The Long Journey to Immortality

Therefore, it would be better to cooperate obediently.

Although it was a clone specially created for reconnaissance, Zi'e, once she arrived in the Central Plains, was relatively independent of the original body and it was quite normal for her to fight for her own life.

"That's good, that's good," Han Lu chuckled. "But on the way to Zhengyi Gate, we'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Zi'e a little. Do you mind being in the cold for a while and staying in the ice for a bit?"

This was the best way Han Lu could think of to limit Zi'e's supernatural powers.

Forced by circumstances, Zi'e couldn't bring herself to say "unwilling."

Even after being frozen solid, Zi'e still "insincerely" praised Han Lu for being cautious, careful, and incredibly capable within the hollow space of the ice block left by Han Lu. She had become a complete "sycophant."

As they were finishing up, two more elders from the Zhengyi Sect arrived late.

Finally, after a brief discussion, it was decided that the White Fairy would stay behind to clean up the mess.

Han Lu, along with three other Golden Core elders, escorted Zi'e back to the Zhengyi Sect.

Chapter 906 Escort

This arrangement was made by Daoist Qingxu.

Although he was not the key figure who made the final decision in this operation, he was the leader arranged by Xuan Chengzi, the head of the Zhengyi Sect, to be in charge of this matter.

In addition, Han Lu and the two Golden Core cultivators who arrived later to help were all invited by Daoist Qingxu to come here.

Therefore, even at this moment of victory, Qingxu Daoren still leads the matter and arranges everything.

Now that the purple monster, Zi'e, has been captured, the White Fairy's mission can be considered complete.

It would be quite appropriate for her to lead her disciples to clean up the mess in the vicinity.

Not to mention that the White Fairy lost one of her disciples because of this mission.

Daoist Qingxu was also worried about letting Fairy Bai, who still harbored resentment towards Zi'e, return to the Zhengyi Sect with Zi'e.

"It's better to stay away. Don't let your emotions get the better of you and cause more trouble."

Qingxu Daoist did not discriminate against female cultivators based on their strength, but he still believed that most female cultivators were emotional people and were not suitable for escorting people while harboring grudges.

No one objected to Qingxu Daoren's arrangements.

The White Fairy only gave the seemingly innocent Purple Calyx a fierce look before following the instructions and going about her business.

Riding on the ark summoned by Daoist Qingxu, Han Lu used her artifact control skills to carry Zi'e, who was trapped in the ice. The four Golden Core cultivators then headed towards the Zhengyi Sect.

Although it was called an escort, Han Lu and her group of four were more likely to return to Zhengyi Gate together.

With Han Lu present, Zi'e, who had already surrendered and was severely weakened, dared not have the slightest thought of resistance. She even took the initiative to cooperate, only asking for leniency.

The other two elders, who arrived late, were more focused on gathering information than on keeping an eye on Zi'e.

Sitting on the ark, the two would ask each other about the situation every now and then, trying to figure out the ins and outs of the story they had missed.

To get a good result, Zi'e naturally kept quiet, afraid of making a mistake and displeasing Han Lu.

Qingxu Daoren and Han Lu also kept their mouths shut.

Both of them were sensible and knew very well how shocking the secret they had heard was, and that it would cause a huge uproar if it got out.

It's best to keep such a secret to yourself for now.

They announced it to the outside world early on to mobilize all forces to prepare for war.

He kept it to himself, spreading it among a small group of high-ranking members of the sect, making preparations quietly.

We will make a decision after the sect's higher-ups are informed.

Traveling at full speed, the group returned to Zhengyi Gate in less than two hours.

To maintain secrecy, the ark carrying the four Golden Core cultivators stopped directly inside the Five Elements Mountain Academy.

Before leaving, Han Lu even used some illusion techniques to hide the ice block that was trapping Zi'e, so that it would not be seen by outsiders.

There was nothing they could do; such a magical beast as Zi'e simply didn't exist in the Central Plains.

Even the slightest exposure can spark endless speculation, so we can't be careless.

So careful, when Zi'e was escorted to Xuan Chengzi's office, no one else in the Zhengyi Sect knew of Zi'e's existence.

After the goods were delivered, the two sect elders who arrived late and knew nothing about the secrets took the initiative to leave, leaving only Han Lu and Qingxu Daoist to report to Xuan Chengzi.

Upon hearing that Daoist Qingxu and Han Lu had come to visit about the purple monster, Xuan Chengzi quickly ushered them in.

Upon arriving at Genseiko's office and dispelling the illusion on the surface of the ice, Genseiko was genuinely startled.

Xuan Chengzi remained outwardly calm and asked, "Is this the monster that appeared in the Central Plains twice?"

Hearing the unpleasant nickname bestowed upon her, Zi'e, sitting in the ice, looked displeased, but did not utter a word of protest.

"The sect leader is right."

"This monster is called Zi'e, but we do not yet know its specific race."

Qingxu Daoist hurriedly replied, explaining the situation: "Today, one of Bai Xianzi's disciples discovered the whereabouts of the purple monster."

"I immediately went to provide assistance, and also distributed paper swords, and asked Fairy Zhenfeng and several other fellow Daoists for help."

……

"In the end, fortunately Elder Zhenfeng arrived in time, not only stopping and injuring the monster, but also devising a plan to extract a lot of useful information."

Hearing this, Xuan Chengzi looked at Han Lu and said, "Elder Zhenfeng, please have a good talk with me."

Han Lu said modestly, "It's just a little trick, nothing to brag about."

Despite her words, Han Lu still provided a detailed explanation of the specific circumstances, especially regarding Zi'e's purpose in coming to the Central Plains, which she described word for word.

Upon hearing that such a calamity would occur a thousand years later, Xuan Chengzi was quite surprised and murmured, "Is this the calamity that Senior Wang Han predicted?"

“Yes,” Qingxu Daoist echoed, “I was also startled when I heard it. Sect Master, although you and I may not live to see a thousand years from now, we should start preparing now.”

"Whether it's fighting or peaceful coexistence, only those with strength as a guarantee have the right to negotiate."

Xuan Chengzi nodded and said, "Although we cultivators of the Central Plains value harmony, if someone really bullies us, we must still clench our fists and fight back with our spirit swords."

“Fellow Daoist Zi’e,” since he was seeking cooperation and wanted to learn more from Zi’e, Xuan Chengzi addressed the purple monster in the same way, “Please stay at the Zhengyi Sect for a while and cooperate with us.”

"Once everything is clear, I will make a decision based on your performance."

"Any objections?"

Asking that question was pointless; Zi'e dared not utter a single word of dissent.

"I will follow Sect Master Xuan Chengzi's arrangements." Zi'e said meekly from inside the ice.

After exchanging a few words, Xuan Chengzi made several more arrangements.

Please ask Daoist Qingxu to make a trip and awaken the senior elders of the sect.

He then arranged for Han Lu to accompany him to send Zi'e to a prison cell in Zhengyi Gate that had not been used for a long time, where she would be temporarily imprisoned within a formation.

Although they were already considered partners, Zi'e's unpredictable abilities made Xuan Chengzi determined to keep a close watch on her to prevent her from escaping and causing trouble.

Zi'e didn't bother to argue and obediently accepted the arrangement.

Standing outside the cell, Han Lu handed over the "Glue Yuan Shen" she had obtained from Zi E, saying, "This item is useless to me. I beg the sect leader's subordinates, if you can give it to Fairy Bai, it will help her heal the pain of losing her disciple."

Xuan Chengzi nodded slightly and said, "Let's follow Elder Zhenfeng's arrangement."

“However, Elder Zhenfeng, you have once again made a great contribution to the sect,” Xuan Chengzi said, then paused for a moment before continuing, “Tomorrow, I will send someone to deliver three drops of the Heaven-Stealing Bottle Spirit Liquid to you as a reward.”

"Three drops of the elixir, diluted and mixed, may be of great use."

On Cold Cicada Peak, Han Lu also planted many spiritual plants and entrusted them to the two mortal servants in the house to take care of.

The spiritual liquid produced by these Heaven-Stealing Bottles, while not particularly useful to her, was still something she could use.

No one would complain about having too many aged spiritual plants.

Han Lu smiled and bowed, "Thank you for your concern and kindness, Sect Leader."

[Author's Note] I was right when I said the client was an idiot.

Chapter 907 The Local Official Life of the Warm-Hearted Empress

As soon as Han Lu left, Xuan Chengzi, along with two other Supreme Elders invited by Qingxu Daoist, entered the underground prison of the Five Elements Mountain Academy once again.

Besides what Han Lu had managed to extract from her, there were many other things about the Eastern Lands that Zi'e hadn't revealed to the outside world.

Know yourself and the enemy.

While the Eastern Lands wanted to use Zi'e to spy on the Central Plains and other places, Xuan Chengzi also wanted to use Zi'e to understand the Eastern Lands, to know how the world's power was distributed, whether it was united, and how many powerful figures were in charge.

If this information were known in advance...

This allows cultivators in the Central Plains to prepare in advance.

You can also plan ahead and employ strategies.

Whether to take the initiative to use tactics such as sowing discord or counter-espionage requires sufficient information to provide a basis for reference.

Han Lu didn't know how much information Xuan Chengzi and the two Supreme Elders had obtained from Zi'e, but she soon heard news that there had been results regarding the report of an unidentified monster appearing in a certain place in the Central Plains.

The so-called result was, of course, a false message spread by Xuan Chengzi's people to confuse the public.

Clearly, with a thousand years to go, Xuan Chengzi intended to keep the matter a secret to avoid causing panic.

After all, the vast majority of cultivators alive at this time will not live to see the day the calamity arrives, and there is absolutely no need for them to know about this matter and add waves to the peaceful and harmonious cultivation world of the Central Plains.

The Zhengyi Sect explained the unidentified monster incident by saying that it was a demonic beast skilled in illusion from the wilderness that appeared in the Central Plains, which caused the misunderstanding.

The monster has now been subdued. Since it only made a minor mistake, it has been temporarily imprisoned in the Zhengyi Sect, with plans to release it back into the wilderness in ten years.

The story was so plausible that many cultivators who had no idea that the purple monster had ever appeared in the Central Plains were reassured.

However, for cultivators like Wen Erya who knew of the existence of the purple monster, this news actually piqued their interest, making them feel that there must be something fishy about it.

The official statement claimed that it was the Fairy Zhenfeng who captured the mischievous monster. Naturally, Wen Erya believed that Han Lu was the one who knew about this matter.

Upon learning the outcome of the matter, Wen Erya, who had only returned to the sect from the mortal realm a day prior, took the initiative to visit Han Lu, wanting to learn the truth from her.

Han Lu was tight-lipped and refused to reveal the truth even when Wen Erya asked her.

She was vague, saying that there was indeed a major secret involved.