I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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"A mid-stage Core Formation attack!"

Lan Chang'an's eyes snapped open, a flicker of astonishment crossing his face.

Judging by the burst of magical energy he had just sensed, the one who made the move was most likely Huanglong Immortal.

From what he knew, Huanglong Immortal only had one last opportunity to strike, and his strength was supposed to be severely weakened.

However, the intensity of the attack he just sensed far exceeded that of an ordinary mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, even approaching the power of a late-stage Core Formation expert.

Given Huanglong Immortal's dying state, no matter how potent the pills or secret techniques at his disposal, it shouldn’t have been possible for him to unleash such a powerful strike.

With only a few days left to live, his body should have had no life force or vitality left to be squeezed out of it.

"Could it be… Huanglong Immortal self-destructed his life-bound magical treasure?"

Lan Chang'an, a former late-stage Core Formation expert in his previous life, had a sudden flash of insight. It was a plausible scenario.

Huanglong Immortal’s life-bound magical treasure, the Huanglong Mountain Seal, had been nurtured for hundreds of years. Even without sufficient magical power to support it, the destruction of such a magical treasure would produce extraordinary power.

Lan Chang'an waited in silence for a moment.

He didn’t sense any further magical fluctuations of the same level, as if the burst of power had been a fleeting moment of brilliance.

He let out a long sigh, filled with a mix of emotions.

The once-renowned number-one loose cultivator of the Liang Kingdom, a legendary figure who had dominated for hundreds of years, had finally reached the end of his era.

Not long ago, that elderly man had shared tea and conversation with Lan Chang'an, and the two had gotten along quite well.

Yet Lan Chang'an didn’t feel any particular grief or pity.

Huanglong Immortal had been a man of great fortune. His life, filled with hundreds of years of brilliance, had taken him to heights that ninety-nine percent of cultivators could never dream of.

Lan Chang'an simply felt a sense of shared experience.

The level and status Huanglong Immortal had attained were very similar to Lan Chang'an's own position in his previous life.

Hundreds of years of life, only to meet the limit of one’s lifespan, unable to touch the path to the Nascent Soul Realm.

...

"Fellow Daoist Lan, did you sense that disturbance just now?"

Not long after, the white-robed Fairy Shi arrived at Little Turtle Peak.

"Yes," Lan Chang'an nodded, exchanging a brief discussion with Shi Manrong.

Fairy Shi speculated that the disturbance was likely related to the remnants of Huanglong Mountain.

After all, in recent days, the area surrounding Wuqi Mountain had been relatively peaceful, with the only major upheaval being the conflict involving Huanglong Mountain.

Lan Chang'an, knowing the truth, didn’t disagree with her assessment.

"Did the carriage that came to Little Turtle Peak yesterday belong to Huanglong Mountain?" Fairy Shi’s gaze was clear and faintly amused as she asked, her tone light.

Fu Dong and Huanglong Immortal had both disguised themselves, so it would have been difficult for ordinary cultivators to recognize them.

"Yes, they were originally looking for Herbalist Ye. Since he wasn’t around, they had no choice but to settle for my half-baked skills, treating a dying horse as if it were still alive…"

Lan Chang'an gave a brief account of the situation, omitting certain key details.

There was no need to hide the general facts—people who were paying attention would eventually figure things out.

Fu Xuemei’s injury wasn’t something incurable, and it wasn’t a case of bringing someone back from the dead. Exactly how much Lan Chang'an’s treatment had helped was something only those involved could know for sure.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, would you be interested in accompanying me to investigate?" Fairy Shi suggested.

After some discussion, the two deduced that He Yuanwu, along with other cultivators, might have been tracking the severely injured Fu Xuemei, hoping to seize the inheritance of Huanglong Mountain.

The magical fluctuation they sensed earlier was likely the result of a life-or-death struggle between two powerful figures.

"If He Yuanwu has been killed or severely injured, we might have a chance to rescue Herbalist Ye," Fairy Shi added.

"Oh, I almost forgot about Herbalist Ye! In that case, we should definitely investigate," Lan Chang'an agreed, adopting a serious tone.

He was almost certain that the magical fluctuation had come from Huanglong Immortal, who had now perished.

That meant there was no longer any Core Formation-level combatants on the scene.

Any Fake-Dan cultivators still alive were either dead or grievously wounded.

If there had been any active True Dan cultivators left, they wouldn’t have needed to be so cautious—they could have easily dealt with the gravely injured Fu Xuemei.

Investigating such aftermath posed little risk to Lan Chang'an, especially with the powerful Fairy Shi as his ally, and the potential rewards were substantial.

First, they could take advantage of the chaotic situation to "scavenge" valuable items from the battlefield.

Second, if they encountered He Yuanwu, they might have a chance to eliminate this threat.

Lastly, they could potentially rescue Herbalist Ye.

"For someone as cautious as you, Fellow Daoist Lan, to be willing to risk yourself for Herbalist Ye—it seems the two of you must share a deep friendship?" Fairy Shi teased as they departed Wuqi Mountain on a flying boat, her lips curling into a playful smile.

Both of them knew well enough that the real motivation for this venture was not merely to save a friend.

"My friendship with Fairy Shi is even deeper. If you were ever in danger, I would certainly give it some thought," Lan Chang'an responded with a straight face.

"Oh, to have Fellow Daoist Lan consider my safety even for a moment—what an honor that would be," Fairy Shi laughed softly, a hint of charm slipping through her dignified demeanor.

The two had a close personal relationship, so their conversations often had a casual, lighthearted tone.

...

The moon was high, and it was still an hour before dawn.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong approached the scene of the earlier conflict.

Dust still lingered in the air, not yet settled.

Looking closer, they saw that an entire hill had been flattened, with a massive crater nearly a hundred zhang wide at its center, the edges scorched black.

The surrounding land was covered in spiderweb-like cracks as if the earth had been shaken by a tremendous shockwave.

The scale of destruction was so vast that it was difficult to spot any significant traces of blood.

"Greetings, Fairy Shi."

"Greetings, Talisman Master Lan."

Several Qi-Refining cultivators who had been drawn to the scene greeted them, though they dared not venture too close to the central area, still in awe of the powerful energies that had been unleashed.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong carefully approached, keeping an eye out for each other as they began their investigation.

"Just as I thought…"

Lan Chang'an uncovered a palm-sized shard of a magical treasure from the dirt, its surface dull and yellow, devoid of any remaining spiritual energy.

This fragment confirmed his earlier suspicion.

He released the Earth Burrowing Rat, allowing it to burrow into the rubble in search of more spoils.

Huanglong Immortal’s life-bound magical treasure was made of high-grade materials. Even if it had lost its spiritual essence, the raw materials could still be melted down and repurposed.

Some of these materials were valuable enough to be used in the refinement of new magical treasures for Lan Chang'an in the future.

And if nothing else, selling them would certainly attract the interest of Core Formation cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, take a look over here."

Shi Manrong used a spell to lift a large boulder, revealing bloodstains beneath it, along with a broken, deformed arm bone.

"The deceased must have been physically robust, with impressive body cultivation. Judging by the lingering magical energy on the blood, this was likely a Fake-Dan cultivator," Lan Chang'an concluded after a quick examination.

The two exchanged a glance, both suspecting that the dead person was none other than He Yuanwu, the traitor of Huanglong Mountain.

Further investigation confirmed their hypothesis.

Near the arm bone, they discovered more fragments of the corpse, along with pieces of a shattered storage pouch and a broken axe-shaped magical treasure.

Some of the items, including the broken axe, were clearly associated with He Yuanwu.

Unfortunately, most of the items in the storage pouch had been destroyed, with only a few of the sturdier materials surviving the explosion.

"Well, that's one less problem to worry about," Lan Chang'an chuckled.

He couldn’t help but recall Huanglong Immortal's words before he left: "If the opportunity arises, I might even help remove a potential threat to Wuqi Mountain."

It wasn’t as though Huanglong Immortal had set out with the specific goal of helping Wuqi Mountain.

Eliminating He Yuanwu, the traitor, had likely been his dying wish.

In the battle at Huanglong Mountain more than a decade ago, He Yuanwu's betrayal had inflicted severe losses on the mountain.

After Huanglong Immortal's "death" and Fu Xuemei's escape, He Yuanwu had been more aggressive than any external enemy, relentlessly pursuing them for the mountain's inheritance.

"But why is there only He Yuanwu's body here?"

Lan Chang'an used his spiritual sense to scan the area and found it odd.

Huanglong Immortal had only one chance to strike, and using it would have cost him his life.

His body was likely taken away by the Fu siblings.

But Lan Chang'an found it hard to believe that He Yuanwu would have acted alone.

At the very least, tracking Huanglong Mountain’s people shouldn’t have been something He Yuanwu could manage on his own.

He remembered that Zhou Qingxuan had visited Little Turtle Peak earlier, and he suspected that the Beast Taming Zhou Family might have been cooperating with He Yuanwu.

The Zhou Family specialized in controlling spirit beasts. If they had special beasts or insects capable of tracking the Huanglong trio, it wouldn’t be too surprising.

Back during the beast tide, when the Huang Dragon Beast was gravely injured, Huanglong Immortal had offered a substantial reward to find experts, and Zhou Qingxuan had been one of those invited to help treat the beast.

...

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The sound of air being torn apart signaled the arrival of more Foundation Establishment cultivators, drawn to the scene.

"Let’s go find Herbalist Ye," Lan Chang'an said to Shi Manrong, and the two moved on.

Since they were the first Foundation Establishment cultivators to arrive and had a good grasp of the situation, they boldly explored the area and were able to "collect" the most valuable items without much interference.

As for the remaining scraps, they left them for the other cultivators.

"Judging by your expression, Fellow Daoist Lan, it seems like you have a lead on where Herbalist Ye might be?" Shi Manrong asked with a playful smile, noticing the calm and confident look on Lan Chang'an's face.

"He Yuanwu was lurking nearby, and he had taken Herbalist Ye hostage. It’s unlikely he would have kept him too far away."

"Just now, I found traces of Herbalist Ye’s belongings in the debris of He Yuanwu’s storage pouch. The Earth Burrowing Rat has memorized the scent of both," Lan Chang'an explained with a smile.

With the victim nearby and a means of tracking them, finding Herbalist Ye had just become much easier.

...

More than half a day later, from early morning until late afternoon, Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong finally narrowed down their search to a desolate forest about sixty li away.

A small wooden cabin, hidden beneath thick layers of foliage, came into view.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong didn’t rush in.

First, they swept the area with their spiritual senses and found a simple barrier in place. However, it seemed to have gone without maintenance for quite some time and was no longer particularly powerful.

Suddenly, Lan Chang'an sensed something and looked up toward the sky.

A small black dot flickered in and out of sight through the clouds.

"A second-rank flying beast?"

Lan Chang'an's sharp senses picked up on the creature for a brief moment, making him thoughtful.

Squeak squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat climbed up a nearby tree and pried open the door to the cabin.

A faint, musty smell immediately wafted out.

"Herbalist Ye!"

Inside the cabin lay a short-haired young man, motionless on the floor.

Rotting fruits were scattered around him, and a blue centipede crawled across his distinctively handsome face.

If not for the faint pulse of life coming from him, Lan Chang'an might have mistaken him for a corpse.

"…"

Upon seeing Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong, Herbalist Ye’s eyes rolled slightly, revealing a mix of surprise and relief.

"Herbalist Ye has been hit with a restrictive seal. His body is completely immobilized," Shi Manrong observed after a quick inspection.

The seal was something placed by the Fake-Dan cultivator He Yuanwu. Fortunately, while it was beyond Foundation Establishment cultivators to break, it wasn’t a particularly complex seal.

As a quasi-third-rank formation master, Shi Manrong would be able to lift it with a bit of effort.

"Thank you, Fairy Shi. I’ll keep watch outside," Lan Chang'an said as he stepped out of the cabin.

He stationed the Earth Burrowing Rat by the door, then circled around the cabin, searching for anything suspicious.

Once again, he sensed something in the sky and looked up to see the black dot pass through the clouds once more.

"It’s the same second-rank flying beast as before."

Lan Chang'an didn’t bother chasing after it.

It would be difficult for a human cultivator to match the speed of a flying beast of the same rank.

Whoosh!

A feather fell from the sky.

Lan Chang'an caught the feather and noticed a communication talisman tied to it.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, Huanglong Immortal and He Yuanwu perished together. I barely escaped with my life, but I’m severely injured and in need of assistance."

"Please meet me in the bamboo forest ten li to the north. I have important information to share."

(End of chapter)