I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 298: Cultivation in the Oasis

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One year later, Lan Changʼan returned to the oasis, marking the tenth year of his stay in the Fengyuan Kingdom.

He was now 222 years old.

Over the past decade, Lan Changʼan focused primarily on secluded cultivation. Despite possessing enough conventional methods to dominate the oasis, he remained behind the scenes.

His body refinement had reached the mid-stage of the third rank.

Next, he planned to continue his secluded cultivation until he reached the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm. At that time, he would advance his plans, including mastering advanced puppet techniques.

If he could refine a superior grade third-rank exotic spirit puppet and infuse it with the soul shadow of his second life, Lan Changʼan would be able to avenge Zhao Siyao without risk.

He might even use it to remotely checkmate the Peacock Saintess and give her a hard time.

In the Mountain-Water Manor’s secret chamber, Lan Changʼan was nurturing over sixty treasure talismans using his Evergreen mana.

These talismans were all forged with third-rank materials. Aside from a few refined in recent years, most had been nurtured to mid-grade third-rank quality.
Among them, there were eight superior-grade treasure talismans.

Using the third-rank superior-grade ”Tong Ghost Bamboo” acquired years ago in a trade with Wang Feng as the base material, these talismans had now been nurtured into superior-grade third-rank treasure talismans.

Of these, the two strongest had already reached near-peak third-rank power, as they were superior grades from the start.

The eight most promising treasure talismans were Lan Changʼan’s contingency plans against Nascent Soul experts and a secret weapon to hold against the Peacock Saintess.

He had a premonition that his karmic ties with the Peacock Saintess would have to be resolved sooner or later.

The Peacock Saintess might have a Nascent Soul trump card, so Lan Changʼan needed to prepare even more thoroughly.

”My talisman crafting in this life has fully surpassed my previous one,” Lan Changʼan remarked with satisfaction as he stored the numerous treasure talismans away.

In terms of power, the two strongest talismans had already surpassed anything he had achieved in his past life.

In his second life, he had barely managed to become a third-rank superior-grade talisman master, and he hadn’t created many superior-grade talismans in his lifetime.

One reason was the rarity of materials. Refining them required items like the blood of late-third-rank great demons and rare hide from critical body parts.

Similarly, spirit wood of the same rank took an even longer time to mature.

Another reason was the low success rate of creating superior-grade third-rank talismans.

After finishing the nurturing process, Lan Changʼan retrieved a sealed jade box.

Inside the box lay a vividly lifelike five-colored feather, its aura carefully masked.

This was one of the three great crown feathers of the Five-Colored Peacock.

The Peacock Saintess’s beast-taming cultivation method was deeply tied to the Five-Colored Peacock, her life-bound beast.

The loss of her life-bound beast’s essence origin would hinder her progress on the Nascent Soul path.

This was a critical factor behind the mental knot that had been plaguing her.

Lan Changʼan suspected that the Peacock Saintess wanted to lure him back to Liang Kingdom to retrieve this severed feather and resolve her heart knot.

Next, Lan Changʼan began nurturing the feather with his Evergreen mana to cultivate its spirituality.

From the records of the Record of Transformative Spirit Puppets he obtained from Ada Wan, Lan Changʼan found several blueprints for crafting exotic spirit puppets imitating mythical true spirit beasts, including the Five-Colored Peacock.

This feather was the only key material Lan Changʼan had been able to acquire for crafting such a puppet.

In the future, as long as his craftsmanship improved and he gathered a few more rare materials, Lan Changʼan could begin building a replica of the Five-Colored Peacock spirit puppet.

Although the replica wouldn’t match the power and abilities of the original, it wouldn’t be difficult for it to surpass other cultivators of the same rank.

In order to play it safe, Lan Changʼan not only used refining techniques to erase the feather’s original aura but also applied seals and divination-blocking techniques to prevent tracking.

Over the years, Lan Changʼan had faintly sensed that the Peacock Saintess had enlisted the help of a master diviner, likely one of superior-grade third-rank.

When his puppet clone returned to Liang Kingdom to gather information, he learned that the lifespan of that divination master was nearly exhausted.

Now that Lan Changʼan understood the situation and had prepared for it, even if the diviner came to Fengyuan Kingdom in person to track him down, Lan Changʼan remained confident and unafraid.

After all, his 1,100 years of remaining lifespan was his greatest advantage.

...

The following year.

On River Source Oasis, a large-scale conflict erupted between two major merchant guilds, involving hundreds of cultivators in battle.

Unlike the structured order of an immortal city, River Source Oasis lacked such stability.

As one of the leading powers in the region, the Wan Hua Merchant Association was a key enforcer of the local order.

Years ago, Wan Huaʼs Core Formation elder had been gravely injured during the assassination attempt. However, he had now fully recovered from his wounds.

The mysterious assassin, who had vanished without a trace in the intervening years, seemed to have disappeared entirely.

Logically speaking, the Star Moon Merchant Association, struggling with financial constraints, couldn’t possibly afford to retain the assassinʼs services over the long term.

This assumption emboldened the Wan Hua Merchant Association to instigate a direct clash, aiming to completely eliminate the Star Moon Merchant Association in the absence of their enigmatic protector. They hoped to consolidate their dominance and reassert their authority over River Source Oasis.

However, Wan Hua had made a grave miscalculation.

In the midst of the guild war, that very same mysterious assassin reappeared.

Like a shadow clinging to bone, relentless and inescapable.

...

In front of the river bay where the two major guilds were fighting in fire.

“Elder Chishe has been assassinated again!”

“Quick, chase him down! Don’t let the assassin escape!”

Chaos erupted in the ranks of the Wan Hua Merchant Association’s forces.

Boom!

A foul-smelling cloud of black smoke suddenly exploded, spreading across several li and shrouding the battlefield in darkness.

A mysterious figure, draped in a gray-white robe and a black cloak, unleashed a deadly attack. The man, with a straw hat obscuring his face, vanished into the shadows of the black fog after his strike.

“Stop… don’t chase him!”

A gaunt old man with a sinister expression and a snake staff tightly clutched the sleeve arrow that had pierced through his chest from behind. Trembling, he collapsed to the ground.

In fact, the nearby few Fake Dan elders from Wan Hua merely postured as if they were going to give chase., despite their loud roars, none of them dared to actually pursue the assassin.

Elder Chishe was a True Dan expert, in his prime, responsible for the security of Wan Hua’s trade caravans.

Even someone as powerful as him had fallen victim to the assassin twice. For Fake Dan cultivators to pursue him would be no different from throwing their lives away.

“It’s bad! The poison is mid-grade third-rank!”

Elder Chishe’s body convulsed, and the crimson veins of his protective Core Formation energy on his body flickered unsteadily.

From the Core within his dantian, waves of excruciating pain radiated outward as the strange and insidious poison corroded him from the inside.

With his Core poisoned, trying to purify it with core energy would be as futile as drinking poison to quench thirst.

“Elder Chishe!”

The senior cultivators of the Wan Hua Merchant Association turned pale as they watched the scene unfold.

Within mere moments, the poison took full effect. The once-mighty Core Formation cultivatorʼs body began emitting black and blue toxic fumes, tainting the air around him.

“Aahh! Help me…”

Several nearby Foundation Establishment cultivators who accidentally came into contact with the poisonous smoke found their skin rapidly decaying. Two of them died on the spot as the toxin overwhelmed them.

“Quick, get away from him!”

“Elder Chishe has become a poison zombie!”

Panic swept through the ranks of the Wan Hua Merchant Association, and their formation fell into complete disarray.

Meanwhile, another Core Formation elder from Wan Hua—a female cultivator—was locked in battle with the Fake Dan couple from the Star Moon Merchant Association.

The duo wielded their signature technique, Star Moon Jue, combining their powers to drive her back step by step.

With Elder Chishe, their most experienced combatant, incapacitated, and the guild’s forces thrown into chaos, Wan Hua, despite its numerical superiority, found itself at a distinct disadvantage.

“Retreat! Protect the… the medicine garden…”

Before Elder Chishe collapsed unconscious, he managed to force out a few final words.

The Wan Hua Merchant Association had monopolized most of the oasis’s spirit wood and medicinal herb resources, including many rare spiritual plants.

If they were defeated today, their first priority would be to secure their most critical assets.

Fortunately, the Wan Hua Merchant Association’s spirit vein medicine garden was located deep within their territory and was constantly guarded by a veteran Core Formation alchemist.

This elder was the guild’s most senior True Dan expert, and had been stationed there for decades.

...

All the major factions in River Source Oasis were closely monitoring the conflict between the two merchant guilds.

Meanwhile, Lan Changʼan remotely controlled his puppet assassin clone, quietly infiltrating the Wan Hua Merchant Association’s spiritual vein hidden in a cliffside.

“Hmm! The medicine garden’s formation is active, and there are signs of battle?”

Lan Changʼan was surprised. He hadn’t expected the Core Formation bigwig stationed on the island to respond so quickly.

Just as the puppet assassin successfully carried out the assassination, tipping the scales in the conflict, Wan Hua’s medicine garden came under attack by two Core Formation cultivators working in tandem.

Not only that, but a mid-stage Core Formation expert, hidden in the shadows, also joined the assault.

None of this escaped the senses of Lan Changʼan’s puppet, whose perception was amplified by the second life peak Core Formation spiritual sense.

The medicine garden’s guardian was a white-haired alchemist, an experienced Core Formation cultivator.

After activating the protective formation, the old man calmly directed the defenses, holding off the combined assault of the two Core Formation attackers.

But before long, the mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, who had been hiding, circled around and attacked a weak point in the formation.

Boom!

A gap was torn open in Wan Hua’s powerful third-rank array.

The mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, wearing a monkey-faced mask to block spiritual sense detection, slipped into the medicine garden and began looting.

This individual appeared to be very familiar with the layout, heading straight for the most valuable area of the garden, which contained treasures cultivated for centuries, including the prized third-rank Longevity Fruit.

“Stop!” The white-haired alchemist roared in anger, summoning his magical treasure to intercept the masked intruder.

Despite his advanced age, the alchemist’s Core Formation energy still barely reached the mid-stage, though his frail body and lack of combat-focused techniques made him only marginally stronger than a typical early-stage Core Formation cultivator.

“Ah, so it’s all old men,” Lan Changʼan’s puppet noted with amusement as his spiritual sense swept over the area. He realized that all three Core Formation cultivators involved—whether defending or attacking—were over 400 years old, with the youngest being at least 350.

The white-haired alchemist desperately blocked the mid-stage Core Formation intruder, preventing him from reaching the garden’s core area.

Two Fake Dan elders from Wan Hua joined the defense, leveraging the array to barely hold off the three Core Formation attackers.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Wan Hua’s main forces, who had been retreating from the earlier battlefield, arrived to reinforce the medicine garden.

“Itʼs a pity…”

The monkey-masked cultivator reluctantly withdrew with the other two Immortals after looting a portion of the garden’s herbs.

“Alchemist Lan! The third-rank Longevity Fruit is gone! And several other rare third-rank herbs as well…”

A Foundation Establishment spiritual plant caretaker rushed over, his voice trembling with panic as sweat poured down his forehead.

“The Longevity Fruit? Impossible! I clearly stopped them…”

The white-haired alchemist scanned the area with his spiritual sense, his expression shifting dramatically as disbelief set in.

Moments earlier, he had fought to the point of shortening his lifespan, using the array to protect the core area’s rare treasures.

Even the mid-stage Core Formation intruder had failed to breach the defenses of the restricted area.

Yet somehow, the Longevity Fruit and several other precious treasures had still been stolen.

“Traces of earth escape?”

The alchemist arrived at the restricted area, heavily warded with layers of restrictions. Normally, even a Core Formation cultivator couldn’t steal anything under the noses of so many experts.

Upon closer inspection, faint demonic energy residues were detected.

The alchemist pondered for a moment and then concluded, “It must have been a third-rank beast skilled in earth escape techniques. It took advantage of the chaos to quietly steal the Longevity Fruit and other treasures.”

He sighed. “Cultivators of the same rank may study earth escape techniques, but they cannot match the innate talent of beasts and demons in such arts.

“Just as human cultivators can’t match avian creatures in flight speed.”

What shocked him even more was that the third-rank beast had somehow bypassed several restrictions and avoided triggering alarms.

Its methods were so practiced that it was likely a repeat offender.

“Beasts are generally poor at handling restrictions. This third-rank earth-escaping demon beast was probably directed by someone behind the scenes who provided it with talismans for breaking restrictions and concealing its presence.”

The alchemist reached a rough conclusion.

The mastermind, if not the Star Moon Merchant Association or the mysterious assassin, was likely one of the other major forces in the oasis.

...

That night.

News of the theft from Wan Hua’s medicine garden and Elder Chishe’s death by poison spread like wildfire across River Source Oasis.

At the serene Mountain-Water Manor.

Chirp!

A faint yellow glow rippled across a pool as the figure of the Earth Burrowing Rat emerged.

Evading the senses of three herb caretakers, the Earth Burrowing Rat scurried into Lan Changʼan’s room and delivered its spoils.

“Not bad! A third-rank Longevity Fruit, Scarlet Sun Grass, and key auxiliary herbs for Crystal Condensation Pills…”

Lan Changʼan smiled as he examined the haul.

The only disappointment was that the Longevity Fruit was about 20 years away from full maturity.

But if it had been fully ripe, it wouldn’t have been his to claim in the first place.

His original plan had been simple: use his puppet assassin to poison Wan Hua’s medicine garden, causing chaos to distract the guardian. The Earth Burrowing Rat would then take the opportunity to steal the Longevity Fruit.

Unexpectedly, several other old-timers had also targeted Wan Hua’s medicine garden, saving him the trouble and resources.

Using third-rank mid-grade puppet crystals for combat consumed a significant amount of spirit stones to refine.

To conserve puppet crystals, the assassin puppet typically stayed dormant, consuming minimal resources.

Even in battle, Lan Changʼan relied on opportunistic tactics.

The puppet would always strike from the shadows, ambushing targets. After a single attack—whether successful or not—it would immediately retreat, avoiding prolonged combat.

“Hmm, I’ve now collected most of the ingredients for a third-rank Life Extension Pill.

“Additionally, the rare herbs from this haul will supplement the key materials for the Crystal Condensation Pill.”

Lan Changʼan was in high spirits.

When the time was right, he planned to personally refine both the Life Extension Pill and the Crystal Condensation Pills.

Although the Crystal Condensation Pills were currently of no use to him, they were valuable strategic resources. He could trade them for other resources, such as Life Extension Pills or materials for more advanced puppets.

He currently had only one third-rank mid-grade puppet—not because he didn’t want to refine more, but because gathering the necessary materials took years.

Crafting a superior-grade third-rank puppet, which corresponded to late-stage Core Formation cultivators, required materials that were several times harder to acquire.

It was almost unimaginable how much wealth and rare resources the Thousand Mechanisms Sect must have consumed to create Nascent Soul-level puppets.

...

Half a month later.

Lan Changʼan received confirmed news: Elder Chishe of the Wan Hua Merchant Association had narrowly survived. However, the Core in his dantian had been corroded by poison, causing his cultivation to fall to the Fake Dan stage.

Had it not been for the guild’s third-rank alchemist providing timely treatment, Elder Chishe would have undoubtedly died from the poison.

This outcome was precisely what Lan Changʼan had anticipated.

If his puppet assassin had delivered a follow-up strike during the battle, Elder Chishe would have surely perished. However, such a move would have required the puppet to engage in open combat under the watchful eyes of many, increasing the risk of the puppet’s true nature being exposed.

Lan Changʼan had no deep-seated grudge against the Wan Hua Merchant Association, nor did he seek their destruction.

Thus, during his first assassination attempt, he had only used a low-grade third-rank poison.

The ideal result was to maintain a balance of power between the Wan Hua and Star Moon Merchant Associations.

As long as the Star Moon Merchant Association remained slightly weaker, they would continue to rely on the straw hat assassin.

In the future, whenever Lan Changʼan needed to collect specific materials, he could issue orders to the Star Moon Merchant Association as Black Lord, a member of the Azure Dragon Society.

In contrast to the severely weakened Wan Hua Merchant Association, the Star Moon Merchant Association gained significant prestige from the battle.

The terrifying strength of the mysterious assassin left a deep impression on the people of River Source Oasis.

Soon after, the Star Moon Merchant Association officially announced that their operations had turned profitable and were back on track. They opened their doors to recruit talented individuals widely.

With Lan Changʼan’s support, the Star Moon Merchant Association secured a firm foothold in the oasis and inflicted severe losses on the Wan Hua Merchant Association.

Out of fear of the mysterious assassin, other major forces in the oasis began building friendly ties with the Star Moon Merchant Association and refrained from provoking them.

In essence, Lan Changʼan had single-handedly reshaped the power dynamics of the entire oasis.

There were no late-stage Core Formation cultivators in River Source Oasis.

Lan Changʼan, with his mid-stage third-rank body refinement, combined with his puppet assassin clone and the Earth Burrowing Rat of the same cultivation level, had no true rival.

Moreover, operating from behind the scenes, he enjoyed unparalleled security.

Lan Changʼan even joked to himself:

”Whether River Source Oasis is peaceful or chaotic… it’s up to me, Old Lan, to decide.”

...

That evening, the straw hat assassin visited the Star Moon Merchant Association and had another private meeting with the guild’s leaders, Tang Mian and Tang Yue, the Star Moon Dao Couple.

The puppet clone returned to the Mountain-Water Manor with the payment.

Back at the secret chamber.

Lan Changʼan opened a box containing spirit stones, rare materials, and a white jade tablet.

The jade tablet had a mural etched into it, depicting a starry sky.

To cultivate the Core Formation chapter of the Star Moon Jue, one needed to meditate on this mural as part of the process.

The Tang couple, who had frequently requested Black Lord’s help and protection, lacked sufficient spirit stones and resources to cover their debts.

As compensation, they allowed him to borrow this starry sky mural for half a month to offset part of the payment.

”Inheritance Imprint!”

Lan Changʼan studied the mural, and his mind was soon immersed in a mysterious space filled with endless stars. The profoundness of it was breathtaking.

The core techniques of many major factions couldn’t simply be stored in ordinary jade slips or books.

Instead, such techniques were passed down through special spiritual objects to enable comprehension and, at the same time, prevent their secrets from being leaked.

After meditating, Lan Changʼan noticed that the spiritual energy within the mural had dimmed slightly.

Without sufficient cultivation or a deep enough understanding of the Star Moon Jue, one wouldn’t be able to imprint its knowledge.

In his previous life, Lan Changʼan had witnessed a treasure imbued with a Nascent Soul elder’s insights spark a bloody struggle in Great Kun.

Because the inheritance treasure contained the cultivation insights and divine abilities of the Nascent Soul old monster, etched into it.

Even someone with mediocre talent or comprehension could defy their destiny and achieve incredible progress through the inheritance treasure!

Unlike those treasures, this starry sky mural did not contain pre-etched insights. It required the user to slowly comprehend the technique through observation and meditation.

For Lan Changʼan, who had the insights of a Nascent Soul cultivator and relying on the spiritual power of his second life soul, replicating such a mural wasn’t too difficult—something ordinary Core Formation cultivators could never hope to accomplish.

Although Lan Changʼan couldn’t cultivate the Star Moon Jue in this lifetime, he wasn’t limited to just one life, thanks to the Nine Seal Stele.

This combined attack technique, capable of surpassing whole cultivation realms, was as profound as his Evergreen Technique. Even if he couldn’t use it himself, keeping a copy on hand was wise.

Even in this life, with his long lifespan and eventual advancement to higher realms, the technique could serve as a resource to train future disciples or subordinates.

...

After the battle between the two merchant guilds.

The River Source Oasis returned to peace and stability, passing the next five years without incident.

By now, Lan Changʼan had reached the age of 228.

During these five years, he lived quietly in the Mountain-Water Manor, focusing on his cultivation and avoiding worldly entanglements. Occasionally, he would take on alchemy commissions.

During this time, Elder Duan made a visit to the estate. He expressed his satisfaction with Lan Changʼan’s low-profile and diligent demeanor, especially appreciating how he refrained from stirring up trouble.

Elder Duan also brought two new alchemy apprentices to replace the old ones, but Niu Jie was allowed to stay at the estate to continue learning from Lan Changʼan.

As per their original agreement, Lan Changʼan’s responsibilities included overseeing the estate, accepting a certain number of alchemy commissions, and training three alchemy apprentices every ten years.

One day, Yun Ling, who had reached the peak of the ninth layer of Qi-Refining stage, came to the estate to visit again.

Lan Changʼan happened to be free and was sitting in a pavilion, enjoying tea.

“Mister Xu, Ling’er brought you some spirit fruits.”

Yun Ling gave a light bow and placed a flower basket on the stone table in front of Lan Changʼan.

“I hear you’re preparing to break through to Foundation Establishment?” Lan Changʼan asked.

In the decade she had been visiting the Mountain-Water Manor, Yun Ling came by almost monthly to play with the ”Water Jet Turtle,” however, due to Lan Changʼan’s frequent secluded cultivation, they didn’t always meet.

Lan Changʼan noticed that Yun Ling’s grandmother had likely given her a second-rank Beauty Retaining Pill.

Even after all these years, she still looked like the same fresh and pure young woman with bright starry eyes, snow-white skin, and a slender, willowy figure.

“Mm, Grandma said it’s best to relax my state of mind before attempting a major breakthrough, so I came to the estate to play with Big Turtle,” Yun Ling said with a sweet smile, her dimples showing as her voice carried a light, happy tone.

Perhaps because of their natural affinity or the many years they had known each other, Yun Ling no longer showed the nervousness she had when she first met Lan Changʼan. Her demeanor was now relaxed and natural, as though they were old friends reunited after many years.

Woosh!

The Water Jet Turtle floated up from the pond, carrying Yun Ling on its back as it wandered around the estate.

Seated cross-legged on the turtle’s back with her arms wrapped around her knees, Yun Ling glanced over at Lan Changʼan, who was sampling the spirit fruits she had brought.

For some reason, her delicate face suddenly flushed red, and her heart began to race.

Over the years, Yun Ling had experienced a recurring dream.

In the dream, she found herself inexplicably in an intimate relationship with the refined and handsome Mister Xu.

Despite having no such experiences in reality, the scenes of affection in her dream were vivid and detailed to an uncanny degree.

What embarrassed her even more was that, in the dream, she had been the one to initiate the intimacy—something entirely out of character for her.

Every time she recalled the dream, Yun Ling couldn’t help but blush and feel flustered.

Though she found Mister Xu pleasant and even somewhat endearing, her feelings had not reached the point of true admiration or love.

This secret was so mortifying that she had told no one about it—not even her grandma, with whom she shared everything.

After half an hour, the Water Jet Turtle brought Yun Ling back to the pavilion, where she prepared to take her leave.

“Mister Xu, Ling’er is about to attempt Foundation Establishment. Since you’re a Core Formation expert, could you offer me some guidance?”

Yun Ling stepped off the turtle’s back, her bright eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at him.

Years earlier, Lan Changʼan had given her an incomplete talisman crafting inheritance materials. Though it was seemingly ordinary, it had greatly benefited her.

Thanks to that guidance, she had become a second-rank talisman master.

“Since I’m free, I’ll share a few thoughts,” Lan Changʼan said, motioning for Yun Ling to sit beside him.

He then began explaining his insights into Foundation Establishment, recounting the guidance he had once given to Guan Qiaozhi.

Yun Ling listened attentively, her delicate face occasionally lighting up with expressions of understanding and enlightenment.

Although Lan Changʼan’s pointers were not necessarily better than those of her grandmother, they resonated with her in a way that made her feel she grasped the concepts more fully.

Despite her above-average mid-grade spiritual roots, solid foundation, and abundant resources, there was still a certain possibility of failure.

“Mister Xu, if Ling’er succeeds in reaching Foundation Establishment, I’ll be sure to repay your kindness,” Yun Ling said solemnly as she bowed deeply before departing to prepare for her breakthrough.