I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 166: Demons and Fiends

Firstly, the significant increase in talisman prices indicated that he had made a fortune from war profiteering. This might have attracted some unwanted attention, as others could easily speculate about his newfound wealth. In reality, Lan Chang\'an had earned far more than people might imagine.

Secondly, due to the sects and the great families mobilizing large numbers of cultivators for the war effort, their influence and control over the Liang Kingdom might weaken somewhat.

From Lan Chang\'an\'s experience, he judged that with the sects’ focus and resources being drawn into the Feng Kingdom, it was inevitable that some "demons and fiends" would emerge within the Liang Kingdom.

He had encountered similar situations during the small beast tide years ago.

Back then, the areas near the Black Fog Mountain Range experienced significant disturbances, with rogue cultivators and petty criminals taking advantage of the chaos.

The "Fox Valley Massacre," a tragic incident that occurred near Wuqi Mountain, was one such example of the turmoil at that time.

Over the next half month, the elegant and graceful figure of Fairy Shi could be seen busily working around Little Turtle Peak.

As the formation bases were being set up, Lan Chang\'an had the Earth Burrowing Rat and the Profound Water Turtle assist with the tasks.

During breaks, Lan Chang\'an would invite Fairy Shi to his study to rest for half an hour and have some tea.

These interactions naturally provided them with more opportunities to grow closer.

Each time Fairy Shi rested in the study, the two would share moments of intimacy.

Their relationship progressed further, though they hadn’t yet fully broken through the final barrier.

Given Fairy Shi\'s reserved and slow-to-warm nature, Lan Chang\'an took things at a controlled pace, which she seemed to appreciate.

As their interactions increased, Lan Chang\'an grew even more familiar with Fairy Shi’s physical charm than he had been in the past.

One day, in the study within the cave mansion:

"Whew! Fellow Daoist Lan, today is the final day of setting up the formation."

Fairy Shi sighed softly, her face, which was as fair as silver, flushed with a rosy hue. Her curvaceous figure lay horizontally in Lan Chang\'an\'s arms.

"Hmm, it\'s been hard on you these past days," Lan Chang\'an comforted her.

At Lan Chang\'an\'s feet was a single embroidered shoe belonging to a female cultivator. A lotus-like foot, wrapped in a white silk stocking, lifted slightly in tension, forming a beautiful curve.

"Let me help you up so we can settle the spirit stones," Lan Chang\'an said, supporting the beauty’s waist.

"Do we need to rush the spirit stones?" Fairy Shi\'s delicate face froze momentarily, her delicate eyes blinked lightly as she glanced at Lan Chang\'an.

With one leg bent at the knee, she slowly lifted herself, presenting a graceful figure as she pulled up the moon-white dress that had slipped down to her knees.

Lan Chang\'an realized that this Fairy Shi’s "slow to warm" nature wasn’t quite as slow as he had initially thought.

Fairy Shi adjusted her clothing and regained her elegant demeanor, her gaze sweeping over the floor. Her fingers discreetly traced a line of mana through the air, dispersing the moisture in the study.

"Count it yourself," Lan Chang\'an said, handing a bag of spirit stones to Fairy Shi.

Even though it was just a small-scale formation covering the peak, a quasi-third-rank protective formation was costly.

With the discount Fairy Shi gave, the setup still cost several thousand spirit stones.

A quasi-third-rank formation corresponded to the level of a magical treasure prototype.

Formations were typically more expensive than similar-rank puppets or magical treasures when it came to large-scale transactions.

Lan Chang\'an escorted Fairy Shi out of the cave mansion after finishing the final touches on the quasi-third-rank protective formation.

"With the spiritual veins of Wuqi Mountain, maintaining a quasi-third-rank formation on Little Turtle Peak will require a steady investment of spirit stones over the years…"

Before departing, Fairy Shi reminded him of some details.

Once Fairy Shi returned to Xiao Pan Peak, Lan Chang\'an integrated his consciousness into the Nine Seal Stele to enhance his senses and thoroughly inspect the newly established quasi-third-rank formation, searching for any hidden backdoors or oversights.

He had some knowledge of formations himself, and while his skills weren’t as advanced as Fairy Shi\'s, his experience and his spiritual sense enhanced to the Core Formation level gave him an edge in spotting potential issues.

After a long inspection, Lan Chang\'an withdrew his senses and exited the Nine Seal Stele.

"Not playing any tricks," Lan Chang\'an nodded to himself.

At the very least, Fairy Shi hadn’t left any hidden backdoors or obvious flaws in the formation.

While she knew the most effective way to break the formation she had set up, it would require real strength; there was no easy backdoor.

Lan Chang\'an had known this female formation master for decades, and he trusted her character.

...

Two months later, the five major sects of the Liang Kingdom, led by the Flame Departing Palace, organized a coalition of cultivators from various forces, assembling an army of over ten thousand cultivators to formally set out to invade Feng Kingdom in the south.

The cultivator army was composed of late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators as soldiers, Foundation Establishment cultivators as the backbone, and Core Formation cultivators as the high-end combat forces.

At this time, the Feng Kingdom, with its Golden Sun Sect and Proud Moon Palace, both Nascent Soul-level sects, was fending off invasions from the Yan and Chen Kingdoms, also led by Nascent Soul-level sects, and was locked in a stalemate.

The Liang Kingdom sects launched their invasion from the north, effectively stabbing Feng Kingdom in the back!

From a strategic perspective, Lan Chang\'an couldn’t find fault with the plan.

Feng Kingdom was a large, resource-rich country with an ancient and robust cultivation culture, while Liang Kingdom was relatively underdeveloped.

If the Liang Kingdom sects could seize this opportunity to plunder Feng Kingdom’s abundant resources and deep-rooted cultivation heritage, it would greatly benefit the Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world.

Cross-border warfare, however, involved long distances and delays in communication.

Even with Lan Chang\'an’s deliberate efforts to stay informed, the flow of information was slow.

This was also due to the level of power he operated within.

The upper echelons of the sects had more efficient ways of transmitting information, but critical intelligence wouldn’t be easily leaked.

It wasn’t until a year after the sects’ expedition that Lan Chang\'an began to receive some intelligence from the front lines.

It was said that the Liang Kingdom’s sects had successfully led their cultivator army across the Feng Kingdom’s borders, capturing an immortal city and wiping out several cultivation families.

They had successfully established a foothold deep within Feng Kingdom’s territory.

...

While the sects seemed to have made a strong start in Feng Kingdom, things were less stable within the Liang Kingdom.

With a significant number of their forces deployed to the Feng Kingdom battlefield, the sects’ grip on the Liang Kingdom weakened, leading to an increase in disorder.

Some individuals who had previously been suppressed by the sects—those who were wanted, various evil cultivators, and other nefarious characters—began to emerge from the shadows.

One night, Lan Chang\'an was soaking in a large bath filled with fragrant plum blossoms.

His expression was thoughtful as he remarked, "In the past few months, the prices of talismans and pills have stabilized, but formation prices have seen a noticeable increase."

"What’s the matter? Are you unhappy that my formations are finally making money, Lan-lang?" A soft, feminine voice came from across the misty bath, accompanied by the sound of splashing water.

The outline of a figure with skin as fair as snow and an alluringly curvaceous body was vaguely visible through the steam.

Her long, waterfall-like hair dripped with water, filling the air with a faint orchid fragrance. A smooth, jade-like leg gently broke the surface of the water, creating a scene of captivating beauty.

After the galloping just recently, Lan Chang\'an was utterly desireless, as holy as a saint or Buddha, and was not surprised at the picture of the beauty bathing in front of him.

As early as a year ago, the two of them had rekindled their relationship, picking up their brief romance from years past.

"I’m happy to see you making money, Manrong," Lan Chang\'an replied with a smile.

"However, this trend suggests that things around Wuqi Mountain have become more chaotic lately, and the several fights and killings are by no means isolated cases."

In the past two months, the security situation around Wuqi Mountain has deteriorated.

Crimes that were once rare—like killing for treasure—had occurred several times.

Even some notorious rogue cultivators and wanted criminals had surfaced in the surrounding areas. This not only affected Wuqi Mountain’s business but also posed a potential threat to the three main peaks.

"We’ve reported these incidents to the cultivators of Flame Departing Palace. At the very least, they’ll eliminate the most obvious threats. And if the worst comes to pass, our two main peaks are protected by quasi-third-rank formations, which even a Fake-Dan Immortal would struggle to break," Fairy Shi’s soft, seductive voice echoed through the steamy room.

"Hmm, I believe the sect must have a reserved hand. They wouldn’t allow complete chaos within the kingdom," Lan Chang\'an said.

At that moment, he felt something slippery brush against his leg beneath the water—a supple, graceful curve pressed up against him.

"You were quite foresighted, Lan-lang. The price I charged you a year ago for setting up that quasi-third-rank formation would be impossible to match now," Fairy Shi said with a smile.

Lan Chang\'an chuckled. Having lived through multiple lifetimes, anyone who failed to foresee such matters was simply living in vain.

In the bath, Fairy Shi’s eyes glimmered with warmth as she nestled against him, her face flushed.

Just then, Lan Chang\'an’s eyelids twitched. He sensed a subtle fluctuation of mana emanating from the vicinity of Wuqi Mountain.

Moments later, a warning signal echoed from the nearby Little Pill Peak.

"Fairy Shi, there are two groups of cultivators fighting outside!"

Not long after, the sound of a voice came from outside the cave on Xiao Pan Peak—it was Ye Fei.

Lan Chang\'an and Fairy Shi quickly exited the cave mansion.

Seeing them emerge together, Ye Fei paused momentarily but didn’t question it.

"It’s convenient that Fellow Daoist Lan is here," Ye Fei said with a sly grin.

"What’s going on with the fight outside?" Lan Chang\'an asked, sensing no fewer than five Foundation Establishment-level mana fluctuations.

"It seems to be a clash between rogue cultivators, a black eating black situation?" Ye Fei speculated.

"Outrageous!"

Rogue cultivators robbing near Wuqi Mountain was already bad enough, but fighting at the very gates of the mountain? That was a direct slap in the face.

The three peak masters flew toward the battle site outside Wuqi Mountain.

"Keep your distance and be wary of traps," Lan Chang\'an advised as they approached the edge of Wuqi Mountain, looking out at the conflict ahead.

In the forest just a few li from Wuqi Mountain, the fight between the two groups of Foundation Establishment cultivators had already reached a conclusion.

Three of the cultivators were pursuing a man and a woman, both of whom were also at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The woman, clad in black robes, was wounded in her side.

"We are traveling merchant cultivators from Huanglong Immortal City, just passing through Wuqi Mountain, and were attacked by these rogue cultivators. Please, help us!" the young man with yellowish skin accompanying the woman called out for help.

"Heh! Stop pretending to be innocent, wasn\'t that so-called traveling merchant cultivator just slaughtered by you guys half a day ago?" the leader of the pursuers, a figure wearing a black veil hat, sneered in a raspy voice.

"Three Peak Masters, we really are the victims here. My sister is seriously injured…" The yellow-skinned young man continued to fight while retreating, his voice anxious.

Lan Chang\'an exchanged glances with the other two peak masters, and they quickly came to a decision.

"Ye Fei, you’ll be the one to speak," Lan Chang\'an instructed.

"Why me?"

"Because you’re the youngest peak master of Wuqi Mountain."

Ye Fei reluctantly agreed, stepping ten zhang into the air.

Radiating the spiritual pressure of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, his robes fluttered as he shouted, "No matter who you are, you dare trespass on Wuqi Mountain without permission—kill without pardon!"

(End of chapter)