I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 320

## Chapter 316: The Transformation of the Mysterious Vine

At the peak of the sacred mountain, blanketed in snow and shrouded in mist, in the heart of Fengyuan Kingdom.

Before the bamboo forest dwelling,

A Daoist with a lean face, clad in a snow-white robe, leaned against the eaves, fast asleep.

The Daoist’s hair and eyebrows were silver white, making him look like an ancient septuagenarian. However, his skin was delicate, and his spirit seemed that of a young man in his twenties.

“Hm? Who’s scheming against this Daoist Master?”

The sleeping Fengyuan Daoist Master abruptly opened his ancient, unwavering eyes.

Those pitch-black pupils, like two drops of concentrated ink, slowly rotated, resembling the black dot in the Yin-Yang diagram.

Achoo!

After waking up, the Daoist Master couldn’t help but sneeze, his lean body shivering slightly.

With a grave expression, the Daoist Master calculated with his fingers, muttering under his breath.

During this process, his brow furrowed, sensing an invisible resistance, a mist of hidden celestial secrets.

The calculations were challenging, involving the presence of multiple Nascent Soul level cultivators.

“Sigh, the world is too wicked! This Daoist Master stays within my own doors, not competing, not grasping, avoiding killing karma as much as possible. Yet, I’m still being targeted.”

The Daoist Master sighed deeply, lamenting.

He had already calculated the capture of the Peacock Saintess and the death of the fourth-order beast king.

The final outcome was somewhat unexpected.

He thought he could stay out of it, but ended up bearing a share of karma.

The Daoist Alliance believes he orchestrated this plot behind the scenes. Beast King Valley would probably have similar suspicions.

The specific reason couldn’t be calculated, the source entangled with several Nascent Soul Zhen Jun, and the crucial part shrouded in celestial fog.

Reasoning with common sense, the Daoist Master pondered:

“Unless Lu Changan has a mysterious Nascent Soul Zhen Jun behind him, or the Daoist Alliance or Beast King Valley has a Zhen Jun adept in divination, who figured out the situation and exposed this Daoist Master.”

If you want to keep something hidden, don’t do it in the first place.

The Daoist Master did orchestrate this behind the scenes, although very discreetly, concealing the celestial secrets. However, he couldn’t prevent normal speculation.

Now, this black pot is on his head, and he can’t refute it.

Spilled mud on your pants, it’s either poop or poop.

Fortunately, the final outcome is acceptable.

The Daoist Alliance dealt with the demonic woman within its borders, which is logical and reasonable. Beast King Valley is at fault and has nothing to say.

Even if there’s trouble, the Daoist Alliance will be in the front, not him.

The feud and contradictions between the two camps will further intensify.

This lesson serves as a warning, from now on, cultivators from Beast King Valley or other major forces won’t dare to cause trouble in Fengyuan Kingdom.

“No wonder the Peacock Saintess had a troubled fate, a tragic beauty, upon entering Fengyuan Kingdom…”

After contemplating and clarifying the general cause and effect, a hint of pity appeared on the Daoist Master’s face.

…

Half a month later.

Liang Kingdom, Jin Yun Valley mountain gate.

Early in the morning, the sky was just getting light, with chilly dew.

At the foot of Qunying Mountain, before the tombstone inscribed with “Yao Yue Zhen Ren”,

A white-clothed disciple with a low sense of presence performed a tribute before the tombstone.

The tributes he offered were two heads.

One was of a human cultivator; the other, a bird’s head.

The nearby grave keeper, fast asleep, was oblivious to it all.

“Yao Yue Zhen Ren…”

The white-clothed man murmured, this was Zhao Siyao’s Daoist name before her death.

Because their relationship was so close, they rarely used their Daoist names, making it feel slightly unfamiliar.

According to Jin Yun Valley’s rules, cultivators who hadn’t achieved Zhen Dan were not qualified to enter the ancestral hall of the sect.

Unless they had made extraordinary contributions to the sect.

Only members who contributed to the sect, or those who died in battle, were qualified to be buried in Qunying Mountain.

Their disciples and descendants could enjoy certain preferential treatment.

For example, the “Ascension Order,” widely circulated in the cultivation world, was often disseminated through such means.

Huff~

Lu Changan pointed a finger, and the two heads, human and avian, were consumed by flames before the tombstone.

The human head belonged to Black Crow Zhen Ren, the direct perpetrator who killed Zhao Siyao.

Combined with the tragic fate of the Peacock Saintess, Lu Changan had avenged Zhao Siyao.

The five-colored peacock’s head was merely an extra.

When Lu Changan captured the five-colored peacock, it still had a breath of life, with a chance for miraculous recovery.

But Lu Changan didn’t intervene.

The Earth Rock Rat got its wish, tasting the delicacies of a noble bloodline.

Lu Changan only kept the key materials for refining the spirit puppet, like the feathered crown, bone frame, and essence blood, to be used later.

It wasn’t that Lu Changan didn’t want to possess a spirit bird of the Heavenly grade bloodline.

The five-colored peacock, with its divine powers of destroying spiritual light and restrictions, was incredibly powerful, even possessing a diluted bloodline of a genuine spirit.

However, this bird was the Peacock Saintess’s life-bound spirit pet, difficult to truly tame. It wouldn’t be loyal, always a potential threat to its master.

Moreover, keeping the living five-colored peacock nearby might be sensed by Beast King Valley’s beast taming secret methods, leading to their pursuit.

Lu Changan wouldn’t leave such a hidden danger by his side. He directly transformed it into materials and sealed them away.

Furthermore, the Peacock Saintess’s beast taming techniques were closely tied to the five-colored peacock.

Killing the bird meant she would be unlikely to reach Nascent Soul in this lifetime.

As the flames engulfed the two tributes, Lu Changan left Jin Yun Valley without lingering.

The moment his figure left,

Jin Yun Valley, the sect master’s grand hall.

Zhang Tianfeng, clad in a black robe and sitting in meditation, suddenly sensed something.

His face was slightly dark, his expression calm and dignified. He was tall and straight, like a majestic mountain, anchored in place.

“Greetings, Sect Master!”

Under the respectful gaze of the gravekeeper, Zhang Tianfeng entered Qunying Mountain in a few strides, arriving before Zhao Siyao’s tomb.

Since he changed his Daoist name to “Tianfeng Zhen Ren”, outsiders gradually forgot his original name “Zhang Tieshan”.

Over the long years, spanning several generations of cultivators, the new generation only knew the sect master’s Daoist name “Tianfeng Zhen Ren” and the name Zhang Tianfeng.

Similar to Li Erqing’s original name Ergou, and Li Huo Zhen Ren’s past name Duan Daniu.

Those familiar with his past name were mostly former acquaintances, a handful of cultivators from the same era.

At that moment, before the tombstone,

Two heads, reduced to ashes, had just extinguished, drifting away with the wind.

“This is…”

Zhang Tianfeng looked surprised, his gaze flickering as he stared at the scattered ash of the heads, deep in thought.

He recalled the recent actions of the Daoist Alliance, capturing the Peacock Saintess, killing the fourth-order beast king, and achieving great merit.

“He was here.”

Guessing the truth behind it all, Zhang Tianfeng’s heart trembled.

“He really did it.”

Zhang Tianfeng took a deep breath. Though he had overestimated him, Lu Changan avenging Zhao Siyao so quickly was still beyond his expectations.

Could this person truly be the reincarnation of the legendary cultivator, Yan Donglai?

But back then, the spirit weapon had predicted that Lu Changan’s actions were unlike Yan Donglai.

After a long silence,

Zhang Tianfeng suddenly chuckled and shook his head.

As the saying goes, judge actions, not intentions.

Since Lu Changan could avenge Zhao Siyao, and left the information about the key insider before leaving that day, he could judge his intentions.

It no longer mattered what relationship he had with Yan Donglai, based on these actions.

Even in the reincarnation secrets of the cultivation world, present life usually outweighs the past life.

…

Ten days later.

After gathering relevant information, Zhang Tianfeng arrived at a terrifying conclusion.

The vast Daoist Alliance was completely in the dark.

From the perspective of the Daoist Alliance’s high-level officials, Lu Changan was at most a pawn, a bait. The true schemer was the Daoist Master.

Only Zhang Tianfeng had guessed a bit of the truth, that a larger hand was orchestrating things behind the scenes.

“How could I know something so hidden?”

Zhang Tianfeng’s heart skipped a beat.

He recalled that day when he arrived, just as Lu Changan left.

Zhang Tianfeng instantly realized: Perhaps Lu Changan deliberately left traces for him to guess a bit of the truth.

To tell him, he had acted.

It was a silent understanding.

After all, of those initial generation friends, Zhao Siyao, Li Erqing, Lin Yi, Mu Xiuyun… were all lost in the river of time.

In the current cultivation world, Zhang Tianfeng was the only remaining friend of Lu Changan from the initial generation.

After them, their descendants followed, such as Zhao Taner, Li Congren, Mu Bingyun, Lin Lu, etc.

After Zhao Siyao’s passing, Zhang Tianfeng was also Lu Changan’s closest friend.

Over those two hundred years, they had each guessed some of each other’s secrets, sharing a trust and understanding far beyond others.

…

Over ten days, Lu Changan toured the Liang Kingdom cultivation world briefly.

He visited Jin Yun Valley, Fei Yue Lake, Wu Qi Shan, Xuemei Mountain’s Li family, and the Beast Taming Zhou family…

Now, his fourth reincarnation’s Nascent Soul shadow was inhabiting his body, his spirit sense powerful, possessing the complete Nascent Soul level consciousness.

Due to his fusion with this world, it was even slightly stronger than ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul.

As long as he didn’t engage in fierce battles, consuming the borrowed spirit power, the fourth reincarnation’s arrival could last longer.

To avoid leaving traces, Lu Changan’s main body didn’t have any direct contact with his old friends, descendants, or past lovers.

If he happened to encounter a problem with his old friends or their descendants, Lu Changan would resolve it discreetly, leaving no trace.

During his travels, Lu Changan discovered a funny thing:

The current top loose cultivator in Liang Kingdom was none other than Jiang Yechan, whom he knew, now a mid-stage Jie Dan cultivator.

Jiang Yechan had once competed for peak leadership in Wu Qi Shan, and Lu Changan hadn’t chosen him.

Their last interaction was a hundred years ago, when this man used a Soul Dao treasure to help Shi Xianzi recover her lost memories.

As Lu Changan knew, Shi Xianzi, a third-order Array Master, had a good relationship with Jiang Yechan. They were prominent figures among Liang Kingdom’s loose cultivators.

Lu Changan’s stay in Liang Kingdom wasn’t just about old times.

He also wanted to monitor the intelligence updates on the “Peacock Saintess”.

Several days later.

Through a puppet clone, Lu Changan directly visited Xing Peng, who was hiding in a secret base.

Hiss!

The insect restriction in his mind sea sent a sharp sting, waking Xing Peng from his sleep.

Crack!

Upon waking, he instantly twisted the neck of the beautiful woman beside him.

“The Master ordered me to inquire.”

Through the perspective of the cloaked assassin, “Black Owl”, Lu Changan noticed that Xing Peng had gained some weight in recent years, with average progress in his cultivation.

His existence was useful to Lu Changan, providing intelligence about the demonic cult war, and handling shady matters.

Originally, his usefulness would decline.

However, he unexpectedly discovered that his cousin, “Shadowless Leader”, was thriving in the Wu Jian Men. Judging from his rapid rise, he might reach the top tier of the Wu Jian Men in the future.

In fact, back in Jing Kingdom, Shadowless Leader was a mid-stage Jie Dan leader of the Shadowless Hall, a rising star in the Wu Jian Men.

Now, this rising star not only hadn’t fallen but was shining even brighter.

“Replying to the Master and Black Owl, the Peacock Saintess is currently imprisoned in Jin Yang Zong, treated as a valuable hostage by the Daoist Alliance. For the moment, her life is safe.”

“What’s Beast King Valley’s reaction?”

Lu Changan had already anticipated this. The Daoist Alliance wanted to use the Peacock Saintess as a bargaining chip to exchange benefits with Beast King Valley.

“The high-level officials of Beast King Valley haven’t issued any statements yet. Only the Peacock Saintess’s grandfather, ‘Wanhe Zhen Jun’, has threatened, saying whoever dares to harm a single hair on his granddaughter, when Beast King Valley invades, they will repay tenfold, a hundredfold!”

Hearing this, Lu Changan chuckled.

These threatening words felt more like helpless rage.

If they had the power to rescue her, they would have acted directly, not waste words.

“Do you think Beast King Valley will agree to redeem the Peacock Saintess?”

“It’s unlikely.”

Xing Peng shook his head, explaining:

“Beast King Valley is known for its domineering behavior, not easily swayed by threats from weaker sects. Besides, the Peacock Saintess acted on her own, violating sect rules. She suffered severe injuries after performing the Harmony Technique, significantly diminishing her potential.”

“Furthermore, Beast King Valley has various factions. With the Peacock Saintess unable to return, the other factions are more likely to compete for the prioritized Transformation Pill she would have received.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Changan was certain that despite the Peacock Saintess having a chance to survive, she wouldn’t be returning to Beast King Valley anytime soon.

As a prisoner, her life wouldn’t be easy.

More importantly, her magical powers were sealed, preventing her from cultivating.

“Her foundation is damaged, her magic powers sealed, and her life-bound beast has been slain…”

Lu Changan felt relieved. Even if she didn’t die, the Peacock Saintess had lost any hope of advancing further.

…

On the way back to Fengyuan Kingdom, Lu Changan intentionally slowed down, enhancing his sensing ability.

Until he entered Fengyuan Kingdom, Lu Changan detected no sense of danger.

With the fourth reincarnation’s Nascent Soul inhabiting his body, aided by a third-order superior divination, even if the Daoist Master used divination against him with malicious intent, he would still be able to sense it faintly, as long as he was on guard.

Using the fourth reincarnation’s trump card was partially to provide cover for this operation, preventing the Daoist Master from acting as a hidden predator.

“It seems the Daoist Master has no ill intentions towards me.”

Lu Changan had analyzed this earlier.

He was on the same side as the Daoist Master, against Beast King Valley, with a common enemy.

Lu Changan served as a pawn, causing the Peacock Saintess to suffer a major setback, fulfilling the Daoist Master’s wishes.

Logically, based on their interests and relationship, the Daoist Master wouldn’t target him.

If there were any signs of this, Lu Changan, with his current Nascent Soul incarnation and full sensory abilities, would notice it and flee immediately.

He could activate the fourth layer of “Scarlet Sun Blood Escape”, which even the Daoist Master wouldn’t be able to catch.

Furthermore, Lu Changan learned from intelligence that the Daoist Master disliked physical combat, even more reclusive than him, a tortoise. He rarely went out.

If the Daoist Master wanted to target someone, he could easily eliminate them with a casual calculation.

To personally take action and trouble a Jie Dan cultivator would be beneath him, not in line with his style.

Months later.

Following the outskirts of Fengyuan Kingdom, Lu Changan slightly detoured and returned to the Xuan Yin Pavilion, in the outer sect alliance territory.

The grassy oasis was normal.

That day, the Peacock Saintess had personally arrived, and the Xuan Yin Pavilion mountain gate’s core area was hidden by a fourth-order illusion array, invisible to other cultivators.

Only Nieyue witnessed the conversation between Lu Changan and the Peacock Saintess.

Currently, only a few people in Fengyuan Kingdom knew or were able to connect the dots to Xu Xian’s true identity.

The Daoist Master and Nieyue Xianzi were two of them.

The reason Lu Changan still wanted to remain in Fengyuan Kingdom was because the State Teacher’s fourth-order divination protected this place, preventing subsequent investigations from Beast King Valley from reaching this desert.

Beast King Valley was wary of the Daoist Master’s schemes, not daring to easily send people to investigate or threaten Lu Changan, their supposed pawn and bait.

As long as the Daoist Master didn’t harbor ill intentions, Lu Changan wouldn’t mind cultivating here until he reached late-stage Jin Dan.

…

That night, Nieyue Xianzi met with Lu Changan in his subworld.

They talked for a long time, delving deeper into the conversation.

Two hours later.

Nieyue Xianzi’s face, still flushed, was only wrapped in a white silk ribbon, her body limping on the bed. Her long legs were half-kneeling on the scattered robes.

“Nieer, prepare a generous gift tomorrow. Send an elder to the Snowy Mountain Sacred Land to express our gratitude to the Fengyuan Daoist Master.”

On the bed, Lu Changan sat upright, calm and composed, giving instructions.

“Nieer knows! Xuan Yin Pavilion was able to survive this crisis thanks to the Daoist Master’s protection.”

Nieyue Xianzi breathed heavily, supporting Lu Changan’s knees as she stood.

Earlier, through Lu Changan’s narration, she learned that the Peacock Saintess was ultimately captured, with the Daoist Master’s intervention behind the scenes.

Otherwise, Xuan Yin Pavilion would have faced extinction.

Lu Changan admitted that he couldn’t directly stop a fourth-order beast king’s assault.

“Which elder should we send?”

Nieyue Xianzi inquired.

“Qiu Xianzi.”

Lu Changan pondered for a moment. Qiu Xianzi, a newly ascended Zhen Dan elder, had no significant connection with him, minimizing the risk of exposing any sensitive information.

The next day.

Xuan Yin Pavilion sent Qiu Xianzi, a Zhen Dan elder, to the Snowy Mountain Sacred Land in Fengyuan Kingdom, to express their gratitude to the Daoist Master.

Half a month later.

Qiu Xianzi returned unscathed.

According to her report, she successfully met with the Daoist Master. The Snowy Mountain Sacred Land accepted the gift.

Furthermore, the Daoist Master presented a special product as a gift, for Qiu Xianzi to bring back.

Upon examining the return gift, Lu Changan identified it as a rare third-order mountain bamboo, which could be used to refine divination items.

This outcome filled Lu Changan with joy, a heavy stone lifted from his heart.

The Daoist Master’s gift was a sign of goodwill.

“This move was the right one!”

Lu Changan realized that this exchange of courtesy had been very successful!

It never hurts to be courteous; how else would you know the outcome?

As long as the recipient wasn’t a demonic cult Nascent Soul or a solitary Zhen Jun, they wouldn’t be offended by such gestures of gratitude and respect.

Nascent Soul Zhen Jun were also human, not real immortals. As higher-level authority figures, they had their share of emotions and desires.

The Peacock Saintess, if only she had lowered her pride as a member of a top sect, been a little more humble, and followed social etiquette, giving the Daoist Master the due respect, her ending wouldn’t have been so tragic.

In contrast, Lu Changan had acted strategically, following the Daoist Master’s wishes, and presented a gift of gratitude afterwards, showing sufficient respect.

Without any conflict of interest, the Daoist Master naturally saw him favorably, perhaps even extending some future support.

In the cultivation world, a single misstep can often lead to a different fate.

“Qiu Xianzi, please recount every detail of your meeting with the Daoist Master. This concerns the fate of Xuan Yin Pavilion.”

In the grand hall, Lu Changan looked at the aloof Qiu Xianzi, asking for a thorough account.

Nieyue Xianzi gave her a reassuring glance.

Qiu Xianzi seemed hesitant, repeating her conversation with the Daoist Master, which was nothing more than musical scores, human interests, and light-hearted banter.

Lu Changan couldn’t discern anything unusual. The Daoist Master’s conversation gave an overall impression of elegance and amiability.

“The Daoist Master enjoys listening to music, asking me to play music for him for a whole night. Afterwards, he was in a good mood and chopped down a section of bamboo from the peak, as a return gift.”

Qiu Xianzi added, her face appearing awkward.

“Afterwards? Cough! Did he only listen to music all night, just purely appreciating it?”

Lu Changan’s expression was strange.

The cold, quiet Qiu Xianzi blushed and glared at Lu Changan.

Nieyue Xianzi quickly held Qiu Xianzi’s hand, setting up a barrier, and discreetly inquired.

After Qiu Xianzi left, Nieyue Xianzi explained the truth to Lu Changan.

“All night, the Daoist Master only listened to music, purely appreciating it, with no coercion whatsoever. Little Qiu is still a virgin.”

Nieyue Xianzi looked dignified, solemnly confirming.

Lu Changan should have had doubts.

But using his powerful spirit sense, he heard their conversation, and Nieyue Xianzi didn’t deliberately hide anything.

“However, it was only a brief encounter, and Little Qiu, facing the Daoist Master’s elegance, has secretly fallen for him.”

Nieyue Xianzi sighed slightly, a little worried.

“It seems the Daoist Master is truly a cultured and refined individual.”

Lu Changan bowed towards the Snowy Mountain Sacred Land, expressing his admiration.

He was fairly certain that the Daoist Master was similar to him, with a higher spiritual pursuit, already transcending mere physical desires.

…

The following six months, Lu Changan cultivated peacefully in Xuan Yin Pavilion, without any incidents.

The divination readings were auspicious, with no signs of danger.

Lu Changan finally felt at ease.

Having built a good relationship with the Daoist Master, he was naturally safe and secure in Fengyuan Kingdom.

As long as there were no major changes in the cultivation world, he could cultivate peacefully for many years to come.

Time flew by, fifteen years passed.

Lu Changan had steadily progressed to mid-stage Jin Dan.

Focused on cultivation and honing his skills, Lu Changan no longer cared about worldly matters.

One ordinary day.

In the underground chamber of the elder’s subworld.

Inside the large vat containing five-element earth, the Xuan Tian Hu Teng, planted inside and dormant for countless years, suddenly stirred!

“Chirp!”

On the Xuan Tian Vine, the withered, shriveled gourd fruit, black and gray, emanating intense death energy, emitted a grayish-white, hazy mist.

The sleeping Xuan Shui Great Tortoise abruptly jolted awake.

It couldn’t help but widen its eyes, staring at the Xuan Tian Hu Teng’s unusual change.

Crack!

Another crisp sound. The completely withered gourd fruit bud snapped off the vine, falling to the ground, withering.

(End of Chapter)

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