The Long Journey to Immortality

"What Fairy Zhenfeng said is true. Just now, I really had no way to use my strength and felt very frustrated."

"If I could use transformation techniques as freely as Fellow Daoist Zhenfeng, I would surely be able to unleash a beautiful set of Ape Arm Fist, so that Fairy Zhenfeng wouldn't act so recklessly as she did just now."

"Instead of passively taking hits with my secret techniques, I think it would be better to continue using my spells and magical artifacts to fight against Fairy Zhenfeng."

"Thinking about it, this way we'll have a better chance of winning."

Master Xuanfeng summarized the lessons learned, his words revealing a sense of helplessness.

“Well said, Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng is indeed a wise man,” Han Lu casually praised. “However, just because you cannot use magic weapons or spells when you transform into a demon beast does not mean that I cannot either.”

Upon hearing this, Daoist Xuanfeng was stunned for a moment before saying, "Could it be that Fairy Zhenfeng can still use magic weapons after transforming into a phoenix?"

"You can only howl like a white ape in the snow, while I can speak human language."

"You can only rely on your physical strength, but I can use magical weapons. Isn't that reasonable?"

Han Lu had no intention of holding back in this battle against the cultivators from the north.

As soon as she finished speaking, Han Lu activated the True Phoenix Manual again, stimulating the fierce phoenix bloodline within her body, and summoned the "shadow Han Lu" with the phoenix's power.

Three dark figures emerged around the phoenix and eventually coalesced into a single mass, transforming into human form under the control of the Heavenly Blessing Divine Power.

Although the shadowy figure's features were indistinct, some of the Zhengyi Sect cultivators familiar with Han Lu could still identify her as "Han Lu" at a glance based on her figure.

With her head tilted back and mouth open, Han Lu spat out the storage bag that she had kept hidden in her belly while transforming into a phoenix.

The shadowy figure reached out and grabbed the storage bag, hanging it on his waist.

Aside from her pure black skin, the shadowy Han Lu looked exactly like the Han Lu she always did, as if they were cut from the same mold.

Upon seeing this scene, the elders of the Zhengyi Sect who were watching the battle couldn't help but whisper among themselves, comparing what they were seeing with the scenes they had witnessed during their sect's sparring sessions.

"This must be a move that Elder Zhenfeng used when he sparred with Elder Qihua..." The first Golden Core elder to speak was not sure.

“That should be true,” someone echoed, “but it seems a little different. I remember back then, the dark avatar should have been a phoenix.”

One elder speculated, "Perhaps Elder Zhenfeng's move, when performed in human form, will summon a phoenix, and when performed in phoenix form, it will summon her in human form?"

“Very likely,” Xuan Chengzi chimed in from the side, “Judging from Elder Zhenfeng’s words, this summoned avatar can use magic weapons and spells. This Xuanfeng Daoist is going to have a hard time later.”

"Haha, haha." The elders of the Zhengyi Sect laughed in unison, and a pleasant atmosphere filled the room.

The previous battles between Han Lu and Xuanfeng Daoist had convinced them that Han Lu's victory was a foregone conclusion.

Naturally, they feel good and cheerful now, as if they have already pocketed the victory.

On the Xuan Yang Valley side, all the Golden Core elders turned their gazes toward Huang Ziqiang, who is now known as Zhu Xuan Jushi.

Zhu Xuan Jushi felt several burning gazes and could probably guess what his fellow disciple wanted to ask.

Before anyone could ask, he spoke up, saying, “Fellow Daoists, I have never seen this move of the True Phoenix Fairy before. I suppose it is either a new divine ability she comprehended after advancing to the Golden Core Realm, or a skill that her parents taught her when she visited relatives in the Wilderness.”

"Elder Xuanfeng's chances of winning are probably only 30% now."

In front of his fellow disciples, Master Zhuxuan naturally predicted the outcome in a positive and optimistic direction.

But in his heart, he changed three into one.

Zhu Xuan Jushi thought to himself, "If what Fairy Zhenfeng said is true, then Elder Xuanfeng probably doesn't even have a one percent chance of winning."

Those around Han Lu were stunned by this unprecedented move, and Xuanfeng Daoist, who was in the middle of the battle, was naturally even more surprised.

After several rounds of real fighting, Xuanfeng Daoist naturally no longer doubted that Han Lu's words were false.

Looking at the phoenix and the shadowy Han Lu before him, and recalling the scene of himself being "beaten up" when he transformed into the Snow-Treading White Ape, Xuanfeng Daoist couldn't help but feel jealous.

Besides that, there was also a hint of despair.

Even before the battle reached its climax, he had already clearly seen the gap between them, and suddenly felt that his confidence from the previous day was somewhat laughable.

However, this sliver of despair was quickly overshadowed by other things.

Face, honor, material rewards...

There are still many things preventing Xuanfeng Daoist from shouting "I admit defeat" at this moment, and there are still many things worth continuing to fight for.

Without hesitation, before Han Lu could react, Xuanfeng Daoist planned to use his magic weapon to temporarily take the initiative on the battlefield.

A small red flag flew out of the storage bag and landed in his hand.

This mid-grade spiritual artifact is one of the few magical treasures he inherited from his family that is compatible with his five elements.

He originally intended to use this magic weapon as a trump card.

However, the gap between him and Han Lu was obvious, and if he continued to hide his abilities, he would likely never have the chance to show them.

Waving a small flag, a huge crimson magic circle quickly unfolded, enveloping Xuanfeng Daoist, the phoenix, and the shadowy Han Lu within it.

As the cultivator who controlled the formation, Xuanfeng Daoist concealed himself the moment the formation was deployed, quietly preparing his next move.

Upon seeing this, Han Lu murmured, "So it's a magic treasure used to set up an array."

We will continue to fight with ourselves in control.

In her phoenix form, Han Lu flew swiftly through the magic array, searching for loopholes in the array and the whereabouts of Xuanfeng Daoist.

Meanwhile, the shadowy Han Lu unleashed a sword pellet, intending to break the magic array with a sword formation and retaliate.

After flying around once, Han Lu had to admit that Xuanfeng Daoist's use of this magic weapon was extremely ingenious.

There were no obvious flaws, and Han Lu could not find Xuanfeng Daoist for a while.

Clearly, she couldn't use her limited knowledge of formations to break the formation at this time.

Now, all she can do is follow the path she originally chose and break through the formation by force.

Chapter 762 Sword Formation Breaks the Magic Formation

The principle of using a sword formation to break a magic formation is not complicated. It is essentially the same as using a sword formation as a medium to unleash a powerful spell to break the formation.

The only difficulty lies in the fact that when you are in someone else's magic array, setting up and maintaining a sword array or other arrays is several times more difficult than usual.

As for unleashing the techniques within a formation to attack other formations, the person setting up the formation must have a thorough understanding and knowledge of the formation in order to execute it flawlessly.

Based on these two points, although Han Lu judged that the formation used by Xuanfeng Daoist was mostly of the fire element, she still chose to control the shadow and use the sword pellet to set up her most proficient "Nine Dragons Thunder Formation".

Using metal to extinguish fire increases the difficulty.

However, Han Lu was confident that the sword formation she had inherited from the ancient cultivator Fang Lin, combined with the sword pellets that were comparable to spiritual treasures, would surely give Xuan Feng Daoist an unexpected surprise amidst the thunderous roar.

The shadowy figure, Han Lu, made a hand seal and spat out the sword pellet that had just entered her stomach moments before, dividing it into nine pieces and quickly setting up a sword formation.

Despite multitasking, Han Lu, whose spiritual power was already strong, was not affected by the situation. When controlling the shadowy figure to set up the sword formation, she did so as smoothly as if she were personally wielding the sword.

Xuanfeng Daoist, who was hidden within the magic array, saw through Han Lu's actions.

Unwilling to directly reveal his location and to prepare complex and powerful methods, he could only choose to ignore it and let Han Lu do as she pleased within the magic array activated by the magic weapon in his hand.

The crimson flag was, after all, a magic weapon that matched Xuanfeng Daoist's attributes, so it was naturally much smoother to use than other magic weapons.

In less than ten breaths, Daoist Xuanfeng had prepared a series of methods, ready to unleash their power.

Waving the flag, Xuanfeng Daoist finally revealed his true form within the magic array.

Without hesitation, Han Lu, transformed into a phoenix, flapped her wings and flew out in a right-angled line within the not-so-large magic array, heading straight for Xuan Feng Daoist. She intended to repeat her previous tactic and use her superior close-combat skills to deliver a fatal blow to Xuan Feng Daoist in his human form.

Upon seeing Han Lu's actions, Xuanfeng Daoist seemed to be terrified. He hastily summoned flames with his command flag and then turned to flee.

Although Xuanfeng Daoist's behavior was somewhat strange, Han Lu, relying on her formidable strength, did not think much of it.

How could a cultivator's speed of flying compare to that of a phoenix?

In less than half a breath, Han Lu broke through the raging flames of the flowery frame and easily stabbed Xuanfeng Daoist in the back with her sharp beak.

When Han Lu's phoenix claw pierced through Xuanfeng Daoist's body, she realized that something was wrong.

"It felt like hitting thin air."

The thought had barely crossed Han Lu's mind when Xuanfeng Daoist's body transformed into a ball of flames before her eyes.

"As expected, it was just a flame avatar, a decoy..."

As Han Lu made this move, the entire formation seemed to have been switched on, and wave after wave of attacks, like surging waves, surged towards Han Lu under the control of Xuanfeng Daoist.

The supernatural powers unleashed by raging flames, crimson lightning, ghostly flames, and numerous magical treasures.

The location of the phoenix seemed to be the site of a fireworks display, with explosions rising and falling, and various colors blooming on the already beautiful phoenix, accompanied by thick smoke and dust that enveloped it.

Separated by the array, the Golden Core cultivators could only rely on their keen senses to observe, just like ordinary mortals. They were unable to see clearly what kind of situation Han Lu was facing through the layers of smoke and bright light.

However, this did not prevent the Golden Core cultivators on both sides from expressing their emotions as the battle situation changed.

The Golden Core cultivators watching from both sides of the source water shouted "Oh no!" on one side and "Beautiful!" on the other!

However, no matter how much the spectators shout or make judgments, they cannot influence the outcome of the battle with their "jinx".

Amidst the sporadic cheers from the Xuan Yang Valley cultivators, Xuan Feng Daoist, whose true form was vaguely revealed within the formation, grew increasingly grim.

Being able to observe the battle situation with his divine sense, he naturally knew the outcome of the battle.

"Could the phoenix transformed by the True Phoenix Fairy be impervious to water and fire, and indestructible by iron?" Xuanfeng Daoist felt a vague sense of powerlessness.

As the smoke and bright light dissipated, when Han Lu reappeared before everyone almost unharmed, the cultivators of Xuan Yang Valley fell silent.

Xuan Chengzi was the only one among the Zhengyi Sect members who had foreseen this outcome long ago.

He knew that Han Lu possessed the bloodline of the Fire Phoenix, and that ordinary flames could not harm her at all.

Han Lu pretended to be attacked by the formation's techniques and was exhausted from parrying, but in reality, she was simply buying time for the shadowy figure.

With a phoenix cry reaching towards the sky, Han Lu sounded the horn of counterattack.

Twenty breaths was enough time for the shadowy figure to completely set up the carefully crafted "Nine Dragons Thunder Array".

As the formation unfolded, Han Lu spent a moment contemplating how she, in her phoenix form, should coordinate with the shadowy figure casting the sword formation under these circumstances.

With extensive combat experience and having already considered similar issues, Han Lu had already come up with an idea during the rapid flight.

The phoenix chased after and harassed Xuanfeng Daoist, while the dark figure focused on using lightning to break the formation.

Division of labor can be considered a form of cooperation, albeit with some difficulty.

Using this as a guideline, Phoenix Hanlu relentlessly pursued Xuanfeng Daoist, whose position had already been exposed, within the formation, while the shadowy figure drew out the bolts of lightning from the sword formation to break it.

The lightning was drawn out of the formation. Although its power did not diminish, it lost the spiritual energy recovery effect provided by the "Nine Dragons Thunder Formation".