I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals-Chapter 392: The Seven True Monarchs

"No problem."

Although he had always considered Xiang Dalong to be a righteous cultivator, this request was rather unusual.

A Nascent Soul spirit body was an invaluable postnatal spirit, a great supplement for many demonic cultivators, or a key ingredient for certain forbidden arts.

There were countless secret techniques in the cultivation world that could make use of a Nascent Soul spirit body. However, Jing Wufeng didn’t pry into Lan Chang'an’s specific purpose.

"Third condition, I wish to obtain the method for Heavenly Dao Nascent Formation. I believe it's not a forbidden secret in the top sects with a long heritage."

This last request caught Jing Wufeng off guard.

Lan Chang'an had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, why would he need this technique now?

Lan Chang'an explained, his tone calm:

"During my Heart Demon Tribulation, I faced the regret of being unable to form my Nascent Soul through the Heavenly Dao. Because of that, I wish to collect this method as a keepsake. Even if I have no use for it, I can pass it down to future descendants in my homeland."

His words were partially true.

Jing Wufeng pondered for a moment.

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"In my sect, the Heavenly Dao Nascent Formation method is indeed not considered a forbidden secret, nor is it particularly valuable. It’s not something we hide from disciples. But since it is part of the sect’s inheritance, I cannot pass it to outsiders without permission."

After a brief pause, he continued:

"However, after we complete the demon-sealing mission, I will request permission from my sect. It shouldn’t be difficult.

"Alternatively, one could acquire it through a transaction with one of the ancient great sects, and I could then transfer it to you."

This was a reasonable compromise.

After the first trial, there would be years of rest and reorganization.

A matter of this level didn’t even require his master’s approval, especially since it's difficult to even meet with him. He simply needed to notify the old servant in charge of the archives, and it would be done.

"That will do."

With his three conditions mostly satisfied, Lan Chang'an chose not to push further.

To be on the safe side, the two renewed their oath and signed a fourth-rank spirit contract, preventing betrayal or harm against one another.

At the Nascent Soul level, oaths and contracts were not absolute restraints—with sufficient cultivation, there were always ways to bypass or break them.

However, breaking them was ultimately troublesome, and certain costs had to be paid.

A contract was better than nothing.

...

With their agreement settled, the atmosphere between them became more harmonious, fostering greater trust.

Now, they turned their attention to their battle plan, starting with detailed profiles of their seven Nascent Soul opponents.

The greatest threats to Lan Chang'an were the two Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators:

Golden Kun Old Monster and True Monarch Netherwater.

Among them, Golden Kun Old Monster was an old Nascent Soul mid-stage expert with exceptionally powerful magical abilities.

Meanwhile, True Monarch Netherwater had only recently broken through to mid-stage less than twenty years ago.

By conventional estimates, Netherwater should be weaker than Golden Kun Old Monster, at least on the surface.

Of course, neither of them could compare to Emperor Yu.

This was one of the key reasons Lan Chang'an agreed to the operation.

As long as they didn’t fall into a full encirclement, the risks remained manageable.

Besides, Jing Wufeng had hidden backup plans…

...

Additionally, True Monarch Netherwater was already on Lan Chang'an’s list of potential enemies.

This woman had caused trouble at his Nascent Soul ceremony in Yunxia Sect, publicly challenging his reputation.

If he could seriously injure her with Jing Wufeng’s help, he would be able to repair the teleportation array in the future and return to Great Qing with one less trouble.

This was especially important because Netherwater often roamed near the Central Region Forbidden Zone, searching for leads related to True Monarch Shazhai and the Tinghai Pavilion’s inheritance.

The hidden teleportation formation that led back to the Great Qing was located within this forbidden zone.

If Netherwater ever discovered it, things would become complicated.

Lan Chang'an had no intention of staying in the Great Yuan for too long.

Since he planned to leave soon, there was no harm in making a high-profile move.

Even if it attracted future trouble, by the time that happened, he would already be back in Great Qing.

And if necessary, he could simply sever the connection at the other end of the teleportation array.

In fact, there was an even greater possibility—

If he managed to establish a strong reputation now, many future problems would be resolved instead.

As the saying goes, "Better to throw a single decisive punch than to suffer a hundred in return."

...

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell True Monarch Jing, True Monarch Netherwater might be colluding with the remnant ghost soul of Shura Ghost Lord."

Lan Chang'an added a critical piece of intelligence.

At his peak, Shura Ghost Lord had battle strength on par with Emperor Yu.

Even if he had fallen and become nothing more than a wandering ghost, he was still not to be underestimated.

Since their plan required at least crippling one Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator, Lan Chang'an preferred to target True Monarch Netherwater.

"Shura Ghost Lord?"

Jing Wufeng’s eyes flickered with understanding.

"No wonder White Bone Merchant Association’s guild master and his wife were recruited by Netherwater to join the siege against me."

The White Bone Merchant Association was a well-known merchant faction in the Central Region, deeply affiliated with the Northern Region’s Ghost Palace faction.

Their guild master couple had once been closely connected to the Shura Ghost Lord, held him in high esteem, and would follow his commands without hesitation.

Lan Chang'an suspected that, during his prime, Shura Ghost Lord had held some sort of leverage over the White Bone Guild Master and his wife.

Demonic Blade Nangong Xiu

Dominating Martial True Monarch

Soaring Snow True Monarch

White Bone Guild Master & His Wife

Lan Chang'an learned the details of the other five True Monarchs. These five were all veteran Nascent Soul cultivators, among the strongest in the early-stage, each of them was at least on par with True Monarch Red Serpent.

By now, anyone still hunting Jing Wufeng would not be an easy opponent.

Among them, Demonic Blade Nangong Xiu was the most dangerous.

He was currently a wanted fugitive, being hunted by the Southern Domain’s top faction, Heavenly Sword Pavilion.

This man had previously battled against Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators and remained undefeated, meaning that within Nascent Soul early stage, he was virtually unmatched.

Jing Wufeng had fought against Nangong Xiu before, confirming that his raw combat power could temporarily hold his own against a mid-stage expert.

During their last skirmish in the Central Region Forbidden Zone, Nangong Xiu hadn’t had the chance to make a move.

Now, he had joined the hunt, making him one of the most troublesome enemies.

...

Inside the ruined immortal city, Lan Chang'an spent one year recuperating.

His Dragonwood Staff was now fully repaired, with its spiritual essence completely restored. The puppet army had undergone maintenance and was back in optimal condition.

Over the past year, Lan Chang'an had been frequently burning his lifespan to cultivate divination arts, refining his technique by repetitively deducing their upcoming mission.

During this time, their Nascent Soul enemies had been sighted passing through the surrounding regions, clearly tracking their movements.

A few days later, Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng rose into the skies, drawing closer to the Central Region Forbidden Zone’s border.

Ahead lay the Ancient Battlefield, shrouded in demonic mist.

Even though the demonic calamity had begun to subside, one could still sense the lingering malevolent aura leaking from within.

This place had once been the site of the Ancient Demon Sealing War, where the spiritual veins of the Central Region’s land had been severed, leaving its mountains and rivers broken—a land of utter desolation.

Because of this catastrophe, the Central Region had become the poorest and most resource-starved region of the Great Yuan, suffering the strongest waves of demonic turmoils every cycle.

"True Monarch Xiang, our seven Nascent Soul enemies must already be aware that we’ve joined forces and are heading for the Forbidden Zone."

Jing Wufeng warned.

"I already made the preparations."

Lan Chang'an nodded.

The seven Nascent Soul cultivators had likely laid numerous traps, using various detection methods to track and ambush them.

The Ancient Battlefield was an extremely complex terrain, with demonic winds howling in every direction.

Before entering, Lan Chang'an activated multiple divination artifacts to sense any impending dangers.

However, with seven Nascent Soul True Monarchs deliberately interfering with fate, his quasi-fourth-rank divination techniques were insufficient, and his readings were vague and inaccurate.

Even so, he used the opportunity to sharpen his divination abilities, enduring massive lifespan consumption as part of his training.

How could practicing divination within the sect on ordinary days ever compare to the effectiveness gained through real combat experience?

Jing Wufeng noticed Lan Chang'an’s actions but wasn’t surprised.

Compared to the top inheritances of Heaven Honoured Continent, cultivators of the Evergreen Technique were not considered outstanding at fighting. Moreover, their cultivation had strict limitations.

Of course, the legendary Great Cultivator Yan Donglai was an exception, as the longest-living human realm cultivator, he was enough to be on par with Deity Transformation Heavenly Lords.

With their extended lifespans, Evergreen cultivators were naturally suited for divination cultivation.

However, divination also relied heavily on talent—the further one advanced, the more difficult the path became.

Additionally, divination didn’t offer direct combat strength.

Burning lifespan for divination could also weaken a cultivator’s spiritual power, affecting their overall strength.

For this reason, most Evergreen cultivators leaned toward medicine, forming alliances, or nurturing rare spiritual plants.

Those who obtained powerful wood-type magical treasures or mastered wood-based sword formations could still develop remarkable combat abilities.

...

Half a Day Later

Faster than expected, Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng encountered two of the seven Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

To be precise, they had been discovered first.

"It seems they anticipated my return to the Central Region Forbidden Zone and left detection formations at key locations."

Jing Wufeng remained composed as he looked at the two figures before them, the White Bone couple.

One of them, a towering skeletal ghost cultivator draped in black robes, stood over three meters tall, his crystal-white skeletal arms gleaming under the darkened sky. His eye sockets burned with ghastly red flames, radiating a chilling, deathly aura.

This was none other than Guild Master Yu of the White Bone Merchant Association, a cultivator who had combined ghost path techniques with bone corpse refinement arts.

Perched atop his massive bone arm was a voluptuous, red-robed old woman, gripping a bone staff in her slender hands.

At first glance, she appeared to be in her seventies or eighties.

However, upon closer inspection, her skin was unnaturally smooth and youthful, exuding an eerie, seductive charm.

This was Madam Yu, someone Lan Chang'an had previously encountered at the Nascent Soul exchange gathering, where he had purchased two auxiliary ingredients for his Infant Transformation Pill from her.

At that time, this woman already gave him a chilling and unsettling feeling.

Who would have thought that today, Madam Yu would become one of the seven opposing True Monarchs??

"True Monarch Xiang, when you were gathering ingredients for your Infant Transformation Pill, this old woman once assisted you."

"In light of our past transaction, if you withdraw from the Central Region Forbidden Zone today, I will personally ensure that you walk away unharmed."

The red-robed Madam Yu cast Lan Chang'an a seductive glance, her body shifting into a more alluring pose.

Lan Chang'an merely chuckled.

"Oh? And I suppose you have the authority to speak on behalf of the two Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators?"

"More likely, if I leave alone, I’ll be walking into certain death."

His tone was light, but his words carried undeniable mockery.

"Kekeke! There’s no need to waste words on this fool!"

"Jing Wufeng might be able to escape today, but this brat doesn’t know what’s good for him."

"By interfering in this karma, he has sealed his fate, there will be no return for him!"

Guild Master Yu let out a sinister cackle, his skeletal eyes burning brighter as he locked onto newcomer Lan Chang'an.

Before his words had even faded—

Boom!

Guild Master Yu hurled his wife directly toward Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng.

For a moment, Lan Chang'an felt a sense of absurdity, only to have his spiritual consciousness suddenly assaulted.

Within his vision, the red-robed woman suddenly had her robes scatter into mist—revealing a flawless, ivory-white body, veiled in celestial mist, radiating a dreamlike charm.

But in the next instant—

Her beautiful face rotted away, replaced by a pockmarked, festering ghostly visage, oozing with pus and decay.

A terrifying surge of resentful ghost energy exploded toward Lan Chang'an’s mind, aiming to shake his Nascent Soul, induce hallucinations, and corrupt his emotions, causing him to lose his mental balance.

Fortunately, Lan Chang'an’s spiritual consciousness was extremely powerful, far exceeding that of a mere new Nascent Soul cultivator.

His Nascent Soul formed a hand seal, and his pupils radiated a divine light, instantly dispelling the ghostly illusion.

As the phantasm shattered, a ten-li radius was suddenly engulfed in a sinister, green-tinted ghost fog, forming a ghost domain where thousands of vengeful spirits drifted, their ghost flames burning, exuding boundless malice.

It turned out that while Madam Yu cast her Resentful Ghost Art, Guild Master Yu had already unleashed the renowned treasure of the demonic dao, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

The banner’s power filled the battlefield with a limitless tide of ghosts, capable of corroding minds, devouring life force, and gradually weakening their enemies in prolonged combat.

"True Monarch Xiang, you hold off Guild Master Yu! I will take out the weaker Madam Yu."

Jing Wufeng quickly decided, transmitting his voice.

Each Nascent Soul opponent eliminated would greatly increase their mission’s success rate.

"Good!"

Lan Chang'an activated his Dragonwood Staff, unleashing its full power.

With a surge of Nascent Soul mana, the staff expanded to nearly eighty zhang, its blood-red dragon shadow swirling violently, before smashing down toward the ghostly fog surrounding Guild Master Yu.

A sudden screech rang out.

The ground beneath them trembled, and from the center of the ghost domain, a massive sand dune abruptly rose up.

Boom!

The dune exploded into a storm of stone shards and yellow sand, sending shockwaves rippling through the ghost domain.

"A mere rat demon dares—"

Guild Master Yu’s black robes fluttered, his tone filled with disdain.

But before he could finish his sentence, from within the exploding sandstorm, a monstrous, sand-covered giant rat lunged forth, its massive claws gleaming with an earthy yellow radiance, slashing down toward him.

At the same time,

Roar!

The Dragonwood Staff descended from above, howling with a dragon’s roar, crashing downward with unstoppable force.

"Hmph!"

Before the dual assault could land, the thick ghost mist coalesced into a ten-zhang-tall skeletal ghost serpent, its frame forged from countless dragon bones, wreathed in sickly green flames.

Boom!

The giant rat’s claws clashed against the skeletal ghost serpent’s talons, sending shockwaves rippling outward.

Even so, the skeletal ghost serpent was clearly struggling, its bones creaking under the immense pressure, its body sinking into the ground.

"This skeletal ghost serpent has strength similar to the fourth-rank Demon King from Beast King Valley. It’s receiving an amplification inside the ghost domain."

Lan Chang'an quickly assessed the situation.

Boom!

The Dragonwood Staff finally landed, colliding with Guild Master Yu himself.

His thick bone arm suddenly expanded several times over, resembling a draconic skeletal limb, its ghost flames surging as it blocked the attack head-on.

Crack!

The dragonwood energy began to purge the ghost flames, while cracks formed along the bone arm.

"Tch! So this is the helper Jing Wufeng found, his strength is nearly at Nascent Soul mid-stage."

Guild Master Yu grunted, his body sinking into the ground, forming a deep crater beneath him.

His attention was divided, he had to maintain the Ten Thousand Soul Banner while also defending himself against Lan Chang'an’s main attacks and spiritual pet.

He was clearly struggling.

"Madam, be careful!"

Guild Master Yu shouted, realizing that only Lan Chang'an had made a move against him.

Whoosh, swish, swish!

Madam Yu, faced with Jing Wufeng's killing intent, quickly activated her life-saving technique, transforming into red ghostly mist that splintered into multiple shadows to evade attacks.

Jing Wufeng, moving like a breeze, skillfully maneuvered through the vengeful ghosts, unleashing silver light blades that swiftly destroyed Madam Yu's ghostly forms one by one, leaving her true body exposed and defenseless.

“Husband save me-”

As she called for her husband's aid, Madam Yu countered with her full power, summoning five ghost-face skulls burning with flames of five attributes to shield her.

However, under the relentless assault of Jing Wufeng's silver light blades, the skulls were shattered one by one. In the end, Madam Yu sustained a devastating injury, narrowly avoiding being bisected.

“Spatial secret arts indeed have terrifying killing power.”

Lan Chang'an could only admire from afar, Without resorting to the Barbed Arrow, he would find it difficult to inflict such overwhelming and unstoppable damage on a Nascent Soul cultivator.

...

“Jing Wufeng, how dare you!”

A thunderous roar, deep and resonant like a lion’s roar mixed with the stomp of an elephant, echoed through the skies from afar.

Despite the great distance, Lan Chang'an felt his mind tremble as if thunder had rumbled directly inside his soul.

The sheer spiritual pressure carried in that voice far exceeded that of any of the Nascent Soul True Monarchs present.

Golden Kun Old Monster!

Jing Wufeng’s expression subtly changed.

Of all their opponents, this was the one he least wished to confront directly.

"Heh heh… Fellow Daoist Golden Kun is almost here."

"Jing Wufeng, don’t you dare harm my wife! Today, you’re both staying here!"

Upon hearing the voice of his Nascent Soul mid-stage ally, Guild Master Yu was emboldened.

Even as Lan Chang'an’s Dragonwood Staff cracked his skeletal body, he gritted his teeth, spitting a mouthful of ghostly essence onto his Ten Thousand Soul Banner, activating a ghost path displacement technique.

Whoosh!

A powerful ghost wind abruptly swept over Madam Yu, who was on the brink of death.

In the blink of an eye, she vanished, her position swapped with a red-green spectral ghost within the ghostly mist.

???

The spectral ghost froze, eyes filled with confusion—only to let out a wretched shriek as Jing Wufeng’s silver blade sliced through it, instantly obliterating it into ashes.

"Withdraw."

Jing Wufeng exhaled softly. Though disappointed, simply crippling Madam Yu was already a victory.

"The mystical arts and secret techniques in the cultivation world are truly endless…"

Lan Chang'an inwardly sighed in regret, Jing Wufeng had been so close.

But he also knew that they hadn’t used their trump cards.

Their most deadly techniques had to be reserved for their true targets, the Nascent Soul mid-stage enemies.

"Hurry up!"

Lan Chang'an did not hesitate. He recalled Lord Earthrock and followed Jing Wufeng, breaking free from the Ten Thousand Soul Banner’s ghost fog domain.

For an ordinary Nascent Soul True Monarch, escaping from this ghost domain would be exceedingly difficult.

However, Jing Wufeng, with his spatial arts, simply tore open a three-meter-wide silver rift, allowing them to slip through effortlessly.

Guild Master Yu watched, his skeletal face twisting with frustration, but he could do nothing.

His wife was severely injured and needed to be taken care of.

Additionally, he had been overpowered by Lan Chang'an’s puppet beast and magical treasure, sustaining his own share of injuries.

...

As soon as they escaped the ghost domain, a burning golden light expanded in the sky at an alarming speed.

The sheer momentum made it seem as though a miniature sun was rapidly approaching from the horizon.

"Jing Wufeng, now that you're carrying a person with you, will you be able to escape this old man's pursuit?"

A voice, deep and mighty, boomed from behind them.

Lan Chang'an felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine.

A sharp sonic boom pierced the air, signaling the approach of something fast and lethal.

Using his spiritual sense, he swept his gaze backward—

A massive golden claw, covered in gleaming metallic scales, streaked across the dark, demon-infested sky, slashing toward them with terrifying speed.

"A metal-attribute magical treasure!"

Lan Chang'an instinctively channeled his Evergreen mana, preparing to counter with his Dragonwood Staff.

However, the moment he activated his wood-element abilities, he felt an unnerving tremor in the staff’s core, and even his Evergreen mana failed to provide a sense of stability.

"Fellow Daoist Jing! My wood-element magical treasure and techniques are completely suppressed by this Golden Kun Old Monster!"

Without hesitation, Lan Chang'an switched weapons, summoning the Thunder Whip instead.

Empowered by his Nascent Soul-level mana, the whip unleashed a vast net of crackling lightning, forming a barrier of writhing electric serpents in the sky.

"No problem!"

Jing Wufeng’s fingers flashed through a series of hand seals.

A transparent spatial ripple expanded outward, ensnaring the golden claw, and significantly slowing its approach.

However, even with the reduced momentum, the golden claw still tore through the spatial distortion, its force diminished but still deadly as it lunged toward Lan Chang'an.

"Damn it! This is still too fast!"

Clang!

A razor-thin semi-transparent silver blade suddenly manifested from thin air, colliding with the golden claw mid-flight.

This was Jing Wufeng’s personal magical treasure, Voidless Blade.

But this blade was not suited for direct impact, it only managed to halve the claw’s power before vanishing back into the void.

Crackle! Boom!

The Thunder Serpent Net surged forward, engulfing the golden claw in an explosion of blinding electric arcs.

At last, the Golden Scale Claw lost its strength, dimmed, and recoiled backward, returning to its owner’s grasp.

Behind them a hulking, golden-haired, curly-haired cultivator stood in mid-air, his massive figure radiating an overwhelming presence.

"Tch… Quick little rats."

Golden Kun Old Monster retrieved his magical treasure, watching as Jing Wufeng and Lan Chang'an widened the gap.

Lan Chang'an had just executed the fifth level of Crimson Sun Blood-Escape Technique, transforming into a streak of blood-colored sunlight, accelerating beyond even a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator’s speed.

Of course, this technique burned his blood essence, consuming his lifespan in exchange for speed.

Meanwhile, Jing Wufeng employed his spatial teleportation technique, vanishing in brief flickers, making his presence erratic and unpredictable.

At one point, their figures overlapped, merging into a blur of silver wind and crimson light, before they both vanished entirely.

Golden Kun Old Monster watched them go, shaking his head.

"Using rank-crossing escape techniques without regard for the loss of lifespan? Alas, the young never understand the value of longevity until old age leaves them in tears..."

Despite his words, he made no attempt to continue the pursuit.

Even if he were to pay the price to chase them down, he still wouldn’t be able to subdue those two alone—it would require multiple Nascent Soul True Monarchs working together to encircle them.

...

Half an hour later, inside a hidden demonic cavern within the Ten Thousand Demon Valley.

"True Monarch Xiang, you didn’t have to burn your lifespan so recklessly. Golden Kun Old Monster isn’t that fast, he wouldn’t dare chase us alone."

Jing Wufeng sat cross-legged, meditating to recover his energy.

"Better safe than sorry."

Lan Chang'an replied calmly.

"I didn’t want to slow you down. If we hesitated for even a moment, True Monarch Netherwater and the others might have cut us off. That would’ve been far worse."

Compared to the lifespan losses from his divination practices, burning a few years to escape wasn’t even worth mentioning.

With his quasi-fourth-rank body refinement and Evergreen mana regeneration, his vital essence was abundant, allowing him to endure the cost of using the Crimson Sun Blood-Escape Technique across cultivation ranks. The loss of lifespan was not as severe for him compared to other Nascent Soul cultivators of the same level.

After the brief skirmish, Lan Chang'an firmly decided on his earlier plan, "Golden Kun Old Monster is too strong, and his abilities counter mine. Our chosen target must be True Monarch Netherwater."

"Agreed. When we fight, leave Golden Kun Old Monster to me."

Jing Wufeng nodded. He didn’t mind.

In truth, elemental restraints were relative.

Golden Kun Old Monster’s spiritual power was at a higher realm than Lan Chang'an's, and it was only because metal overpowered wood that it seemed so obvious. However, a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator who practiced wood-based techniques would still crush Golden Kun Old Monster as usual.