I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 382

## Chapter 378: The Path to Nascent Soul (Three)

The Sang Kingdom was located on the border of the Great Abyss Central Region, a nation with a Nascent Soul sect led by two Nascent Soul Initial Stage masters.

Due to a favorable divination result, indicating “auspicious stars shining brightly,” Lu Chang An slowed his exploration pace.

About half a month later, Lu Chang An, now a wandering merchant, received his first commission.

The Qing Teng Mountains, home to dozens of spiritual veins, were dotted with large and small cultivation families.

Along the winding mountain path, a middle-aged merchant with sallow skin carried a large wooden cage, his face etched with weariness.

Beside him were a young man in blue armor and an inconspicuous yellow-haired earth dog.

“Woof!”

The earth dog suddenly let out a soft bark, gazing towards the mountain peak.

A sonic boom echoed through the air. A five-zhang long, magic-powered flying boat wobbled past overhead.

“Father, we’ll reach the Heisha Market in twenty li.”

On the flying boat, Tao Wen Jun knelt half-way, her face pale, her mana failing. She struggled to control the flying boat.

“Wen Jun, don’t push yourself. Your Qi Refinement Sixth Stage cultivation is barely enough to control an upper-grade flying boat. Once we reach the market, you just need to deliver the message…”

Tao’s father, eyes barely open, his forehead tinged with black and blue, gasped, as if giving last instructions.

Tao Wen Jun’s eyes filled with tears. Her mana and spiritual sense were nearing their limit. The flying boat slowed down, its wobble becoming more pronounced. It seemed ready to plummet at any moment.

Tao Wen Jun gritted her teeth, ready to force more blood essence into the boat. But then, she caught sight of the wandering merchant on the mountain path.

She felt as if she had grasped a lifeline, her heart lifting. She steered the flying boat towards the merchant.

“Senior, do you have any healing or life-saving elixirs for sale?”

With the flying boat landing, Tao Wen Jun’s plump figure swayed, her hair disheveled. She tried to rise and bow, but fell to her knees weakly.

“Wen Jun, don’t trust…”

Tao’s father, seeing the unfamiliar group of three, felt uneasy. Right now, they were almost defenseless. If they encountered bandits…

Tao Wen Jun realized this as well, her heart sinking.

“Puu!”

At that moment, Tao’s father coughed up a mouthful of dark, green blood and fainted.

Lu Chang An glanced at the delicate, plump, and helpless woman, stepped forward, and checked Tao’s father’s injuries.

“Internal organ damage, evil energy infestation, depletion of divine essence and vital energy…”

Lu Chang An pondered for a moment and took a sheep-fat porcelain bottle from the wooden cage (a large storage pouch) behind him.

“This is a Second Stage Upper Grade Spring Revival Pill.”

He fed the pill to Tao’s father, then extended his palm, radiating green light, gently patting his back.

Soon, a cold, dark mist drifted from Tao’s father.

After waiting for a while, Tao’s father, having taken the Spring Revival Pill, regained some color, his heartbeat stabilized. He was out of immediate danger.

“Thank you for saving us, Senior. I…”

Tao Wen Jun, her tense heart finally relaxed, expressed her gratitude with a deep bow.

From the previous treatment, she could tell that this wandering merchant was a Foundation Establishment Stage expert, skilled in medicine and pharmacology.

Otherwise, a mere Second Stage pill wouldn’t have been enough to stabilize Tao’s father’s condition so quickly.

“It’s nothing. Lu is just a wandering merchant, coincidental circumstances. Just pay the price for the pill and the treatment, a fair exchange.”

Lu Chang An waved his hand, speaking modestly.

Tao Wen Jun was taken aback. Looking at the sallow-faced, shrewd-looking merchant, the halo of an expert in her mind shattered.

She pursed her lips, taking out spirit stones, valuable magic tools, and pills from her storage pouch, but her expression turned bitter and troubled.

The Foundation Establishment Stage doctor’s exorcism and treatment, plus a Second Stage Upper Grade elixir, were more than she and her father could afford, even if they emptied their storage pouches.

In her desperate predicament, Tao Wen Jun almost considered stripping herself of her magical skirt to cover some of the cost, but it was still not enough.

“Senior Lu, what if we added this flying boat?”

At this critical moment, Tao’s father, supported by his daughter, spoke with a bitter tone.

“Acceptable.”

Lu Chang An nodded, although it was just a First Stage Upper Grade flying boat, its value was higher than similar magic tools of the same level.

Tao Wen Jun wanted to say something but hesitated. This flying boat was not owned by her and her father, but by their family.

Because of their family’s misfortune, her father took her to seek help. During the escape, they were attacked by bandits, putting them in grave danger.

The transaction complete, Lu Chang An patted the dust off his clothes and prepared to leave.

“We implore Senior to help our Tao family. Upon success, our Foundation Establishment Ancestor will surely offer a generous reward.”

Tao’s father, with his daughter supporting him, bowed deeply.

“I’m afraid I must disappoint you. As a wandering merchant, I do accept some commissions, but I don’t get involved in the conflicts of various factions.”

Lu Chang An declined apologetically.

“Senior Lu! This crisis is not due to family conflicts, but a demon lurking within our family, breaking out from the family’s restricted area, wreaking havoc. Moreover, our enemies, the evil path cultivators, took advantage of this misfortune…”

Tao’s father explained anxiously.

…

“Oh? A demon lurking?”

Lu Chang An, initially expecting a simple trading commission, discovered that the situation was more complicated than he initially thought.

Years ago, using a teleportation passage, he reached the forbidden area of the Great Abyss Central Region and encountered some demonized creatures.

Including the demonized stone-heart dragon he once hunted, it was also a type of demonized beast.

In the Great Abyss cultivation world, especially the Central Region, demons were not uncommon.

The root of this all was the ancient forbidden area in the Central Region, its center being the Endless Demon Abyss. It once sealed numerous demon head monsters.

Every few years, a demon tide would leak out from the Endless Demon Abyss, allowing some demon monsters to escape and wreak havoc in the Great Abyss.

It was said that before Zi Xia Xian Zi and Yun Lan Zhen Jun became dao companions, the senior brother they loved once died in the demon uprising in the Central Region.

“What kind of cultivation aura does the demon appearing in your Tao family have?”

Lu Chang An asked, his tone serious, wanting to know the specific reason.

“The demon’s aura is stronger than an ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage, but it should not be at the Core Formation Stage. However, there isn’t just one demon. Otherwise, with our family’s protective formation and two Foundation Establishment Ancestors, our family wouldn’t be facing annihilation.”

Tao’s father recalled and considered.

He withheld a detail he wasn’t sure about. As he left, the demon rampaging through their family seemed to be increasing in strength.

“Alright, the two of you stay here, Lu will go take a look.”

Lu Chang An made a quick calculation. The demon in the Tao family should be a historical remnant.

Past demon uprisings were difficult to completely eradicate. There were bound to be some remnants, insignificant demons and ghosts.

Such incidents occasionally occurred throughout the Central Region.

Moreover, on the eve of the demon tide, dormant demon remnants would stir.

Lu Chang An decided to board the flying boat he had just bought and head towards the Tao family’s territory.

Among the clouds, Lu Chang An tried to calculate the next demon uprising, but the celestial secrets were blurry. Perhaps it was due to insufficient information.

“It shouldn’t be.”

Lu Chang An thought to himself. “In the past, demon calamities in the Central Region mostly happened around one hundred and twenty years after the opening of the Ancient You Palace.”

Many high-level cultivators speculated that the demon uprisings might be related to the Ancient You Palace.

Because, every time the Ancient You Palace opened, the entrance fee required was a demon crystal.

A Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator once warned the cultivators of the Central Region: using demon crystals to exchange for entry into the Ancient You Palace might bring uncontrollable and unknown risks to the demon abyss in the Central Region’s forbidden area.

Faced with the allure of the opportunity presented by the Ancient You Palace, the major factions of the Central Region did not take it seriously.

Firstly, the demon uprisings that the Central Region experienced were generally controllable. Even in calamities, they would bring some rare materials. Those escaped demon heads, the strongest among them rarely exceeded the Fourth Stage Mid Stage, and their nature was murderous, with lower intelligence than their peers.

Secondly, during each demon uprising, the number of top Nascent Soul Zhen Jun falling was minimal. It was mainly the Core Formation and lower-level cultivators who suffered more casualties.

Even if some years saw unusually strong demon uprisings, with demons fleeing everywhere, radiating to various regions of the Great Abyss, the entire Great Abyss cultivation world would shoulder the burden together.

…

In a short while, Lu Chang An reached the Tao family’s territory and indeed sensed three demonic auras.

The Tao family’s Second Stage formation was in ruins, with cultivators either dead or fleeing.

Those demons, with blue faces and sharp fangs, had bodies resembling wolves, surrounded by demonic energy. The strongest of them was approaching the level of a Fake Core Formation.

After a massacre, these demons roamed the family grounds, searching for signs of survivors amidst the ruins.

“It doesn’t seem like pure demonic aura.”

Lu Chang An examined them briefly, sensing a strong presence of curse and resentment, causing one’s soul to tremble.

“Woof!”

The yellow-haired earth dog’s fur glowed a yellowish-brown light, blending into the earth through the nearby mountains, disappearing.

“Whoooosh!”

Soon, a massive sandstorm rose above the Tao family’s territory.

The three demons, sensing something, fled in fear, but were quickly enveloped by the sand, becoming petrified, unable to move.

After a chorus of ghostly wails, it all stopped.

The flying sand swirled into the sky.

Lu Chang An took three mottled demon cores, sensing the chilling ghost energy that clung to them.

“Ghost Path energy? Could it be that the mastermind behind these demons is someone else…”

Lu Chang An, his expression unchanged, ordered the blue armored guard to kill the few evil path cultivators who were secretly lurking and spying nearby.

At this time, Di Yan Jun had a discovery. He followed the ghost energy and smelled a clue.

After a cup of tea’s worth of time, Di Yan Jun burrowed underground for one hundred li, entering a deep, dark mine.

This mine, stretching deep into the earth, had been mined for centuries, a legacy of the Tao family and previous owners.

Deep in the mine, countless white bones lay buried, filled with heavy resentment and ghost energy, with ghost fires floating around.

“Third Stage demon dog, you dare kill my subordinates!”

From the discarded mine ore, a silver-white skeleton frame, burning with a purple ghost fire, let out a terrifying, piercing scream.

The ghost energy pressure emanating from this ghost was clearly at the Third Stage Mid Stage peak, approaching the level of a Core Formation cultivator, although it was somewhat unstable.

“This is even better. I just happen to be lacking a Third Stage ghost pet!”

The silver-white skeleton frame stood upright, its purple ghost flames expanding into a ten-zhang tall ghost spirit, with a bronze ghost weapon in each hand.

“Whoosh!”

The Third Stage Initial Stage demon dog, turning into an untraceable shadow to spiritual sense, suddenly expanded several times in the blink of an eye.

“Not right!”

A terrifying demon energy aura caused the silver-white skeleton’s ghost flames to flicker and fearfully howl.

“Aah! A dignified Fourth Stage Demon King, you actually…”

The surging ghost spirit flames, ten zhang tall, shrunk and vanished in an instant. The silver-white skeleton frame was caught by a huge paw like a fan, followed by a cracking sound.

A moment later, a middle-aged wandering merchant arrived at the scene quietly.

The earth dog’s paw, the size of a fan, restrained a cluster of dim purple fire souls, like flickering candlelight.

At its feet lay a pile of broken bones, including two Ghost Path magic tools and a rusty storage bracelet.

“A Third Stage ghost cultivator possessing a spatial storage artifact, it seems their origins are not simple.”

Lu Chang An received the spoils presented by the earth dog.

Aside from the Ghost Path magic tools, the storage bracelet also contained some items. However, most of them had lost their spiritual essence for unknown reasons.

Additionally, there were a few jade slips that recorded Ghost Path related inheritance.

One complete Ghost Path cultivation technique, called the “Five Curse Resentment Spirit Sutra,” required collecting resentment spirits to enhance Ghost Path and curse techniques.

“Such gains are hardly worth the “auspicious stars shining brightly” omen.”

Lu Chang An’s expression was emotionless as he put away the spoils and the spatial storage artifact.

Such gains were not uncommon during his years of wandering.

At his current level, the only gains that could be considered good fortune would be Nascent Soul level opportunities and resources.

Afterwards, Lu Chang An used soul-searching on this lurking ghost cultivator’s remnant soul.

“He was a ghost cultivator who had recently switched cultivation…”

Soul-searching a ghost cultivator was more difficult. Lu Chang An couldn’t obtain complete memories, but he learned about the ghost cultivator’s approximate origins.

This ghost cultivator, in his previous life, was a True Core Late Stage cultivator of a Nascent Soul sect in the Sang Kingdom. He once failed his attempt at Nascent Soul.

Due to his limited aptitude and foundation, he failed at the first step of Nascent Soul, “shattering the core to form the infant.” Fortunately, he managed to survive and preserve most of his cultivation.

With no hope for Nascent Soul, he betrayed his sect and switched to practicing the Ghost Path technique he had obtained.

The Ghost Path technique he practiced came from the subordinate force of the “Yellow Heaven Ghost Palace,” the ruler of the Northern Region. It had the potential to reach the Fourth Stage Ghost King level.

Once one converted to ghost cultivation, lifespan was greatly extended, far exceeding humans and ordinary beasts.

However, the cost was immense.

Switching to the Ghost Path meant no reincarnation, meaning no afterlife.

Secondly, the difficulty of a ghost cultivator ascending to immortality was far greater than that of normal cultivators. They would endure greater damage when facing the tribulation lightning.

Lu Chang An possessed the “Nine Seal Monument,” had no interest in the Ghost Path, and only regarded it as a normal reserve for knowledge.

In this light, the gain from this was rather underwhelming. The most valuable thing was the bronze bracelet, the spatial storage artifact.

“Huh!”

In the latter half of soul-searching, Lu Chang An obtained a memory fragment.

A ghost cultivator, even if they were a Core Formation Late Stage, rarely had any secrets that would make Lu Chang An excited.

However, in the ghost cultivator’s memories, there was a clue that was extremely useful to Lu Chang An.

Because he had previously attempted Nascent Soul, this ghost cultivator had collected Nascent Soul resources. In his memories, there was a clue to a top-notch Nascent Soul spirit treasure.

Not only that, this top-notch Nascent Soul spirit treasure was perfectly suited to Lu Chang An’s wood element.

It’s worth noting that the “Noon-midnight Clear Breeze” that Lu Chang An had extorted from Tian Luo Lao Zu, while a top-notch Nascent Soul spirit treasure, was not wood element.

“A wood element Nascent Soul spirit treasure is in the hands of the first family of the Sang Kingdom, the “Black River Fortress.”

Lu Chang An’s heart skipped a beat.

If he could obtain such a compatible Nascent Soul spirit treasure, his preparations for Nascent Soul would be significantly enhanced!

His chances of achieving Nascent Soul would be pushed to the maximum!

This ghost cultivator, in his previous life, was unable to obtain such a Nascent Soul spirit treasure, and his attributes were not perfectly compatible, so he gave up.

However, for Lu Chang An, this would be much easier.

The first family of the Sang Kingdom, the “Black River Fortress,” did not have a Nascent Soul Zhen Jun, their strongest was a Core Formation Late Stage.

However, the family had a kinship relationship with the Supreme Elder of the “Heavenly Silkworm Sect,” the only Nascent Soul sect in the Sang Kingdom.

…

That night, Lu Chang An vanished from the surrounding area of the Tao family.

As for the reward for killing the demons, Lu Chang An didn’t ask the Tao family for it. It was considered a good deed.

The Tao family’s cultivators suffered heavy casualties, their territory destroyed. It was hard to say whether they could maintain their family’s assets.

Lu Chang An casually eliminated those evil path cultivators who were secretly observing, as a reward for obtaining the clue about the opportunity.

After the matter was done, he brushed away his sleeves and left, hiding his identity and fame.

Lu Chang An’s subsequent travels deviated from his usual pattern. He changed his identity and secretly investigated the “Black River Fortress” in the Sang Kingdom, including the clue about the Nascent Soul spirit treasure.

The information was favorable for Lu Chang An.

The Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Silkworm Sect, who had a kinship relationship with the Black River Fortress, was already in his twilight years, his lifespan exceeding one thousand years.

Currently, this Nascent Soul Zhen Jun had retired to the back of the sect.

Based on current information, the wood element Nascent Soul spirit treasure was planted in the Black River Fortress’s restricted area medicine garden, where it was being cultivated and its medicinal properties were being enhanced.

“The Black River Fortress has a Quasi-Fourth Stage formation, as well as various hidden restrictions. Forcibly taking it or sneaking in would be difficult. If successful, it would alert the Nascent Soul sects of the Sang Kingdom.”

Lu Chang An pondered for a long time, making plans.

His gentle and kind gaze fell upon the earth dog, Di Yan Jun, who was gnawing on the remains of his prey, and he gently stroked the fur on his head.

For this deal to be successful, Di Yan Jun, the Fourth Stage Demon King skilled in earth遁, was crucial.

Lu Chang An was not in a rush.

This journey would last for several years. He would stay in the Sang Kingdom for a while and slowly plan his actions.

…

Two months later, on the border of the Sang Kingdom’s cultivation world, a Nascent Soul level遁 light, like a white silk cocoon, left a dazzling white mark in the sky.

At some point, the white遁 light slowed down and hovered among the surrounding mountains.

“Xuan Chan Dao You, have you lost track of that person?”

There were two people on the white遁 light. The black-skinned elder who spoke was the Black River Fortress’s Ancestor, Hei He Zhen Ren, at the Core Formation Late Stage.

The other was a white-browed elder with Nascent Soul cultivation, wearing a dark green robe, his appearance emanating an aura of twilight years.

In the palm of Xuan Chan Zhen Jun, a jade bottle floated, containing a drop-shaped dark green energy.

“That person has not escaped the tracking range of the “Spring-blooming Withered Vine.” However, their遁 speed is extremely fast, no less than mine. Even if they’re not a Nascent Soul Zhen Jun, they must have a powerful spirit beast mount.”

Xuan Chan Zhen Jun’s dim eyes shone with a mysterious light, silently maintaining the calculations and sensing of the “Xuan Chan Nine Lives Sutra.”

This profound secret technique not only contained divination techniques to avoid misfortune, but also possessed a tracking ability beyond ordinary means.

Hei He Zhen Ren, upon hearing this, quickly calmed down and sighed.

“Forget it! This time, I trouble Xuan Chan Dao You. We don’t expect to necessarily retrieve the “Spring-blooming Withered Vine.” But being forced to make a deal by that person, without even knowing their identity, is truly irritating.”

From Hei He Zhen Ren’s understanding of Xuan Chan Zhen Jun, those words indicated his unwillingness to pursue this further and avoid complications.

After all, Xuan Chan Zhen Jun, being the oldest Nascent Soul cultivator in the surrounding area, nearly one thousand one hundred years old, was always cautious and wouldn’t easily take risks.

The reason why he tracked before was that he suspected the target was below the Nascent Soul level, seeking Nascent Soul resources. But their abilities were exceptional, and they had a special spirit beast assisting them, making him suffer a loss.

“Although that person forced the deal and succeeded, Hei He Dao You didn’t lose out.”

“The items that person gave in exchange are enough to buy the “Spring-blooming Withered Vine.” They shouldn’t be an evil path cultivator and don’t want to be enemies with the Sang Kingdom.”

Xuan Chan Zhen Jun stroked his beard and smiled faintly, showing some interest in the mysterious cultivator who had blackmailed the Black River Fortress and forced a deal.

Moreover, there was also a hint of fear.

During the previous pursuit, his practiced “Xuan Chan Nine Lives Sutra” triggered a premonition of fate: if he continued to pursue, it would be dangerous and unpredictable.

…

Three years later, a middle-aged man with sallow skin, a dusty appearance, and a reserved expression stepped into the territory of the Dan Dao League.

“Six years of wandering have finally brought me to my final destination.”

Lu Chang An exhaled slowly. His mana was deep and obscure, his green golden core was deathly still, yet it had been refined to the extreme.

Three months ago, Lu Chang An turned 379 years old, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the Golden Core Late Stage.

Over the past six years, Lu Chang An had wandered across most of the cultivation realms of the Central Region, posing as a wandering merchant.

During this time, he not only engaged in buying and selling, but also occasionally accepted commissions, doing good deeds and eliminating evil.

He exterminated ghosts, demons, bandits, and even practiced fortune-telling. He did whatever he could as long as it was easy and profitable.

The life of a wandering merchant, compared to the arduous cultivation in a sect, was more colorful. He met all sorts of cultivators and other creatures.

In the process, he had insights and reflections, and unexpected gains.

Among them, the wood element Nascent Soul spirit treasure, “Spring-blooming Withered Vine,” was the most delightful discovery of this journey.

“Now that we’ve reached the Dan Dao League, take a good rest.”

Lu Chang An was at ease. A wisp of invisible wind swept across his body, as well as the blue armored guard and the yellow-haired earth dog beside him.

The dust and grime on all three of them disappeared.

Lu Chang An put away the wooden cage behind him, as if he had washed away his worldly cares, his body light and airy, his mind peaceful and indifferent to the world.

Di Yan Jun and the blue armored puppet bowed to their master, a flash of light, and were taken back into Lu Chang An’s possession.

For the final leg of the journey, Lu Chang An flew alone towards the heart of the Dan Dao League territory.

The Dan Dao League was formed by nine scattered cultivation nations.

Among them, four had Nascent Soul factions, their strength either comparable to Liang Guo or stronger.

The remaining five nations were similar in strength to Jing Guo in the eastern region of Da Qing.

These large and small cultivation nations, individually insignificant in the Central Region, formed a powerful neutral force called the “Dan Dao League.”

This region was home to numerous alchemy sects, with a brilliant and long-standing tradition of alchemy. Many cultivators from outside the Central Region came to commission alchemy.

Lu Chang An was one of them.

Nine years ago, at the Nascent Soul Exchange Conference in Yun Tian Xian Cheng, he made an agreement with Le Da Shi – to refine a genuine Transformation Infant Pill.

This was the final step on Lu Chang An’s Nascent Soul path after years of wandering in the Central Region.

(End of Chapter)

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