The Long Journey to Immortality

The jade plaque was passed around among Han Lu and the other three.

An ordinary-looking cultivator appeared in Han Lu's mind.

"They must have used illusion magic to disguise their appearance," Han Lu concluded.

The reason for this deduction was not that Han Lu had noticed any flaws, but rather that she felt it was impossible for a Phoenix True Spirit with at least the Transformation Realm cultivation level to have such an "unremarkable" humanoid appearance.

This reason was not something that could be shared with outsiders, so Han Lu didn't bother to explain it.

"Before finding that phantom phoenix, we considered that it might not have come to the Central Plains alone," Elder Mo Yun said, mentioning something Wen Er Ya had once brought up. "So, after discovering it, we didn't try to capture it immediately, but chose to follow it for the time being to see if it had any companions."

"It was probably during these five days of tracking and observation that the other party noticed something amiss."

"As a result, the other side used a trick to lure us there."

"My cultivation level is high and my reaction is quick, so I didn't fall into that illusion array immediately."

"Then, the phoenix realized that its cultivation was inferior to mine and that it would not have a chance to escape by itself, so it made up a story to deceive me."

Elder Mo Yun didn't go into details about what he had written, but he had already informed Han Lu and the others of the general content beforehand.

"I was concerned for the safety of Elder Xuancheng and the other two, so I believed the phoenix's plan and sat there for several days."

"During that period, the compass given by Elder Wen also lost its effectiveness."

Elder Mo Yun was very frustrated. After a thousand years in the cultivation world, he had actually fallen for such a low-level scheme.

"We originally intended to wait for Elder Xuancheng and the others to break the formation on their own, but we didn't expect that we would wait for seven whole days without any results."

"In the end, I had no choice but to ask for help, thinking that Elder Zhenfeng was also a phantom phantom, and should be able to resolve this situation."

"Fortunately," Elder Mo Yun said with relief, "everyone is safe and sound."

Although there are some details in Elder Mo Yun's story that Han Lu cannot understand from her perspective and cannot be explained logically, there is still plenty of time to sort them out in the future.

[Author's Note] Cyberpunk is indeed great, but for some reason, the random characters' voices aren't audible, which is really annoying. Only the main NPCs have voices.

Chapter 1098

Han Lu could tell that there were some minor problems and even illogical points in Elder Mo Yun's story, which must have been concealed by his writing style.

Han Lu could tell, and so could Venerable Qingyang, who was traveling with her.

Even Nian Haoge and Xinshan Jushi could sense that something was amiss in Elder Moyun's narration.

Although the four had not communicated beforehand, they all tacitly refrained from asking questions at this time, thus avoiding making things difficult for Elder Mo Yun.

Han Lu could roughly guess what Elder Mo Yun was hiding.

"Perhaps it was his eagerness to make a contribution that led him to make some unnecessary or even basic mistakes while chasing after that Eastern Phoenix."

"Perhaps it was because of his eagerness to achieve quick results rather than the vigilance of his opponents that he revealed his weakness."

"The timing of sending the distress signal was too slow," Han Lu thought to herself. "It seems they didn't want to escalate the matter, lest they appear incompetent within the sect. In the end, sending the signal was probably a last resort after trying several methods without success."

Han Lu could understand Elder Mo Yun's mindset at the time, and so could the other cultivators present who had guessed the "correct answer".

Like Xuan Chengzi, who had already regained consciousness and recalled everything that had happened in the past few days, he also tacitly remained silent, showing no intention of exposing the lies in Elder Mo Yun's words or revealing the "foolish truth."

The cultivators on the ark maintained a tacit understanding: after Elder Mo Yun finished explaining the general events that had happened to the four of them in the East Sea, they remained silent about the mission they had been so eager to accomplish.

Even when they did talk, they only exchanged a few words about the phantom phoenix.

When there are many people and they are not familiar with each other, the journey naturally becomes dull and boring.

Venerable Qingyang took his leave and said to Han Lu before leaving, "Elder Zhenfeng, I have something to discuss with you privately."

Han Lu could roughly guess what Venerable Qingyang wanted to say, so she quickly got up and followed him.

The two arrived at a room in the ark and sat down facing each other.

Without any hesitation, Venerable Qingyang directly cast a restrictive array to isolate divine sense, lest someone overhear him.

“Fairy Zhenfeng,” Venerable Qingyang and Han Lu had interacted quite a bit, but they weren’t close enough to call each other by name. “This time, I’m so grateful to you. Otherwise, that formation would have definitely stumped me, and we don’t know how much more time we would have wasted there.”

Han Lu smiled slightly and said modestly, "It's just luck. If Elder Mo Yun hadn't specifically asked me to come here, I wouldn't have been able to help everyone get this done."

Since Han Lu brought up Elder Mo Yun, Venerable Qingyang stopped beating around the bush and directly addressed what he wanted to discuss with Han Lu.

“There must be more to this story than meets the eye,” Venerable Qingyang said, not intending to give Venerable Moyun any face in private. “Fairy Zhenfeng, I heard you are quite familiar with Elder Xuancheng?”

Han Lu was somewhat unsure of Venerable Qingyang's thoughts. "It's alright. Back when Elder Xuancheng was still the sect leader, I had quite a few exchanges with him. I've also met him a few times in private; we're like chess friends."

Han Lu described her relationship with Xuan Chengzi as not very intimate.

However, this word clearly did not dampen Venerable Qingyang's expectations for Han Lu.

“Elder Zhenfeng,” Venerable Qingyang said solemnly, “Although this matter did not end badly, we also failed to capture the phantom phoenix, which was mostly from the Eastern Land, as we had anticipated. It cannot be considered a success.”

"Just now, Elder Mo Yun clearly concealed some truths, some truths that are not conducive to his personal image."

"These truths may very well help us increase our chances of capturing that phantom phoenix from the Eastern Lands in the future."

“Therefore,” Venerable Qingyang concluded, “I hope you can investigate this matter thoroughly through Elder Xuancheng and tell me the truth, which I will then report to Sect Master Qingxu.”

"Clear rewards and punishments are one of the reasons why the Zhengyi Sect has been able to stand firm," Venerable Qingyang sang in a high-pitched tone. "After returning to the sect, I will explain this matter to the sect leader one by one. Elder Zhenfeng's merits and Elder Moyun's mistakes are indispensable."

Upon hearing Venerable Qingyang's words, Han Lu did not believe that Venerable Qingyang acted this way and made such a difficult request because he was "concerned about the sect" or "fair and just".

However, a word that is rarely mentioned popped into Han Lu's mind.

Internal strife.

Although it was unclear whether Venerable Qingyang and his fellow Daoist Moyun had a conflict of interest or some grudge, this did not affect Han Lu's determination not to get involved in the matter.

Even she was very curious, curious about what had happened.

Having found a good reason to decline, Han Lu replied, "I'm afraid that won't work. Although Elder Xuancheng is the former sect leader, he didn't expose me on the spot just now, and I can't expect him to tell the truth in private."

"Not to mention, Elder Xuancheng might not even know the specifics," Han Lu suggested.

Although the words were vague, Venerable Qingyang still understood Han Lu's attitude.

“Elder Zhenfeng has a point,” Venerable Qingyang concluded, not wanting to tarnish his image. “However, I will still report Elder Zhenfeng’s contributions to the sect leader regardless.”

Han Lu smiled and nodded, "Then I thank you in advance, Your Excellency."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Han Lu left the room on the ark that belonged to Venerable Qingyang.

Unexpectedly, Han Lu had just left when Elder Mo Yun called her back.

“Fairy Zhenfeng, it’s fortunate you were there,” Elder Mo Yun’s appearance was somewhat inopportune, “What did Venerable Qingyang say to you?”

Han Lu's answer was half true and half false: "She just told me about the future capture of that phantom phoenix from the East, nothing special."

"Oh? But what conclusion was reached?" Elder Mo Yun asked, half believing and half doubting.

Han Lu took out a feather from the phantom phoenix that was used to set up the formation. "With this, Elder Wen should be able to make another compass to help us find the phantom phoenix."

Upon hearing this, Elder Mo Yun was overjoyed and said, "This is wonderful! I must get this mission and meet that cunning Illusion Phoenix again to avenge my humiliation."

Clearly, Elder Mo Yun was quite concerned about this matter.

Han Lu couldn't make any promises, so she said, "Then I wish Elder Mo Yun success in capturing that troublemaking Huan Feng."

Elder Mo Yun and Han Lu parted ways, and Elder Mo Yun went to find Venerable Qingyang alone.

Clearly, the two Nascent Soul cultivators leading the team in charge of this matter will have a private conversation.

"Alright, let's leave it at that," Han Lu didn't take what the two had said to her too seriously. "In such a large sect, it would be a pipe dream for cultivators not to have any conflicts. Didn't I fight with Hermit Xinshan?"

"I don't need to think about this too much, let it be."

Chapter 1099

Although Han Lu actively participated in sect affairs, most of those affairs were handled externally.

She had no interest in getting involved in troublesome matters within the sect that even an upright official couldn't resolve.

The reason for refusing Venerable Qingyang was the same as the reason for not answering Elder Moyun's true question.

Focusing on being content with one's lot and concentrating on self-cultivation is the guiding principle Han Lu is upholding at this time.

From this perspective, Han Lu is more like a pure Central Plains cultivator than these two Nascent Soul cultivators from the sect.

To avoid suspicion, Han Lu stayed in her room on the ark for several days during her return journey, focusing on her spiritual practice and refusing to concern herself with outside affairs.

She only showed herself when Fangzhou led everyone back to Zhengyi Sect.

When she disembarked from the ark, she paid special attention to the condition of Venerable Qingyang and Elder Moyun.

The two were standing together in front of Qingxu Daoist, discussing and exchanging ideas.

"It seems that, at least on the surface, nothing has happened."

Feeling slightly relieved, Han Lu was about to leave quietly when she was spotted by the sharp-eyed Daoist Qingxu.

"Elder Zhenfeng, please wait."

As an important figure on this trip, Elder Mo Yun specifically requested that the cultivators involved be present, and Daoist Qingxu believed that it would be appropriate for Han Lu to be present when reporting the situation.

After being called that, Han Lu's plan to avoid the situation was rendered useless.

However, Han Lu still had her own way of avoiding getting involved in this matter with Elder Mo Yun and Elder Qing Yang.

Han Lu cupped her hands, feigning anxiety, and said, "Sect Master, my True Spirit Cultivation Technique is at the critical stage of a breakthrough. If you need me to report on the situation, how about in a few days?"

Using the matter of cultivation as an excuse, Han Lu was confident that with her relationship with Daoist Qingxu, there would be no problem.

The result was just as Han Lu had expected.

Elder Qingxu, who did not understand how the True Spirit cultivated, had no idea of ​​Han Lu's purpose.

After hearing Han Lu's words, he immediately gave up the idea of ​​keeping Han Lu.

"Elder Zhenfeng should hurry home and go into seclusion to cultivate, lest she miss important matters," Qingxu Daoist made other arrangements. "When Elder Zhenfeng has some free time in a while, she can come to my place again."

Han Lu was secretly pleased, feeling that she had temporarily escaped from this murky situation.

She bowed again, afraid that others would notice something amiss, and immediately flew away at lightning speed, "escaping" back to her residence.

The other cultivators present were also unaware of the cultivation of the True Spirit, and they had witnessed Han Lu diligently cultivating alone on the Ark. None of them had any doubts.

Han Lu was unaware of what happened that day when the two Nascent Soul Realm elders reported to Qingxu Daoist.