I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 335: Tracking Heavenly Net

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Half a month later.

A mist-shrouded waterborne immortal city came into the view of an elderly man dressed in a straw raincoat.

The Cloudsmoke Immortal City lay some distance away from the demonic battlefield in the Jing Kingdom.

In times of peace, this lake-bound immortal city was under the jurisdiction of the Merchant Alliance, jointly controlled by several major merchant guilds. Among them, the Snow Fox Merchant Association had been one of the most prominent.

During wartime, however, all immortal cities, family spiritual veins, and family estates were under the unified coordination and command of the sub-branches of the Righteous Dao Alliance.

The old man, whose cultivation appeared to be the late Foundation Establishment stage, needed to pass an identity verification before entering Cloudsmoke Immortal City, which delayed him for some time.

The city was now on high alert, thoroughly investigating any potential demonic spies.

Those without clear identities could easily be arrested and conscripted as cannon fodder.

Using some clever tricks, the elderly man managed to sneak in.
”After one hundred and fifty years, the peace and prosperity of the past, with its freedom of trade, is no more...”

Lan Changʼan walked along the cold and desolate streets, his surroundings foreign and unfamiliar, with not a single familiar face in sight.

Upon inquiry, he learned that the once-flourishing Snow Fox Merchant Association had been torn apart during the war and utterly eradicated in the Jing Kingdom.

The Xunxian Residence, the most upscale inn in the city, survived due to its backing by the Merchant Alliance. However, its business had dwindled significantly.

Presently, Lan Changʼan was not worried about being recognized. His cultivation level, appearance, and aura had all changed over the years.

Learning that the Snow Fox Merchant Association, which had once been closely tied to him, no longer existed left him feeling disheartened.

That night, Lan Changʼan checked into a private courtyard at the Xunxian Residence and organized the intelligence he had gathered recently.

The most critical piece of information concerned the Heavenly Net Sect.

”Old man Heavenly Net hasn’t even fully recovered from his injuries, yet heʼs already rushing to relocate the sect and his clan?”

Lan Changʼan hadn’t expected the Heavenly Net Sect to move so quickly.

Before he arrived in the Jing Kingdom, the Heavenly Net Sect and the Xie Family of the Chen Kingdom had already begun relocating in batches.

...

After obtaining the Taiyin Jade Essence, Lan Changʼan had made a divination regarding the impending calamity looming over his fate. The results were now clearer, confirming its inevitability.

The Heavenly Master with his higher cultivation could foresee events further in advance.

In the Righteous Dao Alliance, Lan Changʼan had completed two of his objectives. Now, only the final objective remained:

to secure Nascent Soul resources and seize opportunities amid the chaos of war.

However, time felt increasingly scarce. The Golden Sun Sect was no longer a viable target.

Even though the sect had lost an aging Nascent Soul cultivator, they still had Six Sun True Monarch, a experienced and powerful Nascent Soul cultivator in his prime, holding the fort. Taking action against them was too risky. ɌαＮôＢ̧

This left the Heavenly Net Sect, a sect that had been in decline for over a century.

The Heavenly Net Sect had lost its fourth-rank spiritual vein and had suffered continuous losses in the ongoing war against the demonic sects. Coupled with poor management, its strength had plummeted.

The Heavenly Net Ancestor, who had at most two hundred years of lifespan remaining, had exhausted much of his foundation due to escaping with his Nascent Soul twice and having to reconstruct his physical body and restore his cultivation. His overall strength was notably weaker than that of other Nascent Soul cultivators.

Even so, a skinny camel was still bigger than a horse.

Even without considering the Heavenly Net Ancestor, the combined strength of the Heavenly Net Sect and the Xie Family far exceeded that of minor sects like Jin Yun Valley.

Because of the looming calamity in his future, Lan Changʼan wasn’t too eager to strike against the Heavenly Net Sect.

After all, the longer he lingered in the Eastern Region of Great Qing, the more dangerous it became.

However, he hadn’t expected the Heavenly Net Sect to choose this moment to relocate to the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

”The Tinghai Pavilion left a hidden spatial node near the Seven Kingdoms Alliance...”

Lan Changʼan’s eyes gleamed as he began calculating.

He intended to investigate the reliability of this spatial node. Coincidentally, it was along the same route the Heavenly Net Sect was taking during their migration.

If the node proved viable, Lan Changʼan planned to travel to the Great Yuan to pursue his path to forming a Nascent Soul.

First, he could avoid various risks, including the future calamity.

After obtaining the Taiyin Jade Essence, Lan Changʼan had provoked the envy and hatred of many individuals and factions, making his position within the Righteous Dao Alliance increasingly precarious.

On the demonic side, the Beast King Valley Elder was also eyeing him with hostility.

If the war situation collapsed and the Peacock Saintess returned, the Beast King Valley would undoubtedly come for him.

Second, the Great Yuan had a flourishing cultivation civilization, abundant resources, and far better opportunities for forming a Nascent Soul than the Great Qing region.

Even the regions surrounding the Righteous Dao Alliance or the Ten Great Xuan Sects in the Great Qing central region couldn’t compare.

Under these circumstances, traveling to the Great Yuan was a win-win for Lan Changʼan.

”Since itʼs on the way, letʼs see what happens.”

Lan Changʼan didn’t believe that the Heavenly Net Ancestor, at his advanced age, hadn’t prepared resources for forming a Nascent Soul for his sect and family.

Even if they lacked the Infant Transformation Pill, there were bound to be other precious treasures—spiritual materials, heavenly treasures, and Tribulation-resolving treasures—that were useful for advancing to Nascent Soul.

Lan Changʼan had long-standing grievances with the Heavenly Net Sect and the Xie Family. He felt no moral hesitation about striking at them when they were down.

Moreover, he wasn’t the only one eyeing the Heavenly Net Sect.

In the world of cultivation, there was no lack of taking advantage of the situation.

The Heavenly Net Sect, having been notorious for its arrogance and bullying, had accumulated plenty of enemies over the years.

...

The next morning.

At dawn, Lan Changʼan did not linger and left Cloudsmoke Immortal City.

As he exited the city, he encountered another round of inspections.

“Senior, please listen to me! Yan Hong is my family’s newlywed son-in-law, so his face may seem unfamiliar, but he’s definitely not a demonic spy!”

A soft, pleading female voice rang out.

A pair of young cultivators at the late Qi-Refining stage were undergoing a harsh interrogation by the city guards. The young male cultivator had been detained.

Lan Changʼan casually glanced at the scene, finding such occurrences commonplace.

Hmm?

His gaze suddenly focused on the anxious young female cultivator. She was dressed in a Snow Fox Robe, her features delicate and refined, with eyes as clear and icy as crystals.

At first glance, she seemed vaguely familiar to Lan Changʼan, as though she carried an air of connection to him.

Her appearance and demeanor faintly reminded him of Hanyu Immortal from many years ago, though the resemblance wasn’t striking.

When Lan Changʼan noticed her wearing a Snow Fox Robe, he made a quick calculation in his mind, his thoughts churning.

Back then, Hanyu Immortal’s name had been Gao Lingyu.

Although the Snow Fox Merchant Association had fractured and ceased to exist, the cultivation families that once comprised the guild had not been completely wiped out.

The Gao Family, which Hanyu Immortal hailed from, had now fallen to the level of an ordinary Foundation Establishment family. The young woman in the Snow Fox Robe was likely the most talented cultivator of the current generation.

“Little lady of the Gao family!” The guard, a dark-skinned cultivator at the early Foundation Establishment stage, sneered as he spoke. “Your husband has no recorded activities in Cloudsmoke Immortal City. Where did he come from? What of his ancestry? And does he have a criminal past? If any of these questions remain unanswered, he’ll be taken for interrogation, in case he is a demonic spy.”

“Senior, please be merciful,” the woman—Gao Xueqing—pleaded with a bow, her tone laced with desperation. She discreetly slipped a pouch filled with spirit stones to the dark-skinned guard.

“Miss Gao!” The guard’s eyes glimmered coldly as he scanned the pouch with his spiritual sense, only to smirk disdainfully. “Attempting to bribe a patrol cultivator is explicitly against the rules!”

He pushed the pouch back toward her, but not before his fingers lightly brushed against her smooth, jade-like fingertips.

Gao Xueqing pulled her hand back swiftly, shame and anger flashing across her face.

In the next moment, the guard’s voice transmitted directly into her ears:

“A handful of spirit stones is insulting. But if the little lady is willing to ‘serve’ me for a night, I wouldn’t mind letting your family investigate this matter themselves.”

The dark-skinned Foundation Establishment cultivator gave a faint, mocking smile as his gaze swept over her graceful, curvaceous figure.

Gao Xueqing’s face alternated between pale and flushed. Disgust churned in her heart.

If she did not submit, it would be difficult to redeem her husband if he was captured as an unregistered cultivator.

Suddenly, a calm and indifferent voice cut through the tension.

“Miss Gao, we meet again.”

The voice belonged to an elderly man in a straw raincoat—Lan Changʼan.

“You… are you planning to intervene in this matter?”

The dark-skinned cultivator turned his wary gaze toward the old man. Sensing the latter’s late Foundation Establishment cultivation, his expression stiffened slightly.

Boom!

Before he could finish his sentence, his sea of consciousness trembled violently, his face turning red as his magical power was completely suppressed. His body felt as if it were being weighed down by an immense mountain, making even moving a single step difficult.

“... A Core Formation Immortal...”

Fear gripped the dark-skinned guard as he forced a stiff smile onto his face.

“Would it be acceptable,” Lan Changʼan said gently, his expression kind, “if this old man vouched for Miss Gao’s husband’s innocence?”

“Since the senior has opened his mouth, then of course there’s no issue.”

Sensing the oppressive force on him lighten, the guard immediately cupped his hands and offered a fawning smile.

Offending a Core Formation cultivator was akin to seeking death. Even if he reported this later, he would be unlikely to escape punishment. Besides, his previous behavior wouldn’t hold up to scrutiny in any investigation.

With a wave of his hand, he ordered his subordinates to release the detained young man.

Watching Gao Xueqing and her husband finally free of trouble, Lan Changʼan stepped onto a streak of light and flew toward the outskirts of the city, leaving without looking back.

...

“Senior, please wait…”

Flying several li away, Lan Changʼan heard a soft voice calling out from behind. Gao Xueqing, along with her husband Yan Hong, hurriedly caught up to him.

Lan Changʼan stopped mid-flight, a faint smile on his face.

He had deliberately slowed his flying technique earlier, giving Gao Xueqing the chance to catch up.

If she came to express her gratitude, Lan Changʼan planned to casually bestow upon her a small opportunity as a gesture of goodwill toward the descendants of Hanyu Immortal. If she didn’t, it would merely mean they were not fated to interact further.

“Junior Gao Xueqing sincerely thanks Senior for your kindness and assistance.”

Gao Xueqing knelt down, pulling her husband with her to offer their formal thanks.

“My intervention was merely because your Gao Family shares a connection with an old acquaintance of mine,” Lan Changʼan replied calmly.

“Senior… could it be...”

Gao Xueqing’s bright eyes studied the straw-clad elder before her, the faint resemblance sparking a sudden realization.

She suddenly recalled the ”Hanyu Immortal” of the Gao familyʼs ancestors, who left behind a painting before passing away. It was said that her ancestor had died with lingering regrets.

Now, the elder before her bore a striking resemblance—his attire matching the figure in the portrait by at least 70%.

“Come with me,” Lan Changʼan said, his tone mild but firm.

From her shifting expression, Lan Changʼan could discern that this young woman was indeed a descendant of Hanyu Immortal. With a wave of his sleeve, a radiant surge of Core Formation energy enveloped him and Gao Xueqing, carrying them into a nearby grove.

Seeing this, Yan Hong, her husband, stood frozen in place. His expression turned increasingly uneasy, though there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

However, time dragged on, and Gao Xueqing had yet to return. Yan Hong paced back and forth anxiously, his unease morphing into frustration.

As more time passed, his face grew darker and more conflicted. His fists clenched tightly.

Finally, after half an hour, Gao Xueqing emerged from the woods alone. Her cheeks were rosy, her mood visibly uplifted, and her entire demeanor seemed radiant as she flew toward him.

“Yan Hong, the senior just bestowed me with…” Gao Xueqing began, her joy overflowing as she struggled to contain her excitement.

During her meeting with Lan Changʼan, not only had the elder provided her with an opportunity to advance her cultivation, but he had also gifted her a protective talisman and corrected some crucial errors in her cultivation techniques.

However, before she could finish, Yan Hong’s face twisted with pain and anger.

“Gao Xueqing! How could you?” he said through gritted teeth, his voice trembling. “Even if I’m just a live-in son-in-law, how could you humiliate me like this?”

“What? What do you mean by that, Yan Hong?” Gao Xueqing’s eyes widened, her joy replaced by shock and indignation. She stared at her husband, who stood trembling with rage, his eyes red-rimmed with suspicion.

...

Elsewhere.

Having left behind a small act of kindness, Lan Changʼan soared into the sky, feeling a quiet sense of satisfaction.

An hour later, he arrived at Qingsha Bay, the territory of the Xia Family, where he had once cultivated for decades.

The Xia Family’s old patriarch, Xia Hongyu, a longevity life nurturing cultivator, had long since passed away. In the chaotic era of war, to die peacefully of old age was considered a fortunate ending.

The current clan leader was none other than Xia Mingqu, the former young master.

Xia Mingqu, now a Fake Dan cultivator, had ensured that the Xia Family’s overall strength had not waned compared to the past.

Lan Changʼan silently observed the Xia Family’s territory from the shadows without revealing himself.

The island where he had once cultivated, Autumnwind Isle, had remained almost entirely intact. This was unsurprising, as it had produced two Core Formation cultivators in the past. The Xia Family had preserved it with great care.

Pausing atop Autumnwind Isle, Lan Changʼan contemplated briefly before leaving behind two hidden skill inheritances in his old residence:

One was an alchemy inheritance, the other a talisman crafting inheritance, both reaching the third rank.

These were casual gestures on his part; the Xia Family hardly needed his protection.

The Xia Family’s survival during the demonic wars and its continued prosperity were largely thanks to the protection of the Proud Moon Palace.

After Xia Wenyue, a talented Xia Family member, formed her Core and ascended to become an upper-level cultivator of the Proud Moon Palace, she had returned to Qingsha Bay to offer her family significant support.

...

A few days later.

At one of Unseen Gateʼs branch strongholds in the Jing Kingdom, a mysterious cultivator launched an invasion.

A strange third-rank poisonous mist engulfed the stronghold, causing all the cultivators within to lose consciousness.

At the time, the highest-ranking cultivator present was the branch deputy master, who had just entered the Core Formation stage.

Fortunately, apart from the theft of some intelligence jade slips, there were no casualties among the stronghold’s personnel.

When the branch master returned and learned of the incident, cold sweat drenched his back. Without delay, he reported the matter to Jue Ying, the master of the Jing Kingdom sub-division.

As Unseen Gate’s sub-division scrambled to investigate this bizarre intrusion, the perpetrator had already left the Jing Kingdom’s cultivation world.

To the west of the Jing Kingdom, thousands of li away in a barren and spiritually lacking region…

Within a temporarily excavated stone hall hidden in a mountain range, Lan Changʼan sat amidst scattered jade slips, carefully reading through the stolen information.

”Such a large-scale migration, conducted in batches… Although the destination is the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, the specific routes, departure times, and starting points vary greatly.”

Lan Changʼan placed the jade slips aside, his expression contemplative.

After Xing Pengʼs death, Lan Changʼan’s access to timely, confidential information had diminished.

Fortunately, he had spent over a century dealing with Unseen Gate and was well-acquainted with their operational methods. Using a straightforward and brutal approach, he had seized all recent intelligence from one of their branch strongholds in one fell swoop.

Unseen Gate’s intelligence network extended far beyond the Righteous Dao Alliance territories, with spies even embedded on the demonic battlefield in the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

Their reports revealed that Unseen Gate had been keeping a close watch on the Heavenly Net Sect and the Xie Family of the Chen Kingdom during their migration.

However, the Heavenly Net Sect and the Xie Family had proven equally cunning.

The vast faction had split into numerous groups, some traveling openly while others moved covertly, all departing from different locations and taking different routes toward the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

It was impossible to discern which groups contained the core members of the Heavenly Net Sect or the direct descendants of the Xie Family.

Even the Heavenly Net Ancestor had left the Jing Kingdom, but his current whereabouts were unknown.

Not even Unseen Gate had been able to determine his exact location in the short term.

”The Heavenly Net Ancestor is casting a wide net. Even if they suffer significant losses, as long as they preserve their core lineage, resources, and inheritance, there’s no doubt they’ll rise again someday.”

Lan Changʼan couldn’t help but admire the ruthlessness of the Heavenly Net Ancestor’s strategy.

The Seven Kingdoms Alliance was an expansive territory.

It could be reached by heading west along the Black Fog Mountain Range or directly westward from the Jing Kingdom or the Chen Kingdom. Such a wide range of routes made it nearly impossible to block them completely.

Even deploying the forces of a Nascent Soul sect to hunt them down wouldn’t guarantee a clean sweep.

However, the journey was long and arduous. Even for Core Formation cultivators, flying would take over a month.

The distance was only part of the problem.

The route passed through vast barren lands with impoverished or even completely absent spiritual energy. Some areas were treacherous, with harsh environments that hindered travel.

The higher one’s cultivation, the less they were affected by these conditions.

For example, Core Formation Great Cultivators and Nascent Soul True Monarchs had vast reserves of spiritual energy, making them less susceptible to environmental factors. They required fewer rest stops to replenish their energy, allowing them to travel continuously.

...

Half a day later.

After performing a divination, Lan Changʼan obtained no definitive results, only a vague direction.

Fortunately, the general direction coincided with the location of the spatial node he intended to investigate.

Lan Changʼan held on to the idea of taking things as they came and flew all the way west in the direction of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

Years ago, he had traveled to the Seven Kingdoms Alliance under the alias Nie Yuan, where he had secretly assisted the Flame Departing Palace in acquiring a quasi-fourth-rank spiritual vein, fulfilling the last wishes of the departed Master Lihuo.

This time, while his general destination was the same, the specific route he took was slightly different.

In the vast and desolate wilderness, even the slightest deviation in direction could result in a difference of thousands of miles.

Several tens of thousands of li later.

Luck seemed to be on Lan Changʼanʼs side. His powerful spiritual sense detected a migrating group of cultivators from the Xie Family of the Chen Kingdom, one of the factions associated with the Heavenly Net Sect.

The group was led by a Fake Dan cultivator, with the rest mostly at the Foundation Establishment stage, along with a few late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators.

”A Fake Dan cultivator leading the group… likely a disposable pawn meant to distract and mislead pursuers,” Lan Changʼan mused, probing the group carefully with his spiritual sense.

After confirming that there were no hidden experts among them, Lan Changʼan dispatched his Earth Burrowing Rat and Archer Puppet to deal with the group. In just a few breaths, the entire team of migrating cultivators was eliminated.

Lan Changʼan had no intention of sparing potential enemies. Though he disdained slaughtering the weak, there was always the possibility that the Heavenly Net Ancestor had hidden important resources among such seemingly unremarkable groups.

The Earth Burrowing Rat quickly scavenged the battlefield and presented the spoils to Lan Changʼan.

”Hmph, I was overthinking,” Lan Changʼan muttered after examining the loot.

The so-called treasures were mostly junk. The most valuable item was a shoddy low-grade magical treasure carried by the Fake Dan leader.

For ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, this haul would have been a windfall capable of altering their cultivation trajectory. However, it was barely worth mentioning to Lan Changʼan.

The real gain for Lan Changʼan lay not in the material spoils but in the bloodline of the Xie Family.

From the bodies of a few deceased cultivators with purer bloodline connections, Lan Changʼan extracted a Bloodline Pearl, a sinister technique originating from the Blood Spirit Sect of the Six Demonic Sects, on the side of Great Qing.

Having inherited the memories of two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, Lan Changʼan was naturally proficient in such methods.

The Bloodline Pearl allowed him to sense and track other Xie Family bloodline holders within a certain range, depending on the practitioner’s spiritual energy and spiritual sense.

For someone of Lan Changʼanʼs cultivation, this range extended up to two thousand li.

However, this technique came with risks.

If a higher-level cultivator—such as a Nascent Soul True Monarch—happened to be within the range of the bloodline detection, they could reverse the technique, tracing it back to the user. For most cultivators, such a scenario would mean certain death.

This was why few dared to use the Bloodline Pearl recklessly. The risk of attracting the attention of the Heavenly Net Ancestor himself made it a perilous gamble.

Lan Changʼan, however, had no such concerns.

The Heavenly Net Ancestor was reputedly the weakest of the Righteous Dao Allianceʼs remaining Nascent Soul cultivators, and Lan Changʼan was unafraid of facing him directly.

...

With the Bloodline Pearl and his divination skills, Lan Changʼan’s tracking efficiency improved significantly.

Two days later, he locked onto another migrating group from the Heavenly Net Sect and Xie Family.

Huh!

When Lan Changʼan approached within a few hundred li, he sensed intense energy fluctuations from a battle nearby.

The clash included Core Formation-level combatants, with spells tearing through the landscape, shattering mountains and sending debris flying.

“Xuan Yin Sect! Xiang Jinglong!”

A furious voice echoed amidst the chaos.

“Instead of defending against the demonic forces at the frontlines, you turn on former allies who once fought alongside you?”

A middle-aged Core Formation cultivator from the Heavenly Net Sect, dressed in a scholarʼs cap and robes, was leading over a dozen sect disciples in a desperate struggle.

Their opponents were two Core Formation-level experts, along with four Fake Dan cultivators.

The leaders of the Xuan Yin Sect’s group included a white-browed Daoist who wielded a spell of black clouds and dark thunder, which trapped and suppressed the Heavenly Net Sect cultivators.

The second leader wasn’t a True Dan cultivator but a third-rank body cultivator, a towering, two-zhang-tall giant covered in black demonic patterns, exuding waves of murderous aura.

The giant’s face was unmistakably that of Xiang Jinglong, but his transformed body resembled an indomitable iron fortress, radiating overwhelming power.

No spell attacks seemed to faze him; they merely bounced off his skin like raindrops.

Boom!!

A Fake Dan cultivator from the Heavenly Net Sect was caught off guard as Xiang Jinglong closed the distance with incredible speed. With one punch, their protective barrier shattered, and their body exploded in a mist of blood.

Even the middle-aged Core Formation cultivator, who had barely evaded several attacks, was now on the brink of death.

“Earth Fiend Heaven-Supporting Art… worthy of being a top-tier body cultivation divine technique!” the white-browed Daoist remarked leisurely, providing support from the rear.

In less than half a cup of tea’s time, the Heavenly Net Sect forces were annihilated.

The sole Core Formation cultivator from the Heavenly Net Sect, his scholar’s cap knocked askew, stood battered and defeated. He resembled nothing more than prey, tightly clutched by Xiang Jinglong’s massive, demonic-patterned hand, utterly immobilized.

“Xie Xiao, a direct great-grandson of the Heavenly Net Ancestor! Congratulations, Protector Xiang—you’ve caught a big one,” the white-browed Daoist said, offering his congratulations.

“Hmph, weaklings.”

Xiang Jinglong reverted to his normal appearance—a dark-skinned, muscular middle-aged man. Cracking his neck, he seemed as though he hadn’t even warmed up yet.

The Heavenly Net Sect and the Xuan Yin Sect had long-standing grudges within the Jing Kingdom, and the Xuan Yin Sect wouldn’t miss the chance to strike while the Heavenly Net Sect was down.

However, openly attacking a former ally from the war against the demonic sects was disgraceful, even if the Heavenly Net Sect’s reputation was already tarnished.

Moreover, the Xuan Yin Sect’s main forces were tied up on the demonic battlefield, so their leader, Sect Master Liang, had assigned this mission to the opportunistic Xiang Jinglong, hoping to scavenge some resources from the migrating Heavenly Net Sect.

“Tch! As expected of the Xie Family’s direct line,” Xiang Jinglong said, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he inventoried the spoils. “This man was carrying the main ingredient for a Condensing Crystal Pill and a quasi-fourth-rank Azure Profound Wood.”

With a grin, Xiang Jinglong handed the items to the white-browed Daoist for safekeeping.

“Fellow Daoist Lin,” he said with a chuckle, “I’ll trouble you with the soul-searching. We need to find out the Heavenly Net Sect’s migration secrets—especially the routes their core members are taking.”