I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 399

## Chapter 395: Fourth-Order Divination

The White Bone Guild leader and his wife were healing their wounds on the spot. Mrs. Yu’s injury was more serious, her body nearly severed at the waist, but luckily, it wasn’t fatal for a ghost cultivator’s Nascent Soul.

Old Monster Jin Kun stood with his hands behind his back, inquiring about the details of the battle.

To be precise, he wanted to understand the fighting strength of the new threat, “True Lord Chang Qing.”

Soon, a second Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator arrived, True Lord Ming Shui. She was shrouded in dark water currents, her graceful figure hazy, long black hair cascading down her back, and a pair of bright, dark eyes, like the autumn waters of a cold pool.

Less than half an hour later, three other Nascent Soul early-stage cultivators, True Lord Ba Wu, True Lord Ling Xue, and the Demon Blade, Nangong Xiu, arrived.

True Lord Ba Wu was a sturdy figure with strong features, purplish-black pupils, and a thick, ancient demonic armor covering his entire body. He walked with a domineering gait, resembling a demonic sovereign.

True Lord Ling Xue was a graceful fairy in a snowy white palace gown, with flowing ribbons and swirling snowflakes around her, giving off an ethereal aura. She was beautiful, but her eyes were cold as blades, chilling the heart.

The white-haired young man standing last, in plain, ordinary clothes, with an ancient sword at his waist, was the Demon Blade, Nangong Xiu. His black eyes were as calm as a well, his hand always resting on the hilt of his sword, his aura simple and restrained.

“We’re all here.”

Old Monster Jin Kun nodded slightly to Nangong Xiu, the “descendant of the Heavenly Blade.”

Although Nangong Xiu was called the Demon Blade, his lineage came from the South Domain’s former ruling force, which was later betrayed and overthrown by the Heavenly Sword Pavilion.

“Judging from the details of the battle, True Lord Chang Qing matches the intelligence reports and his strength far surpasses that of an ordinary Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator. His advantage lies in his large numbers and his ability to fight in defensive formations, enough to withstand a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator.”

“However, this fellow’s weakness is that his offensive power is not as threatening as a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator.”

Old Monster Jin Kun’s comments and analysis were generally accepted by everyone.

If True Lord Chang Qing’s offensive ability were also comparable to a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator, Mrs. Yu wouldn’t have simply suffered serious injuries.

True Lord Ling Xue’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she said in a deep voice, “That scoundrel Jing Wu Feng possesses powerful escape techniques and his attacks are unpredictable and hard to defend against. Now, with the addition of Xiang Da Long, who is strong in defense, it will be even more difficult to deal with them.”

“Immortal Lord Ling Xue, there’s no need to inflate their strength. We have Daoist friend Nangong this time, he came too late last time and didn’t get a chance to make his move.”

The hoarse, magnetic voice of True Lord Ming Shui came.

Nangong Xiu’s situation was the opposite of Xiang Da Long’s. His killing power was fully comparable to a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator, and he had a record of being undefeated against Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators.

Decades ago, Nangong Xiu had been hired by Great Serpent Mountain for a hefty reward, and he had helped True Lord Chi She and Scattered Immortal Bao Ta in the Ancient幽殿, leading to the demise of True Lord Yun Lan, even when he was out of his Nascent Soul body.

True Lord Ming Shui continued, “My original plan was to have Daoist friend Nangong exchange positions with Xiang Da Long. Now, upon closer examination, sending out two Nascent Soul early-stage cultivators with strong fighting power can contain Xiang Da Long. After all, this fellow’s offensive threat is not that strong.”

At the Cloud霞宗 Nascent Soul Grand Ceremony, True Lord Ming Shui had tested Lu Chang An’s magical power and found that his threat was far less than Jing Wu Feng’s. He was only relying on his fourth-order spirit beast and puppets.

Jing Wu Feng was her first target.

It would be better to concentrate their firepower and have Nangong Xiu, who was more powerful in offense, join forces to deal with True Lord Jing Tian.

“True Lord Ming Shui’s idea is indeed correct. There is another option, my magical powers and divine abilities can restrain True Lord Chang Qing. If the timing is right, I can join forces with you to quickly behead him and eliminate ‘True Lord Chang Qing,’ and his spirit beast and puppets will collapse on their own.”

Old Monster Jin Kun, with his long experience, added.

The latter “beheading” plan was more about seizing the opportunity.

It required Old Monster Jin Kun to make his move, with the assistance of either Ming Shui or Nangong, and some others to restrain Jing Wu Feng.

“Hahaha! If the regular plan requires Nascent Soul friends to contain Xiang Da Long, count this True Lord in!”

True Lord Ba Wu laughed loudly, showing an interest in True Lord Chang Qing.

Back then, at the auction in Cloud天 City, Xiang Da Long, who had not yet ascended to Nascent Soul, had competed with him for the 【弥罗草】, one of the main ingredients for the 化婴丹. It was a minor grievance.

He hadn’t expected that the former junior cultivator who had been a late bloomer in the 結丹 stage had now become a major figure in the Central Domain’s cultivation world, attracting the attention of Nascent Soul mid-stage powerhouses.

“True Lord Ba Wu cultivates both body refinement and magical powers, he is brave in combat, and indeed a suitable candidate to tie up Xiang Da Long.”

Seeing True Lord Ba Wu volunteering, Old Monster Jin Kun nodded and smiled faintly.

True Lord Ba Wu’s body refinement cultivation had reached the quasi-fourth order, achieved after he ascended to Nascent Soul through the use of a large amount of precious medicines.

His magic treasures were of high quality, his combat style was fierce, and he was also strong in self-preservation, making him one of the most well-rounded strong players among the Nascent Soul early-stage cultivators.

“Fellow Daoists, Jing Wu Feng not only possesses powerful treasures, but also has grievances with several of you. He has repeatedly ventured into the Central Domain’s forbidden area, unwilling to give up in the face of our encirclement. He even brought in reinforcements.”

“My conviction: Jing Wu Feng must have a major opportunity in the Central Domain’s ancient battlefield, possibly even greater than the Ancient幽殿!”

True Lord Ming Shui’s hoarse voice, tinged with encouragement, revealed her speculation.

The benefits of the Ancient幽殿, along with the related grievances, weren’t solid enough. They needed to dangle a bigger, juicier bait, to encourage everyone to join forces.

Jing Wu Feng’s actions were suspicious, as he had been willing to take risks and was reluctant to leave the Central Domain’s forbidden area. Coupled with his good fortune, some of the Nascent Soul cultivators present were bound to be envious, making them accept this speculation.

…

One year later.

The seven True Lords launched a siege on their target, engaging in occasional skirmishes and feints, but they did not engage in an all-out battle.

The seven True Lords were divided into groups to track and surround their target. Aside from the Nascent Soul mid-stage powerhouses, the other Nascent Soul early-stage cultivators were grouped in teams of two to three, never alone.

The only two or three encounters they had were brief.

Before the seven True Lords formed a complete encirclement, Lu Chang An and Jing Wu Feng promptly left the scene.

Both sides had their reservations.

Lu Chang An and Jing Wu Feng were worried about being surrounded by the seven True Lords and falling into danger.

The seven True Lords didn’t want to be picked off one by one and suffer further losses, so they stayed close together.

Unbeknownst to them, both sides had entered the depths of the 万魔山谷, a place within the ancient battlefield.

The environment here was harsh, with thin spiritual qi and an abundance of demonic and killing qi, along with negative turbid energy.

High-level cultivators’ magical power recovered slowly, relying on spirit stones and pills.

Besides the powerful demonic beasts, there were also dangerous forbidden areas that could kill even Nascent Soul True Lords if they ventured inside.

Therefore, both sides’ Nascent Soul cultivators moved cautiously, keeping their auras concealed as much as possible.

…

In the 万魔山谷, beside a hidden underground river that exuded a foul killing aura, a white-clothed man sat by the riverbank, ignoring the putrid stench. His features were gentle and handsome, but he looked weary and tired.

Around him floated ancient copper coins, divination chips, tortoise shells, jade stones, and other divination objects.

At some point, the man’s white clothes had turned yellow, and his long, flowing black hair had a few strands of white mixed in.

From the back, he seemed to have aged twenty years.

In the cultivation world, this could be a side effect of losing too much lifespan in a short period of time.

Strangely, the man’s face hadn’t aged, his skin was still delicate, indicating that his foundation hadn’t been harmed.

“399 years old, finally taking this step!”

Lu Chang An suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze deep and boundless, as if containing countless stars and celestial changes.

Whoosh!

He slowly stood up, shaking off the dust and dirt from his body, his flowing hair sprinkled with a few strands of white.

The young man’s face was no longer youthful, but it held a mysterious and weathered look, along with a majestic and imposing demeanor.

“Perhaps this is the price of becoming a fourth-order divination master!”

Lu Chang An sighed with a complicated expression, gazing at the few strands of white that had appeared for the first time in his thick black hair.

Over the past year, he had been intensely engaged in divination and deduction, playing a game of wits with the seven True Lords, striving for the safest possible chance of victory.

The interference of the seven True Lords’ celestial secrets was so powerful that Lu Chang An’s lifespan was rapidly dwindling. His divination skills were constantly being honed, and he was finally slowly breaking through the bottleneck.

From ascending to the Nascent Soul stage to the present, eighteen years later, Lu Chang An had lost a total of sixty to seventy years of lifespan.

He had been grinding and sacrificing his lifespan.

Finally, he had forcibly pushed his divination skills beyond their limits, reaching a new height.

“True Lord Xiang, has it been half a year since you arrived, is it time for us to make our move?”

A gentle breeze blew across his face, and Jing Wu Feng appeared beside Lu Chang An, spreading his hands out in a gesture of helplessness.

Lu Chang An had agreed that there was a seven-tenths chance of success.

After all, they didn’t need to wipe out all seven True Lords, they only needed to kill one or two early-stage cultivators and seriously injure one Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator.

Over the past year, they had actually encountered good opportunities to make their move.

At that time, Mrs. Yu of the White Bone Guild was still seriously injured, unlike now when she had recovered a lot.

Jing Wu Feng felt that a seven-tenths chance of success was already a high probability of victory.

As a divination master, Lu Chang An had repeatedly postponed the plan, and Jing Wu Feng could only endure it.

For example, on one occasion, Lu Chang An felt that there was a small chance of being lured or ambushed, so he directly cancelled the plan.

“The time is ripe!”

“Although it is difficult to calculate the seven True Lords working together, it is sufficient to eliminate the fatal risks in the plan.”

Lu Chang An smiled, and began to calculate with his fingers.

His deep and boundless eyes perceived the invisible network of celestial secrets, countless threads of destiny intertwining different causes and effects. Among them were Lu Chang An and Jing Wu Feng, as well as the seven True Lords, whose destinies were intertwined.

The mysterious river of destiny, hidden from view, was revealed to him in its ebb and flow, allowing him to predict its course, the future forks in the road, and countless possible celestial secrets.

In the mysterious river, the threads of fate of the seven True Lords were also projected, their celestial secrets were intertwined, chaotic and possessing a power that transcended the fortunes of ordinary beings.

As Lu Chang An calculated, blurred scenes appeared at the end of the mysterious river, revealing numerous possibilities.

Lu Chang An, using his master-level divination techniques, eliminated those lines of destiny that might have brought about fatal risks in the plan, infinitely shifting those unfavorable lines of celestial fate.

…

“Congratulations, True Lord Xiang! Fourth-order divination masters are extremely rare in any part of 天珩大陆, far fewer than the same level of cultivation arts.”

Jing Wu Feng said in congratulations, with a hint of joy and a touch of unspoken envy.

A fourth-order divination master was much more difficult to become than a fourth-order陣法师, and was even rarer in the cultivation world.

But, one couldn’t envy such a thing. The path of divination required not only talent, but also the sacrifice of lifespan and the backlash of destiny.

“May I ask, True Lord Xiang, how much has our plan increased the chances of success?”

Jing Wu Feng inquired expectantly.

Lu Chang An pondered for a moment, “The celestial interference of the seven Nascent Soul cultivators is strong, especially the two mid-stage powerhouses. This one can only slightly increase the chances of success and reduce the risks of unforeseen circumstances.”

“That’s not bad either.”

Jing Wu Feng thought to himself, at least it wasn’t a waste of time waiting.

Lu Chang An said silently in his heart: This one can only ensure that his own fatal weaknesses are eliminated.

As for Jing Wu Feng, his celestial secrets were obscured and chaotic, with a higher level of heavenly fate looming over him, so Lu Chang An didn’t dare to easily divine what lay beyond his cognition.

Due to the loss of a considerable amount of lifespan, Lu Chang An’s magical power was slightly lower than a year ago.

However, thanks to the enhancement of fourth-order divination, his chances of success actually increased slightly.

…

A few days later.

Lu Chang An chose a favorable time and left the hidden underground river with Jing Wu Feng.

Coincidentally.

As soon as they left, two groups of the seven True Lords passed by nearby, one after another.

First came True Lord Jin Kun, alone in his group, followed by the three Nascent Soul cultivators, Nangong Xiu, Ba Wu, and Ling Xue.

Soon after the group of Nangong Xiu left, Lu Chang An and Jing Wu Feng followed from the side.

After his divination skills reached the fourth order, Lu Chang An’s ability in sensing and tracking improved significantly, almost to the point of being mystical.

Through a year of dragging and maneuvering, Lu Chang An had gained too much medium information, and the destinies of both sides were intertwined.

“These two groups crossed paths in the same area, and then they will separate for a while.”

Lu Chang An closed his eyes and divined for a moment.

His plan was to avoid Old Monster Jin Kun and target one of the Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator groups.

At present, the group of three Nascent Soul early-stage cultivators, Nangong Xiu, seemed to be stronger.

“Old Monster Jin Kun is heading towards a remote area to take care of the White Bone Guild leader and his wife. True Lord Ming Shui is beginning to lean towards Nangong Xiu’s group.”

Half a day later, Lu Chang An opened his eyes, his palm suddenly clenched into a fist, seizing a crucial point.

“Are you sure we’re making our move today?”

“Although it’s not the perfect time, the more time passes, the more variables will arise.”

Lu Chang An spoke calmly.

At the very least, he was certain that this attack would eliminate fatal risks, and even if they failed, they could still retreat unscathed.

“When are we making our move?”

“Wait a moment, if the Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators can’t arrive quickly, the three Nascent Soul early-stage cultivators who are tracking and patrolling may adopt a conservative strategy and not engage with us. That would be unfavorable for us to deal with True Lord Ming Shui later.”

Lu Chang An and Jing Wu Feng kept their distance and quietly tracked, avoiding the surrounding demonic beasts and sensing restrictions.

…

“We will soon cross paths with True Lord Ming Shui’s area.”

Near a fragmented and shattered ravine, the three Nangong Xiu, scanned their surroundings with their divine senses, while also activating tracking techniques.

“Since Xiang Da Long arrived, Jing Wu Feng’s style has changed drastically. He used to be elusive, attacking suddenly and unexpectedly, putting immense pressure on us. But now he’s acting so cautiously, it’s hard to catch his tail.”

True Lord Ling Xue’s brow furrowed slightly, her heart filled with anxiety as she waited. She felt that the opportunity to avenge her husband was getting further and further away.

Buzz!

At that moment, the八卦盤 floating in her palm buzzed and vibrated, its pointer repeatedly jumping towards the southeast.

“Detected spatial fluctuations, unusual magical power approaching.”

The three Nascent Soul True Lords looked at each other with solemn expressions, their divine senses scanning their surroundings vigilantly.

In the heart of the ancient battlefield, cultivators’ divine senses were suppressed by the environment.

Two Nascent Soul True Lords’ auras were approaching.

“Immortal Lord Ling Xue, this one knows you’re eager to avenge yourself. But please don’t rush, you need to eat your meals one bite at a time.”

One of the azure遁光s was the white-clothed man, True Lord Chang Qing, radiating an aura of age and distance.

On the other side, Jing Wu Feng used space遁术, his figure in green silk clothes like a wisp of breeze, flickering and shifting uncertainly.

The three True Lords looked at each other, a glimmer of joy in their hearts.

“True Lord Ming Shui will arrive soon, the three of us working together, supporting each other, shouldn’t have any trouble holding out until she gets here.”

True Lord Ba Wu communicated telepathically, his laughter booming.

True Lord Ling Xue gritted her silver teeth and suggested, “True Lord Ba Wu, can you hold off Xiang Da Long for a while? Jing Wu Feng’s space secret techniques are tricky, my玄冰secret techniques can help Daoist friend Nangong to hold him off first.”

“Very well, this one will try his best.”

True Lord Ba Wu saw that True Lord Ling Xue was eager to avenge herself, so he reluctantly agreed.

He was strong in self-preservation, and True Lord Chang Qing was weaker in offense than a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator, but they were outnumbered. It would be no problem to hold out until True Lord Ming Shui arrived.

The three True Lords communicated briefly.

Clang!

Nangong Xiu took the lead, slowly unsheathing his ancient Heavenly Blade.

In an instant, a terrifying sword qi tore through the demonic and cloudy sky, a fiery red and green sword beam, as fierce as a thunderbolt, slashed towards the shallow layer of void where Jing Wu Feng was.

Boom!

The blow was like the extension of a heavenly river, its domineering power shook the shallow layer of void, forcing Jing Wu Feng to come out, with nowhere to hide. He could only push a silver-blue umbrella-shaped wave with both hands, retreating while dissolving the power of the Heavenly Blade.

However, once the Heavenly Blade of Nangong Xiu gained the upper hand, it was like an endless heavenly river, rolling endlessly, its momentum continuously accumulating.

“As expected of the descendant of the Heavenly Blade! The strongest defense is offense.”

Lu Chang An saw Jing Wu Feng, who was once forced into passive defense, and couldn’t help but admire Nangong Xiu’s strength. No wonder he could fight a Nascent Soul mid-stage powerhouse despite being of a lower level.

“Jing Wu Feng!”

True Lord Ling Xue’s eyes were cold, her slender fingers quickly pinched a spell, her snowy white palace gown fluttering, swirling snow around her, accumulating terrifying magical power fluctuations.

Ice魄真光!

A pillar-shaped beam of ice crystal cold light, like the Aurora Borealis, swept across, freezing the mountains and forests wherever it passed, silencing all sounds, blocking Jing Wu Feng’s path of retreat.

The void where Jing Wu Feng was, was frozen solid, his figure pierced, breaking into pieces.

“This bitch, she’s relentless!”

Jing Wu Feng cursed, reappearing a hundred meters away. His green shirt had frostbite, and the strong cold seeped in, making his blood congeal and his body stiff with cold.

Seeing Jing Wu Feng under some pressure, Lu Chang An prepared to provide assistance.

“True Lord Chang Qing, it’s been a long time since we met at the auction. I’m regretful that we didn’t have a chance to ‘spar’ then.”

A voice, booming like a lion’s roar, came from the front.

True Lord Ba Wu, wearing black and gold ancient armor, stepped into the void, holding a three-pronged, double-edged blade. Unlike a cultivator’s battle, he seemed like an ancient god general, charging in for a close combat attack.

As he approached, True Lord Ba Wu’s body and heavy demonic armor expanded, transforming him into a six-zhang-tall demonic general, the three-pronged, double-edged blade in his hand spitting out three-colored flames, his might terrifying.

“Close combat?”

Lu Chang An didn’t think twice, and used the 木遁大法. A flash of azure light, and he appeared among the weeds far away.

While pulling back, he set up his puppet array.

Lu Chang An summoned the 【龙木杖】, which transformed into a scarlet dragon shadow circling around, a seventy to eighty-zhang-tall heavenly wood pillar, sweeping and slapping at True Lord Ba Wu.

“Hmph!”

True Lord Ba Wu snorted disdainfully, his demonic armor-covered arm shook, his quasi-fourth-order body refinement demonic紋hand, violently lifted the three-pronged, double-edged blade.

True Lord Ba Wu, who was relatively small in size, was able to effortlessly lift the 【龙木杖】 and deflect it, his blade’s three-colored flames surged wildly and ruthlessly, following the flying 【龙木杖】, trying to corrode it and backfire on its owner, Lu Chang An.

“You, a mere junior, dare to block this one, you’re delusional.”

Lu Chang An spat out a long green 真火, landing on the 【龙木杖】, the staff’s emerald light shone brightly, dispersing the three-colored flames and even more fiercely rebounded them.

At the same time, the huge crystal energy beam produced by the combined attack of the puppet array, flashing with electric arcs, struck True Lord Ba Wu head-on.

“Upstart, don’t be so arrogant!”

True Lord Ba Wu roared angrily, a black and gold light flow rippled on his demonic armor, his two hands raised the three-pronged, double-edged blade, as if facing a formidable enemy, enduring the double blow of the 【龙木杖】 and the puppet array.

Bang!

The six-zhang demonic armor body shook violently, a muffled groan escaped his lips, he used the force to flip over in the air, flying back a hundred zhang, barely blocking this round of attack.

(End of Chapter)

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