I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 330

## Chapter 326: A Sincere Transaction

After advancing to the late Golden Core stage, Lu Chang An’s cultivation slowed down significantly in a third-order medium-grade spirit vein region, with low efficiency.

His days of leisurely cultivation at the Xuan Yin Pavilion were dwindling. Before returning to the Wei Dao League, Lu Chang An still had some loose ends to tie up in Feng Yuan Nation.

One morning, on the back of a large turtle in a cave’s water pool, sat a man and a woman.

“From today onwards, I have a complete set of talismanic inheritance to pass down to you.”

Lu Chang An, acting as Mr. Xu, broke his usual pattern and donned a white robe, his appearance gentle and handsome, with a calm and serene demeanor.

Yun Ling wore a blue dress, her eyes bright and teeth pearly white, her curves graceful and flowing, radiating a mature charm amidst her delicate features.

“Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Xu.”

She listened attentively, feeling not only a familiar sense of warmth but also a newfound affection and admiration for the man in white before her.

Lu Chang An sensed Yun Ling’s subtle emotions. Despite years of guidance, he hadn’t been able to help her unlock the mystery of her birth. It seemed that awakening her past life would be difficult for ordinary cultivators.

It might require specific conditions, possibly related to her past life’s cultivation level. Yun Ling’s past self had not even reached the Foundation Establishment stage. It was merely an exploratory attempt at reincarnation, and Lu Chang An wasn’t overly concerned about the outcome.

“That’s all for today. Take this jade slip.”

Lu Chang An handed Yun Ling a simplified third-order talisman inheritance, meticulously compiled over his two lifetimes. Although simplified, it was tailor-made for Yun Ling, leveraging her nimble fingers and sharp mind. It also avoided revealing Lu Chang An’s personal talismanic style.

Yun Ling received the jade slip, rose from the turtle’s back, and expressed her gratitude with a deep bow.

“I heard your brother is preparing for his Golden Core breakthrough?”

“Yes, Hao Ge has reached the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment stage.” Yun Ling nodded.

Even she herself had reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment two years ago. Due to her improved constitution and physique, as well as Lu Chang An’s guidance, her cultivation progress was not much slower than those with superior spiritual roots. As a second-order superior talisman master, she had long been self-sufficient, earning a steady income from talisman sales.

“In the near future, Mr. Xu will be leaving Feng Yuan Nation for a while to handle some personal matters and won’t be able to take you with him. Before that, if you have any wishes or requests, feel free to bring them up, and Mr. Xu will try his best to fulfill them.” Lu Chang An made a formal promise.

“Please allow Ling’er some time to consider.” Yun Ling pursed her pink lips, her starry eyes shimmering, picking up on the subtle implication in his words.

She opened her mouth, but ultimately didn’t ask or plead. After decades of cultivation in the superior environment of Xuan Yin Pavilion, Yun Ling had received great care. As a servant, she had served Mr. Xu for many years, and he had not only not wronged her but also extended his support.

For most cultivators, this was a rare opportunity in life. She dared not ask for more, and knew that Mr. Xu’s decision couldn’t be changed.

…

For the next year, Lu Chang An often instructed Yun Ling, occasionally sipping tea and listening to music, or watching the enchanting dances of the Moon Fairy in the night.

He seemed relatively leisurely, rarely leaving the Xuan Yin Pavilion. He even kept his Golden Core breakthrough a secret. Behind the scenes, Lu Chang An silently improved his divination techniques. At the same time, he controlled his puppet clone to go out, purchase supplies, and gather intelligence.

Through his puppet clone, Lu Chang An once again contacted the puppet master, the ancient city lord of Gu Tian Xian Cheng. The city lord’s initial exorbitant demands meant there was room for negotiation.

While top-tier puppet inheritance was rare, it wasn’t a non-renewable resource.

“Fourth-order Soul Nourishing Wood? What does the ancient city lord need it for?”

After two rounds of negotiation, the emotionally distant, stoic city lord no longer mentioned the unrealistic Nascent Soul pill and had become more reasonable with his price. However, Soul Nourishing Wood or similar soul-cultivating treasures were still a necessity.

Besides, the city lord insisted on the “Soul Planting Puppet Technique” and refused to compromise.

“Soul Planting Puppet Technique? This Immortal Master doesn’t know it either.” Lu Chang An sighed.

The city lord mistook the complete soul-powered clone that Lu Chang An’s past self had possessed for evidence of the Soul Planting Puppet Technique.

The Soul Planting Puppet Technique was a mysterious puppet art that could imbue puppets with intelligence and consciousness, cultivate puppet spirits, and allow them to perform many of the common spells used by human cultivators, including techniques similar to soul manipulation. This technique not only enhanced the puppets’ overall power but also aided in crafting true fourth-order puppets.

Even in the Thousand Machine Sect, the combat power of most fourth-order puppets was inferior to that of Nascent Soul True Lords of the same tier. The primary reason was the difference in their soul level. The “puppet spirits” of fourth-order puppets were naturally inferior to the Nascent Soul spirits of human True Lords, making it difficult to cultivate them to the same level.

The Soul Planting Puppet Technique helped puppet spirits quickly mature, significantly reducing cultivation time. It was rumored that the Soul Planting Technique mastered by the Thousand Machine Sect was incomplete and immature. Only core elders were eligible to learn it, and only those who had touched upon that realm.

Lu Chang An wasn’t in a hurry and gradually negotiated with the city lord, bargaining back and forth. He denied that the Blue Dragon Association possessed the Soul Planting Puppet Technique, claiming they had another method of cultivating puppet spirits.

Lu Chang An’s puppet clone, imbued by his past self, was like a unique puppet spirit. Except this puppet spirit was a blank slate, possessing soul power and the past self’s combat instincts, but lacking consciousness. Or perhaps it had consciousness, but it belonged to Lu Chang An of the third lifetime, the one who currently existed.

“Could it be that Gu Tian Xian Cheng has ambitions for a fourth-order puppet?” A thought crossed Lu Chang An’s mind.

After divination and calculation, he confirmed this, more or less.

“Soul Nourishing Wood…Soul Planting Puppet Technique…seeking a fourth-order puppet?”

Having grasped the city lord’s approximate needs, Lu Chang An took the initiative in the transaction.

…

Unbeknownst to him, a year and a half had passed since Lu Chang An advanced to the late Golden Core stage.

On this day, Grandma Yun arrived at the Xuan Yin Pavilion to visit Lu Chang An. Initially, she had never visited the pavilion, fearing the potential danger and wanting to avoid involving Yun Ling and Mr. Xu.

This time, Grandma Yun came after receiving a message from Yun Ling.

Unable to make the decision on Mr. Xu’s promise herself, and remembering the grandmother who had raised her, Yun Ling ultimately entrusted the decision to her.

Inside the subworld, Lu Chang An received Grandma Yun alone.

“We are grateful for Mr. Xu’s past care for our lineage and his support for Ling’er.”

Grandma Yun, her hair silvered and her appearance more weathered than before, bowed deeply and then sat down, leaning on her cane.

Lu Chang An noticed that Grandma Yun had less than a hundred years of lifespan left. She had been seriously injured by a traitor years ago, damaging her foundation and leaving behind a lingering ailment, which had accelerated her decline.

“Mr. Xu’s promise, I shouldn’t be overstepping my boundaries. However, Yun Hao and Yun Ling, siblings, are about to face the crucial stage of their Golden Core breakthroughs. I can only be bold and request Mr. Xu to refine a Condensation Crystal Pill.”

Grandma Yun didn’t engage in much pleasantries and got straight to the point. Lu Chang An learned that Grandma Yun was still lacking some materials for the Condensation Crystal Pill and was unable to find a reliable third-order alchemist.

Fortunately, the Immortal Master Li Huo had left a legacy for their lineage. Grandma Yun possessed a Seven-Core Xuan Yue Flower, the main herb for the Condensation Crystal Pill, which had finally matured in recent years.

“It’s no problem.”

Lu Chang An remained calm and agreed.

According to his original plan, he had intended to leave Yun Ling a Golden Core breakthrough opportunity anyway. The resources Grandma Yun had accumulated were only enough for one of the siblings to break through. Yun Hao, with superior spiritual roots, had a better aptitude. Grandma Yun had come to him to ensure that both siblings could successfully break through and achieve a double blessing.

Two months later, all the Condensation Crystal Pill materials were gathered. Lu Chang An himself had some from his spoils of war, and the Xuan Yin Pavilion had helped gather a few more. Lu Chang An then sent a message to Grandma Yun, inviting her to secretly refine the pill in his subworld.

Grandma Yun stayed in the cave for seven days, accompanying Yun Ling. This time, she did not request to observe the alchemy process. She promised that if more than two Condensation Crystal Pills were produced, the extra would be considered payment.

In the end, Lu Chang An performed normally and refined two genuine Condensation Crystal Pills, declining the payment. No one outside knew about the alchemy, except for the Moon Fairy.

Grandma Yun left one Condensation Crystal Pill for Yun Ling and then took her leave to prepare for Yun Hao’s Golden Core breakthrough.

“Ling’er, you don’t lack Condensation Crystal Pills now, but Golden Core Spirit Items are equally important for the quality of the pill and your future potential. This will require your own preparations.” Lu Chang An planned to let Yun Ling cultivate for another ten years in the late Foundation Establishment stage, allowing her to seek her own Golden Core Spirit Items. With the protection he provided and the support of the Xuan Yin Pavilion, the risk was relatively manageable. Yun Ling herself was a second-order superior talisman master, and her cultivation hadn’t been entirely isolated; she had traded with nearby oases and settlements and had even encountered low-level sand bandits.

“Ling’er understands, I will not disappoint Mr. Xu.” Yun Ling’s cheeks dimpled with a smile, her eyes reflecting ambition and hope for the future.

In reality, Lu Chang An and Grandma Yun had both prepared Golden Core Spirit Items for her. This shared statement was merely a test for the siblings.

…

Months later, Lu Chang An’s age neared 310 years old. His divination skills had finally reached the peak of the third order. To achieve this, he had consumed several more years of his lifespan in the past two years, bringing his total lifespan down to 1090 years.

Peak third-order divination still belonged to the third-order superior level, without a qualitative leap, but reaching the peak of the third order meant a deeper foundation.

Lu Chang An contacted the city lord again to trade for the puppet inheritance. He had intentionally put it off for half a year. This time, the city lord finally made a significant concession, expressing his genuine sincerity.

Lu Chang An, understanding the city lord’s needs, adjusted the trading items to a阉割版 (censored version), a euphemism for a less complete or weakened version. For instance, he replaced the fourth-order Soul Nourishing Wood with a soul-cultivating artifact made from a small segment of the wood.

As for the Soul Planting Puppet Technique, Lu Chang An offered a second-order puppet containing related techniques for the Xuan Ji Lou to research. Additionally, he provided another 30,000 spirit stones.

The Xuan Ji Lou was willing to trade its core puppet inheritance, including puppet formations, but only up to the quasi-fourth order. Lu Chang An could accept this; he needed the Thousand Machine Sect’s puppet inheritance to enhance his own puppet techniques.

As for higher-level fourth-order puppets, he would have to wait until he advanced to the Nascent Soul stage to gather the necessary complete materials. It wasn’t a matter of financial resources.

The most valuable resources at the Nascent Soul level were mostly circulated within closed circles of Nascent Soul cultivators. Or, they might occasionally appear one or two at a time at top-tier auctions. Even with the insight of his fourth lifetime’s Nascent Soul, unless absolutely necessary, Lu Chang An avoided excessive interaction with Nascent Soul True Lords.

The two sides agreed to meet a month later in the desert, a thousand miles outside Gu Tian Xian Cheng.

…

The day before the agreed date, Lu Chang An surrounded himself with various divination artifacts, using all his might to divine the dangers and the Nascent Soul elder behind the Xuan Ji Lou.

For the current Lu Chang An, only Nascent Soul-level power could pose a real threat. Therefore, his divination focused primarily on whether a Nascent Soul elder was involved in the transaction.

With precautions in place, Lu Chang An sacrificed his lifespan to enhance his divination capabilities. He could at least detect a hint of something.

His peak third-order divination went smoothly, without any strong resistance.

“It turns out that the Xuan Ji Lou and the Nascent Soul elder behind it are not entirely united.”

Lu Chang An basically confirmed that the Nascent Soul elder behind the Xuan Ji Lou was unaware of this transaction. The two parties’ interests didn’t entirely align.

The Nascent Soul elder from the Two Sects’ territory was secretly supporting the Outer Sect Alliance, with his true ambitions lying in the Snow Mountain Holy Land. The Two Sects’ branch forces were merely tools for him to use, balancing the eight tribes and desolate cities of Feng Yuan Nation. Forces like the Xuan Ji Lou had to cooperate with him, otherwise they would have no Nascent Soul True Lord backing them and would either have to become vassals of Feng Yuan Nation or be swallowed up.

After confirming through divination, Lu Chang An controlled two puppet clones to go to the designated location.

The Earth Rock Rat kept watch underground in the sand layer. Lu Chang An’s real body remained hidden at a distance.

Half a day later, in a certain spot in the desert, a sand dune, about ten feet tall and a hundred feet wide, was built from sand.

The sand dune resembled a pyramid, but its top was a flat platform that could accommodate a dozen people. The surrounding area for several miles was isolated by a third-order illusionary formation, preventing ordinary cultivators from entering.

Two figures sat on the platform atop the sand dune. One was the puppet master, the ancient city lord; the other was a man in blue armor, resembling a zombie with his eyes closed.

On either side of the sand dune stood four third-order puppet giants, wielding halberds like guards with their hands folded.

After a while, a merchant Taoist, wearing a straw hat, walked on the wind and sand, entering the range of the third-order illusionary formation alone and heading directly towards the platform at the top of the sand dune.

“Alone?”

A flicker of surprise appeared in the ancient city lord’s eyes. To ensure the safety of the transaction, he had invited out the Xuan Ji Lou’s quasi-fourth-order puppet. Even with backup, the merchant Taoist’s lone entry into the formation to conduct business with them was quite risky.

“You can check the surrounding area.” The city lord said expressionlessly, gesturing with his hand.

“No need! This Daoist has come here with the intention of a sincere transaction, and I believe the Xuan Ji Lou is the same.” The merchant Taoist was completely open and straightforward, flying to the top of the sand dune to sit opposite the two.

Before settling down, he lightly patted his storage bag.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Eight figures landed, emitting third-order spiritual pressure. Eight archer puppets were arranged around the sand dune.

The ancient city lord’s eyelids twitched. Those eight third-order archer puppets were crafted with excellent materials and were all high-quality within the third-order inferior tier, equivalent to the peak of the early Golden Core stage. If they fired a simultaneous volley, even a Golden Core cultivator would have to shiver and retreat.

“This is strange! This person has puppet characteristics, yet possesses a complete soul and can even control puppets with his divine sense.”

The blue-armored man, who was seated with closed eyes, had a rigid face without any emotion, and his consciousness fluctuated with surprise and uncertainty. He had been a fourth-order puppet master in his previous life, but he couldn’t immediately determine whether the other was a puppet or a human cultivator.

Only experts in puppetry could discern such details.

“We are also engaging in a sincere transaction. Why don’t we get straight to the point and directly show our trade items.” The ancient city lord disliked formalities and directly used his dan power to roll up two jade slips, floating them in the air.

“Sincerity is good.” The merchant Taoist chuckled, taking out three trade items from his trunk. They were a wooden bracelet, a second-order puppet, and a heavy bag of spirit stones.

The three items floated in the air, examined by the ancient city lord and the blue-armored man. Their divine senses first checked the wooden bracelet.

“It’s indeed an artifact crafted from fourth-order Soul Nourishing Wood.” The ghost-path puppet spirit inhabiting the blue-armored man relayed its surprise and excitement, communicating with the city lord.

The wooden bracelet was one of Lu Chang An’s original two Soul Nourishing Rings, which he had re-refined over the years. This one, used as a trade item, had undergone a complete makeover in terms of appearance and the addition of other materials. Even its original maker, Zhang Tie Shan, wouldn’t be able to easily recognize it without careful inspection.

“That second-order puppet also has a complete soul, an extraordinary puppet spirit. However, its soul power is weak, only at the peak of Qi Refinement…” The ancient city lord and the blue-armored man then examined the second-order puppet and confirmed its authenticity.

As for the bag of spirit stones, they considered it a mere bonus and didn’t pay much attention.

“Are you two satisfied?” The merchant Taoist narrowed his eyes. He had just used his divine sense to briefly check the puppet inheritance contained in the two jade slips. They included formations and puppet spirit cultivation techniques.

The restrictions set on the jade slips prevented copying, allowing only viewing. Hidden behind the scenes, Lu Chang An judged that the inheritance itself was fine, and he used divination to confirm it.

It was understandable for the Xuan Ji Lou to keep some of its most valuable secrets about puppetry. Lu Chang An had also played a trick. The soul power of the second-order puppet came from the first lifetime’s infusion of soul essence, and it could only support itself for two days before dissipating. He could even remotely trigger its self-destruction. Within such a short period, the Xuan Ji Lou wouldn’t be able to research anything significant.

“Good!” The ancient city lord nodded, agreeing to the transaction.

The trade items from both sides landed in their respective hands at the same speed.

“If there are no issues, this Daoist will be leaving…” The merchant Taoist took the two jade slips, withdrew the formation of eight archers, and flew towards the edge of the illusionary formation.

Only after his figure left the formation did the blue-armored man, resembling a zombie, open his eyes, his eye sockets glowing with eerie, ghastly green ghost flames.

“As expected of the precious spiritual wood of the cultivation world, it can nourish the soul and also craft soul-path artifacts for killing, suppressing ghosts.”

His hand, the color of青铁 (bluish iron), played with the bracelet made of Soul Nourishing Wood, feeling the warm energy flowing into the ghost-path puppet spirit inside him.

“Congratulations, Lord! With this item’s help, your consciousness can last longer. In the future, I will assist you in forging a true fourth-order puppet, and the Xuan Ji Lou won’t have to kowtow to that old monster.”

The ancient city lord was overjoyed. His stoic face revealed a fervent, expectant expression. Both he and the puppet were not tempted by external factors or beauty; their entire lives were dedicated to the art of puppetry.

The two, oblivious to everything else, didn’t notice that the second-order puppet they had just acquired had an unusual flicker in its eyes.

…

“A puppet spirit created from a ghost-path soul, maintaining its previous intelligence and consciousness? Interesting…”

Hundreds of miles away, Lu Chang An received the images and sounds of the two communicating through the puppet that his first lifetime’s soul inhabited.

“Forging a true fourth-order puppet? Big talk!”

“However, the material of that puppet is almost at the Nascent Soul level! It’s not entirely an exaggeration.” Lu Chang An was somewhat interested in the materials used for that quasi-fourth-order puppet.

“Forget it, a sincere transaction!” Lu Chang An pondered for a moment and abandoned his thought. The ancient city lord and the quasi-fourth-order puppet working together were indeed a formidable force. The ancient city lord alone was close in strength to the Peacock Saintess, with his Blue Jiao Puppet comparable to the peak of the late Golden Core stage. He also had puppet formations that excelled in positional warfare.

The quasi-fourth-order puppet was even stronger. Only with the arrival of his fourth lifetime could he suppress it. And this was near Gu Tian Xian Cheng, where he didn’t have the advantage of time or location.

Lu Chang An controlled his puppet clone and the Earth Rock Rat to withdraw. At this moment, the second-order puppet sent back an unusual image and sound.

“Lord! What are you doing…Didn’t you say it was a sincere transaction? The Blue Dragon Association is unknown, deep and unfathomable!”

The ancient city lord’s face changed, and he spoke. He saw the blue-armored man’s fingertips tinged with a wisp of dark gray-green ghost energy, merging with the void and pointing in a certain direction.

“Why are you panicking?” The blue-armored man’s eyes were sinister, and his tone was dissatisfied. “This is a ghost-path tracking technique that this old man has cast. I merely made some adjustments to those two inheritance jade slips. There are basically no ghost-path inheritances in the Great Qing Territory. It’s difficult for those below the Nascent Soul stage to detect anything unusual.”

“If the buyer can detect it afterward, we can just eliminate them. Of course, our transaction was sincere.”

“Hehehe, if he can’t find anything, it proves that the Blue Dragon Association was merely bluffing, a trick to deceive.” The blue-armored man’s face twisted slightly, making one shudder.

“Lord, your consciousness is being affected by the ghost-path power. Please go to sleep quickly!” While the blue-armored man’s words had some logic to them, the ancient city lord instinctively felt something was wrong. More importantly, the blue-armored man’s mental state was unstable.

Since his transformation into a ghost-path creature, he was more susceptible to negative emotions than he was before. That’s why the blue-armored man had kept himself sealed and asleep for years.

“This old man will handle this himself!” The blue-armored man roared, extending his arm, his ghost energy-infused blue iron罡风 (gang feng, a powerful force of wind) sweeping across several miles.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ancient city lord and the four third-order puppets were blown backwards. Two of the third-order puppets shattered into pieces, exploding on the spot.

“Lord!”

As the ancient city lord barely stabilized himself, the blue-armored puppet disappeared from sight in a blur. He wanted to cast a spell to control him, but it was too late; the puppet had already flown beyond his effective influence.

“A single soul-path artifact is far from enough to make this old man a fourth-order puppet controlled by a ghost spirit. The buyer must have something that this old man needs!”

The blue-armored man’s ghost flames flickered in his sockets. Within a few breaths, he had flown into the Nine-Gang Heavens.

He, who had been transformed by the ghost-path, trusted his instincts. The Blue Dragon Association was likely a facade. If the buyer had absolute strength, why would he be patient and haggle, engaging in a sincere transaction with them?

…

In the desert, Lu Chang An flew for thousands of miles. Nine-ninety-nine percent of the area where Feng Yuan Nation was located was deserted and desolate, with harsh environments. Oases and spirit veins were rare, like finding gold in the sand.

“Huh? He really dared to chase this far?”

Lu Chang An stopped his flight and looked back towards the direction he had come from. The two jade slips were tainted with a subtle ghost-path aura. Even if he hadn’t received the second-order puppet’s information, he would have thoroughly examined them after obtaining them. He didn’t want to get entangled with them near Gu Tian Xian Cheng, where he didn’t have the advantage of time or location. He wasn’t afraid of a single quasi-fourth-order puppet with an unstable mind.

Therefore, Lu Chang An didn’t erase the ghost-path aura from the jade slips and saw if the ghost spirit-inhabiting blue-armored puppet dared to pursue him alone.

Unexpectedly, the ghost-path puppet was quite persistent and chased him for thousands of miles.

“Lu has come here with sincere intentions! Since you are harboring evil thoughts, don’t blame this Immortal Master for being unscrupulous.”

Lu Chang An snorted coldly and quickly concealed his tracks, setting up a trap nearby. Finally, he gave the two ghost-path-tainted jade slips to a third-order late-stage puppet disguised as a merchant Taoist and had him sit and rest in a sand pit.

A moment later, a terrifying spiritual pressure accompanied by a surging cloud of ghost energy swept in. That oppressive feeling was close to the Peacock Saintess’s fourth-order beast king that protected her!

(To be continued)

Previous Chapter | TOC |