I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 286: Improving Divination Art

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Half a year later, Lan Changʼan turned 207 years old.

There were still five years remaining until the fourth life of the Nine Seal Stele was illuminated.

On this day, within the cave abode on Yunlai Peak...

Lan Changʼan was meticulously constructing and perfecting a third-rank talisman array, using a series of treasure talismans as its module.

Suddenly, he felt a disturbance and turned his gaze toward the eastern skies, beyond the clouds.

There, a large contingent of Liang Kingdom cultivators passed overhead or lingered near Jin Yun Valley. They arrived in spiritual ships, flying vessels, and streaking magical lights, exuding a myriad of chaotic waves of spiritual power.

Among these waves, one particularly overwhelming fiery aura stood out. This presence, lofty and detached, lingered above the clouds, overlooking the world below.

”A Nascent Soul cultivator, the Six Sun True Monarch!”

Lan Changʼan briefly extended his spiritual sense and identified the True Monarchʼs aura.
He had not encountered the Six Sun True Monarch in his current life. However, in the fourth life Master Lihuo, he was intimately familiar with this figure.

Years ago, in a wagered duel before the Flame Departing Palace, the opponent of Master Lihuo had been none other than the Six Sun True Monarch from the Golden Sun Sect.

When Master Lihuo was ambushed, the Six Sun True Monarch had shown no mercy. Unleashing his full arsenal of divine techniques and secret arts, he sought to kill Master Lihuo to eliminate future threats.

Ultimately, Master Lihuo had been forced to burn his own life force and essence blood to perform the ”Crimson Sun Blood-Escape Technique,” narrowly escaping death despite sustaining grave injuries.

The Golden Sun Sect was home to two Nascent Soul True Monarchs: one old and one strong. The Six Sun True Monarch was the younger and more vigorous of the two.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A group of cultivators from the Jin Yun Valley sect flew out from their mountain gate, led by several Immortals, to rendezvous with the Liang Kingdom forces.

The vast army of Liang Kingdom cultivators was heading toward the Jing Kingdom’s cultivation world.

Since the Chen Kingdom had fallen to the forces of the demonic path, the Liang Kingdom’s sects and cultivation powers had shifted their focus to supporting the Jing Kingdom.

”If they donʼt provide full support today, the demonic pathʼs battlefield will erupt within the Liang Kingdom tomorrow.”

Lan Changʼan understood the Golden Sun Sectʼs strategy.

In the war against the demonic path, the frontlines had now pushed into the neighboring Jing Kingdom. This naturally caused anxiety among the Liang Kingdom’s sects.

Rather than let the war spill into their own borders, it was better to give their all in support of the Jing Kingdom and turn it into the most violent battleground.

Surprisingly, however, the Beast King Valley faction did not advance further after conquering the Chen Kingdom. They did not attack the seemingly weaker Jing Kingdom.

Instead, the forces of Beast King Valley stationed in the Chen Kingdom’s cultivation world were carefully consolidating their hold over the territory they had seized.

The Chen Kingdom bordered the western side of the Feng Kingdom. Beast King Valley’s forces watched Feng Kingdom closely, tying up the significant military strength within Feng Kingdom’s heartland.

At this moment, the Chen Kingdom was positioned between the Feng Kingdom and Jing Kingdom, like a wedge.

If the Righteous Dao Alliance dared to act boldly, they could launch a pincer attack from both sides and threaten the demonic pathʼs hold in the Chen Kingdom.

However...

The top combat strength of the Righteous Dao Alliance was inferior to their enemies, and initiating an offensive carried significant risks.

After all, they were already being suppressed during defensive battles.

The main forces of the demonic path continued their southern advance into Yan Kingdom, which bordered the south side of Feng Kingdom.

If they could conquer Yan Kingdom, the demonic path forces would surround the Feng Kingdom from both the west and south, creating the foundation for a larger encirclement.

...

In the following two years, Lan Changʼan dedicated a great deal of effort to improving his art of divination.

The art of divination, one of the hundred arts of immortal cultivation, was considered a niche field.

This was primarily because divination not only required innate talent but also consumed a significant amount of mental energy and spiritual focus, often shortening oneʼs lifespan in the process.

It was more suited for longevity cultivators who could practice slowly over centuries.

For those wishing to progress more quickly, diligent practice and constant effort would come at the cost of their lifespan.

While divination appeared mysterious and transcendent, allowing one to predict fortunes, misfortunes, and even fate itself, it was often considered impractical.

Without the right clues or foundations, predictions were prone to inaccuracy or could lead to misleading feedback.

Moreover, the results of divination were often vague, providing only a broad direction.

For example, Lan Changʼan’s earlier ”Minor Misfortune” divination only revealed that something related to Beast King Valley was afoot, without giving him specific details.

Over two years, Lan Changʼan sacrificed ten years of his lifespan, laboring day and night with relentless focus.

At last, he managed to elevate his divination art to third-rank mid-grade!

He discovered that his cultivation technique, Evergreen Technique, provided a distinct advantage in practicing divination.

The Evergreen Techniqueʼs robust recovery abilities and abundant vitality allowed him to train for longer hours each day.

Lan Changʼan estimated that sacrificing ten years of his lifespan had yielded results equivalent to at least twenty years for a cultivator of the same rank.

Moreover, with his long lifespan, losing a decade was far from catastrophic.

”A third-rank mid-grade level in divination... In the entire Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world, there likely arenʼt many who can reach this level,” Lan Changʼan thought to himself.

For more mainstream auxiliary disciplines, the third-rank superior grade was generally considered the threshold for being among the best in the Liang Kingdom.

But divination, being a rare and esoteric field, meant that even third-rank mid-grade could be considered elite.

This standard was based on the Liang Kingdom’s current power levels under the Golden Sun Sect’s rule.

During the era of the Flame Departing Palace, the cultivation worldʼs overall strength in the Liang Kingdom had been far inferior.

”Unfortunately, the best talent in the fourth life was artifact refinement. The aptitude for divination was mediocre and relied primarily on a strong soul and cultivation base to forcibly cultivate to the third rank.”

Lan Changʼan couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret.

In truth, the Master Lihuo had achieved remarkable proficiency across many arts, pushing several of them to third rank, which was already considered a sign of great versatility at the Nascent Soul Realm.

For any single auxiliary skill to reach the fourth rank, it would require an ordinary cultivator to devote their entire life’s effort.

For those at the Nascent Soul Realm, unless one was a specialist craftsman or possessed extraordinary talent, advancing any skill to fourth rank was nearly impossible.

Even Master Lihuo’s talent in artifact refinement, while commendable, fell short of being exceptional.

...

Not long after Lan Changʼanʼs divination art was upgraded, Zhao Siyao returned from the frontlines, bearing severe injuries.

According to the usual practice, Lan Changʼan treated the injuries of Immortals in exchange for sect contributions.

Zhao Siyao now looked noticeably older, appearing to be around 37 or 38 years old in mortal terms, on the brink of middle age.

Her hair was simply tied back, and her attire was plain yet elegant. Though her beauty still lingered, fine crowʼs feet framed her eyes, hinting at her age. These slight imperfections, however, did nothing to diminish the dignified demeanor of an Immortal.

This time, upon seeing Zhao Siyao, Lan Changʼan closely observed her face and subtly captured hints of an ominous fate.

Gazing at the familiar visage of an old friend, he furrowed his brows slightly.

”Changʼan, are the wrinkles on my face that ugly?” Zhao Siyao asked with a calm expression and a faint smile.

In truth, with her current wealth, she could afford a second-rank Youth Retaining Pill.

However, with the war against the demonic path in full swing, both she and her disciple had diverted all their resources toward strengthening their defensive capabilities.

Moreover, the Youth Retaining Pill only maintained one’s current appearance; it lacked the ability to restore youth.

Several years ago, on her 200th birthday, Lan Changʼan had gifted Zhao Siyao a Youth Retaining Pill.

She hadn’t used it herself, instead giving it to her disciple, Tan’er, allowing the latter to preserve her youthful appearance for another century.

”Think no more of it, Siyao. Even if you were covered in wrinkles, it wouldn’t affect the bond we share,” Lan Changʼan replied with a faint smile.

At their age—both over 200 years old—such trivialities as outward appearance held little significance.

Back at his abode, Lan Changʼan quietly performed a divination for Zhao Siyao to calculate her fortune.

Because he was well-acquainted with Zhao Siyao and knew much about her, the difficulty of the calculation was reduced.

With his third-rank mid-grade divination skill, predicting the fate of a Fake Dan cultivator wasn’t particularly challenging.

Moments later, Lan Changʼan concluded his divination and arrived at a result:

An omen of moderate misfortune.

The specific hexagram indicated that within two to three years, or at most ten years, Zhao Siyao would face a life-or-death tribulation.

Moderate misfortune implied a 40-60% probability of life-threatening danger. This probability is already considered relatively high.

The clues pointed toward her fate being tied to the war against the demonic path, which was unsurprising.

Inside his cave abode, Lan Changʼan pondered in silence for a long time.

According to the principles of divination:

When dealing with major karmic events, such as life and death, he could not directly and explicitly warn Zhao Siyao. Revealing too much would trigger karmic backlash, affecting his own fate and fortune in the future.

This was why, throughout the history of the cultivation world, wise individuals—even those with extraordinary divination skills—rarely revealed the secrets of heaven lightly.

Of course, the degree of backlash depended on various factors: the scale of the event, the level of karma involved, and the cultivatorʼs realm.

For instance, if Lan Changʼan were to warn an ordinary Qi-Refining cultivator of an impending life-or-death tribulation, thereby altering their fate, the karmic backlash for him as a Core Formation cultivator with third-rank divination skills would be negligible.

After all, in his eyes, Qi-Refining cultivators were no different from ants, so how much karma could be involved in changing their fate?

...

A few days later, Lan Changʼan visited Zhao Siyaoʼs cave abode.

The two chatted for a long time.

”Siyao, thereʼs something I need to inform you of in advance,” Lan Changʼan said after careful consideration.

”Inform me in advance?” Zhao Siyao smiled faintly, her lips curving into a knowing arc. ”Changʼan, are you planning on running away?”

Lan Changʼanʼs expression froze.

Holy shit!

The meticulously prepared plan to run away, when did it leak?

However, considering Zhao Siyao was his closest and most trusted confidante in this life, Lan Changʼan felt slightly relieved.

”Yes,” he admitted after some thought. ”In about three years, I plan to leave the Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world to avoid the war with the demonic path.”

According to his original plan, Lan Changʼan hadnʼt intended to flee so soon.

Judging from the current situation, Beast King Valley and the demonic path forces wouldn’t invade the Liang Kingdom for at least another decade.

However, being targeted by the ”Peacock Saintess” meant Lan Changʼan couldn’t afford to wait until Beast King Valley reached the Liang Kingdom.

By then, the risk of escaping would multiply several times over.

Leaving now, while the demonic path forces were still separated by the Feng and Jing Kingdoms, minimized the immediate threats to him.

”Oh? So you plan to take me with you?” Zhao Siyao immediately grasped his intention.

”Yes, just think of it as an outing,” Lan Changʼan replied, careful not to reveal his destination.

He had a mental map of Fengyuan Kingdom, a place the fourth life Master Lihuo had visited 200 years ago.

”Thank you for your kind intentions, Changʼan, but I cannot leave Jin Yun Valley,” Zhao Siyao said with a gentle smile, her gaze clear and resolute.

”I am merely a Fake Dan cultivator who has already lived for over 200 years. To fight for the sect and defend against the invasion of the demonic path—why should I fear death?”

Lan Changʼan fell silent, understanding her stance.

She had cultivated and grown in Jin Yun Valley for nearly two centuries. Such deep ties were not easily severed.

Her disciple, Zhao Tan’er, shared a similar connection to the sect.

Moreover, who was Lan Changʼan to Zhao Siyao?

He had no formal relationship with her—not as a Dao companion, nor as someone who could ask her to forsake two centuries of attachment to follow him to foreign lands.

Lan Changʼan’s role in her life was limited to being an old friend, and he had already said all he could.

With Zhao Siyao’s intelligence, she likely understood his unspoken warning. As someone aware of his divination abilities, she had likely noticed the abnormality in his behavior today and could guess what he was trying to imply.

...

Two months later.

Zhao Siyao left Jin Yun Valley and headed to the frontlines of the battlefield.

As Lan Changʼan watched her familiar silhouette fade into the distance, he secretly formed a hand seal. Through the Nine Seal Stele, he imprinted a reincarnation mark onto Zhao Siyaoʼs soul.

At the very least, he was certain that anyone below the Nascent Soul Realm would be unable to detect the presence of this mark.

Since she had not perished and entered the cycle of reincarnation, Lan Changʼan could not sense her soul light. However, as long as her soul was not utterly obliterated, the reincarnation mark would remain effective.

Of course, this was only a contingency plan for the worst-case scenario.

In the art of divination, there was no such thing as 100% accuracy.

Who dares to say that they could control the future destiny?

Even the greatest cultivators with near-godly abilities could not do so.

In the realm of divination, even a hexagram foretelling major misfortune could turn into a blessing.

Before Zhao Siyaoʼs departure, Lan Changʼan made a trade with her.

At a discounted ”friendship price,” he sold her a quasi-third-rank puppet, along with a few third-rank talismans.

Zhao Siyao had previously given her last quasi-third-rank puppet to her disciple, Zhao Tan’er, but it had been destroyed on the battlefield.

In this new transaction, Zhao Siyaoʼs spiritual stones were completely drained, forcing her to pay for part of the deal with materials instead.

Additionally, Lan Changʼan included a third-rank mid-grade Escape Talisman, one of superior quality, in the puppet.

This was the best talisman he had drawn in recent years, limited only by the lack of materials required for third-rank superior-grade talismans. It was second only to his strongest talismans, such as the Treasure Talismans and the Minor Teleportation Talisman.

However, Lan Changʼan refrained from selling her a third-rank puppet.

First, Zhao Siyao simply could not afford it.

Second, she would not be able to wield its full power effectively, and without a third-rank escape talisman to protect her, such a puppet would be impractical for survival.

What’s more, if the Righteous Dao Alliance learned that she possessed a third-rank puppet, they might send her to battle against a True Dan cultivator, increasing her risk unnecessarily.

In the cultivation world, the principle of “those with greater ability take on more responsibility” was very much alive within large organizations.

...

Everything that needed to be said had been said, and everything that could be done had been done.

There were now less than three years left until the illumination of his fourth life.

For the next two to three years, Lan Changʼan focused on preparing for his escape plan.

He sold off useless magical treasures and various spoils of war, using the funds to purchase the supplies he would need.

The Fengyuan Kingdom, his planned destination, was vast—comparable in size to the Feng Kingdom—and home to ancient Nascent Soul-level powers. However, its resources were sparse, with large expanses of desert and barren land.

The harsh environment of the Fengyuan Kingdom was particularly suited for earth-element cultivators.

Lan Changʼan guessed that his Earth Burrowing Rat would thrive in such an environment, like a fish in water.

However, both he and his Profound Water Turtle would probably be a bit disoriented.

The spiritual veins of the Fengyuan Kingdom were more abundant in earth-elemental energy, while other types of spiritual energy were relatively weaker.

For his cultivation at the Core Formation stage, a low-grade third-rank spiritual vein in the Liang Kingdom was sufficient.

But in the Fengyuan Kingdom, cultivating with a low-grade third-rank vein would require significantly more time. To maintain a comfortable cultivation pace, a mid-grade third-rank vein would be preferable.

Thus, Lan Changʼan needed to stock up on supplies, including pills, plants, and water-elemental materials to compensate for the spiritual imbalance.

That said, not all resources were scarce in the Fengyuan Kingdom.

Its abundant mineral deposits and crafting materials were even cheaper there compared to those in the lands governed by the Righteous Dao Alliance.

Lan Changʼan planned to use these resources to advance to a third-rank mid-grade puppet master, and stockpile a significant number of powerful puppets.

While stockpiling the materials, despite selling many items, Lan Changʼan’s reserves of spiritual stones plummeted.

From a peak of several hundred thousand spiritual stones, his wealth dwindled to just over a hundred thousand.

However, he was confident that after arriving in Fengyuan Kingdom, his low-cost purchases and high-value sales would allow him to recoup much of his funds.

...

Two years later.

Lan Changʼan was now 210 years old.

There was only one year left until the illumination of his fourth life.

The purple-robed True Monarch’s phantom image from his fourth life now only had its feet left to be illuminated.

Over the past two years, Lan Changʼan had completed most of his material preparations.

At the same time, he made proper arrangements for Xing Peng and Zhou Qingxuan.

Both of their seas of consciousness were resealed with an upgraded version of the Gu God Seal.

With Lan Changʼan’s understanding as a Nascent Soul-level cultivator, his current Gu God Seal was something that not many early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators could undo.

The restrictions in the seas of consciousness for Xing Peng and Zhou Qingxuan each had different decryption keys.

Lan Changʼan handed the stabilization method for Xing Peng’s restriction to Zhou Qingxuan.

In the future, Xing Peng would report to Zhou Qingxuan, ensuring he remained under control.

If the restriction wasn’t stabilized for over three years, it would activate, causing Xing Peng’s sea of consciousness to wither and collapse, leading to his death.

As for Zhou Qingxuan, her restriction required stabilization once every ten years.

Every decade, Zhou Qingxuan would need to travel to the border of the Fengyuan Kingdom, where Lan Changʼan could remotely perform the spell to stabilize her restriction.

Zhou Qingxuan was delighted by this arrangement.

With access to the intelligence of the Unseen Gate, the Zhou family would have no trouble surviving the coming waves of demonic chaos.

In this way, Lan Changʼan ensured the balance of power between the two while repaying Zhou Qingxuan for the favor she had done for him in the past.

...

The last six months before fleeing.

Lan Changʼan still had a significant amount of sect contribution points left in Jin Yun Valley—most of which he had accumulated over the years through drawing talismans and healing injuries. The quantity was substantial.

”Forget it.”

Lan Changʼan only redeemed the resources he absolutely needed, leaving the majority of his contributions untouched on his Elderʼs token.

Although he couldn’t provide life-saving aid to the sect, he also had no intention of further draining Jin Yun Valley’s resources during such a time of scarcity.

For the past two decades, Jin Yun Valley had treated him quite well.

Running away was already a dishonorable act.

Before leaving, Lan Changʼan decided to repay their kindness in his own way.

He recorded the general information about a key demonic infiltrator operating within the Jin Yun Valley forces onto a jade slip.

He deliberately avoided revealing too many details or writing an overly specific description, lest it implicate Xing Peng.

Even so, this critical piece of intelligence would likely allow Jin Yun Valley to avoid significant losses in the future.

Once Lan Changʼan was gone for half a year, a corresponding transmission talisman would activate in the cave abodes of Zhang Tieshan and the Zhao master-disciple pair. The talisman would guide them to the jade slip’s location.

...

After enduring the final months of waiting, Lan Changʼan suddenly felt a subtle sensation in his heart. His consciousness entered the Nine Seal Stele.

The purple-robed Daoist phantom from his fourth life was now fully illuminated, emanating a terrifying and awe-inspiring spiritual aura.

Lan Changʼan felt an overwhelming sense of oppression, as though facing the spiritual pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator’s soul body.

Other than the absence of Nascent Soul-level magical power, the soul aura of this phantom was indistinguishable from that of an actual Nascent Soul cultivator.

This was an incredibly powerful trump card, one that could only be activated once every twenty years.

Not only could it massively boost his abilities in combat and divine arts, but it could also enhance his proficiency in divination, artifact crafting, and talisman creation.

Perhaps it could even allow Lan Changʼan to pretend to be a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

However, he wasn’t certain whether the Hundred Illusions Mask could successfully simulate a Nascent Soul-level identity. That would require further testing.

His fourth reincarnation seal being fully lit, Lan Changʼan felt a deep sense of relief and security.

He performed a divination for himself once more.

Staying in Jin Yun Valley: Minor Misfortune. Traveling to Fengyuan Kingdom: Fortune outweighs Misfortune.

Lan Changʼan nodded to himself. His decision to flee appeared to be the correct one overall.

It was entirely normal for the hexagram to not show an outright good fortune.

The current chaos in the world made cross-border escape inherently risky—smooth sailing was impossible to guarantee.

Before leaving the Liang Kingdom.

Lan Changʼan met with Xing Peng one last time.

Within the Jin Yun Valley territory, in Zijing Immortal City.

”Master Lan, here is the latest intelligence on Huang Lang Immortal,” said Xing Peng, dressed in a gray-white robe, as he respectfully handed over a jade slip.

After reviewing the information, Lan Changʼan chuckled dryly.

”So, Huang Lang Immortal suffered such serious injuries and still managed to escape? It seems he’s quite adept at running. To think he’s survived this long despite being hunted by the Righteous Dao Alliance.”

According to the Unseen Gateʼs intelligence, Huang Lang Immortal had fled to the region between the Jing and Liang Kingdoms, near the edge of the Black Fog Mountain Range.

The reason he had survived for so long was that a branch leader of the Unseen Gate had been secretly providing him with warnings and support.

”Hmm… That’s along the way,” Lan Changʼan mused.

The Fengyuan Kingdom was vast, and traveling north from either the Liang or Jing Kingdoms would lead there.

Lan Changʼan planned to use the Unseen Gateʼs intelligence network and his own divination skills to locate and eliminate Huang Lang Immortal.

Huang Lang Immortal was a notorious figure in the Jing Kingdom, infamous for his deceitful business practices. As the president of the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant Association, he was obscenely wealthy.

Killing him would not only avenge past grievances but also allow Lan Changʼan to seize a significant amount of ill-gotten wealth.

Additionally, there would be no shortage of scapegoats to take the blame for his death.

Rumors suggested that Huang Lang Immortal had paid a heavy price to escape the encirclement. He was said to be carrying part of the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant Association’s treasure trove, including several rare beast eggs and other valuable inheritances.

Lan Changʼan had little reason to pass up such an opportunity.