I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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Chapter 351: Main Force Allocation

Two fourth-rank treasure talismans—one for offense and one for defense.

One of them was a golden talisman transformed into a dazzling golden sword of light, abruptly expanding to several zhang, then more than ten zhang… Its power was comparable to a single strike from an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, before the golden sword of light could reach its maximum size, it was struck by the dark yellow dragon flame. Like a thin sheet of paper, it rapidly disintegrated.

Lan Chang'an’s heart tightened, though he was not surprised.

A single strike from a fourth-rank talisman could not compare to the magical powers of a Nascent Soul True Monarch. At this moment, the dragon flame was the innate flame of the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon, which had the power to cross levels.

Before the golden sword of light was completely devoured, Lan Chang'an activated his fourth-rank defensive talisman, and summoned a mid-grade third-rank turtle puppet to shield himself.

Boom!

The turtle puppet, which excelled in defense, was instantly reduced to ashes. Under absolute power, it could barely even withstand the lingering force of the dragon flame.

The fourth-rank defensive talisman manifested as a massive water sphere barrier, enveloping Lan Chang'an in full protection.

Yet, the dragon flame still retained over half of its power. Even the water sphere barrier of the fourth-rank talisman couldn’t withstand it, rapidly evaporating and dimming.

Fortunately, after three layers of weakening, the terrifying might of the dragon flame was significantly diminished.

Boom!

Lan Chang'an unleashed his Immortal Golden Dan power, summoning a flaming mountain magical treasure inscribed with golden patterns. The rolling magma flames surged, resisting and absorbing the remaining dragon flame.

Lan Chang'an, with his late third-rank body refinement, felt as if his body was burning, his blood boiling. And this was merely the impact of the dragon flame’s residual energy.

Luckily, he was not injured.

On the contrary, he felt his body refinement technique becoming even smoother, as the hidden medicinal effects from years of tempering his body were fully unleashed and absorbed.

A silent explosion resonated through his entire body—his blood, bone marrow, and internal organs.

Lan Chang'an’s side path of body refinement had finally reached the peak of the late third rank.

Before setting out, he had been just a step away.

This battle, restraining the demonized dragon, repeatedly exerting his body refinement strength, and the tempering effect of the residual dragon flame had pushed him beyond his limits.

Lan Chang'an emerged from danger unscathed, successfully defending against the Stoneheart Dragon’s fatal counterattack.

On the other side, Jing Wufeng was in a far worse condition.

Crack!

The layer of dark yellow petrification that had spread across Jing Wufeng’s body suddenly shattered inch by inch just before it could fully encase him.

A shadow of wind exploded in place, along with his disintegrating robes and traces of lingering blood.

Whoosh!

Jing Wufeng, his face pale, had his disguise as an old silver-haired woman completely broken. Now fully exposed, he appeared thirty zhang away.

His entire body, including his face and limbs, was covered in dark yellow, blood-stained stone fragments, resembling a battered and scarred stone-scaled man—a sight too miserable to look at.

Lan Chang'an glanced at him briefly. Though Jing Wufeng looked pitiful, he had not suffered any fatal wounds.

However, due to using some life-saving secret technique, his mana and vitality were severely depleted.

In terms of raw damage, the dragon flame that attacked Lan Chang'an was actually stronger.

Jing Wufeng’s petrification ability excelled in its strangeness and control, making it especially effective when a higher-level cultivator suppressed a lower-level one.

For Lan Chang'an, a dual cultivator of both qi and body, his resistance against this petrification ability would have been much stronger.

On the other hand, Jing Wufeng, despite his formidable mastery over space and wind movement techniques, had a chance to evade the dragon flame attack. However, his margin for error was far lower than Lan Chang'an’s.

...

"Fellow Daoist Xiang, please hold the front a little longer."

Jing Wufeng transformed into a remnant shadow of the wind, taking advantage of the Illusory Void Thousand-Kill Formation's concealment to slip into the shallow layers of the void. He quickly retrieved spiritual pills and medicinal ointments to heal his injuries—otherwise, his entire body would be permanently disfigured.

Fortunately, even while recovering, he could still control the Illusory Void Thousand-Kill Formation, allowing it to retain most of its power.

What surprised Jing Wufeng, however, was that even without him, the "main force" taking action, Lan Chang'an was still able to restrain and suppress the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon.

The main reason was that after the Stoneheart Dragon had unleashed its two great divine abilities in a desperate counterattack, it had fallen into a temporary state of weakness, its struggle significantly weakened.

In contrast, Lan Chang'an, with his incredibly resilient body-refining physique, seemed to have grown even tougher.

As a cultivator of both body and qi, Lan Chang'an, together with the fourth-rank puppet and two extraordinary spirit beasts, was already capable of suppressing an ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator.

Additionally, Lan Chang'an had deployed four third-rank puppets to help maintain the formation’s core points, supplying even more formation energy.

Jing Wufeng’s thoughts raced.

Besides an unspoken sense of frustration, he also felt somewhat ashamed and awkward.

According to their battle strategy, he was supposed to be the most critical main force, responsible for restraining and dealing the decisive blows to the Stoneheart Dragon.

Yet at this moment, while he was recovering from his injuries, he had instead become a supporting role, primarily controlling the Illusory Void Thousand-Kill Formation.

The awkward part was that even without his direct intervention, Lan Chang'an had still managed to stabilize the situation.

Inside the Formation Space, it resembled a starry sky.

Swish! Hiss! Hiss!

Transparent strands of silver silk light wove into an invisible net, entangling the Stoneheart Dragon’s abdomen and torso, continuously leaving behind tiny bloody wounds.

The Lightning Whip, controlled by Lan Chang'an, flickered with arcs of electricity, tightening ever more firmly around the demonized dragon’s neck, causing bursts of black, foul-smelling smoke to rise.

The fourth-rank puppet clashed with the demonized dragon head-on, tangling and fighting head-on. Its outer shell had already suffered multiple damages.

Meanwhile, the Earth Burrowing Rat coordinated with the Profound Water Turtle, using its ring-shaped heavy water to bind the dragon’s tail, greatly restricting its agility.

These combined attacks and restrictions, though not immediately fatal, gradually inflicted countless small wounds, accumulating over time.

Lan Chang'an admitted that the damage was minimal—

However, sustained minimal damage, over time, could still penetrate to the very bone.

Even ants, when numerous enough, could bite an elephant to death.

Half an hour later.

The Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon was now covered in wounds, severely injured.

Before the dragon could recover from its period of weakness, Jing Wufeng, having consumed Thousand-Year Spirit Milk, rejoined the hunt.

The Stoneheart Dragon’s agility and reaction speed had drastically declined compared to before.

Jing Wufeng’s Voidless Blade would occasionally vanish into the void in an eerie fashion, only to suddenly reappear at a vital point on the dragon’s body, delivering far more lethal strikes.

The Voidless Blade possessed spatial properties, making its attacks the deepest and most devastating.

However, each time the Voidless Blade executed a spatial slash, it consumed an immense amount of energy, preventing Jing Wufeng from using it consecutively—he had to pause momentarily to recover.

Lan Chang'an had to admit—

Beyond just movement techniques and escape arts, Jing Wufeng was also superior to him in offensive power and defense-breaking ability.

Without the fourth-rank Illusory Void Thousand-Kill Formation, defeating the Stoneheart Dragon wouldn’t have been difficult, but hunting and slaying it outright would have been nearly impossible.

The Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon roared and struggled, its resistance growing increasingly weak.

Perhaps realizing that it was outnumbered and outmatched, the Stoneheart Dragon ceased its resistance and instead focused entirely on activating its defensive divine ability.

Its dragon scales began to glow with a stone-patterned light membrane, and partial areas of its body started to undergo petrification, gradually spreading to its entire form, greatly enhancing its defensive power.

"This dragon is trying to petrify and seal itself—don't let it succeed!"

Jing Wufeng's expression changed as he transmitted his voice urgently.

If the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon managed to fully petrify and seal itself, even a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle to kill it.

Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng exchanged a quick glance, rapidly discussing countermeasures.

There were two possible ways to crack this petrification seal.

One, kill the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon at an extremely fast speed.

The second was to inflict an utterly devastating injury, or directly impact its spirit essence, forcibly interrupting the petrification process.

"Fellow Daoist Xiang, the wound on the dragon’s neck is already deep. Soon, I will use a secret technique to try and sever its head with a single slash."

"If my strike isn’t lethal enough, don’t hold back—strike with your strongest attack."

Jing Wufeng quickly made up his mind.

"Alright."

Lan Chang'an nodded in agreement.

…

Swish!

Jing Wufeng's figure retreated once more, slipping into the shallow layers of the void. With both fingers forming an incantation seal, his mana and vitality were rapidly consumed.

A few breaths later, he spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which landed on the Voidless Blade, causing its aura to surge once more.

But he wasn’t finished yet.

Jing Wufeng activated his Voidless Dao Body’s innate ability. A streak of silver-blue crystalline light flickered across his fingertips, coating the Voidless Blade’s edge.

After completing these preparations, his face turned deathly pale, and his aura dropped significantly.

"Go!"

With a piercing gaze, Jing Wufeng flicked his fingers, causing the Voidless Blade to vanish from spiritual perception entirely.

In the next instant—

Hiss—!

A semi-transparent, silver-blue short blade materialized out of nowhere, slashing directly toward the deepest wound on the Stoneheart Dragon’s neck.

This deepest wound was the result of countless coordinated attacks stacking upon each other.

Lan Chang'an felt his spiritual sense tremble—this blade, impossible to guard against, carried a threat even greater than the strongest Nascent Soul cultivators he had faced before.

"Roooar!!"

Sensing mortal danger, the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon struggled frantically, its strength suddenly surging back to its peak, and it spewed a blast of dragon flame toward Lan Chang'an.

This time, however, the dragon flame’s intensity was only sixty percent of its former power.

Lan Chang'an dodged in time, summoning his magical treasures, puppets, and talismans to absorb the blast.

However, this caused the Lightning Whip, which was restraining the dragon’s head, to loosen slightly.

At the last moment, the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon violently twisted its neck, causing the Voidless Blade’s deathblow to slightly miss the deepest part of the wound.

Splurt!

Blood splattered as dragon scales were torn away, and the Stoneheart Dragon let out a soul-shaking wail.

The Voidless Blade had cut deep into the dragon’s neck, inflicting a serious wound.

However, this strike failed to decapitate the dragon and did not disrupt its petrification seal divine ability.

Jing Wufeng's expression revealed regret as he let out a sigh, powerless as he sat cross-legged in the void.

Such a lethal strike had consumed far too much energy—he wouldn’t be able to launch another in the short term.

Right at that moment, Jing Wufeng’s soul suddenly trembled.

A sharp, metallic shriek, akin to a tearing blade, penetrated his very spiritual sea, sending a chill down his spine and filling him with unease.

In the battlefield, the Stoneheart Dragon, its mouth open in agony, suddenly froze.

A strange shadow of a barbed arrow, shimmering with eerie blue light, had shot straight into its gaping maw.

A powerful soul attack drilled into the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon’s consciousness, causing its mind to fall into chaos, wracked with pain and turmoil.

Not only that—

The barbed arrow erupted with a Nascent Soul-level attack, rampaging within the dragon’s skull, unleashing unparalleled devastation.

The Stoneheart Dragon’s petrification seal was forcibly interrupted.

The massive dragon body thrashed violently for a few moments before its movements gradually weakened.

Surrounded by formations, puppets, and spirit beasts, the dragon was completely bound—unable to resist any longer, its life force now fading rapidly.

Hidden in the void, Jing Wufeng, still recovering his mana, opened his mouth slightly, only to find himself at a loss for words.

Lan Chang'an raised his empty sleeve, forming a hand seal to control the barbed arrow, which remained connected to his spiritual will.

The barbed arrow had struck directly into the Stoneheart Dragon’s body.

Lan Chang'an had only fused with the second life to enhance his spiritual attack, the resulting destructive power was more than sufficient.

The barbed arrow that had been nurtured for the longest time, unleashed its full might in one strike—comparable to a Nascent Soul-level soul magical treasure.

And the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon, riddled with wounds and already at its limit, was unable to withstand it.

A moment later.

The Stoneheart Dragon’s body stiffened.

Under the relentless onslaught, its life force was completely extinguished.

Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng repeatedly scanned the body with their spiritual senses, while the spirit beasts used their keen noses to verify—

The Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon was truly dead.

…

Swish!

Jing Wufeng’s figure flickered like a residual shadow of the wind as he arrived before the corpse of the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon.

His expression was complicated as he said, “Fellow Daoist Xiang, you actually possess a soul-path treasure with such lethal power. When combined with a divine sense enhancing secret technique, even an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn’t be able to withstand more than two or three strikes.”

“Fellow Daoist Jing overpraises me. While this arrow does contain a soul-based attack, in terms of raw offensive power, it is far inferior to your Voidless Slash.”

“Besides, this was a single strike I had nurtured for a hundred years—it’s nearly impossible to replicate.”

Lan Chang'an let out a bitter smile as he retrieved the barbed arrow, which was still stained with and absorbing dragon blood, his expression filled with painful reluctance.

Jing Wufeng, half-convinced, modestly said, “That ultimate slash with the Voidless Blade just now—I can only unleash it once per month. The toll on my soul, vitality, and Dao physique is quite exhausting.”

Lan Chang'an glanced at him but did not expose the lie.

With his current spiritual perception, he could tell that Jing Wufeng’s soul was not actually weakened.

Combined with the Thousand-Year Spirit Milk he had consumed, Jing Wufeng could fully recover quickly. If he was willing to pay a price, he could unleash that terrifying slash again on the same day.

Of course, Lan Chang'an himself also kept certain things hidden.

He actually had three barbed arrows and had yet to have the fourth life's nascent soul descend.

His puppet army formation had also not been utilized in this hunt at all.

With the successful hunt of the demonized dragon, the next step was to happily distribute the loot.

“In this hunt, Fellow Daoist Xiang played a role as crucial as the main force. Aside from the originally agreed upon Essence Spirit Core and the Stoneheart Dragon, you may also choose some additional materials from the dragon’s remains.”

Jing Wufeng took the initiative to make a concession in the distribution.

After all, there were still future demon-slaying missions where he would need Lan Chang'an’s assistance, so it was worthwhile to show more sincerity now.

Lan Chang'an’s heart rejoiced, this fourth-rank pseudo-dragon species was a treasure trove from head to toe.

Its essence blood, skeleton, dragon scales, and dragon claws were all good fourth-rank materials.

With this, he wouldn’t have to worry about finding the remaining materials for crafting the Exotic Spirit Peacock Puppet.

“Fellow Daoist Jing is truly generous! I have been depleting my wealth to help my spirit pet seek transformation, so the only thing I can do is to accept it with a generous heart.”

Lan Chang'an cupped his hands in gratitude.

Of course, he was well aware that Jing Wufeng was equally crucial to this battle—without either of them, the hunt would not have succeeded.

Since the Stoneheart Dragon was massive, Lan Chang'an had his fourth-rank puppet, and spirit pets assist in dissecting the body.

During the process, the Earth Burrowing Rat and Profound Water Turtle took advantage of the opportunity to taste some dragon blood—Jing Wufeng did not object.

Squeak squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat, eyes gleaming with excitement, dove into the Stoneheart Dragon’s body and dug out the Essence Spirit Core and the stone dragon heart.

The Essence Spirit Core was essentially a larger version of the Earth Burrowing Rat’s own core, round and dark yellow, emanating the aura of earthly turbid qi and demonic Qi.

The stone dragon heart, on the other hand, was crystalline and translucent, resembling a millstone-sized piece of golden-yellow agate, with liquid gold-like blood flowing within it.

Surprisingly, the stone dragon heart had purification properties, remaining untainted by demonic Qi.

In contrast, the Essence Spirit Core would require purification afterward—fortunately, both Evergreen Technique and the Profound Water Turtle’s water-based divine abilities had the ability to cleanse it.

Since the Stoneheart Dragon possessed a heaven-grade bloodline, its Essence Spirit Core was a perfect advancement catalyst for the Earth Burrowing Rat, on par with an Infant Transformation Pill.

As for the stone dragon heart, it could be used as a top-tier spirit item to assist in the transformation.

Now, the Earth Burrowing Rat had nearly all the key materials needed for its transformation, save for a heart tribulation treasure.

Hmm?

As they were dividing the spoils, Lan Chang'an suddenly felt something and turned his gaze beyond the Illusory Void Thousand-Kill Formation.

He and Jing Wufeng exchanged a glance.

Jing Wufeng had also noticed something, and he closed his eyes to manipulate the formation, probing the outside world.

Just moments ago, a Nascent Soul-level spiritual sense had stealthily infiltrated the fourth-rank formation, attempting to probe the situation inside.

Due to the intense battle, the formation naturally had some weak points.

While the two had been fully focused on hunting, they had failed to notice an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator approaching in secret.

“Fellow Daoist Xiang, there is a Nascent Soul-stage demonic cultivator woman spying nearby. Do you know her?”

“A demonic cultivator Nascent Soul woman?”

Lan Chang'an’s mind raced—

Could it be that their baiting strategy had been noticed, and now they were about to face a hunter behind the hunter?

The Ten Thousand Demons Valley was dangerous for ordinary Core Formation cultivators, so encountering a Nascent Soul True Monarch wasn’t unexpected.

...

Near the dense forest outside the Illusory Void Thousand-Kill Formation.

A dark, murky current of water wrapped around a woman in a navy-blue and black robe. The deep, icy waterlight concealed her features, revealing only a faintly graceful silhouette.

“Hunting a demon dragon… A fourth-rank puppet…”

The demonic female cultivator remained dozens of li away, cautiously using her spiritual sense to probe through the formation’s weak points.

Although the images she captured were blurry, they were enough to make her wary.

A group capable of hunting a demon dragon was no small force.

Unless the hunters were severely injured or exhausted from mutual destruction, she wouldn’t dare to act recklessly.

“Hmm? It’s her… Netherwater True Monarch!”

To his surprise, Lan Chang'an immediately recognized the demonic Nascent Soul woman.

This knowledge came from Shazhai True Monarch’s memories.

Netherwater True Monarch was from the Sixteen Sea-Suppressing Sects and had once taken part in the bounty hunt for Shazhai True Monarch—the two were sworn enemies.

Due to their similar cultivation paths, Netherwater True Monarch had always been seeking the lost inheritance of the Tinghai Pavilion.

She had hunted down many wandering disciples of the Tinghai Pavilion, extracting their knowledge and treasures.

For this reason, Shazhai True Monarch had long hated her—yet, due to circumstances, he could only flee, unable to take revenge.

Not only that—

Netherwater True Monarch had also been acquainted with the Stoneheart Dragon’s former tamer, Shura Ghost Lord.

“Is her presence here due to Shura Ghost Lord, or has she been tracking Shazhai True Monarch’s whereabouts all along?”

Lan Chang'an silently rejoiced that he had disguised his identity and hadn't used any of Shazhai True Monarch’s signature magical treasures.

Shazhai True Monarch possessed a sea flag magical treasure, nearly of top-grade, capable of summoning a massive tsunami, which could have been used to deal with the Stoneheart Dragon and weaken its power.

"Fellow cultivator within the illusionary formation, would you be willing to trade the essence blood and dragon eye of the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon?"

Netherwater True Monarch's long hair swirled, her cold, hoarse voice softening slightly as she took the initiative to transmit her message.

At this moment, she had already sensed that the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon within the fourth-rank formation had perished, its aura cut off.

This kind of divine ability, Netherwater True Monarch mused, was beyond her own abilities.

"The materials of the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon will be decided by my master!"

The green-armored puppet stepped out from within the formation, its eye sockets flickering with ghostly flames, its tone firm and resolute.

Netherwater True Monarch took a brief look at it. Although the fourth-rank puppet's shell had sustained multiple damages, its actual combat effectiveness was barely affected.

Even though the cultivators inside the formation were gravely injured, the combination of the fourth-rank spatial illusion formation and this powerful puppet was enough to defend against her.

"Netherwater True Monarch, my master also said that if you are particularly sincere about the trade, you can enter the formation."

The Puppet Master Wei manipulated the fourth-rank puppet, his voice dripping with coldness.

"Forget it. My resources are limited. I doubt I can offer anything that would satisfy your master."

Netherwater True Monarch sighed softly, decisively giving up.

How could she dare enter the formation to trade with a setup capable of hunting a demonized dragon?

Whoosh!

Netherwater True Monarch’s long hair, like drifting seaweed, transformed into a dark, cold current of water as she quickly sped toward the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley.

"While those inside the formation are collecting their spoils and recovering their energy, it’s the perfect time to raid the Stoneheart Dragon’s lair. There should be some leftover treasures..."

Netherwater True Monarch’s thoughts raced as she avoided unknown strong enemies, and sought out a lower-risk, more profitable opportunity.