I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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The Wang Feng before him was the same "Young Master Wang" from three years ago, the distinguished guest aboard the Jiuchen Merchant Association’s spiritual ship.

At that time, Young Master Wang resided in a premium cabin, attended by beautiful Foundation Establishment maidservants and protected by an old Fake Dan servant.

The cultivators of the Jing Kingdom's Merchant Alliance treated him with great enthusiasm, even to the point of flattery.

Even the patrol cultivators of major sects dared not enter Young Master Wang's room.

But in the end, Young Master Wang fell into the hands of the Demonic Sect, with Lady Wei, Liang Shaotian's disciple, acting as an inside agent to scout him out beforehand.

Based on the Demonic Sect's remarks at the time, it was suspected that Young Master Wang’s background was tied to a high-ranking elder of the Flame Departing Palace.

Of course, Young Master Wang’s appearance and demeanor were entirely different from Wang Feng's now.

On the spiritual ship, it was likely that Young Master Wang had used advanced means to disguise himself.

Only Lan Chang'an, with his powerful spiritual sense, was able to catch some similarities between the two. However, even he wasn't fully sure.

After all, that Young Master Wang had never used any spiritual powers on the ship. His escape method back then was likely a third-rank Minor Teleportation Talisman.

"Senior, I am very familiar with the shops and establishments in Cloudsmoke Immortal City. Wherever you wish to go, I can help guide you and make introductions," Wang Feng said with a fawning smile, diligently leading the way ahead.

Lan Chang'an was staying in the top-class guest room of the Xunxian Residence, which offered free transport by spirit horse-drawn carriage.

At some partnered shops, he could even enjoy VIP treatment.

"Little Wang, how long have you been in Cloudsmoke Immortal City?" Lan Chang'an asked casually, reclining on the soft, wide beast hide chair inside the spirit horse-drawn carriage.

"Replying to Senior, I have been here for almost two years," Wang Feng answered promptly, sharing his circumstances in full detail.

During their small talk, Lan Chang'an probed subtly, making some guesses about Young Master Wang’s past.

Wang Feng claimed to be a loose cultivator from a remote area of Jing Kingdom, who had inadvertently stepped onto the path of immortality and arrived in this region two years ago.

This was obviously bullshit.

Lan Chang'an had previously used his spiritual sense to investigate and discovered that Wang Feng had fallen from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Qi-Refining stage, with severe internal injuries that left hidden ailments in his body.

Such concealed injuries could only be detected if a Fake Dan cultivator deliberately investigated.

Lan Chang'an had arrived in the Jing Kingdom's cultivation world three years ago, while Wang Feng came to Cloudsmoke Immortal City two years ago.

The year before, Wang Feng had probably been recuperating from his injuries, and only when his condition stabilized did he come to Cloudsmoke Immortal City.

"This young man’s cultivation fell, and he’s powerless to return to the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world. He might be secretly hunted by the forces of the Demonic Sect and the Merchant Alliance. His only chance of survival is to associate with mid-to-high level cultivators from the Liang Kingdom," Lan Chang'an speculated about Wang Feng’s intention to serve as a local guide at the Xunxian Residence.

As a top-tier inn in the heart of the city, the cultivators who stayed there were either wealthy or noble. The probability of meeting mid-to-high level cultivators from the Liang Kingdom was higher than in other places.

Being a local guide was a relatively easy job, certainly better than laboring as a low-level cultivator.

With Wang Feng’s experience and knowledge, he had an advantage over ordinary Qi-Refining stage cultivators in interacting with distinguished guests.

...

On the first day, Lan Chang'an didn't probe too much. He simply had Wang Feng guide him around the various parts of the city.

First, he familiarized himself with the local guilds' power structure and the situation in the high-end shops.

To his pleasant surprise, in this immortal city, materials for quasi-third-rank puppets were easier to acquire than in the Liang Kingdom.

The merchant guilds in the Jing Kingdom's major immortal cities were prosperous, with fast resource circulation.

Resource monopolization wasn't as severe as in the Liang Kingdom.

As a distinguished guest of the Xunxian Residence, as long as he had enough spirit stones, he could buy almost any non-strategic resource below third rank.

Within the Merchant Alliance’s sphere of influence, money was power.

Lan Chang'an silently affirmed that coming to the cultivation world of Jing Kingdom had been the right move.

He had brought a vast fortune with him, making him feel like a fish in water.

The next day, Lan Chang'an had Wang Feng accompany him to the "Xuan Weapon Workshop," where he purchased a portion of the materials for his quasi-third-rank puppets.

The "Xuan Weapon Workshop" was the largest crafting establishment in the city, and they also bought and sold various materials.

Lan Chang'an took the opportunity to sell a few top-tier magical weapons and some excess materials, earning over ten thousand spirit stones, while he paid a few thousand more out of pocket.

For the specifics of the transaction, Lan Chang'an did not have Wang Feng accompany him.

Given the large transaction amount, Lan Chang'an deliberately leaked some of his late Foundation Establishment stage spiritual power during his private negotiations with the workshop manager to reduce potential risks.

This transaction fulfilled less than half of Lan Chang'an's material needs.

He planned to use a different identity to visit other high-end shops later to acquire the rest of the materials.

"Little Wang, take me to the Lingtong Pavilion," Lan Chang'an said in a good mood as they left the Xuan Weapon Workshop. With enough materials, it would only be a matter of years before he became a quasi-third-rank puppet master.

As for his Earth Burrowing Rat, with its excellent bloodline potential, even if he didn’t obtain any major Core Formation resources, it would still be able to reach the Fake Dan stage without any problems.

By that time, he would have quasi-third-rank puppets and a Fake Dan stage spirit pet, greatly enhancing his ability to protect his Dao.

"Lingtong Pavilion?" Wang Feng was momentarily stunned but quickly agreed.

The Lingtong Pavilion was the most powerful intelligence organization native to the Jing Kingdom, and it was rumored that its backers were the higher-ups of the Merchant Alliance.

In fact, there was also a "Tian Zhi Pavilion" in the Jing Kingdom's cultivation world.

But the Tian Zhi Pavilion wasn’t a native intelligence agency of the Jing Kingdom; its business covered multiple neighboring cultivation nations, and its background was mysterious.

In Cloudsmoke Immortal City, there was no branch of the Tian Zhi Pavilion. You’d have to go to one of the top immortal cities in the Jing Kingdom to find it.

Even if it were available, Lan Chang'an wasn’t keen on going to the Tian Zhi Pavilion unless absolutely necessary.

Not only was the Tian Zhi Pavilion well-informed, but it also had experts skilled in divination and prediction.

...

A short while later, Lan Chang'an arrived at the Lingtong Pavilion.

This time, he didn’t avoid Wang Feng, letting him guide the way and stay by his side as he purchased two pieces of information.

One piece pertained to the ongoing cultivation war in the Liang Kingdom.

The other concerned the upcoming large-scale auction in Cloudsmoke Immortal City.

Lan Chang'an wanted to know what valuable items would be for sale at this auction and whether the superior Life Extension Pills truly existed.

These two pieces of information were hot topics, and they weren't expensive. Lan Chang'an didn’t worry about revealing anything by buying them.

The first piece of information was almost identical to the one provided by the Wufu Merchant Association.

Lan Chang'an had bought it mainly to fill in any gaps in his knowledge, but also to let Wang Feng see it.

Wang Feng remained composed on the surface, but his heart skipped a beat.

There were two reasons why someone would care about information related to the Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world:

First, the senior in front of him, or the merchant guild behind him, might have business dealings with the Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world, and the value of their goods could be affected by the war.

Second, this senior might have some personal ties to the Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world.

Relatively speaking, the former seemed more likely.

"The Demonic Sect and Merchant Alliance forces have not given up on secretly hunting me. I can’t risk exposing myself by being reckless," Wang Feng thought, suppressing his urge to probe further.

He had avoided staying in the border cities because the hunting pressure there was much greater and extremely dangerous.

Luckily, he had concealed his true appearance and spiritual aura back on the ship.

Additionally, in recent years, more and more cultivators from the Liang Kingdom had migrated to the Jing Kingdom’s side.

Even though Wang Feng wasn’t staying in a border city, as long as he was patient, he still had hope of connecting with cultivators from the Liang Kingdom.

However, the Liang Kingdom cultivators he aimed to connect with had strict criteria.

Not only did they have to be of high standing, but they also needed to be trustworthy.

It was the latter that made things difficult—human hearts are unpredictable.

After all, most of the Liang Kingdom cultivators who migrated to the Jing Kingdom harbored little goodwill towards the sects of the Liang Kingdom.

"Hmm! There’s actually a third-rank low-grade demonic core as the grand finale for this auction?"

Lan Chang'an was slightly surprised when he read the second piece of information regarding the auction.

Unfortunately, the demonic core was of the water attribute.

If it had been of the earth attribute, Lan Chang'an would have definitely competed for it.

For his Earth Burrowing Rat to break through to third-rank and form its core, Lan Chang'an had three possible plans:

First, he could trade for an earth attribute demonic core.

A demonic beast consuming a same-attribute third-rank demonic core could increase the chances of forming its own core.

The effectiveness depended on the purity and quality of the demonic core.

If he were lucky enough to acquire a third-rank demonic core from a higher-grade bloodline beast, its effects could even surpass those of the Crystal Condensation Pill.

Second, he could trade for a Crystal Condensation Pill, even an inferior one.

The Crystal Condensation Pill was more suited for human cultivators, with relatively stable effects.

However, such strategic resources were extremely rare in the human world and were rarely used for spirit pets.

Third, he could seek out a specialized third-rank pill for demonic beasts to condense their cores known as the Sha Yuan Pill.

This pill was rather niche, with a fierce medicinal property and containing baleful energy, making it unsuitable for human cultivators.

Among these three plans, Lan Chang'an’s current resources were sufficient to pursue any of them.

In the ancient ruins, Lan Chang'an had obtained a third-rank late-stage demonic core from the medicine vault of the six-sided palace pavilion.

Unfortunately, after countless years, much of the core’s demonic power had dissipated, and it wasn’t of the earth attribute.

Even so, its value was still slightly higher than that of an ordinary low-grade third-rank demonic core.

Besides this core, Lan Chang'an also had materials to make a Crystal Condensation Pill, over 80% complete.

The main ingredient he lacked was the rare "Seven-Heart Mystic Moonflower."

With these materials alone, Lan Chang'an had the qualifications to collaborate with others to refine the Crystal Condensation Pill, or even attempt to trade for one.

At worst, he could lower his standards and trade for a low-grade Crystal Condensation Pill, which would be more than enough.

...

"Little Wang, which merchant guild in the city deals the most in demonic beast materials?" Lan Chang'an asked while on the way back to the Xunxian Residence.

He was asking about a merchant guild, not just a shop.

Materials like third-rank demonic cores couldn’t be found in regular stores.

They were rarely even seen in auctions.

Outside of auctions, only large merchant guilds would have such resources.

The third-rank demonic core in Lan Chang'an's possession was more valuable than an ordinary low-grade one.

If he found the right merchant guild, he could easily trade it for an earth attribute third-rank low-grade demonic core.

"The Snow Fox Merchant Association would meet your requirements, Senior. They primarily deal in demonic beast parts, beast cores, and medicinal ingredients, and they also dabble in the path of beast taming…" Wang Feng answered respectfully, providing a detailed response.

"The Snow Fox Merchant Association is one of the joint rulers of Cloudsmoke Immortal City, but their business extends beyond this city, and they have considerable influence throughout the entire Merchant Alliance."

"Oh? Does the Snow Fox Merchant Association have any Core Formation cultivators in charge?"

"They do have one Core Formation ancestor," Wang Feng replied affirmatively.

"However, that ancestor doesn’t reside at the guild’s city headquarters and instead sits at the ancestral grounds year-round. There's a rumor that the Core Formation ancestor only has thirty years of lifespan left and is growing weaker with age."

Lan Chang'an nodded slightly.

A True Dan ancestor theoretically had five to six hundred years of life.

With only thirty years left, it was akin to a mortal living past ninety—definitely far from their prime.

Even celestials are subject to the Five Decays.

Cultivators weren’t true immortals, at their core, they were still human.

As their lifespan approached its limit, their physical functions would inevitably deteriorate, leading to a decline in their magical power.

No matter how powerful their magical power, even if they maintained their body well, the state of their soul would continue to decline, making it impossible to compare to their younger days.

At the Xunxian Residence, Lan Chang'an returned to his high-class, private courtyard.

"The Snow Fox Merchant Association has a history spanning nearly a thousand years, and with its focus on demonic beast materials, it’s highly likely they have third-rank demonic cores in storage."

After pondering for a long while, Lan Chang'an concluded that the Snow Fox Merchant Association was a suitable trade partner.

The guild was indeed powerful, but with the sitting Core Formation ancestor growing old, the threat to Lan Chang'an wasn’t too great.

...

A few days later.

Having become familiar with Cloudsmoke Immortal City, Lan Chang'an no longer needed Wang Feng to personally accompany him.

Acting on his own, he used a different identity to purchase another batch of quasi-third-rank puppet materials, finally meeting his expectations.

By this time, there were only three days left until the auction.

The city’s population had reached its peak.

While walking around the city, Lan Chang'an even encountered members of the Xia Family.

Xia Mingqu and a few other Foundation Establishment cultivators, including his father, were staying at another inn not far away.

Lan Chang'an, in disguise, wasn’t recognized by them.

He had no intention of meeting with them.

That evening, dressed as a cloaked elder, Lan Chang'an left the Xunxian Residence and headed to the Snow Fox Merchant Association’s headquarters for a visit.

This time, he didn’t bring Wang Feng.

Wang Feng’s identity was somewhat special.

There might be opportunities tied to this person.

But with the situation still unclear, Lan Chang'an didn’t want to get entangled with him.

He hadn’t forgotten the reason he came to the Jing Kingdom. Nothing was more important than plotting for his Core Formation.

...

The Snow Fox Merchant Association’s headquarters was located in the central district of the immortal city, a luxurious, sprawling estate.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Lan Chang'an was naturally not treated with disdain and would certainly be received.

"Old me wishes to conduct a major transaction with your guild. Please send a person of authority to negotiate," Lan Chang'an said with a tone of seniority.

His commanding attitude left the guild cultivators at the headquarters with no room for disrespect.

"Honored Daoist, you seem unfamiliar. How should we address you?"

A plump middle-aged man at the late Foundation Establishment stage led Lan Chang'an into the guild’s headquarters. His name was Gao Songbai, an elder of the Snow Fox Merchant Association responsible for the business around Cloudsmoke Immortal City.

"This old man's name is Xiang. The items I wish to trade with your guild are no trifling matter. I doubt you have the authority to make the decision," Lan Chang'an said with an air of arrogance.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Xiang’s tone is quite bold. May I ask what you intend to trade?" Gao Songbai chuckled lightly, showing no signs of anger.

The two sat down in a side hall, and Gao Songbai waved the servants away.

Without wasting words, Lan Chang'an took out an oval-shaped demonic core, dark purple in color.

"A third-rank demonic core?"

Gao Songbai’s smile vanished, his expression turning serious as he lost his earlier nonchalance.

At Lan Chang'an's gesture, he carefully received the core and began examining its quality and attributes.

"A demonic core imbued with lightning energy? Such pure demonic power within..."

The Snow Fox Merchant Association specialized in demonic beast materials, and Gao Songbai was an expert in this field. A quick inspection told him the general details of the core.

"Haha! The quality of this demonic core isn’t bad, but it’s been stored for too long, causing a significant loss of its demonic power. I wonder where Fellow Daoist Xiang obtained this core?"

Gao Songbai laughed heartily, masking a hint of greed in his eyes as he looked at the elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator before him.

"This demonic core was found by me in an unmarked cave within the Black Fog Mountain Range," Lan Chang'an said indifferently, his gaze sweeping lightly across Gao Songbai while emitting a faint but powerful fluctuation of magical power, his spiritual sense also briefly swept over the other party.

"A Fake Dan Immortal!" Gao Songbai’s heart froze, feeling the brief but overwhelming spiritual pressure.

Any improper thoughts he might have entertained immediately vanished, replaced by a cold sweat.

No wonder this person was so confident, acting so senior in the negotiation.

While a third-rank low-grade demonic core was indeed valuable, a Fake Dan cultivator was more than qualified for such a high-level trade.

"Please wait, Senior Xiang. I cannot make the decision on this transaction," Gao Songbai said respectfully, quickly sending out a transmission talisman to notify the resident True Dan cultivator of the guild.

"Hmm."

Lan Chang'an maintained his dignified demeanor, responding nonchalantly.

He had anticipated this situation.

Planning for Core Formation involved items of great value.

If he had tried to downplay his importance or act modestly, he would have invited trouble upon himself.

Instead, he chose to take the opposite approach, leveraging the Hundred Illusions Mask to elevate his status.

The Hundred Illusions Mask’s ability to disguise one's cultivation level was tied to the user's spiritual sense. With Lan Chang'an's late Foundation Establishment cultivation and a spiritual sense comparable to a Fake Dan stage cultivator, he could convincingly pose as a Fake Dan cultivator.

In theory, if his spiritual sense was a bit stronger, even a high and grand True Dan Immortal could make an occasional appearance.

(End of chapter)