. If she learns the whole thing, wouldn't she be invincible?"

Han Lu laughed and said, "It's not that exaggerated, but it's about the same."

After exchanging a few more words about the sword formation, Han Lu and Wenren Ou remembered the three highway robbers who had been defeated by Han Lu and were still lying to the side.

"Sister Han, what should we do with these three petty thieves?" Wenren Ou, a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining, pointed at the three Foundation Establishment cultivators who had been defeated by Han Lu and asked for Han Lu's opinion.

Han Lu didn't give a definite answer, but simply said, "These three can be considered to have a code of honor among thieves. Although their mouths are a bit dirty, I quite admire their conduct."

Han Lu never intended to kill all three of these interesting people.

But if she doesn't take action, that's not Han Lu's style.

"Let's assess the injuries first, then decide how to proceed."

After saying that, Han Lu led Wenren Ou a few steps forward.

After a fierce battle with Han Lu, the three petty thieves met with different outcomes.

Among them, the short and thin early Foundation Establishment cultivator suffered the least injury, only spitting out a mouthful of blood, which didn't even qualify as a minor injury.

He fell into a coma mainly because he was under Han Lu's illusion spell.

As long as Han Lu raises her hand to dispel the illusion, he will wake up immediately.

The eldest of the three, the cultivator with the thick beard, was slightly more seriously injured.

Even after waking up, one must remain in bed for several days before being able to move freely.

The power of lightning from the strike will continue to rage within his body, requiring additional medicine and a month of recuperation to fully recover.

The most unfortunate one was naturally the slightly overweight cultivator who had spoken rudely to Han Lu and was specifically targeted by her.

He was struck by at least a dozen or twenty bolts of lightning, turning him into an "electric sausage."

He was injured both internally and externally, and even if he took a miraculous medicine to cure all his injuries and illnesses, he would still be wounded.

The aftereffects of his poor physical condition will make it difficult for him to make any further progress in the future.

Forget about forming the Golden Core.

After examining the injuries of the three people, Han Lu already had a general idea in mind.

“You deserve such injuries,” Han Lu said, casually retracting the wooden flute that was still playing music in the air, thus dispelling the illusion. “Wenren Ou, do you have any better healing pills on you?”

Wenren Ou roughly guessed what Han Lu meant and said, "Yes, there is, but it's not really appropriate to use it on these three petty thieves."

Han Lu laughed and said, "It's not a free gift, it's sold to them."

Wenren Ou nodded, "I see. Then I'll give this Hundred Spirit Pill to Sister Han. It can treat both internal and external injuries, so selling it to them would be just right."

How much is one?

"The cost is about five spirit stones, but it's only available in the Extreme Heaven Palace."

Wenren Ou naturally had miraculous medicines in his storage bag that could "restore flesh and bones," but he would not take out such a good thing on such an occasion.

Upon hearing this, Han Lu replied, "It is indeed suitable."

After receiving the pill and dispelling the illusion, the short, thin cultivator woke up in a daze in less than ten breaths.

Seeing the other person trying to get up from the ground, Wenren Ou presumptuously spoke first, as if he had defeated the three of them, saying, "Don't move."

Where can you expect someone to stay still just because you say so?

The short, thin monk completely ignored Wenren Ou's words and continued to get up from the ground in an unseemly manner.