I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

As the four Foundation Establishment cultivators surrounded him, he slapped the storage pouch at his waist.

A leather-armored puppet, armed with a bow, appeared beside him, along with a top-grade second-rank heavy-armored puppet, which flanked Lan Chang\'an on either side.

Swoosh!

The heavy-armored puppet moved first, swiftly charging toward the cold, long-haired woman in the late Foundation Establishment stage. Forced into close combat, she was unable to easily use her Black Lotus Flash for a sneak attack.

The tall, high-nosed young man, dressed in a large cloak, smiled faintly as he put away his heavily energy-consuming prototype magic treasure and summoned a giant axe, a supreme-grade magic weapon.

Suddenly, the peak Foundation Establishment youth with the high nose felt a faint sense of danger.

Zzz! Swoosh!

The leather-armored puppet, which had just appeared, drew its bow. The bowstring crackled with blue arcs of lightning as a silver-gray arrow shot forth, whistling like wind and thunder, aimed directly at the high-nosed young man\'s face.

“A peak second-rank puppet?”

The young man was startled, realizing he had underestimated Lan Chang\'an. He had thought that ganging up on him would be an easy victory.

Sensing the threat from the arrow, the young man had no choice but to retract his half-thrown giant axe and place it in front of him as a shield.

Boom!

The arrow exploded like thunder, raising a whirlwind in its wake.

A few blue arcs of lightning danced across the surface of the giant axe, dimming its spiritual light, rendering it ineffective in threatening Lan Chang\'an.

“I misjudged him.”

“This kid… he\'s a top grade second-rank puppet master?”

Hu Immortal and Tan Immortal exchanged surprised glances.

Simultaneously controlling two second-rank high-quality puppets to such a degree was not something a common cultivator could achieve. Only a puppet master of the same level could pull it off.

When a puppet was controlled by an ordinary cultivator versus a puppet master, there was a clear difference in both attack power and flexibility.

Of course, given it was a one-versus-many situation, the two puppets could only hold off two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators for a short time.

But Lan Chang\'an’s goal was already achieved.

A silver shield, a supreme-grade magic weapon, circled around him, blocking the attacks from the remaining two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

With a hand seal, black-green thorny vines sprouted from the swamp beneath him, growing wildly like fanged serpents, pouncing toward the two mid-stage cultivators.

Given Lan Chang\'an’s current mana strength, his wood-element spells carried extraordinary power, not to mention the suppression from his higher cultivation realm.

The elderly man with graying hair and the middle-aged woman, both at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, were caught off guard and began to struggle frantically to defend themselves.

Hmph!

Lan Chang\'an’s gaze sharpened, his cheeks puffed, and he exhaled sharply.

Boom!

A thunderous sound, which seemed to strike at the soul itself, reverberated in the ears of the two mid-stage cultivators. Their eardrums buzzed, blood surged through their bodies, and their internal organs twisted in pain. Their bodies stiffened for a brief moment.

This spell, the Thunder Roar Technique, was a difficult spell for Foundation Establishment cultivators to master. Its power depended on the strength of one\'s mana and spiritual sense.

When used by a higher-realm cultivator against a lower-realm opponent, the effects were even more pronounced.

Ah!

The middle-aged woman, whose foundation was slightly weaker, staggered as her body sank, entangled by the black-green thorny vines. They quickly dragged her into the poisonous swamp.

Gurgle gurgle!

As the woman sank into the toxic swamp, the thorny vines coiled tightly around her body, which began to decay at a visible rate. Even when she regained her senses, it was too late to reverse the damage.

“Immortals, save me!”

The graying old man, having regained his senses, performed a secret technique. A cloud of blood mist exploded from his legs, shattering the two vines wrapped around them.

But the remaining vines quickly surged forward, closing in on him.

“How dare you kill my subordinate!”

Tan Immortal, a tall and imposing figure, wore a dark expression. With a wave of his hand, a burst of blue light surged forward, crushing the large cluster of thorny vines emerging from the swamp.

“Thank you, Tan Immortal, for saving my life.”

The old man, still at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, wiped the sweat from his brow, relieved to have survived.

"Immortals, I wonder if you could use another ally?"

With a calm smile, Lan Chang\'an ceased his attacks.

Since revealing his mastery as a peak second-rank puppet master, the two Immortals’ attitudes had shifted noticeably.

If not, his act of killing one of their subordinates would certainly have led to his immediate execution in their fury.

The two Immortals glared coldly at Lan Chang\'an, their expressions grim.

Discovering Lan Chang\'an’s puppet mastery had already made them hesitant to act.

But what they hadn’t expected was for him to turn the tables, killing a mid-stage Foundation Establishment subordinate while fighting four opponents at once.

It was a blatant slap in the face for the two Immortals.

Fairy Shi, her face pale, looked at the familiar young man in shock and disbelief.

Having spent time with him at Wuqi Mountain, she had always suspected that Lan Chang\'an was no ordinary cultivator. But she hadn’t expected him to be hiding such formidable abilities.

Not only was he a talisman master, but he had also reached the top of second-rank puppet mastery—a much more difficult skill to perfect.

However, considering how steadily Lan Chang\'an had advanced over the years, it was conceivable that he could reach a high level in another skill of the Hundred Immortal Arts.

...

After a brief exchange of glances, Tan Immortal spoke.

"Lan kid, you being a puppet master could be of some use to us in exploring the ruins and breaking the formations.”

“However, killing this Immortal\'s subordinate is a grave offense. I’ll give you two options.”

“Oh? Please, Tan Immortal, do tell.”

Lan Chang\'an wasn’t surprised. By revealing his puppet mastery, he had already anticipated the situation.

He had other options, of course, like using a treasure talisman to escape. After all, even a Fake Dan Immortal wouldn’t be able to catch up to him.

However, doing so carried too many uncertainties and risks—he might miss the opportunity to explore the ancient ruins.

If he chose to fight the Immortals head-on…

This area was deep within the Black Fog Mountain range. A large-scale battle would likely attract the attention of nearby powerful demonic beasts.

“The first option: You die to atone for your arrogance and disrespect!”

“The second option: Kneel, admit your mistake, and submit to us. Let Hu Immortal plant a restriction on you.”

Tan Immortal’s eyes flashed with killing intent. His Fake Dan-level spiritual sense locked onto Lan Chang\'an.

“Hu Immortal, can you show a bit of mercy? Lan’s puppetry would be a great asset in breaking the formations within the ruins.”

Shi Manrong, bowing low, pleaded to the short black-bearded Immortal in front of her.

Slap!

Fairy Shi’s head snapped to the side, a red handprint blooming on her fair cheek.

“Who do you think you are?”

Hu Immortal’s face darkened as he withdrew his hand.

“You don\'t know how to be thankful for sparing your life, and you dare to plead for others?”

Feeling the stinging pain on her face, Shi Manrong’s heart sank to rock bottom.

The worst-case scenario had arrived.

Not only would Lan Chang\'an have to submit to the restriction, but so would she.

In the past, Hu Immortal had been kind to her, even offering guidance on formation techniques.

As a third-rank formation master, Hu Immortal had a good reputation and wasn’t known for bullying the weak.

But here, within the ruins, with vast fortunes at stake and no human rules to constrain them, even once-gentle seniors revealed their darkest sides.

“Lan kid, hurry and make your choice. Our time is precious.”

Tan Immortal’s expression was indifferent as he summoned his ancient ruler-shaped magic treasure.

Lan Chang\'an furrowed his brow and flipped out a talisman engraved with lightning patterns.

The faint, dangerous aura from the talisman made the three Foundation Establishment cultivators back away, their faces filled with dread.

“This is a quasi-third-rank ‘Thunderbolt Talisman.’”

Lan Chang\'an held the talisman between his fingers, mana swirling faintly at his fingertips.

The two Immortals paused before quickly reacting.

“Stop!”

Tan Immortal shouted in anger.

“Talisman Master Lan, we can talk about this!”

Hu Immortal forced a smile, attempting to placate Lan Chang\'an.

A quasi-third-rank talisman wasn’t a fatal threat to a Fake Dan Immortal.

However, the Thunderbolt Talisman was a different case. The noise produced by this talisman was extremely loud!

Once activated, it would startle the demonic beasts from at least a radius of several hundred li around them.

The demonic beasts in the Black Fog Mountain range had keen senses and could detect disturbances from even greater distances.

In the surrounding areas, there were demonic beasts quasi-third-rank, and even deeper, there were third-rank demonic monsters.

If Lan Chang\'an activated the Thunderbolt Talisman, it would expose the location of the ancient ruins, inevitably attracting the attention of powerful demonic beasts in the surrounding area.

As the attention of the two Immortals was momentarily diverted, Fairy Shi moved swiftly, her figure flashing as she returned to Lan Chang\'an\'s side.

Clenching her teeth, her face resolute, she summoned a prototype of a golden ring-shaped magical treasure. She then moved behind Lan Chang\'an, pressing her back against his, preventing any sneak attacks from the two Immortals.

Seeing her actions, Lan Chang\'an nodded to himself. It seemed that Fairy Shi had given up on the idea of defecting to the Immortal\'s side.

If she had chosen to ally with the two Immortals, her life and fate would be at their mercy. Decades ago, one of the Immortals, Qi Immortal, had placed a restriction on her, leaving a deep shadow in her heart.

Now, by working with Lan Chang\'an, there was still a chance for resistance.

"Two Immortals, if you do not wish for the location of the ancient ruins to be exposed, listen to what I have to say," Lan Chang\'an said slowly.

"Please speak, Little Friend Lan," said Hu Immortal, his tone warm. He exchanged glances with Tan Immortal, both of them feeling somewhat helpless.

Lan Chang\'an and Fairy Shi\'s strength had far exceeded the average late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. As Fake Dan Immortals, they couldn\'t easily kill them off quickly.

"Besides the Thunderbolt Talisman, I, Lan, have other methods that can threaten even Fake Dan Immortals," Lan Chang\'an continued calmly.

Hearing this, the two Immortal\'s faces showed contemplation, unsure of how much to believe.

Lan Chang\'an pressed on, "We are willing to assist the two Immortals in exploring the ancient ruins. When the time comes, whatever is gained will be determined by one\'s own luck and ability."

"We have no objections to Little Friend Lan\'s proposal," Tan Immortal and Hu Immortal quickly agreed.

For now, they had to stabilize Lan Chang\'an and keep him in check.

...

"Little Friend Lan, Fairy Shi, please proceed," said Tan Immortal.

On the mountainside, level with the swamp, stood a stone gate leading underground.

The two Fake Dan Immortals, along with three Foundation Establishment cultivators, formed one group. Lan Chang\'an and Fairy Shi stood off to the side.

The three Foundation Establishment cultivators cast complicated glances toward the newly joined duo.

"Let\'s go," Lan Chang\'an exchanged a glance with Shi Manrong.

They had waited for many years for this moment, and now, advancing into the ruins was the best option.

The two Fake Dan Immortals would never allow them to leave.

Together, the pair entered the stone gate.

Inside the gate, a tunnel led deep underground, becoming increasingly spacious the further they went.

As they descended, Lan Chang\'an caught a faint whiff of the swamp\'s decaying stench. It was clear that the ancient ruins they were heading toward were located beneath the poisonous gas swamp.

As they continued downward, Tan Immortal, Hu Immortal, and the others followed behind without any sign of attack.

Before closing the stone gate, Hu Immortal reinforced the third-rank concealment formation outside, adding further restrictions.

Not long after, they reached the end of the tunnel, revealing a vast, brightly lit underground space.

Before them lay an expansive, exotic ancient architectural complex, covered in the faint glow of a damaged formation, stretching for dozens of li.

Over the ages, the power of the formation had faded, and the surfaces of the ancient buildings showed signs of weathering. Some areas had already collapsed into ruins.

At first glance, it looked like a forgotten ancient city.

"This ruin was once the dwelling place of an ancient civilization. Over the countless years of change, it was discovered by a sect from the near-ancient era, who then repurposed it as a refuge and backup treasury," Lan Chang\'an recalled the information from the jade slip.

After entering the Black Fog Mountain Range, Shi Manrong had given him a jade slip summarizing the general situation of the ruins.

"The outer formation of the ruins is mostly broken, less than one-tenth remains. However, we must still be cautious of any hidden restrictions or traps."

"The inner and central areas of the ruins contain relatively intact fourth-rank formations, more powerful than ordinary third-rank ones, making them difficult to break by force. Besides formations and restrictions, there are also other unknown risks."

"Years ago, Qi Immortal managed to breach a critical formation gate within the ruins, discovering \'Yin Yang Water\' and the \'Xuanmu Vine\', only to fall victim to a trap and die."

...

"Fairy Shi, the path through this area is about six or seven li long. We\'ve previously scouted and confirmed there are no dangers," said Hu Immortal, the shorter of the two, stroking his beard and squinting as he pointed to a gap in the formation on the outskirts of the ruins.

"The gap in the formation here is quite large. I also entered through this point decades ago. However, the formation within the ruins has some degree of self-repair," Fairy Shi responded as the two Immortals began discussing the formation\'s restrictions at a distance.

From the look of things, Tan Immortal and Hu Immortal had no immediate plans to attack. After all, Shi Manrong and Lan Chang\'an were valuable assets in helping to conquer and explore the ancient ruins.

If they were to force a confrontation now, and Lan Chang\'an and Shi Manrong decided to fight to the death, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Once inside the ruins, it would be difficult to leave easily.

At that point, should they stumble upon a great opportunity, wouldn\'t it all come down to who had the stronger fist?

They could always settle things after extracting every bit of their usefulness.

"Two Fake Dan Immortals, including a third-rank formation master, along with three Foundation Establishment experts exploring the ancient ruins—this increases both the odds of success and the margin for error."

"Where else would you find such a team?" Lan Chang\'an thought to himself.

Tan Immortal led the way, following a previously explored path toward the central area of the ancient ruins.

Along the way, Lan Chang\'an and Fairy Shi occasionally paused to examine nearby ancient buildings, gardens, and ruins, which caused the two Immortals to grow impatient.

"This area has been scouted for months. There\'s nothing of value here, no need to waste time," Tan Immortal said bluntly.

Lan Chang\'an understood this reasoning. This particular route had already been explored twice in the past few decades.

Shi Manrong and Qi Immortal had explored it once, and this was now the second time.

If there had been any treasures, the Immortals would have claimed them long ago.

However, for the sake of caution, Lan Chang\'an wanted to familiarize himself with the surrounding geography and rule out potential threats, especially traps laid by Hu Immortal, the third-rank formation master.

A formation set by a third-rank master could pose a significant threat even to a True Dan cultivator.

After scouting several li, Lan Chang\'an and Fairy Shi found nothing unusual.

Most of the restrictions and remnant formations along the path had already been breached. The few that could not be broken were simply bypassed.

Squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat, about the size of a small dog, emerged from Lan Chang\'an\'s spirit pet pouch. Following its master\'s orders, it scurried off to investigate the corners of the ruins.

"What is this lady\'s name?" Lan Chang\'an\'s gaze shifted to the cold and aloof woman with long hair standing behind Tan Immortal.

This woman cultivated demonic techniques and was the only one among the three Foundation Establishment cultivators who hadn\'t been subjected to a restriction.

Tan Immortal, though domineering, treated her with relative courtesy.

Lan Chang\'an had noticed that ever since the woman had learned of his identity, she had subtly paid attention to him. However, she was careful not to stare directly, as if both wary and curious.

"You may call me Miss Wei, Fellow Daoist Lan," the long-haired woman smiled slightly, bowing gracefully.

Tan Immortal cast a strange glance at Miss Wei. Her demure and courteous demeanor was out of character for her usual behavior. Could it be that she was interested in that pretty boy?

Given Lan Chang\'an\'s handsome appearance and the strength he\'d shown earlier in the face of danger, it was no wonder he had a certain charm.

As they progressed along the explored path, about two-thirds of the way through, Lan Chang\'an suddenly halted.

Squeak squeak!

At the base of a thick half-collapsed ancient wall, the Earth Burrowing Rat scratched its paws, looking puzzled.

(End of chapter)