I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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In mid-air, watching as Master Lihuo's Nascent Soul was devoured by the Nine Seal Stele, Lan Chang'an let out a deep sigh of relief.

"I gambled right!"

Realizing that Wang Feng was possessed by a Nascent Soul, his earlier hypothesis had been spot on.

The Nascent Soul, as an evolved form of the soul, was indeed similar to the Soul Gu and could provide nourishment for the Nine Seal Stele.

Reflecting on his recent experiences, Lan Chang'an couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Back at the Xunxian Residence, he had been giving close-contact treatment — even massaging the back — of an old Nascent Soul monster for a full two hours!

That level of close proximity was akin to taking his pulse.

If a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t detect any anomalies from him, they’d have to be blind.

His Fake Dan level body refinement, his Evergreen Technique, his over-500-year lifespan — all of it must have been noticed by the Master Lihuo.

The secrets of his body had almost been laid bare.

Master Lihuo hadn’t attacked within the city, likely to avoid alerting the Immortals residing there. Instead, he’d chosen to ambush Lan Chang'an along the path back to Qingsha Bay, setting up a fourth-rank remnant formation to isolate them from the outside world.

For an ordinary Core Formation cultivator, it would have been almost impossible to survive.

"Thankfully, I had the support of my second life. Otherwise, that initial soul technique would’ve left even an early-stage Core Formation cultivator unconscious."

Wang Feng had the possession of a Nascent Soul.

Likewise, Lan Chang'an had the possession of a peak Core Formation soul shadow from his previous life.

This allowed him to resist the weakened Nascent Soul rather than being killed outright.

"And it’s a good thing I had so many treasure talismans. With enough Restriction-Breaking Talismans, I managed to force the Master Lihuo to leave his body and pursue me with his Nascent Soul."

In this battle alone, Lan Chang'an had used seven or eight third-rank treasure talismans, half of which were mid-grade.

Not even the Golden Dan Seeds of Nascent Soul sects would have one-tenth of the life-preserving cards he had.

"And then there’s Wang Feng!"

Without wasting time to examine the changes in the Nine Seal Stele, Lan Chang'an flew toward the remnants of the fourth-rank formation.

The formation was primarily an illusion array meant to trap enemies, but it did not restrict entry.

Additionally, it served to isolate the area from the outside world.

Thus, even though he had unleashed Core Formation-level spells against "Wang Feng," there had been no disturbance detected from outside.

As for the attacks from the Nascent Soul, they had been executed with such speed that the whole exchange only lasted a few breaths.

Within the formation, Lan Chang'an spread his spiritual sense, immediately searching for Wang Feng.

Wang Feng’s body was trapped under a small mountain of stone rubble.

There were signs of life; he was in a comatose state.

Using his spiritual sense to probe further, Lan Chang'an found that Wang Feng’s consciousness seemed temporarily sealed by some form of power.

"He’s still alive. It seems Wang Feng wasn’t possessed entirely; the Nascent Soul only performed a temporary possession."

Lan Chang'an had heard of similar techniques in his previous life.

If it had been true possession, Wang Feng’s consciousness would have been completely erased, devoured by the Nascent Soul.

"The sealed consciousness must be Master Lihuo's doing."

The pressure of a Nascent Soul was terrifying, and Wang Feng's Foundation Establishment-level body was too fragile to withstand it.

Moreover, a foreign soul trying to control a body would naturally experience resistance from the host.

In contrast, Lan Chang'an’s soul shadow from his past life was perfectly compatible with him, so he didn’t experience any negative effects.

Thus, Master Lihuo had likely sealed Wang Feng’s consciousness to lessen the pain and physical rejection during the possession.

...

Squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat emerged from Lan Chang'an's pet pouch, ready to scavenge the battlefield and collect any spoils.

While waiting, Lan Chang'an suppressed his excitement and directed his consciousness into the Nine Seal Stele, eager to examine the fourth frame.

"The fourth life... fully illuminated!"

The fourth frame was now filled with a crystalline white light.

Within the frame was a faint, semi-formed shadow of a Daoist in purple robes, surrounded by flickering flames.

It was none other than the image of the Master Lihuo.

Although Lan Chang'an had never seen the Master Lihuo in person, as a native cultivator of Liang Kingdom with over a century of experience, he was familiar with the descriptions of this figure.

Yet, unlike the previous two life shadows, this one felt distinctly different.

The soul shadows from his first two lives felt fully integrated with him, like extensions of his own flesh and blood.

The Master Lihuo's soul shadow, however, was vague and unformed, giving Lan Chang'an a sense of detachment.

"What is the purpose of this Master Lihuo’s soul shadow in the fully illuminated fourth life?"

As Lan Chang'an pondered, the Nine Seal Stele vibrated slightly, sending a series of vague messages.

These messages were not concrete, more like abstract concepts.

Though there were no words or images, Lan Chang'an could somehow understand the answers to his questions from these impressions.

The secrets and new abilities of the Nine Seal Stele were finally being revealed to him.

His previous life's speculation had been correct. Advancing to the Nascent Soul stage would indeed unlock the secrets and functions of the Nine Seal Stele.

Although Lan Chang'an hadn’t reached Nascent Soul himself in this life, by allowing the Nine Seal Stele to devour a Nascent Soul, he’d met the necessary condition to "unlock" it.

"The Nine Seal Stele has three ways to initiate reincarnation cultivation, with each blank frame able to activate one."

Lan Chang'an processed the information conveyed by the Nine Seal Stele, his heart racing with excitement and his face lighting up with joy.

"The first method: Once a blank frame is fully illuminated, after this life ends, I will have the ability to choose my next reincarnation."

What does it mean to choose?

After death, Lan Chang'an could select the region, background, aptitude, comprehension, and even fortune for his next life.

It was essentially a way to customize his next reincarnation.

Of course, this customization came with strict limitations and a finite "fate quota."

He couldn’t excel in every area.

For instance, if he chose to be born into a top-tier cultivation family, he’d have to lower his expectations in other areas.

If he selected a life with great fortune, then his aptitude, background, and other aspects would have to be reduced accordingly.

Striving for excellence in all aspects would result in mediocrity across the board.

Was there a way to increase the "fate quota"?

Yes, there was.

By illuminating the fifth and sixth frames with reincarnation energy, he could increase the total "fate quota" for customization.

However, the requirements to illuminate the fifth frame were on a whole new level.

Lan Chang'an estimated that to fully illuminate the fifth frame, he’d need more than just one or two Nascent Souls.

This method of customizing the next reincarnation would occupy the fourth frame.

The other two methods followed the same principle.

Customizing the next reincarnation was indeed enticing, but the prerequisite was death.

Lan Chang'an, who was doing well in this life and progressing smoothly, wasn’t about to take his own life just for that.

Besides, the further he advanced in this life, the more powerful a foundation he could establish for his next life.

...

"The second method: Convert the soul shadow of the ‘Master Lihuo’ inscribed on the Nine Seal Stele into a past life of my own, but this requires resolving a karmic tie."

Upon learning this ability, Lan Chang'an was initially shocked and ecstatic.

It meant that he could experience the life of the Master Lihuo as if it were his own past, similar to his first and second lives.

This would elevate him from being a reincarnated Core Formation cultivator to the reincarnation of a Nascent Soul old monster.

All of the Master Lihuo’s lifetime experiences, memories, abilities, and insights would become his instincts. At that point, the Nascent Soul’s lifetime knowledge would serve as his ultimate trump card.

Just the lifetime memories of a Nascent Soul cultivator would be an invaluable treasure.

Not to mention, the Master Lihuo’s memories held thousands of years of Flame Departing Palace’s heritage and potentially hidden treasures.

The second method, with its immense and reliable rewards, greatly tempted Lan Chang'an.

However, to transform the Master Lihuo into his own past life, he would need to fulfill one of the deceased cultivator’s wishes and resolve a karmic bond.

Only by doing so could he break down the invisible barrier, and with the Nine Seal Stele’s assistance, make the Master Lihuo his past life.

After a moment of calm, Lan Chang'an realized a terrifying implication:

"If the Nine Seal Stele can convert a devoured Nascent Soul into my past life, then does that mean my first and second lives were not truly my own experiences?"

The thought made his scalp tingle.

However, he remembered his memory of encountering the Nine Seal Stele on Earth and crossing over to the cultivation world. Logically, his first two lives should indeed be his real experiences.

The Master Lihuo hadn’t originally been part of his reincarnations. Only by fulfilling his wish and resolving the karmic bond could he turn him into a past life.

...

"The third method: Open up a dream-like cultivation life and turn it into a past life experience."

"Through dreams, I could observe another self’s cultivation journey, gaining knowledge and insights from it."

"Additionally, I could expend reincarnation energy to send guidance through dreams, teaching and instructing that alternate self."

"The other self in the dream would exist in the real world. If he dies, he would then become my past life, occupying the fourth frame."

After considering it for a moment, Lan Chang'an realized the third method had the lowest activation requirements.

In fact, there were almost no restrictions.

There was no need to die, nor were there other requirements. He could activate it immediately by expending the reincarnation energy of the fourth frame.

His true self and the alternate self in the dream could live simultaneously.

By using this method, the image of the Master Lihuo in the fourth frame would be fully converted into pure reincarnation energy.

"The third method of reincarnation has high potential but also a lot of uncertainty," Lan Chang'an mused.

His gains would depend on the achievements of his alternate self in the dream.

If the dream self were exceptionally fortunate and cultivated to a level beyond Nascent Soul, it would be a huge gain.

And if that dream self somehow ascended to immortality, wouldn’t Lan Chang'an be the reincarnation of a true immortal?

Of course, such scenarios were only theoretical. The likelihood in reality was close to zero.

In the Heaven Honoured Continent, no records in the last hundred thousand years documented any cultivator reaching true immortality.

The third method had a very low baseline; the dream self might die in the middle of the path or be stuck at a certain relam for the rest of their lives.

"The dream self wouldn’t have memories of my past lives, making his achievements unpredictable."

It was more likely that the dream self would stumble at the Core Formation stage or even before reaching Foundation Establishment.

In such cases, it would be practically useless to Lan Chang'an, wasting one of the Nine Seal Stele's precious blank frames.

In short, the third method was a gamble.

If he won, he might achieve instant success.

If he lost, he’d gain nothing.

...

Aside from these three reincarnation methods, the Nine Seal Stele also offered fragmented abilities related to reincarnation.

However, these were abstract concepts that would require Lan Chang'an to gradually comprehend and develop on his own.

"Master, the battlefield has been cleared." A young voice called out.

The Earth Burrowing Rat approached Lan Chang'an, carrying a storage pouch and a storage ring.

It had also unearthed Wang Feng from the rubble. The man was still unconscious, bound with a restriction placed by a third-rank demonic beast.

The storage pouch belonged to Wang Feng.

With a simple flick, Lan Chang'an broke the seal on it, finding Wang Feng’s personal items inside.

Twenty to thirty thousand spirit stones.

Several bottles of third-rank elixirs.

Half of a superior-grade third-rank Tong Ghost Bamboo.

Third-rank spiritual herbs, third-rank spirit stones, crafting materials, and so forth.

A fire-elemental magic treasure prototype.

A talismanic treasure, along with two low-grade third-rank talismans.

The second-rank items, including supreme-grade magical weapons, were not worth mentioning as they did not catch Lan Chang'an's eye.

As a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, Wang Feng’s wealth surpassed that of many Fake Dan cultivators. Such was the treatment of a core disciple and a Golden Dan Seed.

With some anticipation, Lan Chang'an picked up the storage ring.

It had a powerful restriction that was difficult to breach.

There was no doubt that it was Master Lihuo's storage ring.

The restriction placed by a Nascent Soul cultivator was beyond Lan Chang'an’s ability to unlock in a short time.

He would need a specialized unlocking method, a secret key of sorts.

"Is there any way to access his memories?"

Lan Chang'an’s consciousness connected to the Nine Seal Stele’s fourth frame, touching the indistinct soul shadow of the purple-robed Daoist.

Boom!

Instantly, a flood of chaotic memory fragments surged forth, displaying scene after scene in a jumbled mess.

Hiss!

Lan Chang'an grunted, steadying his mind as he resisted the torrent of memories, carefully sifting for useful information.

Perhaps due to the Nascent Soul's higher level and vast lifetime, the memories were enormous and chaotic, making it challenging to extract anything useful.

The Master Lihuo had lived for hundreds of years, and the volume of memories was incalculable.

Most of it was useless fragments.

Only a minuscule fraction held any value.

Unlike the last time he had absorbed the Soul Gu's memories, which had been purer and contained less extraneous information.

The Soul Gu had barely reached the third rank, making it suitable as nourishment for the Nine Seal Stele.

Lan Chang'an speculated that the Soul Gu was a unique case, possessing reincarnation attributes that made it compatible with the Nine Seal Stele.

For an ordinary creature, it would need to reach the fourth rank and undergo a soul transformation to qualify as sustenance for the Nine Seal Stele.

"This is troublesome; the efficiency is too low!"

Lan Chang'an found the chaotic memory fragments disorderly and hard to navigate. The deeper the information, the harder it was to retrieve. It was like sitting in a library with a mountain of books but no catalog or search function.

Moreover, over ninety-nine percent of the contents were irrelevant. Still, Lan Chang'an managed to extract a few useful memory fragments, though passively rather than by choice.

For example, he saw a brief glimpse of Master Lihuo's Nascent Soul formation process. It was fleeting, like a flash in the pan.

"The Nascent Soul formation process! But it was too short, just a single moment," Lan Chang'an’s heart raced, sighing with regret.

There was also a recent memory fragment. Master Lihuo was conversing with a majestic man who appeared somewhat dominant.

"Chu Tianfeng?"

Lan Chang'an guessed the man's identity.

Chu Tianfeng had encountered the injured Master Lihuo yet hadn’t killed him.

This likely had to do with the external threat posed by the invading demonic forces. Chu Tianfeng wanted to prevent the surrounding countries from weakening themselves with internal strife.

"Unless I convert the ‘Master Lihuo’ into a past life, I’ll have to sift through these chaotic memory fragments like panning for gold in a sewage pit."

With a wry smile, Lan Chang'an withdrew his consciousness from the Nine Seal Stele.

Even if he could neatly organize all of Master Lihuo's useful memories, much of the knowledge might still be difficult to apply.

It was like having access to Earth’s internet, with its vast open knowledge and libraries available to everyone. Yet how many people could become exceptional simply through self-study?

If Master Lihuo were converted into a past life, Lan Chang'an would immediately possess his insights, skills, and abilities without needing to start from scratch.

The most enticing part was Master Lihuo’s insights into Nascent Soul formation.

And then there were the hidden resources and treasures the Flame Departing Palace had stashed away before their retreat.

The cultivation war had gone on for years; Lan Chang'an didn’t believe the Flame Departing Palace had left no escape plan, no secret stashes.

...

Storing Master Lihuo’s storage ring for future attempts to unlock it, Lan Chang'an felt its near-weightless presence.

It was likely an exceptionally rare spatial item in the cultivation world.

True spatial tools required special spatial materials, including formation arrays and unique teleportation symbols.

He then looked down at the unconscious Wang Feng.

"If I wish to fulfill Master Lihuo's dying wish, I can’t kill this man. Otherwise, I’ll fail to resolve the karmic bond and won’t be able to turn him into a past life."

Through his connection with Master Lihuo’s soul shadow, Lan Chang'an had faintly sensed his important desire before death.

That desire was to revive the Flame Departing Palace!

To train a Golden Dan cultivator and establish a new sect base as a foothold.

If Wang Feng died, the Flame Departing Palace would lose its Golden Dan Seed.

"Let’s take a look at his memories."

Lan Chang'an pressed a finger to Wang Feng’s forehead.

With his soul strengthened by his previous life’s peak Core Formation level, he entered Wang Feng’s sea of consciousness, beginning a soul search.

In his current state, erasing Wang Feng’s recent memories was much easier than it had been in ancient ruins.

"Hm? His consciousness has been sealed for the past half year, with no memories from his time in Cloudsmoke Immortal City."

This saved Lan Chang'an the trouble of acting.

The recent surface memories were easier to access, so Lan Chang'an skimmed through them.

Among them was a conversation between Wang Feng and Master Lihuo’s Nascent Soul.

"So that’s how it is."

Lan Chang'an now understood Master Lihuo’s plan.

Master Lihuo was gravely injured, his body beyond saving.

He intended to possess a suitable new body.

Master Lihuo, with limited lifespan, had retained some decency and hadn’t targeted the retreating disciples of the Flame Departing Palace.

Most of the retreating cultivators were old, weak, or wounded.

A weakened Nascent Soul like Master Lihuo’s risked failure if it targeted a high-level Core Formation cultivator.

Moreover, at the Nascent Soul stage, life expectancy depended more on the Nascent Soul’s state.

If his Nascent Soul was nearly exhausted with only sixty or seventy years left, even possessing a Core Formation cultivator with two hundred years of lifespan wouldn’t extend it by much.

Possessing his own disciples would be a low-cost option with poor returns, as the host body would fail once the Nascent Soul’s lifespan ran out, chilling the hearts of his sect members.

Master Lihuo had reached an agreement with his direct disciple, Elder Wang, to temporarily possess Wang Feng and search for a suitable host body elsewhere.

Wang Feng, needing time to stabilize his foundation, had agreed if he could recruit Lan Chang'an as a pharmacist, all the better.

Most of the Nascent Soul’s essence was concentrated in the soul. As long as the host body was compatible (in terms of aptitude, attribute alignment, and physical affinity) and had ample resources, even a Foundation Establishment-level body could restore Nascent Soul-level mana within twenty years, without needing to re-form the Nascent Soul.

However, in the cultivation world, there was a principle regarding possession: A possessed cultivator would find it nearly impossible to surpass the level of the original host.

When attempting ascension, they’d also face an even more terrifying heart demon tribulation.

Master Lihuo had been thrilled to find that Lan Chang'an, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, possessed twice the lifespan of others at the same level.

If his Nascent Soul’s lifespan could also double, wouldn’t that grant him over a thousand more years?

This was why Master Lihuo had immediately aimed to capture Lan Chang'an, using a binding rope magical treasure rather than lethal attacks.

"Master Lihuo entrusted the resources meant for Golden Dan Seeds, along with some personal treasures, to his disciple Wang Fulin. No wonder Elder Wang and his grandson were willing to cooperate."

Lan Chang'an couldn’t help but speculate with the darkest of intentions: If Master Lihuo failed to find a suitable host, Wang Feng might be the backup plan.

After all, they shared the same sect techniques, and Wang Feng had excellent aptitude, making him a compatible choice.

...

Half an hour later, Lan Chang'an had gathered the formation plates and flags from the nearby illusion array.

This temporary formation was a simplified version, with reduced power and range compared to sect formations of the same level. However, its consumption of spirit stones was enormous.

"Not bad; it’s a quasi-fourth-rank illusion array."

With the formation dismantled, Lan Chang'an packed up his spoils.

As for Wang Feng, he instructed the Earth Burrowing Rat to transport him thousands of li away and leave him in a random location.

Lan Chang'an kept Wang Feng’s storage pouch as compensation for his "medical fees."

Wang Feng had suffered severe injuries after colliding with the stone wall, with dozens of broken bones, essentially rendering him disabled.

Lan Chang'an healed him.

He also loosened the seal on his consciousness, ensuring Wang Feng would regain consciousness within two days. Otherwise, if he’d left Wang Feng in the rubble, he’d have surely perished.

Lan Chang'an wasn’t concerned about what Wang Feng would think afterward.

Wang Feng wouldn’t retain any memories of that period.

After their meeting at the Xunxian Residence, "Wang Feng" had departed first, with Lan Chang'an remaining in the city for two more months.

Even if Wang Feng somehow developed a suspicion afterward…

The one who should be wary would definitely not be Lan Chang'an.

Lan Chang'an still had one last healing session scheduled with Wang Feng, after which he’d be fully recovered.

When that time came, Wang Feng’s attitude would reveal whether he held any lingering doubts.

...

The Earth Burrowing Rat was swift, returning to Qingsha Bay in less than a day.

In a secret chamber on Autumnwind Isle.

Lan Chang'an was slowly wearing down the restriction on Master Lihuo’s storage ring.

With the Earth Burrowing Rat’s assistance, their progress was more than doubled.

After half a day—

Pop!

The dim glow of the restriction on the storage ring finally shattered completely.