I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 216

## Chapter 214: Leaving Alone

The ancient ruins, in the courtyard on the inner side of the bridge and river bank.

A middle-aged man with a hunched back lay half-dead among the grass and trees, his face and skin oozing purple-blue pus and blood.

“Cough… Lu Chang’an, spare me!”

Tan Zhenren pretended to be calm, but his mouth kept coughing up blood, making him appear extremely weak.

“You’ve already obtained the opportunity within the ruins. Why create trouble and insist on fighting to the death with me?”

Tan Zhenren closed his eyes, with purple-red poisonous blood seeping from the cracks in his eyelids. It was hard to imagine that the once invincible and overbearing Zhenren had fallen to such a state.

“Fight? You look like you’re about to die! First, beat my puppets before you talk!”

Lu Chang’an stood dozens of feet away from the courtyard, simultaneously controlling three or four puppets, steadily advancing into the courtyard.

These four puppets were all of at least second-order high-grade, the highest reaching second-order top-tier.

Among them, there was one heavy armor puppet and one flying puppet.

In the rear were two bow and arrow puppets.

Such a lineup was already capable of fighting a False Core Zhenren in his prime.

“You… you can control so many puppets at the same time?”

Tan Zhenren was shocked and his face turned pale, a feeling of unprecedented despair rising in his heart.

Only a near-third-order puppet master could simultaneously control so many second-order high-grade puppets, achieving an orderly division of labor and flexible deployment.

Lu Chang’an’s puppet mastery had not yet reached near-third-order, but he was still a little short. Mainly, he hadn’t had enough practice opportunities.

However, his spiritual sense was powerful, at least False Core level, and in puppet control, he had reached the level of a near-third-order puppet master.

Under the attack of the four puppets, Tan Zhenren became flustered, summoning his top-grade magical artifact and throwing out some talismans, barely managing to defend himself.

“You’re so weak now, you can’t even control your magical artifact.”

Lu Chang’an thought to himself.

Tan Zhenren’s strength had completely fallen below the level of a False Core Zhenren, and activating his spiritual power would further exacerbate the eruption of poison in his body.

If not for the few near-third-order talismans, including a talisman treasure, he would have been crushed by the puppets long ago.

Lu Chang’an didn’t dare to be careless, maintaining his distance and using puppets to attack.

“Lu! Chang! An!”

At the last moment, Tan Zhenren violently coughed up a mouthful of poisonous blood, his face flushed with a hint of reddish color.

He opened his bloody purple-black eyes, emitting a powerful False Core level spiritual pressure, almost restoring himself to his peak state.

“A life-draining secret technique?” Lu Chang’an’s face changed slightly, and he took out a turtle puppet with a defensive power comparable to that of a near-third-order puppet and placed it in front of him.

Boom! Bang! Bang!

Tan Zhenren once again controlled his magical artifact ruler, unleashing all the talismans and talisman treasures left on him in one breath, instantly destroying the three puppets that were at the forefront.

Seeing this, Lu Chang’an decisively controlled the remaining flying puppet and made it self-destruct. The fierce fire and shrapnel covered Tan Zhenren’s body.

Ugh!

Tan Zhenren vomited blood again, the poisonous energy in his body erupted, his momentum plummeting, his eyes bloodshot as he attacked Lu Chang’an.

Even if he couldn’t die together, he had to inflict as much damage on Lu Chang’an as possible, crippling his foundation.

“A dying struggle.”

Lu Chang’an remained calm, flipping his palm to reveal a treasure talisman engraved with cold frost patterns, and activated it with his spiritual power.

Hiss!

Tan Zhenren, who was madly rushing towards him, felt an icy chill.

Whoosh! Boom——

In an instant, a vast blue cold wave, like a rotating waterfall, engulfed everything within his sight.

Tan Zhenren roared, his rushing motion gradually solidified, his whole body covered in frost.

The magical artifact ruler, whose spiritual light was dim, condensed a layer of blue ice, still several feet away from Lu Chang’an, and fell from the air, swaying.

There was a crisp “snap.”

“Lu Chang’an… you cowardly turtle…”

Tan Zhenren’s body was frozen, and his spiritual sense transmitted a final voice, conveying his extreme frustration and resentment.

Until his death, he hadn’t even touched Lu Chang’an’s clothes.

Crack!

The frozen body of the Zhenren fell to the ground, like a broken porcelain vase.

…

In front of the hexagonal palace building.

Shi Manrong couldn’t help but shiver, looking towards the bridge and river bank.

“Lu Chang’an…”

At this time, she felt a False Core level spiritual power fluctuation, extremely terrifying, making her heart skip a beat.

Restricted by the distance of her spiritual sense, she couldn’t see the fight clearly from afar.

After a while.

The familiar young figure flew back calmly and steadily.

“Lu Daoist, did it go smoothly?”

Shi Manrong breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Lu Chang’an, who was unscathed.

“Solved!”

Lu Chang’an smiled, relieved:

“Fortunately, Tan Zhenren was seriously poisoned, and could only unleash one or two peak attacks. Otherwise, a single third-order low-grade talisman might not have been enough to take his life.”

Just now, Lu Chang’an had used a Frost Spell Treasure Talisman that he had nurtured for dozens of years.

This treasure talisman was made from the earliest batch of second-order high-grade spiritual wood, its spirituality and power exceeding the limit of the material, comparable to a third-order low-grade talisman.

The art of talisman treasures, using talismans to contain treasures, is almost lost in the realm of talisman art.

Lu Chang’an, inheriting the foundations of his previous life, had begun to plan for this from when he first entered the Foundation Establishment stage.

Coupled with the characteristics of Changqing’s spiritual power, he had persevered in daily nurturing for decades, and now it was showing its effectiveness.

The only regret in killing Tan Zhenren was that due to the intensity of the battle, his storage pouch exploded, destroying most of its contents.

Fortunately, the most valuable magical artifact, the Black Ruler, was only slightly damaged.

There was also a top-grade defensive magical artifact, several near-third-order ore materials, relatively intact.

Unlike Hu Zhenren, who had been killed by Lu Chang’an with a single strike earlier, his storage pouch and its spoils were intact.

Lu Chang’an thought to himself: Being a sneaky attacker is still the best, the least damage, the greatest rewards.

…

“Ugh… so cold!”

As if affected by the magical frost wave, the pale-faced Miss Wei gradually regained consciousness.

“Senior Lu, it was you who saved me?”

Miss Wei endured the pain and soon discovered that she was under a restriction, forcing a smile.

To her horror, there were no other cultivators besides Lu Chang’an and Miss Shi.

The lingering power of the cold wave from afar made Miss Wei uneasy.

“Tan Zhenren…”

“There are only the three of us left in the ancient ruins now.”

Lu Chang’an’s answer confirmed Miss Wei’s speculation.

If another Foundation Establishment cultivator had done this, she would have found it astounding.

But for the mysterious existence that her master had mentioned, Miss Wei accepted it naturally.

“Senior Lu spared my life, I wonder what instructions you have?”

Miss Wei said respectfully.

“Lu has something to ask you.”

Lu Chang’an was satisfied with her understanding, saving him the trouble.

“Senior Lu, please ask, I know everything.”

Miss Wei did not bargain.

“Besides the few of you, has anyone else leaked the news about this ancient ruin?”

This was not only a concern for Lu Chang’an, but also Miss Shi.

Because there were still some unexplored areas in the ruins, many of the remaining formations and restrictions within them had great reference and inspiration for Shi Manrong.

“There shouldn’t be any leaks, but I’m not one hundred percent sure.”

Miss Wei paused for a moment and began to explain the reason.

According to her description, Tan Zhenren was a traitor of the Li Huo Gong, and he was being pursued and hunted by the sect. He had spent a lot of resources and used up three of his third-order talismans to escape to the Black Mist Mountain Range.

In a fit of anger, Tan Zhenren planned to join the Demon Cult. After many twists and turns, he got in touch with Miss Wei.

As one of Liang Shaotien’s direct disciples, Miss Wei was a significant achievement in bringing a powerful Zhenren from the sect to the Demon Cult.

On the way, they encountered Hu Zhenren and two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The ancient ruins were accidentally discovered by the two Foundation Establishment cultivators while they were fleeing, alerting Hu Zhenren, who was setting up a formation to hunt demons in the area.

The tall-nosed young man at the peak of Foundation Establishment was a law enforcement cultivator from the Flowing Cloud Sect in the northern region of Liang Guo.

It happened that Tan Zhenren and Hu Zhenren knew each other before. When they discovered the ruins, they immediately controlled the Foundation Establishment cultivators present and sealed off the scene.

During this time, the two Zhenren did not allow any other cultivators to leave and cut off all contact with the outside world.

“At first, when I discovered this ruin, I didn’t pay much attention. I thought it was a relic of a third-order formation master or a False Core force. Unexpectedly, the difficulty of conquering this ruin is so great, and it seems to have been explored by previous people…”

Miss Wei explained the ins and outs.

Lu Chang’an and Miss Shi looked at each other, shaking their heads slightly.

The exposure of the ancient ruins was inevitable.

Although the two Zhenren had prevented the transmission of news, the matter involved too many people, and they were all from significant backgrounds.

Tan Zhenren and the tall-nosed peak Foundation Establishment cultivator came from the first and second most powerful cultivation sects in Liang Guo.

Miss Wei was also from the Demon Cult, a direct disciple of Liang Shaotien.

Apart from human cultivators, this place was located within the Black Mist Mountain Range, with many demonic beasts around.

Several groups of human cultivators had been here, and they had fought before, possibly attracting the attention of a few intelligent demonic beasts.

“By the way, I have left a ‘Soul Lamp’ that can sense the location in the Demon Cult’s ancestral hall. If I die, my master or senior brother will be able to pinpoint a general area.”

“I’m not threatening you, senior. But if something like this happens, my master will definitely send people to investigate, and he will also reveal the situation of this ruin.”

Miss Wei said cautiously.

Lu Chang’an’s face remained impassive, saying:

“For your cooperation, Lu will leave you alive.”

“Thank you for your mercy, senior. No matter how you decide, I will obey your arrangements.”

Miss Wei bowed deeply.

Shi Manrong’s eyes flashed with surprise. This Miss Wei, as a disciple of the great demon Liang Shaotien, had been cold and arrogant when they first met, but now she had no pride at all.

She was directly calling Lu Chang’an ‘senior’, being so docile and accommodating.

“Shi Manrong and I obtained opportunities in the ruins, and we don’t want outsiders to know any more specific details. Open your spiritual sea and let Lu erase your recent memories.”

Lu Chang’an said without hesitation.

If the target cooperates actively, it’s not difficult to accurately erase a part of the recent memories of a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a False Core level spiritual sense.

“Senior Lu, please proceed.”

Miss Wei did not hesitate, closing her eyes.

Lu Chang’an extended his index finger and pressed it on Miss Wei’s forehead, using the spiritual sea secret technique from his previous life.

Erasing memories is easier than restoring them, especially recent memories, which are at a shallow level.

If it was a more distant memory, many would be deep in the spiritual sea, and it would be ten times more difficult to accurately erase them.

Unless it was a violent erasure, severely damaging the spiritual sea, turning the target into an idiot.

After a moment, Lu Chang’an withdrew his finger, his spiritual sense greatly depleted.

Miss Wei’s forehead was covered in sweat, her dress was almost soaked, and she fainted once during this period.

“For Liang Shaotien’s sake, Lu will spare your life.”

Lu Chang’an stood with his hands behind his back, saying calmly.

“I… where am I…”

Miss Wei stood in place for a moment, looking around.

At this time, she could only vaguely remember that she had encountered Lu Chang’an and Shi Manrong outside the ancient ruin two or three months ago.

As for what happened after everyone entered the ruins, her mind was blank.

The range of memory that Lu Chang’an could accurately erase was limited. As for the older memories, many were deeply embedded in the spiritual sea.

In any case, the ancient ruins would be exposed sooner or later. As long as Miss Wei didn’t return to the Demon Cult too soon, it was fine.

Lu Chang’an was too lazy to explain, giving Miss Shi a wink.

…

Seven days later.

Under the guidance of Miss Shi, the three returned to the entrance of the passage leading back to the surface from the ancient ruins.

Lu Chang’an stood at the entrance, while Miss Shi and Miss Wei stood on the other side of the ruins.

Miss Wei’s injuries were serious, and she wouldn’t recover for another year and a half. Now, Miss Shi had planted a restriction on her, allowing her to help out in the ruins.

“Miss Shi, although there are still some opportunities here, don’t stay too long.”

Lu Chang’an advised.

It turned out that Miss Shi, in order to become a third-order formation master as soon as possible, planned to stay in the ancient ruins for another two months to study the formations and restrictions here.

The formation inheritance jade tube that Miss Shi had obtained in the treasure space was of the same lineage as many of the formations and restrictions in this ruin.

It was a third-order top-tier formation inheritance, even considered a near-fourth-order.

Miss Shi was very satisfied with this formation inheritance, and even made a copy for Lu Chang’an.

This level of formation inheritance was the first time Lu Chang’an had obtained it in his three lifetimes, and it was considered extremely valuable.

A few days ago.

Lu Chang’an and Shi Manrong tried to find other tokens in the explored areas, but they didn’t succeed.

Hu Zhenren’s token had been swallowed by the ancient formation or recycled, and it was also not found.

To avoid any delays, Lu Chang’an decided to leave the ruins as soon as possible.

In Liang Guo, regarding his preparations for Core Formation, he had one last item left on his plan.

To trade for the Core Transformation Secret Technique from Zhang Tieshan.

Before going to the ancient ruins, Lu Chang’an had prepared himself for failure.

The Core Transformation Secret Technique was an important backup plan. If he could repeatedly “transform the pill and return it to liquid” and cultivate again, the quality of the pill theoretically had a very high upper limit of improvement.

Once this matter was done, Lu Chang’an could start preparing to leave the war-torn Liang Guo cultivation world.

“Lu Daoist, please rest assured, once I become a third-order formation master, and with my understanding of this ruin, even if a False Core cultivator arrives, they won’t be able to do anything to me.”

Shi Manrong smiled, her voice full of confidence.

“Miss Shi, please take care. Lu will leave first.”

Lu Chang’an smiled warmly, then bowed respectfully as a final gesture and turned to enter the passage leading back to the surface.

“Lu Daoist, be careful on the road.”

Shi Manrong felt something strange in her heart, and returned the courtesy.

Because of their close relationship, their farewells rarely had such a formal gesture.

Moreover, in a few months, Shi Manrong would be able to return to Wu Qi Shan.

Watching Lu Chang’an leave alone.

Shi Manrong’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, her face filled with thought, a sense of inexplicable foreboding in her heart.

Although she vaguely sensed something, she couldn’t predict:

This farewell would be a separation for eternity.

(End of Chapter)

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