I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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As he turned around, Lan Chang'an's heart stirred with a faint sense of unease, as if he had missed something important. His gaze naturally swept over the adjacent empty stone platform.

Although there was no protective barrier or treasure on it, an item name was engraved there.

"Superior... Infant Transformation Pill!?"

Lan Chang'an's heart pounded, and he couldn't help but exclaim.

On the adjacent empty stone platform, there had once been a legendary Infant Transformation Pill!

This was a sacred pill that had been beyond his wildest dreams in his previous life.

The Infant Transformation Pill could assist Core Formation cultivators shatter their Cores and transform into an infant more smoothly, turning them into True Monarchs.

In this life, after cultivating in the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world for over a hundred years, Lan Chang'an had never heard of an Infant Transformation Pill appearing anywhere.

Lan Chang'an realized that he had underestimated the value of the four stone platforms in the first circle.

"The treasures in this space are all of superior quality."

"And the four stone platforms in the first circle hold treasures that could be considered the sacred items of a Nascent Soul-level ancient sect, determining its rise or fall."

Taking a deep breath, Lan Chang'an's mind raced as he fell into brief contemplation.

His gaze once again fell on the protective barrier surrounding the Xuanmu Vine, studying it carefully and weighing the pros and cons.

This time, he made a new discovery.

Among the four stone platforms in the first circle, the Xuanmu Vine's location had the highest regard.

A spiritual spring from the very center of the space had been diverted to continuously nourish the withered, yellow vine.

The soil in which the vine was planted shimmered faintly with five colors.

"Could this soil be the legendary Five Element Spirit Soil?"

Lan Chang'an's heart stirred as he speculated.

The Five Element Spirit Soil, also known as Five Element Earth, was something he had never seen before but had read about in ancient records from his previous life.

He guessed this because the Five Element Earth was reputed to be a "universal soil source," capable of cultivating nearly all spiritual plants in the world.

Many rare immortal plants and herbs, which had extremely demanding growth environments, could survive in the Five Element Spirit Soil and even benefit from significant growth enhancements!

Aside from cultivating spiritual plants, the Five Element Earth was also a top-tier material for refining tools, capable of harmonizing with almost any material, enhancing the quality of magical weapons and increasing the success rate of crafting.

The withered Xuanmu Vine was notoriously difficult to cultivate and sustain.

For the Tinghai Pavilion to plant it in the universal soil source, the Five Element Earth, made perfect sense.

"As a legendary spiritual soil, even a small portion of this would surpass the value of a superior Crystal Condensation Pill. It might even hold higher strategic significance..."

Lan Chang'an's eyes gleamed, and his previous decision for "stable gains" wavered.

He made a preliminary judgment that the Xuanmu Vine, along with the potential Xuantian Gourd it could produce, was far more valuable than the superior Infant Transformation Pill.

It might hold secrets beyond the Nascent Soul Realm.

This item had not been taken because transplanting it would make it even more difficult to survive. The higher-ups of Tinghai Pavilion were not confident in its survival.

This ruin had once served as Tinghai Pavilion's refuge and secret treasury, leaving behind the Xuanmu Vine in hopes of a future chance for revival.

From the information Lan Chang'an had gleaned from the jade slip, it seemed that Tinghai Pavilion was not a sect from the surrounding cultivation nations. They had been hunted and were evading some unknown force.

After countless years, since no one had returned to reclaim the items from the ruin, it was likely that they had either been exterminated, or there was a break in their inheritance.

...

"If I have the Five Element Earth as a foundation, along with my Evergreen secret spell and spiritual power to nourish it, keeping the Xuanmu Vine alive shouldn't be a problem."

Lan Chang'an murmured.

This insight came from his past dealings with Daoist Tianshu.

The peach wood branch that the Daoist Tianshu had presented to him back then was of such a high grade that it exceeded Lan Chang'an's understanding—it was likely at least fifth rank.

Even that kind of spiritual wood had been sustained by Lan Chang'an's Evergreen secret spell for a period of time.

Now, with his spiritual power far stronger than when he had first entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, his healing and nurturing abilities were tied to the quality of his spiritual power.

Combined with the Five Element Earth, Lan Chang'an was confident that he could transplant and sustain the Xuanmu Vine.

As for reviving it and cultivating the Xuantian Gourd, Lan Chang'an had no guarantees.

Perhaps he could succeed, but the cost was incalculable.

However, while there were no guarantees now, that didn't mean there wouldn't be in the future.

In a few decades, once Lan Chang'an successfully reached the Core Formation Realm, with superior-grade core quality, his spiritual power would undergo a qualitative leap, and his lifespan would extend to over a thousand years, significantly increasing the odds of success.

The one thing Lan Chang'an wasn't lacking was time.

He had already nurtured the Profound Water Turtle, whose growth cycle spanned centuries. One more mysterious vine wouldn't be too much of a burden.

The chance for a great fortune above the Nascent Soul Realm—if he missed this opportunity, it might never come again.

Since Tan Immortal and others knew about and had explored this ancient ruin, there was no guarantee that the information hadn't leaked.

As war spread within the Liang Kingdom, the likelihood of exposure would only increase.

"Even if I miss out on the Yin Yang Water and the superior Crystal Condensation Pill, I still have the genuine Crystal Condensation Pill and the Tianjing Water, it wouldn't be difficult to achieve Core Formation."

"If I can trade for a superior Core Dissolution Technique from Zhang Tieshan, combined with the advantages of my Evergreen secret spell, the quality of my core could still improve..."

With that thought, Lan Chang'an decided to take a gamble.

He stepped back, pulled out the dark gold token, and hurled it towards the protective barrier surrounding the Xuanmu Vine.

Thud!

As the dark gold token touched the stone platform's barrier, a trace of golden lines flickered across its surface, and the powerful barrier shattered in response.

Lan Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief and put away a few treasure talismans.

As the barrier dissipated, the vibrant spiritual energy within began to spread.

Lan Chang'an caught the faint scent of rot emanating from the withered vine, mixed with an indescribable and mysterious aura.

It was like the beginning of heaven and earth, the intersection of yin and yang, a mysterious continuation from the primordial era.

But Lan Chang'an didn't immediately retrieve the Xuanmu Vine and the Five Element Earth.

To ensure the success of the transplant, he sacrificed half a year's worth of lifespan and used the Evergreen secret spell at the root of the Xuanmu Vine.

With his current cultivation and extended lifespan, the effect of the Evergreen secret spell was incomparable to before.

Now, half a year's worth of lifespan was worth more than a full year when he was at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Buzz!

Lan Chang'an's palm glowed with an ancient, verdant light, emanating the aura of ancient trees and the passage of time, infusing new life force into the Xuanmu Vine.

A few moments later.

Lan Chang'an withdrew his hand and carefully observed the vine.

The Xuanmu Vine was still withered and yellow, showing no obvious changes.

The last bit of green on the vine had not increased by much, covering less than five percent of the entire plant.

But Lan Chang'an sensed a slight improvement in its life force.

If, when he first saw the Xuanmu Vine, it had been on the verge of death, ready to return to the earth, now it had a faint glimmer of life—a sign that it could be saved.

"Good, it worked."

Lan Chang'an let out a deep breath.

As long as the life force could be maintained, and the cost wasn't too great, he hadn't made a wrong move.

Next, Lan Chang'an began transplanting the Xuanmu Vine.

First, he retrieved a large porcelain vat that had once been used to store spirit sand stones for body refining.

Then, he took out a shovel and began to dig up the Five Element Earth along with the vine from the stone platform.

The Five Element Earth didn't look like much, but it was a few zhang thick, filling the large vat to the brim.

Lan Chang'an took out two more jars, finally storing all the remaining Five Element Spirit Soil.

In fact, even if the transplant of the Xuanmu Vine failed, just the value of the Five Element Earth alone was enough to make up for the loss of the Yin Yang Water and the superior Crystal Condensation Pill.

This was the guaranteed reward.

After the vine was transplanted, its life force fluctuated for a moment.

Fortunately, the life force only diminished by twenty or thirty percent before gradually stabilizing.

This was thanks to the Five Element Spirit Soil and Lan Chang'an's Evergreen secret spell.

Without the Five Element Earth, Lan Chang'an's rudimentary knowledge of spiritual plants wouldn't have been enough to succeed.

Lan Chang'an then took some of the spiritual spring water and poured it over the Xuanmu Vine.

After thinking for a moment, he held the dark gold token and walked towards the ancient well at the center of the space.

The well's protective formation opened automatically for him, revealing about half a yard of spiritual spring water still slowly being nurtured within.

Lan Chang'an took all the spiritual spring water, leaving only a shallow layer.

The spiritual spring water had maintained nearly third-rank quality after all these years, containing not only pure spiritual energy but also a trace of life force that could nourish spiritual plants.

Lan Chang'an estimated that with his Evergreen magical power, nourishing the vine daily could completely replace the effect of the spiritual spring.

...

"Almost done."

After confirming the success of the Xuanmu Vine transplant and its stable condition, Lan Chang'an stored the large vat into his storage pouch.

He then turned his gaze to the stone platform in the second circle, attempting to throw the token towards the Yin Yang Water barrier, only for it to be bounced back.

Slightly disappointed, Lan Chang'an picked up the dark gold token.

He guessed that the token's owner had once been the guardian of this ancient ruin.

The token itself likely had many permissions related to the ancient ruin's formation and restrictions.

However, due to the damage to the formation, and without knowing the token's control techniques, Lan Chang'an could only make rudimentary use of it.

Holding the token, Lan Chang'an sensed a faint pulling force from the space.

As long as he injected his spiritual power into the token and connected with that pulling force, he would be teleported out.

Aside from this method, Fairy Shi had also mentioned breaking through the formation gate directly as an alternative exit.

"Hm? She's still alive?"

Lan Chang'an walked over to Lady Wei's side.

The protective talisman covering her eyes had already lost its spiritual light. Her body had been heavily suppressed by the space, and blood oozed from her nose, ears, and mouth.

Even in her unconscious state, the remnants of her demonic cultivation were automatically protecting her, struggling for survival with an unyielding will to live.

Lan Chang'an had originally intended to leave her to her fate but suddenly thought of something, and his expression shifted slightly.

"This woman cannot die just yet. There are still things I need to ask her."

Lan Chang'an temporarily changed his mind.

If Lady Wei held a status in the remnants of the Demonic Sect equivalent to that of a true disciple, her death could immediately alert Liang Shaotian.

In the years since the cultivation war, the remnants of the Demonic Sect had seized a prime opportunity to recover and develop. In remote areas of the Liang Kingdom and even neighboring nations, there were signs of their resurgence.

Liang Shaotian had now grown into a formidable demonic figure, even stronger than Huanglong Immortal at his peak.

Aside from Nascent Soul True Monarchs, there were few in the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world who could say with certainty that they could defeat him.

If it wasn't absolutely necessary, Lan Chang'an didn't want to make an enemy of such a person of destiny.

In a way, he even owed Liang Shaotian a favor.

Back then, Liang Shaotian had been bluffed by him, and the consequences had rippled down even to his disciples.

Maintaining this delicate balance might prove beneficial in the future.

In the cultivation world, "three hundred years east, three hundred years west."

Right now, the demonic path was in decline in the surrounding nations, but who could predict the tides of fate?

"This miniature space seems to have signs of gradual collapse?"

Before leaving, Lan Chang'an scanned every corner of the treasure vault, making sure nothing was missed.

He discovered that this miniature secret realm wasn't entirely stable. After some more years, it would likely collapse and disappear.

"Time to go."

Grabbing Lady Wei by the arm, Lan Chang'an poured his spiritual power into the dark gold token.

A layer of white radiance descended, enveloping him and the surrounding area.

In the next moment, Lan Chang'an, with Lady Wei in tow, was shifted out of the treasure vault by the ancient formation's power.

...

"Fellow Daoist Lan, you've returned."

Not long after Lan Chang'an reappeared in front of the six-sided pavilion, Fairy Shi flew over from the direction of the bridge.

Shi Manrong let out a small sigh of relief, her lips parting slightly before swallowing back the question she had intended to ask.

Lan Chang'an's gains in the treasure vault were his own secrets. His spoils of war didn't involve her.

However, she speculated that Lan Chang'an would most likely have chosen an opportunity related to Core Formation.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, nothing was more tempting.

"You saved her?"

Shi Manrong's clear eyes glanced over at Lady Wei, who lay unconscious on the ground, on the verge of death.

Previously, outside the ruin, Lady Wei had been involved in an attack on them, which was why Fairy Shi had not gone out of her way to save her.

"Yes."

Lan Chang'an explained Lady Wei's identity and his concerns to Shi Manrong.

"I underestimated this situation. I didn't realize this woman had such a significant background. If she dies in the ruin and has a soul lamp or other tracking artifact, it could alert the remnants of the demonic sect."

Shi Manrong's expression turned serious.

"Once she wakes up, we'll question her. We need to find out how exposed this ruin is and whether Liang Shaotian is aware of it."

Lan Chang'an squatted down and fed Lady Wei two healing pills.

Lan Chang'an guessed that Liang Shaotian probably didn't know about this ancient ruin. Lady Wei was likely caught up in the situation by coincidence.

Otherwise, the two Fake Dan Immortals would not have been in charge earlier.

"What about Tan Immortal?"

Lan Chang'an channeled a trace of Evergreen mana into Lady Wei's body, accelerating the healing of her internal injuries and preventing her from dying from the severe injuries.

"His poison is out of control, and his condition is worsening. Earlier, he attempted to break through the formation at the bridge but failed."

"Did he try to negotiate with you?"

"He did." Fairy Shi took out a sound transmission talisman and handed it to Lan Chang'an.

Within the talisman, Tan Immortal's weak and conciliatory voice could be heard.

Lan Chang'an's expression shifted. He hadn't expected the expired third-rank poison to be so effective.

Even if Tan Immortal was scheming, it was a helpless move from the weaker side.

"Keep an eye on this woman. I'll be back shortly."

Lan Chang'an stood up.

In truth, the longer he delayed, the safer it would be.

He could even wait for Tan Immortal to succumb to the poison.

But Lan Chang'an had obtained a great fortune in the ancient ruin and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

To avoid complications, he decided to personally take action.

(End of chapter)