I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals
chapter-167

Upon hearing Ye Fei's assertive proclamation, the expressions of the yellow-skinned youth and the black-robed female cultivator being pursued changed instantly.

"We were merely passing through near Wuqi Mountain, planning to purchase some supplies. Is this how Wuqi Mountain treats guests? By ignoring their pleas and leaving them at the mercy of rogue cultivators? You turn your back on those in need and shut out potential visitors?"

The yellow-skinned youth's face contorted with anger and frustration as he hurled accusations.

Lan Chang'an and the other two peak masters ignored his questions and each summoned a supreme-grade magical weapon, blocking the siblings from entering Wuqi Mountain.

"What kind of customer shows up in the middle of the night, already engaged in a fight in the woods? Wuqi Mountain only receives legitimate visitors and doesn't involve itself in external disputes," Lan Chang'an responded calmly.

He and Ye Fei each also activated a mid and low-grade second-rank puppet. With this kind of lineup, coupled with the advantage of being on home ground, they had no reason to fear the five people fighting outside, even if they were working together.

"The three Peaks Masters are smart people, we'll remember this favor," the leader of the pursuers, the man wearing a black veil hat, chuckled hoarsely.

The yellow-skinned youth and his sister had no choice but to skirt the edges of Wuqi Mountain, taking a longer route to escape.

This detour only allowed the pursuers to close in on them more quickly.

Soon, the three pursuers caught up and cornered the siblings.

After a brief but intense fight, the yellow-skinned youth and the black-robed female cultivator found their weapons damaged, their spiritual lights dim, and their bodies wounded.

"Brother, since we can't escape, let's fight them to the end!"

The black-robed female cultivator, her teeth clenched, looked at her brother with a cold, despairing expression.

"Little sister, run! I'll hold them off!"

The yellow-skinned youth, his face marked with violet-blue blood lines from the secret technique he activated, saw his mana surge to nearly late Foundation Establishment level.

He shoved the black-robed female cultivator away, launching a desperate counterattack against the three pursuers.

"Haha, a cornered dog is making a last stand," the black-veiled leader's mana surged from mid to late Foundation Establishment level.

"You... you were hiding your cultivation..."

With the odds now three against one, the yellow-skinned youth was quickly overpowered, his body cut into pieces.

Seeing this, the three peak masters of Wuqi Mountain were momentarily stunned.

It was now clear that the two groups of Foundation Establishment cultivators were indeed not on the same side.

Fairy Shi exchanged a glance with Lan Chang'an, showing a hint of pity, though she remained silent.

"Brother!"

The black-robed female cultivator, having fled some distance, was heartbroken. Tears streamed down her beautiful face.

"That female cultivator is rather pretty. Capture her quickly; we can sell her for a high price afterward..."

The black-veiled leader shot a wary glance at the three peak masters from Wuqi Mountain before ordering his subordinates to pursue.

"One day, Wuqi Mountain will pay for this—"

The black-robed female cultivator, filled with hatred, not only resented the three rogue cultivators but also harbored deep animosity toward the three peak masters of Wuqi Mountain for their indifference.

She shot a cold, venomous glare at Lan Chang'an and the others, memorizing their faces.

Lan Chang'an’s brow furrowed slightly.

But given the black-robed female cultivator's speed, she wouldn’t be able to escape the pursuit of the three rogue cultivators, especially the late Foundation Establishment leader.

Suddenly, a sound of rushing wind came from the southeast.

A crimson light streaked through the night sky, flying toward them.

"Retreat!"

The black-veiled leader glanced at the light, his face changing drastically. Without hesitation, he called off his subordinates and quickly fled.

They abandoned their chase of the black-robed female cultivator, leaving her behind.

...

"Cultivators from the Flame Departing Palace?"

The three peak masters of Wuqi Mountain turned their attention to the approaching crimson iron ship, realizing who it was.

The vessel was a signature flying weapon of Flame Departing Palace, bearing a fire emblem on either side, each formed by a small teardrop-shaped flame. The emblems emitted a spiral glow as the ship flew.

The ship carried four Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The leader, a refined man in a green robe with a clean and youthful face, was at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

"Song Wenshu?"

Lan Chang'an recognized the man.

During the beast tide years ago, Song Wenshu had accompanied Hong Song Immortal of Flame Departing Palace in investigating the Fox Valley massacre, during which he and Lan Chang'an had briefly met.

In the years that followed, Lan Chang'an had only seen Song Wenshu once more, and they hadn’t formed any meaningful relationship.

"Senior Brother Song, those escaping bandits might include the notorious 'Night Fisherman,' a bandit wanted by several major sects," a bearded mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator on the orange ship identified the veiled man’s identity.

"Night Fisherman? He’s known for operating under the cover of night, robbing for money and lust, always with a bamboo hat on his head, appearing and disappearing like a ghost...," Song Wenshu quickly recalled details about this wanted criminal, who was somewhat infamous in the Liang Kingdom.

One of his most notorious crimes involved kidnapping several female cultivators from sects and selling them into brothels, where they were subjected to unspeakable horrors. This led to a severe crackdown by the sects, forcing him into hiding for a decade or more.

"We three will give chase. You stay here and investigate," Song Wenshu ordered, leaving the bearded man behind while he and two other disciples went after the Night Fisherman.

"Fellow Daoist Lan."

Before departing, Song Wenshu exchanged a distant nod with Lan Chang'an, offering a brief greeting.

Lan Chang'an, feigning slight surprise, cautioned, "Be careful, Fellow Daoist Song. That bandit leader was hiding his true cultivation; he might be more dangerous than he appears."

Sect cultivators generally had the advantage over rogue cultivators of the same rank.

Given Song Wenshu's strong background within Flame Departing Palace, he would likely avoid any serious mishaps unless he grossly underestimated his opponent.

The bearded man left behind was Cao Yuan, a trusted subordinate of Song Wenshu. After exchanging introductions, Cao Yuan began investigating the scene around Wuqi Mountain.

After inspecting the yellow-skinned youth’s corpse, Cao Yuan appeared thoughtful.

He glanced in the direction where the black-robed female cultivator had fled, showing a hint of regret.

"Fellow Daoist Cao, who exactly were those two being pursued?" Lan Chang'an inquired.

"Those two were Pei Wenkang and Pei Qiuyan, siblings from a fallen cultivation family. They recently purchased a shop in Liaoyuan Immortal City at a high price but fell into debt after a failed business venture..."

"A few days ago, the Pei siblings went out to procure supplies and came across a small merchant caravan being ambushed by rogue cultivators. The fight was fierce, and the bandits eventually retreated. The siblings, in a moment of greed, decided to loot the severely weakened caravan."

"However, the truth came to light shortly after, and the Pei siblings could no longer stay in Liaoyuan Immortal City. They fled under cover of night."

After hearing Cao Yuan’s account, Lan Chang'an understood that the siblings weren’t true rogue cultivators.

They had conducted business honestly and even helped others, without leaving any negative impressions on those they dealt with.

But after losing everything in their business and facing the weakening control of the sects due to the war, they seized a rare opportunity to make some quick gains, ultimately leading them down a dark path.

Cao Yuan speculated that the bandits they had robbed likely belonged to the Night Fisherman’s crew, which led to their relentless pursuit.

One basis for this theory was that the Night Fisherman was known for his relentless tracking, rarely letting his prey escape once targeted.

...

Half an hour later, Song Wenshu returned to Wuqi Mountain with the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, reuniting with Cao Yuan.

"Did you catch any of the bandits?" Lan Chang'an and the other two peak masters approached to inquire.

"The Night Fisherman is cunning. He laid down decoys along the way and split up with his subordinates. In the end, we only managed to kill one of his Foundation Establishment subordinates," Song Wenshu sighed, expressing his regret.

This outcome didn’t surprise Lan Chang'an.

Although the Night Fisherman was once infamous, he wouldn’t dare to fight Flame Departing Palace's elite cultivators head-on.

The disparity in their strength was too great.

Even if the Night Fisherman were to somehow win, killing a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a significant background would draw the attention of Flame Departing Palace’s higher-ups. He would find it would be difficult to move an inch in Liang, likely facing certain death.

Subsequently, Song Wenshu learned that the Pei siblings who had been pursued also had a criminal record in the Liaoyuan Immortal City area, which was under Flame Departing Palace’s jurisdiction.

"Pei Qiuyan is seriously injured. There may be traces left on the path. Try to track her down and capture her," Song Wenshu was too lazy to do it himself, leaving the task to Cao Yuan and other Foundation Establishment henchmen.

Late that night, Song Wenshu stayed as a guest at Little Turtle Peak, accepting the three peak masters' invitation to a banquet.

Lan Chang'an and the others were naturally eager to strengthen their relationship with the Flame Departing Palace cultivators.

Song Wenshu didn’t look down on the three skilled craftsmen of Wuqi Mountain.

He still remembered the Fox Valley massacre, where the mysterious rogue cultivator group involved was even more formidable and elusive than the Night Fisherman.

During that incident, Song Wenshu was deeply impressed by Lan Chang'an and Ye Fei’s performance, as they both showed remarkable strength, managing to turn the tables on stronger opponents.

Especially Lan Chang'an, who assisted Hong Song Immortal in killing the leader of the bandit group, a mysterious late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

To this day, the identity of that ringleader remains a mystery.

...

The following morning, Cao Yuan and his team returned, looking dejected as they regrouped with Song Wenshu.

"You couldn’t catch her?" Song Wenshu asked in surprise.

Their target was just an injured early Foundation Establishment female cultivator with limited escape capabilities. Surely she would have left some traces behind. All of these cultivators were part of Flame Departing Palace’s Law Enforcement Hall and were skilled in tracking.

"Senior Brother Song, we found traces of the female cultivator for several hundred li as she fled from Wuqi Mountain. But then, the trail abruptly ended, and we lost all signs of her..." Cao Yuan blushed with embarrassment as he lowered his head.

Lan Chang'an’s eyes gleamed slightly, noting the details Cao Yuan provided.

"Forget it. It's just a small fish," Song Wenshu sighed, deciding to let it go.

"Sorry to have caused you trouble, Fellow Daoist Lan," Song Wenshu said.

"Don’t worry about it, Fellow Daoist Song. Pei Qiuyan wasn’t a truly evil person. Perhaps the heavens showed mercy, giving her a chance to turn her life around," Lan Chang'an replied without giving anything away.

Feeling dispirited by his failures, Song Wenshu was eager to leave, so he bid his farewells.

Before parting, Lan Chang'an handed Song Wenshu a bag of spirit stones. The latter declined several times before reluctantly accepting, calling it a "hardship fee."

Lan Chang'an knew that Song Wenshu, due to his unusual background, hadn’t been sent to the warfront in the neighboring country. Instead, he was tasked with patrolling the interior of the Liang Kingdom and maintaining order around Flame Departing Palace’s jurisdiction.

Wuqi Mountain, not far from the kingdom’s heartland, fell within the edge of Song Wenshu’s patrolling territory.

The nearby Fox Valley was one of Flame Departing Palace’s spirit vein sites.

...

Half a day after the Flame Departing Palace cultivators left, Lan Chang'an retreated to his secret room in Little Turtle Peak.

Squeak, squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat emerged from a hidden entrance in the chamber, carrying a storage pouch in its mouth.

It also spat out a thin, almost invisible mask.

Lan Chang'an opened the storage pouch and glanced inside, his expression unreadable.

The items within weren’t worth as much as those carried by a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He then picked up the Hundred Illusions Mask, detecting a faint trace of blood and a subtle, lingering fragrance of a woman.

Although Pei Qiuyan wasn’t a heinous criminal, she had clearly harbored deep resentment toward the three peak masters of Wuqi Mountain after her escape. Naturally, Lan Chang'an couldn’t allow such a potential threat to remain.

An injured early Foundation Establishment cultivator stood no chance against the Earth Burrowing Rat’s second-rank late-stage stealth attack. It was a quick, decisive kill.

Staring at the Hundred Illusions Mask in his hand, Lan Chang'an’s gaze grew contemplative.

This was the first time the Hundred Illusions Mask had acquired a new identity through the death of its target, absorbing their essence blood, and soul.

He placed the mask on his face, feeling a cold, eerie sensation as it seamlessly merged with his skin.

In the blink of an eye, a female cultivator with eyes like autumn waters, jade-like skin, and an air of icy elegance appeared in the secret room.

Squeak, squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat’s eyes widened, its fur standing on end as it bared its teeth at the sight of "Pei Qiuyan," the woman it had killed not long ago.

"What a pity, such a beautiful woman."

Lan Chang'an traced his finger across a water mirror, gazing at the reflection of the stunning female cultivator, her skin as flawless as snow, her figure graceful and alluring, and her long hair as smooth as silk.

(End of chapter)