I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals-Chapter 401: Spatial Formation, Heavenly Dao Method

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Chapter 401: Spatial Formation, Heavenly Dao Method

Lan Chang'an named this fifth-rank mystical artifact Black Wind Cloak.

Its unique fabric material originated from the Demonic Peak Realm.

It was suspected to be the personal robe of the twin-headed, four-armed ancient demon sealed within the abyss. Fortunately, the demon’s level was too high to break free.

Lan Chang'an had to temper it with his Evergreen Nascent Fire for a long time to purify the demonic energy lingering within it.

That night, Lan Chang'an personally donned the Black Wind Cloak and slipped into the darkness like the wind.

Without a sound, he infiltrated Zixia Peak’s cave mansion, completely unnoticed.

Although Lan Chang'an already knew the formation’s backdoor pathways, the fact that he had managed to sneak all the way to Purple Mist Fairy’s sleeping chambers without alarming anyone was astounding.

Jiang Ziyan’s graceful silhouette was seated on a jade bed, cultivating in meditation.

Suddenly, a chill swept across her back.

An ominous black-cloaked figure extended a ghostly hand toward her fragrant shoulder.

Who?!

The Nascent Soul female cultivator's face turned pale, cold sweat breaking out as her instinctive defensive energy flared.

"Kekeke! This old man has long heard of Purple Mist Fairy’s beauty and has come for a midnight visit!"

Lan Chang'an suddenly felt playful and let out a sinister cackle.

Jiang Ziyan’s heart almost stopped.

She initially assumed she was being targeted by some lustful Great Cultivator or even a hidden Deity Transformation Heavenly Lord.

Fortunately, Lan Chang'an hadn’t concealed his face.

The moment she recognized him, shock turned to rage.

With a flushed expression, Purple Mist Fairy huffed in embarrassment, demanding proper compensation for scaring her.

Lan Chang'an, however, refused to indulge her complaints, instead, he took full advantage of the situation, enacting an impromptu role-play scenario.

By morning, the sleeping chamber was in complete disarray, as if a thief had ransacked the place.

"Dalong… Can our sect have priority in purchasing True Monarch Soaring Snow’s body?"

Draped in a simple white dress, Jiang Ziyan knelt gracefully before Lan Chang'an, her snowy legs folded beneath her.

As she delicately adjusted his robes, her misty eyes carried a hint of grievance.

Lan Chang'an raised an eyebrow.

No wonder she was serving him so attentively, she had an ulterior motive.

"Keeping True Monarch Soaring Snow’s body in Yunxia Sect will create karmic entanglements."

He gently shook his head, declining the request.

Without her original body, Soaring Snow True Monarch could still rebuild her cultivation by possessing a new body and hiding for decades.

As long as Lan Chang'an remained in the Great Yuan, she would endure her humiliation in silence.

But if he returned to Great Qing and remained absent for years, Yunxia Sect with only Purple Mist Fairy as its Nascent Soul protector would be left with an invisible threat.

Of course, the fact that Yunxia Sect couldn't come up with treasures that could make Lan Changan's heart flutter was also a reason.

Having used their resources for his Nascent Soul formation, puppet crafting, and collecting all sorts of rare materials, the sect treasury had been thoroughly drained.

...

A few days later, Lan Chang'an sent off a low-profile Nascent Soul demonic cultivator who had come to visit.

This demonic cultivator was rumored to have once admired True Monarch Soaring Snow, only to later grow resentful of her.

Now, he had come hoping to purchase her body, intending to refine it into a female corpse-slave.

Despite the generous price offered, Lan Chang'an politely declined. Encouraging such depravity would be unacceptable.

Shortly after the demonic cultivator’s departure, Soaring Snow True Monarch herself seemed to sense the threat.

Her backing forces, an influential merchant association, and noble family, sent representatives to Yunxia Sect to negotiate for the return of her body.

Lan Chang'an immediately named his price:

The wings and skeleton of the Ice Blue Phoenix.

Furthermore, he made sure to inform them that the imperial family was also interested in purchasing the body, and that he was seriously considering their offer.

Soaring Snow’s faction was caught in a difficult position, they couldn’t produce such a rare material immediately, but they begged him to preserve the body while they discussed the matter internally.

"As expected, there's potential here."

Lan Chang'an had already foreseen this outcome.

While the imperial family’s offer remained uncertain, Soaring Snow’s faction was clearly sitting on a mountain of hidden wealth.

Soaring Snow True Monarch was not a lone loose cultivator, her merchant association and family heavily depended on her existence.

Lan Chang'an had even experimented to see if he could allow his past life shadow to possess the Soaring Snow True Monarch’s body.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

His past-life shadow contained spiritual essence, skills, and memories, but lacked an actual living soul or Nascent Soul spirit body.

Once it possessed the body, it could only manipulate it stiffly, and the host body began rejecting the foreign consciousness, causing its life force to rapidly decay.

With that, Lan Chang'an abandoned the idea.

It seemed that creating a Nascent Soul-level “alternate identity” using Soaring Snow’s body was unrealistic.

...

A while later.

Representatives from True Monarch Soaring Snow’s faction finally arrived to negotiate formally, this time, with an offer in hand.

They did not possess the Ice Blue Phoenix’s wings and skeleton.

However, they did have remnants of a "Nine-Headed Bird."

Though somewhat aged, the remains were still valuable.

The Nine-Headed Bird was also a heavenly-bloodline spiritual beast, and its ancestors can reach the highest threshold of True Spirit.

According to legend, this bird was highly intelligent, but because they had too many simultaneous thoughts, they often suffered from severe internal conflicts, leading to self-destruction.

Lan Chang'an examined a fragment of the Nine-Headed Bird’s skeletal remains and confirmed that it belonged to at least a mid-fourth-rank Nine-Headed Bird. However, its spiritual essence had long faded, significantly reducing its value.

Using this as leverage, Lan Chang'an expressed dissatisfaction, applying pressure to lower the valuation and tilt negotiations in his favor.

Fortunately, Soaring Snow’s faction had a substantial quantity of these remains.

Seeing the deal reach its limit, Lan Chang'an concluded negotiations, agreeing to the trade.

The forces behind True Monarch Soaring Snow had a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Cloudsky Immortal City Merchant Alliance mediate the transaction in Yunxia Sect’s territory.

In the end, Lan Chang'an acquired a substantial portion of the Nine-Headed Bird’s skeletal framework. Since the Nine-Headed Bird was a large predatory beast, even less than half of its remains still provided a considerable amount of material.

Beyond the trade, Lan Chang'an, on behalf of the Yunxia Sect signed a spiritual contract with the Flying Cloud Merchant Association, officially resolving all past grievances with True Monarch Soaring Snow.

This was likely one of their main motivations for agreeing to the deal.

After all, fighting both of the Central Region’s Twin Dragons at once was a headache even for powerful factions like the Great Yu imperial family.

This experience made Lan Chang'an appreciate how a high-profile reputation could work in his favor at the right times.

"The materials to upgrade the Exotic Spirit Peacock to the fourth rank are almost complete."

After finalizing the trade, Lan Chang'an felt a sense of satisfaction.

Although the materials were sufficient, there was still a need for contingencies, he had to account for losses during the refining process.

Additionally, the Nine-Headed Bird remains were currently too deteriorated in spiritual quality.

Lan Chang'an planned to nurture them using his Evergreen Technique over time, gradually restoring some of their spiritual essence to meet higher refinement standards.

...

In a flash, three to four years passed.

Lan Chang'an’s age reached 405 years old.

For most of this period, he remained in Yunxia Sect, cultivating in seclusion, refining his divine abilities and secret arts.

His primary focus was on three major techniques, Withering Divine Light, Illusory Wood Doppelgänger, and even the Heavenly Demon Secret Art.

Among them, Illusory Wood Doppelgänger was the most compatible with him, and with insights from a past life, he had already cultivated it past grand completion.

This movement and deception technique allowed him to craft an illusionary clone using a high-tier spiritual wood talisman, refined with his own blood essence and mana.

In battle, it could mislead enemies while providing additional combat strength.

Withering Divine Light was another ability that harmonized well with his Evergreen Technique.

Its practical combat effectiveness had already been proven in battle, making it worth a heavy investment.

Back when he had burned some of his lifespan, he had accelerated the early stages of this technique. Now that time was abundant and there was no immediate crisis, there was no need to be so wasteful.

However, progress on the Heavenly Demon Secret Art was significantly slower.

Though it was theoretically compatible with Nascent Soul cultivators, it required modifications for local adaptation.

During his experiments, Lan Chang'an tested its influence on the human psyche.

He manipulated a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Yunxia Sect, implanting a heart demon thought into his consciousness.

This amplified the disciple’s hidden mental weaknesses, drawing out his negative emotions and self-destructive tendencies.

As a result, the Foundation Establishment cultivator spiraled into madness, embezzling sect funds, harassing his senior sister, and betraying Yunxia Sect.

His true nature as a hidden traitor was fully exposed.

"This son's heart is not strong, it's hard to become a great man!"

Lan Chang'an shook his head.

Next time, he would experiment on a stronger target, perhaps an enemy Nascent Soul cultivator once he returned to Great Qing.

Through his exploration of the Heavenly Demon Secret Art, Lan Chang'an came to a profound realization that every cultivator harbors latent demonic tendencies.

The world is built on the balance of Yin and Yang—where there is righteousness, there is corruption.

Demonic nature is merely the dark half of the equation.

Even the legendary immortals of myth were not free from it.

And the stronger the individual, the more catastrophic their transformation into a true demon would be.

...

On this day, after a long stretch of tedious cultivation, Lan Chang'an emerged from seclusion, exhaling a deep breath to clear his mind.

"Elder Xiang, these are the recent letters and gifts you’ve received."

Xiao Qingshan placed a collection of items in the storeroom adjacent to Lan Chang'an’s cultivation chamber.

Lan Chang'an swiftly swept his spiritual sense over the objects and immediately locked onto one in particular, a silver crystalline jade inscribed with a Heavenly character rune, a communication token from Jing Wufeng.

"Spatial materials that can be used to repair the spatial formation passage of the Tinghai Pavilion."

Lan Chang'an’s eyes gleamed with insight.

Jing Wufeng had requested a meeting, hinting that he had made progress.

At this point, Lan Chang'an had only one major task left to complete in the Great Yuan, restoring the spatial formation.

Back when he had first arrived in the Great Yuan, he had been in the late Core Formation stage.

Now, both he and Lord Earthrock had reached Nascent Soul level, surpassing the original capacity of the formation.

As a third-rank formation master, Lan Chang'an had spent the past few years studying the restoration methods from True Monarch Shazhai’s memories.

The formation materials and certain spatial treasures that might be at risk of exposure were all handled in secrecy.

During his four to five years back in Yunxia Sect, the fourth-rank puppet under Puppet Master Wei had also been actively acquiring materials.

Puppet Master Wei was even more eager than Lan Chang'an to complete this task, his sole ambition was to return to Great Qing and exact vengeance.

"Qingshan, I heard you’ve been preparing for Core Formation?"

Lan Chang'an glanced at Xiao Qingshan, who had now reached the late Foundation Establishment stage and appeared radiant with vitality.

This son's qualifications in his secondary path were superior, his Innate Dual Cauldron Method had steadily improved. Years had passed, yet Xiao Qingshan remained youthful and full of vigor.

Apart from Lan Chang'an’s guidance and protection, the Xiao clan had provided him with immense resources, elevating his status within the sect.

By now, he had acquired a Dao companion and several concubines, most of whom were political marriages arranged by internal sect factions.

"I am still lacking a little refinement to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment. But, as Elder Xiang has taught me, preparation must be made in advance. So, I have already been gathering resources for twenty years."

Xiao Qingshan replied humbly and respectfully.

Lan Chang'an gave a slight nod and chatted with Xiao Qingshan about some family matters, offering some guidance on cultivation and bestowing upon him a core formation insight jade.

Lan Chang'an had undergone the process of transforming his Core three times and shared profound insights on Core Formation, few in the entire cultivation world could match it.

As the chief steward of his main peak, Xiao Qingshan was Yunxia Sect’s rising star, enjoying treatment equal to that of core disciples.

He lacked no resources, only seeking even higher-grade Core Formation spirit items to ensure the best possible breakthrough.

Before leaving Great Yuan, Lan Chang'an had already prepared a superior-grade Core Formation item for him.

At the Nascent Soul level, acquiring such resources was effortless.

"By the way, leave behind a written copy of your insights on the Dragon Phoenix Dual Cauldron Technique. A friend of mine is interested in it."

Just before parting, Lan Chang'an added casually.

"Understood, True Monarch Xiang."

Xiao Qingshan bowed in acknowledgment, not daring to ask further questions.

The Dragon Phoenix Dual Cauldron Technique had originally been obtained from Ancestor Heavenly Net. This side-path cultivation technique had been discovered in an ancient ruin and studied by Ancestor Heavenly Net for his entire life, yet he had never fully comprehended it.

Lan Chang'an had Xiao Qingshan cultivate it, refining the technique by accumulating practical experience and improving its drawbacks.

Initially, this had been meant as a preparation for his next life.

However, since the Evergreen Technique lacked post-Nascent Soul cultivation chapters, it only served to gradually accumulate spiritual power at a slow and inefficient rate.

This was why Lan Chang'an had increased his Dao discussions with Purple Mist Fairy in recent years, not out of indulgence, but out of necessity.

He discovered that the Dragon Phoenix Dual Cauldron Technique could enhance his cultivation efficiency, compensating for some of his technique’s deficiencies.

Jiang Ziyan was a Nascent Soul female cultivator so if she replaced with an auxiliary cauldron of the late Core Formation stage or below, the results likely wouldn’t be as effective.

Of course, Jiang Ziyan also benefited from the technique. Even if it couldn't help her break through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage, it still nourished her vitality, energy, and spirit, allowing her to be rejuvenated through the Dual Cauldron Technique.

...

Lan Chang'an did not immediately arrange a meeting with Jing Wufeng.

He had a strong premonition that the time to return to Great Qing was approaching.

All that remained was the restoration of the spatial formation.

Before setting out, Lan Chang'an met with Purple Mist Fairy once more, subtly hinting at his intention to return home.

Jiang Ziyan was not surprised.

From various clues over the years, she had already sensed this day drawing closer.

She did not try to persuade him to stay. However, her expression dimmed slightly as she gently bit her lip.

Meeting his gaze, she softly asked, "Dalong, when do you plan to leave?"

"At the earliest, three to five years. At the latest, within ten."

Lan Chang'an wasn’t completely certain, it depended on the progress of the formation’s repair.

If all went well, one final trip with Jing Wufeng might be all it took.

Of course, repairing the formation required meticulous care, there could be no room for error.

"Will you ever return to the Great Yuan?"

"There will definitely be an opportunity in the future."

Lan Chang'an answered with a reassuring smile.

And it wasn’t just empty words.

With control over the spatial teleportation passage, he could return whenever necessary.

For a cultivator seeking higher realms, the Great Yuan was rich in opportunities and resources, it would be foolish to never return.

Hearing this confirmation and reassurance, Jiang Ziyan’s expression softened slightly.

Still, the brightness in her smile had faded.

It was evident that Lan Chang'an's departure had a significant psychological impact on Purple Mist Fairy, leaving a noticeable effect on her.

"By the way, has Grandmaster Le expressed any difficulties to Yunxia Sect over the years?"

Lan Chang'an changed the subject.

"Alchemist Le’s lineage has grown closer to our sect, maintaining trade relations. However, he and his descendants have not expressed any requests for aid."

Jiang Ziyan knew a little about the agreement between Lan Chang'an and Grandmaster Le.

Grandmaster Le had provided the main ingredient for Lan Chang'an’s Infant Transformation Pill, earning a favor in return.

This matter had already spread in the Alchemy Dao Alliance's sphere of influence.

With the Twin Dragons of the Central Region now renowned, the value of this favor had skyrocketed. This piece of gossip, fueled by those with intentions, became known to many high-level cultivators and Nascent Soul elders.

"That old fox… could it be that he intends to keep this promise untouched?"

A thought crossed Lan Chang'an’s mind.

Back when he had first owed this promise, he had been an unremarkable early Nascent Soul cultivator with only a fourth-rank demon king as a trump card.

Now, Grandmaster Le’s investment had paid off tremendously.

He now held a mid-stage Nascent Soul powerhouse’s promise, a currency far more valuable than before.

The agreement would remain valid for a century, extending its benefits even to his descendants.

Yet, Grandmaster Le had never publicly disclosed the time limit.

By deliberately not cashing in on the favor, he could continue to wield it as leverage, even if he grew old or passed away, the mere existence of the promise remained a deterrent.

Sometimes, a threat unspoken was more powerful than one acted upon.

Lan Chang'an pondered for a moment before saying, "Have the sect send word to Grandmaster Le, remind him that I may leave for decades of travel. If he doesn’t use this favor soon, he might not be able to find me when he needs it."

There had been no formal oath tied to the promise.

Lan Chang'an was simply offering a friendly reminder.

Jiang Ziyan nodded.

"I will have someone deliver the message."

...

Thinking of Grandmaster Le, Lan Chang'an also recalled the remaining fourth-rank Life Extension Pill in his possession.

Grandmaster Le had once offered to help sell the pill in exchange for precious resources.

However, the Nascent Soul cultivators he contacted had only provided subpar offers, wood-based heaven and earth spirits, and puppet refinement that fell short of Lan Chang'an’s expectations.

Lan Chang'an suspected whether this old fox was acting as a middleman and pocketing a portion of the commission.

Over the years, Lan Chang'an had amassed a stockpile of treasures such as the Ice Blue Phoenix Feather, Wing of the Peng Bird, and Nine-Headed Bird remains. With his refined tastes, his need for additional resources had diminished.

Coupled with the promotion to Fourth Rank Divination level and the loss of a lot of lifespan using the Withering Extinction Divine Light, he decided to take the pill himself.

That very night, Lan Chang'an consumed his third fourth-rank Life Extension Pill.

This time, however, the effectiveness had diminished, extending his lifespan by only 76 and a half years. Nonetheless, it was still better than the average cultivator’s results.

His total lifespan returned to over 2,200 years.

Compared to when he had first reached Nascent Soul, his mana and divine abilities had seen tremendous growth.

Yet, the streaks of silver in his hair remained.

Before the demon-sealing mission and the battle against the Seven True Monarchs, Lan Chang'an had burned a significant portion of his lifespan in a short period to enhance his divination skills in aims to increase his chances of victory. The traces left behind serve as evidence of this sacrifice.

Lan Chang'an went with the flow and chose not to restore his hair’s color using the Evergreen Technique.

...

A few days later, in a secluded valley along the Yunxia Sect and Great Snake Mountain border.

Two streaks of Nascent Soul-level light descended from the sky, one after another.

"It’s only been several years since we last met, and Fellow Daoist Jing's cultivation has progressed again."

Lan Chang'an keenly sensed that Jing Wufeng’s mana fluctuations were even stronger than before.

Such rapid progress within just four or five years was considered extraordinary at the Nascent Soul stage.

"Haha, all thanks to you, Fellow Daoist Xiang. The spoils from our last battle were exchanged for quite a number of cultivation resources."

Jing Wufeng, dressed in a green silk robe over an ancient inner armor, had regained his usual leisurely demeanor.

"These two items, please accept them, fellow Daoist Xiang."

With a flick of his sleeve, a storage pouch and a jade slip floated toward Lan Chang'an.

Lan Chang'an first examined the storage pouch.

It was filled with precious materials, not only fourth-rank resources suitable for puppet refinement, but also several space-type formation materials.

"Fellow Daoist Jing is kind."

Lan Chang'an nodded in gratitude.

The materials inside were more than enough to replenish his puppet army’s losses.

Half of the puppet army formation was lost, so Lan Chang'an enlisted the Yunxia Sect's help in purchasing replacements. They had now managed to gather part of the necessary materials.

Even after enduring the demonic calamity, obtaining materials for eight superior-grade third-rank puppets remained an arduous task. Demonic beast materials alone weren’t enough to craft complete puppets, certain specialized core components were also required.

Satisfied, Lan Chang'an then turned his attention to the jade slip. Upon scanning its contents, his expression brightened.

"The Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Method!"

Lan Changan's heart rejoiced that he had finally gotten his hands on this item.

Across all of Great Yu Kingdom, this technique was likely only found within the imperial family’s archives.

The jade slip detailed ancient-era Nascent Soul Formation methods, covering both Human Dao Nascent Soul and Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul formation techniques.

A brief scan revealed that the ancient-era Nascent Soul techniques were far more primitive and untamed, focusing heavily on natural enlightenment rather than modern meticulous refinement.

Unlike present-day Nascent Soul methods, which emphasized perfect technique and extreme caution, these were rough yet profound.

"Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul is indeed harder than climbing up to heaven!"

Lan Chang'an sighed as he stored the jade slip.

Even with access to this method, he estimated that his chances of reforging his Nascent Soul would only increase by about 20%.

"Hahaha! Nowadays, no one dares attempt the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul method."

"Its value has plummeted, otherwise fellow Daoist Xiang wouldn’t have gotten it so smoothly."

Jing Wufeng chuckled.

The Nascent Soul Formation method he had given Lan Chang'an wasn’t one his sect actively used. Rather, it was something a past ancestor had acquired through other means and stored in their sect library.

Because of this, he didn’t even need to report it to his master and only informed the library's old servant.

"The three conditions mentioned by True Monarch Xiang that day, Jing has already fulfilled two of them."

Jing Wufeng grinned, making it clear he did not want to fall short.

Lan Chang'an did not decline and replied, "Actually, I have a few questions regarding spatial formations, I’d like to consult you, True Monarch Jing."

The formation restoration plan from True Monarch Shazhai’s memories was only a rough blueprint.

Some details still needed refinement.

Since Jing Wufeng was a fourth-rank formation master, particularly skilled in spatial formations, he was actually more proficient in this area than True Monarch Shazhai.

As Lan Chang'an presented his questions, Jing Wufeng listened intently, pausing at times to ponder his responses.

Through their discussion, Jing Wufeng quickly realized that Lan Chang'an’s formation knowledge was not at all shallow. He was at least as skilled as a senior third-rank formation master.

"I didn’t expect True Monarch Xiang to be so well-versed, not just in divination and puppet refinement, but you've dabbled in formations as well."

"I only know a little."

Lan Chang'an smiled humbly.

"After all, my puppet army requires a foundation in formation techniques."

Jing Wufeng wasn’t surprised, after all, Lan Chang'an cultivated the Evergreen Technique and had lived for centuries.

When it came to scholarly knowledge, no one in Heaven Honoured Continent could match his own master, and it had been the case for all generations of sect ancestors.

Half a day later, Lan Chang'an’s confusion about repairing the formation was all pointed out.

Jing Wufeng explained everything patiently and thoroughly, allowing Lan Chang'an to greatly refine his understanding of spatial formations.

"If more questions arise, I might trouble you again, Fellow Daoist Jing."

Lan Chang'an shamelessly added.

"That’s no problem! The issues you’re dealing with are all fairly standard spatial formation problems."

Through their discussion, Jing Wufeng also gained new insights into his own formation mastery.

With his plan now fully refined, Lan Chang'an felt completely at ease.

The remaining material gap for the restoration was also minimal.

Of course, he wasn’t aiming for a perfect 100% restoration. As long as the formation was restored to at least 80% efficiency, it would safely support Nascent Soul cultivators traveling through the spatial passage.

New novel that's equally as fun^^ Five Immortal Sects