I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 418: Spiritual Treasure Blueprint, Shaking the Fengyuan Kingdom

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Just before Old Evil Shen’s Nascent Soul was extinguished—

Clink! Clink!

The green-armored puppet shielded Lan Changʼan, its vine-covered shield blocking the two feathered poison needles. This happened almost simultaneously with the Barbed Arrow striking Old Evil Shen.

Old Evil Shen could never have imagined that Lan Changʼan still had a hidden Nascent Soul-level combatant in reserve. His last-ditch interference attempt was rendered completely ineffective.

In this battle, Puppet Master Wei had acted as a hidden contingency, not directly participating in the encirclement.

Had their luck been worse and had Old Monster Wan been nearby, the true fourth-rank puppet could have intercepted him.

After Old Evil Shen’s Nascent Soul was destroyed, the venomous jiao dragon, pinned under the Lord Earthrock, stiffened. The light in its eyes vanished abruptly as its divine soul scattered.

This was the effect of an unequal spirit beast contract.

If the master died, the contracted beast would perish alongside them, a measure to ensure loyalty.
Unless the beast’s cultivation surpassed the contract’s rank, it could not escape this fate.

Fortunately, only the divine soul was destroyed. The jiao dragon’s corpse remained intact, retaining considerable value.

...

Within the vast waters.

The Lord Earthrock retrieved Old Evil Shen’s two magical treasures and storage artifacts.

After an inventory, Lan Changʼan couldn’t help but smile.

Old Evil Shen’s poison fire fan had originally been an attempt to replicate the spiritual treasure Five Birds Venom Fire Fan, crafted from the feathers of five fourth-rank spirit birds to create a top-grade magical treasure.

However, due to the high difficulty and a mistake by the artifact refining grandmaster, it fell short of even being a proper imitation.

Thus, during the battle, the fan had only produced four-colored poison flames instead of the full five.

Despite this, the fan’s materials were of excellent quality. Later modifications had added three hidden feathered poison needles, making it quite practical, something Lan Changʼan found appealing.

Even if he didn’t use it in the future, he could dismantle it for materials, repurposing them to repair or upgrade the exotic peacock puppet.

Among Old Evil Shen’s storage items was a special beast-hide blueprint detailing the crafting method for the spiritual treasure Five Birds Venom Fire Fan.

Though it was just a hide, the information it contained rivaled that of a jade slip, and it even carried a trace of divine intent, allowing cultivators to grasp some of its essence.

According to the blueprint, forging a true spiritual treasure required the successful nurturing of an artifact spirit and surviving a special magical treasure tribulation.

A spiritual treasure that endured four tribulations was called a Heaven-Connecting Spiritual Treasure.

But in the current era of cultivation, creating a true spiritual treasure was harder than ascending to the Deity Transformation realm. Let alone spiritual treasures that had endured two or three tribulations.

Most so-called ”spiritual treasures” in the world were actually pseudo-spiritual treasures, like the Sky-Cleaving Axe Jing Wufeng had obtained in the Ancient Nether Hall.

Old Evil Shen’s life-bound magical treasure, the Ten Thousand Poison Banner, was far less impressive. It mainly suited poison cultivators, growing stronger the more toxins it absorbed.

His storage also contained two additional superior-grade magical treasures as backups.

While these treasures weren’t particularly enticing to Lan Changʼan, the spiritual treasure blueprint was a delightful surprise.

With multiple lifetimes to accumulate resources, even if he couldn’t achieve it in this life, there was still hope in the next.

...

There was no shortage of divination treasures among the spoils, including a few third-rank ones.

The one with the highest value was a broken horn from an unknown beast.

”Interesting! This natural beast horn has almost completely lost its spiritual essence, yet its ability to obscure heavenly secrets rivals that of a fourth-rank divination treasure.”

Lan Changʼan rubbed the weathered horn. Due to its extreme age and damage, its origins were untraceable.

Of course, the horn only obscured oneʼs heavenly secrets, it didn’t enhance divination abilities.

As a fourth-rank poison grandmaster who had raised a pseudo-fourth-rank venomous jiao dragon, Old Evil Shen had stockpiled an abundance of rare herbs, beast-nurturing resources, and poison-refining materials.

Beyond the ready-to-use fourth-rank toxins, the high-quality refining materials could diversify Lan Changʼan’s poison reserves.

”These beast-nurturing resources are yours as a reward.”

With a wave, Lan Changʼan allocated a pile of bottles, beast pills, and spirit-blood meats to Lord Earthrock.

”Many thanks, Master.”

The Lord Earthrock bowed gratefully, though it couldn’t help eyeing the venomous jiao dragon’s corpse.

Lan Changʼan had no intention of handing it over entirely.

Additionally, Old Evil Shen had half a set of Nascent Soul formation resources, including a mature Tianying Fruit Fruit.

This meant the materials Lan Chang’an had prepared for the Nascent Soul breakthrough opportunity ended up exceeding his needs.

Frequently slaying Nascent Soul old monsters made one realize that most of the cultivation world’s strategic resources were hoarded by them.

Thus, ordinary cultivators without backing or great fortune found it nearly impossible to reach the pinnacle of the cultivation world.

...

The battlefield remained obscured from the outside world by the vast waters.

Lan Changʼan deliberately lingered for a while, but the other Nascent Soul old monster never arrived.

”It seems Old Monster Wan won’t be coming.”

After some divination, he reached a conclusion.

The Heavenly Master’s two nemeses likely had a way to communicate.

Though Old Monster Wan was slightly weaker than Old Evil Shen, he was proficient in the art of divination.

If danger loomed too close, he might sense it through intuition, making him more cautious.

Had the ambush targeted Old Monster Wan instead, the success rate might have been lower.

Beyond the entrapment plan, Lan Changʼan had also prepared an infiltration and assassination scheme.

He could have assumed a false identity, infiltrated the enemy faction, and then used the Black Wind Cloak to conceal his aura before striking at the right moment.

Of course, that was a riskier plan, requiring patience and the perfect opportunity.

If he failed to kill the Nascent Soul instantly, he’d risk being trapped in enemy formations, exposing his identity and methods under scrutiny.

”Never mind. I’ve already fulfilled my agreement with the Heavenly Master.”

Lan Changʼan wasn’t overly fixated.

He retrieved the blue sea banner that had summoned the tsunami.

As the banner shrank, dark ripples shimmered, and a dark-green giant turtle emerged from within.

With its master’s permission, the Profound Water Turtle could merge into the sea banner, enhancing its control and reducing Lan Changʼan’s mana consumption.

This ingenious method came from the memories of the Shazhai True Monarch.

The prerequisites were the magical treasure owner’s consent and the target’s proficiency in water-escape techniques.

As Lan Changʼan put away the sea banner, the tsunami subsided, most of the waters were sucked back into the magical treasure.

Old Evil Shen’s Ten Thousand Poison Banner, now uncontrolled, released a miasma of deadly toxins that blanketed several li around, seeping into the skies and drifting in all directions.

Downwind, dozens of li away.

An early Core Formation spy hidden behind a sand dune suddenly felt his skin burn and itch. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

A scream echoed as his body rapidly corroded, soon melting into a pool of blackened blood.

”Reports confirm: A mysterious Nascent Soul clashed with Old Ancestor Shen using water-based divine abilities, summoning a catastrophic tsunami!”

”Old Ancestor Shen’s aura has vanished, likely defeated. It’s unclear whether his Nascent Soul escaped.”

”Water-based techniques are ill-suited to deserts. For the enemy to defeat Old Ancestor Shen so swiftly, their strength must far surpass his.”

Within a radius of several hundred li around the battlefield, intelligence from factions like Poison Dragon Pool spread swiftly.

Those gathering information weren’t limited to human cultivators—strange insects, spirit beasts, puppet birds, and image-capturing treasures could all serve as remote surveillance tools in place of their masters.

However, the duel between the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs was shrouded by vast waters and miasmic poison fog, obscuring the details within. Observers could only form rough judgments based on the visible signs of the clash.

Only if a nearby Nascent Soul cultivator personally spied on the scene could more accurate intelligence be obtained.

...

Thousands of li away in the desert.

A fleeing Nascent Soul suddenly halted.

”Hiss! Old Evil Shen… died so quickly?”

The wizened old man stared at the dimmed jade pendant in his hand, his face twisting in horror.

Old Monster Wan and Old Evil Shen had a communication method, which had just been severed.

Earlier, due to the distance, Old Evil Shen had only sent two vague signals:

One was a call for “reinforcements”, indicating the sender had encountered a formidable foe, this was the basic preset function of the message talisman, capable of transmitting signals across great distances.

The second message was “Azure Dragon”. Due to distance limitations, the conveyed information was vague and indistinct, but it likely pointed to a key identifying trait of the opponent.

Old Monster Wan and Old Evil Shen shared a bond spanning centuries, their fates deeply intertwined. Just now, by observing the distant spiritual qi and performing a divination, he deduced that his old comrade had fallen.

Crack!

His expression darkened as he crushed the communication jade pendant.

Without hesitation, he burned his blood essence, pushing his speed close to mid-Nascent Soul levels as he fled toward the lands of the two sects.

”Old friend Shen… forgive me.”

”If this ‘Azure Dragon’ could kill you so swiftly, they must at least be at mid-Nascent Soul strength, perhaps even stronger. Coupled with that old dog Heavenly Master’s schemes…”

No matter how deep their friendship, it was impossible for Old Monster Wan to put his own life on the line.

He decisively abandoned the forces and industries he had supported within the Outer Sect Alliance, resolving not to set foot in the Fengyuan Kingdom or the Outer Sect Allianceʼs territory for at least a hundred years.

...

In the Poison Dragon Pool Oasis, thousands of li away in a medium-sized oasis, an elegant silver-haired man in snow-white robes stood atop a mountain peak, gazing in the direction where Lan Changʼan and Old Evil Shen had clashed.

This man, Elder Xuesong, had once visited the Xuan Yin Pavilion on behalf of the Heavenly Master and had conversed with Lan Changʼan.

At this moment, Elder Xuesongʼs pupils transformed into swirling black ink droplets, resembling a yin-yang diagram, peering into the secrets of fate.

To monitor his enemies and understand Lan Changʼanʼs combat abilities, the Heavenly Master had used the ”Spirit Possession Technique” to descend upon Elder Xuesong, allowing him to observe the battle more closely and gather clues from the heavenly secrets.

”So fast? Old Evil Shen is already dead?”

The Heavenly Master was shocked and doubtful, repeatedly verifying the divination results.

Only a few days had passed since their initial discussion.

The Heavenly Master had been patiently waiting in the Ice and Snow Sacred Mountain, his bottom hadnʼt even warmed the seat yet...

Lan Changʼan had already fulfilled their agreement, even exceeding expectations.

The Heavenly Master hadn’t expected Lan Changʼan to outright kill an old Nascent Soul monster. At best, he had hoped for severe injury or forcing the Nascent Soul to flee, driving them back to the lands of the two sects.

”That kid is only at early Nascent Soul, having broken through less than sixty years ago. Yet he killed an old monster who was among the strongest early-stage experts. His speed is even faster than the Cyanwood True Monarch...”

The Heavenly Master hadn’t witnessed the battle firsthand and couldn’t deduce the specifics.

Lan Changʼan was also a fourth-rank divination grandmaster. From the moment he entered the Outer Sect Alliance, the Heavenly Master could no longer track his movements.

He suspected Lan Changʼan had deliberately obscured heavenly secrets to prevent his prying eyes. He might even possess powerful treasures to block divination.

At best, the Heavenly Master could roughly estimate Lan Changʼan’s strength.

Previously, he had thought Lan Changʼan could hold his own against a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. Now, it seemed he genuinely possessed the lethality to threaten one.

Even a mid-Nascent Soul expert couldn’t guarantee killing an early-stage Nascent Soul who was desperate to escape.

Every mid-Nascent Soul cultivator was a hegemon who dominated a region of the Great Qing.

Ordinary Nascent Souls would be wary and cautious around them, always prepared to flee.

In contrast, someone like Lan Changʼan, an early-stage Nascent Soul, was far more deceptive.

”With the more powerful Old Evil Shen dead, Old Monster Wan will likely flee in fear. Cleaning up the aftermath will be much easier now...”

Suppressing his curiosity, the Heavenly Master was in high spirits. He directed the possessed Elder Xuesong to fly straight toward the Poison Dragon Pool.

...

Poison Dragon Pool Oasis.

The major factions within the oasis were thrown into chaos upon receiving the news.

Some forces and high-level cultivators began fleeing.

At one point, Old Evil Shen’s severed head and corpse fell from the sky, confirming the rumors and spreading further panic.

Above the clouds, a vast expanse of dark waters churned, the faint but oppressive spiritual pressure of the mysterious Nascent Soul True Monarch looming ominously.

The cultivators in the oasis felt as if they were suffocating under deep-sea pressure, their bodies on the verge of bursting.

Fortunately, the mysterious Nascent Soul showed no intention of indiscriminate slaughter, allowing the hearts of the many cultivators within the oasis to ease a little.

Before long, the Poison Dragon Pool Master and another late-stage Core Formation cultivator were summoned by the mysterious Nascent Soul’s spiritual sense into the watery expanse above.

The Poison Dragon Pool Oasis had a fourth-rank defensive formation, which could theoretically hold off an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul.

But against someone who had slain Old Evil Shen so swiftly, it wouldn’t last long.

The fourth-rank spiritual vein in the oasis was small, even smaller than the one in the Jin Yun Valley. It could barely sustain one Nascent Soul’s cultivation, and its formation’s range and power were limited.

After a brief exchange, the two Core Formation cultivators returned to the oasis, relieved, and relayed the mysterious Nascent Soul’s decree to the factions.

That same day, the oasis’s factions mobilized vein formation masters to dismantle the miniature-small fourth-rank spiritual vein.

With cultivation above Fake Dan and the concerted efforts of numerous high-level cultivators, the miniature fourth-rank spiritual vein was downgraded to a third-rank superior-grade vein within days.

This wasn’t outright destruction, just disassembly, so the backlash on their fortunes was minimal.

Even if there were minor consequences, they were shared among many, making it negligible.

Lan Changʼan hadn’t lifted a finger.

He had simply informed the two Core Formation cultivators that the Outer Sect Alliance would not tolerate Nascent Soul factions.

How they handled it was up to them.

That night, the possessed Elder Xuesong arrived at the oasis, representing the Ice and Snow Sacred Mountain’s will.

The two most critical fragments of the dismantled spiritual vein were purchased by Snow Mountain at a low price.

The Poison Dragon Pool’s higher-ups were furious but dared not protest.

Without the backing of the two sects’ Nascent Souls, the Outer Sect Alliance had no choice but to submit to the Fengyuan Kingdom.

”Master Zhong, I’ve done all the dirty and thankless work. Yet your Snow Mountain swoops in to reap the spoils at bargain prices. How efficient.”

Lan Changʼan’s voice suddenly came from behind the possessed Elder Xuesong in the guest quarters.

The Heavenly Master nearly jumped. This man was truly unpredictable.

Of course, in his possessed state, his senses werenʼt at Nascent Soul level, and he lacked the Snow Mountain’s formations for protection.

”Haha, compared to the gains from killing Old Evil Shen, itʼs not worth mentioning.”

The Heavenly Master laughed it off, promising to increase the agreed-upon reward by an additional 30% on top of the doubled payment for killing a Nascent Soul.

Master Zhong was inwardly envious, he knew that Old Evil Shen had plenty of treasures on him. His own visit was merely to sip some leftover soup and quietly bolster Snow Mountainʼs spiritual vein foundation.

”Does the Snow Mountain’s treasury have any treasures for capturing or restraining Nascent Soul spiti bodies?”

Lan Changʼan asked with interest.

”Treasures that capture Nascent Souls? Those are exceedingly rare in the cultivation world. What does the Evergreen True Monarch plan to do with one?”

The Heavenly Master narrowed his eyes, studying the harmless-looking scholarly man.

”Nothing much. When dealing with Old Evil Shen, I originally wanted to capture his Nascent Soul spirit body, so I could one day trade it with a demonic cultivator and fetch a good price. Unfortunately, lacking the right tools, I ended up destroying it instead.”

Lan Changʼan’s answer was half-truth.

The Heavenly Master’s face twitched. This man wasn’t satisfied with killing a veteran Nascent Soul, he wanted to capture the out-of-body Nascent Soul alive.

”The Snow Mountain’s treasury has an exotic treasure called the ‘Ghost Spider Soul Net,’ which can trap Nascent Souls. However, it has a flaw, its activation speed can’t match a Nascent Soul’s escape. It can only trap weakened or injured early-stage Nascent Souls. Against a healthy one, the success rate is low.”

”Better than nothing.”

Lan Changʼan smiled, deciding to claim this treasure as part of his reward.

Under normal circumstances, the Ghost Spider Soul Net would indeed be underwhelming against fleeing Nascent Souls.

But Lan Changʼan happened to have methods to severely injure Nascent Souls.

If the net’s power was insufficient, he could supplement it with fourth-rank Nascent Soul poison.

As for predicting the Nascent Soul’s escape direction? That would depend on his skill, as well as a bit of luck.

...

A few days later.

The possessed Elder Xuesong arrived at Gutian Immortal City, where Old Monster Wan’s puppet organization, the Mysterious Mechanism Tower, was based.

However, the city and the tower weren’t as compliant. They activated a quasi-fourth-rank formation, with numerous high-level puppets forming battle arrays.

A full defensive stance could hold off an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul for a while.

The Heavenly Master was momentarily embarrassed. His true body was still in the Ice and Snow Sacred Mountain. Even if he came personally, his combat power outside the Fengyuan Kingdom’s eight desolate cities wouldn’t surpass Old Evil Shen’s.

Facing the current Lan Changʼan, he dared not meet him with his real body outside the Snow Mountain’s protection.

Fortunately, Lan Changʼan had Puppet Master Wei’s true fourth-rank puppet intervene.

Gutian Immortal City and the Mysterious Mechanism Tower relented, agreeing to negotiate with the Snow Mountain’s representative.

Puppet Master Wei had once been the leader of the Mysterious Mechanism Tower and even served as the tower master.

The current Tower Lord was the former puppet-armed city lord, who had once fought against the Peacock Saintess.

This city lord was effectively Wei’s junior, a half-disciple of his legacy.

In secret, the city lord met with Wei’s true fourth-rank puppet, visibly awed and reverent.

His respect wasn’t just due to seniority, it was the sheer shock of seeing a true fourth-rank puppet in person.

As the Tower Lord, his puppet-refining skills had reached the quasi-fourth rank. Facing a true fourth-rank puppet, he was utterly convinced of Wei’s superiority.

Afterward, Gutian Immortal City established friendly trade relations with the Ice and Snow Sacred Mountain, retaining sovereignty and no longer acting under the influence of the two sects’ Nascent Souls.

The Mysterious Mechanism Tower’s craftsmen were primarily craftsmen, with no ambitions of conquering the Snow Mountain. They simply wanted a peaceful place to research and cultivate.

The Heavenly Master, too, had no interest in expanding the Fengyuan Kingdom’s borders. Doing so would dilute the Snow Mountain secret treasure control over the heavenly phenomena.

The eight desolate cities of Fengyuan had ancient formations that resonated with the Snow Mountain. Beyond that range, the Heavenly Master’s influence waned.

...

Lan Changʼan’s assistance in Gutian Immortal City had been minimal, but the Heavenly Master still owed him a favor.

”With Fellow Daoist Xu’s strength and divination skills, this poor Daoist likely has little to offer in return?”

The Heavenly Master sighed, feigning distress.

He didn’t mind owing Lan Changʼan a small favor, it was a chance to build ties.

Lan Changʼan pondered briefly.

”If the Heavenly Master is willing, continue looking after the Yun Clan’s twin prodigies and the Xuan Yin Pavilion in the future.”

The Heavenly Master readily agreed.

”By the way, does the Heavenly Master know any fourth-rank alchemy grandmasters?”

Lan Changʼan thought of his surplus Nascent Soul formation resources. He needed someone to refine the Infant Transformation Pill and other fourth-rank pills in secret, along with high-quality third-rank Life Extension Pills.

Fourth-rank alchemists were scarce around the Righteous Dao Alliance. The trade routes to Wangyue Immortal City were controlled by the Six Demonic Sects, making them risky.

”There’s an alchemy grandmaster in the lands of the two sects who owes this poor Daoist a favor. Take my token, and he will assist you.”

”Excellent. Many thanks, Heavenly Master.”

Lan Changʼan was pleased. Building connections with established Nascent Souls always opened doors.

”Fellow Daoist Xu’s next destination must be the Xuan Yin Pavilion?”

The Heavenly Master smiled, proactively offering:

”This poor Daoist will have the token, the Ghost Spider Soul Net, and other rewards delivered there.”

”The Heavenly Master is too thoughtful! I was planning to make another trip to admire the Snow Mountain’s scenery.”

Lan Changʼan feigned surprise, his smile faintly mocking.

The Heavenly Master hastily waved his hands, his tone enthusiastic:

”No need, no need! This poor Daoist will personally oversee the delivery with soul possession, there is no need for Fellow Daoist Xu to make another trip!”