The Long Journey to Immortality

"There might be hidden reasons and a grudge that may have lasted for thousands of years."

"There is no good or bad on either side, only a strong or weak distinction."

Born in the southern border region, Yi Qiyan had seen more of these kinds of things and naturally thought about them in a more complicated way.

Upon hearing this, Han Lu also felt that there was indeed a possibility.

“But now they’re keeping quiet and only concerned with fighting,” Wen Erya pointed out the problem. “Our guesses are just that—guesses.”

"Should we continue to wait and see, or..." Wen Erya mimicked Han Lu's tone and transmitted her voice, "Then let's tie those five cultivators together, and have my junior sister use her true spirit techniques to bewitch their minds, so that they will tell us the whole story and know the specifics before we make a judgment."

"Junior Sister, are you confident?" Wen Erya only knew that Han Lu had the bloodline of the Illusionary Phoenix and probably possessed the ability to bewitch people, but she was not sure if Han Lu had the ability to bewitch Golden Core cultivators, so she asked another question.

“No problem,” Han Lu joked. “As long as we can capture them, I can make them tell all the embarrassing stories about bedwetting when they were little.”

Wen Erya offered two paths: one passive, the other active.

Needless to say, the three of them had their answers in their hearts the moment the question was raised.

In just a few words, Han Lu and the other two decided to resolve the matter in a manner reminiscent of the cultivators of the East Sea.

Regardless of the specific circumstances, even if the two cultivators are passively attacked and look like typical victims, capture them all without hesitation, interrogate them thoroughly, and then make a decision.

Looking at the five cultivators not far away who still didn't know what was about to happen, Han Lu murmured to herself, "It's better to suffer some injustice than to lose my life."

Chapter 818 So That's How It Is

Fan Anxiang was very upset.

This was the first time he had encountered such a frustrating situation since advancing to the Golden Core realm, despite being from the "second sect" of the Southern Dynasty in the Central Plains.

Originally, he, who was considered the second most important person in the sect, came to the East Sea to act as a protector, to escort his junior brother who had already reached the Pseudo-Core stage and had chosen a time and place to form his Core.

Who would have thought that something went wrong at some point, and they were intercepted and killed by three cultivators from the East Sea halfway there.

In his opinion, the three "robbers" were not particularly strong. Two of them were even more like Golden Core cultivators with no real talent, mostly useless cowards who had advanced through beast cores.

If he were to face the enemy alone, although he could not accomplish the feat of "three against one, killing two in return", he would still be able to advance and retreat freely.

Unfortunately, he now has a burden by his side.

Although in terms of talent and potential, his junior brother Mo Yang was far superior to those two good-for-nothings from the East China Sea.

However, in terms of combat strength, the promising Mo Yang is no match for either of these two cultivators.

Due to the deliberate actions of the East China Sea's highway robbery, the battlefield was divided into two parts.

Two men were entangled with Fan Anxiang, while the other one was attacking Mo Yang with ruthless force.

If Fan Anxiang were to offer any assistance, I would be in grave danger.

If he ignores his junior brother, the junior brother, who is only at the Pseudo-Core Realm, will not be able to hold out for long against a Golden Core Realm cultivator who has refined a beast core.

Clearly, the three Eastern pirates, complete strangers who had been following Fan Anxiang and his companion for an unknown period of time, intended to rob and kill them. They deliberately chose this secluded spot to hunt them down and eliminate them.

Stuck in a dead end, Fan Anxiang was extremely anxious.

Seizing an opportunity, he manipulated three spirit swords to temporarily knock away the opponent's magic weapon. Then, he flew into the air to protect his junior brother, Mo Yang, and used magic to block an attack for him.

Seizing this rare opening, Fan Anxiang spoke up, trying to communicate with the other party to see if he could turn this deadlock into a viable one.

"Gentlemen, I am a cultivator from the Three Immortals Mountain of the Southern Dynasty," Fan Anxiang called out to the three. "Would you be so kind as to spare my junior brother and me for the sake of my master, Fairy Ruyi?"

Sanxian Mountain boasts that it is the second most powerful sect in the Southern Dynasty, second only to the Zhengyi Sect.

When the sect was first established, it was named Three Immortals Mountain because three Golden Core cultivators were stationed there.

Currently, only two Golden Core cultivators remain in the sect: Fox Sheep Master Fan Anxiang and Fairy Ruyi. Their power is not what it used to be, but they still have a certain influence in the Southern Dynasty.

Finally, Fan Anxiang's junior brother was about to advance to the Golden Core Realm, and the sect was expected to regain its former glory. However, they encountered such trouble, which gave Fan Anxiang a great headache.

He had made up his mind that he would withdraw completely, even if it meant suffering heavy losses in resources.

After all, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.

He had intended to scare the other party off with his background, or at least make them think about negotiating and settling things over. However, upon hearing his background, the three robbers became even more excited and became more determined to capture him.

Among the three, the oldest-looking Golden Core cultivator with a white beard, who was also the most solid and powerful, laughed and said, "So you are disciples of the Three Immortals Mountain. Although we three brothers are in the East Sea, we have heard of the name of the Three Immortals Mountain."

Immediately afterward, another cultivator chimed in, "Since they are disciples of the Three Immortals Mountain, we can't afford to be lenient with them."

Upon hearing this, Fan Anxiang's expression changed slightly, and he thought to himself, "Could it be that these three people have a grudge against my Three Immortals Mountain?"

Fan Anxiang's junior brother, Mo Yang, looked increasingly grim, feeling that this trip might be a one-way trip.

Seeing the change in Fan Anxiang's expression, the three of them burst into laughter again.

The white-bearded cultivator said, "Don't worry, the three of us have no grudges against the Three Immortals Mountain. We were just happy because we thought that we could make a fortune by robbing two disciples of the Three Immortals Mountain."

Fan Anxiang said, "Aren't you afraid of offending my Three Immortals Mountain?"

"Heh," the three laughed again, "There isn't even a single island inhabited by mortals within a hundred miles of this place. Even if we killed you, who would know?"

"Even if people find out and the news reaches Three Immortals Mountain, so what?"

"Could it be that the cultivators from the Three Immortal Mountains will come to the East Sea to seek revenge on my three brothers?"

"Even if they come, it's hard to say whether they'll come to avenge you or just give my three brothers a few more magical treasures."

The red-haired cultivator among the three spoke the loudest, "I'm terrified. I'm afraid your master, Fairy Ruyi, will come seeking revenge and cause my three brothers to have more children, which will be difficult to raise."

Hearing such amusing vulgarities from their companions, the three of them burst into laughter again.

Fan Anxiang's face grew increasingly grim. Seeing that the reputation of the Three Immortals Mountain couldn't intimidate the other side, he withdrew another banner. "What about the Zhengyi Sect? The Three Immortals Mountain and the Zhengyi Sect have a friendly relationship. If the Zhengyi Sect sends cultivators, how will the three of you deal with them?"

"And also, do you think you can kill me here?"

The white-bearded cultivator replied bluntly, "I can't kill you, but I can kill that good-for-nothing next to you. I'll still gain something."

"As for the Zhengyi Sect, the three of us brothers can simply find a treasure land to hide in. Do you think the Zhengyi Sect would send ten Golden Core cultivators to dig three feet into the East Sea and search for the three of us?"

The red-haired cultivator replied, still as arrogant as before, "Even if it's the Zhengyi Sect, we're not afraid. You'd better not think about leaving today."

"Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to save you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a female voice seemed to come from all directions.

"Oh, I heard that a worthless nobody like you who advances through beast cores looks down on my Zhengyi Sect?"

Han Lu and her two companions originally intended to capture them all in one fell swoop, but they were a step too slow and managed to understand the relationship between the five people fighting, distinguishing who was the enemy and who was the friend.

Tracing back to the source and clarifying the situation, and finding that the other party had just spoken rudely to the Zhengyi Sect, the three of them did not hesitate any longer and immediately stepped forward to uphold justice and rescue the two cultivators who could barely be considered "brother sects".

The five cultivators were quite surprised to hear that someone was nearby.

Looking in the direction of the sound, Fan Anxiang saw three female cultivators and recognized Han Lu.

After hearing what Han Lu had said, Fan Anxiang was overjoyed and cried out for help, "Fairy Zhenfeng, save me!"

"Huh?" Han Lu was slightly surprised. "You recognize me?"

Fan Anxiang said, "More than ten years ago, I was invited to the Zhengyi Sect Grand Competition and had the opportunity to meet Fairy Zhenfeng once."

"Oh, it's Fellow Daoist Fox and Sheep." With a slight reminder, Han Lu also remembered Fan Anxiang.

Seeing that the three rescuers were acquainted with the other party, the three East Sea cultivators now looked embarrassed.

They exchanged a glance and a few words in telepathy, then decided to follow their usual plan: "If things go wrong, we'll run away."

Just as they were about to leave, Han Lu's gaze swept over the three of them, and she said, "What, you think you can just run away after hitting someone?"

"Listen, was it you who had a problem with my Zhengyi Sect just now?"

Han Lu looked at the red-haired monk.

Her gaze seemed to possess a deadly power, causing the red-haired cultivator to break out in a cold sweat.

Chapter 819 Deploying Troops

The red-haired cultivator had a boastful tone and a bad temper, but his strength was actually quite limited.

Previously, they relied on their superiors' power to bully the weak, naturally revealing their true nature without restraint.

Now that they've encountered a tough opponent, the situation has reversed, and the survival instincts of the East Sea cultivators within them have completely erupted. They've changed course with the wind, only thinking about preserving their lives and escaping this calamity.

His face was all smiles, showing no trace of his previous arrogance.

The red-haired cultivator said, "Oh dear, so you are a fairy from the Zhengyi Sect. My apologies for my rudeness. I was bewitched by evil magic just now and did not speak the truth. I apologize to the three fairies."

“The three fairies are all highly skilled and beautiful. There’s no need for them to get angry with a boor like me.”

"Why not do a good deed, accumulate some good karma, and release me and my two brothers?"

"When I return to my cave, I will definitely kowtow three times every month in the direction of Zhengyi Gate to thank the three fairies for sparing my life."

Back when his cultivation was still low, the red-haired cultivator suffered many setbacks and hardships. He honed his skill in begging for mercy to perfection. In addition, he kept a low profile back then, which allowed him, who was originally arrogant, to live for more than three hundred years and be able to encounter this calamity on this day.

Having abandoned my skills for countless years, I've picked them up again today, and they haven't become rusty at all.

In terms of begging for mercy and admitting defeat, this red-haired cultivator was far superior to the Three Immortals of Tiger Mountain that Han Lu had encountered before.

Unfortunately, his mastery of begging for mercy doesn't mean he'll be as lucky as the Three Immortals of Tiger Mountain that Han Lu encountered when she reached the Core Formation stage.

Especially when Han Lu noticed the face of his leader, she already regarded these three East Sea cultivators as dead men in her heart.

"That's interesting, but I doubt you made that up because you think we're stupid," Han Lu said with a half-smile. "You little rascal, we'd be fine letting you go."

Upon hearing this, the red-haired cultivator was overjoyed and was about to express his gratitude when he sensed another meaning in Han Lu's words. He felt a pang of heart palpitation and felt as if he could not breathe, as if a chill was penetrating his consciousness from the outside in.

"But, who told you to get involved with this famous White-Bearded Hermit?"

"The wanted poster clearly states that your brother has committed numerous crimes and is wanted with a bounty of 7,500 spirit stones."

"Although these spirit stones aren't much, my two sisters and I have some ideas about doing good deeds and accumulating merit," Han Lu said lightly, uttering fierce words that most cultivators from the Central Plains wouldn't dare to say. "White-bearded hermit, please offer up your heads along with your two good brothers so that my sisters and I can use them to pay tribute to the dozens of cultivators who died because of you, and incidentally accumulate good karma and earn spirit stones."

The supernatural powers that alter one's appearance and physique mostly require a considerable amount of spiritual energy. Therefore, during magical battles, the white-bearded cultivator who called himself the White-Bearded Hermit revealed his true appearance.

I thought that since I was dealing with cultivators from the Central Plains, I wouldn't have to worry about the wanted notice.

But they didn't expect that Han Lu and her two companions, who knew the ropes, would interfere, not only ruining their plans but also seeing through his identity.

Upon hearing these words, the White-bearded Hermit, who had remained silent and imagined he could get away with it, no longer held any illusions.

Knowing he could not escape this calamity, he reverted to the ruthless manner he displayed when robbing and killing.