The Long Journey to Immortality

"In that case, the fusion of the Eastern Land with the Great Yu Dynasty and the Central Plains is indeed a great calamity," the Venerable Zhetian defined the nature of the matter. "Neither the Great Yu Dynasty nor the Central Plains can escape this matter, and we must deal with it with all our might."

"As the largest sect in the Great Yu Dynasty, the Jitian Palace has an even greater responsibility."

Knowing that the Jitian Palace was unstable, he was afraid that the Zhetian Venerable would cover it up to avoid "internal strife," thus delaying the opportunity to prepare for war.

Now, with this statement, Xuan Chengzi has finally made up his mind.

"Since the Palace Master of the Shrouding Heaven Palace shares the same view as my Zhengyi Sect, then in the future, we can have a good talk about cooperation and prepare for the disaster a thousand years from now."

The main purpose of this trip is to inform others.

Having only just received the news, even the mighty Venerable of Covering Heaven couldn't possibly consider everything thoroughly in such a short time.

Xuan Chengzi is no longer the sect leader and no longer has the power to make decisions.

Naturally, specific plans for East-West cooperation will have to be discussed later.

Regarding the period in the Eastern Lands, Venerable Zhetian asked Zi'e many more questions.

Zi'e answered these questions during the three years she was "interrogated" in the Zhengyi Sect, and her answers were naturally fluent and persuasive.

You ask, I answer; occasionally, the Heavenly Venerable will symbolically ask Xuan Chengzi and Han Lu for their opinions.

During this period, the atmosphere was not tense; it was more like the Venerable One of Covering the Sky was asking questions of the Eastern Land with curiosity as a cultivator.

From the moment the topic of the East was brought up to the completion of official business, only a quarter of an hour had passed.

However, the Venerable One of Heaven still kept Han Lu and Xuan Chengzi a little longer, just like when he greeted them before, chatting and catching up with the two who were not actually very familiar with each other as friends.

They took out wine cups, poured in spiritual wine, and Venerable Zhetian clinked glasses with Xuanchengzi, chatting about the situation in the East and West.

After Xuan Chengzi and Zi'e left, they teased Han Lu and told her the love story between Zhenfeng Fairy and Mo Qiongzi.

There was no intention to force marriage; he simply inquired about Han Lu and Mo Zhehan's current relationship and, incidentally, reminisced about his own love story from back then in front of the younger generation.

“It’s not easy to find a like-minded person who loves you. I think Mo Zhehan is indeed a good match for you.”

"However, I will not interfere with what happens to you in the end."

"If they truly become a couple, that would indeed be a joyous occasion."

"If we are destined to be apart, I hope you can find someone more suitable than my apprentice."

As a Nascent Soul cultivator and the master of the Extreme Heaven Palace, the Heavenly Venerable did not pry too much into Han Lu's private affairs and soon sent her away.

He was extremely busy, handling numerous matters during each break from his meditation practice.

The reason he was able to chat with Han Lu for so long was because of his "favor" over the genius cultivator and the relationship between Han Lu and Mo Zhehan.

However, apart from the sentence "It is not easy to find a like-minded person who loves you," Han Lu did not listen to the rest of what the Venerable of Covering the Sky said.

She is not someone who is easily influenced by external factors.

The words of the Heavenly Venerable only reminded Han Lu of this matter that she had been trying her best to ignore.

However, still uncertain about the matter, Han Lu finally came to a conclusion.

We'll talk about it later.

Chapter 926 How to Launch an Attack?

When counseling Chai Tianjiao, Han Lu was very shrewd and spoke eloquently and logically.

While joining in the fun between Lü Zhi and Yi Qiyan, she also actively helped to cheer them on, using "scientific methods" to help the young couple get along very well and become very affectionate.

However, when such a love story happened to her, she was blinded by her own experience, fidgeting and unable to distinguish right from wrong.

He left with Xuan Chengzi and Zi'e, and then met with Mo Zhehan again.

Mo Zhehan inquired about the attitude of the Celestial Venerable of Covering the Sky towards the invasion of the Eastern Lands.

When he heard that his master had also decided to deal with the matter seriously, Mo Zhehan breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought to himself, "Others say that my master is good at internal warfare but bad at external warfare, and only knows how to fight among himself."

"Now it seems that everything Master did was just to clear away obstacles. Even on such a matter of right and wrong, he would still make the wisest choice."

Mo Zhehan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then I imagine we'll be able to cooperate soon and face this crisis together."

Xuan Chengzi already had a rough framework in mind. "What you said is not wrong. A lot of preparation work still needs to be done before the actual action is taken. But in the context of a thousand years, spending only three to four years to prepare is definitely fast."

"What preparations?" Mo Zhehan and Han Lu asked in unison.

Although Han Lu had known about this matter for a long time, she had not paid much attention to it because she was not a high-ranking member of the sect, and had never thought deeply about how to deal with the invasion from the East.

Fearing that the walls might be overheard, Xuan Chengzi switched to using telepathy to communicate with the two as they walked outside the main hall.

"In the simplest terms, if we want to take the initiative, like Fellow Daoist Zi'e who came to us to gather intelligence in the Eastern Land, we must first determine the exact location of the Eastern Land, which is parallel to our world, within the human realm."

"Next, how should the fellow Daoists who went to the Eastern Lands send the message back? After Zi'e, as an avatar, died, she would use a secret technique to send 80% of her memories back to her main body."

"Besides these two items, there are many other preparations."

"Only after the location is determined can we arrange manpower, with several Nascent Soul Realm cultivators using their great supernatural powers to move the selected fellow Daoists to the Eastern Land."

Xuan Chengzi's explanation was not complicated, and Han Lu and Mo Zhehan easily understood its meaning.

Upon hearing this, Mo Zhehan countered with a question, "Fellow Daoist Xuancheng..."

After learning that Xuan Chengzi had stepped down from his position as sect leader, Mo Zhehan changed his form of address.

"What kind of cultivators do you think should be sent to the Eastern Lands to gather intelligence?"

The question is not complicated, though it is somewhat cruel, but Xuan Chengzi already had the answer in his heart.

"Then naturally we need to arrange a few people who are at least at the Golden Core stage, with considerable combat power, flexible and adaptable, and preferably also possess the bloodline of demon beasts or spirit beasts."

Based on his understanding of the Eastern Lands, Xuan Chengzi knew that the landscape there was similar to that of the ancient cultivation era, with various races rising up together.

Naturally, cultivators like Han Lu and Mo Zhehan are more likely to get along well in the Eastern Lands and can be more discreet when carrying out missions.

"Such a mission to spy on the enemy in another world is too dangerous; there is a 50% chance that one will not return."

Xuan Chengzi remained silent for a moment before continuing, "The fellow Daoist who is dispatched must be advanced in age and have a short lifespan."

The cruelest words were not spoken, but Han Lu and Mo Zhehan still couldn't help but swallow, imagining the scene of the secret envoy and scout, like Zi'e, dying in the Eastern Land.

Perhaps because the topic was too cruel, the three of them remained silent for a long time until they returned to Mo Zhehan's flying artifact, at which point Mo Zhehan spoke again.

"Fellow Daoist Xuancheng, Han Lu, and Fellow Daoist Zi'e, have you left anything at my residence?"

"If not, shall we head straight for the teleportation portal, or would you like to stay here for a few more days and explore the entire Jitian Palace?"

"Fellow Daoist Xuancheng and Fellow Daoist Zi'e are also visiting the Great Yu Dynasty for the first time."

"Coming and going in such a hurry is so boring."

If Zi'e hadn't been by his side, Xuan Chengzi might have actually accepted Mo Zhehan's invitation and stayed in the Jitian Palace for a few more days to look around.

However, because of the existence of Zi'e, a bomb that might not explode, Xuan Chengzi still rushed to attend to official business.

Although everything went smoothly, it was still necessary to report back as soon as possible.

“Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Moqiong,” Xuan Chengzi replied. “Please send me back to the teleportation portal directly. Fellow Daoist Zi’e and I will return sooner so that Sect Master Qingxu can rest assured.”

In just three or four years, the roles of superior and subordinate were reversed, but when Xuan Chengzi mentioned the title of Qingxu Sect Master, he did not hesitate at all.

Purple Calyx did not answer.

In this trio's group, she had absolutely no say.

Even though she really wanted to go to the wilderness with Han Lu, she could only keep it to herself and quietly follow Xuan Chengzi.

Mo Zhehan nodded, then looked at Han Lu, "Han Lu, what about you? Are you going back to the Wilderness?"

Han Lu looked at Xuan Chengzi but did not speak.

Xuan Chengzi understood Han Lu's meaning and said, "Elder Zhenfeng, there is no need to worry. This matter was actually instructed to me by the Qingxu Sect Master. It was not something I did on a whim."

"According to him, you only need to return to the sect within twenty years."

"Elder Zhenfeng, the sect leader has really treated you well."

Han Lu nodded and said, "I see. Then I'm relieved. However, there are still many matters, big and small, within the sect that I need to handle."

"I still have to go back to say goodbye to Wen Erya and make proper arrangements for the future cultivation of my many disciples."

"Only in this way can I truly travel light and go home."

Han Lu was not selfish. Even though she was eager to return home, she was still considerate and did not want to cause trouble for any cultivators she had any connection with.

“Alright, let’s go back first, and then travel to the Wilderness via the teleportation portal in a while,” Xuan Chengzi said, not caring when Han Lu decided to set off. “I suppose the wealthy Elder Zhenfeng wouldn’t mind spending a mere two thousand spirit stones.”

Mo Zhehan was slightly disappointed when he heard Han Lu's decision.

He had originally intended to pester Han Lu under the guise of "escorting" her and accompany her for a while, but now it seems there's no hope of that happening.

However, upon further reflection, Mo Zhehan came up with a foolish idea.

He chuckled inwardly and said to the three of them, "Alright, I'll send you to the portal."

In less than half a day, Mo Zhehan used his magical artifact to transport the three of them to the grand ceremony at the teleportation portal.

The rules for exchanging goods are similar.

After bidding farewell to Mo Zhehan, Han Lu and the other two handed over the spirit stones and left one after another, returning to the Central Plains.

After returning to Zhengyi Sect, Xuan Chengzi led Zi'e to report back, while Han Lu began to worry about preparations for returning home.

He bid farewell to Wen Erya, explained the situation to his disciples, and left behind a large amount of resources and spirit stones.

It took Han Lu four days to get everything done.

Chapter 927 An Old Friend Invites a Battle

In addition to the usual arrangements, Han Lu made an unusual decision because this departure would last anywhere from ten to twenty years.

She instructed her eldest disciple, Qiu Peng, who was mainly responsible for accepting and teaching disciples, not to accept disciples on her behalf during her absence, so as not to delay the new disciples' cultivation.

In addition, Han Lu also spent some time doing a divination for Nian Haoge, who would likely advance to the Pseudo-Core Realm in another year or two of cultivation.

Although Han Lu has not made any further progress in divination, with her current cultivation level, helping others to divine the time and place of Core Formation would be an extremely easy task.

After calculating the ideal locations and times for Nian Haoge to form his core over the next ten years, Han Lu also specially taught Nian Haoge many techniques and methods for forming his core.