The Long Journey to Immortality

[Author's Note] Don't become a designer~

Chapter 1140

Mo Zhehan's suggestion was undoubtedly correct.

In this region east of the East Sea, the attitudes of true spirits and magical beasts towards human cultivators are quite complex.

Many true spirits and magical beasts do not hate humans, and even take the initiative to trade with humans, becoming major customers of the Immortal Pavilion and other merchants.

Back then, several True Spirits and Demonic Beasts who frequently traded with the Immortal Pavilion also came to attend Yi Qiyan and Lü Zhi's wedding.

There are many true spirits and magical beasts that are friendly to humans, but there are also many that are hostile to humans.

While we were traveling in the ark, many flying magical beasts were spying on us, but they did not attack because of the difference in cultivation level.

If they continue to navigate the ark in the manner of standard human cultivators, being attacked is a foregone conclusion.

Instead, we traveled in our true form, just like when we met by chance in the East China Sea last time. Although it took a little more effort, it was the safest option.

While flying westward in an attempt to find a passing dragon or phoenix to inquire about the way, Han Lu discussed with Mo Zhehan what was happening in the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Vault.

"What do you plan to do with those materials?" Han Lu asked casually, inquiring about Mo Zhehan's thoughts.

Mo Zhehan replied, "After returning to Zhengyi Sect, I will sort through the materials myself, based on the descriptions of their uses given by your artifact spirit, to determine which ones I can use and which ones I cannot."

"Keep the ones you can use carefully, and give a small portion to a few friends."

"Those that are not needed, we will find ways to sell them to others in exchange for spirit stones or other useful magic weapons and materials."

"In this way, we can say that we have made the best use of everything and that the trip was worthwhile."

With resources worth tens of millions of spirit stones in his possession, Mo Zhehan naturally felt more relaxed and at ease when planning how to use these resources.

Han Lu could guess without much thought that Dong Fengyu and the others must be among the so-called "friends".

"That's pretty much what I expected," Han Lu said, referring to her plans before setting off. "Coincidentally, the current head of the Zhengyi Sect, Xianyu, is a good friend of mine, and I told him about my treasure hunt before I left."

"He promised to help me exchange resources that are useless to me but greatly beneficial to the sect for spirit stones."

"This will save me a lot of trouble."

Han Lu wanted to reciprocate and earn some merit for Xianyu Ji.

Acquiring resources at relatively low prices and enriching the sect's inventory is a considerable achievement.

Especially given the Central Plains' active preparations for war, it's certainly not a problem for Xianyu Ji to receive more sect leader allowances after leaving office.

"Trading with sects? That's a good suggestion. I can try to do something about it within the Zixiao Sect."

Mo Zhehan followed suit, but in his opinion, he was closer to the Zixiao Sect than to the Jitian Palace, and he would think of the Zixiao Sect first when it came to benefits.

"What about the cultivation techniques you've acquired?" Han Lu asked another question. "I plan to practice Turtle Breathing Meditation as soon as possible, and then choose a few other techniques to practice."

"These long-lost martial arts techniques should be a more precious treasure than many other resources."

Mo Zhehan wholeheartedly agreed with Han Lu's statement, "That's right, there are quite a few cultivation techniques among them that I value, and I plan to select a few to practice."

"As for," Mo Zhehan brought up something Han Lu didn't really want to mention, "what are your plans for the final secret technique of dragon and phoenix fusion, Han Lu?"

Mentioning that cultivation technique, Han Lu's voice changed slightly, "The 'Dragon and Phoenix Transformation'?"

"Hmm, it seems quite powerful. It's not too difficult to cultivate, but it's not easy to use..." Mo Zhehan's gaze kept glancing at Han Lu, the Four-Winged True Phoenix beside him.

Han Lu countered, "Then can you cultivate the 'Dragon and Phoenix Transformation'?"

Mo Zhehan's answer was uncertain, "Probably. Maybe I'll have another phoenix confidante in the future, and I might need her sometime. After all, there will be a great calamity a thousand years from now."

"If our efforts over the years cannot peacefully resolve the calamity, if we can successfully use this secret technique with the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Realm during the calamity, then there will be one more dragon and phoenix with the strength of the Divine Transformation Realm on the battlefield, and we will have a better chance of winning."

Mo Zhehan spoke with great righteousness, seemingly considering the big picture, but Han Lu only believed half of it.

Han Lu thought to herself, "He's obviously thinking of...merging with me."

There was something odd about what she was saying, and even though Han Lu was thinking about it to herself, she still felt a little awkward.

However, Mo Zhehan's idea coincided with hers.

"I will also try my best to master this secret technique, but I don't hope I will ever have to use it."

This was a double entendre, and Mo Zhehan naturally understood it.

The two flew and talked, and after traveling westward for about half an hour, they finally encountered three peacock spirits flying together.

Two of the three peacocks are at the Transformation Realm, while the other has a cultivation level comparable to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Han Lu only glanced at them before realizing it was a family of three.

Without hesitation, Han Lu greeted Mo Zhehan and then stepped forward.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait." With a standard opening move, Han Lu easily struck up a conversation with the three peacocks, relying on her identity as a phoenix.

In less than a hundred breaths, Han Lu quickly grasped the general situation.

“We are indeed in the east of the East Sea now. The three peacocks have marked the exact location on the jade map for me,” Han Lu said in a serious tone. “It will take about five more days to reach the boundary between the human race and the territory of the True Spirits and Demon Beasts to go west.”

"However, according to the three peacocks we just met, the dividing line is currently in a lot of turmoil. They suggested that if we want to go to the Dragon Head Islands, it would be best to set off in half a month."

Mo Zhehan was quite surprised, "What happened?"

"It's said to be some kind of 'recapture of lost territory movement'," Han Lu recounted. "Several dragon clans led several smaller clans living on the edge of the border to advance westward, attempting to occupy some of the East China Sea islands and resource-rich areas near the border."

"The Movement to Reclaim Lost Territory? That's a good name," Mo Zhehan casually remarked.

Han Lu continued to repeat what the three peacocks had told her, "It is said to be a tradition of the true spirit of the East Sea Dragon Clan. Every once in a while, they will help a few small demon beast clans to open up habitats to the west."

"In the past, we relied on force, but for the last 10,000 years, most problems have been resolved peacefully through coercion."

"But you never know, maybe this time they'll fight and end up bloody."

"That's why the three peacocks advised us to set off again in half a month."

Han Lu asked Mo Zhehan for his opinion, "What do you think?"

"It's best to avoid this kind of trouble," Mo Zhehan said cautiously as always. "We might as well find an island nearby, stay for half a month, and then head west to spy on the situation."

Chapter 1141

Han Lu had always held this view.

The two hit it off immediately and descended to a suitable island nearby to stay for the time being.

Staying away from the vortex of conflict is the supreme method for cultivators to survive in the cultivation world for a long time.

During her brief stay on the island, Han Lu carefully examined the materials she had brought out from the Dragon and Phoenix Treasury with the help of a bottle.

In particular, he checked whether he had all the medicinal herbs he already had in his storage bag, and whether he had all the herbs needed to make "Turtle Breath Pill".

Because it is a material needed for human cultivation techniques, there are no ready-made "Turtle Breath Pills" in the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Vault. Each Turtle Breath Pill needs to be refined by someone hired by Han Lu.

Although there are no readily available elixirs, the "Turtle Breathing Elixir" recorded in the cultivation method requires a full twelve kinds of precious spiritual plants, ten of which can be found in the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Vault.

Of the remaining two types, one of them, called Breath Grass, was already in Han Lu's storage bag, and there were quite a few of them.

The last material, called "Spirit Tortoise Shell," is what Han Lu currently lacks.

"According to the description in the prescription, it should be a kind of medicine made from the shell of a turtle-like magical beast," Han Lu already had an idea in her mind, "It should be sold in the Immortal Pavilion."

"If that doesn't work, we should try to find a solution within the sect."

"If that still doesn't work, then I'll have to take matters into my own hands and be the bad guy."

As a phoenix, Han Lu didn't have any familiar turtle friends. In the treacherous East China Sea, she adapted to local customs and didn't mind being a villain who "killed turtles and stole goods" for a certain material.

During the two weeks she spent living on the island with Mo Zhehan, Han Lu not only spent half her time cultivating, but also learned some basic "mechanical arts" under Mo Zhehan's guidance.

Han Lu didn't feel comfortable being blocked by that trapdoor.

Since she had nothing else to do, she wanted to learn more miscellaneous subjects, both to enrich herself and to be able to come up with solutions on her own when she encountered similar problems in the future.

Han Lu took the initiative to learn, and Mo Zhehan naturally taught her generously.

In less than half a month, Han Lu, who has a strong learning ability, has been able to independently complete some relatively complex handicrafts with the guidance of a famous teacher.

Many of Han Lu's exquisitely designed wooden locks are among her proudest creations.

Perhaps because she had been locked in a door before, Han Lu had a special fondness for door locks compared to those interesting mechanical puppets.

In return, Han Lu also taught Mo Zhehan some chess skills.

The two kept in touch, and their life on the island was quite relaxed and enjoyable.

Half a month passed quickly. Although Mo Zhehan wanted to spend more time with Han Lu in this way, he still had to put on a serious face and urge Han Lu to set off as soon as possible.

They set off again, and three more days passed. As they approached the dividing line, Han Lu and Mo Zhehan chose to keep a low profile and try to find out the truth before making any decisions.

Since the so-called "recapture of lost territory movement" was led by the Dragon Clan, the task of gathering intelligence naturally fell to Mo Zhehan.

Transforming into the Candle Dragon, Mo Zhehan found Han Lu, who was hiding on a small island, and brought back good news in just half a day.

"It is said that this matter was resolved peacefully. Under the leadership of the Immortal Pavilion and several other merchant guilds, the human forces in the East Sea retreated half a step and ceded several islands. Now..." Mo Zhehan made a gesture, "The boundary line between the East Sea and the human territory has changed."

"So that means there wasn't a fight?" Han Lu handed over the jade tablet containing the map, asking Mo Zhehan to mark the information she had gathered on it.

Mo Zhehan nodded, recording information in the jade tablet as he replied, "If nothing unexpected happens, you and I should be able to return to the Dragon Head Islands safely."

"There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately." Han Lu was eager to return home, only wanting to get back to the Central Plains safely as soon as possible.

The two continued their journey in human form, using their true spiritual energy.

This combination is a bit odd, but it works well on both ends.

Thus, the two successfully crossed the old dividing line and arrived at the territory that originally belonged to the human cultivators.

In a show of ceding territory to sue for peace, nearly ten small and medium-sized islands that originally belonged to the human race became the territory of true spirits and magical beasts.

Within the stipulated one-month period, the chambers of commerce, along with their affiliated monks, carried out "demolition and relocation" work.

As the islands gradually became deserted, several races of magical beasts, who had migrated there under the protection of the dragons, began to start their new lives in this new territory.

Han Lu had no intention of spying, and Mo Zhehan had no intention of disturbing.

The two men urged their horses onward, unwilling to linger in this place for long.

They did encounter some dragon clan forces along the way, but with Mo Zhehan present, the two of them learned more firsthand information about the matter.