I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

"Watch out! Cultivators approaching."

Lan Chang'an's peripheral vision caught sight of two figures sneaking towards Wuqi Mountain.

Two unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivators, taking advantage of the battle's noise, were quietly approaching. Both were clad in gray robes and wearing bamboo hats, their faces obscured, though it was clear one was an old man and the other middle-aged.

Ye Fei's heart skipped a beat. He wouldn't have noticed if not for Lan Chang'an's warning.

It seemed that Lan Chang'an had been holding back during battle, keeping a close eye on Wuqi Mountain's surroundings this entire time.

Just then—

Whoosh!

From the distant sky, a crimson glow streaked through the air.

The two gray-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators looked up, their faces changing drastically.

"Quickly retreat…”

The two swiftly fled into the nearby forest.

The crimson glow drew nearer, revealing itself to be a scarlet iron ship.

On either side of the ship's hull were carvings of flame patterns made of small droplets of flame, a distinctive mark of the Flame Departing Palace's exclusive flying magical weapon.

On the scarlet iron ship stood two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Flame Departing Palace, a man and a woman.

The tall, imposing young man had late Foundation Establishment cultivation, while the elegant woman in a green dress beside him had mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation.

They flew over Wuqi Mountain, observing Lan Chang'an and Ye Fei locked in the final struggle against the double-headed demon.

The double-headed demon was at its last gasp.

The imposing young man, after a moment of hesitation, summoned a flaming long sword weapon.

Whoosh!

A crimson beam of light descended from the sky, piercing through the double-headed demon's head.

Seeing this, Lan Chang'an and Ye Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, they are from the Flame Departing Palace," Ye Fei whispered in awe as he looked up at the scarlet ship overhead.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist friends of Wuqi Mountain. I am Gao Cheng, an inspection cultivator from the Flame Departing Palace's Law Enforcement Hall. We are here to investigate the Fox Valley massacre." The imposing young man in the late Foundation Establishment introduced himself.

"This is my junior sister, Zhuang Wenjing."

The green-dressed woman on his side nodded her head haughtily.

"So it's the honored cultivators from the Flame Departing Palace."

Lan Chang'an respectfully greeted them, and both sides exchanged pleasantries.

The Flame Departing Palace was a Nascent Soul-level power in the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world, and their cultivators traveling outside commanded high respect.

"Honored cultivators, may I invite you to Little Turtle Peak? Fellow Daoist Ye and I can cooperate with your investigation." Lan Chang'an extended his hand in invitation.

The double-headed demon's corpse was left for the loose cultivators below to handle.

Lan Chang'an and Ye Fei prepared to head to Little Turtle Peak.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, the two of us have limited time. We won't be visiting your residence." Gao Cheng declined flatly.

Zhuang Wenjing, who was on the side, showed impatience, seemingly not wanting to mix with the two loose cultivators.

"Discussing here is fine too." Lan Chang'an's expression looked unnatural.

"Please examine the information in this jade slip, then answer my questions."

Gao Cheng opened his palm to reveal an item.

A sudden cold gleam!

A phantom of a dagger, like a lurking viper, shot towards Lan Chang'an with lightning speed.

"Fellow Daoist Lan!" Ye Fei exclaimed, his hair standing on end.

Ding!

A blue crystal dagger struck the golden bell, breaking through its outer shield and leaving a dented mark.

The golden bell was almost in front of Lan Chang'an in advance, as if it was prepared to activate beforehand.

"When did you figure it out?" Gao Cheng's blow fell short, his face was gloomy, and he let out a hoarse voice that didn't match his valiant appearance.

"I didn't see any obvious flaws."

Lan Chang'an calmly slapped a top superior-grade defensive talisman to himself, speaking matter-of-factly:

"We've never met, and you refused to visit Little Turtle Peak. How could I trust you?"

Little Turtle Peak had a mountain protection formation; it was Lan Chang'an's home turf.

...

Whoosh!

After Gao Cheng's failed strike, Zhuang Wenjing turned into a faint pink mist, positioning herself behind Lan Chang'an.

One late Foundation Establishment, and one mid-Foundation Establishment, flanked Lan Chang'an from front and back. Yet, they paid no attention to Ye Fei.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, let's run in different directions!"

Ye Fei's heart lifted, slapping a mid-second-rank escape talisman onto himself, transforming into a gust of wind and fleeing in the opposite direction.

Lan Chang'an's expression twitched, not expecting to be so targeted.

He doubted Ye Fei would be able to escape easily.

...

Ye Fei had only fled a few li when—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two gray figures emerged from beyond Wuqi Mountain, blocking his path.

It was the two gray-robed, bamboo hat-wearing cultivators from earlier, an old man and a middle-aged man.

The old man had mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, his face withered.

The middle-aged man was at the early-stage Foundation Establishment, and he was performing the puppet control technique.

A fierce wind howled, and a second-rank flying eagle puppet hovered menacingly above Ye Fei.

"Is this all to target me?" Ye Fei was like a bereaved child, the corner of his mouth shivering.

This situation was as if facing two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators all alone, even more dangerous than Lan Chang'an's predicament. Lan Chang'an, at least, had a second-rank spirit pet to assist him.

"Herbalist Ye, cooperate and surrender, and we might spare your life." The middle-aged man spoke calmly.

"What do you want me to do?" Ye Fei forced a smile, secretly preparing his hand.

"Don't be ignorant!"

The two gray-robed men held their breath, gripping anti-poison talismans, a layer of water membrane covering their bodies.

The water membrane was covered in a layer of neutralized colorless poison, hissing softly.

Their faces darkened as they controlled their magical weapons and puppets to attack from a distance, forcing Ye Fei into a sorry state.

Using the mountain's terrain, Ye Fei rolled and dodged, activating defensive magical weapons and talismans to barely hold on.

He vaguely sensed that these two wanted to capture him alive, and held back their full strength.

...

Compared to Ye Fei's miserable struggle, the battle on Lan Chang'an's side was quite different.

He neither fled nor counterattacked.

The Evergreen mana entirely maintained the Vajra Bell, transforming it into a large bell covering him.

Clang! Clang!

Gao Cheng wielded a massive golden-blue axe, each strike causing the golden bell's surface to dim and leaving shallow marks.

"Let's see how long you can block."

He grasped at the air, summoning a cluster of blood flames onto the golden bell, spreading and burning.

The golden bell's glow rapidly dimmed, eroding into a pitted surface.

Seeing this, Lan Chang'an activated a superior-grade talisman, an ice-blue barrier reinforcing the golden bell, slowing the blood flames' destruction.

"I just need to hold out longer than your companion."

Lan Chang'an remained unflustered, his Evergreen mana was plentiful, giving him a clear advantage in this situation.

Moreover, he wasn't worried about damaging the supreme-grade magical weapon; he had several more in his storage pouch, albeit all stolen goods.

Besides the supreme-grade magical weapons, he still had a turtle puppet he hadn't taken out.

"Master, help me!" Not far away, Zhuang Wenjing screamed.

The Earth Burrowing Rat and a wolf-headed humanoid puppet were attacking her from front and back.

The Earth Burrowing Rat's bloodline had mutated, and not only did it know earth spells, but it was also extremely agile, and it would come in close and pounce on her from time to time.

The mid-second-rank wolf-headed puppet carried three silver-black spears on its back, wielding two in both hands, which dragged arcs of electricity as they stabbed toward Zhuang Wenjing from near and far.

The spears could be thrown and retrieved over a certain distance.

Under the double assault, Zhuang Wenjing's defensive magical weapon's glow dimmed, and her protective barrier shattered.

Whoosh!

A spear scraped her leg, leaving a bloody gash.

"Ugh…"

Zhuang Wenjing's body stiffened, her pale leg turning black and red.

The spears were poisoned!

"Yue'er!" Gao Cheng shouted angrily, his voice raspy.

Previously, Lan Chang'an's reveal of a mid-second-rank puppet was unexpected but still tolerable.

He had aimed for a swift victory, using a strategy to capture or kill Lan Chang'an, the master of the puppet and pet.

Despite losing his greatest card in the Fox Valley battle, Gao Cheng believed in his late Foundation Establishment strength, combined with his blood flame secret technique.

Zhuang Wenjing also believed she could hold off the Earth Burrowing Rat and puppet for a while.

The Earth Burrowing Rat, with only a mid-grade bloodline, lacked offensive power.

As for the mid-second-rank puppet, its owner had to deal with the late stage of Foundation Establishment, so how much combat power could it exert?

However, Gao Cheng underestimated Lan Chang'an's "Turtle Talisman Master" defensive abilities.

Zhuang Wenjing underestimated the Earth Burrowing Rat and Wolf-Headed Spear Puppet's strength.

These misjudgments led to an irreversible regret.

Whoosh!

Gao Cheng, enraged, flew to rescue Zhuang Wenjing.

Clang!

Lan Chang'an activated the Vajra Bell's sound wave, shaking Gao Cheng's qi and blood, causing a slight delay.

He formed a hand seal, causing thorny vines to sprout from the nearby mountain, either entangling Gao Cheng's legs or blocking his path.

"Ah…"

On the other side, Zhuang Wenjing screamed, immobilized by poison, and was torn open by the Earth Burrowing Rat.

Thud!

The wolf-headed humanoid puppet thrust a spear through her abdomen.

"Yue'er!"

Seeing this, Gao Cheng's blood surged, blood seeping from his mouth as he coughed.

"Your injuries aren't healed, and you dare come to attack my Wuqi Mountain?" Lan Chang'an squinted, seeing through his opponent.

...

(End of chapter)