I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 341
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## Chapter 337: Tracking Down Tian Luo
Half a month later.
A misty water-borne fairy city entered the sight of the old man in a straw raincoat.
Yun Yan Fairy City was still some distance away from the Jinglei Country’s demonic battlefield.
During peacetime, this fairy city, located on the lake, belonged to the Merchant Alliance and was jointly controlled by several merchant guilds. Xuehu Merchant Guild was one of the main large guilds.
During wartime, all major fairy cities, families, and spiritual vein lands were subject to the unified dispatch and command of the Wei Dao Alliance’s branch.
The old man in the straw raincoat, with his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, needed identity verification to enter Yun Yan Fairy City, which delayed him for a while.
Yun Yan Fairy City was now on high alert, strictly scrutinizing demonic spies.
Those with unidentified identities were easily captured and conscripted as laborers.
The old man in the straw raincoat used a trick to sneak in.
“After a hundred and forty or fifty years, the former peaceful prosperity and free trade no longer exist…”
Lu Chang An walked along the cold streets, seeing familiar sights but unfamiliar faces. He learned that the Xuehu Merchant Guild, which once flourished, had been shattered by the war and completely erased from Jinglei Country’s records.
Xun Xian Mansion, the most luxurious inn in the city, had a background in the Merchant Alliance and had survived, but its business was much quieter.
The old man in the straw raincoat, with his changed cultivation and appearance, wouldn’t be recognized after all these years.
The demise of Xuehu Merchant Guild, which held ties with the old man in the straw raincoat, left Lu Chang An feeling indifferent.
That night, Lu Chang An stayed in a single-family courtyard in Xun Xian Mansion, organizing the intelligence he had recently gathered.
The most important intelligence was related to Tian Luo Sect.
“Tian Luo Patriarch, is he so eager to relocate his sect and family without fully recovering from his injuries?”
Lu Chang An was surprised that Tian Luo Sect acted so quickly.
Before he arrived in Jinglei Country, Tian Luo Sect and the Chen Country Xie family had already started to evacuate in batches.
…
After obtaining the “Tai Yin Jade Liquid” and leaving Feng Country, Lu Chang An’s divination about the impending calamity became clearer, confirming its existence.
The higher the realm of a Celestial Master, the earlier they could predict it.
In the Wei Dao Alliance, Lu Chang An had completed two predetermined missions, leaving only the last one.
That was to seek Nascent Soul resources and seize opportunities amidst the upheaval of the war order.
Currently, Lu Chang An felt time was running out. There was no chance at Jin Yang Sect.
Although Jin Yang Sect had lost a frail Nascent Soul, they still had Liu Yang Zhen Jun, a veteran Nascent Soul in his prime, and they were not easy to deal with.
The other target was the dilapidated Tian Luo Sect, a sect that had been in ruin for a hundred years.
Tian Luo Sect had lost its fourth-order spirit vein, and with the continuous losses from the demonic war and their own mismanagement, their strength had plummeted.
Tian Luo Patriarch had at most two hundred years of lifespan left, and his strength was weaker than ordinary Nascent Soul Zhen Jun due to twice undergoing Nascent Soul projection and reforming his flesh, restoring his power.
However, even a starving camel is bigger than a horse.
Even without Tian Luo Patriarch, a Nascent Soul Zhen Jun, the combined strength of Tian Luo Sect and the Chen Country Xie family was still much stronger than sects like Jin Yun Valley.
Due to the impending calamity, Lu Chang An wasn’t particularly eager to attack Tian Luo Sect.
After all, the longer he stayed in Da Qing’s Eastern Region, the more dangerous it became.
But he didn’t expect that Tian Luo Sect would choose to relocate to the Seven Country Alliance at this point in time.
“The spatial node left behind by the Listen to the Sea Pavilion in Da Qing is in a secluded location near the Seven Country Alliance!”
Lu Chang An’s eyes sparkled as he made his plans.
He needed to investigate the reliability of that spatial node, which was basically in line with the route Tian Luo Sect was currently taking for relocation.
If that node was reliable, Lu Chang An planned to go to the Great Abyss and pursue the Nascent Soul path.
Firstly, he could avoid various risks, not limited to the future calamity.
After obtaining the “Tai Yin Jade Liquid”, Lu Chang An had made many enemies, and it was not easy to stay in the Wei Dao Alliance.
On the demonic side, the Beast King Valley Elder also had his eyes on Lu Chang An.
Once the battle situation collapsed and the Peacock Saintess returned, the Beast King Valley would definitely not let Lu Chang An go.
Secondly, the Great Abyss had a more developed cultivation civilization and abundant resources, with far more opportunities for forming a Nascent Soul than Da Qing.
Even compared to Da Qing’s Middle Region, where the Ten Sects of the Xuan Men were located, the opportunities were still far fewer.
Under these circumstances, Lu Chang An going to the Great Abyss was the best of both worlds.
“Since it’s on the way, I’ll act as the situation demands.”
Lu Chang An didn’t believe that Tian Luo Patriarch, at such an age, wouldn’t have made plans for his sect and family regarding Nascent Soul formation materials.
Even if they didn’t have a “Formation Pill”, they would have at least some Nascent Soul-related celestial treasures, spirit beasts, calamity-defending artifacts, and so on.
Lu Chang An already had grudges with Tian Luo Sect and the Chen Country Xie family, and he had no guilt in adding insult to injury.
Furthermore, he wouldn’t be the only one eyeing Tian Luo Sect.
In the cultivation world, there was no shortage of those who would loot after a fire.
What’s more, Tian Luo Sect had always been arrogant and domineering, with numerous enemies.
…
The next morning, Lu Chang An left Yun Yan Fairy City without delay.
As he was leaving the city, he was once again subject to inspection.
“Please allow me to explain, Senior. Yan Hong is my Gao family’s newlywed son-in-law, so his face might seem unfamiliar. He is absolutely not a demonic spy!”
At this moment, the voice of a gentle woman pleading echoed.
A young couple, both at the late-stage Qi Refinement, were being strictly inspected by the city guards, and the young male cultivator was being detained.
Lu Chang An glanced casually, unsurprised by such matters.
Hmm?
His gaze suddenly narrowed, falling on the anxious young female cultivator. She was wearing a Xuehu robe, had a beautiful face, and ice-clear, bright eyes.
At first glance, Lu Chang An felt a sense of familiarity and affinity.
Her appearance and temperament vaguely resembled Han Yu Zhen Ren, though not very much.
Lu Chang An also looked at the Xuehu robe she was wearing, made a slight calculation, and pondered.
Han Yu Zhen Ren’s name was Gao Ling Yu.
Although Xuehu Merchant Guild had been shattered and no longer existed, the various races of cultivators who formed the guild had not completely perished.
The Gao family, from which Han Yu Zhen Ren hailed, had now fallen into an ordinary Foundation Establishment family. The female cultivator in the Xuehu robe before him was their current most talented cultivator.
“Young lady from the Gao family! Your husband has no records in Yun Yan Fairy City. Where did he come from, where did his ancestors live, did he have any past crimes… If you can’t clarify even one of these points, we will have to take you for questioning to prevent demonic spies.”
A brown-skinned man with a Foundation Establishment initial stage cultivation, a gleam in his eyes, sneered.
“Senior, can you please be lenient. My husband came from the mundane world and entered the cultivation path, and his parents died when he was young. With some time, we can certainly find his clear origin.”
Gao Xue Qing begged, bowing respectfully, and discreetly handed a cloth bag filled with spirit stones to the brown-skinned Foundation Establishment man.
“Young lady Gao! Bribing city guards privately is a clear violation of the rules!”
The brown-skinned man scanned the cloth bag with his spiritual sense, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. He pretended to be upholding the rules.
When he pushed back the cloth bag of spirit stones.
The brown-skinned man gently rubbed his finger against Gao Xue Qing’s smooth, delicate finger.
Gao Xue Qing blushed and quickly withdrew her fair hand, filled with shame and anger.
At this moment, a voice came from the side, in a Foundation Establishment man’s voice transmission:
“These few spirit stones are for beggars! If the young lady is willing to serve me for a night, Wu wouldn’t mind giving your Gao family a chance to investigate themselves.”
The brown-skinned Foundation Establishment man smiled ambiguously, his eyes sweeping over the young woman’s curvaceous figure.
Gao Xue Qing’s face flushed red and white, filled with disgust.
If she didn’t comply, her husband would be arrested as an unidentified cultivator, and it would be difficult to redeem him.
“Miss Gao, we meet again.”
A detached, elderly voice came from a distance.
“Are you interfering, sir…”
The brown-skinned man looked at the old man in the straw raincoat with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, a hint of apprehension.
Boom!
Before he could finish speaking, his sea of consciousness shook violently, his face flushed red, and his internal power was suppressed, making him struggle to move.
“Nascent Soul Zhen Jun…”
The brown-skinned Foundation Establishment man was shocked, quickly forced a smile onto his face.
“This old man guarantees that he can prove the innocence of Miss Gao’s husband.”
The old man in the straw raincoat smiled kindly.
“Since the senior has spoken, then of course it’s no problem.”
The brown-skinned man noticed the pressure on him lessen, immediately bowed and flattered.
He, a Foundation Establishment initial stage cultivator, would face dire consequences if he offended a Nascent Soul Zhen Jun.
Moreover, his previous discriminatory actions couldn’t withstand investigation.
The brown-skinned man waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to release the detained young man.
Seeing Gao Xue Qing and her husband free from trouble, Lu Chang An stepped on his escape light and flew towards the direction outside the city.
…
“Senior, please wait…”
After flying for several miles, Gao Xue Qing, with her husband Yan Hong, hurriedly caught up.
Lu Chang An stopped his escape light and smiled.
Earlier, he had deliberately slowed his escape speed, giving Gao Xue Qing a chance to catch up.
If she came to express gratitude, Lu Chang An would casually bestow a favor upon her, as a way of showing care for Han Yu Zhen Ren’s descendants.
If she didn’t, then it was not meant to be.
“My name is Gao Xue Qing. I am grateful for the senior’s help.”
Gao Xue Qing, holding her husband’s hand, knelt down to thank him.
“This old man intervened because I have a connection with your Gao family’s ancestors.”
The old man in the straw raincoat spoke calmly.
“Senior, are you…”
Gao Xue Qing, with her clear bright eyes, looked at the old man in the straw raincoat.
She suddenly remembered a portrait left by her Gao family ancestor, “Han Yu Zhen Ren”, which was said to have left a regret in the ancestor’s life.
The old man in the straw raincoat, with his clothing, looked seven points similar to the person in the portrait.
“Come with this old man for a chat.”
Lu Chang An guessed from the change in Gao Xue Qing’s expression that she was a descendant of Han Yu Zhen Ren’s family.
With a wave of his Dan power light, the old man in the straw raincoat and Gao Xue Qing entered a nearby grove.
Seeing this.
Yan Hong, the son-in-law, was anxious, his eyes also showing a bit of anticipation.
However, his wife entered the grove with the old man in the straw raincoat, and she hadn’t come out for a long time.
Yan Hong paced around anxiously, feeling uneasy, and gradually growing worried.
As time passed, his expression became uncertain, and he clenched his fist tightly.
Half an hour later.
His wife Gao Xue Qing came out alone, her face flushed, and she flew out of the grove with a cheerful expression.
The old man in the straw raincoat had vanished.
“Husband, just now, Senior gave me…”
Gao Xue Qing’s brows raised slightly, and her agitated emotions, not yet settled, made her look radiant.
Just now, the old man in the straw raincoat had not only given her Foundation Establishment cultivation opportunities and life-saving artifacts but also corrected and guided her on her cultivation mistakes.
“Gao Xue Qing, how can you do this? Even though I’m a son-in-law, you cannot humiliate me like this…”
Yan Hong clenched his teeth, his voice trembling.
“Yan Hong! What do you mean?”
Gao Xue Qing’s eyes widened, feeling wronged, looking at her husband, whose face was dark and whose eyes were bloodshot.
…
On the other side.
Lu Chang An, having left behind a bit of kindness, flew to the Jiugang Heaven, feeling comforted.
An hour later.
Lu Chang An arrived at the Qing Sha Bay Xia family, where he had once secluded himself to cultivate for decades.
Xia Hong Yu, the old family head of the Xia family, the longevity cultivator, had already died of old age.
In a world of war, cultivators who could die of old age were considered lucky.
The current family head of the Xia family was Xia Ming Qu, their former young master.
Xia Ming Qu was also a Fake Dan Zhen Jun, and the overall strength of the family had not declined compared to before.
Lu Chang An merely observed the area from afar, not revealing himself.
The Autumn Wind Island where he had once cultivated was still preserved in its original form. This island daoist field, after all, had birthed two True Dan cultivators, and the Xia family protected it well.
On Autumn Wind Island, Lu Chang An pondered for a moment and left two hidden legacy skills in his former residence.
One was a Dan refinement legacy and the other was a talisman legacy, reaching the third-order level.
It was just a casual move from Lu Chang An. The Xia family didn’t really need his special care.
The Qing Sha Bay Xia family, being able to maintain themselves and not decline during the demonic war, was due to the protection of the Ao Yue Palace.
After Xia Wen Yue formed her Nascent Soul, she had returned to Qing Sha Bay with her Nascent Soul status in Ao Yue Palace, giving the family much support.
…
A few days later.
A branch altar of the Wu Jian Men in Jinglei Country was invaded by mysterious cultivators.
A strange third-order poison caused all the cultivators in the branch altar to fall into a coma.
At that time, the highest cultivation level in the branch altar was the Deputy Altar Master, a Foundation Establishment initial stage cultivator.
Fortunately, apart from some stolen intelligence jade slips, there were no casualties in the branch altar.
The altar master returned, and upon learning of the incident, he was drenched in sweat. He immediately reported the matter to the Shadowless Chief of the Jinglei Country branch of the Wu Jian Men.
While the Wu Jian Men branch was investigating the bizarre invasion, the perpetrator had already left the Jinglei Country cultivation world.
Thousands of miles west of Jinglei Country, in a desolate and poor spiritual land.
Inside a temporary mountain cave carved into the rock.
“Such a large-scale relocation, done in batches. Although they are all heading towards the Seven Country Alliance, the specific routes, departure times, and locations are all different.”
Lu Chang An put down several intelligence jade slips in his hand, thoughtfully.
After Xing Peng’s death, Lu Chang An’s acquisition of some classified and timely intelligence was inevitably lacking.
Luckily, Lu Chang An had dealt with Xing Peng for a hundred years and was familiar with the Wu Jian Men’s arrangements.
He used a simple and brutal method to obtain all the recent intelligence from the Wu Jian Men’s branches.
The Wu Jian Men’s intelligence network extended beyond the Wei Dao Alliance, even reaching the demonic battlefield in the Seven Country Alliance.
They paid close attention to the relocation of Tian Luo Sect and the Chen Country Xie family.
However, Tian Luo Sect and the Xie family’s methods were quite clever.
The vast forces were divided into several groups, heading towards the Seven Country Alliance from different locations and routes, both openly and secretly.
It was impossible to know which batch of cultivators on which route was the core lineage of Tian Luo Sect and the Xie family.
Tian Luo Patriarch had clearly left Jinglei Country.
His current whereabouts were unknown.
Even the Wu Jian Men hadn’t figured it out in the short term.
“Tian Luo Patriarch is casting a wide net. Even if he suffers heavy losses, as long as he protects the core lineage and takes away the core legacy and resources, he can easily make a comeback.”
Lu Chang An couldn’t help but admire Tian Luo Patriarch’s ruthless methods.
The territory of the Seven Country Alliance was quite large.
They could reach it by heading west along the Black Mist Mountain Range.
Heading west from Jinglei Country or Chen Country was also a normal route, making it difficult to set up an ambush.
Even mobilizing the forces of a Nascent Soul sect to hunt them down couldn’t guarantee a complete annihilation.
However, the journey was long, even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would take more than a month to fly.
The long distance was one thing.
The vast stretch of desolate land, with poor spiritual energy, even spirit-less, and the dangerous areas with harsh environments, all hampered cultivators’ flight speed.
The higher the cultivation level, the less the impact on flight speed.
For example, True Dan cultivators or Nascent Soul Zhen Jun had abundant power reserves, were less affected by the environment, and didn’t need to rest or replenish power frequently.
…
Half a day later.
Lu Chang An divined, but he didn’t get a clear answer, only a vague, general direction.
Overall, it matched the direction of the spatial node.
Lu Chang An, with a carefree attitude, flew westward towards the Seven Country Alliance.
He had been to the Seven Country Alliance once before, using the identity of “Nie Yuan”.
At that time, he had secretly helped Li Huo Palace obtain a quasi-fourth-order spirit vein, fulfilling the wish of Li Huo Shang Ren.
This time, the overall direction was the same, but the specific route was slightly different.
In the vast, boundless wilderness, even a slight difference of a fraction of a degree in direction could result in a distance of thousands of miles.
After flying for tens of thousands of miles.
Lu Chang An was lucky. His powerful spiritual sense detected a group of relocating Tian Luo Sect Xie family cultivators.
Huh?
Lu Chang An felt the commotion of a battle from several hundred miles away.
Among them, there was a battle at the True Dan level, with flying sand and rocks, mountains and rocks crumbling.
“Xuan Yin Sect! Xiang Jing Long!”
“You are not fighting demons on the front lines but instead ambushing your former allies who fought alongside you?”
On the Tian Luo Sect Xie family side, a middle-aged True Dan cultivator wearing a Confucian scholar’s cap led more than ten disciples in a fierce resistance.
Their opponents were two “True Dan level” powerhouses, along with four Fake Dan Zhen Jun.
Two leading figures from the Xuan Yin Sect, one of whom was a white-browed Daoist at the True Dan stage, unleashed a black cloud dark thunder spell, surrounding the enemy.
The other was not a True Dan cultivator, but a three-order body-cultivation giant, two meters tall, with dark demonic markings all over his body, spewing out a cloud of煞气.
His face was identical to the former Xiang Jing Long.
The current Xiang Jing Long, with the wonders of body cultivation, was like a towering iron tower, immensely strong, shaking the earth and splitting mountains with every move.
Numerous spells hit him, but they were like tickling him.
Bang!!
A Fake Dan Zhen Jun from the Tian Luo Sect was hit by Xiang Jing Long, who had closed in at high speed. His protective spell shattered, and he exploded into a bloody mist.
The middle-aged True Dan cultivator from the Tian Luo Sect was also forced to dodge and weave, barely surviving.
“The ‘Earth Demon Heavenly Support Technique’, truly a top-tier body cultivation technique!”
The white-browed Daoist on the side was taking it easy, only providing support.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the Tian Luo Sect side was defeated.
The only True Dan cultivator, the middle-aged man, his Confucian scholar’s cap falling off, was disheveled and looked like a lamb being clamped by Xiang Jing Long’s huge dark demonic hand, unable to move.
“Xie Xiao, is the direct descendant of Tian Luo Patriarch’s great-grandson! Congratulations, Protector Xiang, you have caught a big fish.”
The white-browed Daoist congratulated him.
“A pushover!”
Xiang Jing Long, who had returned to his normal wheat-colored middle-aged appearance, had strong muscles and shook his neck, looking as if he had just warmed up.
Tian Luo Sect and Xuan Yin Sect were both in Jinglei Country, and they were inevitably bound to have conflicts and a bad relationship.
With Tian Luo Sect relocating, Xuan Yin Sect naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to add insult to injury.
However, it was not honorable to ambush their former allies who fought alongside them against demons.
Even though Tian Luo Sect had a bad reputation, it was not something that could be done openly.
Moreover, the main force of Xuan Yin Sect was tied up on the demonic battlefield.
In the end, Liang Zhang Jiao entrusted this mission to Xiang Jing Long, a cultivator of robbery origin, giving him a chance to loot some resources from the relocating Tian Luo Sect cultivators.
“Tsk! Indeed, the Xie family’s direct descendants, this fellow carries a lot of goods, there are even main ingredients for a ‘Crystal Condensation Pill’, and a near fourth-order year-old Qing Xuan wood.”
After reviewing the spoils of war, both Xiang Jing Long and the white-browed elder were delighted.
Xiang Jing Long kept the spoils of war and smiled, “We’ll need you, Daoist Lin, to search his soul and find out the secrets of Tian Luo Sect’s relocation, especially the escape routes of their other direct lineages.”
(End of Chapter)
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