I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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Hu Immortal's eyes were bloodshot with rage as he stared at the young man a few zhang behind him, whose expression remained calm.

Whoosh!

A blood-stained invisible needle darted through the air, tracing a sharp arc before transforming into a needle-shaped talismanic treasure and returning to Lan Chang'an's hand, hidden within his sleeve.

"Despicable... treacherous..."

Hu Immortal's shocked face was splattered with the blood from his chest. His eyes were filled with hatred and unwillingness as he stared at his attacker from behind.

Struggling to utter a few words, his chest suddenly exploded, blood clogging his throat as he continuously spat out blood.

"Hu Immortal!"

Several cries rang out, and the others finally reacted.

With a heavy thud, Hu Immortal collapsed to the ground. His vitality plummeted, and he became critically weak, teetering on the brink of death.

Lan Chang'an nonchalantly stored away the needle-shaped talisman.

To kill Hu Immortal, he hadn’t even used his strongest treasure talismans.

The needle-shaped talismanic treasure had been a gift from Bai Ling Immortal when Fu Xuemei was breaking through to the Core Formation Realm. While it wasn't much of a threat in direct combat against a Fake Dan cultivator, it excelled in stealth attacks, being small and silent.

Hu Immortal, having narrowly survived and stumbled upon a great opportunity, had just lost a crucial token. With his emotions in turmoil, his attention was completely torn.

This allowed Lan Chang'an to launch a sneak attack from behind, killing him with one strike.

"Lan Chang'an! How dare you assassinate Hu Immortal?"

Tan Immortal, who had reached the six-sided pavilion in front of them, turned back in shock. His expression quickly shifted to anger as he shouted.

Tan Immortal wasn’t as furious as one might expect, more so bewildered and surprised.

"Hu Immortal broke his promise. Not only did he fail to compensate me for the loss of my puppet, but he also stole the demon core my spirit pet obtained."

Lan Chang'an spoke in a flat tone, as though it was only natural:

"So, I killed him."

Hearing this, the other cultivators were stunned. It sounded reasonable, yet something felt off.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of anger in Lan Chang'an’s voice as he made his explanation, making it seem a bit insincere.

Pfft!

Hu Immortal, who was lying on the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood and died, his eyes wide open in death.

Squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat darted forward, snatching Hu Immortal's storage pouch before quickly returning.

Tan Immortal's face darkened as murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

Lan Chang'an, being the closest to Hu Immortal, naturally seized the opportunity to take the spoils of victory as the one who had planned the attack.

"Fellow Daoist Lan,"

Fairy Shi floated over to Lan Chang'an's side, her eyes cautious as she watched Tan Immortal's group of four.

After the initial shock, Fairy Shi looked at the familiar man in front of her, unable to calm her turbulent thoughts.

The low-profile cultivator who had quietly raised turtles and planted herbs for years had just killed a Fake Dan Immortal with one strike.

This completely shattered her previous perception of him.

...

Why did Lan Chang'an kill Hu Immortal?

As the only remaining formation master on the scene, Fairy Shi quickly realized his intention.

Now that the ancient ruins had been breached to this point, with each obstacle broken down one by one, Hu Immortal, as a third-rank formation master, had outlived his usefulness.

There might still be some minor issues to deal with, such as returning to the entrance of the ruins, but as a formation master nearing the third rank herself, Fairy Shi’s formation skills were not much weaker than Hu Immortal’s. The difference mainly lay in their cultivation levels.

With Hu Immortal dead, Fairy Shi's position naturally rose. By teaming up with Lan Chang'an, they would hold more power.

In fact, another reason Lan Chang'an killed Hu Immortal was his wariness of third-rank formation masters.

A third-rank formation master could use the terrain to set up formations, which posed a greater threat and introduced more variables.

With Hu Immortal dead, the only threat left was Tan Immortal, whose individual strength alone wasn't as worrisome to Lan Chang'an.

"Lan Chang'an, Hu Immortal was a close friend of mine. No matter what reason you had for killing him, I, Tan, cannot turn a blind eye."

Tan Immortal, who still hadn't found the key token, turned back, approaching Lan Chang'an step by step, his expression cold and full of malice.

"What does Tan Immortal intend to do?"

Lan Chang'an thought to himself, "You didn’t seem so aggressive before I took Hu Immortal’s storage pouch."

"Insidious junior! I want you to thank me with your death!"

Tan Immortal enunciated each word carefully, his body erupting with Core power, exuding a powerful pressure far beyond that of an ordinary Fake Dan cultivator.

He opened his mouth and spat out a dark-colored ruler, which glowed with brilliant light.

Boom!

The ruler magical treasure expanded rapidly in the wind, growing to over ten zhang in length, gathering a vast amount of dark blue energy as it crashed down towards Lan Chang'an with the force of a collapsing mountain.

The faces of the surrounding cultivators changed dramatically. Tan Immortal was fighting for real now.

It wasn't just about Hu Immortal's storage pouch.

Lan Chang'an had killed a Fake Dan cultivator in an underhanded way. How could Tan Immortal tolerate such a threat lurking near him?

As Tan Immortal launched his attack, Lan Chang'an moved as well. The Evergreen mana surged within him like a tidal wave as he summoned a magical treasure prototype.

It was a simple, curved blade with a flowing black-gold sheen, emitting the faint spiritual energy characteristic of a magic treasure.

With the infusion of his Evergreen power, the simple curved blade vibrated with a sharp cry, its energy surging toward the sky as it transformed into a massive black crescent-shaped blade.

Clang! Boom!

The golden-edged black crescent clashed head-on with the ruler magical treasure, sending shockwaves rippling through the surroundings.

In less than a second, the black blade's light dimmed rapidly, reverting to its simple curved form and falling to the ground.

The blue spiritual light on the ruler magical treasure also dimmed significantly, shrinking in size.

"Such power?"

Tan Immortal was secretly shocked. He hadn't expected Lan Chang'an's magical treasure prototype to possess such strength, comparable to the full force of a magic treasure wielded by a Fake Dan cultivator.

Normally, Lan Chang'an’s magical treasure prototype wouldn’t have such power.

However, the curved blade had been tempered and nurtured by him for so long that its spiritual nature was on par with a real magic treasure.

This was its first "unsheathing," the moment when all its stored energy erupted in a powerful burst.

Bang!

The shrunken ruler was blocked by a large turtle puppet over a zhang tall, absorbing the remaining energy of the attack.

The turtle puppet remained unmoved, its surface glowing faintly with patterns, showing no damage whatsoever.

"A quasi-third-rank puppet? No, just its defense reaches quasi-third rank..."

Tan Immortal's brows furrowed as he realized the situation had become more complicated.

Beside Lan Chang'an, Fairy Shi had also summoned a golden ring-shaped magical treasure prototype, ready to help defend against the ruler attack, but it had turned out to be unnecessary.

"What are you all standing around for?"

Tan Immortal urged his three Foundation Establishment followers, who stood there with uncertainty written on their faces.

"Tan Immortal, it seems the restrictions on those two Foundation Establishment Fellow Daoists were placed by Hu Immortal. Now that Hu Immortal is gone, they have the right to decide their own fate."

Lan Chang'an laughed lightly as he stood behind the turtle puppet.

Of the three remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators, only Lady Wei hadn’t been subjected to any restrictions.

The remaining two, the high-nosed young man and the elderly man, had been bound by restrictions placed by Hu Immortal. Since third-rank formation masters were often skilled in restrictions, it was a more secure method of control.

Now that Hu Immortal was dead, Tan Immortal couldn’t control their life and death directly.

As Lan Chang'an and Tan Immortal exchanged blows, Lady Wei quietly retreated a few steps.

The other two hesitated, but after witnessing Lan Chang'an successfully fend off an attack from a Fake Dan cultivator, they were astonished.

Seeing the situation, they realized that with Lan Chang'an and Fairy Shi working together, they could indeed fight against Tan Immortal.

In that case, there was no need for them to serve Tan Immortal and risk their lives for him.

...

"Tan Immortal, if you kill Fellow Daoist Lan and his companion, are you certain you'll be able to access the hidden formation gate leading to the treasure vault? Can you ensure your safety on the way back?"

Lady Wei’s voice, calm as the night, spoke up at just the right moment.

"Lady Wei has a point."

Tan Immortal's expression softened. He was quite courteous toward Lady Wei, using her words as a graceful way to back down.

The power that Lan Chang'an and Fairy Shi had just displayed, capable of challenging a Fake Dan Immortal, was not something that could be dealt with easily. Furthermore, Fairy Shi, as the only formation master, was now indispensable.

"Little theif Lan! The grudge between us—let’s settle it after we leave the ruins!"

Tan Immortal stowed away his ruler magical treasure, leaving with harsh words.

Lan Chang'an smiled faintly and also put away his magical treasure prototype and turtle puppet.

Humiliated, Tan Immortal made his way back to the six-sided pavilion, bringing Lady Wei with him to search for the token Hu Immortal had lost earlier.

Lan Chang'an had no interest in joining them.

When Hu Immortal broke through the formation earlier, Lan Chang'an had merged with the Nine Seal Stele, allowing his powerful spiritual sense to observe critical details.

The token had actually been swept away by the formation’s power into a separate treasure vault.

At the time, Tan Immortal had been focused on saving Hu Immortal and, without the advantage of the Nine Seal Stele, hadn’t noticed this subtle detail.

"Fairy Shi, did you manage to figure out how to break the seventh hidden formation gate?"

Lan Chang'an set up a soundproof barrier and began communicating with Shi Manrong through voice transmission.

"After witnessing it twice, my formation skills have improved significantly. Breaking through the gate is no longer an issue. Besides, the gate was just breached earlier, so it's in a weakened state with even more apparent flaws."

Shi Manrong smiled gently, her confidence evident.

"And the killing traps behind the seventh formation gate? How should we deal with those?"

"I’ve already figured out the basics. That token is only a key to enter the vault—it serves to verify identity. Without the right identity, even if you have the token, the killing traps will still activate."

"Fortunately, the ancient formation is incomplete, with many flaws. When the time comes, we just need to destroy the related formation nodes in advance to cut off the trap's sensing mechanisms."

"I see."

Lan Chang'an understood the general principle.

Then, he sighed, "It's a pity that Hu Immortal's restriction-breaking orb was destroyed earlier in the killing array."

"That orb was already mostly depleted. With the gate now in a weakened state, a quasi-third-rank Restriction-Breaking Talisman combined with a Fake Dan-level attack will suffice."

Shi Manrong remained composed and assured.

"Breaking the formation isn't hard, but where will we find another token?"

Lan Chang'an pondered aloud.

Hu Immortal had used one token, and Qi Immortal had used another decades ago.

There were still unexplored areas in the ancient ruins. If one was willing to spend time and take some risks, it was possible to find another token.

Shi Manrong glanced at Tan Immortal in the distance.

Her lips curved subtly, and with a soft scent wafting, she leaned in close to Lan Chang'an's ear.

"You...have one?"

Lan Chang'an’s heart leapt with joy. This former pillow partner of his had kept her own secrets.

Shi Manrong had indeed acquired a token, one that she found while exploring the outskirts of the ruins after Qi Immortal’s death years ago.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, prepare yourself. Once I break the formation and enter the vault, you’ll be in charge of covering me. If we're successful, we’ll split the treasures fifty-fifty. How does that sound?"

"Fifty-fifty? No problem."

Lan Chang'an agreed without hesitation, feeling a newfound respect for her.

Breaking the formation and entering the vault carried unknown risks.

It was Shi Manrong who had provided the opportunity by discovering the ruins, and she had to both break the formation and risk her life to obtain the treasure.

The fifty-fifty split was because of Lan Chang'an’s role in killing Hu Immortal and his demonstrated ability to hold his own.

"Before we go for the treasure, there's a place I want to visit first."

Lan Chang'an thought for a moment and glanced toward an area they had passed earlier, beyond the bridge.

At this point in the ruins, no one could restrict their movements.

...

A short while later.

At the top floor of a pavilion deep within the ruins.

"The restriction on this room is connected to the remnants of an ancient formation. Even after all these years, it still retains formidable power. Even a True Dan cultivator would struggle to break it, and it could lead to a dangerous backlash."

Fairy Shi scrutinized the room in front of them, noting the restriction embedded into the structure.

"Meaning, it can't be broken?"

When they passed through here earlier, Lan Chang'an had noticed something unusual. He sent two puppets to test it out, but they were instantly shredded to pieces by an invisible force.

"No, if we had a third-rank Restriction-Breaking Talisman, I’d be confident in breaking it. Time has eroded the restriction considerably, and there are obvious weak points."

"A third-rank Restriction-Breaking Talisman?"

Lan Chang'an flipped his hand, producing a Restriction-Breaking Treasure Talisman, slightly larger than an ordinary talisman.

This treasure talisman’s power slightly exceeded that of a low-grade third-rank talisman.

Shi Manrong took the talisman from him, sensing the terrifying energy within. She glanced at Lan Chang'an but asked no questions.

After observing the room for a while longer, Fairy Shi retreated a safe distance and activated the talisman.

Fwoosh!

A twisted beam of black and white light surged forward, dragging arcs of destructive lightning as it struck the surface of the room, triggering a shimmering wave of blue and white light.

Lan Chang'an summoned his turtle puppet to shield himself, secretly gripping a handful of talismans in his sleeve.

"It worked."

The blue and white light rippling over the surface of the room was torn open, temporarily cutting off the power source from the ancient remnant formation.

Fairy Shi exhaled slightly in relief and gestured for Lan Chang'an to move quickly.

Instead of entering the room himself, Lan Chang'an sent his puppets and the Earth Burrowing Rat inside to scavenge whatever they could.

The room held no living presence, and there weren’t many items inside.

After a few dozen breaths, the restriction began to recover.

The puppets and the Earth Burrowing Rat retreated.

Lan Chang'an sorted through the gathered items, picking out a jade slip and a dark gold token.

This token was similar to the one Hu Immortal had used earlier, but its quality was clearly superior.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Lan,"

Fairy Shi said cheerfully.

Lan Chang'an pocketed the dark gold token, then examined the jade slip with a look of surprise.

He handed the jade slip to Shi Manrong.

"The 'Tinghai Pavilion' from the near ancient sects? Was this pavilion once place where a Nascent Soul True Monarch sat?"

Shi Manrong gasped.

No wonder the room’s restriction had been so strong. Even earlier, when two Fake Dan cultivators passed by, they hadn’t dared to attempt breaking it and had moved on instead.

The jade slip resembled a journal, documenting the basic situation of the ancient ruins during a certain period.

While there wasn’t any confidential information, the details recorded gave the two of them greater insight into the ruins and the six-sided pavilion.

...

On their way back to the six-sided pavilion.

Lan Chang'an noticed that Tan Immortal, Lady Wei, and the others were searching through nearby structures, likely hunting for tokens or any other opportunities.

"Little Friend Lan, it seems you’ve just broken through a restriction. Did you find another token?"

Tan Immortal flew over, probing with a question.

"I did, and I’m planning to let Fairy Shi use the token to break the formation and retrieve the treasure."

Lan Chang'an didn’t bother hiding the truth.

"Oh? That’s wonderful news. Do you need assistance from me, Tan?"

Tan Immortal’s eyes gleamed, and he offered.

"With Tan Immortal's help, breaking the formation and obtaining the treasure would indeed be much more secure."

Lan Chang'an smiled.

Tan Immortal was briefly taken aback, not expecting Lan Chang'an to accept his offer so easily.

Following Fairy Shi’s instructions, he summoned his ruler magical treasure, surging with Core power, and aimed it at a certain point above the bronze door.

Boom!

The array formation above the six-sided pavilion trembled, opening a large hole similar to the one earlier.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, be cautious of Tan Immortal,"

Fairy Shi said in a voice transmission to Lan Chang'an as she produced an ancient bronze token.

Swoosh!

She stepped on a beam of light, flying through the large gap in the formation.

On the other side of the gap, the outline of another dimension flickered faintly.

Fairy Shi held the token tightly, closed her eyes, and activated a quasi-third-rank Restriction-Breaking Talisman aimed at a point above her head.

Sizzle! Boom!

The blue and white lightning clashed with the talisman’s power, both forces canceling each other out.

The red glow on the token in Fairy Shi’s hand quickly returned to normal.

The trap’s sensing mechanism had been successfully cut off!

Fairy Shi passed safely through the gap, soon enveloped in a beam of white light. Her figure blurred and disappeared from sight.

Lan Chang'an sensed her presence enter another space, and he exhaled in relief.

He had been prepared for Tan Immortal to interfere or snatch the token, though it seemed unlikely.

As a genius formation master, Fairy Shi had a much higher success rate of breaking the formation and retrieving the treasure than anyone else, especially with Hu Immortal’s earlier failure serving as a lesson.

After Fairy Shi entered, the gap in the array didn’t immediately close, and it was healing even more slowly than before.

Tan Immortal and Lan Chang'an stood facing each other from a distance.

Now that Fairy Shi was inside the treasure vault, if Tan Immortal wanted to kill Lan Chang'an, this would be the perfect opportunity!

Tan Immortal’s eyes sharpened as his Core power surged, enveloped in a blue glow as he shot forward like a storm, covering dozens of zhang in an instant.

"No… Immortal, spare me!"

A few moments later, an elderly man in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, who had been hiding in a nearby building, was dragged out by Tan Immortal like a chicken.

"This is the opportunity that I, Tan Immortal, am giving you!"

Tan Immortal, without giving him any choice, hurled the old man into the gap in the array.

With his cultivation sealed and his body out of his control, the old man closed his eyes as he helplessly passed through the array’s gap.

Unexpectedly, something shocking happened.

Shwoosh!

A beam of white light enveloped the old man, and in a flash, he disappeared into the hidden treasure vault.

"Haha! Is the ancient formation malfunctioning?"

Tan Immortal was first stunned, then overjoyed, and he shot toward the still-open gap.

But he wasn’t the only one moving—Lady Wei and the high-nosed young man also rushed eagerly toward the opening.

"Eh, Tan Immortal, don’t be so hasty."

Suddenly, a heavy and oppressive wind, like a fierce beast trampling a mountain, intercepted Tan Immortal’s path.

The gust slammed into Tan Immortal's protective aura, making it groan and crackle.

(End of chapter)