I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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In the corner of the room, a figure cloaked in a gray-white robe appeared, with his back turned toward Lan Chang'an. Embroidered on the back of the robe was the image of an ethereal, illusory gate.

Lan Chang'an’s heart sank. Though he hadn’t been particularly vigilant, it was only upon entering the room that he realized the presence of this stranger.

In that brief moment, he couldn't discern the true nature of this mysterious figure. The man’s confidence was evident—he had his back turned, suggesting he saw no threat from Lan Chang'an.

"Lan Chang'an, your secret is out!"

The man’s voice, muffled by the hood, carried a chilling, soul-penetrating power.

"Your Excellency, to which secret are you referring?" Lan Chang'an asked cautiously, feigning calmness.

After all, he had plenty of skeletons in his closet and no idea which one had come to light.

He had committed numerous clandestine acts: assassinating Alchemist Hua, eliminating the Huang Family’s Foundation Establishment cultivator, taking down the grandson of a Flame Departing Palace Elder, and deflecting suspicion onto the demonic sect or Xiang Jinglong.

Not to mention, impersonating Junior Brother Cheng to exchange the inferior pill with Fu Xuemei, and in the ancient ruins, causing the deaths of two Fake Dan cultivators to secure the Xuanmu Vine and other rare treasures.

After arriving in Jing Kingdom, he’d even killed Huxiao Immortal of the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant Association under his alternate identity as "Xiang Immortal," and maintained secret ties with Hanyu of the Snow Fox Merchant Association.

"Which secret, indeed?" the hooded man sneered, his eyes narrowing.

Lan Chang'an has committed so many offenses, and he doesn’t even have a clue which one?

The man let out a cold snort, thinking to himself that cultivators like Lan Chang'an, who clung to slim hopes, would quickly crumble down when faced with irrefutable evidence.

"Over ten years ago, you were leaving the Mu Family estate by Feiyue Lake on a turtle, when you encountered a scouting team from the Golden Sun Sect that had infiltrated Liang Kingdom. Among them was Mu Jiuan, the son of an old friend of yours."

"At that time, you killed three Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Golden Sun Sect!"

"Now that the cultivation war has ended and the Golden Sun Sect has relocated north to occupy Liang Kingdom, you must be aware of the consequences of this… 'settling of accounts.'"

Lan Chang'an’s face showed a flicker of surprise but quickly relaxed.

The incident where he killed several Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Golden Sun Sect had occurred during the war. Since arriving in Jing Kingdom, he’d monitored the situation closely, discovering that he had not been put on any wanted list, nor had word spread about the incident. Moreover, Li Erqing’s letters, sent through his grandson, hadn’t mentioned it either.

He’d long since confirmed that Mu Jiuan and the others had collectively chosen to bury the disgraceful affair. At that time, their infiltration of enemy territory was risky enough. The loss of a few cultivators could easily be reported as war casualties, allowing the sect to provide generous compensation to their families. �

"Is Your Excellency a spy from the Golden Sun Sect?" Lan Chang'an asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Golden Sun Sect? No!" The hooded man replied with a slight scoff.

Lan Chang'an cursed inwardly: The Golden Sun Sect itself hasn’t pursued this, so why should it concern you?

He saw right through the man’s intentions—it was nothing more than a ploy to blackmail him.

If he were an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, the threat of a Golden Sun Sect bounty might have terrified him. But to Lan Chang'an, this was, at worst, a minor inconvenience—not a life-threatening crisis.

During the war, the Golden Sun Sect had lost countless cultivators. They lacked the resources to pursue every vendetta meticulously. Minor casualties on the battlefield were typically brushed aside unless the deceased were of particular importance. Even when it came to revenge, it was often a personal vendetta carried out by individual cultivators or turned into a sect mission, handled by junior members.

It was impossible they’d send a Nascent Soul or Core Formation cultivator to hunt him down for such a trivial matter, right?

At most, Lan Chang'an might encounter a few Fake Dan cultivators, or, if his luck was particularly poor, an early Core Formation expert.

"Is this the matter you’re referring to?" Lan Chang'an asked, feigning indifference.

The hooded man frowned, sensing that Lan Chang'an wasn’t the least bit flustered.

Was this information alone not enough to shake him? It made sense; Lan Chang'an had considerable means of self-preservation and might believe that, as long as the Golden Sun Sect’s pursuit wasn’t too intense, he could always relocate and assume a new identity.

"Of course, this isn’t the only matter," the hooded man said, finally turning around. Beneath the shadow of the hood, a faintly sinister smile appeared.

"Years ago, you and Fairy Shi entered an ancient ruin together. She emerged from the ruin and soon became a third-rank formation master, while you slipped away alone to Jing Kingdom."

"Though the ruin collapsed, did you think we’d be unaware of the treasures you obtained there?"

Lan Chang'an’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his expression neutral.

"And what exactly did I obtain?" he asked calmly.

"You stole a Core Formation opportunity and several priceless treasures, breaking off ties with Fairy Shi afterward!" The hooded man sneered, watching for any reaction from Lan Chang'an.

"What Core formation opportunity? That’s absurd!" Lan Chang'an exclaimed, his tone betraying a hint of panic as he hastily denied the accusation.

The hooded man, seeing this reaction, grew even more confident.

Internally, Lan Chang'an let out a sigh of relief. It seemed this man’s organization had solid intelligence on the first incident but was only speculating about the second.

The ancient ruin’s core collapse was likely orchestrated by Fairy Shi herself after she left, which worked to Lan Chang'an’s advantage, preventing any further secrets from leaking. As for the "Core formation opportunity," even if it were true, it wasn’t of much value to the powerful forces. Lan Chang'an’s own strength, along with his Great Demon protector, provided ample cover for such gains.

…

"Lan Chang'an, killing Golden Sun Sect cultivators and seizing a Core formation opportunity from the ancient ruins—if these matters were to become public knowledge, do you think you could continue to play your luck?"

With these words, the hooded man released a faintly oppressive aura.

Indeed, just killing Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Golden Sun Sect wouldn’t warrant a full-scale pursuit. But adding the theft of a Core formation opportunity would undoubtedly turn him into a prime target for the sect, drawing the attention of other cultivators eager for the reward.

"Hmm, so you’re only at the Fake Dan stage?" Lan Chang'an remarked, detecting the man’s true cultivation level from the slight fluctuation in spiritual energy.

This guy’s quite the actor!

Lan Chang'an thought, having initially suspected that the stranger might be a genuine Core Formation expert.

The hooded man was exceptionally skilled at concealing his aura, enough to even fool early-stage Core Formation cultivators if he held back his power.

Lan Chang'an, though usually cautious, had lowered his guard that day due to the Foundation Establishment celebration for Xia Wenyue, and even his pet, the Earth Burrowing Rat, was off enjoying food and drink. The hooded man had clearly taken advantage of the bustling celebration to slip onto Autumnwind Isle, hoping to blackmail Lan Chang'an.

"And who exactly are you? What is it you want me to do?" Lan Chang'an asked after a pause, his expression darkening.

"I am an emissary from the Unseen Gate, one of the Six Great Sacred Sects, here to recruit you as an external member of our organization," the man replied, clasping his hands behind his back with a faint smile.

"Lan Chang'an, this is a rare honor for you."

Unseen Gate? Lan Chang'an’s mind raced.

From the mention of the Six Great Sacred Sects, he guessed this organization was likely part of the infamous Six Demonic Sects, each of which wielded far greater power than ordinary Nascent Soul sects like the Flame Departing Palace or Golden Sun Sect.

A sense of wariness crept into his heart.

Why would the Six Demonic Sects take an interest in me, and why would the Unseen Gate, in particular, go out of their way to target me?

This was indeed troublesome.

"What exactly does your sect see in me?" he asked, his tone laced with reluctance.

"Because you have a reputation as a ‘good old man,’ with a network of connections. You’ve integrated well into Jing Kingdom, have ties with a third-rank formation master from Liang Kingdom, and even maintain a friendship with Zhang Tieshan, the Core Formation Elder who recently returned to Golden Cloud Valley."

"You, with your facade of benevolence, and now under our thumb, make the perfect candidate for an informant," the man explained bluntly.

Typically, a loose cultivator like Lan Chang'an, unaffiliated with any sect and lacking firm loyalties, would be easy to sway into serving the Unseen Gate.

In time, once he experienced the might of the Six Demonic Sects and saw them conquer various cultivation factions, he would naturally become a loyal member of the Unseen Gate.

"So, the Unseen Gate intends to force me into servitude?" Lan Chang'an asked coldly.

"You could put it that way. This is your chance to change your fate," the hooded man replied condescendingly.

"I have always despised being threatened," Lan Chang'an replied, his gaze shifting toward the room’s exit.

An invisible barrier of dark light had enveloped the room, cutting them off from the outside world.

The Earth Burrowing Rat was tunneling underground, making its way over, but it would take a few more moments.

"Don’t think of escaping! This formation can withstand even a Fake Dan level battle without alerting anyone outside."

"Today, you have only two choices: submit to the Unseen Gate… or die!"

Before he finished speaking, a streak of dark, electric-gray light shot toward Lan Chang'an with blinding speed.

The sudden attack caught him off guard, and even his quasi-third-rank body couldn’t entirely evade it.

Slash!

The late Foundation Establishment level protective shield around Lan Chang'an’s body shattered, and he felt a numbness in his shoulder as his mana was disrupted.

"A binding technique?"

His mana was partially sealed, but the vitality of his Evergreen mana quickly began to counteract the restriction.

At the same time, Lan Chang'an activated a quasi-third-rank talisman, enveloping himself in a thick barrier of crystalline blue water.

"Good reflexes," the hooded man commented, his form blurring before vanishing entirely, leaving only a phantom in his place.

Shing—

A shadowy blade materialized from the void, cutting through the protective water barrier as if it were paper.

Lan Chang'an was shocked by the hooded man’s skill. This assassin from the Unseen Gate, though only at the Fake Dan stage, possessed killing techniques potent enough to threaten even an early-stage Core Formation cultivator in a surprise attack.

The shadowy blade, pulsing with cold blue light, sliced into Lan Chang'an’s side—

But then…

The blade met with unexpected resistance, halting after barely cutting through his robe.

Crack!

Lan Chang'an’s body expanded, muscles bulging, emanating an overwhelming aura of physical strength. Raising his elbow, he struck backward with all his might.

The sound of splintering wood echoed through the room.

Boom!

The hooded man coughed up blood as he was flung across the room, crashing against the wall of the restrictive barrier.

"A Foundation Establishment cultivator with body refinement at the Fake Dan level?!"

The hooded man’s eyes widened in shock as he flew through the air, immediately realizing his mistake.

"To dare capture this Lan in close quarters," Lan Chang'an sneered. "It seems your Unseen Gate’s intelligence isn’t as thorough as you think?"