I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

"Indeed, he's a troublesome figure," Lan Chang'an muttered. Of course, he couldn’t openly admit that Xiang Jinglong's troubles with the Flame Departing Palace and his eventual alliance with the demonic sect were all indirectly caused by him.

Now, Xiang Jinglong had become a major obstacle in Lan Chang'an's journey to Jing.

But even if it wasn’t Xiang Jinglong, there would be a Xiang Dalong or Xiang Shaolong. The demonic sect would always dispatch a formidable figure to the chaotic borderlands to seize control of the resources and exert their influence in this region.

"Is it possible for a lone cultivator to cross the border and reach Jing without relying on these merchant associations or escort organizations?" Lan Chang'an asked.

"Very difficult!" Li Congren shook his head. "Between the two nations lies a vast stretch of low-spirit or even spirit-deprived zones, including dangerous natural barriers. The best method is to travel by giant spirit ships, which are driven by formation arrays powered by spirit stones. This allows cultivators to conserve their own energy and provides protection against external threats..."

Lan Chang'an nodded in understanding.

Low-spirit or spirit-deprived zones meant that long-distance travel would drain a cultivator’s mana with little to no opportunity for replenishment. A weary cultivator would be much more vulnerable to the dangers along the way.

Even without the Liang Kingdom’s sect crackdowns or the demonic sect’s threats, the rogue cultivators and bandits lying in ambush on the route would still be a major problem.

The bandits, outlaws, and fugitives who roamed the borders between the two nations were far more savage than those within the Liang Kingdom.

"Before the war, a Fake Dan cultivator could easily cross the border, and a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would also have a fair chance. But in these turbulent times, even Fake Dan cultivators face considerable risks traveling alone."

"About half a year ago, a Fake Dan cultivator attempting to cross the border was ambushed and killed..."

Li Congren did not recommend attempting to cross the border alone.

From what he had gathered, most Fake Dan cultivators traveling between Liang and Jing these days were doing so by riding on giant spirit ships.

The reasons were twofold: first, the comfort of not having to expend their own energy over a long journey, and second, the greater safety provided by the ship’s defensive formations and the strength of the group.

Lan Chang'an mused, “So, my plan to disguise myself as a Fake Dan cultivator and cross the border might not work after all.”

With his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, his spiritual sense was already comparable to that of a Fake Dan cultivator. Using the Hundred Illusions Mask, he could disguise himself as one.

He had previously considered using this high-profile approach to deceive others and safely cross the border.

“The Hundred Illusions Mask slowly drains spiritual sense while maintaining the disguise. The higher the simulated cultivation, the greater the spiritual sense consumption. Combining that with the constant drain of mana on such a long journey, if I got ambushed…”

Lan Chang'an shook his head, dismissing the idea for now.

"If you wish to go to Jing, Grandpa Lan, I recommend the Jiuchen Merchant Association. Of all the forces in the two cultivation nations, only they can reliably transport people to Jing."

"The Jiuchen Merchant Association?" Lan Chang'an had heard of the organization in passing.

"The Jiuchen Merchant Association is one of the 'Three Great Merchant Associations' of the Jing Kingdom’s Merchant Alliance. They’ve been around for over a thousand years, and their guild leader is a deputy leader of the Merchant Alliance. This guild has major business dealings with the sects of the Liang Kingdom, and they are rarely subjected to thorough inspections."

"Whenever they make a trip, the Jiuchen Merchant Association spends a great deal of money hiring powerful escort organizations for protection. To offset the costs and increase their profits, the Jiuchen Association secretly sells 'tickets' to a limited number of Liang Kingdom cultivators, allowing them to return to Jing."

“Oh? Would the demonic sect not interfere with the Jiuchen Merchant Association’s spirit ships?”

"The demonic sect gives the guild some face. Even when encountered, they can usually pay a ransom to avert disaster. It’s said that on the last two trips back to Jing, over half of the Liang Kingdom cultivators aboard survived."

"And what happened to the other half?"

"I'm not entirely sure about the details," Li Congren admitted. "Perhaps it was due to the dangers of the journey—like running into the demonic sect and being unable to pay enough ransom. But cultivators with strong backing and wealth tend to make it through safely."

Lan Chang'an understood. To the eyes of this junior, he must appear to be a cultivator with ample wealth and considerable connections.

"How would one go about purchasing a ticket from the Jiuchen Merchant Association?"

Lan Chang'an wasn’t worried about wealth—his liquid assets alone exceeded one hundred thousand spirit stones.

"You’ll need a mid-level or higher Merchant Alliance cultivator to introduce you to the guild. Including intermediary fees, a ticket would cost at least four or five thousand spirit stones."

"Four or five thousand spirit stones?"

Lan Chang'an was a bit surprised. That was almost the price of a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill at an auction.

"Congren, do you have the means to help Grandpa Lan obtain a ticket?"

"I can manage, but our Li Family of Snow Plum Mountain holds little sway with the major merchant associations of Jing. It would be more reliable to ask the Beast Taming Zhou Family to help, since Grandpa Lan has a connection with them."

Li Congren suggested.

The Zhou Family, being one of the seven great families of the Liang Kingdom, had connections with the merchant associations of Jing and could exert more influence.

A ticket purchased through the Zhou Family would also come with better protection during the journey.

Lan Chang'an thought for a moment. "I don’t trust the Zhou Family."

"Congren, I’ll trouble you to handle this. Whatever fees are needed, Grandpa Lan will cover them."

"Don’t worry, Grandpa Lan. I’ll take care of it."

Li Congren agreed without hesitation.

...

Securing a ticket would take at least a month, as there weren’t open slots available every month.

During this time, Lan Chang'an stayed at the Li Family’s estate in Snow Plum Mountain.

The Li Family was located fairly close to the Beast Taming Zhou Family.

“Zhou Qingxuan... So she’s now a Fake Dan cultivator and a Grand Elder of the Zhou Family?”

At Snow Plum Mountain, Lan Chang'an received news from recent reports.

Zhou Qingxuan possessed high-grade spiritual roots and had an outstanding talent for beast taming. Her aptitude and opportunities were even better than Zhao Siyao’s.

Originally, she had a fair chance of achieving True Dan.

However, the backlash from Huanglong Immortal had damaged her foundation.

The separation of the Hundred Abodes Soul Gu had injured her sea of consciousness, and the unaddressed gu worm restriction still left lingering effects.

Achieving Fake Dan was something Lan Chang'an had expected.

...

More than half a month later.

Li Congren had not yet returned.

His wife, Wu Yue, came to see Lan Chang'an to discuss something.

"Grandpa Lan, over the past few days, the Earth Burrowing Rat and the Golden Rat have become quite close. If the Earth Burrowing Rat becomes pregnant, could we keep some of the offspring here at Snow Plum Mountain?"

Wu Yue asked respectfully.

Rat-type demon beasts typically give birth to litters of offspring once they are pregnant.

This was one of the advantages demon beasts had when it came to reproduction. Though their initial intelligence and cultivation skills were not on par with humans, their ability to reproduce quickly was a clear advantage.

Of course, for species that reproduced rapidly, it was harder to ensure that the offspring would inherit the full bloodline of their parents. There was a higher chance of lower-grade bloodlines appearing among the young.

"Has Congren’s spirit rat never produced offspring before?" Lan Chang'an glanced at the plain-looking yet composed Foundation Establishment female cultivator.

"The Golden Rat has high standards and has never gotten close to ordinary rats before. Even this time, it was…"

Wu Yue blushed and swallowed the rest of her words.

Lan Chang'an chuckled inwardly.

Li Congren’s spirit rat had basically been forced into this pairing...

Back when Li Congren had first visited Little Turtle Peak, the Earth Burrowing Rat had caught the scent of the Golden Rat and immediately showed interest. At the time, Lan Chang'an had asked Li Congren whether his spirit rat was male or female, and Li had replied that it was male.

Later, when the Earth Burrowing Rat went to the Beast Taming Zhou Family for "training," it had been pampered by the other rat demons and enjoyed a comfortable life.

The Zhou Family had even tried to breed the Earth Burrowing Rat due to its mutated bloodline, but the rat had never gotten pregnant during that time.

Zhou Qingxuan had even remarked that the Earth Burrowing Rat was a lot like Lan Chang'an in that regard.

"If the Earth Burrowing Rat does get pregnant, I’ll let you have some of the offspring. However, the Earth Burrowing Rat will have the right to pick its favorites first."

Lan Chang'an replied.

He wasn’t entirely sure whether the Earth Burrowing Rat would get pregnant this time.

Based on past behavior, it likely wouldn’t.

But Li Congren’s spirit rat had a high bloodline grade and was particularly attractive to the Earth Burrowing Rat.

...

A few days later.

Li Congren returned safely and came to meet Lan Chang'an alone in his guest room.

After Lan Chang'an set up a barrier to isolate their conversation, Li Congren handed him a white jade token.

"Grandpa Lan, I didn’t let you down."

"Thank you for your efforts."

Lan Chang'an inspected the white jade token. His spiritual sense entered the token and found basic information related to the Xinyue Merchant Association.

The Xinyue Association was likely the Jing merchant association with which Li Congren had the most dealings.

Lan Chang'an inquired about the situation and then handed Li Congren a pouch of spirit stones.

In addition to the spirit stones needed for the ticket and bribes, Lan Chang'an also gifted Li Congren a superior-grade second-rank puppet.

Li Congren was overjoyed, but after a few rounds of polite refusal, he bought the puppet at half price.

In the early days of establishing his family in the frigid northern region, the puppets Lan Chang'an had sold him had been instrumental in helping him gain a foothold.

"Grandpa Lan, in twenty days, you can board the Jiuchen Merchant Association’s spirit ship bound for Jing with this identity token."

Li Congren provided Lan Chang'an with the time and location.

...

After securing the ticket, Lan Chang'an immediately called back the Earth Burrowing Rat.

Over the past few days, the Earth Burrowing Rat had been out roaming, barely showing itself.

"Not pregnant?"

Soon, Li Congren, Wu Yue, and a beast tamer arrived to examine the Earth Burrowing Rat.

The results left Li Congren and his wife somewhat disappointed.

After multiple checks, it was confirmed that the Earth Burrowing Rat had not become pregnant by the Golden Rat.

Li Congren glanced at the weary, significantly thinner Golden Rat at his feet.

The Golden Rat had worked tirelessly day and night, nearly exhausting its vitality.

Li Congren forced a smile, his heart aching.

The Earth Burrowing Rat, on the other hand, looked full of energy, its fur glossy and bright.

Squeak!

It bared its teeth slightly, and the Golden Rat, legs trembling, retreated into its owner’s spirit pet pouch.

"Congren, Yue’e, since the Earth Burrowing Rat isn’t pregnant, let’s leave this matter for now. Grandpa Lan will take his leave."

Lan Chang'an didn’t stay any longer. He packed up the Earth Burrowing Rat and bid them farewell.

Wu Yue seemed as if she wanted to say something, but Li Congren held her hand, stopping her.

Wu Yue didn’t know where Lan Chang'an was heading.

The Golden Rat had been put through all that effort with nothing to show for it. She felt they had been shortchanged and had wanted to invite Lan Chang'an to stay a bit longer.

...

Five days later.

Several hundred li away from the Beast Taming Zhou Family.

Sitting atop the large turtle, Lan Chang'an closed his eyes, his hands forming a seal as he cast a spell from a distance.

"Now that she’s advanced to the Fake Dan stage, her lifespan has increased by a hundred years, and her sea of consciousness has strengthened significantly. In the future, the gu worm restriction should no longer need to be stabilized annually."

"However, I’ll be gone for at least several decades on this journey."

Lan Chang'an stayed in place for half a day.

At some point, he opened his eyes, withdrew his Profound Water Turtle, and changed his appearance.

He then flew westward along a branch of the Black Fog Mountain Range.

After a short time, the sound of something breaking through the air echoed nearby.

Accompanied by the pressure of a Fake Dan cultivator, a young woman with features as delicate as jade and eyes like obsidian descended on a cloud of light, landing at the very spot where Lan Chang'an had just been sitting.

"Didn't you agree to meet me here? Why did you leave early?"

Zhou Qingxuan furrowed her nose and murmured softly.

Even before forming her Fake Dan, Zhou Qingxuan had already possessed a quasi-third-rank beast that could rival ordinary Fake Dan cultivators.

Now that she had advanced to Fake Dan, her strength had increased several times over.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a jade slip lying on the ground where the lingering aura still remained.

She picked it up and scanned it with her spiritual sense.

After a brief moment, Zhou Qingxuan put away the jade slip, her expression a mix of joy and concern.

The jade slip contained a method to stabilize the gu worm restriction. As a Fake Dan cultivator, her soul was strong enough to comprehend it.

Additionally, Lan Chang'an had left a message in the slip, stating that he was going to a remote location to prepare for Core Formation. He reminded her to be mindful of her actions and not to break the oath she had made all those years ago.

"The method left behind by Lan Chang'an can only stabilize the gu restrictions and prevent them from acting up—it can’t completely dissolve them. I’ll have to wait for him to successfully form his Core..."

After a long moment of contemplation, Zhou Qingxuan turned and headed toward Wuqi Mountain.

Two days later, she arrived at Wuqi Mountain.

Sweeping the area with her spiritual sense, she found that, as expected, Lan Chang'an was no longer at Little Turtle Peak. Both the Profound Water Turtle and the Earth Burrowing Rat were nowhere to be found.

Only a gatekeeper and a maid remained on the mountain.

Zhou Qingxuan descended onto Little Turtle Peak and chatted with the gatekeeper for a while, learning that the man had a bit of a connection with Lan Chang'an.

She presented the gatekeeper, Qi Feng, with a meeting gift before taking her leave.

"Hmm? A third-rank protective formation?"

As she flew away from Little Turtle Peak, Zhou Qingxuan’s spiritual sense instinctively swept over the nearby main peaks.

Her scan was blocked by the formation around Xiao Pan Peak, and she nearly suffered a backlash.

Zhou Qingxuan was stunned. "Has a third-rank formation master appeared at Wuqi Mountain?"