I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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"The Xuan Yin Pavilion has purchased an oasis located between the two immortal cities of Changfeng and Gutian. It contains a third-rank spirit vein, and they’ve invited a vein formation master to nurture it into a mid-grade third-rank vein within five years. By then, Xuan Yin Pavilion will rebuild their mountain gate at this location."

In the hovering VIP pavilion, a clear and melodious voice filled with enchanting rhythm resonated.

Fairy Ni Yue smiled gracefully and said, "I won’t insist that Mister Xu join our pavilion. But when the new mountain gate is established, would you consider being our guest? If you like the scenery and culture of the area, it won't be too late to decide."

"I would like to congratulate your pavilion in advance on the joyous occasion of relocating your mountain gate," Lan Chang'an replied solemnly, cupping his hands with respect.

Xuan Yin Pavilion had been forced to flee and relocate to the Fengyuan Kingdom after their mountain gate was breached over sixty years ago.

Initially, they were in dire straits—without a suitable place to establish a new mountain gate, and their resources were far less abundant compared to sects like the similarly uprooted Flame Departing Palace.

The beautiful female cultivators of Xuan Yin Pavilion, renowned for their mastery of music, even became targets of covetous desires and oppression from local powers.

Due to their precarious situation and for the sake of security, Xuan Yin Pavilion remained stationed in Changfeng Immortal City without a mountain gate to call their own.

Over the decades, Xuan Yin Pavilion gradually built their presence through the operations of the Xuan Yin Halls, which were branches opened in major immortal cities and specialized in selling musical instruments, magical treasures, perfumes, and celestial dresses.

The highest source of revenue was Xuan Yin Hall itself. Although they claimed to "sell art, not bodies," this restriction only applied to Xuan Yin Pavilion's core members.

Peripheral performers trained by the pavilion would still rely on their charms to generate revenue, as purely artistic pursuits yielded insufficient profits.

In addition, the pavilion dabbled in intelligence gathering and sold valuable information to intelligence networks.

Through years of accumulation, Xuan Yin Pavilion had established itself firmly in the Fengyuan Kingdom, growing into an unignorable sect in this cultivation world.

Now, they had finally secured a spirit vein suitable for a new mountain gate.

"If invited by Pavilion Master Ni Yue, I will certainly visit when time allows," Lan Chang'an replied thoughtfully.

The mid-grade third-rank spirit vein mentioned by Fairy Ni Yue aligned perfectly with his interests.

He speculated that Xuan Yin Pavilion’s intelligence network had likely uncovered details about his circumstances at the Mountain-Water Manor.

If he were merely at the Fake Dan stage, there would be no need for such a high-tier spirit vein.

However, if he had achieved True Dan Stage cultivation, with the possibility of advancing further, an even more exceptional spirit vein environment paired with beautiful scenery and alluring company could become a significant attraction.

Still, Fairy Ni Yue’s aura of misfortune, hinting at an early demise, gave Lan Chang'an pause.

He decided to consult divination results in the future before making a final decision.

A cultivator's fate was never entirely fixed.

It could be influenced by someone with great fortune or higher-level cultivators, providing a slim chance of survival even for great calamities.

Moreover, face reading divinations were never one hundred percent accurate.

As Lan Chang'an departed, the several fairies of Xuan Yin Pavilion watched his retreating figure, their expressions subtle and varied.

Among them, Dongfang Xi stood at the back corner with a faint smile. Unnoticed by the others, a trace of ridicule flashed in her eyes.

...

Outside the auction hall.

Lan Chang'an reunited with Yun Yan and the Yun siblings.

The three did not ask about the specifics of his private conversation with Fairy Ni Yue.

Yun Ling, however, seemed a bit dejected, forcing a smile to hide her disappointment.

With the auction just concluded, the group did not leave the immortal city immediately, as there were still some supplies to purchase.

During this time, major shops in the city held promotional sales, including discounts on rare items.

Lan Chang'an assigned the remaining tasks to his puppet clone to handle the shopping.

At the inn, he took out the third-rank puppet inheritance he had acquired from the auction, remnants from the Thousand Mechanisms Sect.

"As expected of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, the grandmasters of puppetry across the entire Great Qing," Lan Chang'an murmured in admiration.

The remnants contained precisely the realistic puppet-making techniques he needed. In addition, it included secret techniques for bestowing magical powers and unique abilities onto puppets.

One section even mentioned a combination technique known as the Puppet Army Formation, which allowed multiple puppets to form a military array and fully leverage their numerical advantage.

If used in stationary battles, this Puppet Army Formation could potentially allow lower-tier puppets to challenge higher-tier opponents.

For example, an array formed by four or more top-grade third-rank puppets could temporarily withstand the attacks of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Unfortunately, this Puppet Army Formation was a core secret of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, and the remnant only mentioned it without detailed contents.

"To create exceptional third-rank superior-grade or even higher-grade exotic spirit puppets, I’ll need to broaden my horizons and absorb more advanced puppet techniques," Lan Chang'an thought, envisioning the future.

If he could forge four or more exotic spirit puppet clones above the third-rank superior level and combine them with the Puppet Army Formation, the resulting power would surpass that of traditional army formations.

Moreover, puppet clones could integrate the shadows of souls at the peak Core Formation stage or even the Nascent Soul stage.

In non-combat states, the puppet clones could sustain the integrated soul shadows for extended periods.

As Lan Chang'an’s cultivation level continued to rise, the time required to unlock his second life and fourth life would further decrease.

...

Three days later.

After completing the remaining purchases, Lan Chang'an waited to rendezvous with the Yun siblings to return to the oasis together.

During this time, the True Dan elder from the "Magpie Merchant Association" who had successfully bid for the Crystal Condensation Pill became the focus of much attention within the immortal city.

The Magpie Merchant Association’s elder, with whom Lan Chang'an traded was their most senior Grand Elder, possessing a peak early Core Formation cultivation. To ensure their safety, the Grand Elder had hired high-level escorts within the city—a formidable lineup, including one True Dan escort and two Fake Dan cultivators.

Combined with the merchant guild’s own personnel, their escort team was exceptionally strong. Normally, with two True Dan cultivators and several Fake Dan experts, safeguarding the Crystal Condensation Pill wouldn’t have been an issue. After all, the pill wasn’t particularly enticing to mid or Late Core Formation cultivators, who were typically prominent figures in the Fengyuan Kingdom and unlikely to act recklessly.

On the day of departure, the Magpie Merchant Association’s group, accompanied by their escorts, took flight from Gutian Immortal City.

Meanwhile, Lan Chang'an and the Yun siblings also exited their inn, preparing to leave the city.

Just then, about thirty li away, the booming sound of muffled thunder suddenly echoed, followed by a violent clash of techniques. Even from this distance, the disturbance caused qi and blood fluctuations among lower-level cultivators within the immortal city, throwing their mana into disarray.

On the horizon, rolling clouds of fire surged. A faint outline of a massive flaming mountain magical treasure appeared, emanating scorching spiritual pressure exceeding that of a typical mid Core Formation cultivator.

"Bold tribal cultivators! How dare you commit robbery outside the immortal city!"

The Grand Elder of the Magpie Merchant Association and their True Dan escort shouted in shock and anger, caught completely off guard.

A dark green giant, towering two to three zhang tall, appeared amidst the chaos. The giant’s massive nose was adorned with a nose ring, and from its nostrils billowed strange black-green winds. The gusts swept through the area, destabilizing light-flight techniques and rendering escape impossible.

The strange wind even dimmed the light of defensive magical treasures and protective barriers, causing their radiance to flicker and rapidly fade.

This was the terrifying innate ability of a pure body cultivator.

The dark green-skinned giant, with leathery skin resembling cowhide, was a mid third-rank body cultivator. Their immense strength could rival a mountain, and every breath it exhaled reverberated like rolling thunder.

"End this in ten breaths!" a black-robed cultivator with a conical hat commanded coldly, his voice carrying the mana fluctuations of a mid Core Formation cultivator. He controlled a massive flaming mountain magical treasure.

Boom!

The flaming mountain magical treasure descended from the clouds, unleashing a downpour of molten lava and fiery clouds. Its power approached that of a late Core Formation cultivator.

In mere moments, anguished screams rang out one after another.

Aside from the two True Dan cultivators, none of the others lasted more than two breaths.

"Stop! I’m willing to hand over the Crystal Condensation Pill!" The Grand Elder of the Magpie Merchant Association gasped in desperation, struggling under the overwhelming pressure of the flaming mountain.

But the black-green winds surrounding them restrained their light flying techniques, leaving them unable to escape.

"Die!"

With a thunderous roar, the dark green giant charged forward. Its massive fist, the size of a millstone, punched through the bodies of the two True Dan cultivators one after the other.

In less than ten breaths, the fiery clouds dissipated, leaving behind a massive crater filled with flames and no trace of corpses or remains.

The black-robed, hat-wearing cultivator and the dark green body cultivator transformed into two black streaks of light, vanishing into the distant sky.

"Capture the robbers!"

Moments later, three True Dan cultivators flew out of Gutian Immortal City, with one in the lead—an expressionless Late Core Formation puppet master with a mechanical arm.

After pursuing for about a hundred li, the puppet master’s blue eyes flickered with a strange light. He raised his hand, signaling the other two True Dan elders to stop.

"City Lord, why are we stopping?" one of the True Dan elders asked in confusion.

"There’s a Late Core Formation expert covering their retreat," the puppet master said gravely.

During the chase, he had sensed the interference of a powerful Late Core Formation cultivator’s spiritual sense, obstructing their pursuit.

"Strange. Why would such a minor auction attract two Late Core Formation experts?"

"City Lord, could it be that the mysterious traveling merchant from the auction and these two are connected? Perhaps they are the same person. This merchant not only sold the Crystal Condensation Pill but also orchestrated the ambush to seize it back," speculated a green-haired mid Core Formation cultivator.

"It’s possible. If this is indeed the case, such a vicious and ruthless villain must be reported to the Outer Sect Alliance. All factions must work together to eliminate him."

...

Within the Immortal City, Lan Chang'an withdrew his consciousness from the Nine Seal Stele.

Through fusion with the fourth life, his strengthened spiritual sense had allowed him to clearly observe the details of the battle.

"The strength of those two attackers exceeds that of ordinary mid Core Formation cultivators. That black-robed man seemed to be holding back during the fight," Lan Chang'an thought, reflecting on the scene.

"The flaming mountain magical treasure he wielded appears to have been forged by fusing multiple fire-element magical treasures from Flame Departing Palace. Its power was partially sealed during the confrontation."

If not for having transformed Master Lihuo into his fourth life and gaining third-rank superior-grade artifact crafting level, Lan Chang'an wouldn’t have discerned such intricate details.

"Could it be him?"

A name floated to the forefront of Lan Chang'an’s mind—Fang Zhen, the traitor of Flame Departing Palace.

Without slaughtering his fellow sect members, it would have been impossible to refine multiple fire-element magical treasures of the same origin.

However, as a Late Core Formation cultivator, Fang Zhen had little personal use for the Crystal Condensation Pill. It would merely serve as a resource or asset.

For Fang Zhen to take such a risk and intercept the pill, there were two possible reasons:

One, he intended to gift it to an important descendant or junior, or Fang Zhen harbored grand ambitions—perhaps he sought to establish his own faction.

...

A few days later.

After ensuring the area outside the immortal city was safe, various groups of cultivators began leaving the city one after another.

The complete annihilation of the powerful Magpie Merchant Association escort, with no remains left behind, had struck fear into many factions and individual cultivators, making them hesitant to venture out of the city.

To address this, Gutian Immortal City dispatched giant puppet constructs and avian puppets to patrol and monitor the surrounding areas, bolstering security.

Lan Chang'an summoned the flying carpet magical treasure, which carried the Yun siblings and himself as they began their journey back.

Half an hour later.

The group was now only seven or eight hundred li away from the River Source Oasis.

Seated at the front of the flying carpet, Lan Chang'an suddenly felt a moment of premonition. Quietly, he slipped his hand into his sleeve and began calculating with his fingers.

"Mister Xu, why aren’t we returning by the same route?" Yun Ling asked perceptively, noticing that Lan Chang'an had veered off the direct path and was taking a longer route, bypassing the oasis from another direction.

"I just remembered that I’ve never enjoyed the scenery of the sand dunes on the other side of the oasis," Lan Chang'an said with a calm and gentle tone, accompanied by a faint smile.

"Is that so?" Yun Ling exchanged a glance with her elder brother Yun Hao, both finding the explanation somewhat unconvincing.

After all, the area outside the oasis was largely a desolate desert. What scenery was there to enjoy?

Meanwhile, the elderly Yun Granny’s cloudy eyes narrowed in thought. She discreetly performed her own divination but found the result ambiguous and unclear. Although she had learned divination from her late husband, her mastery was far from proficient. She could handle minor matters, but when faced with significant challenges, her skill was insufficient.

Ultimately, the group of four returned safely to the River Source Oasis.

"Mister Xu, thank you for your care during this journey. I will host a banquet to show my gratitude someday," Yun Granny said sincerely, bowing to Lan Chang'an with great respect before they parted ways.

"It was nothing," Lan Chang'an replied with a smile and then returned to his Mountain-Water Manor.

After returning to the Treasure Pavilion, Yun Granny retrieved several rare divination tools and performed a full-strength divination. This time, the result was clear: “Surviving calamity.”

The two simple words made Yun Granny break out in a cold sweat.

That same night, Elder Duan hurried over after hearing the news to confirm the accuracy of the divination.

"Granny, it’s good that you’re all unharmed!"

Elder Duan let out a long sigh of relief.

"Earlier, our Yingsha Worms sent back information that there was powerful cultivators lurking a few hundred li outside the oasis—likely Fang Zhen and his accomplices."

"It seems that the traitor Fang Zhen has already tracked down our lineage. He doesn’t dare act openly because of the local powers in the oasis and the contingencies left behind by your grandfather when he was alive," Yun Granny said, her aged voice regaining the melodious tone of her younger days.

Yun Granny then explained to Elder Duan how Lan Chang'an had chosen to take a detour to avoid the danger entirely.

"Mister Xu is truly an extraordinary individual—not only a third-rank alchemist, but also proficient in divination," Elder Duan remarked, amazed. He realized he had greatly underestimated Lan Chang'an, having previously thought he was merely concealing his true cultivation level.

Yun Granny nodded. "No wonder Xuan Yin Pavilion’s Fairy Ni Yue personally sought to recruit him. A man like this could be invaluable to our family. We cannot allow the Xuan Yin Pavilion buy him off."

Elder Duan hesitated before asking, "Granny, how do you plan to win him over?"

Yun Granny pondered for a moment before replying, "In terms of beauty, allure, or resources, our clan cannot compete with Xuan Yin Pavilion. Our only advantage is Ling’er, who shares a natural affinity with Mister Xu."

She then made a decisive plan: "Ling’er’s parents were mortals and are no longer in this world. I intend to have Ling’er either become Mister Xu’s disciple or recognize him as her godfather."

"Godfather?" Elder Duan blinked, momentarily stunned. He couldn’t find any flaw in the plan but felt instinctively that something about it was odd.

...

At Mountain-Water Manor, Lan Chang'an sat and reflected on the events in Gutian Immortal City and the return journey. After a moment, he carefully calculated again.

"That Fang Zhen… Not only does he interfere with my cultivation in the Fengyuan Kingdom, but he even dared to commit ambushes outside Gutian Immortal City and attempted to pin the blame on my puppet clone, Dao Lord."

A cold gleam flickered in Lan Chang'an’s eyes as he developed a killing intent toward Fang Zhen.

Thanks to the memories of the fourth life, Lan Chang'an knew Fang Zhen’s background all too well. This man, once part of the Law Enforcement Hall of Flame Departing Palace, was ruthless, cunning, and utterly unscrupulous.

However, the timing wasn’t yet ripe to track down and eliminate him.

"I’ll wait a few years. Once I’ve advanced to mid Core Formation, I’ll eradicate this scum."

Lan Chang'an made up his mind.

Lan Chang'an had formed his Immortal Golden Dan at the age of 177. After cultivating for 60 years, he had reached the peak of early Core Formation and was preparing to break through the bottleneck to mid Core Formation. Now, at 232 and a half years old, he was only a few years away from advancing.

At his current level, Lan Chang'an possessed numerous methods and had a high chance of defeating Fang Zhen. However, outright killing Fang Zhen was a far greater challenge. Unless he summoned the full power of the fourth life, there was still a 10-20% chance Fang Zhen might escape even if ambushed.

Lan Chang'an also recalled that Fang Zhen practiced the Crimson Sun Blood-Escape Technique, a movement technique that sacrificed blood essence for incredible speed. Even though Fang Zhen had only obtained the first two levels of the technique back in Flame Departing Palace, it was already exceedingly fast.

...

Half a year later.

At the age of 233, Lan Chang'an organized the materials he had gathered during the auction and designed the blueprint for his second mid-grade third-rank puppet.

In pursuit of mobility and pursuit capabilities, this time a Black Eagle flying puppet was created. Using highly realistic bio-mimetic techniques, the puppet resembled a genuine black eagle demon beast to an uncanny degree.

When used for reconnaissance and avoiding close combat, it was nearly indistinguishable from a living creature.

Next, Lan Chang'an imbued the soul shadow from his second life into the Black Eagle puppet, enhancing its abilities with the spiritual strength of a peak Core Formation stage soul. This dramatically increased its tracking and reconnaissance capabilities.

Without leaving his estate, Lan Chang'an could rely on the Black Eagle puppet for long-range surveillance. It would soar through the vast celestial sky and Earth Burrowing Rat would burrow deep into the earth, allowing him to monitor threats across thousands—or even tens of thousands of li. Through their shared sensory link, the Black Eagle puppet became an extension of his own perception.

After refining this second mid-grade third-rank puppet, Lan Chang'an realized that gathering the materials for a third puppet of the same grade would take significant time. However, the materials required for low-grade third-rank puppets were far easier to acquire, enabling him to potentially create two more of them.

Having completed his puppetry projects, Lan Chang'an decided to focus on cultivation for the next few years.

...

Four years flew by.

Time flew by, and most of the powers and cultivators in the oasis had nearly forgotten Lan Chang'an’s existence.

On this particular day, Mountain-Water Manor was concealed by the quasi-fourth-rank illusion formation, making it imperceptible to outsiders.

"237 years old, and I’ve finally reached the peak of early Core Formation!"

Sitting cross-legged in his cultivation chamber, Lan Chang'an sensed his Immortal Golden Dan pulsing to its limit, filled to capacity with Evergreen mana. At this stage, there was no room for further progress within this minor realm.

After resting for a few days to stabilize his foundation, he began the critical process of breaking through to mid Core Formation.

For ordinary True Dan cultivators, reaching the peak of early Core Formation would require years of tempering and preparation before attempting to break through. Even then, the success rate on the first attempt was usually low.

However, Lan Chang'an having formed an Immortal Golden Dan, he had a profound foundation and also the insights of a Nascent Soul expert. Confident in his abilities, he chose to attempt the breakthrough directly.

Even so, during the process, Lan Chang'an could clearly feel the presence of the bottleneck and the immense resistance it posed.

This was a testament to just how significant the challenge would be for ordinary Core Formation cultivators impacting such a bottleneck.

Seven days later.

Within Lan Chang'an’s dantian, the pale green Core, inscribed with intricate Dao patterns, began to shrink in size. The surrounding space seemed to distort slightly, giving off a faint sensation of collapse.

Finally, at a pivotal moment—

Boom!

The oval-shaped Immortal Golden Dan trembled, and its surface became adorned with resplendent golden-glass patterns that radiated endlessly. A surge of new Evergreen mana flowed out, its quality doubling compared to before!

With an Immortal Golden Dan, the quality of mana was only fractionally higher than others in the same minor realm.

A small realm breakthrough, however, directly doubled it.

Of course, Golden Dan was mainly a reflection of underlying potential, and fighting strength was only one of the advantages.

"Mid Core Formation… success, as natural as flowing water!"

Sitting in the center of his cultivation chamber, Lan Chang'an exuded a vibrant aura of vitality, resembling the boundless life force of an ancient evergreen tree. A faint, enticing fragrance of fruit filled the air, bearing hints of mystery.

Though the breakthrough created no heaven-and-earth phenomenon, the quasi-fourth-rank illusion array shrouding the manor ensured that no one outside could detect that a powerful mid-stage Core Formation cultivator had been born.

Huh?

Upon advancing to the mid-stage Core Formation stage, Lan Chang'an noticed that his Evergreen Core had taken on an even more distinct fruit-like form. Its surface emanated an ethereal, dream-like fragrance that was far stronger than before.

Suddenly—

The Evergreen Core quivered again, sending ripples into Lan Chang'an’s sea of consciousness, giving rise to an inexplicable sense of fate and direction.

"There!"

Lan Chang'an’s head turned sharply, his pitch-black eyes gleaming with a piercing, icy light as he gazed toward the Great Qing Central Region.

(End of chapter)

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