The Long Journey to Immortality

Just as he was about to give up and his spiritual energy was being drained by the bottomless pit of the Golden Core, Qiu Peng finally witnessed the Golden Core in his abdomen lose its last flaw and become a smooth, golden sphere floating in his dantian.

Overjoyed, he poured all the remaining spiritual energy into it.

Upon achieving the highest grade of the elixir, Qiu Peng, slumped on his throne, shed tears of excitement.

[Author's Note] The Moon Pearl's design is somewhat similar to Mewtwo~

Chapter 1106

Despite his excitement, Qiu Peng did not forget that there was still a hurdle to overcome after completing the Core Formation.

At this time when Golden Core cultivators are at their weakest, they are extremely vulnerable to invasion from both internal and external evil forces.

The inner demon is the inner demon. Back then, Xiao Ran, who was single-mindedly seeking revenge and harboring obsessions, was taken advantage of by the inner demon. Fortunately, he was able to escape danger with the help of Han Lu and Ci Daoren.

The Outer Demons are extraterrestrial demons, a type of demon that lives in the gaps between spaces and worlds.

These extraterrestrial demons are skilled at possession, and their favorite thing to do is to take advantage of weaknesses.

The moment a Golden Core cultivator completes the Core Formation process, and the moment a cultivator ascends to immortality, are both opportune moments for them to seize control of another's body.

If either of the two demons successfully possesses a body, it basically means a tragic end for the cultivator who has just taken a successful step.

So how do we defend against the two demons?

The inner demons need to be cultivated through one's own state of mind. The vast majority of cultivators are slow to form a core after forming a false core, and many of them do so because their state of mind is flawed. They "hold back" in order to remove the dust from their mind.

Of course, some elixirs can play a supporting role.

Resisting the extraterrestrial demons requires the assistance of the guardians.

Reaching the Core Formation stage is not the same as undergoing a tribulation. Help from others will not trigger a "chain reaction" that leads to irreparable consequences.

Therefore, if the cultivator protecting him is highly powerful, the extraterrestrial demons whose abilities have been weakened by 99% upon entering the main world will naturally not have any designs on the cultivator who has just successfully formed his core.

Let alone attempting to seize a body, they wouldn't even try to tear through space, and they wouldn't dare show their faces, for fear that the Dharma protectors would intervene and they would become the subdued demons.

As Han Lu's disciple, Qiu Peng was well-versed in this knowledge and had naturally made many preparations with Han Lu's help long ago.

Coming to his senses, he first took out a porcelain bottle from his storage bag and swallowed the three differently colored pills that had been inside.

Two of these three pills are used to help cultivators temporarily calm their minds and strengthen the defenses of their sea of ​​consciousness.

It can be used in combat, and it is also quite suitable to use after one has formed the Golden Core.

The other one is a pill to restore spiritual energy.

After completing this step, Qiu Peng straightened his body and sat properly on the Dharma seat, trying to use his golden core to breathe in the remaining spiritual energy around him to quickly restore his spiritual power, so that any villains who might covet his body and cultivation would lose their desire to covet him.

As Qiu Peng worked, Han Lu explained things to him and also gave Duan Xiaoxuan the formulas for the three pills.

As they were talking, the space above the mine experienced some unusual fluctuations.

"Good heavens," Han Lu laughed easily, "With me and Fellow Daoist Ruyi here, do extraterrestrial demons even dare to invade?"

As expected, Han Lu's judgment was correct. A daring extraterrestrial demon had indeed come here, quietly peeking out its ferocious head, looking down at the mine, as if selecting goods, choosing a cultivator suitable to possess.

Feng Ruyi analyzed, "It seems they're not after your disciple, but more likely have their eyes on one of the other three cultivators here."

Han Lu nodded slightly, agreeing with Feng Ruyi's statement, "Perhaps it's the cultivator who just exchanged Core Formation sites with us."

Compared to the other groups of cultivators who came here to form their core, the "easy-going" cultivator from the Great Yu Dynasty was only accompanied by a friend who was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, making him look like a delicious meal.

"Please, Senior Zhenfeng, lend a hand." Knowing the power of this extraterrestrial demon, and that it was likely targeting another disciple of the Extreme Heaven Palace, the kind-hearted Duan Xiaoxuan was naturally quite anxious.

“However, the extraterrestrial demon’s plans should be thwarted,” Han Lu said confidently, reassuring Duan Xiaoxuan. “The Core Formation Formation I helped him set up includes special formation restrictions to defend against attacks from the extraterrestrial demon’s soul.”

"Dealing with..." Han Lu looked up, glanced at the extraterrestrial demon, and judged, "Dealing with this extraterrestrial demon should not be a problem."

Even so, Han Lu was still prepared to take action, intending to do another good deed and be a good person here.

Three breaths later, the extraterrestrial demon in the air began its audacious act.

His body transformed into a streak of black light and swiftly entered a mine shaft within the mine.

Having noticed all of this with her divine sense, Han Lu said, "Fellow Daoist Ruyi guessed correctly; they were indeed after the cultivator who traded with us earlier."

As soon as Han Lu finished speaking, a scream and a phoenix cry came from the mine. The dark figure that had just entered the mine turned gray and slunk away, disappearing back into the spatial rift.

“Haha,” Feng Ruyi laughed, “Han Lu, the formation you set up is indeed effective.”

The extraterrestrial demon was severely injured and driven away, so the cultivator who had already benefited from Han Lu was naturally spared and remained unharmed.

Half an hour later, the two cultivators found Han Lu and thanked her in person.

Han Lu naturally displayed the demeanor of a senior, accepting the other party's gratitude with a clear conscience.

When the other party asked for the "senior's" Daoist name, Han Lu, who did good deeds anonymously, simply took back the materials and flags she had used to help the other party set up the formation, thus bringing the matter to a close.

After sitting on the Dharma seat for about half an hour to rest and recuperate, Qiu Peng recovered about 60% of his spiritual power and confirmed that his mind was clear before he emerged from his meditative state and slowly stood up from the Dharma seat.

Stepping out of the magic circle, Qiu Peng could not hide his excitement.

"How did it go?" Although she had already guessed the result, Han Lu still asked the question as a matter of routine.

Qiu Peng knelt and bowed, saying, "I have lived up to Master's expectations and successfully formed the first-grade core."

"Alright," Han Lu didn't offer much comment, as this outcome was within her expectations. "Now that you are a Golden Core cultivator, capable of standing on your own, you will also have the status of an elder in the sect."

"According to the rules, although we are still master and disciple, you... have already graduated."

Qiu Peng already knew about this matter, and seeing the relationship between his senior sister Nian Haoge and Han Lu, he was not worried at all that he would become estranged from Han Lu after completing his apprenticeship.

Accepting the offer readily, Qiu Peng made numerous promises with a smile, stating that he would definitely inherit Han Lu's mantle, properly educate his disciples, and strive to go further on the path of cultivation.

Qiu Peng has always been a disciple that Han Lu doesn't have to worry about. Han Lu believes that although he says such serious things with a smile, he will definitely implement and fulfill his promises more firmly than those cultivators who make oaths and vows.

Quickly pack the materials and magical artifacts used to set up the formation back into your storage bag.

Without lingering, the group boarded Qiu Peng's ark again and headed towards the Zixiao Sect.

On the ark, Qiu Peng seemed hesitant, clearly having something to say.

Han Lu could roughly guess what Qiu Peng wanted to say, so she took the initiative to speak, so that her disciple could get used to "graduating" and take the first step towards independence after graduation.

Chapter 1107

"What's wrong?" Han Lu asked, taking the initiative to inquire, "Now that you've graduated and become a Golden Core cultivator, do you expect your master to make all the decisions for you?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Peng smiled somewhat awkwardly and said, "It's just that with Master by my side, I'm not used to making decisions on my own."

“That’s what I’m thinking,” Qiu Peng said without further hesitation, “A round trip to the Great Yu Dynasty would cost a lot of spirit stones. It would be a waste to just stay here for a few days.”

"So I thought, since I'm already here, I might as well wander around a bit more, take a look, and travel around."

"It's worth it for the ticket money that Master paid for me. This trip was worthwhile."

Han Lu said, "That's right, you can make the decision yourself."

“However…” Han Lu reminded him, “The Great Yu Dynasty is different from the Central Plains. There are quite a few cultivators here who are at the Golden Core Realm or even the Nascent Soul Realm.”

"Not to mention, the atmosphere of the cultivation world here is even more ferocious than that of the East Sea."

"You must be careful while you travel here. I don't want my disciple, whom I've painstakingly trained to reach the Golden Core stage, to lose his life in a foreign land due to some accident."

Speaking earnestly, Han Lu believed that Qiu Peng was not the kind of cultivator who didn't know his place and liked to cause trouble.

However, it is still quite necessary to offer some advice.

Being unfamiliar with the place and the people, and given that Qiu Peng didn't have many opportunities to travel, Han Lu didn't want to see a "human tragedy" unfold between herself and her disciple.

Han Lu's words had some effect on Qiu Peng, diminishing his anticipation for the new world of Dayu Dynasty.

After hesitating for a moment, Qiu Peng decided to go out for a walk and return to the Central Plains later.

"However, I will only wander around Jitian Prefecture and a few prefectures near Jitian Prefecture, and I will return to the sect in at most half a year." Qiu Peng set a time plan for himself.

This is a compromise. Han Lu, who has clearly stated that Qiu Peng can make the decisions and arrangements himself, will naturally not go back on her promise at this time and do anything to spoil the mood.

With a preliminary plan in place, Qiu Peng, who knew very little about the Dayu Dynasty, naturally wanted to deepen his understanding of it, at least to find out the situation of Jitian Prefecture and the surrounding prefectures.

Who should I ask?

Of course, you should ask Duan Xiaoxuan, a local.

Although Duan Xiaoxuan had always grown up under Mo Zhehan's protection, she had also traveled in and out of Jitian Mansion with her fellow disciples several times and explored the vicinity of Jitian Mansion. She knew most of the information that Qiu Peng wanted to ask.

With a question and answer session, the atmosphere on the ark became lively again.

However, the happy time was short-lived. Even though Qiu Peng deliberately slowed down the Ark's flight speed, he could not hold onto this moment.

After sending Duan Xiaoxuan back to the Zixiao Sect, Qiu Peng watched her leave, and it took him a while to recover.

"What, you want to have a long-distance relationship?" Han Lu said, using a phrase she had learned from Qiu Peng.

“Isn’t it true that distance makes the heart grow fonder?” Qiu Peng argued confidently. “Besides, I think Xiaoxuan and I are quite compatible.”

Han Lu didn't know much about these things, nor did she pretend to be an expert in front of Qiu Peng. "Okay, okay, okay, you're right."

In a free-choice relationship, unless Qiu Peng does something truly heinous, Han Lu wouldn't intentionally ruin this seemingly promising romance.

Not to mention, both of her best friends are in long-distance relationships, so why can't her apprentice Qiu Peng do the same?

The three parted ways temporarily in front of the Zixiao Sect's mountain gate.

Before parting, Han Lu gave Qiu Peng two thousand spirit stones so that he wouldn't not have enough to buy a ticket back to the city, and she also gave him a jade token.

"After returning to the sect, hand this jade token over to Sect Master Qingxu."

The information here wasn't exactly confidential, but Han Lu still carefully used an encryption method agreed upon with Qingxu Daoren and others to encrypt the jade tablet.

Han Lu left a simple message on the jade tablet, explaining that she happened to meet Feng Ruyi outside the teleportation portal, and expressing her beautiful vision for improving the relationship between the Central Plains world and the Eastern Land world.

Finally, Han Lu wrote herself another leave note, telling the Qingxu Sect Master that she was leading Feng Ruyi to the Wilderness, which would take a year or three years, and that she would soon return to the Central Plains.

Holding the jade pendant, Qiu Peng didn't even examine it before stuffing it into his storage bag.

"Master, I'll be going now." Qiu Peng bid farewell to Han Lu and tried to travel by flying for the first time.

After Qiu Peng left, Feng Ruyi spoke up, "The information in this jade tablet was related to me, wasn't it?"

There was nothing to hide, Han Lu frankly admitted, "That's right, after all, it was my own decision to contact you, so it's only right to report it to my superiors."

"In my judgment, if we can find a way to completely resolve this calamity, the decision-making body, represented by the Qingxu Sect Master, will definitely be very willing to cooperate with you to resolve this calamity that affects both worlds."