I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 444

## Chapter 438: Mid-Confrontation, A Calculated Move (Night Update)

“What merit do I, Lu, possess that the Great Elder of Beast King Valley would personally make a move against a mere newly promoted Nascent Soul cultivator?”

Looking at the harmlessly plump old man, Lu Chang’an’s expression was grave, seemingly surprised.

“Lu Changqing, your reputation has spread throughout the Eastern Region. You’re no ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. Why pretend in front of this old man?”

The Great Elder smiled, stroking his exposed belly, speaking leisurely.

These years, Lu Chang’an had brought too much trouble to Beast King Valley, directly disrupting their pre-existing strategic plans.

Lu Chang’an’s return to the Eastern Region, with his three Nascent Soul combat power, had made the Righteous Path Alliance fight without seeking peace. The plan of peaceful annexation had failed.

Lu Chang’an’s humiliation of the Peacock Saintess and slapping the faces of two Nascent Soul Elders had made Beast King Valley unprepared, forcing them to hastily initiate the cultivation war.

Years ago, Lu Chang’an had caused two True Lords from Beast King Valley to fall, again affecting the balance of top-tier power between both sides.

The most worrisome thing for Beast King Valley was that Lu Changqing had consecutively killed two fourth-order Beast Kings, each with a single blow.

Lu Chang’an’s existence became a nightmare for Beast King Valley’s war machine!

If this continued, Beast King Valley would have no strength to attack the Righteous Path Alliance. Their only advantage, the front line, would also vanish.

Lu Chang’an’s influence wasn’t limited to the demonic battlefield of the Righteous Path Alliance. It had also indirectly affected the Seven Nation Alliance.

The Seven Nation Alliance’s situation had stabilized in recent years.

Beast King Valley not only withdrew their aid, but also sought help from the Nether Spring Sect and the Wu Jian Men, indirectly weakening their attack power in the Seven Nation Alliance.

“Is the Great Elder here to kill me today?”

Lu Chang’an sighed inwardly. It seemed that his plan to fish in troubled waters on the main battlefield and capture demonic Nascent Soul cultivators was too difficult.

He had used the Celestial Master’s power and planned for a long time, concealing many secrets.

But the Great Elder of Beast King Valley was also a fourth-order divination master. It wasn’t easy to deceive him.

As long as this Great Elder wasn’t an idiot, he already knew one thing:

Lu Chang’an was the biggest variable in deciding the outcome of this cultivator war, possibly even the key to victory or defeat.

Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to lower his own status and come here personally to target Lu Chang’an.

“This Elder doesn’t like killing and bloodshed.”

“As long as True Lord Lu, Earth Rock Lord, and Fairy Xia don’t leave this frontline area, this old man will be content.”

The Great Elder’s tone was amiable, seemingly without any murderous intent.

Lu Chang’an wasn’t fooled by this facade.

If possible, Beast King Valley would like nothing more than to tear him into a thousand pieces.

But Lu Chang’an represented three Nascent Soul combat powers. Even the demonic leader, a mid-stage Nascent Soul, couldn’t realistically kill him directly.

…

“The Great Elder wants to restrain our three Nascent Soul combat powers alone. He’s overestimating himself.”

Lu Chang’an’s eyes flashed. He unfolded his ‘Black Sky Wings’ behind him, trying to fly towards Yuanliu City to support the frontlines with Fairy Xia.

“Heh, why don’t Daoist Lu try it?”

The Great Elder didn’t panic. He turned into a streak of white light and merged with the sky.

Lu Chang’an had just flown a hundred miles.

Another deafening thunderclap echoed from within the thick clouds. The peak Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivation power fluctuation, along with the overwhelming spiritual pressure, made one’s heart tremble.

Lu Chang’an’s heart suddenly tightened. He activated a green force shield, his figure rapidly dodging while instantly dividing into three.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of translucent crystal silk threads, bizarrely appearing from the void, passed through Lu Chang’an’s rapidly dodging figure.

Two of Lu Chang’an’s Illusory Wood Clones were grazed by the bizarre silk threads, instantly shattering.

“Crack.”

The force shield protecting Lu Chang’an shattered, pierced by two passing crystal silk threads.

Lu Chang’an’s body went numb. A clear crack appeared on the white robe on his shoulder.

Those translucent crystal silk threads were a divine ability that the Great Elder of Beast King Valley cultivated with his own bloodline Celestial Silkworm. They were incredibly fast, could traverse the shallow void, and were impossible to guard against.

Their characteristics were somewhat similar to Jing Wu Feng’s spatial attack method, but they were more persistent and endless.

Whoosh!

The ‘Black Sky Wings’ behind Lu Chang’an flapped, accelerating his dodge. Meanwhile, a black wind haze spread, engulfing a hundred zhang around him.

However, those crystal silk threads were incredibly tough and had strong penetrating power. Many of them pierced the black wind barrier, forcing Lu Chang’an to dodge left and right.

“Not bad for a demonic leader.”

Lu Chang’an took a deep breath, not daring to be careless, and summoned his magical artifact, ‘Dragonwood Staff’.

‘Dragonwood Staff’ expanded against the wind, becoming a towering ancient tree nearly a hundred zhang tall. Blood-red dragon shadows were sketched on its surface, blocking most of the crystal silk threads.

The ‘Dragonwood Staff’ was entangled by countless crystal silk threads, its surface light dimmed and its size shrunk rapidly. It was clearly struggling.

Actually, against this type of silk thread attack, fire attribute magical artifacts or divine abilities would be more effective. For example, the top-grade magical artifact, ‘Burning Fire Gourd’.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Lu Chang’an used the puppet control technique again, revealing twelve third-order top-grade puppets around him.

Within the puppet formation, twelve strands of puppet power gathered and connected, sparks flickering, forming a purple-green puppet power diagram.

A purple-green light shield protected Lu Chang’an, emitting wisps of electric fire light, resisting the bizarre crystal silk threads that swiped through the shallow void.

The momentum was as if they were about to transform into a sky-covering net, trapping Lu Chang’an and the puppet formation together.

“Such a large-scale puppet formation! This kid really has hidden methods.”

As expected, the Great Elder of Beast King Valley’s eyes narrowed.

The stronger Lu Chang’an’s displayed strength and tactics, the higher the value of his personal targeting.

The current puppet formation composed of twelve third-order top-grade puppets was enough to withstand the attack of a veteran Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator.

Adding Lu Chang’an himself, he had barely managed to stabilize himself under the Great Elder’s first round of probing attack.

“Little Lu, show me what other tricks you have.”

The Great Elder was amused. He extended his arm, and a peculiar ancient compass flew out from his sleeve.

Whoosh!

The compass magical artifact circled above Lu Chang’an and the puppet formation, releasing invisible waves.

The invisible wave vortex pulled and absorbed surrounding spiritual energy and cultivation power.

Lu Chang’an immediately felt a surge in his cultivation power consumption. His control over his magical artifacts became stiff, and his cultivation power and divine abilities were subtly weakened.

Even the puppet formation was restricted.

The puppet power that activated and operated the formation mysteriously leaked, causing the formation’s operational efficiency to drop.

Lu Chang’an’s face darkened.

With the puppet formation, he believed he could fight and hold his own against a newly promoted Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator like Netherwater True Lord.

Unexpectedly, he was easily suppressed by the Great Elder of Beast King Valley.

The puppet crystals in the countless puppets’ bodies consumed energy at an alarming rate. They might not be able to hold on for long.

…

“Master, I’ll help you!”

From the hillside beneath him, earth-colored crystal light emerged, radiating an immense earth煞氣(shaqi, evil/deadly energy).

Seeing his master being suppressed, Earth Rock Lord had to make a move early.

It transformed into a giant rat king form, drawing a sky-covering yellow sand dust storm, accompanied by massive rolling rocks, to attack the Great Elder and the compass magical artifact.

The Great Elder smiled slightly, manipulating his hand seals. He activated his cultivation power, causing the compass in the sky to spin rapidly. The invisible wave vortex within it manifested into a mysterious void.

Hoo!

Instantly, the oncoming yellow sand dust storm and massive rolling rocks lost their momentum, disintegrating. The dispersing magical and demonic power was all absorbed.

Instead, the rotating compass’s light suddenly surged, pausing momentarily.

Bang!

The compass emitted a fan-shaped wave, containing a powerful force field, and slammed into the fourth-order rat king.

Earth Rock Lord groaned, flying backwards. Its head slightly caved in, oozing some blood.

Fortunately, the demon king’s body was thick-skinned. It was only a superficial injury.

But its powerful counteroffensive came to an abrupt end.

From the start of the confrontation, with the puppet formation and Earth Rock Lord successively appearing, Lu Chang’an’s side hadn’t posed any threat to the Great Elder of Beast King Valley.

“This old guy’s cultivation power is powerful and his foundation is deep. No wonder Chu Tianfeng said that we only need to restrain him on the battlefield. Don’t try to pose a threat, otherwise it’ll only be a waste of effort.”

Lu Chang’an hadn’t initially believed it, but after some probing, he understood.

He adjusted his strategy, allowing Earth Rock Lord and the puppet formation to focus on defense. The puppet formation’s consumption also decreased accordingly.

As a result, it indeed became much easier.

The Great Elder of Beast King Valley also seemed unable to cause much damage to them.

“Lu Chang’an, if you cultivated to the peak of early-stage Nascent Soul, with stronger cultivation power and spiritual perception, this Elder wouldn’t be able to do anything to you.”

The Great Elder sighed, the calm surface of his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

His plump body, his robe fluttering, took a step. It was like a mountain shifting a hundred zhang.

Soul Slayer Hand!

The Great Elder’s palm expanded to the size of a fan, wrapped in white silk threads, ignited with blood-black ghost flames, and slapped towards Lu Chang’an from afar.

Lu Chang’an’s heart skipped a beat. He felt a long-lost sense of crisis.

Whoosh!

A giant Soul Slayer Hand, half-solid and half-void, with black and white markings, slammed into Lu Chang’an at an unavoidable speed.

At that moment, Lu Chang’an felt as if the space he occupied was being compressed and overlapped.

Earth Rock Lord, who was not far away, was affected, its soul feeling a slight dizziness and confusion, its blood surging.

Lu Chang’an, who was directly hit, his force shield instantly collapsed.

Not only that, he instantly released a fourth-order water shield talisman, which was also shattered by the half-void Soul Slayer Hand.

“Soul Slayer Annihilation…”

Lu Chang’an’s figure swayed, his face slightly pale, his brows furrowed.

The half-void Soul Slayer Hand had not only hit his body but also impacted his Nascent Soul soul.

Lu Chang’an activated the soul secret technique in the ‘Thousand Machine Derivation Divine Art’, calming his momentarily chaotic consciousness. The green Nascent Soul inside him, experiencing slight pain, quickly calmed down and returned to normal.

At the same time, Changqing’s cultivation power automatically operated, smoothing out the minor internal injuries and the damage to his vitality.

On the other side, the Great Elder had used a powerful attack, consuming a large amount of cultivation power and spiritual perception. He also paused for a moment.

“He blocked it? This kid doesn’t seem to be seriously injured.”

The Great Elder frowned, looking at Lu Chang’an, who had stabilized himself. He hadn’t achieved the expected result of coughing blood on the spot.

Lu Chang’an opened his eyes, lightly licking the blood from his lips, seemingly unconcerned.

He hadn’t been injured in many years, not even lightly.

“Great Elder, your palm just now hit Lu a bit hard. But afterwards, there was an indescribable tingling sensation of numbness and comfort.”

Changqing’s cultivation power circulated. The minor injuries sustained by Lu Chang’an’s near-fourth-order physique instantly healed, completely recovering.

The Great Elder’s pupils contracted, and he said in a deep voice:

“Little Lu, don’t be careless! Don’t hold back your injuries, otherwise they’ll become a problem.”

That said, the Great Elder felt that the previous Soul Slayer Hand attack had a strange feeling after passing through two layers of buffering before hitting Lu Chang’an.

Lu Chang’an’s body was tougher than he had expected. It seemed he had also cultivated body tempering techniques and had quite an accomplishment.

Moreover, Lu Chang’an’s Nascent Soul spiritual perception was strong, stronger than some veteran Nascent Soul cultivators, and he had also cultivated sophisticated soul secret techniques.

All these factors led to his powerful attack failing to achieve the desired effect.

But to say that it had almost no threat to Lu Chang’an, he still found it hard to believe.

However, in the subsequent fighting exchanges, Lu Chang’an’s cultivation power was strong and unending. The magical artifacts controlled by his spiritual perception were flexible and effortless.

It was obvious that he wasn’t injured.

“This kid, he’s a turtle shell!”

The Great Elder of Beast King Valley sighed inwardly, giving up on the plan to severely injure or defeat Lu Chang’an.

The previous Soul Slayer Hand, although not his strongest move, was quite powerful, yet it had failed to inflict any substantial damage on Lu Chang’an.

He realized that Lu Changqing was similar to himself. His self-preservation abilities were far beyond those of his peers.

When two turtle shells met, naturally it was difficult to determine a winner.

…

Above the clouds, Lu Chang’an and the Great Elder of Beast King Valley exchanged blows for a short while, both adapting to each other’s methods, engaging in a back-and-forth exchange, neither able to overcome the other.

The Great Elder was relatively calm and took more initiative.

During the confrontation, Lu Chang’an confirmed that this Great Elder possessed late third-order body tempering techniques.

He had heard from Chu Tianfeng that this man’s bloodline Celestial Silkworm had extraordinary restorative and healing abilities.

However, Lu Chang’an hadn’t hurt the Great Elder of Beast King Valley yet.

At that moment, a cold frost-colored遁光(dun guang, escape light) came from the side, radiating Nascent Soul cultivation power.

“Husband, I’m here to help you!”

Fairy Xia arrived from the side, cooperating with Lu Chang’an to attack the Great Elder together.

The Great Elder’s eyelids twitched. It was endless.

He was a thousand-year-old Nascent Soul cultivator, facing the combined attack of three people at this age.

His original plan was to restrain Lu Chang’an, Earth Rock Lord, and Fairy Xia, three Nascent Soul combat powers.

But earlier, Fairy Xia hadn’t made a move, and Lu Chang’an had been enough to counter him.

He had to admit that Lu Chang’an’s true strength was far greater than he had initially anticipated.

If it were Chieftain Meng who had come instead, he might have been suppressed, or even suffered losses.

With Fairy Xia’s arrival, the Great Elder didn’t back down, but his expression became serious.

Fairy Xia manipulated her hand seals, her skirt fluttered, snowflakes danced, like an ice and snow fairy.

A magnificent, dreamlike, crystal-jade Ice Lotus magical artifact floated out from her body.

The Ice Lotus magical artifact divided into seven, transforming into seven Ice Crystal Light Lotuses blooming with green light. Some of the Ice Crystal Light Lotuses revolved around her body for protection, while others moved nimbly, attacking the Great Elder of Beast King Valley.

Each strike from the Ice Crystal Light Lotus was like an iceberg crashing, ice shattering and exploding, the cold penetrating to the bone.

“This artifact can both attack and defend, it’s flexible and extraordinary, and its power is great. It’s definitely not a product of Great Qing…”

The Great Elder was slightly surprised. He finally understood why Black Feather True Lord and Elder Wanhe had faltered back then.

Fairy Xia possessed a celestial physique, which enhanced her cold-attribute divine abilities and techniques, perfectly matching that powerful magical artifact. Her combat strength was already comparable to a veteran early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Faced with the four-pronged attack, the Great Elder felt pressure and could only summon his ‘Celestial Silkworm Armor’ for protection.

The armor woven from Celestial Silkworm silk, with dense white silk threads flowing with brilliance, formed a white, misty armor shield.

The ‘Celestial Silkworm Armor’ was impervious to water and fire. With the support of the demonic leader’s powerful cultivation power, it blocked half of the enemy’s attacks.

The Great Elder simultaneously controlled the compass magical artifact, weakening Lu Chang’an and the puppet formation’s combat strength, absorbing spiritual energy and cultivation power, and occasionally counterattacking.

“This old guy is really tough.”

Lu Chang’an remained calm, his hand hidden within his sleeve.

Upon receiving the message, Earth Rock Lord and Fairy Xia cooperated to attack.

Earth Rock Lord used the Earth Binding technique to pull on the Great Elder’s body.

Fairy Xia opened her mouth and spat out several azure-blue ice flames, exuding dangerous aura, charging towards the Great Elder.

This was a natal ice flame that she had cultivated from the legacy secrets of True Lord Lingxue, combining her celestial physique.

Combined with the frontal attack of Lu Chang’an’s ‘Dragonwood Staff’, the Great Elder fought and retreated, the white, misty armor shield on his body instantly dimming by half.

Almost simultaneously, Lu Chang’an’s hidden hand secretly exerted force.

Whoosh!

A feathered poison needle flew through a blurry shadow, precisely hitting its target under the cover of multiple attacks.

“Poof!”

The armor shield was finally broken.

The Great Elder dodged the fatal blow. The feathered poison needle pierced the armor woven from silk threads.

A thin stream of blood seeped from the surface of the silk threads.

Lu Chang’an’s face lit up with joy.

This feathered poison needle was coated with a fourth-order mixed poison, derived from the original ‘Five Animal Poison Fire Fan’. That Shen Lao Xie back then was particularly skilled in using poisons.

It might not be fatal to a mid-stage Nascent Soul, but it was enough to weaken the target’s state and combat strength.

“Lu Turtle, you really are cunning and treacherous.”

The Great Elder’s face was slightly grim.

Unexpectedly.

After being pierced by the poison needle, the Great Elder didn’t show any panic, nor anger or shame, and he didn’t immediately take a detoxification elixir.

The Great Elder extended his two fingers and picked up the feathered poison needle from his armor, his tone calm:

“That level of fourth-order poison won’t harm this old man.”

It turned out that his bloodline Celestial Silkworm had the magical ability to detoxify.

Even the Celestial Silkworm Armor on his body had a good isolation effect against poisons.

Therefore, even though the feathered poison needle had pierced the Great Elder’s flesh, it posed no real threat.

He didn’t even need to take any detoxification elixir.

The Great Elder saw Lu Chang’an slightly stunned in the distance, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit proud.

But then, his face changed drastically.

Whoosh!

The Lu Chang’an in the distance was just a illusion.

It turned out that when the Great Elder was distracted by the feathered poison needle, Lu Chang’an used the ‘Illusory Wood Clone’.

A figure, emitting green light, appeared beside the Great Elder.

Withering Divine Light!

Lu Chang’an resolutely used the Lifespan-Stealing Forbidden Technique, his palm gathering a profound, twisted withered green light, radiating the aura of time’s rotation, hitting the Great Elder’s body again.

Poof!

The armor shield, which had not fully healed, was broken again by the Withering Divine Light.

“No good!”

As a thousand-year-old man, the Great Elder’s heart jumped. He felt a threat he hadn’t experienced in hundreds of years.

He transformed into a white light, rapidly retreating backwards.

The ‘Celestial Silkworm Armor’ on his body lost its spiritual light. The silk fabric after refining the prohibition had lost its luster and was largely withered.

Inside the broken armor, there was a dry blood hole in his chest.

“Lu Turtle, you dare—!”

The Great Elder was furious for the first time. The fat on his round face trembled slightly, and his heart ached.

That blow had cost him ten years of lifespan and damaged his lifeblood.

If it were a normal injury, he wouldn’t care at all. His bloodline Celestial Silkworm could heal it instantly.

But the stolen lifespan couldn’t be retrieved.

Besides the loss of lifespan, the ‘Celestial Silkworm Armor’ was damaged in its spiritual aspect, its defensive effect greatly reduced.

However, no matter how heartbroken and angry he was, he couldn’t change the fact that he was injured, his lifespan reduced, and he had suffered a major loss.

…

“Prepare to retreat!”

Lu Chang’an suddenly raised his hand. Instead of pressing his advantage, he asked Fairy Xia and Earth Rock Lord to stop.

Right now, the Great Elder of Beast King Valley was injured, his blood and energy depleted, and his defensive armor damaged. His state and strength would definitely decline.

“These minor injuries will have no substantial impact on the Great Elder of Beast King Valley.”

As Lu Chang’an retreated, he explained.

After all, the Great Elder’s bloodline Celestial Silkworm had one more ‘cocoon rebirth’ divine ability, which could restore him to his peak state.

Although this ability could only be used once per century.

From the beginning, Lu Chang’an hadn’t planned on seriously injuring or defeating the Great Elder of Beast King Valley.

To make him lose ten years of lifespan and feel wary was already a fairly ideal outcome.

Among the Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators Lu Chang’an had encountered, if the pressure from the Emperor Yu was the greatest, then the Great Elder of Beast King Valley was the ‘strongest shield’.

“This kid, he’s actually not chasing…”

The Great Elder stroked his chest. The wound inflicted by the Withering Divine Light, killing vitality, the bloodline Celestial Silkworm’s healing speed was exceptionally slow.

He was clearly the injured party, yet it was Lu Chang’an who chose to retreat.

Take advantage and run?

The Great Elder felt worse than if he had swallowed a fly.

“The situation is clear…”

Lu Chang’an, through the fourth-order divination technique that was already running, sensed the turning point in the celestial fate. The fog of celestial secrets that had shrouded and blocked it completely dissipated.

The green Nascent Soul in Lu Chang’an’s body had a sudden realization, a subtle pull. It seemed like he was about to encounter some kind of opportunity.

The front line stronghold was two hundred miles away. Lu Chang’an instinctively looked in a certain direction.

…

Hundreds of miles away, a demonic wind and煞氣(shaqi) swept across the sky.

A fourth-order peng bird, with wings spanning twenty zhang, flew towards them at lightning speed.

On top of the peng bird, sat a man in a green robe, with a full forehead and ordinary features, seemingly about thirty years old.

The man in the green robe had no cultivation power fluctuations. His Nascent Soul and cultivation power were sealed by some secret technique, not leaking the slightest trace of aura. He relied solely on the peng bird to fly here.

“Daoist Lu, please wait. Chen has been wanting to meet you for a long time. I’ve specially come to the Righteous Path Alliance for a visit. I have important matters to discuss.”

The peng bird carrying the man in the green robe was as fast as a mid-stage Nascent Soul. It approached quickly.

At the same time, he glanced at the location of the Great Elder of Beast King Valley and frowned slightly.

“We agreed to have a big battle, at least make Lu Changqing injured, severely weakened. It seems like something’s not right…”

“Could there be a trap? Those old geezers in the Six Demonic Sects can’t be trusted.”

After all, he had been chased by demonic cultivators from both factions, nearly losing his life.

If not for the current delicate situation, with Nascent Soul cultivators from both factions balancing each other, providing a rare opportunity, he wouldn’t have chosen to cooperate with Beast King Valley.

“Such an opportunity, it’s indeed going to lure you here…”

Lu Chang’an silently calculated the distance.

At his speed, he could retreat to the front line stronghold before the other party arrived.

“You go back to the front line stronghold first. Act according to the plan in the jade slip I gave you.”

Lu Chang’an stayed behind to cover their retreat, allowing Fairy Xia to leave first.

“Husband, be careful.” Xia Wenyue was a little worried, but didn’t ask much.

Actually, if Fairy Xia stayed, she would also be a great help.

But the next round of game was risky. Lu Chang’an had too many secrets. It was best to avoid them.

Lu Chang’an chose to cover their retreat.

Therefore, there were three powerful auras on the field:

One was the Great Elder of Beast King Valley, his cultivation power aura was the most profound.

The other was where the fourth-order peng bird was.

The sealed Nascent Soul cultivation power of True Lord Qingmu was just unsealed, and the aura of the ‘Changqing Art’ made Lu Chang’an feel a sense of kinship.

The last one was Lu Chang’an and Earth Rock Lord, seemingly the weakest.

The three forces were almost in an equilateral triangle, facing each other from a distance of several dozen miles, each on high alert.

(End of Chapter)

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