The Long Journey to Immortality

Although Han Lu did not like it, she was a staunch defender of this rule.

The last time I returned to the wilderness, it was the same, and this time when I went to the East Sea, it was the same.

With the last obstacle preventing their journey lifted and passed, all that remained was to choose an auspicious day to embark on their long journey.

This trip could last anywhere from three months to half a year. If they encounter trouble or are delayed on the road, the three of them could travel for a full year before returning to Zhengyimen.

Naturally, everything needs to be arranged properly before setting off. One cannot just focus on one's own happiness and neglect the disciples who will be following them on their cultivation journey.

Han Lu, for example, sought help from Piaomiaozi and her two eldest disciples.

In particular, Qiu Peng, as he integrated into the Central Plains cultivation circle, acquired some of the attributes of a "famous teacher".

When it comes to helping Han Lu, the "general contractor," as a "labor unit" and "subcontractor," train apprentices, Qiu Peng's performance is even better than Nian Haoge's, and he has never disappointed Han Lu.

Five days were allotted for Han Lu and Wen Erya to arrange their own disciples.

After arranging everything and explaining all the details, Han Lu, Wen Erya, and Yi Qiyan boarded an ark together and headed east towards the ocean that was so close yet rarely visited.

This ark is Wen Erya's magical artifact, a low-tier spiritual weapon.

Using this magical artifact as a means of transportation was the result of careful consideration by the three.

Riding a magical artifact allows for extremely fast travel, making it suitable for a trip like the three of them that has already planned its route.

Furthermore, the quality of the Ark artifact can serve as a warning to those "mountain kings" who occupy mountains in the East Sea and plunder everywhere, urging them not to act rashly and attack the Ark carrying a Golden Core cultivator.

After all, in the information the three of them had gathered about the East China Sea, cultivators who would commit such acts as highway robbery were either at the Foundation Establishment stage or had relied on beast cores to advance to the Golden Core stage – “useless Golden Core cultivators”.

In the eyes of the three, a magical artifact that could proclaim one's identity and cultivation level was enough to deter these wicked robbers.

The lower-grade spiritual artifacts also prevented people from being tempted by their wealth, thus avoiding much trouble for the three of them.

Han Lu and her two companions went to the East China Sea mainly for sightseeing and naturally didn't want to cause any trouble.

Starting from Zhengyi Gate and piloting the ark, the three of them were able to see the long coastline of the Southern Dynasty in the distance after flying for only an hour.

According to the territorial divisions of the mortal dynasties in the Central Plains, the area fifty miles from the coastline is the East China Sea.

Fifty nautical miles away, there are many islands of varying sizes, inhabited by people.

Back then, Xiaoyaozi lived on a similar island, relying on his father for survival and making a living by fishing.

As luck would have it, he was found by a master who came to a small island on the edge of the Central Plains to find a promising cultivator, and that's how he embarked on the path of cultivation and eventually became a Nascent Soul Realm expert.

If it weren't for Xiaoyaozi's congenital defect, he would have been able to advance to the Nascent Soul realm in the harsh environment of the East Sea after only four hundred years of cultivation.

Judging by the timeline, he might already be a powerful figure in the East Sea, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, only one step away from advancing to the Divine Transformation realm and ascending to the Spirit Realm.

Thinking back to Piaomiaozi, Han Lu couldn't help but sigh, secretly lamenting the impermanence of life.

Seeing the change in her friend's expression, Wen Erya thought they were approaching the East Sea. Han Lu recalled the interesting things that happened when she formed her core.

Han Lu casually asked a question, and coincidentally, Yi Qiyan hadn't heard the story before. So, while recalling it, Han Lu added a little exaggeration to liven up the atmosphere.

Accompanied by the stories told by Han Lu, who possesses the "expertise of storytelling," and listening to the amusing and humorous Tiger Mountain Three Immortals in the stories, Han Lu and her companions' journey to the East Sea unfolds slowly in a pleasant and joyful atmosphere.

Chapter 810 Sword Mark

After navigating the ark and leaving the Central Plains, the three of them arrived at the first stop of their journey to the East China Sea in an hour, following the sea chart.

The three's first stop was a small island, compared to the three major islands in the East China Sea, which was known as Turtle Island.

The island is formed from the body of a Xuan Turtle True Spirit that perished in the ancient cultivation era.

Back then, the Xuan Turtle Clan were true spirits who had allied with the Dragon Clan, and rivals of the Human Alliance.

Legend has it that this Xuan Turtle True Spirit, whose cultivation had reached the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, was killed by Senior Fang Han with a single sword strike.

With the death of the black tortoise, its true form was revealed.

As time passed and "baptized" this corpse, this body, which was much taller and larger than the mountain where Higashiyama Institute stood, became a small island slowly drifting in the East China Sea.

This small island drifts slowly in the eastern part of the East China Sea, following the ocean currents.

It takes about five hundred years to complete a cycle, proceeding at a leisurely pace and following a fairly regular pattern, similar to the lifespan of a short-lived Golden Core cultivator.

Since the name "Turtle Shell" had already been taken elsewhere, the island was called "Mysterious Turtle Island" and was recommended by Daoist Xuanfeng as a worthwhile "scenic spot".

On ordinary days, Xuan Turtle Island is also home to many cultivators and mortals, and its size is similar to that of a typical town.

Because of its peculiar origin and its ability to move freely, it was naturally regarded by many cultivators in the East Sea as a good place for communication and trade.

After considering everything, Han Lu and the other two could guess why Xuanfeng Daoist recommended this place to them.

Navigating the ark, they slowly landed beside Xuan Turtle Island. The three of them left the ark and stood under the East China Sea sun for the first time, breathing in the fresh air with the smell of the sea.

Looking at the island, which was clearly shaped like a turtle, from afar, all three of them found it quite magical.

Recalling the legend of the death of the Xuan Turtle that made up the island, Yi Qiyan suggested, "Why don't we go and take a look at the place where that fatal sword wound is?"

"Han Lu, you are a successor of Senior Fang Lin. Perhaps you can gain some insights from looking at the sword marks left by Senior Fang Lin 100,000 years ago."

This was, of course, a joke, simply meant to add some fun to the first stop of this trip.

Han Lu smiled and said, "It might be a bit difficult, but it's not like we can't give it a try."

"You two might see the sword mark and gain something from it."

Chatting and laughing, the three flew around Xuan Turtle Island, making jokes about it as they went.

“I find that strange too,” Wen Erya said. “Logically speaking, this Xuan Turtle is also a true spirit. Even its corpse is full of treasures after it dies.”

As she spoke, Wen Erya kept an eye on Han Lu's expression. Seeing that Han Lu remained unmoved and her expression was normal, she continued, "Then why wasn't the corpse divided up by the cultivators or the demonic beasts and spirit beasts that participated in that battle?"

"Such a huge Xuan Turtle, even if we just remove its massive carapace, we could probably refine nearly a hundred defensive magic treasures that are at least of spiritual weapon quality."

Wen Erya's question was quite interesting. Han Lu and Yi Qiyan carefully scanned Turtle Shell Island with their divine senses, searching for the legendary sword mark, while offering their own guesses.

Han Lu guessed, "Perhaps it was because Senior Fang Lin's sword strike was too ferocious, directly destroying the foundation of this Xuan Turtle, causing its body to lose its spirituality and become an ordinary mortal. A piece of tortoise shell is actually no different from a rock?"

Han Lu still knew quite a bit about the ancient cultivation era.

Although this matter was not recorded, she still gave a reasonable explanation based on her knowledge and her relatively short experience in the Moon Pearl World.

However, Yi Qiyan's answer was somewhat in line with common sense and speculation.

"Perhaps all the good stuff on this True Spirit Black Tortoise has long been stripped away, and the remaining 'waste' has become the foundation of this island over time?"

Each of their arguments had its own merits, and it was just a minor incident with no clear answer. So the three of them simply discussed it without delving into the real reason behind it.

After circling the island twice, the cultivators and mortals on the island did not pay much attention to the three Golden Core cultivators in the air.

The East China Sea has its own unspoken rules. Places like Xuan Turtle Island, used for exchange and trade, generally do not see magical duels or attacks.

If such a heinous and unspoken rule-breaking incident were to occur, the businesses operating in the area would naturally pool their resources and issue a "wanted order" to punish the cultivator who did not know the rules.

These unspoken rules allow the East China Sea to maintain a certain level of order amidst chaos, distinguishing it from the wilderness.

After circling around for a while, the three discovered a rather special place on Xuan Turtle Island.

There were about twelve or thirteen cultivators sitting cross-legged in front of a rock wall, meditating facing the wall.

There is a huge crack in the rock wall, which is somewhat similar to the sword mark in the legend.

These cultivators sat far apart, and most of them were protected by array formations and restrictions, clearly wary that these fellow sword-obsessed cultivators might plot against them while they were cultivating.

"Yes, that should be it."

Just gazing at that rock wall from afar, Han Lu felt a slight stirring in her heart.

The three of them slowly descended and arrived in front of the rock wall.

Seeing that the cultivators were focused on their practice and no one spoke, the three of them tacitly switched to communicating through telepathy.

Of the three, Han Lu is the most skilled at using the spirit sword.

Although Wen Erya also possesses a decent magical sword, she prefers magical weapons with rich supernatural powers to straightforward magical swords when engaging in combat.

As a cultivator from the Southern Frontier, Yi Qiyan was naturally even more so.

He possesses magical treasures, but he almost never uses them. His understanding of swordsmanship is probably less than one-thousandth or one-ten-thousandth of Han Lu's.

Therefore, looking at this rock wall, which was regarded as a "sacred place" by the various independent cultivators of the East Sea who practiced swordsmanship, Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan could only act as spectators, exchanging whispers and uttering a few exclamations that were a bit more elegant than "Holy crap."

Han Lu, however, was completely absorbed in the sword mark that appeared to be from 100,000 years ago, as if her mind had been drawn into it.

This feeling was almost identical to when I first saw Senior Fang Lin wield his spirit sword in the Moon Pearl World to deal with two magical beasts.

Immersed in the scene, Han Lu felt as if she were witnessing the earth-shattering sword strike that cleaved through the sky 100,000 years ago, slaying the Xuan Turtle's true spirit.

As an astonishing aura emanating from the spirit sword penetrated the body of the True Spirit Xuan Turtle, Han Lu was awakened, and the world before her eyes, which had become somewhat blurry, gradually became clear again.

Panting heavily, Han Lu tried to regulate her breathing and calm herself down.

Turning to look at her two friends who were still looking up at the sword marks, Han Lu didn't know whether she should be aware that she hadn't become as engrossed in listening to Senior Wang Han's lectures as she had, or she should be annoyed that she hadn't seized this opportunity to improve and gain insights.

Instead of sharing her "frustrating experience" with her friends, Han Lu casually sent a telepathic message asking, "How are you? Any strange insights?"

"No, I just think this sword is a bit...powerful," Yi Qiyan replied, finding a suitable word.

"Perhaps it's because Senior Fang Lin's level is too high." Wen Erya frankly admitted that she hadn't even scratched the surface of swordsmanship.

The two then asked Han Lu how she felt.

Han Lu described the sword strike based solely on her experience, using a hypothetical and speculative tone.

Even so, in front of her two friends, Han Lu's image became even more impressive than before, and the label of "sword master" stuck to her even more firmly.

They came quietly and left quietly, departing from the place the island's inhabitants called "Sword Scar Mountain." The three of them headed to the market on Xuan Turtle Island to see if they could find some desirable items at their first stop in the East China Sea.

[Author's Note] At this point, a historical novel that I really enjoyed reading, "The Great Ming Scholar," has finally been completed after five years. The novel is excellent, and I recommend it. It may seem a bit simplistic and superficial at first, but the more you read, the more you realize the author's skill and how well it is written.

Chapter 811 Stealing the Sword Intent

As soon as Han Lu and the other two left, the broken rock that still bore the sword mark of Senior Fang Lin changed.

The two rocks that were originally broken in the middle, with a gap of three or four meters, suddenly started to move.

It's like a sword wound healing under the influence of elixirs.

The rocks slowly gathered together, gradually narrowing the gap between them.

The movement of the rocks produced a loud noise, startling many independent cultivators from the East China Sea who were "reflecting on their mistakes" in front of the rock face, unsure of what they were actually cultivating.