The Long Journey to Immortality

Naturally, this place became a platform for some "high-level cultivators" to exchange ideas.

A combination of factors led Han Lu to witness this somewhat unexpected scene more than fifty years later.

After discussing with Xuan Chengzi for a while and learning about the reasons for the prosperity of this place, Han Lu sighed and said, "If this continues, a real city belonging to cultivators will probably be built in this remote mountain valley."

Xuan Chengzi, however, did not see it that way. “The trade has been going on for fifty years, and the profits from this business are no longer what they used to be.”

"Unless in the future, the portals for traveling between East and West can be powered by cheaper prices and energy."

"Otherwise, this size of market town should already be the limit."

Hearing this made sense, Han Lu nodded slightly and echoed her sentiments.

Before the portal, Xuan Chengzi descended the ark and, together with Han Lu and Zi'e, who had changed into a female robe and magical artifact that could block divine sense from prying into her body, stepped onto the stage to prepare for their official departure.

Having already informed their fellow disciples stationed there, the three of them didn't need to pay anything themselves; someone had already used "public funds" to reimburse their travel expenses to the Great Yu Dynasty.

After exchanging a few polite words with the disciples stationed there, Xuan Chengzi took the lead, passed through the activated teleportation portal, and headed towards the Great Yu Dynasty, a place he had longed to visit for a long time but had never had the chance to go to.

"Fellow Daoist Zi'e, please go first." Han Lu stepped aside to let Zi'e go first.

Without hesitation, after the cultivator assisting her spent another two thousand spirit stones to activate the portal, Zi'e, who had experienced teleportation across worlds before, calmly strolled inside.

Finally, it's Han Lu.

Looking at the portal, Han Lu couldn't help but recall the scene when she teleported here years ago, and a sense of emotion welled up in her heart.

It wasn't until a Zhengyi Sect cultivator serving nearby whispered a reminder that he snapped out of his daze, quickly entered, and completed his journey from east to west.

Returning to the Great Yu Dynasty, the scenery here is exactly the same as before.

It was still a magnificent ceremony, but due to the normalization of East-West exchanges, there were far fewer disciples of the Jitian Palace standing guard here.

Clearly, the more powerful Great Yu Dynasty Heavenly Palace did not consider the possibility of the Central Plains invading via a teleportation portal as a likely event.

In their view, the portal was merely a means of transportation, not a potential trigger for a catastrophe or war.

This trip was conducted without prior notice to the Jitian Palace, making it a secret mission. Therefore, no one at the Jitian Palace greeted Han Lu and her party.

After walking a few more steps and descending from the platform, Han Lu met up with Xuan Chengzi and Zi'e.

"Elder Xuancheng, what's next?" Han Lu whispered, and the three of them walked side by side out of the main hall.

Xuan Chengzi replied, "Fairy Zhenfeng, do you know where your friends live? Especially the residence of Mo Zhehan, the disciple of the Palace Master of Jitian Palace."

Han Lu transmitted her voice and said, "I am aware of this."

Before Mo Zhehan left, he harbored the fantasy that Han Lu might come to Dayu Dynasty to find him, so he naturally told Han Lu his specific address in the Jitian Palace.

Unexpectedly, it came in handy at this time.

“That’s perfect. You can lead me and Fellow Daoist Purple to find Mo Zhehan and ask for information.”

"It would be best if we could speak directly with the Palace Master of the Extreme Heaven Palace through him."

"If that doesn't work, we should at least find out the general situation in the Extreme Heaven Palace."

"Let's see if there's something fishy going on as you say."

Xuan Chengzi was well-prepared and had considered everything carefully.

Han Lu nodded slightly and said, "Okay, come with me."

"I think Mo Zhehan wouldn't refuse to tell me these things that aren't too confidential."

"Elder Xuancheng can definitely find out everything he wants to know through Mo Zhehan."

Traveling through the unfamiliar Jitian Prefecture, Han Lu and her two companions did not travel by ark as they had in the Central Plains.

Zi'e flew on her sword, while Han Lu and Xuan Chengzi flew through the air.

Although the "security" of Jitian Prefecture is excellent, it is not much worse than that of the Central Plains.

But the three of them were still very cautious, fearing that they would die before they could even achieve their goal.

With so many high-level cultivators in the Jitian Palace, Han Lu and Xuan Chengzi couldn't guarantee that a Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn't suddenly lose his mind and drag the three of them into trouble.

Chapter 913 Goodbye Mo Zhehan

Although the Jitian Palace completely occupied the entire territory of the Jitian Prefecture due to its superior status and overwhelming strength.

Among the many prefectures of the Great Yu Dynasty, Jitian Prefecture is the smallest, but this does not affect the fact that the territory occupied by Jitian Palace is several times larger than that of the entire Central Plains.

From south to north, at Han Lu and her two companions' flying speed, it would take them three full days to cross the river.

This situation naturally led to "warlordism" within the Jitian Palace, with numerous small sects led by Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators existing under a single signboard.

Just like how Zhengyi Gate is composed of six closely connected courtyards.

The Jitian Palace is a loosely organized "alliance" composed of nearly a hundred small sects.

With such an organizational structure in place, it's no wonder that some people in the Extreme Heaven Palace are dissatisfied with the current Palace Master.

He could gather followers outside and attempt to usurp the throne.

Even within the palace, they can openly oppose the red flag while waving it, and openly oppose the current palace master.

Mo Zhehan is a disciple of the Palace Master of the Jitian Palace, so he naturally belongs to the "sect" of the Palace Master's lineage.

This lineage has always been the "noble" of the Jitian Palace, having produced several palace masters.

So prestigious, the place where Mo Zhehan's lineage cultivates and lives is a feng shui treasure land in the very center of Jitianfu.

It's quite a distance from the lakeside where Han Lu and Mo Zhehan used to go boating together.

It is about a ten-hour journey to the portal that connects the east and west.

It's not far, but it's not close either.

As they flew through the air, Han Lu and Xuan Chengzi only occasionally communicated telepathically, discussing matters related to the Great Yu Dynasty.

Zi'e, on the other hand, gradually relaxed after leaving the Central Plains, that "unlucky place," and even took the initiative to chat with Han Lu and get closer to her.

Perhaps because she possessed the bloodline of a true spirit and was not a true human cultivator, Han Lu did not have a strong aversion to the purple monster Zi'e. In fact, because of her current mission, she was quite willing to act as a bridge between Zi'e and the Zhengyi Sect to maintain a harmonious relationship.

Zi'e and Han Lu chatted about Han Lu's past.

The question wasn't private, and Han Lu was happy to share, livening up the atmosphere.

Before even reaching their destination, Zi'e, disguised as a female cultivator, had already vaguely guessed the "entanglement" between Han Lu and Mo Zhehan, and couldn't help but secretly have a "the more the merrier" mentality towards this trip.

In less than a day, Han Lu led Xuan Chengzi and Zi E to the area where the Zi Xiao Sect of the Ji Tian Palace was located.

While one can move freely within the Jitian Palace, if one wishes to visit the Zixiao Sect of the Jitian Palace, to which Mo Zhehan belongs, just as one would visit the Zhengyi Sect, one still needs to pass through several thresholds.

Han Lu had no token to prove her relationship with Mo Zhehan, but it wouldn't be a problem to have the Zixiao Sect disciples guarding the mountain gate pass on a message.

Coincidentally, the Zixiao Sect disciple guarding the mountain gate had witnessed Han Lu and Mo Zhehan's duel on the arena years ago, thus giving Han Lu another opportunity to make her presence known in this "foreign land".

A good reputation can indeed help you get a lot done.

There was no instance of a large store bullying its customers.

After recognizing Han Lu's identity, the Zixiao Sect disciple guarding the mountain gate exchanged a few warm words with Han Lu and quickly helped her send out a paper sword to resolve the problem.

He had also heard the story of Elder Mo Qiongzi's "entanglement" with the True Phoenix Fairy in the east, so he dared not be negligent in this matter.

Seeing this, Xuan Chengzi chuckled and teased from the side, "Elder Zhenfeng is famous overseas."

The paper sword went and came back in no time at all, in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

Upon receiving instructions from Mo Zhehan, the disciple guarding the Zixiao Sect's mountain gate immediately allowed them to pass and offered to guide Han Lu and her group.

With ease and by keeping a low profile, the "diplomatic delegation" consisting of Han Lu, Xuan Chengzi, and Zi'e arrived at their first stop on the second day after arriving in the Dayu Dynasty.

Upon hearing that Han Lu had arrived, Mo Zhehan took the initiative to come out and greet her.

Although most of his joy disappeared when he saw Xuan Chengzi and Zi'e beside Han Lu, he still wore a bright smile that he rarely saw on his face.

"Han Lu, you've arrived. Come in and have a seat," Mo Zhehan welcomed her with a smile. "I remember this is Sect Master Xuancheng, right? What brings you to the Jitian Palace?"

"And what is the name of this fellow Daoist? Is he a new friend of Han Lu's?"

This combination of visitors made Mo Zhehan slightly suspicious, but it didn't stop him from showing enthusiasm in front of Han Lu.

Han Lu didn't take advantage of Mo Zhehan's goodwill towards her. While still outside, she got straight to the point, "Mo Zhehan, Elder Xuancheng and I came to find you this time for some rather private matters. Let's talk in detail after we go inside."

Upon hearing this, Mo Zhehan dared not be negligent and promptly led the three to his usual room where he resided during his cultivation, instead of entertaining them in the reception room which had no additional restrictions or protections.

Based on Han Lu's words and Xuan Chengzi's arrival, Mo Zhehan guessed that Han Lu's trip was for official business.

But it was strange that he would come to see this elder who didn't handle any affairs, even though it wasn't official business.

As soon as the four of them sat down on the ground, Mo Zhehan asked, "Han Lu, what exactly is the purpose of your visit to me with Sect Master Xuancheng?"

Xuan Chengzi gave Han Lu a look and then secretly transmitted his voice.

After receiving the instructions, Han Lu asked, "It's a big deal, but we haven't decided yet whether to tell you the most specific details."

"The first thing I did after arriving at the Jitian Palace was to find you. I thought that since you are my friend and you have a high status in the Jitian Palace, I wanted to see if I could get in touch with your master, the Palace Master of the Jitian Palace, through you."

Han Lu's words were quite conservative.

This attitude further convinced Mo Zhehan that Han Lu's mission was of great importance, and that the secret she was hiding was a top-secret secret.

To be honest, Mo Zhehan said that his status in the Jitian Palace was not as high as Han Lu had imagined.

"There are many talented and extraordinary people in the sect. Although I am the most talented and have the highest cultivation among the new batch of disciples that my master has taken in, there are many senior brothers and sisters who are in the late Golden Core stage or Nascent Soul stage among the first few disciples of my master."

"I don't really have much to say to my master."

"Your status within the sect is probably a bit lower than when you just defeated me, Han Lu."

Upon hearing this, Han Lu and Xuan Chengzi exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat disappointed.

However, Mo Zhehan soon gave them a small twist, rekindling their hopes.

"However, I am still Master's disciple after all. If there is something important, it will definitely not be a problem for me to take the initiative to seek an audience or to be introduced on his behalf."

"Not to mention that Han Lu and Sect Master Xuancheng came to visit."

"However, Sect Master Xuancheng, if you were to pursue diplomatic relations properly, wouldn't it be easy for you to meet with a deputy palace master or other high-ranking member of the sect? Why bother going through the trouble of going through me?"

Mo Zhehan asked a question that led the discussion to a deeper level.

[Author's Note] In the blink of an eye, it feels like 2020 is almost over.