I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 346: An Invitation from Purple Mist Fairy

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"No major issues, mainly damage to the fleshy body."

True Monarch Yunlan forced a faint smile onto his face. His figure staggered as he was supported by Purple Mist Fairy, landing onto the light of her escape technique.

The dazzling purple clouds and radiant mist isolated spiritual sense perception, concealing their precise condition as they descended onto Yunlan Peak's fourth-rank spiritual vein.

The Core Formation elders of Yunxia Sect saw the rough extent of True Monarch Yunlan’s injuries but dared not discuss them casually.

However, for a Nascent Soul True Monarch, such injuries were far from fatal.

Until the Nascent Soul was forced to leave the body, it was not considered a true life-or-death crisis.

On Qingluan Peak, a strange light flickered in Lan Chang'an’s eyes. His senses and understanding, surpassing that of Core Formation cultivators, allowed him to perceive more details.

True Monarch Yunlan had not only suffered damage to his fleshy body but had also lost an arm. Even his Nascent Soul spirit body appeared somewhat withered and weak.

Lan Chang'an pondered.

The injury itself was secondary. The key issue was the flaw left in his fleshy body, which could impact his future advancement.

This influence wasn’t necessarily decisive—

But for a cultivator already struggling with advancing further, it was like adding insult to injury.

Perhaps he barely had a chance to advance, but due to this flaw, it could become a lifelong regret.

As for body possession? That would be even worse. After a Nascent Soul took over a new body, it would lose some of its original essence. The fusion with the new body would never be perfect, making it even harder to surpass the original cultivation level.

For most cultivators, their original, flawless fleshy body was undoubtedly the most suitable for them.

"This has nothing to do with me."

As Yunxia Sect’s so-called lucky star, Lan Chang'an was certain of this.

The Xuanmu Vine Gourd had only recently taken root, and its fortune-boosting effects were weak at best. The impact on individual cultivators was negligible.

He had always maintained a low profile in Yunxia Sect, never interfering in matters of the upper echelon.

Even if he had never joined the Yunxia Sect, today’s events would still have unfolded just the same.

Even in the resource-rich Great Yuan, the success rate for Nascent Soul cultivators advancing to the mid-stage was no more than thirty percent.

…

Yunlan Peak, Supreme Elder’s Cave Residence.

True Monarch Yunlan sat cross-legged, consuming a few sacred healing pills. His complexion recovered slightly, though his expression remained weak.

"Senior Brother Lan, who did this to you?"

True Monarch Purple Mist’s voice was cold, carrying a trace of concern.

"I left the territory of the Alchemy Dao Alliance and was ambushed along the way. The attackers were two Nascent Soul cultivators—one of them is suspected to be Nangong Xiu, a notorious demonic cultivator wanted by the ‘Heavenly Sword Pavilion’ of the Southern Region."

"The other concealed their face and aura with a special artifact and secretly inflicted me with a sinister Nascent Poison, poisoning my Nascent Soul. If I had been forced to leave my body, the poison would have acted even faster."

"Fortunately, I used our sect’s life-saving trump card, preventing them from succeeding."

True Monarch Yunlan spoke with lingering fear.

"Sinister Nascent Poison? Could it be the work of Great Snake Mountain? The ‘Scarlet Abyss Serpent King’s’ venom is known to harm Nascent Souls and disrupt spiritual sense."

True Monarch Purple Mist’s starry eyes flickered as she speculated.

Great Snake Mountain was Yunxia Sect’s sworn enemy.

The two sects had a long-standing enmity that stretched back several generations of Nascent Soul cultivators, predating even their assimilation into the Great Yu Kingdom.

For the past two centuries, Great Snake Mountain had been quietly recovering its strength, keeping a low profile. With the imperial family of Great Yu mediating between them, open conflicts had ceased.

"The Nascent Poison in me is quite different from the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King’s venom."

True Monarch Yunlan hesitated before continuing:

"However, Great Snake Mountain is indeed suspicious. They certainly wouldn’t want to see Yunxia Sect possess three Nascent Soul cultivators, nor would they want me to advance to the mid-stage of Nascent Soul."

"I fear it’s not just Great Snake Mountain that doesn’t want Yunxia Sect to grow too strong."

True Monarch Purple Mist sighed softly.

True Monarch Yunlan remained silent for a long time, knowing that after being poisoned and losing an arm, his hopes of advancing to the mid-stage of Nascent Soul had become even more remote in this life.

"You were ambushed right after leaving the Alchemy Dao Alliance’s territory. Even if Alchemist Le didn’t leak any information, he is still at fault for negligence. I will send someone to demand an antidote to dissolve the Nascent Poison and speed up your Nascent Soul’s recovery," True Monarch Purple Mist suggested.

True Monarch Yunlan nodded, then added, "Fortunately, the transaction with Alchemist Le has made some progress. The resources for Yunqing’s Nascent Soul breakthrough are almost gathered, and we no longer have to worry about refining the Infant Transformation Pill."

"That’s good. Yunqing is about to reach the peak of Core Formation. If we can obtain another Nascent Soul spirit item that helps resist the Heart Demon Tribulation, his chances of success will improve."

True Monarch Purple Mist’s expression softened, and she smiled faintly.

Though True Monarch Yunlan had taken a risk during this trip, the rewards were crucial—and enough to stir jealousy.

"A few years from now, a high-profile auction will be held in the Cloudsky City of the Central Region. By then, senior brother, you should have recovered enough to try your luck there."

...

The following year.

Yunxia Sect launched a comprehensive internal investigation from the top down, primarily targeting spies within the sect.

The results were not bad, as several infiltrators who had been bribed to leak sect secrets to external forces were identified and dealt with.

Lan Chang'an noticed that most of the exposed spies were connected to Great Snake Mountain.

At the tail end of this affair, he was nearly implicated.

One of the servants on Qingluan Peak had been tampered with—someone had secretly placed a token from Great Snake Mountain on him before he returned to the main peak’s cave residence.

Fortunately, the Earth Burrowing Rat had an exceptionally keen sense of smell and naturally detested the unique scent of Great Snake Mountain’s tokens.

Lan Chang'an immediately handed the servant over to the Yunxia Sect’s Law Enforcement Hall, clearing himself of any suspicion.

"Great Snake Mountain! Trying to frame me? Even if they failed, it would still sow distrust between me and True Monarch Purple Mist."

Lan Chang'an silently marked this down in his mind.

He had been diligently cultivating in the sect, staying low-key and disciplined, yet he still ended up on Great Snake Mountain’s radar.

It was likely that back when he had visited Great Snake Mountain and conversed with Heartless Immortal, he had already been targeted.

To be precise, it wasn’t him—it was the Earth Burrowing Rat that had drawn attention. The scent on its body must have been detected by the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King.

After spending over a decade in the Great Yu Kingdom, Lan Chang'an had developed a deeper understanding of Great Snake Mountain’s background.

According to rumors, the sect’s guardian beast, the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King, had a particular fondness for devouring rat-type demons.

High-level rat demons were a great tonic for the Serpent King, capable of significantly boosting its cultivation.

The mention of Great Snake Mountain reminded Lan Chang'an of the rumors that had circulated following True Monarch Yunlan’s ambush.

One version of the story claimed that the attack had been orchestrated through a collusion between Great Snake Mountain and alchemists from the Alchemy Dao Alliance.

It was said that certain members of the Alchemy Dao Alliance had provided True Monarch Yunlan’s whereabouts, making the ambush possible.

Though most of these were mere rumors, some publicly known facts lent credibility to them.

For example, it was undeniable that True Monarch Yunlan had been attacked shortly after leaving the Alchemy Dao Alliance’s territory.

"Alchemy Dao Alliance… Fourth-rank Alchemist… Master Le..."

Lan Chang'an had been keeping an eye on the Alchemy Dao Alliance.

The Alliance was a neutral faction composed of multiple master alchemists and sects specializing in alchemy. Its influence extended beyond the Central Region, reaching various parts of the Great Yuan.

Because the Alliance was located on the outskirts of the Central Region’s forbidden zone, on the eastern periphery closer to the Great Yuan’s Eastern Region, it had convenient access to maritime materials from the Sixteen Sea-Suppressing Sects in that region.

As a neutral force, the Alchemy Dao Alliance emphasized diplomacy and profit, maintaining a generally good reputation.

There had even been an instance where a late-stage Core Formation loose cultivator commissioned the Alliance to refine a Infant Transformation Pill and successfully advanced to Nascent Soul, later serving as a guardian for the Alliance for a hundred years.

Even if such cases were rare—occurring perhaps once every thousand years—they still inspired admiration.

The Great Yuan was rich in resources, with an advanced cultivation civilization, and a higher number of skilled alchemists.

As a result, Nascent Soul loose cultivators occasionally emerged in this region.

If Lan Chang'an could gather the materials for an Infant Transformation Pill, finding someone to refine it here would be far easier than in the Great Qing.

...

Two years later.

The incident regarding True Monarch Yunlan’s ambush had long settled.

Alchemist Le of the Alchemy Dao Alliance sent an emissary with a fourth-rank antidote pill as a gesture of goodwill.

However, Alchemist Le firmly denied any involvement in the attack.

By this time, Lan Chang'an had reached the age of 339, marking twenty years since he left the Great Qing.

On this day, the secret chamber of the cave.

Suspended in midair was the elegant frame of a peacock puppet, its skeletal structure radiating an otherworldly brilliance.

Following the guidance of Puppet Master Wei, Lan Chang'an carefully adjusted and refined certain parts of its bones, ensuring precision in their craftsmanship.

For decades, Puppet Master Wei had assisted Lan Chang'an in devising the blueprint for crafting an Exotic Spirit Peacock Puppet.

The skeletal frame before him was merely an early prototype, yet its materials already surpassed those of standard third-rank superior-grade puppets.

There was still a long way to go before completion—refinements needed to be made, and more rare materials had to be acquired.

This Exotic Spirit Peacock Puppet was designed to imitate the True Spirit Five-Colored Peacock.

Fortunately, its core bloodline materials had already been provided by a heavenly-grade spirit bird from the Peacock Saintess.

Since Lan Chang'an already possessed a fourth-rank puppet, his ambitions had grown.

He aimed for this Exotic Spirit Peacock Puppet to be at least quasi-fourth-rank, which inevitably slowed down the crafting process.

A quasi-fourth-rank exotic spirit puppet might even be more difficult to refine than an ordinary fourth-rank one, and Puppet Master Wei had become deeply engrossed in its research.

"One more year until the high-tier auction in Cloudsky City."

After carefully sealing away the Exotic Spirit Peacock prototype, Lan Chang'an began preparing for a long journey.

Cloudsky City was the number one immortal city of the Central Region.

It was also the location where he and Jing Wufeng had agreed to meet years ago.

Lan Chang'an was actually reluctant to collaborate with Jing Wufeng—this person was mysterious, his origins unknown, and his strength unfathomable. He had traversed through a spatial rift to arrive in the Great Yuan.

However, for the sake of acquiring resources for his Nascent Soul resources and the fourth-rank transformation of his Earth Burrowing Rat, a trip to Cloudsky City was unavoidable.

Especially considering that the Earth Burrowing Rat had been at the peak of the third rank for several years now. Unlike Lan Chang'an, it didn’t have an extended lifespan.

The high-tier auction in Cloudsky City was held once every ten years, primarily catering to high-level cultivators of the Core Formation stage and above.

Whenever such an event was held, Cloudsky City would be flooded with Core Formation Immortals, and even the elusive Nascent Soul cultivators—rarely seen in ordinary times—would make an appearance.

By stepping into this higher echelon, it would be much easier to acquire resources for his Nascent Soul breakthrough or demonic beast transformation.

...

Lan Chang’an still required several decades to reach the peak of Core Formation. His preparations for forming a Nascent Soul could only be considered average at best.

So far, he had obtained Taiyin Jade Essence, Ziwu Clear Wind, and some non-superior Nascent Soul materials.

The process of preparing for the Nascent Soul breakthrough generally fell into three categories:

First, advancement materials, items like Infant Transformation Pills and Taiyin Jade Essence, which increased the success rate of forming a Nascent Soul.

Secondly, tribulation-resolving treasures, artifacts used to withstand heavenly lightning during the breakthrough.

And third, Nascent Soul spirit items, a broad category of items that could enhance various aspects, such as mana, spiritual sense, physical purification, and foundation stabilization.

These three types were relatively common.

However, there was a fourth and rarest type of Nascent Soul spirit item—those that enhanced resistance to the Heart Demon Tribulation, known as Heart Demon-type treasures.

Of course, these items merely provided slight resistance against the tribulation; the key factor was still the cultivator’s own willpower.

The key is to rely on oneself. Attaining Immortal Golden Dan or being the Nascent Soul seeds of a Nascent Soul sect could somewhat help with heart tribulation, which is also unattainable for most.

Fortunately, Lan Chang'an cultivated the Evergreen Technique, which added to his state of mind. Having lived multiple lifetimes, he already had an advantage in resisting the Heart Demon Tribulation.

If he could acquire such a treasure, it would be beneficial—but if not, he wouldn’t force the matter.

As for the quality of the Nascent Soul, it was not as strictly categorized as Core Formation stages.

In the human realm, the only mainstream method for forming a Nascent Soul was the Human Dao Nascent Soul.

Regardless of a cultivator’s Dan quality, as long as they successfully formed a Nascent Soul and endured heavenly tribulation, the final result wouldn’t differ much—primarily varying due to cultivation techniques.

That said, most who succeeded in forming a Nascent Soul had at least an upper-tier True Dan quality, with Immortal Golden Dans making up about half of them.

There were ancient legends in the cultivation world about a superior method called Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Formation, which supposedly granted cultivators a stronger foundation and deeper attunement with the heavens.

However, the method of Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Formation had long been lost, and it was considered impossible to achieve in the human realm—something that belonged to the higher realms.

Even the geniuses from Deity Transformation Holy Lands dared not attempt it.

This was because Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Formation required the cultivator to immediately leave the body with their newly-formed Nascent Soul upon shattering their core, allowing the nascent soul to endure the baptism of the heavenly lightning outside the body.

Such a thing was unimaginably terrifying.

A freshly-formed Nascent Soul was as fragile as a newborn infant, unstable and vulnerable. Under the force of heavenly lightning, it would be obliterated in a single strike.

Lan Chang'an had never considered the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul method. He was fully committed to the Human Dao Nascent Soul approach.

After all, this was the standard in the human realm—he wouldn’t be at any disadvantage among peers.

...

Half a year later.

With all his preparations in place, Lan Chang'an was ready to embark on his journey.

As a guest elder, it was only proper to inform the Supreme Elders before leaving Yunxia Sect and the Great Yu Kingdom.

As someone skilled in divination, he even considered calculating an auspicious day for his departure.

However, for some reason, he had recently failed to divine a favorable travel date. Instead, he had even foreseen a minor misfortune.

This made him feel speechless.

However, when it came to Nascent Soul opportunities and going out so far, it was often impossible to have it all be smooth sailing.

Deciding not to dwell on it, Lan Chang'an first went to visit the Supreme Elders to formally announce his departure.

Among Yunxia Sect’s two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, Lan Chang'an was closer to True Monarch Purple Mist, as she was the one who had personally recruited him.

Zixia Peak.

The peak was filled with birdsong and fragrant blossoms, creating a pleasant and tranquil atmosphere.

Lan Chang'an didn’t have to wait long before receiving an audience with Purple Mist Fairy.

Inside an elegant palace hall, Purple Mist Fairy sat gracefully in the main seat.

Her figure was curvaceous, her hair elegantly styled in a high bun adorned with a phoenix hairpin. Her lips were rosy, and her teeth pearly white.

With a lift of her slender jade-like hand, she skillfully prepared fourth-rank spiritual tea through the air, gracefully setting a cup before Lan Chang'an.

"Immortal Xiang, setting out on a journey at this time… Could it be that you're heading to the high-tier auction in Cloudsky City?"

Purple Mist Fairy smiled faintly as she speculated.

"That's right."

Lan Chang'an’s mind worked swiftly, but he saw no reason to hide it.

"Immortal Xiang, according to our sect’s intelligence, Great Snake Mountain may be keeping an eye on you. Traveling alone might not be safe."

Hearing this, Lan Chang'an immediately understood.

No wonder his divinations hadn’t revealed a favorable departure date—it was due to this hidden threat.

"Our sect has plans to attend the auction as well. If you don’t mind, you may accompany me on the journey—it would be safer that way."

Purple Mist Fairy extended an invitation.

In truth, she might have exaggerated the threat somewhat.

Great Snake Mountain likely intended to sow discord and poach talent, with Lan Chang'an being just one of their targets.

"You’re leading the sect’s group this time?"

Lan Chang'an was momentarily surprised.

According to the usual practice, True Monarch Yunlan—the higher-ranked of Yunxia Sect’s two Nascent Soul elders—handled external affairs, while Purple Mist Fairy primarily oversaw internal matters.

Some among their peers had even joked that True Monarch Yunlan rarely let Purple Mist Fairy travel because of her immense charm. In the past, she had many admirers, so he preferred to keep her hidden away rather than let her frequently appear in public.

"Mmm, Senior Brother Yunlan is occupied with other matters, so I’ll be leading this time."

Noting Lan Chang'an’s hesitation, Purple Mist Fairy’s starry eyes glimmered as she smiled and reassured him:

"I have been a Nascent Soul cultivator for over a century. My divine abilities are not much weaker than my senior brother’s. Moreover, this is a peak period when many high-tier cultivators from the Great Yu Kingdom and neighboring regions are heading to Cloudsky City. The journey is actually safer than usual."

Lan Chang'an quietly speculated.

It was likely that True Monarch Yunlan’s injuries had not yet fully healed, which was why Purple Mist Fairy was leading the delegation this time.

Now that the invitation had been extended, Lan Chang'an tactfully accepted it.

"Since Senior Purple Mist has personally invited me, it would be my honor to accompany you."