Speaking the Truth

"I thought your formation was designed to counter Zhu Jiuyin!"

"He's not afraid of formations!"

Zhang Xuezhou added two more formations to Mount Tai, and the rapid deployment of the formations almost made Rong Tianding mistakenly think that a fight was about to break out.

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

He had some ulterior motives; he simply wanted to trigger a clash in the secret realm after realizing that Zhu Jiuyin couldn't be communicated with, and then drag the Immortal Court into the fray to target Zhu Jiuyin.

However, Zhang Xuezhou discovered that the Yin-Yang Two Elements Formation was insufficient to shake the three secret locations.

He couldn't figure out whether the missing alignment of the seven stars was the problem, or whether the Lingxiao Palace secret realm and the Western Kunlun secret realm were pulling against each other, making it difficult for him to cause damage.

This ultimately led to a serious talk between him and Zhu Jiuyin. Zhu Jiuyin was not as furious and unreasonable as he had imagined. Instead, he was overly concerned about the Yangpo Incarnation Technique, which even led to the two of them exchanging pleasantries.

The Feiyu Feather Demon King dared not utter a sound, steadily carrying the Zhu Jiuyin through the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, while Zhang Xuezhou used the Sky Shuttle, closely following behind with Rong Tianding.

Although Zhang Xuezhou and the Feiyu Feather Demon King's flying abilities are top-notch in the Three Realms, their speed decreases when carrying passengers, so flying one after the other did not create much of a distance between them.

"Your Excellency, you've come from Henan Prefecture, haven't you?"

By simply flying between them, we can make some guesses based on time and speed.

The fall of Henan Commandery was inseparable from Zhu Jiuyin's involvement. Previously, it may have also involved Daojun's search for Marquis Pingyang, Cao Shou, but now it is most likely only related to Zhu Jiuyin's needs.

Have you found the Emperor Qin?

Zhu Jiuyin didn't respond, so Zhang Xuezhou asked again, which made Zhu Jiuyin snort twice in dissatisfaction.

"Your skills are not bad. If you have time, help me look for it. I won't treat you unfairly," Zhu Jiuyin, turning his head to transmit his voice.

"I was almost beaten to death by a cultivator named Donghua. If you're willing to help me fight him in the future, I'll definitely help you," Zhang Xuezhou replied.

"Donghua? Never heard of him. When did this expert appear?"

Zhu Jiuyin was slightly taken aback.

He was well-informed, but he had never heard of the name Zhang Xuezhou mentioned.

Zhu Jiuyin and Zhang Xuezhou joined forces to defeat Ying Fusu, and Zhu Jiuyin also helped Zhang Xuezhou quickly master the "Entwined Dragon and Pillar True Fire Refining Golden Body" technique. He knew very well that Zhang Xuezhou was no weakling.

Zhang Xuezhou's skills may not be top-notch, but they are definitely quite good, even if we only consider his flying technique.

Aside from top-tier cultivators in the Three Realms, there are only a limited number of second-rate experts like Zhang Xuezhou, each with their own unique characteristics. The number of experts who could almost kill Zhang Xuezhou is quite small.

Zhu Jiuyin had never heard of Donghua's name before, and feeling that there was no grudge involved, he readily agreed to the matter.

If a longer-term relationship could be established, Zhu Jiuyin wouldn't mind getting to know a junior like Zhang Xuezhou. Ten years ago, Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou was insignificant, but ten years later, he has grown to a point where he has enough value to earn the Venerable's respect.

"You have a pretty good temper, so why couldn't Lu Ya and Nine Spirits get your help?"

Having agreed to Zhang Xuezhou's request, Zhu Jiuyin couldn't help but wonder why Zhang Xuezhou hadn't agreed to help with alchemy before.

"Daojun's temperament is unpredictable; how could I dare face him after causing trouble?" Zhang Xuezhou replied with a laugh. "Nine Spirits Primal Sage's temper also became very volatile after seeing me, and he would threaten to fight to the death at the drop of a hat. When I saw him, I was so frightened that I ran out the door and hid in the cemetery, but I still couldn't escape his Divine Ability attacks!"

"Those two guys, one arrogant and the other short-tempered, are neither of them normal!"

Zhang Xuezhou's explanation was simple and reasonable, Zhu Jiuyin deeply agreed.

Among the three Sacred Land lords of the Northern Kuru Continent, he was the only one with a mild temper and could communicate normally. His Yang Soul Body had also been defeated by Zhang Xuezhou carrying cultivators, but Zhu Jiuyin had not broken through his defenses.

"Speaking of which, the young swordsman you carried in Mayi was extremely skilled in swordsmanship. Who is he?" Zhu Jiuyin asked.

"His name is Liu Che," Zhang Xuezhou replied briefly. "When he saw the battle in Mayi, he got carried away and started fighting. What started as a spectacle turned into a direct confrontation, and I was passively drawn into it!"

"I've never heard of that name," Zhu Jiuyin said with a headache. "These new generation experts are like bamboo shoots, one batch just sprouts and another appears. Li Guang isn't even completely dead yet, and now Liu Che has popped up!"

"That's how humans are; every now and then, a few experts will emerge from among thousands or tens of thousands of people," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Normal reproduction should be based on selecting the best," Zhu Jiuyin said discontentedly. "This kind of free-range breeding is a huge waste of cultivation resources. Over the past thousand years, humanity has not only wasted countless cultivation resources but also cut off many heavenly materials and earthly treasures, making the search for immortality extremely difficult!"

"That's right!"

Zhang Xuezhou echoed this sentiment, without making a point of refuting it.

The advantage of human society does not lie in the strength of individual cultivators, but in the sparks that fly when collective wisdom collides. This inevitably leads to all kinds of cultivators practicing, and the ladder of cultivation will be accumulated step by step as a result.

While Zhu Jiuyin's method of selecting the best and most suitable individuals has its merits, whether it is suitable for the human population remains to be seen.

What works for Zhu Jiuyin may not work for humans, and what works for humans may not work for Zhu Jiuyin.

Zhang Xuezhou's agreement left Zhu Jiuyin speechless for a moment. He felt that if humans were replaced by someone like Zhang Xuezhou, things would be much easier. But when he thought about the things Zhang Xuezhou was involved in, he also felt that the world would be much less troublesome if there were fewer people like Zhang Xuezhou.

This left Zhu Jiuyin with a great deal of inner conflict, but at least for the moment, he still welcomed Zhang Xuezhou. If the other party could get along well with him and help each other, he even hoped that Zhang Xuezhou's glorious period would last a little longer and that he wouldn't exhaust his lifespan in just a few decades. He even brought up the topic of longevity a few times.

"I've heard that the Kunlun Sacred Land can refine the elixir of immortality; it's a real pity I've never had the chance to see it!"

Zhang Xuezhou stared intently at Zhu Jiuyin, and he offered a seemingly casual remark.

"The elixir of immortality is merely a false form of immortality; a writhing, dying old body does not constitute true immortality!"

"What does Your Excellency consider to be true immortality?"

"To achieve immortality is to soar to the heavens, breaking free from the shackles of the physical body, and from then on, to attain the Great Dao of Yang Spirit, which is entrusted to the heavens and earth. If the heavens do not age, I will not age; if the heavens do not die, I will not die. Only then can one be considered to have achieved immortality!"

"The sea will dry up, the rocks will crumble, how can cultivators attain such longevity? Your Excellency, are you just trying to fool us?"

"Haha, nobody wants to believe the truth!"

Zhu Jiuyin laughed heartily, unconcerned about Zhang Xuezhou's doubts. After all, he had never attained such a longevity, and was still lingering in the pseudo-longevity realm of extended lifespan.

Dreams are just dreams; Zhu Jiuyin has to face reality.

After a hearty laugh, Zhu Jiuyin couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow, realizing that he had squandered too many years in the past and now had to cherish every year of the present.

For him, each passing year brought a sense of urgency, as he felt his remaining lifespan was dwindling.

Not to mention the Kunlun Elixir of Immortality, Zhu Jiuyin was willing to accept even the Golden Elixir of Longevity. He even accepted the health supplements refined by Zou Bugui.

However, there may be a chance for this awkward situation to change. Zhang Xuezhou's fellow Daoist who can "transform into the Three Pure Ones" might be able to bring about a different outcome.

This was only a very small possibility, but it led Zhu Jiuyin to abandon the Xiong State army searching for the Emperor Qin's tomb in Henan County and also satisfied Zhang Xuezhou's many unreasonable demands.

He even treated Zhang Xuezhou with courtesy and took the special responsibility of guiding him into the Xieluosi River Holy Land.