I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 224

## Chapter 221: Cross-Border Spirit Ship

In the western region of Liang Kingdom, there’s a prominent cultivation city known as “Zi Jing Immortal City”. This city borders Liang Kingdom and has trade relations with Jing Kingdom to the west.

Especially during the war, Jing Kingdom’s commercial alliance supplies a large amount of war material and raw materials to Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world.

The current war is led by the Jin Yang Sect, which launched a self-defense counterattack against Liang Kingdom. The strategic intention is actually to “move north”. Chen and Yan Kingdoms, under a certain agreement, are merely observing and not interfering.

Half a month later, in the mountains hundreds of miles north of Zi Jing Immortal City. A middle-aged man with a round face, a yellow beard, and a build of average height, arrived on a flying boat.

“There are no patrolling sect cultivators near the gathering point? Nine Chen Commercial Association’s influence is quite remarkable.” The round-faced man narrowed his eyes and looked around.

The round-faced man is actually Lu Chang An, disguised with a Hundred Illusions Mask under a new identity. He flipped his hand and took out a white jade pendant, merging his divine sense into it.

The jade pendant responded, pointing to a steep mountain peak several hundred feet away with dense forest cover. Lu Chang An pondered for a moment and did not rashly enter.

Whoosh! A purple-faced, burly man with a fierce aura, one arm wrapped in bandages, flew over from the side.

“Are you here for the gathering too?” The purple-faced man glanced at Lu Chang An and also took out a white jade pendant.

“Yes.” Lu Chang An nodded and followed the purple-faced man, flying towards the steep mountain peak.

Pop! The purple-faced man held the jade pendant, breaking through an invisible concealment formation, and entered the dense forest at the top of the mountain.

The so-called forest was actually a formation. There were only a few trees on the mountain, leaving it bare. In the center, there were several large rocks scattered among thirty or forty cultivators. They ranged in age and gender, with the majority being at the Foundation Establishment stage. There were also some Qi Refining cultivators, all young, accompanying their elders.

“Is the Nine Chen Commercial Association’s escort here?” The purple-faced man looked towards the center of the mountaintop and cupped his fist.

However, no one on the mountaintop responded. The silence was followed by an awkward stillness.

“He he…” A group of cultivators in the corner chuckled with a hint of mockery.

The purple-faced man’s face darkened, suppressing the rage within him. He gave a forced smile and started a conversation with Lu Chang An, who had entered with him.

“What is your Daoist name?”

“My name is Wu Fan, a nameless loose cultivator.” Lu Chang An replied casually.

The purple-faced man said his surname was Fang, but didn’t reveal his identity or origin. Lu Chang An observed: this injured man has pure and potent true energy, surpassing ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, with heavy killing intent… he might be a deserter from the front lines.

During each cultivation war, such cultivators are numerous, often hunted by the sects. If caught, their fate would be dire.

The two chatted, occasionally probing each other.

“The Nine Chen Commercial Association’s cultivators have not shown up at this gathering point, what are your thoughts, Daoist Wu?”

“The Nine Chen Commercial Association’s cultivators might not even be here. They might simply join the giant spirit ship and pick us up. That way, even if something happens, they won’t have to take any risks and won’t leave a trace.” Lu Chang An’s analysis lacked any highlights.

The purple-faced man’s eyes flickered as he lowered his voice: “The Nine Chen Commercial Association’s cultivators might be mingling among us, observing every cultivator who shows up…”

“Maybe.” Lu Chang An remained indifferent.

During their conversation, he sensed a faint divine sense lingering on him and the purple-faced man. The divine sense was stronger than ordinary Fake Core True Masters, likely belonging to a cultivator adept at investigation.

The purple-faced man’s words attracted the attention of that Fake Core-level divine sense, lingering on him for a couple of breaths longer. Lu Chang An’s disguised identity as a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator with a matching aura, didn’t stand out and wasn’t weak either.

…

Two hours later.

As the sun set in the west, fifty or sixty cultivators had gathered at the mountaintop, with over half being Foundation Establishment stage.

The Fake Core True Master who had been secretly investigating found his location due to his frequent use of divine sense. He was a genial elderly man in his sixties, wearing a dark blue long robe, most of the time closing his eyes to cultivate. Lu Chang An suspected he was a cultivator from the Nine Chen Commercial Association.

As the night fell, some cultivators became restless and uneasy. After all, most of them went to Jing Kingdom to seek refuge or escape, lacking a sense of security.

“Here we are!” Someone exclaimed.

Whew! The clouds above parted, and the air currents surged like a tide. A blue spirit ship, fifty or sixty feet long, wrapped in array brilliance, descended swiftly from the sky.

“Fellow Daoists, please enter the spirit ship in order, using the tokens in your hands.” A deep male voice came from within the spirit ship, accompanied by the spiritual pressure of a Fake Core True Master.

“Those who disrupt the order will be disqualified from boarding.”

Before the words fell, the spirit ship descended to a height of ten feet above the mountaintop and lowered two ramps.

One ramp was guarded by four Foundation Establishment mid-to-late stage cultivators with fierce aura, wearing armor, checking the tokens of those boarding, seemingly the escorting guards.

The other ramp was guarded by two beautiful Foundation Establishment female cultivators. This passage was not open to ordinary cultivators.

“Young Master Wang, the upper-class cabin on the third floor has been prepared for you.” In full view, a dandy young man in a gold robe, surrounded by two stooped, old servants and a young girl, boarded the ship from this special passage.

This scene drew the attention of all the cultivators present. The token in the young man’s hand was not a white jade pendant but a purple token!

“I wonder whose descendant from the Liang Kingdom upper echelon he is?”

“Being treated with such courtesy by the Nine Chen Commercial Association, he must be at least a direct descendant of a Core Formation cultivator.”

The cultivators on the scene speculated in their hearts, filled with discontent but dared not show it.

Lu Chang An took a quick look. That “Young Master Wang” seemed to have used secret techniques to change his appearance, with only Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivation, but was only around thirty years old. The beautiful girl accompanying him was a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator. The stooped old servant’s cultivation level was unclear. Lu Chang An did not dare probe with his divine sense.

Currently, the cultivation war was sweeping across Liang Kingdom.

For those seeking refuge in neighboring countries, big shots had higher priority and enjoyed far better treatment than ordinary cultivators.

Besides Young Master Wang, the golden-robed youth, several other groups entered the second ramp. They ranged from one to two or three people. Most of these people had blue tokens and had their own private cabins after boarding.

It was easy to imagine that they were all wealthy or powerful, with great backgrounds, either possessing skills or abilities that surpassed ordinary cultivators.

Among them, Lu Chang An recognized a white-browed old man at the Foundation Establishment late-stage, whom he had seen at an auction in Huang Long Immortal City. He seemed to be a Quasi-Third-Rank Refiner.

Such a figure, even if he went to a neighboring country, would be treated as a distinguished guest by the Nine Chen Commercial Association.

…

Lu Chang An’s journey to Jing Kingdom was primarily to seek Core Formation. He didn’t want other cultivators to know his whereabouts, so he didn’t seek help from the Zhou family, the beast taming clan.

The secrets of the ancient relic and the news of killing Jin Yang Sect cultivators were potential uncontrolled risks. They could be remembered by someone in the future. Maybe nothing would happen for a lifetime, and the matter would be forgotten.

Regarding killing the Jin Yang Sect cultivators, Mu Jiu An and others might try to conceal it. After all, it was a humiliating scandal, and they had been acting in an enemy country, which was inherently high-risk.

As for the ancient relic, there were even more variables.

Before leaving, Lu Chang An entrusted Liang Shao Tian’s disciple to Shi Xian Zi.

If Shi Xian Zi killed Wei Gu Niang, the Demon Cult would sense her death and investigate the relic in the Black Mist Mountain Range, which would take time. If they let Wei Gu Niang go, it would take time for her to return to the Demon Cult. And she wouldn’t have specific memories of the relic. This type of ancient cave and relic appears in the cultivation world every few years. The Demon Cult leader’s level of importance for it is unknown.

Furthermore, the two Fake Core True Masters who died at the time had a low probability of leaking information, but it couldn’t be ruled out entirely.

While returning from the relic, Lu Chang An had given Shi Xian Zi two suggestions.

First, if they let Wei Gu Niang go, make her swear a heart demon oath.

Second, if she had the ability, destroy the array at the center of the relic afterward, causing the collapsing treasure vault to speed up its disintegration.

Shi Xian Zi said that she would at least have to become a Third-Rank Array Master, and only then, with a continuous lineage, would she have the possibility of attempting it, and even then, she wasn’t sure of success.

Lu Chang An couldn’t be certain what decision Shi Xian Zi would make. His personal array skills were limited. He couldn’t destroy the ancient array in one go, and he had to worry about the array restriction’s backlash.

…

“Recommended by New Moon Commercial Association? What is your Daoist name? Where are you from in Liang Kingdom?”

After waiting for a long time, it was Lu Chang An’s turn to board the ship. A Foundation Establishment late-stage man in heavy armor, checking the jade pendant, asked.

After presenting the jade pendant token, there would be some simple questioning and registration of identity. For confidentiality, this recommendation token did not record Lu Chang An’s name or identity. This was quite common for those boarding the ship.

Most of the cultivators seeking refuge in Jing Kingdom didn’t want to expose their identities or were involved in shady dealings. Few used their real names.

“I am Wu Fan, from Huang Long Immortal City.” It was just a formality, recording the boarder’s cultivation level, name, and other basic information. Even fake information was fine.

After the registration, a tall and thin Foundation Establishment cultivator from the commercial association led Lu Chang An and five other Foundation Establishment cultivators to their accommodations.

“Fellow Daoists, due to the shortage of cabins on the spirit ship, you can only be accommodated in the cargo hold below.” The tall and thin cultivator said apologetically.

“The cargo hold?” The purple-faced man, who was with Lu Chang An, looked uncomfortable.

To buy a cross-border “ticket,” most cultivators present had paid favors and a hefty amount of spirit stones.

“Our Nine Chen Commercial Association carries about a hundred cultivators from various races in the commercial alliance for each cross-border trip. With your distinguished guests from your country, there are naturally not enough cabins.” The thin cultivator smiled.

This man was only a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator, yet he seemed calm and collected facing Lu Chang An and the other five. The Nine Chen Commercial Association’s spirit ship was not only manned by a Fake Core True Master but also had a powerful guard team and hundreds of cultivators from the commercial alliance.

Any Liang Kingdom cultivator who disrupted the order in this place would be expelled, without exception. If they dared to fight back, the consequences would be disastrous.

“This spirit ship is fifty or sixty feet long, with three floors on the deck. How could there not be enough ordinary single rooms?” Lu Chang An thought to himself.

Not long after, Lu Chang An and the group of five were taken to a dark cargo hold beneath the deck. At the moment, twenty or thirty cultivators were already crammed in the cargo hold, their various auras blending together. More cultivators would be brought in later.

Lu Chang An frowned. Being crammed in a public cabin with so many cultivators raised issues of safety, privacy, and comfort.

“Fellow Daoists, if you are not satisfied with this place, there are a few ordinary cabins left. Even when passing through spiritless lands on the spirit ship, cabins offer the cultivation environment of a Second-Rank spiritual vein.” The thin cultivator whispered.

Lu Chang An exchanged glances with the purple-faced man, who showed anger on his face. He took a deep breath and ultimately did not lash out.

…

After a quarter of an hour, the spirit ship flew high into the sky, embarking on a cross-border journey.

In an ordinary single room on the first floor of the spirit ship. Lu Chang An brewed a pot of hot tea, sat at the desk, and gazed at the endless sea of clouds outside the window.

At a cost of three thousand spirit stones, Lu Chang An left the cramped and uncomfortable bottom cargo hold and moved into a single room of about ten square feet.

Nearly half of the Liang Kingdom cultivators were still crammed in the dark cargo hold below. Three thousand spirit stones were not a small sum for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He had already spent favors and four to five thousand spirit stones to buy the ticket. Most Foundation Establishment mid-to-late stage cultivators could only mobilize a few thousand spirit stones as “cash flow”.

Arriving at the gathering point, they had to bribe the patrolling cultivators along the way, and they might even have to sell their magic tools if they were unlucky. By the time ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators boarded the ship, they had essentially run out of spirit stones.

Some Foundation Establishment cultivators were accompanied by their Qi Refining disciples. They had to pay double the spirit stones if they wanted to upgrade to a cabin.

The “Young Master Wang” stayed in an upper-class cabin, a luxurious suite.

“The same journey, some are going to seek refuge, and some are essentially on a cross-border vacation.” Lu Chang An took a sip of the fragrant and mellow tea, a wave of warmth spreading through his stomach.

“Hmm? Why is the spirit ship flying towards the north?”

Half a day later, Lu Chang An came to the deck of the spirit ship and gazed at the scenery beyond the array brilliance. He sensed the special aura of the Black Mist Mountain Range.

Normally, the spirit ship would go to Jing Kingdom, heading west all the way. The north was the direction of the Black Mist Mountain Range.

In fact, there was another, more dangerous route from Liang Kingdom to Jing Kingdom. This was going deep into the Black Mist Mountain Range, taking a detour, and then heading south through Jing Kingdom.

However, this route would involve entering the deeper parts of the Black Mist Mountain Range, making the journey long and potentially encountering large demons. And on the outskirts of the mountain range, they would also face the patrol of sect cultivators, the threat of bandits, and unpredictable Demon Cult cultivators.

…

Just as Lu Chang An became suspicious, the massive spirit ship approached the outskirts of the Black Mist Mountain Range and slowly stopped in front of a large river.

A second-order spirit boat carrying a man and a woman flew from the riverbank to the Nine Chen Commercial Association’s spirit ship.

“Are there cultivators boarding midway?”

Whether they were cultivators from Liang Kingdom or the Jing Kingdom commercial alliance, everyone looked surprised.

For cultivators from the Jing Kingdom commercial alliance, it was common practice for cultivators to gather at designated locations and wait for the spirit ship together. It was rare for the spirit ship to change direction and go out of its way to pick someone up.

The eyes of the cultivators from the two countries looked at the two figures on the spirit boat with suspicion.

The pilot of the spirit boat was a Foundation Establishment late-stage man in black, tight-fitting clothes. In the middle of the spirit boat, a long-haired woman wearing a veil sat cross-legged.

The veil obscured the woman’s aura and prevented any divine sense from detecting her. The two who boarded the ship midway were obviously of considerable status. None of the cultivators on the ship dared to probe them with their divine sense.

“The two of you, please go to the cabins on the third floor.” Several managing cultivators from the Nine Chen Commercial Association greeted them politely.

Out of caution, Lu Chang An didn’t probe them with his divine sense. However, he just looked at the woman’s physique and felt a sense of familiarity.

“Why is she on the Nine Chen Commercial Association’s spirit ship?”

(End of Chapter)

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