I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals
chapter-145

"Oh? Could the true culprit who killed Alchemist Hua and framed Boss Xiang be connected to Wuqi Mountain?" The skinny old man's eyes flashed as he speculated.

Xiang Jinglong was deeply aggrieved by the incident. In the past, it was always Xiang Jinglong who plundered and harmed others. But now, to be splashed with dirty water and made into a scapegoat for someone else made him extremely displeased.

"No!" Xiang Jinglong shook his head. "The three peak masters of Wuqi Mountain have decent strength, but they are far from capable of such a feat."

Eighteen years ago, the highest cultivation level in Wuqi Mountain was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, while the Turtle Talisman Master at that time had just reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Alchemist Hua had a talismanic treasure and other means of protection. Even a ruthless individual like Xiang Jinglong, who was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, wasn't confident he could take him down, let alone crushing him quickly.

Xiang Jinglong had gathered from Lin Ye, the alchemist, that Alchemist Hua had plotted against Lan Chang'an, and there was also Fu Xuemei, the final disciple of Huanglong Immortal, involved behind the scenes.

From his perspective, Lan Chang'an was also a victim, and though he hated it, there was nothing he could do.

As for Alchemist Hua, Xiang Jinglong speculated that he was merely an expendable tool used by higher-ups. Perhaps they fattened him up only to slaughter him later, or maybe he knew some secret and was silenced by those above. To mislead others, they framed someone else and even left demonic traces to distract the public.

"If it wasn't Wuqi Mountain, then who..."

"I already have some leads! But the true culprit behind this is far too powerful. Knowing too much won't do you guys any good," Xiang Jinglong said coldly, with a murderous glint in his eyes.

"Once I form my Gray-Dan, I will thoroughly investigate and settle this matter!"

With those words, he withdrew his gaze from Wuqi Mountain and turned to fly southeast.

"Boss Xiang, are you no longer aiming for the True-Dan?"

"Aiming for True-Dan my ass! With my qualifications and at this age, achieving Fake-Dan is already not easy."

...

Half a month later.

At Wuqi Mountain, Little Turtle Peak.

A man and a woman, both at the Foundation Establishment Realm, came to visit.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, I, Jiang Yechen, have brought Miss Shen to express our gratitude personally."

Jiang Yechen was dressed in a luxurious purple robe, his features handsome yet delicate, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes.

Beside him was Miss Shen, who had just awoken—a woman of delicate beauty and a tranquil temperament, dressed in white.

"This humble woman, Shen Bixin, has come to express her deepest gratitude to Fellow Daoist Lan for saving her life."

Miss Shen bowed gracefully, her manner dignified, exuding the scholarly air of a noble lady. However, her injuries had not fully healed, and her beautiful face still showed a hint of a sickly pallor.

"Miss Shen is too kind. I only assisted in the treatment; it was not truly a life-saving act." Lan Chang'an responded politely.

"Is that so? Fellow Daoist Ye once said that without your help, the treatment that day might have failed."

Miss Shen's clear eyes settled on his face, lingering for a few breaths.

On the day of her treatment, though Shen Bixin was unconscious, she had a vague sense of awareness.

She felt as if she had fallen into an endless abyss of darkness and cold, and at a certain moment, a surge of verdant warmth flowed up from beneath her chest. That warmth, filled with the vitality of spring, gave her a glimpse of hope in the darkness, igniting her will to resist death.

After inquiring about it later, Shen Bixin had a strong intuition that Lan Chang'an had played a key role in saving her.

"Heh, Miss Shen, please don't take it so seriously. Fellow Daoist Ye and I have always held each other in high regard." Lan Chang'an laughed despite himself.

During the treatment, he hadn't consumed his lifespan to perform the Evergreen secret spell, but with his cultivation advancing, his longevity increased, and his Evergreen mana grew stronger.

Even just healing normally, it was outstanding. But this level of healing, though remarkable, wasn't beyond common sense.

Certain wood-based techniques with an ancient heritage could be even more effective at healing.

In his cave dwelling, Lan Chang'an hosted Jiang Yechen and Shen Bixin. The two were currently in a romantic relationship, and had yet to reach the step of becoming a dao couple.

Shen Bixin was the young lady of a mid-sized merchant family from Liaoyuan Immortal City. The Fake-Dan cultivator who presided over their merchant association was her grandfather.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, this is a VIP token from the Tengxing Merchant Association. Should you visit any of our shops in the future, you can enjoy discounts and access to some restricted and rare resources." Shen Bixin presented a green token with golden engravings.

"Miss Shen is very thoughtful."

Lan Chang'an had plans to visit Liaoyuan Immortal City later, so he accepted it without hesitation.

"I've heard that Fellow Daoist Lan is highly skilled in talisman making, and the talismans you sell are of reliable quality. Would it be possible for me to procure some for our association?"

Shen Bixin's dimpled smile appeared as she proposed a trade.

Without much thought, Lan Chang'an responded, "No problem. But, I only sell second-rank talismans, and my supply is limited."

"That's fine. Second-rank talismans are relatively rare in all the major Immortal Cities of Liang Kingdom." Shen Bixin nodded.

Soon after, Lan Chang'an took out a small box filled with several stacks of talismans.

"These, are all second-rank talismans?"

Shen Bixin was slightly moved, her bright eyes sparkling with excitement.

Even with the spirit stones she currently had, it would be impossible to purchase all the talismans in this box.

"Yes, mostly mid to low-grade second-rank talismans. For superior-grade ones, I only have two or three at the moment."

Lan Chang'an pushed the small box towards her, allowing Shen Bixin to choose.

"Superior-grade second-rank talismans?"

Shen Bixin thought to herself, realizing that Lan Chang'an's talisman-crafting skills had reached the superior grade of the second rank.

In fact, Lan Chang'an had deliberately begun to slowly reveal his ability to craft superior-grade second-rank talismans.

Due to material and talent constraints, in Liang Kingdom's cultivation world, talisman masters who could reach the superior grade of the second rank were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Before long, Lan Chang'an and Shen Bixin completed the transaction.

Shen Bixin spent over eight thousand spirit stones to buy twenty to thirty second-rank talismans from Lan Chang'an, including three superior-grade ones.

A supreme-grade magic weapon suitable for mid to late Foundation Establishment cultivators generally costs around two thousand spirit stones.

As consumable items, talismans had a relatively low cost-effectiveness since the power of an ordinary superior-grade second-rank talisman was inferior to that of a supreme-grade magic weapon wielded by a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The power of a talisman spell was also generally weaker than that of a spell cast by a cultivator of the same level using a magic weapon.

...

Half an hour later, Lan Chang'an escorted Shen Bixin and Jiang Yechen out of his cave dwelling.

"It would be wise for the two of you to stay at Wuqi Mountain for a while, at least until Miss Shen has fully recovered," Lan Chang'an suggested kindly.

Jiang Yechen and Shen Bixin understood the reasoning and nodded in thanks.

They couldn't be certain if the three bandits who had attacked before were still lurking around Wuqi Mountain.

In principle, the cave dwellings on the three main peaks of Wuqi Mountain did not allow guests to stay overnight after completing transactions. So for the past few days, the two had been staying in guest rooms at the foot of Little Pill Peak.

Months later, after fully recovering from her injuries, Shen Bixin, accompanied by Jiang Yechen, returned to Little Turtle Peak to formally bid farewell.

Watching the two leave, Lan Chang'an pondered.

Both Jiang Yechen and Shen Bixin had decent talent and potential as Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Jiang Yechen, with his high-grade spiritual roots, had severed ties with one of the seven great families, the Jiang family. He also had some fortuitous encounters.

When they were competing for the peak master position, Lan Chang'an noticed that Jiang Yechen possessed a soul dao artifact, something extremely rare among Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This meant that Lan Changan's means of merging and using spiritual sense secret techniques to instantly kill Alchemist Hua, Young Master Huang, and the others would likely have little effect on Jiang Yechen.

Shen Bixin's talent was slightly inferior to Jiang Yechen's, but she came from a prominent background and she could easily acquire scarce resources through her family's merchant association for her cultivation.

...

A year later, on a certain day.

Lan Chang'an finally left Wuqi Mountain, flying southeast.

His destination was Liaoyuan Immortal City.

This number one Immortal City in Liang Kingdom was located in the central region of the country, to the east of the Flame Departing Palace.

Due to Jiang Yechen and Shen Bixin's visit to Wuqi Mountain to treat their injuries, and the possible presence of the rogue cultivators in the surrounding area, Lan Chang'an had delayed his departure for an entire year.

This trip to Liaoyuan Immortal City was not only for procuring rare materials but also to find a suitable place for the Profound Water Turtle to breakthrough.

It was said that even caves with third-rank spiritual veins were available for rent in Liaoyuan Immortal City.

When a demonic beast advances to the second rank, the commotion is much smaller, and in a place as high-level and bustling as Liaoyuan Immortal City, such an event would go unnoticed.

The geographical location of Wuqi Mountain was not far from the heartland of the Liang Kingdom, much closer than the journey from Jin Yun Valley.

With his current cultivation level, Lan Chang'an could reach his destination in just over half a month. However, he deliberately avoided the area around Flame Departing Palace, adding two or three days to his journey.

On this day.

A vast dark-red plain came into Lan Chang'an's view.

At first glance, the terrain of the dark-red plain resembled burning maple leaves.

The temperature around him clearly rose significantly; ordinary mortals couldn't survive here, making it a forbidden zone in the secular realm.

This was the "Prairie Fire Plain."

Both Flame Departing Palace and Liaoyuan Immortal City were located on this high-temperature plain.

After flying for another half a day.

In the distance, smoke and fiery clouds covered the sky.

These were the natural formations created by a series of volcanoes.

At the center of eight surrounding volcanoes stood a massive volcano, atop which was an Immortal City spanning seven to eight hundred li, entirely built from red crystal stones.

From a high altitude, it looked like a piece of burning red agate.

Swish! Swish!

As he approached "Liaoyuan Immortal City," Lan Chang'an occasionally encountered other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

There were even a few Fake-Dan Realm cultivators passing by, their immense spiritual pressure causing nearby cultivators to respectfully make way.

Fortunately, the stronger a cultivator's realm, the higher they flew when traveling, so it was rare for them to interact with ordinary cultivators.

"Liaoyuan Immortal City is rich in fire spiritual energy, making it more suitable for those cultivating fire-based techniques or for artifact refiners to settle in."

This thought crossed Lan Chang'an's mind as he landed before one of the city's grand entrance gates.

At a side hall next to the gate, he paid spirit stones to obtain a temporary identity token.

...

Lan Chang'an had already used the Hundred Illusions Mask to disguise himself with a new identity.

The Hundred Illusions Mask could store up to three different identities, including their appearance and spiritual aura.

He had already erased and replaced the previous three identities due to their potential connection to various suspicious activities.

His current disguise was that of an ordinary-looking young man.

This identity was based on a Qi-Refining cultivator from a remote area north of Wuqi Mountain.

The mask also allowed for minor adjustments to the facial features.

Depending on the wearer's spiritual sense, the Hundred Illusions Mask could also simulate different cultivation levels.

For example, Lan Chang'an had not only refrained from hiding his cultivation level but had even adjusted it to appear as if he were at the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

The resources he planned to procure were of a higher grade. A higher cultivation level would make transactions more convenient and reduce the risk of being targeted.

Liaoyuan Immortal City had no strict division between the inner and outer city. The city's elevation gradually increased from south to north. The further north you go, the better the spiritual vein environment.

At the northernmost part were the "City Lord's Mansion" and the "Flame Departing Hall," which enjoyed quasi-fourth-rank spiritual vein environments.

Lan Chang'an settled in a high-end inn located in the city's central-northern area, where he could enjoy the cultivation environment of a second-rank spiritual vein.

The price was naturally steep, costing twice as much as renting a mountain peak's spiritual vein at Wuqi Mountain.

"In three months, Liaoyuan Immortal City's annual mid-sized auction will take place."

After spending half a day exploring the city, Lan Chang'an learned of this opportunity.

He naturally wouldn't want to miss it.

This annual auction wasn't of the highest caliber, with only a few Fake-Dan cultivators and a handful of early to mid-stage Core Formation Realm cultivators attending.

Before the auction, Lan Chang'an scoured the city's major shops for the materials he needed.

Superior-grade second-rank puppet materials, talisman materials.

Third-rank spirit bamboo, second-rank Life Extension Pills, Core Formation auxiliary herbs, magic treasure materials, wood magic treasure embryos, and more.

He even kept an eye out for materials for the Youth Retaining Pill.

Back when he killed Alchemist Hua, he had obtained the main ingredient for the Youth Retaining Pills.

"Consuming a Youth Retaining Pill would maintain one's youthful appearance, a result slightly different from the effect brought about by the Evergreen Technique."

If the opportunity arose, Lan Chang'an wanted to take a Youth Retaining Pill.

This way, in the future, cultivators of higher realms would find it difficult to discern his inner agelessness through his outwardly youthful appearance given by the Youth Retaining Pill.

...

Two months later.

Lan Chang'an made some decent gains in Liaoyuan Immortal City.

He purchased a large batch of superior-grade second-rank puppet materials, which would last him for years, at a considerable cost.

He acquired two pieces of superior-grade second-rank spirit bamboo.

He bought one second-rank Life Extension Pill.

He also gathered several materials for Youth Retaining Pills.

Altogether, Lan Chang'an spent over ten thousand spirit stones.

The successful procurement was largely due to Liaoyuan Immortal City's higher level of resources, Lan Chang'an's "late Foundation Establishment" cultivation level, and the VIP token of the Tengxing Merchant Association given by Shen Bixin played a certain role.

Tengxing Merchant Association had more than a dozen small and large shops in Liaoyuan Immortal City, so it had certain exclusive channels.

"Unfortunately, Tengxing Merchant Association is only a mid-sized merchant association in Liaoyuan Immortal City, far from the status of 'Huanglong Pavilion' in Huanglong Immortal City."

Lan Chang'an sighed slightly.

If he could obtain a VIP token from Flame Departing Hall, he could purchase even higher-end restricted resources in Liaoyuan Immortal City.

Flame Departing Hall managed all the industries and shops owned by Flame Departing Palace in Liaoyuan Immortal City, similar to the Huanglong Pavilion in Huanglong Immortal City.

This showed that the Huanglong Pavilion token Fu Xuemei had given him back then had provided quite a bit of convenience in Huanglong Immortal City.

...

A month later.

Lan Chang'an attended the mid-sized auction hosted by Flame Departing Hall as scheduled.

The participants at this level of auction were almost exclusively Foundation Establishment cultivators and above.

The few Qi-Refining cultivators who attended were there to gain experience, usually accompanied by their elders.

There were over twenty Fake-Dan cultivators and two or three Core Formation Immortals, all at the early stage.

Near the end of the first half of the auction, a Foundation Establishment Pill was put up for bidding, with two being auctioned simultaneously.

The competition was fierce, surpassing even that of Huanglong Immortal City.

The participants were almost all backed by Fake-Dan cultivators.

One of the pills was casually bought by a Core Formation cultivator, and the other participants dared not compete too aggressively.

Imagine, when Lan Chang'an was at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi-Refining, would he dare to come here to compete for the Foundation Establishment Pill?

The same was true for ordinary Foundation Establishment families.

"Liaoyuan Immortal City is backed by the Flame Departing Palace, attracting elites from all over Liang Kingdom. There are too many well-connected cultivators here; it's not a place for loose cultivators without strong backing to mix."

Lan Chang'an reached a conclusion in his heart.

In the core area of Liaoyuan Immortal City, casually provoking a young cultivator could easily lead to involvement with Foundation Establishment cultivators. If unlucky, it could even be someone with a Fake-Dan background.

"Third-Rank low-grade spirit bamboo 'Bitter Clear Bamboo,' produced by Qingzhu Sect. The bamboo shoots can be used as auxiliary ingredients for third-rank pills, and the bamboo itself can serve as material for low-grade magical treasures."

"This time, Qingzhu Sect is selling three 'Bitter Clear Bamboo' stalks, each starting at two thousand spirit stones." The auctioneer introduced the item.

"Qingzhu Sect rarely sells its third-rank spirit bamboo, and now they're selling three at once?" Lan Chang'an found it a bit peculiar.

Many cultivators in the auction hall also appeared surprised.

Third-Rank spirit bamboo attracted a few competitors; Lan Chang'an, with his late Foundation Establishment cultivation, successfully bid for one stalk at over three thousand spirit stones and decided to stop there.

A supreme-grade magic weapon was worth two thousand spirit stones, while a low-grade magical treasure was worth over ten thousand. The price of ordinary third-rank materials fluctuated within this range.

Back when Zhang Tieshan sold a third-rank mid-grade spirit wood, the portion was relatively small, and he gave a friendly price.

This time, Lan Chang'an purchased a complete third-rank spirit bamboo with abundant spiritual energy.

If a skilled artifact refiner worked on it, it could be used as the main embryo for a wood-element magical treasure.

However, such materials weren't highly attractive to Lan Chang'an, who had already repaired a magic treasure prototype.

What he truly yearned for was the heaven and earth spiritual object, Xuanmu Vine, which could be cultivated into a life-bound magic treasure.

A life-bound magical treasure is no trivial matter. Even if the requirements were lowered, the materials should at least be of superior-grade third-rank quality.

...

"Core Formation auxiliary herb, third-rank 'Fire Essence Date,' an important material for refining third-rank 'Crystal Condensation Pill.' Even when taken alone, it provides a slight boost for those attempting Core Formation."

The auction of Core Formation auxiliary herbs sparked a frenzy at the auction.

The competitors were mostly late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, fighting fiercely.

Lan Chang'an, whose cultivation was simulated to be at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, almost at the peak, found this to be an advantage. Participating in the bidding at this moment didn't make him seem out of place at all.

This auction featured more than one Core Formation auxiliary herb. While trying not to attract too much attention, he intended to bid on at least one.

(End of chapter)