The Long Journey to Immortality

Mo Zhehan couldn't guess what Han Lu was thinking, so he could only wait for Han Lu to figure it out and give him a "good" or "bad" reply.

In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed, and Han Lu did not utter another word after saying "Let me think about it."

But Mo Zhehan did not press or interrogate him.

He has waited for over forty years; he has plenty of patience.

Continuing to fly over the East China Sea, only Feng Zeng would occasionally speak to guide the way among the two phoenixes and one dragon.

With clear skies and flying at extremely high altitudes, plus the addition of Mo Zhehan, a dragon bodyguard, the journey was naturally smooth.

On the third day after crossing the border, Han Lu and Mo Zhehan finally escorted Feng Zeng back to the islands where the Rock Phoenix Clan of the East Sea lived.

At Feng Zeng's request, Han Lu did not hand Feng Zeng over to his parents, but instead returned him to them.

Han Lu naturally understood Feng Zeng's little scheme, but she didn't expose it. Instead, she cooperated with him to cover it up, so that Feng Zeng's parents wouldn't find out about the hardships they had encountered along the way.

This way, parents won't worry and they won't get a scolding.

However, despite trying to conceal it, Han Lu still spoke a few words of advice on behalf of Feng Zeng's parents before parting ways, acting as his "older sister."

Having suffered so much hardship outside, Feng Zeng learned many lessons through his own experience.

Naturally, when Han Lu spoke of these principles he had already come to understand, Feng Zeng listened attentively, nodding and promising to ensure he would not make the same mistake again.

After finishing her lecture, Feng Zeng asked with a hint of sadness, "Sister, will we ever see each other again?"

"Perhaps. If you can advance to the Nascent Soul Realm, we will definitely meet again in the future." Han Lu couldn't promise too much, and she had no idea whether she would ever come to the East Sea again. This was all she could do.

Feng Zeng said, "Then I will definitely cultivate diligently. After advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm, even if my sister doesn't come looking for me, I will still go to the Central Plains and the Wilderness to find my sister and meet her."

"Okay, I'll wait for that day."

Han Lu spread her wings and gave Feng Zeng a hug, completing the final farewell ceremony.

In the very end, Feng Zengfei knives flew to Mo Zhehan's side, whispered a word of encouragement, and then chuckled as it flew home, completing the final leg of its journey alone.

After watching Feng Zeng leave and returning home, Han Lu suddenly spoke, saying the words that Mo Zhehan had been waiting for for a long time.

"I've figured it out."

Chapter 871 The So-Called Daoist Companion

After saying this, Han Lu immediately transformed back into human form.

Mo Zhehan didn't understand why Han Lu did this, but he silently circulated his cultivation technique and transformed back into human form, keeping in sync with Han Lu.

A man and a woman flew slowly over the East China Sea, keeping a distance of no more than two meters between them.

With just one sentence, it was as if a dam had burst open, and the emotions that followed flowed out naturally and endlessly.

She spoke much faster than usual.

"To be honest, I've thought about it a lot, but I still can't figure it out."

"Those involved are often blinded by their own feelings. I don't know what my true intentions are, and I don't want to make a rash decision that might hurt you, with whom I've had a fairly pleasant relationship."

"If I were to have a cultivation partner, I hope that they would have the ability to accompany me on the path of cultivation."

"Although you have outstanding talent and are now at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, you have not yet been able to demonstrate this ability in front of me."

"If you can advance to the Nascent Soul stage before me in a normal way, and if we still get along as well and happily as we do now..."

"Then there's nothing wrong with becoming your Daoist partner."

Han Lu doesn't have her own beliefs about love, nor does she have a specific image or clear standard for her potential partner.

Naturally, she simply adopted the standard of the Central Plains cultivation world for so-called Daoist partners, understanding the term as "opposite-sex cultivators who share the same ideals and can walk the path of cultivation together."

Of course, it's also important to get along well with each other.

If these two conditions are met, Han Lu wouldn't mind having another partner to continue her journey on the path of cultivation.

After listening to Han Lu's understanding of love and Daoist partners, Mo Zhehan nodded blankly.

His feelings for Han Lu were indeed based on "status" and "physical appearance," which, to put it bluntly, were far too superficial compared to Han Lu's pursuit of ideals and spiritual values.

While Han Lu's view of "love" is not entirely the same as his, he can understand it.

Not to mention that compared to the previous vague and hopeless situation, there is now a clear standard for judgment.

How could he possibly disagree, not nod, or not support it?

After fully expressing her emotions, Han Lu felt much more relaxed.

"So, are we friends now?" Mo Zhehan asked.

She smiled at Mo Zhehan and said, "Of course, we're the kind of friends who become friends after a fight."

When the battle between the two was mentioned, Han Lu couldn't help but think of Mo Zhehan's friends in the Dayu Dynasty.

"Mo Zhehan, how is your senior brother doing now? Dong Fengyu." Han Lu only remembered the Jitian Palace disciple who had the air of a cultivator from the Central Plains at the second moment.

“Senior brother, he’s doing quite well,” Mo Zhehan said. “He advanced to the Golden Core Realm a year before me. Although he’s still stuck at the early stage of the Golden Core Realm, he’s not far from breaking through.”

"Although the first child born to him has no talent for cultivation, he is quite filial and has already made him a grandfather."

"His second daughter has an outstanding talent for cultivation, and he personally teaches and nurtures her."

"The last time I saw him was about three years ago. He was already at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and his strength was outstanding among his peers."

"However, his Daoist partner's cultivation level is stuck at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage... He's nearly 150 years old now. Although they love each other, I'm afraid..."

At this point, Mo Zhehan paused, and couldn't help but gain a deeper understanding of Han Lu's so-called standards, requirements, and views on love.

After hearing about Dong Fengyu's situation, Han Lu became even more determined in her own ideas.

"And what about Chai Tianjiao? He went through my illusion on the arena, had a profound awakening, and what's his current situation?"

When Chai Tianjiao was mentioned, Mo Zhehan looked troubled and hesitated for a moment.

"What, has he gone back to his arrogant and domineering self?" Han Lu asked.

Mo Zhehan shook his head and said, "No, it's not like that. Although he didn't perform as dramatically on the stage that day, he has become a cultivator who does good deeds in his daily life. It's just that he encountered a small mishap when he was advancing to the Golden Core Realm."

Upon hearing this, Han Lu's heart tightened. "What? Could it be that the trouble that hundreds of cultivators have never encountered when forming their core has happened to him?"

Mo Zhehan nodded and said, "Yes, perhaps it's because he did too many bad things in the past that he encountered a problem when he was forming his core."

"Although he eventually overcame the crisis, he only managed to form a third-grade golden core."

“Not only that…” Mo Zhehan carefully chose his words, “The mishap during the Core Formation stage also caused some changes in his body.”

"Hmm?" Han Lu raised an eyebrow. "What change?"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed to say it, the usually straightforward Mo Zhehan expressed it tactfully, "She has now changed her name to Chai Tianjiao."

Mo Zhehan gestured with his hand in the air as he continued, "Now, Wu Jiayue and I are no longer childhood sweethearts, but sisters."

Hearing that someone had suffered a similar experience to her, Han Lu couldn't help but laugh.

"Interesting, interesting. Does Chai Tianjiao look pretty now?"

Even Mo Zhehan knew that discussing other women's appearances in front of his beloved was something he had to restrain himself from doing.

"Not bad, but nowhere near as good as you."

Driven by a strong will to survive, Mo Zhehan, though not lying against his conscience, still uttered the second half of his sentence.

Han Lu chuckled lightly, not pointing out Mo Zhehan's ulterior motives, but simply said, "If I go to the Great Yu Dynasty's Extreme Heaven Palace again, I must meet with Miss Chai."

Feeling a sense of shared suffering, although as a cultivator she didn't actually care much about gender differences, Han Lu still had a strong curiosity and wanted to know how Chai Tianjiao faced this reality.

It was just a meeting with an old friend, so Mo Zhehan readily agreed without giving it much thought, assuming that Han Lu was just as curious as the other cultivators in the Extreme Heaven Palace who had heard about it.

After talking about other people's affairs, Han Lu and Mo Zhehan, these two old acquaintances, were finally able to reminisce earnestly, just like Han Lu's first words when they met in Donghai, and talk about what had happened to them in the past fifty years.

Mo Zhehan advanced to the Core Formation stage just two years after that battle involving East and West. He then came to the Central Plains twice, ostensibly on official business, to seek an opportunity to meet with Han Lu.

Han Lu knew a lot about what had happened to Mo Zhehan in the first twenty years. Naturally, when narrating, Mo Zhehan also focused on the events of the last twenty years, especially the things he encountered in the Candle Dragon Clan after returning to the Wilderness.

He felt that he and Han Lu were both descendants of the true spirit who had been separated from their families, and that they had something in common. He believed that talking about these things would resonate with Han Lu and give them something to talk about.

The same is true.

Judging from this point alone, although Dong Fengyu's "tutoring" of Mo Zhehan did not change his nature, it did make his path in love much smoother.

Chapter 872 Fellow Daoist, Please Stay

Just as Mo Zhehan had expected, Han Lu was indeed curious about the Dragon Clan in the Wilderness. She listened attentively and occasionally chimed in with her comments, telling Mo Zhehan about her own experiences when she returned to her clan, comparing them, and even going so far as to comment on the atmosphere of the Wilderness and its overall situation.

Ten thousand years have passed, and because the wilderness is rich in resources, there are not many disputes between races.

Even true spirits like dragons and phoenixes, who had a feud in the "True Spirit Era," no longer mention their past grievances. In fact, they would even take the initiative to get closer to each other because of their "noble" bloodlines and lineages, while keeping their distance from ordinary true spirits and magical beasts, in order to show their superior status.

This is how they treat others, but internally they revere the past, following the rules of their ancestors in everything, and not only that, they also emphasize the purity of their bloodline.

The minor troubles encountered by Han Lu when she returned to her ethnic group are a product of this kind of thinking.

The same applies to Mo Zhehan, who was dispatched to Donghai on business.

Although there was a slight modification, preventing Mo Zhehan from following the ancient procedures for hunting down enemies and returning to the clan, there was still deliberate obstruction and difficulty, reflecting the outdated concept of maintaining so-called "purity of bloodline."

Some dragons were even forced to control their lower bodies and restrain their desires under the pretext of "keeping their bloodline pure".

Young people, or rather, the two victims Han Lu and Mo Zhehan, naturally disliked outdated and antiquated things.

While it may not warrant a formal condemnation, it's perfectly normal to grumble a little.

After a few words, the two found some common ground and shared some common aspirations.

In Mo Zhehan's view, this is a good start.

Advancing to the Nascent Soul stage before Han Lu was important, but he was certain that being in love with Han Lu was the real deciding factor.

Coming from the wilderness to the East Sea to deliver a message, Han Lu couldn't help but wonder. Recalling her promise to the Bitter Tea Hermit, Han Lu asked Mo Zhehan, "Mo Zhehan, how did you get to the East Sea?"

"Me? I came through a portal from the East Sea in the Central Plains. How come there's a second path?"

Upon hearing this, Han Lu asked in confusion, "Mo Zhehan, let me ask you first, what is the place to the west of the Dayu Dynasty?"

“West? We call that the Endless Sea,” Mo Zhehan told Han Lu about the geography of the Great Yu Dynasty. “It’s a vast ocean without islands, uninhabited, and not even home to magical beasts or true spirits.”

"Because there is no place to stay and spiritual energy is scarce, cultivators do not like to live there."