The Long Journey to Immortality

Although the High Priest was well aware that once this happened, it would inevitably affect all the cultivation forces in this world.

However, he was still unwilling to devote his energy to this aspect, which was not conducive to the current development, so that the gap between the Western Regions and other forces was further widened.

Fortunately, this high priest was quite wise and politically astute.

If it were someone with a rigid mind who only knew how to cultivate, they might have thought that this was a lie fabricated by the Central Plains and other forces, a shameless trick to exhaust and weaken the Western Regions.

Han Lu expressed her understanding of the different situation in the Western Regions compared to the Central Plains.

Unfortunately, all the rhetoric Han Lu had prepared over the past two months was now useless.

The conversation, which had initially been somewhat "business-related," turned back into a private one.

With the words spoken so clearly, Han Lu naturally wouldn't be so tactless as to offer a few more low-EQ responses.

After replying "okay," she took out the guqin that the high priest had given her.

Looking at the zither in Han Lu's hands, the high priest couldn't help but recall a past event related to this zither.

"Back then, probably more than a thousand years ago, when I had just advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm, my master specially made this zither for me."

"Because the materials used were of extremely high quality, and the most outstanding craftsmen in the Western Regions were invited to help with the production, it ultimately reached the quality of a top-grade spiritual artifact."

"At that time, I was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and it took me a lot of spiritual power and strength to even play it."

"For a long time, this zither could only be used as a regular guqin in my possession."

"Speaking of which, my spiritual power grew rapidly when I was in the Foundation Establishment stage, which was probably related to this zither."

Recalling how hard he had to play the zither back then, the High Priest smiled and said, "Fairy Zhenfeng, after you advance to the Nascent Soul Realm and no longer need this zither, I hope you can donate it to a cultivator from the Western Regions."

"A love of music, a fondness for the guqin, and ideally, a Foundation Establishment cultivation level."

Han Lu nodded and promised, "No problem, I will definitely do it."

Knowing that this zither had a deep connection with the high priest, Han Lu gained a deeper understanding of the matter of the zither being given to him back then.

"Although the High Priest holds a high position, he still retains some romantic and idealistic thoughts." Han Lu sighed inwardly, then communicated with the High Priest through eye contact and began to play the guqin in front of them.

After the Hundred Birds Gathering, Han Lu not only made rapid progress in her chess skills, but also in her zither playing.

Back when she first met the High Priest, Han Lu's musical skills were only at the late Golden Core stage.

Now, after decades of practice and refinement, in terms of musical skill alone, Han Lu is only one step away from breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm, becoming a major event in the eyes of cultivators.

This level is on par with the High Priest.

The effect of playing together again is naturally a step up from their first time playing together.

After the song ended, the high priest praised Han Lu's performance highly.

"I was just wondering if it was because the birds in the wilderness don't care much for music that Fairy Phoenix won the championship."

"Now that the performance has been completed, it seems that Zhen Fengxianzi's playing level has indeed reached a new height, which is why she was recognized by the judges in that competition and ultimately won the championship."

When discussing private matters in private, the high priest behaved like a typical Western Regions cultivator, speaking frankly and saying whatever came to mind.

It was much easier to interact with someone from the Western Regions, like the High Priest, and discuss art than to exchange ideas on these "difficult to distinguish" matters with others.

Han Lu recalled the feeling when she performed at the Hundred Birds Festival and analyzed the reasons why she was able to improve and break through.

Besides pursuing the prosperity of the Western Regions and breakthroughs in his own cultivation, the High Priest also cared a great deal about his musical skills.

Although Han Lu's skill level was comparable to his, the High Priest did not take Han Lu's experience seriously.

I listened intently, hoping to find some shortcut or method to further improve my piano skills.

In other words, among the wild birds, there were no top-notch zither masters to exchange skills with Han Lu.

Otherwise, Han Lu would surely have uttered some "enlightening words" at this moment, enlightening the High Priest and helping him cross that insurmountable threshold.

Just like Xuan Chengzi, who honed his chess skills with Han Lu in the Central Plains.

Han Lu generously shared, and the High Priest also made further progress compared to the last time.

He gave Han Lu more songs from the Western Regions as gifts.

This move was not only an exchange of musical skills but also a form of cultural export. The High Priest was eager for Han Lu to help him spread these things that he believed could represent the culture of the Western Regions.

The two played a duet on the guqin, then the qin and se (another type of zither), and finally switched to a variety of other instruments to perform together.

Han Lu stayed in the high priest's tower for about an hour.

This period was also the most relaxing and enjoyable time for the high priest, who was usually under a lot of pressure, during this break from his retreat.

After visiting the high priest, Han Lu did not leave the Western Regions capital immediately.

She received another invitation to appear as the Fairy of the Qin (a type of stringed instrument) to support a religious ceremony in the Western Regions.

Considering that she had used this identity to swindle a large amount of resources and magical artifacts from the Donghai Dongweng Shop, Han Lu accepted the High Priest's invitation without hesitation in order to completely cover up the matter.

After all, only if there truly is a fairy in the Western Regions could the deal there be justified and understandable, and not seem like a deliberate act of robbery.

The ceremony lasted for three days, and Han Lu appeared at the ceremony for all three days.

She interacted with believers as the Fairy of the Qin, and of course also had exchanges with several Golden Core cultivators from the Western Regions.

Although we haven't reached the point of being familiar with each other or becoming nodding acquaintances.

But at least it made these cultivators aware that there was a fairy musician in the Western Regions Holy King Sect.

In the future, if the cultivators of Dongweng Shop suspect Qin Xianzi, they will have some explanation and won't have to expose her false identity so easily.

The high priest was unaware of the intricacies of the situation and simply assumed that Han Lu found it amusing and was just having some fun, without giving it much thought.

On the seventieth day after arriving in the Western Regions, Han Lu left this "transfer station" sandwiched between the Central Plains and the wilderness with mixed feelings, and continued her journey eastward.

Chapter 1119

The Seven Mountains Alliance once served as a bridge connecting the Central Plains and the Western Regions.

Located in a strategically important area, they were once the guardians of the people of the Central Plains who were protected from the harassment of the "barbarians" of the Western Regions. They were the "tax collectors" who were hated by merchants traveling between East and West. They were important figures on the periphery of the Central Plains cultural sphere.

With the opening of a portal connecting the Great Yu Dynasty and the Central Plains, the already low status of this marginal character was shaken.

If it weren't for the fact that most of the cultivators in the Seven Mountains Alliance are proficient in a rather practical miscellaneous skill...

It is likely that many cultivators will witness the former third largest power in the Central Plains fall to the mortal realm and become no different from other sects, large or small, in their lifetime.

The leaders of the Seven Mountains Alliance naturally noticed this and actively sought change, participating in exchanges and interactions with the Great Yu Dynasty.

However, given the prevailing trend, this only slightly postpones the dissolution of the Seven Mountains Alliance or its eventual fading into obscurity; it does not solve the fundamental problem.

Times make heroes.

Perhaps only if the Seven Mountains Alliance produces another great figure in the last hundred years, similar to the one who "formed alliances and pulled the Seven Mountains Alliance together" back then, can the situation be reversed and the Seven Mountains Alliance continue to stand tall on the mountainside of the cultivation world as the third most recognized in the Central Plains.

There was a member of the Prison Phoenix clan in the Seven Mountains Alliance who knew Han Lu and harbored ill intentions towards her, so Han Lu always passed through quickly without stopping.

Soaring high into the sky, Han Lu did not return to the Central Plains through any legitimate means.

Compared to the barbaric lands and the Great Yu Dynasty, the Central Plains is much smaller in area.

But even in such a small place, there are enough resources to accommodate so many high-level cultivators.

One theory is that after the great war during the ancient cultivation era, human cultivators gathered resources, including mineral veins and spiritual veins, from various places and brought them to the Central Plains, which led to this outcome.

Han Lu didn't care whether the situation was caused by natural or human factors.

All she wanted was to protect this auspicious land for herself and for other cultivators in the Central Plains, so that she and her descendants would not have to live a life of hardship and suffering because of the calamities brought by the Eastern Land.

Returning to Zhengyi Gate, the result was roughly as she had guessed.

When she returned to the sect after staying away for less than a year, Qiu Peng, who had the idea of ​​cultivating and gaining experience in the Great Yu Dynasty, had not yet been able to return to the sect.

"Hey, I even asked Qiu Peng to pass on a message, but I didn't expect to be the one who came back first," Han Lu said with a hint of worry. "I hope that this time my absence, which wasn't reported, won't worry the Qingxu Sect Master or make my senior sister anxious."

Han Lu didn't think Qiu Peng had encountered trouble in the Dayu Dynasty. She simply thought her disciple was just "playing around" and might be flying through the sky of the Dayu Dynasty right now, heading towards the Jitian Palace.

Although Daoist Qingxu was also a busy person, he was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm and managed only one sect. It was much easier to see him than to see the High Priest.

As it turned out, her absence with Qiu Peng did not cause any significant disturbance.

Daoist Qingxu already knew about the two's trip to the Great Yu Dynasty to form their cores, and had already taken into account the possibility that Han Lu would go home to visit her family on the way, and that Qiu Peng would stay in the Great Yu Dynasty to gain experience after successfully forming his core.

Upon seeing Han Lu arrive and explain why she hadn't returned, Qingxu Daoren didn't blame her at all. Instead, he "complained" that Han Lu hadn't spent more time with her family.

In Qingxu Daoren's opinion, given Han Lu's current situation, as long as she carries a magic treasure that allows her to communicate with the Zhengyi Sect, she can settle in the wilderness for a long time.

However, Qingxu Daoist did not mention this directly to Han Lu.

After all, the renowned "True Phoenix Fairy" is the most capable person in the Zhengyi Sect in handling external affairs. It is not something a Zhengyi Sect leader would do to actively arrange for such a talent to operate in the wilderness far away from the sect for a long time, even if that is Han Lu's home.

Han Lu didn't think much of it, assuming that Qingxu Daoist was just joking with her, and didn't discuss the topic much further.

Han Lu came to see Qingxu Daoist in a hurry mainly to report on her meeting with Feng Ruyi and what happened afterward.

Although Han Lu believed that her actions would most likely receive Qingxu Daoren's support, in the end, making such a big decision without communication was still a self-initiated act.

It is still necessary to submit a report now, explaining the situation in detail.

When Qingxu Daoist heard that Han Lu had actually encountered the Eastern Land Illusionary Phoenix that Elder Mo Yun had been searching for for many years without finding again at the teleportation portal, his reaction could only be described as "shocked".

Shocked that Han Lu would encounter that "saboteur" in such a sensitive area.

Shocked that Han Lu had such an opportunity to make the other party "walk into the trap".

"What about that phoenix from the Eastern Lands? Did you capture it?" Qingxu Daoist subconsciously thought that this was the reason why Han Lu did not stay at home for long and returned to the Zhengyi Sect.

Han Lu shook her head. "I did not have any conflict with her. After I took the initiative to strike up a conversation with her, I expressed my goodwill and sought cooperation, hoping to communicate with the Eastern World through her."

Just as Han Lu had expected, Qingxu Daoist also longed to resolve the issue peacefully and did not feel that Han Lu's attempt was a waste of effort.

Han Lu recounted that Qingxu Daoist would occasionally strike up a conversation and ask a couple of follow-up questions.

Although Han Lu explained in detail, it only took her about fifteen minutes to make everything clear.

"Finally, Feng Ruyi agreed to my request and was willing to help pass on a message to create some possibility for a peaceful resolution to this matter."

Compared to the final result, Qingxu Daoren was more concerned about the method proposed by Fengyou that solved the problem at its root.

"Han Lu, please explain that method in more detail."

To recreate the complete scene of her father telling her about this matter as much as possible, Han Lu also used her spiritual power to coordinate gestures while speaking.

Upon hearing that the problem could be solved in such an incredible way, Qingxu Daoist, who was only at the Golden Core stage, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.