I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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"Late Core Formation!"

In the dimly lit chamber, Xing Peng, bound by chains, gasped in shock as a white-bearded old man strode in.

Thud!

The overwhelming spiritual pressure from the elder crushed him, leaving him paralyzed and slumping to the floor.

Boom!

An immensely powerful spiritual force surged forth, hitting Xing Peng like a tidal wave and knocking him unconscious.

Lan Chang'an walked forward, sat cross-legged, and placed a finger on Xing Peng's forehead.

With his eyes closed, he summoned the essence of his past life’s soul and planted a restriction within Xing Peng's sea of consciousness.

To be precise, the current Lan Chang'an was a fusion of his present soul and the soul essence of his past life, making his spiritual strength even greater than at his previous peak.

In this time, Lan Chang'an had incorporated a little bit of the principles of the Hundred Abodes Soul Gu's “Gu Insect restriction” into the restriction he had planted.

Years ago, when Zhou Qingxuan had been afflicted with a soul-seizing Gu by the Hundred Abodes Soul Gu, Lan Chang'an had studied the spell, grasping its basic principles.

Moreover, after the Nine Seal Stele devoured the sub-Gu of the Hundred Abodes Soul Gu, he’d absorbed some fragmented memories from it.

As a result, the restriction he now planted was far more profound and bizarre than anything he had mastered in his previous life.

With the secret key in his possession, it would be nearly impossible for anyone at the same cultivation level to break this restriction.

Breaking the restriction was difficult, but activating it to destroy the target was easy.

As the one who’d cast the spell and possessing the secret key, Lan Chang'an could even remotely activate the restriction within a certain range, ensuring Xing Peng's death.

"Elder, you are...?"

Xing Peng slowly regained consciousness, feeling a throbbing pain in his sea of consciousness. He quickly realized that an incredibly potent restriction had been placed within his mind.

This level of restriction was beyond his cousin, the Shadow Hall Chief, and even the branch chief responsible for an entire cultivation country of the Unseen Gate wouldn’t be able to break it.

"Be good," came the elderly voice. The white-bearded old man before him vanished into thin air.

Half an hour later.

Lan Chang'an, dressed in his usual white robes, walked in, holding a token in his hand. He activated the token with a hand seal.

Sss! Aaaah!

A searing pain, as if his very brain were being seared, erupted within Xing Peng’s sea of consciousness, leaving him writhing on the floor in agony, clutching his head.

"Hmm, it seems Elder Xuan's methods are quite effective," Lan Chang'an said with a faint smile, putting away the token.

"From now on, if you leave a range of ten thousand li from me, the restriction will automatically activate, destroying your sea of consciousness. Any movements beyond three thousand li must also be reported in advance."

"Yes, Master Lan."

Xing Peng’s face was ashen, cold sweat dripping down his forehead as he knelt submissively.

With such a restriction placed on his sea of consciousness and Lan Chang'an having the backing of a peak Core Formation elder, Xing Peng had no hope of escaping.

"Xing Peng, you should be well aware of my character," Lan Chang'an said with a faint smile, his hands clasped behind his back.

"As long as you continue to provide useful information in the future, I will not treat you poorly. I might even grant you an opportunity to reform your Core."

"Core reformation?"

Xing Peng’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Lan Chang'an had found a way to reform the core in that ancient ruin?

"Mmm. If you prove obedient and establish enough merit, and if you manage to acquire a Core Reformation method from the Unseen Gate, I may be able to enhance your chances of success."

Lan Chang'an understood well how to balance rewards and threats, using promises to control others.

"I will keep Master Lan’s teachings in mind," Xing Peng said, feigning exaggerated joy. Whether or not Lan Chang'an was serious, at least it gave him a glimmer of hope for survival.

...

That night, Xing Peng quietly left the Xia Family’s territory in Qingsha Bay.

He flew a thousand li to a remote inn, where he met with his Foundation Establishment subordinates.

Xing Peng didn’t mention anything about his previous encounter, only assigning various tasks to his underlings.

As an Incense Master and an external member of the Unseen Gate operating in the field, it was common practice to maintain secrecy, even with his own subordinates.

The Earth Burrowing Rat kept a watchful eye on Xing Peng for two months without noticing anything unusual.

During that time, Xing Peng even came to Lan Chang'an in secret to report on intelligence related to the Unseen Gate's Shadow Hall operations in the surrounding area.

"The Flame Departing Palace… and Young Master Wang?"

One of the most significant pieces of intelligence concerned the Flame Departing Palace.

Only now did Lan Chang'an learn that a group of core cultivators from the Flame Departing Palace, wounded and on the run, had fled to the Jing Kingdom cultivation world.

"Liang Shaotian, leading a group of demonic cultivators, ambushed the Flame Departing Palace's forces in coordination with higher-ups from the Jiuchen Merchant Association?"

"A combined assault of several Core Formation cultivators forced Master Lihuo to retreat with injuries?"

Lan Chang'an was astonished at Liang Shaotian's rapid progression.

His cultivation speed rivaled that of earth spiritual roots, and his combat strength was exceptional, allowing him to fight beyond his level.

With a Core Formation cultivation, it was unbelievable that he could catch the shots of a Nascent Soul True Monarch and still manage to save his life.

From this, Lan Chang'an inferred that the injuries of the Master Lihuo were likely far more severe than publicly known. Otherwise, such humiliation would never have been tolerated.

After that fierce battle, the Master Lihuo vanished.

Elder Wang led a group of surviving disciples, hiding in remote regions of Jing Kingdom.

As for Young Master Wang, he seemed to have recently separated from the main group and was rumored to be procuring supplies in a nearby market city.

"So, you’re saying Young Master Wang went to Cloudsmoke Immortal City?"

On this day, Xing Peng brought Lan Chang'an the latest update.

"Indeed. My area of responsibility has shifted to the regions surrounding Cloudsmoke Immortal City. One of my spies detected his presence there."

"And he’s traveling alone? No other Flame Departing Palace cultivators are accompanying him?"

Lan Chang'an surmised that Young Master Wang was likely heading there to fulfill their agreement and receive his healing treatment.

Counting previous sessions, Lan Chang'an had already treated Young Master Wang four times; with two more sessions, his recovery would be complete.

"Yes, he’s alone," Xing Peng confirmed. "After all, the Unseen Gate has managed to infiltrate the core ranks of the Flame Departing Palace disciples."

Lan Chang'an felt a chill. The Unseen Gate’s influence was indeed terrifying if they could plant spies among the remaining Flame Departing Palace’s core disciples.

"My dealings with Young Master Wang for his healing—will it interfere with your operations?"

"It won’t," Xing Peng replied confidently. "I have full authority over this area. Besides, both of you are on our watch list, so regardless of your actions, Unseen Gate operatives will continue to monitor you."

At this, Xing Peng hesitated.

In fact, Young Master Wang was a high-priority target on their list, likely carrying the future legacy of the Flame Departing Palace.

If Lan Chang'an could subtly extract more information, Xing Peng himself would benefit greatly as an Incense Master.

...

A few days later.

Lan Chang'an arrived at Cloudsmoke Immortal City.

With precise intelligence from the Unseen Gate, he decided to fulfill his agreement with Young Master Wang.

Apart from obtaining the other half of the Tong Ghost Bamboo, this was also an opportunity to forge a favorable connection with Young Master Wang.

Xing Peng encouraged him to meet with Young Master Wang because the Unseen Gate hoped to unearth valuable treasures from the Flame Departing Palace by tracking him.

With the power boost from his Second Life’s soul descent, Lan Chang'an’s strength was now comparable to an early Core Formation cultivator.

This trip also provided an opportunity to purchase a mid-grade third-rank talisman brush, preparing him for crafting higher-level treasure talismans in the future.

Even without the agreement, he would have headed to Cloudsmoke Immortal City to seek assistance from Hanyu Immortal.

At the Xunxian Residence, Lan Chang'an finally met with Wang Feng in the fifth year of their agreement.

Young Master Wang’s cultivation had recovered to mid-Foundation Establishment, with slight improvements compared to before.

Lan Chang'an nodded inwardly, thinking, "As expected of a sect’s favored disciple—a true Golden Dan seed!"

The true heirs of the Flame Departing Palace were either dead or severely injured, leaving Young Master Wang as the best candidate with both aptitude and background.

Despite being at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment now, it wouldn’t take him more than three years to advance to the late stage.

With the full support of the Flame Departing Palace, his earth spiritual root talent would allow him to attempt the formation of an Immortal Golden Dan within twenty years.

"Sorry to trouble you, Fellow Daoist Lan," Wang Feng said, his tone more composed and steady than before. Unlike their previous encounters, he seemed less anxious.

Perhaps the restoration of his cultivation, coupled with the confirmation from the Flame Departing Palace that he was a Golden Dan seed had given him newfound confidence.

Lan Chang'an placed his palm on Wang Feng’s back, channeling his Evergreen mana to nourish and heal him.

Just then, a faint tremor coursed through his mind.

The Nine Seal Stele, which had lain dormant in his consciousness, suddenly gave a subtle vibration.