I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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In front of the Black Fog Mountain Range, a fierce battle had just concluded.

"Talismanic treasure! You hid it so deep that you didn't…until the last moment..."

The blue-robed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator's body was charred, and his abdomen had been pierced by a spear of purple lightning.

With a thud, he collapsed and died.

Opposite him, Junior Brother Cheng, who wore a square cap, lay on the ground, his face as pale as paper and his aura extremely faint.

The final strike of his talismanic treasure had been used against this opponent, who was nearly at full strength and extremely vigilant.

Junior Brother Cheng reached out his hand with difficulty, but the storage pouch on his body was long gone, and the hidden skin pouch had already been given to Fu Dong.

There was no longer a single healing pill left on him.

He tried to crawl towards the blue-robed cultivator to take his storage pouch, but he couldn't muster any strength.

The injuries within his body were fatal, and his life was irreversibly slipping away. Ordinary healing pills could do nothing to save him.

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Junior Brother Cheng's mouth. He gave up struggling and lay quietly on the ground.

As he hovered between life and death, he heard the faint sound of footsteps.

A plain-looking Foundation Establishment cultivator entered his blurred field of vision.

The person first approached the corpse of the blue-robed cultivator and took his storage pouch.

Then, coming to Junior Brother Cheng's side, the stranger spoke:

"I am just a scavenger passing by. Do you have any last words?"

The Foundation Establishment cultivator's voice was as plain and unremarkable as his appearance.

"A scavenger?"

Junior Brother Cheng retained a final moment of clarity and understood the meaning behind those words.

Around some of the more lawless immortal cities, there existed cultivators who specialized in scavenging the belongings of the dead.

Murderers on the run often left behind some items, overlooked in their haste.

This scavenger, who hadn't immediately struck him down and instead asked for his last words, showed a modicum of conscience.

"I am Cheng Kangping, the eighth disciple of the Huanglong lineage. The remnants of my magical weapons and the robes on my body should still be worth something. I hope Your Excellency will bury me, and if possible, report to Huanglong Mountain."

Junior Brother Cheng didn't expect the stranger to save him. Given his injuries, even with very potent medicine or timely intervention by a skilled pharmacist, it would still be futile.

"Is that all?"

"Junior Sister Fu... Core Formation..."

With those final words, Junior Brother Cheng closed his eyes and his breathing ceased.

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the plain-looking Foundation Establishment cultivator.

To think that the final thought in the mind of this direct disciple of Huanglong before passing away was his little junior sister.

Whoosh!

The Foundation Establishment cultivator channeled his mana and collected Junior Brother Cheng's corpse, along with his belongings, into a large sack.

After one last glance at the blue-robed cultivator's body to ensure nothing was overlooked, he flew towards the Black Fog Mountain Range.

Half an hour later.

A powerful Fake-Dan Immortal's spiritual pressure swept through the sky.

The newcomer was a robust middle-aged man in a wide robe, Xiang Jinglong.

"Useless thing!"

Xiang Jinglong glanced at the blue-robed cultivator's corpse. After scanning it with his spiritual sense and finding nothing of value, he spat in disdain.

...

Two days later.

In the darkness of the Black Fog Mountain Range.

Grrr… dozens of demon wolves had surrounded a severely wounded young man in padded clothes, his face pale.

The leader of the demon wolves, an early-stage second-rank creature, eyed the young man with cunning, occasionally testing his injured arm with probing attacks.

"Brother Cheng, I'm useless! I'm just a waste! If I had known it would come to this, I might as well have died on Huanglong Mountain..."

Trapped and desperate, Fu Dong's heart was filled with sorrow.

Since escaping from Huanglong Mountain, he had been injured, and the chase had only worsened his condition, draining his vitality.

Alone in the Black Fog Mountain Range, unfamiliar with the terrain, he had the misfortune of being targeted by this pack of demonic wolves.

Under their relentless harassment and attacks, Fu Dong's mana reserves were rapidly depleting, and his injuries continued to worsen, with wounds constantly being added to his body.

Whoosh!

From low in the sky nearby, a light flashed as it approached.

"The Black Fog Mountain Range is different from the human world."

A familiar man's voice rang out.

"Some demonic beasts have extremely keen senses. Even if you stop the bleeding, bandage your wounds, and eliminate the scent of blood, they may still detect you..."

"Brother Cheng!"

Fu Dong's heart jolted as he looked towards the familiar figure with the square cap, tears filling his eyes.

"Brother Cheng" arrived but did not immediately act. Instead, he deliberately released the spiritual pressure of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Howl!

The head wolf at the early-stage second rank shrank back in fear and, without hesitation, led the pack to flee.

After the wolves had left.

Junior Brother Cheng let out a muffled groan, his face pale as he helplessly collapsed to the ground, his aura also weakened.

"Brother Cheng!"

Fu Dong hurried over, but his body stumbled, triggering his injuries and nearly causing him to fall.

"It's just exhaustion; I'll be fine." Junior Brother Cheng forced a smile.

With Fu Dong's help, he moved to the foot of a hill sheltered from the wind, took two pills, and sat down to meditate and heal.

"Junior Brother Cheng, thank goodness! You managed to escape the pursuit?"

"Yes, my talismanic treasure had one last use, and I barely managed to reverse the situation and kill that man..."

Lan Chang'an "truthfully" recounted the events.

He was able to find Fu Dong easily because earlier he had sent the Earth Burrowing Rat with a keen sense of smell to track him.

In the Black Fog Mountain Range, the Earth Burrowing Rat was a lot better suited to the environment than he was.

"Reverse the situation?"

Fu Dong, after his initial joy, looked downcast again.

He thought to himself, "Sure enough, without me dragging him down, Brother Cheng could exert his full strength."

An hour later, Lan Chang'an's aura had stabilized, and a hint of color had returned to his face.

He opened his eyes and noticed that Fu Dong, who had been keeping watch, was staring at him.

In Fu Dong's eyes, aside from gratitude and respect, there was also a trace of inquiry.

"Junior Brother Cheng, for the sake of my sister's Core Formation, you didn't hesitate to risk your life as a decoy. And earlier, to save me, you almost died without a proper burial."

"Even if... you like my sister, is everything you've done really worth it?"

Fu Dong, unable to bear it any longer, finally opened his heart and spoke his mind.

Previously, he had heard rumors within the Huanglong lineage that this Junior Brother Cheng, who had once been expelled from the mountain, had feelings for his sister.

When Fu Xuemei had first been accepted into Huanglong Mountain, Junior Brother Cheng had taken good care of both siblings.

After spending the past few days together, Fu Dong was now certain of it.

Like your sister?

Lan Chang'an felt a strange sensation at Fu Dong's words.

Thinking back on Junior Brother Cheng's actions and his dying words, it all made sense now.

"You don't need to feel indebted."

Lan Chang'an replied calmly, choosing his words carefully.

"While I do have some fondness for your sister, the matter of being a decoy at Huanglong Mountain came with generous compensation from my Master. If the Huanglong Mountain formation hadn't been broken so quickly, the risk wouldn't have been as great as you imagine."

Lan Chang'an speculated that Junior Brother Cheng's willingness to take the risk was not solely due to his feelings for Fu Xuemei. Huanglong Immortal had likely offered a substantial reward as well.

"Oh, since you're back, Brother Cheng, you can take this back. There's no need for me to hand it to my sister."

Fu Dong suddenly remembered something and took out the ultra-thin skin pouch, solemnly handing it to Lan Chang'an.

"Hmm."

Lan Chang'an accepted the skin pouch without a word.

This Junior Brother Cheng had risked his life to hold off the blue-robed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, likely anticipating the possibility of his own death. As a result, he had entrusted his valuable belongings to Fu Dong.

When Lan Chang'an scanned the skin pouch with his spiritual sense, he discovered that its material provided some concealment from spiritual probing. If kept close, it could easily be overlooked unless meticulously searched by an Immortal.

Inside the pouch was a bottle of pills and two jade slips.

As his spiritual sense swept over the jade bottle reinforced with restrictions, Lan Chang'an's heart skipped a beat.

The pill inside the jade bottle was like a glazed snow jade, with slight imperfections and six and a half dao patterns on its surface.

"Inferior Crystal Condensation Pill?"

Lan Chang'an was shocked, utterly caught off guard.

This Junior Brother Cheng had a Crystal Condensation Pill?

It was understandable that Huanglong Immortal would reward him with an inferior Crystal Condensation Pill as he served as a decoy during the Core Formation attempt, placing himself in danger.

The key point was that Junior Brother Cheng hadn't used this Crystal Condensation Pill!

Lan Chang'an recalled the Core Formation phenomenon he had witnessed on that day, which had been weaker than expected.

He continued scanning the two jade slips within the pouch.

One recorded Junior Brother Cheng's lifetime legacy.

The other was intended for Fu Xuemei, detailing some final matters, including the origins of the Crystal Condensation Pill.

It turned out that Junior Brother Cheng, aware of his advanced age—over one hundred and fifty—and the serious injury he had suffered a decade ago, which had damaged his foundation, believed his chances of forming a core were slim.

He had been preparing for Core Formation, but on that day, he had held back the Crystal Condensation Pill.

He had hoped to save it for a promising descendant, trusting that Fu Xuemei would handle the matter fairly.

...

"Did you look inside the pouch?" Lan Chang'an asked.

"No."

Fu Dong responded without hesitation, his expression unchanged.

From Fu Dong's temperament and the subtle changes in his expression, Lan Chang'an confirmed that he was likely telling the truth.

As for Fu Xuemei's younger brother, Lan Chang'an had heard about him before but had never met him in person.

He knew that this man was Fu Xuemei's greatest weakness.

However, he had never considered using this as leverage to exact revenge on Fu Xuemei.

The enmity between him and Fu Xuemei was solely about resources and the path of cultivation, not involving friends or family.

In the cultivation world, there was an unwritten rule that normal conflicts wouldn't extend to friends, family, or innocent mortals.

This principle was acknowledged by most cultivators, including some from the demonic path, at least on the surface.

For Lan Chang'an personally, acting otherwise went against his heart, unless the enemy threatened his friends or family.

Thus, when he encountered Fu Dong, he had no desire to kill him.

If he were to target someone, it would be Fu Xuemei herself.

In Huanglong Immortal City, he had secretly made a move with the assumption that the person attempting Core Formation was Fu Xuemei, aiming to disrupt her.

If the target was Fu Xuemei, then regardless of success or failure, the grudge would be settled. But as it turned out, the person attempting Core Formation wasn't Fu Xuemei at all.

Coincidentally, on his way back, Lan Chang'an unexpectedly ran into Fu Xuemei's younger brother. Lan Chang'an felt that "fate had brought them together" and decided to observe the situation. Moreover, given the current chaotic situation, he might be able to profit from the turmoil and bring forward his plan for Core Formation.

Saving Fu Dong stemmed from this thought.

Fu Dong was a key figure; through him, Lan Chang'an might find the location where Fu Xuemei was attempting Core Formation.

However, Lan Chang'an hadn't expected at all that by disguising himself and mingling with Fu Dong, he would so easily acquire a Crystal Condensation Pill. Unfortunately, it was an inferior one.

An inferior Crystal Condensation Pill wasn't very appealing to him. Due to its impure medicinal properties, it would affect the quality of the formed core.

In this life, he had high standards for the quality of his core.

Even if he couldn't form a Golden Dan, the condensed True Dan had to be of the highest, if not the finest, quality.

This would greatly increase his chances of achieving Nascent Soul in the future.

"Let's not make any hasty decisions. Since I've saved Fu Dong and secured such a valuable identity, I might as well see how things play out."

...

A few days later.

"Junior Brother Cheng" and Fu Dong had recovered somewhat from their injuries.

Whoosh!

A Fake-Dan aura suddenly approached from a certain direction in the Black Fog Mountain Range.

The newcomer was a beautiful woman in a white robe, wounded and with a chaotic aura.

It was none other than Bai Ling Immortal, who had previously saved Fu Dong and his companion.

(End of chapter)

The chapter title ;-;