I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 253: Taking the Blame Once More

Read 30 Chapters Ahead On Patreon :D /zilawere

In a stone hall atop a concealed peak in the Black Fog Mountain Range in northern Jing Kingdom, Elder Wang, with his bushy brows and yellow hair, sat cross-legged in a gray robe, quietly regulating his breath to heal his injuries.

”Not good!”

His expression suddenly changed. He pulled a scroll from his storage pouch, depicting a Daoist in purple robes.

Sizzle—

A flicker of purple flame appeared on the portrait, followed by wisps of green smoke as the image quickly dulled and turned a lifeless gray, like a death portrait.

”This… How can this be?”

Elder Wang was stunned. After a brief shock, his predominant emotions were not anger, but rather a chilling terror and dread.

A Nascent Soul’s escape speed was several times that of other cultivators of the same rank. Typically, only another Nascent Soul cultivator with superior strength or abilities would be able to destroy such a spirit form.

For anyone below Nascent Soul, capturing or killing a Nascent Soul spirit was nearly impossible, as their speed was on an entirely different level.
Unless a group of elite Core Formation masters meticulously set a trap with soul-path treasures and somehow lured the Lihuo True Monarch into it.

However, that scenario was unlikely. Core Formation cultivators would find it difficult to ambush a Nascent Soul cultivator with their keen senses.

An operation like that would also create a huge commotion, and news of it would spread quickly.

Elder Wang was aware of another possibility, however… one he dared not contemplate — a failed possession attempt!

Given the Lihuo True Monarch’s weakened Nascent Soul, attempting to possess a powerful Core Formation master could result in failure, especially if he targeted someone like Elder Wang. But even then, a failed possession wouldn’t necessarily mean the destruction of the Nascent Soul; he would still be able to escape.

Unless, of course, the person being possessed was a Core Formation cultivator with an extraordinarily powerful soul, possessing techniques far superior to Elder Wang’s.

”My master’s plan would have only involved attempting possession of a lower-level Core Formation cultivator, not a peak-level Core Formation master...”

Elder Wang’s face turned ashen as he shook his head in denial.

No matter the case, none of this was something that the now beleaguered remnants of the Flame Departing Palace could hope to handle.

”Fengʼer!”

An idea struck Elder Wang, and he quickly took out a soul lantern from his storage pouch.

The flame of the soul lantern flickered steadily.

Phew!

Elder Wang let out a long sigh of relief; the worst-case scenario hadn’t happened.

If both his master and his grandson had perished, then any hope for the Flame Departing Palaceʼs resurgence would have been completely extinguished.

”My master’s life soul portrait has extinguished, and only I know this. I must keep this hidden as long as possible...”

Elder Wang understood that if the truth got out, it would be a severe blow to the morale of the Flame Departing Palaceʼs remaining disciples. People’s faith could quickly waver.

Fortunately, only he and his grandson knew about the Lihuo True Monarch’s plan to possess Wang Feng.

To search for the culprit?

Absolutely not. They couldn’t act rashly!

At most, they could conduct a quiet investigation. They couldn’t afford to make a big fuss or dig too deep. Otherwise, they’d only be digging their own graves.

”When you reach the cliffʼs edge, pull back on the reins,” Elder Wang muttered to himself, steadying his resolve and quelling his desire to avenge his master.

For the Flame Departing Palace, which was now teetering on the brink, restraint was essential. If they couldn’t control themselves, they would only hasten their own demise.

Revenge could wait until the Flame Departing Palace was strong enough to stand on its own again.

Deep down, Elder Wang already had a prime suspect.

There was someone with immense luck and formidable combat skills who held a deep-seated grudge against the Flame Departing Palace.

That person wielded a true demonic flame, unparalleled across several nations, which was highly effective against Nascent Soul spirits.

...

Inside the secret chamber on Autumnwind Isle.

Lan Changʼan and the Earth Burrowing Rat widened their eyes as they examined the storage ring they had just unsealed.

The ring’s internal space was not much larger than an ordinary storage pouch. After all, it was a spatial artifact, requiring rare spatial materials to create.

While the contents of the storage ring were fewer than expected, the spiritual pressure emanating from some of the treasures filled Lan Changʼan with glee.

”A Millennial Soul-Nurturing Wood!”

A floating piece of verdant wood immediately caught Lan Changʼanʼs attention.

This was a legendary soul-path spiritual wood, even rarer than other woods of the same level.

Lan Changʼan had originally considered using the superior-grade third-rank Tong Ghost Bamboo as the embryo for his future life-bound magical treasure. But now, this fourth-rank Soul-Nourishing Wood presented a better option.

Taking out the Soul-Nourishing Wood, Lan Changʼan felt a comforting warmth wash over his soul, as if he were soaking in a hot spring. Even the energy drain from his second life’s soul possession seemed to lessen.

Just this piece of wood alone had made this endeavor worth it; it was an absolute treasure.

”Two Nascent Soul-level magical treasures!”

Lan Changʼan then noticed two powerful artifacts radiating intense spiritual pressure.

Magical treasures were exclusive to Core Formation cultivators and above.

They came in low, mid, superior, and top grades, with each level requiring significantly more spiritual power and mental strength to wield.

Low-grade magical treasures suited Fake Dans and early Core Formation cultivators, though Fake Dans would struggle with prolonged use.

Mid-grade treasures were best for mid- and late-stage Core Formation cultivators.

Superior-grade and top-grade treasures were typically wielded by early and mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. Only if oneʼs mana is deep and spiritual sense is strong can they wield a higher-grade magical treasure across levels, but it consumes a considerable amount of energy.

Above magical treasures lay spiritual treasures.

Spiritual treasures, meant for Deity Transformation Realm cultivators and higher, were virtually extinct in the cultivation world. Any that occasionally appeared were usually imitations or fragments.

The two treasures in the Lihuo True Monarch’s storage ring were a green braided rope and a purple gourd.

The braided rope was a superior-grade magical treasure. The Lihuo True Monarch had used it in their recent battle, transforming it into a whip-like lightning snake that almost entangled Lan Changʼan.

The purple gourd, a fire-type top-grade magical treasure, was invaluable for an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Lihuo True Monarch hadn’t used this more powerful gourd in battle for two reasons:

Firstly, his goal was to capture Lan Changʼan alive and dish out his secrets.

Secondly, while possessing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even wielding the superior-grade braided rope was already a strain. Though his mental strength was sufficient, his mana was woefully lacking.

Had it not been for years of refinement and some residual mana, it would have been difficult to control magical treasures at all.

”Main ingredient for core formation, the Seven-Heart Mystic Moonflower!”

”Not bad not bad! This completes the ingredients for the Crystal Condensation Pill...”

”Huh! Minor Teleportation Talismans!”

Among a dozen or so third-rank talismans, Lan Changʼan found two special ones.

These talismans weren’t made from typical talisman paper but had a jade-like texture. In addition to complex symbols, they emitted faint silver patterns across the surface.

Minor Teleportation Talismans were rare and invaluable.

Back in the day, Li Hai, the top disciple of Liang Shaotian, and even Young Master Wang had used such talismans to escape life-threatening situations.

Typically, Minor Teleportation Talismans ranged from third to fourth rank.

Anything beyond that would drop the ”minor” designation.

The two he found were superior-grade third-rank talismans, theoretically capable of allowing escape even from a late-stage Core Formation cultivator.

However, Minor Teleportation Talismans also had limitations. They were suitable for fleeing but not for pursuing.

Since they involved spatial manipulation, they were inherently unstable, and the distance and direction couldn’t be precisely controlled.

For example, if an enemy escaped a few li ahead, using the talisman might teleport you dozens of li away, making it harder to pursue.

”What a brilliant refining technique!”

Examining the two Minor Teleportation Talismans, Lan Changʼan couldnʼt help but marvel at the craftsmanship, feeling that he was still far behind.

The world of talismans was vast, and each talisman master could only master a fraction of them in a lifetime.

Minor Teleportation Talismans were one of the few talismans Lan Changʼan had failed to master in his past life, mostly due to a lack of materials to practice with.

Above third-rank, talisman materials became exceedingly rare, especially for complex items like talisman embryos, talisman pens, and spiritual ink.

Minor Teleportation Talismans required spatial materials, making them several times harder to craft.

In his previous life, Lan Changʼan had managed to reach the superior-grade third rank as a talisman master, though his skills were mediocre at that level.

In this life, with renewed study and the insights he’d gained from nurturing his own treasure talismans, he was finally beginning to reach a higher level of understanding.

”Third- and fourth-rank pills, more than twenty bottles, half of which are for healing and cultivation. It seems he was preparing for possession and rebuilding his foundation.”

”Various third- and fourth-rank herbs, minerals, around thirty items.”

”Over a dozen high-grade spirit stones, several hundred mid-grade spirit stones… totaling more than 200,000 low-grade spirit stones.”

Lan Changʼan suspected this wasn’t the Lihuo True Monarch’s entire wealth.

If it were him, he wouldn’t store all his assets with a Foundation Establishment-level host body.

In case of a strong enemy, the Nascent Soul could escape easily, but the host body would be doomed.

Even so, this was Lan Changʼan’s biggest haul in this life — or even across his past three lives.

A single top-grade magical treasure alone was worth more than the net worth of an average Core Formation cultivator.

Unfortunately, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Lan Changʼan couldn’t wield a top-grade magical treasure anytime soon.

Moreover, the purple gourd magical treasure was likely one of Flame Departing Palace’s signature treasures, a blatantly stolen item.

”A fourth-rank Soul-Nourishing Wood, Minor Teleportation Talismans, the Seven-Heart Mystic Moonflower, a spatial storage ring… More than enough. One shouldn’t be too greedy.”

After organizing his loot, Lan Changʼan gave any suspicious items to the Earth Burrowing Rat to dispose of at a distant location.

The Earth Burrowing Rat, rewarded with a few mid-grade spirit stones and a third-rank spiritual fruit, happily tunneled away.

...

In the secret chamber, Lan Changʼan pondered for a moment, then entered the fourth frame of the Nine Seal Stele to further inspect the Lihuo True Monarch’s vast memory fragments.

Half a month later, Lan Changʼan shook his head.

The memory fragments were too scattered and unorganized, with useful memories accounting for less than one ten-thousandth.

This was likely because the Nine Seal Stele had shredded the Nascent Soul into particles, then jumbled and reassembled the memories.

However, Lan Changʼan still managed to uncover a few leads.

One memory fragment showed the Lihuo True Monarch sealing an underground palace and exterminating a group of warriors at an unknown location.

The Lihuo True Monarch hadn’t been injured at the time, indicating it was a contingency plan set up many years ago.

Additionally, shallow memories from Wang Feng suggested that the Lihuo True Monarch had entrusted a portion of his heritage and resources to Elder Wang.

As the current manager of the Flame Departing Palace, Elder Wang must have promised strategic resources to retain the loyalty of the retreating sect members.

In the cultivation world, wealth, companions, techniques, and land were paramount.

Wealth was ranked first. With sufficient wealth, the other three factors would naturally follow.

This was why the Flame Departing Palace, despite losing their spiritual veins and sect grounds, still had hope for a resurgence.

”Enough! If I don’t resolve this karmic bond and convert the Lihuo True Monarch into my past life, I have no right to seek more. Greed will only lead to disaster.”

Deciding not to force it, Lan Changʼan resolved to focus on cultivation and improving his skills, no longer spending excessive time sifting through chaotic memory fragments.

...

Half a year passed.

The soul shadow of Lan Changʼanʼs second life had finally dissipated.

The white-bearded old manʼs engraving within the Nine Seal Stele appeared dormant, but under the nourishment of his soul, it was beginning to reignite.

Lan Changʼan estimated it would take less than ten years to fully reignite.

With his soul now much stronger after advancing to Late Foundation Establishment, he believed it would only take four to five years at most.

Before the second life possession faded, Lan Changʼan had crafted eight treasure talismans from the superior-grade third-rank Tong Ghost Bamboo.

He also recovered the remaining half of the Tong Ghost Bamboo from Wang Feng’s storage pouch.

Since he now had the fourth-rank Soul-Nourishing Wood, he no longer needed to conserve resources.

With the superior third-rank Tong Ghost Bamboo, he managed to craft eight superior quality mid-grade treasure talismans, with two of them being superior-grade third-rank treasure talismans.

Typically, a talisman’s power was equivalent to a single spell cast by a cultivator of the same rank and was weaker than magical treasures of the same level.

This meant talismans posed limited threats to those of the same rank, and against formidable cultivators, they were practically scratch attacks.

Quantity could bridge this gap, however.

But superior-quality talismans were different. They could unleash the full force of a cultivator’s all-out attack of that level, making them significantly more threatening.

”Those eight talismans I used against the Lihuo True Monarch are now fully replenished, and the quality is even higher!”

In the secret chamber, Lan Changʼan nurtured over sixty talismans.

Eight of these, crafted from superior-grade third-rank spiritual bamboo, had immense potential.

Based on his previous experiences, all of them could eventually be nurtured to superior-grade third-rank, or even top-grade.

Two talismans were already superior-grade third-rank, with the potential to reach fourth-rank one day.

”With my current Foundation Establishment cultivation, nurturing mid- to superior-grade third-rank talismans barely shows any progress!”

Lan Changʼan estimated that he’d need to reach the Core Formation stage to significantly enhance the effects of nurturing his treasure talismans with Evergreen mana.

More than half of his talismans were crafted from second-rank superior-grade materials and had reached low third-rank. However, they were essentially capped at this level.

The material limitations held them back.

Unless he reached an exceptionally high level, such as Nascent Soul or even Deity Transformation Realm, he wouldn’t have the ”transmutation” ability to elevate low-grade talismans.

...

Another two or three months passed.

Lan Changʼan was now about to turn 160.

There were less than two weeks left before his final treatment session with Wang Feng.

Over the past half-year, Lan Changʼan kept an eye on information about the Flame Departing Palace through the Unseen Gate.

There was no news of the Lihuo True Monarchʼs death; the outside world seemed completely unaware.

Lan Changʼan could easily imagine that the current leaders of the Flame Departing Palace were suppressing the news to avoid a morale crisis.

Most of the Flame Departing Palace cultivators were being closely monitored by the Unseen Gate, and none had traced anything back to the Wufu Merchant Association or Qingsha Bay.

This didn’t surprise Lan Changʼan.

If his faction’s only Nascent Soul True Monarch had mysteriously died, would he risk his life investigating or avenging them?

If he didn’t flee immediately, that would already show remarkable loyalty.

Even if the Flame Departing Palace had suspects, Lan Changʼan would be far down the list.

As a once-dominant force, the Flame Departing Palace had many enemies.

Moreover, Lan Changʼan had no enmity with the Flame Departing Palace. He even had cordial relationships with some of their disciples, like Song Wenshu and Wang Feng, at least on the surface.

Young Master Wang had encountered numerous cultivators while out gathering resources and searching for a new body. He and Lan Changʼan had been meeting for years; if Lan Changʼan had malicious intent, he’d have acted long ago.

And for a Nascent Soul to consider possession, Lan Changʼan’s old, mediocre wood spirit root wouldn’t have been an appealing target.

Only if the Flame Departing Palace had some omniscient perspective or if Lan Changʼan bore a ”hostility aura” would he rank as a prime suspect.

”The Flame Departing Palaceʼs attitude will be clear depending on whether Wang Feng shows up for his final treatment.”

Lan Changʼan waited calmly, knowing he had plenty of life-saving trump cards, including the Minor Teleportation Talisman, in case any Core Formation Immortal dared to approach.

As the scheduled day neared—

”Master Lan, there’s been no sign of Wang Feng around Cloudsmoke Immortal City recently,” reported Xing Peng, emerging from the shadows.

”It seems Wang Feng may be suspicious or simply cautious, unwilling to travel so freely.”

Since Wang Feng wasn’t coming, Lan Changʼan saw no need to attend the meeting.

...

Two days later.

An unexpected guest arrived on Autumnwind Isle to visit Lan Changʼan.

”Fellow Daoist Lan, this is something Young Master Wang asked me to deliver to you.”

Shen Bixin, clad in widow’s attire and veiled with a blue silk hat, hid her aging features. Beneath the veil, Lan Changʼan caught glimpses of her dark eyes and fine facial features.

”Oh? Have you seen Young Master Wang recently?” Lan Changʼan asked as he accepted the sealed jade box.

Shen Bixin’s visit was surprising yet logical.

After Song Wenshu’s death, Shen Bixin had borne his child, becoming the widow of the Flame Departing Palace.

It was through her that Wang Feng had initially sought Lan Changʼanʼs medical help.

”I haven’t seen him,” Shen Bixin replied in a calm tone. ”This item appeared on my bed one night, along with a note from Young Master Wang asking me to pass it on.”

”Thank you for going to the trouble, Fellow Daoist Shen.”

Lan Changʼan courteously saw her out.

Though they were old friends, there was a certain distance between him and the widow that he felt prudent to maintain.

Back in his room, after carefully inspecting the box, Lan Changʼan unlocked the seal.

Inside was a piece of mid-grade third-rank spirit wood.

Beneath it lay a letter.

”...I apologize, Fellow Daoist Lan, for failing to meet our appointment at the Xunxian Residence. The other half of the Tong Ghost Bamboo, which Wang accidentally lost, is being compensated with this complete third-rank spirit wood. I assure you, the favor I owe you still stands,” Wang Feng wrote, expressing his apologies and officially concluding their transaction.

The letter also mentioned that with the precious resources he had received from his grandfather, Wang Feng could stabilize his foundation even without the final treatment session.

Lan Changʼan pondered for a moment. The tone of Wang Feng’s letter seemed sincere.

Out of caution, he had decided not to venture out, instead sending a letter through an intermediary to inform Lan Changʼan of his absence.

If Wang Feng went silent after this, Lan Changʼan would suspect that he still harbored suspicions toward him.

At the same time, this letter might also be a subtle probe.

After some thought, Lan Changʼan took out paper and ink and penned a reply.

”Thank you, Young Master Wang, for your generous compensation. I am honored and humbled...”

His reply was filled with courteous pleasantries, expressing admiration and respect for Wang Feng.

At the end of the letter, Lan Changʼan offered a heartfelt blessing:

”May you soon achieve the Immortal Golden Dan and lead the Flame Departing Palace to greatness once more!”

The main reason Lan Changʼan hadn’t taken action against Wang Feng was due to the Lihuo True Monarch’s lingering wish.

To revive the Flame Departing Palace, train a Golden Dan cultivator, and establish a stable sect with spiritual veins, rekindling hope for a return to prominence.

Additionally, he bore no personal enmity toward Wang Feng.

Killing him wouldn’t yield any benefits, nor would it reduce his risks. It might even hinder Lan Changʼan from fulfilling the Lihuo True Monarch’s wish, thereby losing the chance to resolve their karmic bond and gain him as a past life.

After completing the letter, Lan Changʼan summoned the Earth Burrowing Rat.

Shen Bixinʼs flying speed was not fast, so the Earth Burrowing Rat took the letter to her, asking her to help pass it on to Young Master Wang.

Lan Changʼan trusted that as the widow of a Flame Departing Palace disciple and being stationed in Jing Kingdom, Shen Bixin would have some means of contacting Wang Feng.

...

Two months later.

In a compound in a market town near Jing Kingdom’s northern border.

After reading Lan Changʼanʼs letter, especially the sincere blessing at the end, Wang Feng was slightly moved.

”Fellow Daoist Lan has a noble character, willingly exhausting his vital energy to help me restore my foundation. How could I… have ever doubted him?”

Guilt welled up in Wang Fengʼs heart.

The Lihuo True Monarch’s death was known only to him and his grandfather within the Flame Departing Palace.

He hadn’t exactly suspected Lan Changʼan directly.

His concerns had been more along the lines of whether Lan Changʼan might have been bribed or compromised.

Perhaps he had unwittingly provided intelligence or cooperated with an unknown mastermind who ultimately led to the Lihuo True Monarch’s Nascent Soul’s demise.

To him, Lan Changʼan had been, at most, an accomplice, which was why he’d maintained a cautious distance.

”My grandfather was right. The prime suspect is Liang Shaotian!”

A fierce glint flashed in Wang Feng’s eyes.

Afterward, the Flame Departing Palace had bought information on Liang Shaotian’s activities during that period from the Tian Zhi Pavilion.

The report stated that Liang Shaotian had been in seclusion for healing, but Elder Wang believed that this ”seclusion” was merely a cover!

As long as Liang Shaotian had not shown himself publicly during that time, he couldn’t be cleared of suspicion.

In the year prior to the Lihuo True Monarch’s death, Liang Shaotian had led an attack on a Flame Departing Palace force, causing severe casualties, and had even fought against the Lihuo True Monarch himself.

The Lihuo True Monarch had been heavily wounded, making Liang Shaotian’s ambush all the more likely.

”Liang Shaotian!”

Wang Feng clenched his fist, silently vowing that once he achieved the Immortal Golden Dan and later advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, he would avenge his master and eradicate the demonic forces.

With his earth spirit root, he had superior aptitude compared to Liang Shaotian’s high-grade spirit root.

Back then Liang Shaotian had only formed an upper-tier True Dan under less-than-ideal conditions.

But Wang Feng was the Flame Departing Palaceʼs only Golden Dan Seed and future Nascent Soul seed, receiving the sect’s utmost resources.

With his grandfatherʼs unwavering support, as long as he achieved the Immortal Golden Dan, he was confident that he would eventually surpass Liang Shaotian!