The Long Journey to Immortality

Since it was a Golden Core cultivator who was leaving, Fu Tianqiao, the main character, accompanied Han Lu for a while, holding Han Lu's hand and chatting for a few more minutes.

This time, both sides regarded each other as elders of their respective sects, and they talked about helping each other in their future sect life, supporting each other in their cultivation, and maintaining their good relationship.

Although there was some "insincerity" and "politeness" in these words, Han Lu and Fu Tianqiao still kept each other's words in mind and treated them seriously.

After the banquet, Han Lu, who was actually quite clear-headed, did not choose to fly back to her residence directly. Instead, she strolled with Mo Zhehan under the moonlight.

It was just after the New Year, and the wind was still cold, but it didn't make Han Lu, a Golden Core cultivator, feel cold at all. Instead, it made her feel refreshed.

The two walked side by side without any intimate gestures, behaving like ordinary friends.

On the way, they occasionally encountered disciples of the Zhengyi Sect. Those who recognized Han Lu would respectfully bow, call her "Elder Zhenfeng," and say goodnight.

Even those who don't recognize Han Lu will mistake her for a powerful and accomplished senior sister from their sect, based on her demeanor and aura, and greet her politely.

Mo Zhehan was somewhat "intoxicated" by the harmonious atmosphere of the sect, and he secretly lamented the difference in the atmosphere between the Central Plains and the Great Yu Dynasty.

After strolling together for about fifteen minutes in this comfortable state, when the East Mountain Academy came into view in the distance, Mo Zhehan suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"Han Lu, do you think Yi Qiyan and Lü Zhi will be able to get together after this separation?"

These words were clearly veiled and pointed, hinting at something from the sidelines. Han Lu knew exactly what Mo Zhehan wanted to ask.

She replied, "I don't know, but we should be on the right track and moving in a positive direction."

"So, if Yi Qiyan and Lü Zhicheng were to get married, would they live in the East China Sea or the Southern Frontier?"

Han Lu replied, "Usually, she follows the man."

"However, the environment and atmosphere in the Southern Frontier are much better than in the East China Sea. Perhaps in the future, Yi Qiyan and Lü Zhi will settle in the Southern Frontier. Anyway, the Southern Frontier is not very far from the East China Sea."

"Alright," Han Lu interrupted Mo Zhehan, who was about to continue probing and asking these questions, "Just drop me off here."

Chapter 885 Report

Although he was a visitor who came to Zhengyi Gate with Han Lu, Mo Zhehan's residence was in Wuxing Mountain Courtyard, not Dongshan Courtyard.

Han Lu said to deliver it here, so Mo Zhehan naturally dared not disobey in the slightest.

After a simple farewell, Han Lu flew back to her residence on Hanchan Peak.

After watching him for a moment, Mo Zhehan also walked alone back to his temporary residence in Zhengyi Gate.

According to the plan, he will leave the Central Plains and return to the Great Yu Dynasty the next day.

The farewell I just said was also a prelude to our impending separation.

Back at her residence, Han Lu first meditated to recuperate, completely removing the effects of the spiritual wine from her body before taking the pills as usual to begin her cultivation.

Although the matter was of great importance, it was already late, and Han Lu felt it would be more appropriate to talk to Xuan Chengzi about the purple monster the next day.

After a night of meditation, Han Lu was able to emerge from her meditative state only at noon the following day, after the effects of the Yellow Dragon Pill she had taken had been fully digested and utilized.

Having changed the form of her phoenix feather robe and donned a more formal style, Han Lu, dressed in a blue robe, soared through the air, gracefully heading towards the Five Elements Mountain Academy to find Sect Master Xuan Chengzi.

Elders of the Golden Core stage don't need to go through any appointment process to request an audience with the sect leader, but they can't just see him whenever they want either.

This time, Han Lu was unlucky. Xuan Chengzi was busy with official duties, so she waited for a full half hour before finally meeting the Zhengyi Sect Master, who still had two years left in his term.

Generally speaking, the position of sect leader of the Zhengyi Sect is held by a Golden Core cultivator within the sect for a period of twenty-five to fifty years.

If that cultivator has a bright future and is expected to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm, then the term of office will be slightly shorter, so as not to delay cultivation due to sect affairs.

If a cultivator's future is mediocre and there is no possibility of advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm, then as long as they do not make any major mistakes during their term of office, they can serve for the full fifty years.

Sometimes, if there is no suitable successor, it is common for someone to remain as the sect leader for a few more years.

When Xuan Chengzi was a disciple in the sect, he was a top figure, similar to Han Lu.

After advancing to the Golden Core Realm, his aura faded slightly, but most sect elders and supreme elders still recognized Xuan Chengzi's talent and were convinced that he had a great chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm.

He served as sect leader partly to "gild his resume," so that the sect could legitimately provide him with a large amount of resources to assist his cultivation after he stepped down.

Furthermore, Xuan Chengzi, who had once received great kindness from the sect, wanted to repay the sect's nurturing grace with this action.

Therefore, considering the actual situation, in his thirty-eighth year as the head of the Zhengyi Sect, Xuan Chengzi set a date for his "stepping down and handing over the reins to a more capable person." He began to deal with the remaining trivial matters of his term and to consider which sect elder should succeed him as the head of the sect and continue to lead the Zhengyi Sect towards the next victory in this excellent situation.

With so many things to do, it's no wonder that Han Lu's sudden visit required such a long wait.

Before entering Xuan Chengzi's office, an acquaintance of Han Lu came out first.

"Elder Qingxu, it's been a long time." Han Lu bowed and greeted the dean of Dongshan Academy.

Elder Qingxu was also somewhat surprised to see Han Lu again, and he bowed in return, "Fairy Zhenfeng, did you enjoy your trip to the East Sea?"

"It's quite pleasant," Han Lu said politely to Qingxu Daoist. "Has the sect leader found some free time?"

"Yes, please come in."

Master Qingxu first made way for Han Lu to enter, and then left after watching the gate close.

Xuan Chengzi sat upright in his seat, casually closed a list marked with several circles on the table, and stuffed it back into the drawer of the table, which was protected by a divine sense barrier.

"Elder Zhenfeng, what brings you here to find me?"

Han Lu had just returned to the Central Plains, and Xuan Chengzi couldn't immediately guess what important matter Han Lu had that required her to come and see him.

"Sect Master, it's like this..."

Han Lu calmly and slowly recounted what she had heard to Xuan Chengzi.

It was not stated that the information was obtained from the Wine Pot Taoist, because Han Lu was also unsure whether this matter was a secret within the sect.

After hearing Han Lu's question, Xuan Chengzi replied, "It is true. I have arranged for three disciples who performed quite well in the competition to go to the scene to investigate. I expect to hear back soon."

"What's wrong, Elder Zhenfeng? Is there something strange about this? Or..." Xuan Chengzi thought of a possibility, "Or does Elder Zhenfeng recognize that strange purple demon beast?"

Han Lu nodded and replied, "That's right. I encountered that purple monster when I was still in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

"However, back then, it was when Sect Master Yunmin was in charge of the sect, so I thought you might not know about this, which is why you rushed here..."

Han Lu didn't waste any time and immediately started talking about the secret things that happened when the plague broke out, trying to make Xuan Chengzi understand the danger of these purple monsters.

Having served as the sect leader for nearly forty years, Xuan Chengzi was quite experienced. When he heard Han Lu talk about how troublesome these purple monsters were and how they were the source of the last plague, he immediately realized the importance of the matter.

However, before changing his mind and sending more people to handle the matter, Xuan Chengzi asked a few more questions to understand the specific situation so that he could make his next decision.

Han Lu answered all these questions without reservation, only wanting to make these purple monsters disappear from the world as soon as possible so as not to affect the lives of ordinary people in the Central Plains.

“In that case, I will arrange for two elders to keep an eye on this matter and instruct the three disciples who have already been dispatched to only search and avoid engaging the purple monster.”

"If you spot the purple monster, report it immediately so that the elders can eliminate it and prevent any potential threats."

Xuan Chengzi made new arrangements based on the information given by Han Lu.

Although Han Lu really wanted a Nascent Soul cultivator to quickly and decisively eliminate the hidden purple monster, she still approved of Xuan Chengzi's current arrangements.

"If that's the case, then this purple monster shouldn't cause too much harm to the surrounding environment."

Han Lu did not mention Mo Zhehan's exaggerated conjecture to Xuan Chengzi.

Such irresponsible remarks are best left unsaid in private; there's no need to bring them up in front of Xuan Chengzi.

After discussing important matters, Xuan Chengzi inquired about Han Lu's situation during her trip to the East China Sea.

The two chatted for about fifteen minutes. Just as Han Lu was about to take her leave, Xuan Chengzi put on a serious expression and called Han Lu back.

"Fairy Zhenfeng, please sit a while longer. I have an important matter I'd like to ask for your opinion on."

"Sect Master, please feel free to speak your mind. I will answer any questions you may have." Han Lu rarely participated in sect decision-making, and most of the time she was just a weapon or a henchman. Naturally, she was curious about the important matter that Xuan Chengzi was talking about at this time.

Chapter 886 On Success and Failure

Xuan Chengzi sat up straight and asked, "Fairy Zhenfeng, how do you think I've done my job as sect leader for the past thirty-eight years?"

Everyone desires recognition from others, even cultivators at the Golden Core stage are no exception.

Having served as sect leader diligently for thirty-eight years, Xuan Chengzi naturally longed to hear his fellow disciples' evaluations in person and hoped to receive their praise.

As for why this question was directed at her, Han Lu didn't know, and was too lazy to think about it.

To be fair, this question is not difficult to answer.

Because Xuan Chengzi had indeed done a good job as the sect leader, Han Lu didn't need to use insincere words to embellish her answer, and was able to give a mutually agreeable response.

"Sect Master, I think you've done a good job," Han Lu replied, trying not to use formulaic language to make her words sound genuine. "Although I don't have detailed data, I and other sect elders and disciples have clearly seen the sect's progress over the past thirty years."

Han Lu gave a specific example.

"The reforms to the sect's internal systems and structure have been incredibly successful," Han Lu praised. "They not only allow more disciples to focus more on their cultivation, but also ensure that each organization maintains its previous efficiency."

Speaking of this, Han Lu couldn't help but think of her master, Piaomiaozi.

Piaomiaozi was able to change her past "decadent" ways and thrive in the sect. This was due in part to her own success, but also to the benefits of Xuanchengzi's reforms to the sect's internal system.

This institutional reform was a policy that Xuan Chengzi developed based on his own experience as a disciple and elder in the sect when he was still "out of the loop," and it can be considered one of his proudest achievements.

Hearing Han Lu's high praise for the policy, Xuan Chengzi couldn't help but smile, feeling that his efforts had indeed paid off.

Han Lu didn't try to please him, but she was happy to see Xuan Chengzi happy while she was telling the truth.

"Furthermore, regarding the reforms to the system of comparing seniority and juniority and the minor modifications to the rules for accepting new disciples," Han Lu realized at this moment that Xuan Chengzi, compared to Yun Min Daoren, could be considered a progressive reformer. "The enthusiasm of the sect's disciples for combat and cultivation is definitely greater than before."

"Although it may take some time before the effects are obvious, it is enough to show that these two reforms are good deeds."

"I still remember Senior Wang Lin's prophecy. We don't know when that calamity will come. In any case, improving the disciples' fighting skills and combat techniques is an important and correct thing to do."

Han Lu is a beneficiary of the Zheng Yi Sect's size ratio, whether she was Feng Bailu or Han Lu.

Naturally, she wholeheartedly approved of Xuan Chengzi's efforts in this regard.

In a sense, Han Lu is Xuan Chengzi's "soulmate" and most loyal supporter.

After saying a lot, Han Lu's voice became louder and more impassioned.

Finally, she recalled some of the things she had done for the sect during Xuan Chengzi's tenure, attributing some of her credit to Xuan Chengzi, and taking this opportunity to express her gratitude to Xuan Chengzi for his support over the years.

That's not wrong.

Although Han Lu had a better relationship with Daoist Yunmin, Xuan Chengzi was indeed superior in terms of the level of support he provided to Han Lu.

Genuine feelings were revealed, and he spoke words that were pleasing to the ear. Xuan Chengzi was gratified, and his eyes became slightly moist.

Reform will ultimately harm the interests of some vested interests.