I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Please translate this into English, give me a direct translation, do not omit anything.

Genre: Xianxia

Chapter:

Chapter 376: Path to Nascent Soul (Part 3)

Located at the borders of the Great Yuan’s Central Region, the Sang Kingdom was home to a Nascent Soul sect ruled by two early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Due to the auspicious omen he had divined, Lan Chang'an slowed his pace, choosing to linger in this region.

After half a month of travel, he received his first commission.

The Qingteng Mountain Range contained dozens of spirit veins, scattered across numerous cultivation families.

On a winding mountain road, a travel-worn middle-aged merchant walked steadily, carrying a large wooden chest on his back.

By his side were his green-armored bodyguard and a seemingly ordinary yellow-furred dog.

"Woof!"

The dog let out a low bark, its gaze fixed on the opposite mountain ridge.

Suddenly—

A piercing whistle split the air.

A fifteen-foot-long flying boat, visibly unstable, swayed erratically as it soared above them.

"Father, we’re only twenty miles from Black Sand Market!"

On the flying boat, Tao Wenjun, a young woman, half-knelt, her face pale as her spiritual energy began to wane.

"Wenjun, don’t push yourself. Your Qi-Refining sixth-layer cultivation isn’t enough to sustain a high-grade flying boat. Just focus on reaching the market and delivering the message…"

Tao Wenjun’s father, Tao Fu, struggled to keep his eyes open. His forehead was darkened, his breath weak and erratic, as if preparing his final words.

Tao Wenjun bit her lip, her spiritual sense and remaining magical power nearing exhaustion. The flying boat wobbled even more dangerously, threatening to crash at any moment.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the traveling merchant below.

Like a drowning person grasping at driftwood, her heart surged with hope.

With one final effort, she steered the flying boat toward the middle-aged merchant.

"This senior, do you have any healing medicine for sale?"

As the flying boat landed, Tao Wenjun stumbled. Her voluptuous figure trembled, her disheveled hair swayed as she collapsed to her knees, too weak to stand and pay proper respects.

"Wenjun, don’t trust strangers so easily…"

Tao Fu, barely conscious, saw the three unfamiliar figures and felt a surge of unease.

At this moment, they were utterly vulnerable. If these people had ill intentions…

Tao Wenjun realized the risk and felt her heart sink.

"Pfft!"

Before she could react further, Tao Fu spat out a mouthful of blackened blood and fell unconscious.

Lan Chang'an glanced at the pale, desperate woman before stepping forward to examine Tao Fu’s condition.

"Internal organ trauma, demonic energy corrosion, severe depletion of essence…"

After a brief assessment, he retrieved a white porcelain bottle from his wooden chest, his large storage bag in disguise.

"This is a second-rank superior-grade Rejuvenation Pill."

He first fed the pill to Tao Fu, then placed a hand on his back, allowing a wave of green light to wash over him.

Moments later—

A wisp of cold black mist seeped out from Tao Fu’s body.

Shortly after, his breathing steadied, his pallor improved, and his heartbeat returned to normal.

He was no longer in immediate danger.

"Many thanks to Senior for coming to the rescue! I…"

Tao Wenjun’s tightly strung nerves finally relaxed. With deep gratitude, she bowed in respect.

Through his swift treatment, she recognized that this wandering merchant was at least a high-level Foundation Establishment cultivator with profound medical knowledge.

A single second-rank pill alone wouldn’t have stabilized her father’s condition so quickly.

"It’s nothing."

Lan Chang'an waved a hand casually.

"I’m Lan, merely a traveling merchant who happened to be passing by. Just pay for the medicine and the healing service, an equal exchange."

His tone was polite but firm.

Tao Wenjun froze, staring at the shrewd-looking, yellow-faced merchant before her.

The "sage-like image" she had just built in her mind shattered instantly.

She bit her lip, swallowing the words she had nearly spoken—words like "I have no way to repay you. In my next life, I shall serve as your ox or horse, binding grass and holding rings in repayment".

Tao Wenjun inspected her storage bag, gathering spirit stones, valuable magic weapons, and pills.

However, her expression turned bitter—even emptying her and her father’s combined resources was not enough to cover the cost of second-rank medicine and specialized healing services.

In her desperation, she nearly stripped off her robes, preparing to offer her garments as partial payment.

Even so, it still wasn’t enough.

"Senior Lan, if we include this flying boat, would that be sufficient?"

At this moment, Tao Fu regained consciousness, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"That will suffice."

Lan Chang'an nodded.

Though only a first-rank superior-grade flying boat, its value far exceeded other magic weapons of the same level.

Tao Wenjun hesitated—this flying boat did not belong to just them; it was a Tao Clan asset.

Due to a calamity in their clan, her father had fled with her, seeking aid from powerful allies.

Their escape had been perilous, and rogue cultivators had attacked them, leaving them injured and desperate.

With the transaction complete, Lan Chang'an dusted off his robes and prepared to take his leave.

"Senior, please help us! My Tao Clan is in grave danger! Our clan’s Foundation Establishment ancestor will surely reward you greatly!"

Tao Fu, supported by his daughter, bowed deeply in supplication.

"I’m afraid I must decline."

Lan Chang'an shook his head, offering a polite refusal.

"As a traveling merchant, I accept commissions—but I do not involve myself in power struggles."

"Senior Lan!"

Tao Fu hurriedly explained:

"This is not a mere family dispute—it is a demonic calamity!"

"An ancient fiend has awakened within our clan’s forbidden grounds, rampaging unchecked. And now, opportunistic demonic cultivators are exploiting the chaos to strike!"

…

"Oh? Demonic creatures lurking in your clan?"

Lan Chang'an had initially assumed this was a standard commission, but things seemed far more complicated.

Back when he had first arrived in the Great Yuan, he had encountered several demonic beasts in the forbidden zone of the Central Region—including the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon he had once hunted.

In the Great Yuan, particularly in the Central Region, demonic beings were not uncommon.

At the root of it all was the Ancient Forbidden Zone of the Central Region, at its core lying the Abyssal Demon Realm, a place where many ancient demonic giants had been sealed.

Every few decades, the Abyssal Demon Realm would leak a wave of demonic corruption, allowing some monstrous entities to escape and wreak havoc across the Great Yuan.

It was said that before Purple Mist Fairy became Dao companions with Yunlan True Monarch, she had once loved a senior brother—but he had perished in a demonic outbreak within the Central Region.

"What cultivation level are these demons?"

Lan Chang'an’s tone turned serious.

"Stronger than an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, but likely not at the Core Formation stage. However…"

Tao Fu hesitated before continuing:

"There were multiple creatures, not just one. Otherwise, with our clan’s protective formation and two Foundation Establishment elders, this wouldn't have become an extinction-level crisis."

A troubling detail remained in Tao Fu’s mind—when he had fled the clan, the demonic aura had been intensifying.

"Very well. You two remain here—I’ll take a look."

After a brief divination, Lan Chang'an estimated that the Tao Clan’s demons were likely remnants of past demonic outbreaks.

The Central Region had suffered many demonic invasions, and it was impossible to completely exterminate all lurking threats.

These remnants, though usually weak, occasionally resurfaced—a problem that happened from time to time across different regions.

Additionally, whenever a new demonic wave approached, the hidden remnants would grow restless, acting as an early warning sign.

Without further delay, Lan Chang'an boarded the flying boat he had just acquired and set off toward Tao Clan’s territory.

As he soared through the clouds, Lan Chang'an attempted to calculate the timing of the next demonic disaster, but the heavenly secrets were obscured.

Either the information medium he had was insufficient, or something powerful was distorting fate itself.

"It shouldn't be happening this soon…"

Lan Chang'an murmured to himself.

"Historically, Central Region’s major demonic disasters occur roughly sixty years after the opening of the Ancient Nether Hall."

Many high-level cultivators speculated that the Ancient Nether Hall was somehow connected to demonic calamities.

After all, obtaining entry required paying with demon crystals—the very essence extracted from slain demonic creatures.

A Nascent Soul Great Cultivator had once warned Central Region cultivators:

"Do not exchange demon crystals to enter the Ancient Nether Hall. Doing so will introduce unknown risks to the Abyssal Demon Realm."

In the face of the lure of the Ancient Nether Hall, the major powers of the Central Region paid little heed.

For one, the recurring demon calamities in the region remained largely under control. Though they brought chaos, they also yielded rare materials. The strongest of the escaped fiends rarely exceeded the mid-fourth rank, and their innate bloodthirst often made them less intelligent than cultivators of the same rank.

Moreover, each wave of demon calamity claimed few Nascent Soul True Monarchs, most of the casualties were Core Formation and lower-level cultivators.

Even in eras when the demon outbreaks were particularly severe, spreading across the vast expanse of the Great Yuan, the burden was shared by the entire cultivation world of Great Yuan.

…

Moments later, Lan Chang'an arrived at the Tao Clan’s ancestral land, immediately sensing three distinct demonic auras.

The Tao Clan’s second-rank protective formation was in ruins.

Many clan cultivators had either perished or fled, leaving behind a desolate battlefield.

The three demonic creatures, with green faces, sharp fangs, and wolf-like limbs, prowled through the burned ruins, their bodies cloaked in thick demonic energy.

Among them, the strongest one was already approaching Fake Dan.

Amid the carnage, these creatures hunted for survivors, sniffing out any lingering traces of life.

"This isn’t pure demonic energy…"

Lan Chang'an narrowed his eyes, noticing a peculiar aura within the demonic mist.

Beneath the chaotic demonic essence, he detected a dense presence of curses and vengeful spirits—an energy that could disturb even the souls of cultivators.

"Woof!"

The yellow-furred dog beside him let out a low growl, its fur shimmering with an earthy golden glow.

Then, in an instant, it merged into the surrounding terrain, vanishing without a trace.

Moments later—

Whoosh!

A howling sandstorm erupted, engulfing the entire Tao Clan estate in a swirling vortex of yellow dust.

The three demonic creatures, sensing imminent danger, tried to flee—

But before they could react, they were completely swallowed by the sandstorm, their bodies turning rigid and stone-like.

A chorus of distorted shrieks filled the air—only to be abruptly cut short.

As the sandstorm faded, three demonic cores—dark and mottled with eerie ghostly veins—floated toward Lan Chang'an’s hand.

Lan Chang'an examined the demonic cores, his gaze darkening.

"Ghost Dao energy? Could there be a greater force at work here?"

Without hesitation, he commanded his green-armored guardian to eliminate the several demonic cultivators who had been lurking nearby, watching from the shadows.

Meanwhile, the Earth Burrowing Rat, having tunneled beneath the battlefield, had discovered something unusual.

After burrowing over a hundred li underground, the Earth Burrowing Rat arrived at a pitch-black cavern.

It was an ancient mining site, excavated for hundreds of years, and passed down through generations of the Tao Clan and its predecessors.

Now, at its depths—

Bones upon bones were buried beneath the soil.

An overwhelming wave of resentment and yin energy filled the air, while eerie ghostly flames floated across the darkness.

"A mere third-rank beast dares to slaughter this seat's subordinates?!"

A chilling voice echoed through the cavern.

From within a pile of abandoned ore, a silver-white skeleton, wreathed in purple ghost flames, rose to its feet.

Its hollow eye sockets burned with cold violet fire, and its aura was that of a peak third-rank ghost creature, nearly equal to a Core Formation Great Cultivator—though its Qi was unstable.

"Perfect timing, I was just looking for a new third-rank ghost pet!"

The silver-white skeleton cackled, its body swelling as its ghostly flames surged.

Within moments, it transformed into a ten-zhang-tall spirit form, its arms wielding two massive ghostly bronze weapons.

A pair of fiery eyes locked onto the distant Earth Burrowing Rat, its killing intent surging.

Swish!

The demonic dog suddenly vanished, leaving only a flicker of an afterimage.

In the next instant—

"Something’s wrong!"

A wave of overwhelming, primal beast energy erupted, shaking the entire cavern.

The silver-white skeleton’s flames wavered, its confidence turning to sheer terror.

"I-Impossible!"

In the blink of an eye, its towering ghostly form shattered.

"You… you're a fourth-rank Demon King?!"

The silver-white skeleton, once brimming with power, was instantly seized by a massive, clawed hand—its bony frame grinding under the immense pressure.

A few moments later.

A middle-aged traveling merchant arrived silently at the scene.

At his feet, the yellow-furred dog held a dim, flickering wisp of purple ghostfire in its claws—the remnant soul of the fallen ghost cultivator.

Below them lay scattered bone fragments, two Ghost Dao magical treasures, and a rusted storage bracelet.

"A third-rank ghost cultivator with a spatial storage treasure, it seems his origin isn't simple."

Lan Chang'an accepted the spoils from the Earth Burrowing Rat, inspecting them briefly.

Aside from the Ghost Dao magical treasures, the storage bracelet contained various items, though most had lost their spiritual energy due to unknown causes.

In addition, there were several jade slips containing records of ghost path inheritances.

One of them detailed a complete ghost cultivation method called the Five Curses Wraith Scripture, which required the collection of vengeful spirits to amplify ghostly arts and curse techniques.

"Such a harvest doesn’t quite match my ‘Great Fortune’ omen."

His expression remained indifferent as he stored the items away.

These were not uncommon finds during his travels.

For someone of his level, harvests that could be called good fortune had to be at least Nascent Soul-level opportunities.

Next, Lan Chang'an performed a soul search on the ghost cultivator’s remnant spirit.

"A newly converted ghost cultivator, huh?"

Unlike ordinary soul searches, Ghost Dao remnants were far harder to probe—making it difficult to extract a complete memory.

Still, he managed to piece together the individual’s general background.

Before becoming a ghost cultivator, this individual had been a late-stage Core Formation cultivator from a Nascent Soul sect in Sang Kingdom.

Due to the limitations of aptitude and foundation, they failed at the very first step of the Nascent Soul breakthrough—shattering the core to condense the Nascent Soul. However, they were fortunate enough to survive and retain most of their cultivation.

Despite surviving, their potential was crippled—rendering any future attempts at advancement impossible.

Faced with a dead-end, they abandoned their sect and converted to the Ghost Dao, cultivating a stolen inheritance from the Northern Region’s "Yellow Heaven Ghost Palace."

Ghost cultivators had one major advantage—their lifespan far exceeded that of humans and even ordinary demonic beasts.

However, the price was steep:

Turning to the Ghost Dao meant severing one's path to reincarnation, there would be no next life.

Moreover, achieving immortality as a ghost cultivator was far more difficult than for a normal cultivator. When facing tribulation lightning, they would endure even greater punishment.

With the Nine Seal Stele in his possession, Lan Chang'an had no interest in the Ghost Dao, only viewing it as additional knowledge to keep in reserve.

Looking at it this way, this harvest was quite underwhelming. The most valuable item turned out to be the bronze bracelet spatial storage artifact.

"Eh?"

During the latter half of the soul search, Lan Chang’an stumbled upon an unexpected memory fragment.

Ordinarily, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator would have nothing worth noting.

Yet, this ghost cultivator’s past contained one particular lead that immediately caught Lan Chang'an’s attention.

Since they had once attempted to reach Nascent Soul, they had gathered many resources for their advancement—

And one of those resources was a superior quality Nascent Soul spirit item.

Even more crucially that spirit item was a perfect match for Lan Chang'an’s wood element affinity.

It was worth noting that the Ziwu Clear Wind Lan Chang’an had extorted from the Heavenly Net Ancestor back in the day, though similarly a superior Nascent Soul spirit item, it was not of the wood attribute.

"The wood-attribute Nascent Soul spirit item is in the hands of Sang Kingdom’s most powerful cultivation family, Black River Fort."

Lan Chang'an’s heart stirred.

If he could obtain such a suitable Nascent Soul spirit item, it would greatly strengthen his foundation, pushing his success rate of reaching Nascent Soul even closer to perfection!

This ghost cultivator, in their previous life, was unable to obtain such a Nascent Soul spirit item, and its attributes were not a perfect match for them, so they ultimately gave up.

However, for Lan Chang’an, the difficulty was much lower.

Unlike the Tao Clan, Black River Fort was no ordinary cultivation family.

Though they had no Nascent Soul True Monarch, their strongest cultivator was a late-stage Core Formation expert.

Moreover, this family was related to the Nascent Soul Supreme Elder of Sang Kingdom’s only Nascent Soul sect, the Heaven Silkworm Sect.

...

That evening, Lan Chang'an disappeared without a trace in the vicinity of the Tao Clan’s estate.

As for the reward for exterminating the demons, he did not ask the Tao Clan for anything, considering it as a way to build good karma.

The Tao Clan cultivators suffered heavy casualties, their ancestral land was destroyed, and it was uncertain whether they could hold onto their family’s legacy.

Lan Chang'an casually eradicated the evil cultivators that had been spying on the family, as a token of appreciation for the clues and opportunities he had gained.

He completed the task, brushed off his robes, and disappeared, hiding both his name and identity.

For his next journey, Lan Chang'an for the first time decided to switch his identity. He quietly began gathering information about the "Black River Fort" in Sang Kingdom, including any leads on the Nascent Soul spirit item.

The intel was advantageous to him.

The Supreme Elder of the "Heaven Silkworm Sect", who was related by marriage to the Black River Fort, had already entered the later years of his life, having surpassed a thousand years of lifespan.

Now, this Nascent Soul True Monarch had retreated to a secondary position within the sect.

From the information at hand, it was clear that the wood-based Nascent Soul spirit item was being cultivated in the Black River Fort’s forbidden medicinal garden.

“Black River Fort has a semi-fourth-rank formation and various hidden restrictions. Forcing entry or infiltrating will be difficult, and success will inevitably attract the attention of the Nascent Soul sects in Sang Kingdom.”

Lan Chang'an pondered for a long while, deep in thought.

His gentle and kind gaze fell on the Lord Earthrock, who was gnawing on the remains of his prey, as he lovingly stroked the beast’s fur.

If he wanted to take control of this operation, the Lord Earthrock, a fourth-rank demon king skilled in earth escape technique, would be a key figure.

Lan Chang'an did not rush to act.

He still had several years of travel ahead and would stay in Sang Kingdom for a while to proceed with his plans.

…

Two months later.

At the borders of Sang Kingdom’s cultivation world, a streak of white Nascent Soul light flashed across the sky, resembling a thread of celestial silk weaving through the clouds.

The light slowed, hovering above the mountain ranges.

"Fellow Daoist Xuancan, have we lost their trail?"

Standing within the cloudy white light were two figures.

The one who spoke was Black River Immortal, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator and the old ancestor of Black River Fort. His dark-skinned, aged face was filled with frustration.

Beside him stood a Nascent Soul elder—an old man with white eyebrows, dressed in a dark green robe, his aura filled with decay and age.

This was Xuancan True Monarch, an experienced Nascent Soul cultivator whose lifespan exceeded a thousand years.

In his withered palm, he held a jade bottle, inside which swirled a drop of dark green energy resembling liquid mist.

"No, the target is still within the range of the Rejuvenating Withered Vine’s tracking aura. However, their escape speed is incredibly fast, comparable to mine. Even if they are not a Nascent Soul True Monarch, they must have a powerful spiritual beast mount."

Xuancan True Monarch’s dim eyes gleamed with profound light as he continued divining the path ahead using his Nine Lives Silk Scripture.

This secret technique not only possessed divination methods for predicting good fortune and avoiding danger but also granted exceptional tracking prowess.

Black River Immortal sighed, his expression calming.

"Forget it. Fellow Daoist Xuancan, I won’t trouble you any further. Recovering the Rejuvenating Withered Vine was never a certainty anyway. The real frustration is that I was forced into a deal without being able to even learn their true identity."

Given his knowledge of Xuancan True Monarch, he understood the message—

This matter was best left alone.

Xuancan True Monarch, as the oldest Nascent Soul cultivator in the region, was known for his cautious and conservative nature.

Despite his long life and vast experience, he rarely took risks.

The only reason he had agreed to pursue the target was under the assumption that the culprit was below the Nascent Soul stage—a cultivator merely relying on special spirit beasts and unorthodox techniques to gather Nascent Soul resources.

"Though the trade was forced, Black River Fort didn’t suffer a loss."

"The trade goods given in exchange were worth as much as the Rejuvenating Withered Vine."

"More importantly, the mysterious figure did not seem like a demonic cultivator and showed no intention of antagonizing Sang Kingdom’s powers."

Xuancan True Monarch stroked his beard, his gaze thoughtful.

He even felt a slight sense of dread.

During the pursuit, his Nine Lives Silk Scripture had produced a subtle fate omen—

If he continued chasing after the target, the consequences would be unpredictably dire.

...

Three years later.

A dust-covered middle-aged man with a restrained presence stepped into the borders of the Alchemy Dao Alliance’s domain.

"After more than six years of traveling, I’ve finally reached my final destination."

Lan Chang'an exhaled softly, his entire mana cultivation deep and still. His Evergreen Golden Dan lay in a state of absolute tranquility, yet had already been condensed to the extreme.

Three months ago, Lan Chang'an had turned 379 years old and had basically reached the peak of Core Formation.

Over the past six years, he had traveled across the majority of the Central Region, living as a wandering merchant.

His journey had not been limited to simple trade, he had accepted commissions, accumulated good karma, and even eradicated evil forces where it suited him.

From slaying ghosts and demons to eliminating bandits and divining fortunes, he had taken on various requests—actions done casually, yet always yielding substantial rewards.

Compared to the closed-door cultivation of a sect, the wandering life had been vastly more enriching.

He had encountered all kinds of people and creatures, accumulating insights and wisdom beyond simple cultivation.

Among all his discoveries, the most valuable acquisition was undoubtedly the wood element Nascent Soul spirit item, Rejuvenating Withered Vine.

This alone had made his entire years-long journey worth it.

With this treasure, his foundation for Nascent Soul breakthrough was now in a near-perfect state!

His chances of reaching Nascent Soul had now approached the absolute limit!

"Now that we’ve arrived at the Alchemy Dao Alliance, it’s time for you two to rest as well."

Lan Chang'an stretched lazily.

A gentle breeze swept past, carrying away the dust of travel from his body, and also brushing over his green-armored puppet guardian and the yellow-furred dog, cleansing away all traces of their journey.

The weariness of years on the road vanished in an instant.

With a flicker of light, Lan Chang'an stored away both his guardian puppet and Earth Burrowing Rat.

For the final stretch, he would travel alone.

Leaving behind his merchant guise, he rose into the skies, heading deeper into the heart of the Alchemy Dao Alliance.

The Alchemy Dao Alliance consisted of nine fragmented cultivation nations, forming a unique autonomous region.

Among them, four nations were ruled by Nascent Soul factions, their strength comparable to or exceeding the Liang Kingdom.

The remaining five nations had weaker Core Formation-level forces, on par with the Jing Kingdom in Great Qing.

Individually, none of these nations were particularly noteworthy but together, their collective power made the Alchemy Dao Alliance a neutral yet formidable force within the Great Yuan’s Central Region.

Due to their ancient and flourishing alchemical traditions, many cultivators from across the Central Region traveled here to commission the refinement of precious pills.

Lan Chang'an was one such traveler.

Nine years ago, at the Nascent Soul gathering in Cloudsky Immortal City, he had secured an agreement with Alchemist Le, to refine a genuine Infant Transformation Pill for him.

This was the final link in Lan Chang'an's Path to Nascent Soul after years of traveling through the Central Region.