I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 331

## Chapter 327: Capturing a Fourth-Order, Officially Returning

“Found it!”

A cold, muffled voice echoed from the Nine-Yang Sky.

Whizz!

Dark clouds and ghostly energy swirled around a six-zhang tall, black-faced, fanged puppet clad in blue armor. Its speed far surpassed that of a Jie Dan cultivator, turning into a ghostly fog and gale as it blitzed towards the sand pit below.

“A near-fourth-order puppet? Xuanji Pavilion, you’ve broken your word—“

The traveling merchant cultivator, recovering in the sand pit, panicked and yelled furiously.

Boom!

He threw a bead, creating a grayish-white, thick fog that exploded outwards, enveloping a ten-li radius and partially blocking divine sense perception.

“Child’s play! Once I’ve set my sights on you, you’re doomed!”

The six-zhang tall, blue-armored puppet raised its arm, unleashing a ghostly blue iron gale that swept for hundreds of zhang, accurately targeting the fog-shrouded area.

“Bang!”

The traveling merchant cultivator barely dodged the core of the blue iron gale, but was still caught in the periphery. The spiritual light surrounding him shattered, sending him flying backwards.

The merchant cultivator’s outer shell peeled off, revealing the precious material of his armor beneath and the intricate components within.

“Hee hee! It’s indeed a puppet! The soul-infusion puppet technique it uses surpasses the Thousand Mechanisms Sect!”

The blue-armored man’s eyes flickered with green ghostly flames, and his expression grew even more excited.

Suddenly!

The flying merchant cultivator, with a flick of his sleeve, shot a cold arrow-shaped beam of light, striking the blue-armored man with incredible speed, catching him off guard.

“Ding!”

The blue-armored man didn’t even bother to dodge, allowing the sleeve-arrow artifact to hit his chest.

A ghostly mist exploded.

The blow, comparable to an attack by a late-Jie Dan cultivator, only left a small mark on the blue-armored man’s chest.

The poison-coated sleeve-arrow, shaken off, trembled as it quickly returned.

“So this is the so-called Qinglong Association? Such mediocre tactics?”

The blue-armored man’s eyes held mockery. He opened his massive blue iron palm, forcefully gripping the sleeve-arrow artifact.

Catching an artifact barehanded! Withstanding a late-Jie Dan attack!

The merchant cultivator, terrified, used his speed technique, transforming into a shadow to flee.

The merchant cultivator’s original form was a puppet assassin, skilled in speed and agility.

However, the blue-armored man was even faster, closing the distance in a few breaths, appearing like a teleporting mist.

Boom! Pfft, pfft!

The sand on the ground burst out in a series of loud bangs, with crystalline yellow stone pillars shooting up, each stretching for dozens of zhang, blocking the pursuit of the blue-armored puppet.

“Hmm? There’s also a rat demon!”

The blue-armored man stepped on the ground, blue iron patterns swirling on his feet, crushing those protruding pillars one by one.

A series of explosions created a blinding cloud of sand and dust.

Suddenly, from amidst the billowing sand, a forceful gust of wind struck his back.

A giant leopard-like, orange-yellow rat demon, with an uncanny movement, appeared behind the blue-armored man.

Slap!

With a huge, sharp claw, it struck the blue-armored man’s black-faced, fanged head, sending the massive body staggering.

A crack, several feet long, appeared on his back, almost tearing through the puppet’s shell.

“No! This isn’t an ordinary rat demon!”

The blue-armored man was astonished. He slashed back with his blue iron arm, but it went through empty air.

Whizz!

The orange-yellow rat demon, hidden by the sand, vanished into the desert floor.

Its speed, strength, and close-combat skills, as well as its battle awareness, surpassed most late-third-order beasts.

“You wish to become an enemy of the Qinglong Association? Today, you’ll be forever buried here.”

A clear, ethereal female voice echoed.

From a distance shrouded in sand, a figure in a pink skirt emerged, a mesmerizing illusion.

The sand-filled desert in sight strangely warped, enveloped in pink aura, transforming the ground into a pool of hot springs…

“Humph! Mere illusionary trickery!”

The blue-armored puppet’s eyes flickered with green ghostly flames, dispelling the third-order peak illusion.

The ghostly soul power it unleashed surpassed that of a peak Jie Dan cultivator.

Taking this opportunity,

The rock-earth rat unleashed a massive dust storm technique, entangling the six-zhang body of the blue-armored man.

The assassin puppet swung a hand-held dagger, sending a ten-zhang long, sharp blade-wave towards the blue-armored man.

The blue-armored puppet reacted in time, releasing a wave of ghostly blue iron gales, deflecting both the dust storm and the blade-wave.

The rock-earth rat, the two puppets – akin to three late-Jie Dan cultivators combined – were unable to defeat the near-fourth-order blue-armored puppet.

…

“This childish play ends now!”

The blue-armored man’s rigid face twisted into a cruel, cold, ghastly smile.

His gaping maw, with two black-blue fangs on either side, suddenly split open, igniting green ghostly flames, exuding an extremely dangerous aura.

Squeal!

The rock-earth rat’s fur bristled, shivering involuntarily, instinctively burrowing deeper into the desert.

Whew!

The two black-blue fangs, burning with ghostly flames, blurred in mid-air, rushing towards the rock-earth rat and the assassin puppet.

The assassin puppet, with its extraordinary agility, was still locked onto by the fangs. They were close in an instant, leaving no room for escape.

It could only dodge as best it could, using its arm as a shield. The ghostly flames brushed against its arm.

Crack!

The three-order superior puppet’s entire arm broke, shattering into pieces. The ghostly flames scorched its body, causing it to fall and roll in the sand pit.

The rock-earth rat, which had burrowed into the ground, wasn’t spared either.

It quickly tunneled through the earth, cushioning itself with rock and soil, but the ghostly flames still caught up.

Sizzle!

At a critical moment, the rock-earth rat, agilely shifting and shrinking its body, was grazed by the ghostly flames, narrowly avoiding a direct hit.

Aaw!

The rock-earth rat’s soul sea burned, a painful cry escaping its mouth. A corroded wound was left on its abdomen, its flesh being eroded by ghostly flames.

Fortunately, it had already burrowed deep underground, the ghostly flames weakened, returning to the mouth of the fourth-order puppet.

The other ghostly flame fang returned to the blue-armored man’s mouth.

“Let’s take care of you first!”

The merchant cultivator, now appearing as a severely damaged late-third-order puppet in the sand pit, was targeted by the blue-armored puppet, who swept up a blue iron gale, forming a tornado.

“Eh?”

As soon as he reached the top of the sand pit, the blue-armored man felt something unusual.

The puppet in the merchant cultivator’s form vanished from its original location, as if it had entered another dimension.

Simultaneously, the ground where the sand pit was located erupted with incredibly powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.

Boom!

Thirty-six talismanic glows rose into the sky, vibrant and dazzling, tearing through the ghostly energy in the air.

Buzz!

The power of the five elements, intertwined in the talismanic glows, outlined dense array patterns, forming a cylindrical, sealed array that enveloped a hundred-zhang radius.

“A talismanic array?!”

The blue-armored man’s face changed, realizing he had been ambushed.

He tried to create distance, but the array ground exerted a powerful pull, preventing him from escaping.

Among the thirty-six talismans, twelve were of three-order superior quality, and the other twenty-four were refined top-quality three-order mid-grade talismans.

Combined into an array, the formidable power it unleashed reached the threshold of Nascent Soul, posing a threat to the blue-armored man.

“Break!”

The blue-armored man, impatient and anxious, swung his arms forcefully, creating constant booming sounds of ghostly flames and vibrant flashes of light. He couldn’t break through for a short time.

“Hehe, as expected of a near-fourth-order puppet, your body is incredibly tough.”

A man in a green robe appeared from where the merchant cultivator had vanished, a slight smile playing on his lips, as he gently stroked the storage ring on his finger.

The blue-armored man felt a chill run down his spine. He had explored the surroundings earlier and hadn’t detected any other cultivators.

However, the man in green robe, a late-Jie Dan cultivator, was within his expectations.

If it had been a Nascent Soul Zhen Jun, possessing such a luxurious puppet lineup, why would they need to trade with him sincerely?

“Youngster! You’re the one behind the Qinglong Association’s machinations? This talismanic array’s power won’t hold me for long.”

The blue-armored man attacked while secretly storing energy in his two fangs.

“How long can your puppet crystal support you, friend?”

Lu Chang’an chuckled and waved his sleeve.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Eight figures landed, revealing eight archer puppets. The powerful spiritual pressure they accumulated as they drew their bows was almost comparable to a mid-Jie Dan cultivator.

A constant barrage of arrow-beams attacked the blue-armored man.

Furthermore, two three-order mid-grade puppets, one in the form of a black hawk and the other a rock dragon beast, launched mid-range spell attacks.

This wasn’t the end.

The previous female魅女 puppet, the assassin puppet, and the rock-earth rat rejoined the battle, launching a coordinated attack from outside the array.

In an instant,

The near-fourth-order blue-armored puppet found itself surrounded, its face darkening.

Even though it completely overpowered a Jie Dan cultivator, facing a combined assault by numerous third-order beings, the blue-armored man was left in a sorry state, his body exploding with spiritual light bursts, one after another.

Pfft, pfft!

A large dark-blue turtle appeared beside Lu Chang’an, opening its mouth and spitting out deep, heavy water spheres that smashed into the blue-armored puppet.

“Mysterious Dark Water?!”

The blue-armored puppet’s six-zhang body trembled slightly upon impact, with its surface hissing and being slowly eroded by the dark aura.

Fortunately, the turtle was only a peak early-third-order, if it had been a late-third-order, it could have posed a considerable threat.

“A cornered beast! How much longer can you hold on?”

Lu Chang’an slowly stretched out his palm, revealing a woven rope artifact. The spiritual energy it emanated reached the level of a superior artifact.

This was the restraining artifact he had obtained from Li Huo Shangren, used for the first time in a hundred years.

Sizzle, buzz!

The woven rope artifact, under the driving force of his immortal Golden Dan power, crackled with thunder and lightning, producing a magnificent display of energy. It transformed into a dazzling electric snake whip, wrapping around the blue-armored puppet’s body.

The blue-armored man sensed the danger and tried to dodge.

However, trapped within the array and facing a beating from the group, his maneuvering space was extremely limited.

The electric snake, agile and nimble, evaded his puppet arm’s block and accurately wrapped around the six-zhang puppet’s neck.

The blue-armored man trembled violently, as if struck by lightning!

Rings of electrical energy surrounded his body, with plumes of smoke rising from the surface, accompanied by ghostly cries of pain.

Electric energy had a powerful restraint against ghostly power.

“An immortal Golden Dan cultivator! A superior Thunder-type artifact…”

The blue-armored man roared in shock and anger. His shaking, near-fourth-order puppet body finally couldn’t hold on any longer.

Bang!

With a loud bang, the six-zhang body collapsed onto the ground, its ghostly energy dissipating for the most part.

The puppet crystal within the near-fourth-order puppet had nearly depleted its energy. Under the combined assault and confinement, it finally lost its resistance.

The array at the location also dimmed and dissipated almost simultaneously.

Lu Chang’an, controlling the woven rope artifact, bound the blue-armored puppet, then applied several sealing talismans.

He carefully investigated and discovered that the blue-armored puppet’s ghostly soul consciousness was very weak, corrupted by ghostly power, and had entered a self-preservation state of deep sleep and封印.

Lu Chang’an also planted a restriction on the puppet soul consciousness, which was fused with the puppet soul, and finally sealed it, placing it in his storage ring.

…

Within the fourth-order illusionary array, Lu Chang’an assessed the casualties.

The rock-earth rat sustained minor injuries, entangled by ghostly energy, but it was nothing serious.

By using electric energy and long-life spiritual energy, it could heal.

This battle added practical experience to the rock-earth rat and the Xuan Shui Turtle.

The late-third-order assassin puppet was heavily damaged and would need material additions for repair.

Compared to a near-fourth-order puppet, these casualties were negligible.

After cleaning up the battlefield.

Lu Chang’an confirmed that there were no anomalies outside the fourth-order illusionary array.

The blue-armored man had chased alone, the distance was too far, and the battle was isolated by the fourth-order array, making it difficult for Xuanji Pavilion to track the exact location.

Seeing this, Lu Chang’an retracted the deployed fourth-order array.

This type of temporary, movable array was not as powerful as a comparable sect-guarding array, and the range was significantly different.

It primarily relied on burning spirit stones, consuming tens of thousands of spirit stones per battle.

During his retreat,

Lu Chang’an disguised himself as a traveling merchant cultivator and vanished from the surrounding area.

Even if he was accidentally noticed by another force’s spies, they would at most associate it with the Qinglong Association.

Except within the fourth-order illusionary array, Lu Chang’an himself had not appeared openly.

Two days later.

Lu Chang’an took a roundabout route and returned to Xuan Yin Pavilion.

His cave residence had a simulated presence using a talismanic illusionary array. As far as the cultivators in Xuan Yin Pavilion were concerned, Master Xu had not left in recent times.

Just then,

Lu Chang’an sensed the natural dissipation of his前世 soul power, which was stored within the second-order puppet, in the direction of Gu Tian Immortal City.

“He ran pretty fast!”

The feedback from the second-order puppet’s monitoring: After Lu Chang’an captured the near-fourth-order puppet, the pursuing City Lord Gu, suddenly sensing something, decisively returned to Gu Tian Immortal City.

This City Lord Gu, perhaps had participated in the creation of the near-fourth-order puppet, making him essentially half-owner.

After the blue-armored man fell into a deep sleep, all communication was cut off. City Lord Gu, upon noticing something was wrong, knew that things were looking grim.

“The Qinglong Association is a mysterious and inscrutable organization, we only see the tip of the iceberg, we can’t act recklessly.

“Alas, the Lord of the Pavilion was corrupted by ghostly power, he wouldn’t listen to reason… thankfully, this City Lord ran fast.”

Back in the underground fortress of the Immortal City, City Lord Gu was still trembling in fear, looking back with trepidation.

He immediately ordered the Immortal City’s array to be activated at its highest level of alert, concealing the loss of Xuanji Pavilion’s strongest trump card, the near-fourth-order puppet.

…

After much deliberation, Lu Chang’an decided to let City Lord Gu off the hook.

This decision was based on several considerations:

Firstly, he couldn’t possibly go and annihilate the entire Gu Tian Immortal City. If he were to clash openly with a major force of the Outer Sect Alliance, attracting the Nascent Soul elders behind them, he would be playing into the Heavenly Master’s hands.

Within the Feng Yuan Kingdom, Lu Chang’an had to keep a card up his sleeve to guard against the Heavenly Master.

Secondly, the Qinglong Association would take responsibility for this matter, keeping Lu Chang’an out of it, ensuring that Xuan Yin Pavilion, Yun Ling, and the others wouldn’t be implicated later.

City Lord Gu’s fear of the Qinglong Association, the deep, unfathomable impression it left on him, was beneficial to Lu Chang’an.

Even if the Nascent Soul elder behind him learned about this later, they would have to weigh the consequences.

Thirdly, dismantling Xuanji Pavilion’s strongest trump card wouldn’t create a conflict of interest with the Nascent Soul elder behind it. Instead, it would make Xuanji Pavilion even more reliant on the Nascent Soul behind them.

City Lord Gu, having lost his strongest card, would do his best to keep the information hidden and would become more discreet in the future.

Even if Lu Chang’an wanted to kill him, it would be troublesome, and he would have to consider the Heavenly Master and the Nascent Soul elders behind the Outer Sect Alliance.

…

Half a month later.

Lu Chang’an thoroughly studied the captured near-fourth-order puppet.

The puppet’s material and crafting techniques left Lu Chang’an in awe, admitting to being inferior.

Many of the puppet’s components were made using Nascent Soul-grade materials.

In terms of materials alone, it was only two to three tenths inferior to a true Nascent Soul-grade puppet.

Furthermore, the puppet soul level was not cultivated to the fourth-order.

If he could let the fourth-life fuse, replacing the puppet soul, its combat power would be at least comparable to a fourth-order beast king, and it would be much more agile.

“The puppet’s main framework, the crafting techniques have reached the fourth-order! The crafting techniques of the other components also exceed three-order superior.”

One of the discoveries made Lu Chang’an curious about the ghostly soul consciousness sleeping within the puppet.

Could it be that the ghostly soul consciousness was a fourth-order puppet master in its previous life? No wonder the soul consciousness, formed from a peak Jie Dan cultivator, had such powerful divine sense.

Because the ghostly soul consciousness was in control of the puppet’s soul, Lu Chang’an couldn’t refine or control it before it woke up.

This level of puppet requires refining the core.

“If I forcibly erase the puppet soul, it will damage the puppet’s central system, the two are highly integrated, making it very difficult to separate.”

Lu Chang’an wasn’t confident in repairing the fourth-order puppet’s core.

To ensure the puppet’s integrity as much as possible, Lu Chang’an planned to wait for the ghostly soul consciousness to awaken and then communicate with it, even searching its soul.

The ghostly soul consciousness was in a state of deep sleep due to self-sealing, Lu Chang’an couldn’t forcibly search its soul, otherwise, it would collapse.

Lu Chang’an placed the Soul-Nurturing Bracelet and Soul-Nurturing Ring on the puppet, helping it recover faster.

He speculated that the ghostly soul consciousness should awaken within a few years.

By then, he would have already returned to the Dao Protection Alliance, the distance would be far, and he wouldn’t have to worry about Xuanji Pavilion’s follow-up actions.

…

Half a year later.

Lu Chang’an had dealt with most of his affairs in the Feng Yuan Kingdom and was ready to depart.

Before leaving, he informed Immortal Lady Ni Yue, entrusting her with several things.

These included the top-grade Jie Dan spiritual objects he left for Yun Ling.

Immortal Lady Ni Yue had anticipated Lu Chang’an’s departure and didn’t try to stop him.

Before leaving, Immortal Lady Ni Yue accompanied him, reluctant to part.

The two of them, in a deserted and desolate area of the desert, lingered for three days and three nights.

In those moments of intense affection, the most beautiful woman in the Feng Yuan Kingdom, with her flawless and snowy body, was temporarily buried in the sand, like a fairy falling into the dust, exhibiting a wild beauty never seen before.

Lu Chang’an’s pursuit of the spirit went beyond simple physical desires. Their final farewell, with Immortal Lady Ni Yue, reached a state of spiritual and physical harmony.

Lu Chang’an had a feeling that he wouldn’t see her for many years, so he allowed himself to indulge.

If the one from the Great Qing Middle Domain were to come, Lu Chang’an would have to run, run far away.

There was a possibility that this was their last encounter.

“Lu Lang, when will we meet again, I wonder?”

Immortal Lady Ni Yue, wearing a plain white dress, with lingering traces of passion on her cheeks, spoke in a soft voice, brimming with tenderness.

From Lu Chang’an’s reaction, she had a gut feeling that this parting was unusual.

This was the first man in her life, for whom she had given up her 《God-Dream Thousand Years》once and for all.

Although how much real love it contained was questionable and couldn’t stand scrutiny.

But after being together for so long, they had shared hardships and witnessed rainbows after storms, making it inevitable for feelings to develop over time.

“It’s hard to say.”

Lu Chang’an shook his head, his goal after reaching late-Golden Dan was only one, to strive for Nascent Soul.

As a lone cultivator, without a background, seeking Nascent Soul was inherently fraught with danger.

Moreover, there were unknown and potential strong enemies lurking.

“I hope that one day, Lu Lang will ascend to become a Nascent Soul Zhen Jun, and when you do, please remember this concubine, and I will be willing to descend to Xuan Yin Pavilion.”

Immortal Lady Ni Yue spoke softly, her words laced with affection, as she sent Lu Chang’an to the border of the Outer Sect Alliance, offering her last wish and blessing.

“May I borrow your auspicious words, Pavilion Master. If I am fortunate enough to achieve it, Lu will remember Xiao Ni Yue, Xuan Yin Pavilion, seventy years hence.”

Lu Chang’an bowed respectfully and agreed.

Immortal Lady Ni Yue looked at him, silent and speechless, as she bowed in return.

In the wind and sand, the two parted with mutual respect, as if they were ordinary Daoist friends meeting for the first time.

…

Lu Chang’an activated his escaping light, flying away from the Outer Sect Alliance.

Actually, the greatest gift Immortal Lady Ni Yue had given him was the God-Dream kiss from before, which had contributed to his understanding of the Dao and his mental state.

After a few days, Lu Chang’an reached the border of the Feng Yuan Kingdom.

Out of concern for the Heavenly Master, he deliberately chose a path along the edge, avoiding the heartland of the Feng Yuan Kingdom.

As the last oasis on the border of the Feng Yuan Kingdom was about to disappear from sight.

Lu Chang’an’s escaping light suddenly stopped.

Whoosh!

In the desert not far away, a gust of wind erupted.

Ice and sand swirled, condensing into a statue of a Daoist priest standing with his hands behind his back, wearing a snow-white robe.

The Daoist’s face was abstract, with sharp edges, and his back was imposing, blending seamlessly with the desert, containing the boundless power of nature.

“Senior Heavenly Master.”

Lu Chang’an’s heart sank, and he bowed respectfully.

“Little friend Lu is leaving the Feng Yuan Kingdom, why didn’t you notify me? Let this Daoist come and see you off.”

The Heavenly Master statue’s robes were snow-white, spotless, and his voice was empty and indifferent.

Whoosh!

With the two of them as the center, the swirling sand formed a tornado, blocking any external eavesdropping.

No one knew what Lu Chang’an and the Heavenly Master had talked about.

After a long time.

The Heavenly Master statue crumbled, turning into dust, and the sandstorm tornado ceased.

Lu Chang’an, expressionless, stepped onto his escaping light and left the Feng Yuan Kingdom’s territory completely.

Half a month later.

Crossing the vast, sand-filled chasm, Lu Chang’an entered the border of the Liang Kingdom.

After nearly a hundred years, he officially returned to the Dao Protection Alliance as Master Long Qing.

(End of Chapter)

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