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Chapter 54: Encounter in the Immortal City
"Are you henchmen of the 'Evil-faced Flying Eagle'? Did you once attack disciples of Jin Yun Valley?" Lan Chang'an ignored the threats of the two men and controlled his flying boat to the simple formation ahead.
The simple formation only had the effect of concealing sight and magical fluctuations, which couldn't escape a cultivator's intentional probing.
"Kid! You know who we are, yet you dare meddle?" The tall masked man at the eighth layer of Qi-Refining swept his cold, fierce eyes over Lan Chang'an and behind him.
Like the Evil-faced Flying Eagle, they wore white bone masks for intimidation during their crimes, so it was normal for Lan Chang'an to recognize them.
Seeing that the two didn't deny it, Lan Chang'an confirmed that Lin Yi's death was related to them.
A few years ago, disciples of Jin Yun Valley were ambushed, and that was the only occurrence of it in recent days. Zhang Tieshan had said the culprits had joined the Evil-faced Flying Eagle.
"Hand over the flying boat! Consider it compensation, and we won't pursue your rashness!" The fat masked man chuckled, appearing amiable.
"The flying boat is here, come and get it if you have the ability." Lan Chang'an sneered and landed inside the concealing formation.
The other party's demand for the flying boat meant they didn't intend to let him leave alive. Without the use of a flying boat, an ordinary Qi-Refining seventh layer cultivator facing two ruthless late-stage Qi-Refining enemies would be at their mercy.
"Take him down!"
The two masked men acted decisively. As soon as Lan Chang'an entered the formation, three magical weapons attacked him.
The fat man wielded a blood-stained hammer-like magical weapon, which whistled ominously as it smashed towards Lan Chang'an.
The tall masked man at the eighth layer of Qi-Refining controlled a pair of mid-grade curved blade weapons, creating two arcs of cold light in the air.
One arc blocked Lan Chang'an's retreat.
The other slashed at his flying boat.
Their thunderous attacks were well-coordinated and ruthless, leaving no room for escape.
Lan Chang'an remained unflustered. He summoned a flying shuttle weapon, which flashed with a cold light and deflected the hammer.
The flying shuttle was known for its speed, and although it couldn't compete directly with the hammer, Lan Chang'an's powerful spiritual sense allowed for more precise control.
He then summoned a mid-grade weapon, the Bedrock Shield, to block one of the curved blades aimed at his flying boat, resulting in a shower of sparks.
For the curved blade coming from behind, Lan Chang'an activated a premium talisman, forming a golden light shield around him.
Clang!
The curved blade struck the shield, causing a tremor but failing to break through, instead being deflected.
"A premium superior-grade talisman! This kid is quite wealthy." The tall masked man at the eighth layer of Qi-Refining squinted his eyes.
Just as he was about to intensify his attack, an unexpected change occurred.
Boom!
The ground under the fat man's feet collapsed, forcing him to hastily activate his mana force shield.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several sharp stone spikes pierced through the fat man, whose hastily formed shield was as flimsy as paper.
"Ah! No..."
The fat man's body was pinned to the ground by the stone spikes, his vital organs pierced, dying instantly.
"A peak first-rank monster!"
A huge, brownish-yellow rat-like monster emerged from the ground, its powerful forelimbs and metallic claws slashing at the tall masked man.
The tall masked man, terrified, was driven into a dangerous situation by the Earth Burrowing Rat, barely able to defend himself with his two curved blades.
A peak first-rank monster had strength comparable to a peak ninth layer Qi-Refining cultivator. Even if the two of them teamed up, they might not win.
Moreover, the rat's surprise attack from the underground had already killed his companion.
Lan Chang'an put away his Bedrock Shield and summoned a black net weapon.
Whoosh!
A large expanding black net created a gray whirlwind, descending from the sky and trapping the tall masked man who tried to fly away.
The gray whirlwind induced slight dizziness upon contact.
With attacks coming from both the sky and the ground, there was no escape.
"Ah——"
The masked man at the eighth layer of Qi-Refining screamed, his body trapped by the black net as if struck by lightning; soon, the Earth Burrowing Rat tore open his abdomen, spilling his insides.
From the Earth Burrowing Rat's attack on the fat man to trapping and killing the tall masked man, it all took only four or five breaths.
Lan Chang'an put away the Golden Blade Talisman he had prepared, saving it for later.
He had planned to resolve the battle within ten breaths.
Given his current strength, even without using powerful talismans, killing ordinary late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators was easy.
Squeak! Squeak!
The Earth Burrowing Rat began to clean the battlefield, collecting spoils. If there were any traps in the bodies, Lan Chang'an wouldn't need to take the risk.
The masks of the two corpses cracked, revealing black diamond-shaped marks on their foreheads, oozing purple-black liquid.
"They were planted with restrictions?"
Lan Chang'an frowned slightly, suspecting it was the work of the Evil-faced Flying Eagle.
He didn't investigate further, collected several storage bags of spoils, and controlled his flying boat towards Huanglong Immortal City.
...
An hour later.
A sharp cry pierced the clouds.
A three-to-four-zhang-wide black eagle circled above the scene, screeching angrily.
After a moment.
A man with shoulders as sharp as knife cuts, wearing a conical hat, arrived before the corpses, leaving afterimages in his wake.
Had Lan Chang'an been there, he would have recognized that the man was also a Martial Innate Master who combined martial arts movement techniques with immortal techniques.
"A late first-rank monster, late-stage Qi-Refining cultivator..." Beneath the conical hat, crimson eyes flickered as the man examined every corner of the scene.
Then, he looked towards Huanglong Immortal City.
Crack! Crack!
The bones in the man's body made slight cracking sounds as his features and figure began to change.
He discarded the hat and outer robe.
He transformed into a handsome young man with red lips and white teeth, stepping onto a flying boat towards Huanglong Immortal City.
...
Lan Chang'an controlled his flying boat at full speed, moving far faster than usual.
On the way, he used his spiritual sense to inspect several storage pouches, destroying anything suspicious.
Excluding magical weapons and other items, he collected nearly a thousand spirit stones, a considerable fortune.
In less than half an hour.
A majestic crystal-yellow city appeared in his view, the surrounding mountains seeming like small hills in comparison.
Huanglong Immortal City covered an area of several hundreds of miles, and beneath the city there was a large high third-grade spiritual vein as well as several first and second-grade spiritual vein branches.
The entire city was enveloped by a massive third-rank grand formation, surrounded by white mist and glowing with golden light.
This kind of grand formation that enveloped a city and guarded a sect was more than ten times larger than ordinary formations of the same rank, and the resources consumed also increased proportionally.
The sky was filled with the sound of things breaking through the air: magical weapons, flying boats, spirit birds, and fleeing light, making it feel like entering an immortal world.
Occasionally, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator would break through the sky, and everyone would make way for them without even feeling surprised.
At the ten-zhang-tall city gate, cultivators came and went continuously.
Following the crowd, Lan Chang'an entered a side hall at the city gate to register information, pay spirit stones, and obtain an identity token.
Lan Chang'an didn't disguise his identity. He had always cultivated quietly and currently had no clear enemies.
Since he had left the Mu Family, he had no conflicts of interest with the Huang Family. 𝘧𝓇𝘦𝘦𝔀ℯ𝘣𝓃𝓸𝓿ℯ𝘭.𝑐𝓸𝓂
Against Foundation Establishment cultivators, any disguise could easily be seen through. For Qi-Refining cultivators, it was unnecessary.
Another important point.
Even if Lan Chang'an developed in Huanglong Immortal City, he would still maintain contact with Zhao Siyao of the sect and correspond with Li Ergou.
To some extent, Zhao Siyao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the sect, was his backing.
The detached Mu Family still retained connections, which might be useful one day.
Including the genius granddaughter of the Zhou Family, who owed him a favor.
With no significant enemies and the need to maintain relationships, there was no need to disguise himself.
"Huanglong Immortal City is divided into three main parts."
"One is the outer city, with spiritual energy from a low first-grade spiritual branch. Other than low-level cultivators, it’s also home to the descendants of cultivators and martial artists who seek immortality as well as secular nobles."
"Second is the inner city, with spiritual energy from first-grade medium and high-quality spiritual veins, depending on the area. Major shops, inns, stations, and residential areas of the immortal city are concentrated here."
"Third is 'Huanglong Mountain,' covering dozens of miles, with only certain areas open to the public. The best cave dwellings in the immortal city are on Huanglong Mountain, which can support the spiritual pressure needed for attempting Foundation Establishment."
...
Lan Chang'an had a plan in mind.
Years ago, he had already inquired about the general situation of Huanglong Immortal City.
According to unreliable rumors, Huanglong Immortal City was once a sub-altar of a demonic sect a thousand years ago.
Lan Chang'an had planned to rent a house in the inner city.
He didn't choose the outer city, which was considered a slum, with low standards and poor spiritual energy.
In theory, Lan Chang'an could afford to rent a cave in Huanglong Mountain long-term, where the spiritual energy environment and security were the best, just within his means.
However, even better spiritual energy environments, such as second-grade spirit veins, couldn't change the passage of time. For Lan Chang'an, the spiritual energy environment just needed to be sufficient.
Huanglong Mountain had one drawback that he had to avoid. It was the core of Huanglong Immortal City, where Core Formation and Fake-Dan Immortal cultivators resided.
If he lived under the watchful eyes of those immortals, with a casual sweep of their spiritual sense all his secrets could be seen through, leaving no personal privacy.
...
Entering the inner city, Lan Chang'an passed by several large shops following the crowd.
He planned to find a broker to rent a house.
"Lan Chang'an?"
Walking down a street, Lan Chang'an heard someone calling him, the voice hoarse and old.
Lan Chang'an turned to see a pair of grandparents.
The one calling him was a slightly hunchbacked old Taoist Master, at the sixth layer of Qi-Refining, with cloudy old eyes showing surprise and uncertainty as he looked at Lan Chang'an.
"Are you...Taoist Guan?"
From the old Taoist's wrinkled face, Lan Chang'an barely recognized him, exclaiming in surprise.