I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 291: Overlord Body Poison Refinement

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Futah cast a glance at Lan Chang'an, his tone lukewarm as he casually greeted him.

Jiang Ruotong, with her graceful demeanor and a faint, captivating smile, politely sought Futah’s assistance.

“An entry permit? Leave it to me,” Futah declared confidently.

His gaze lingered on Fairy Jiang, whose beauty was as pure as a lotus emerging from clear water. His eyes burned with intensity, and he licked his cracked lips before thumping his chest in assurance.

The men of the desert tribes often disdained the delicate and refined men from outside. However, they yearned deeply for the serene elegance and snow-white beauty of female cultivators from beyond their land.

After all, the desert shaped its people. The women of the arid lands were often rugged and muscular, with a relatively lower proportion of beauties.

Some of the female cultivators among the locals were body refiners—some even fully dedicated body cultivators—resulting in a fair number with imposing, muscular builds.

Thus, the female cultivators of Xuan Yin Pavilion were unrivaled beauties in the Fengyuan Kingdom, regarded as paragons of both talent and charm. Their arrival was a divine descent into the desert, a stark contrast to the local aesthetic.

However, the female cultivators of Xuan Yin Pavilion, influenced by their own standards of beauty and customs, mostly dismissed the rugged, dark-skinned men of the desert tribes.

“Immortal Xu! I’ll accompany you to process your entry permit,” Futah said as he walked over to Lan Chang'an with a bold and boisterous demeanor. He slapped Lan Chang'an’s shoulder with a large, calloused hand in a seemingly friendly gesture.

But that seemingly light pat contained several layers of Futah’s strength as a quasi third-rank body refiner.

An ordinary Fake Dan cultivator might have suffered a hidden injury or at least lost face under such force.

Yet when Futah’s palm landed on Lan Chang'an’s shoulder, it was as if it had struck a stone in a vast ocean—there wasn’t even the slightest ripple.

After this test, Futah instinctively abandoned his initial contempt.

For Lan Chang'an to withstand his strike so effortlessly, there were only two possibilities: either Lan Chang'an’s body refining was at a level comparable to Futah, or his magical power was so abundant and refined that it dissipated Futah’s force without a trace, all without alarming the surrounding cultivators.

Lan Chang'an didn’t deliberately hold back. He knew that if the people of the desert tribe labeled him as weak or an easy target, he’d only face greater trouble and unfair treatment in the future.

Futah led Lan Chang'an to a tower at the edge of the city walls. There, they encountered a genuine Fake Dan cultivator with sharp, hawk-like eyes and brown skin.

This cultivator’s spiritual perception was formidable, and he excelled in investigative techniques. From their conversation, Lan Chang'an discerned that this Fake Dan cultivator held a higher status than Futah.

Futah’s body refinement followed the true path of body cultivation, where his physique exhibited extraordinary traits. His Qi-Refining cultivation was merely supplementary, adding versatility to his combat methods.

True body cultivators required strategic resources on par with a Crystal Condensation Pill to break through the second or third rank. Moreover, the fourth rank heavenly tribulation was even more terrifying.

Their lifespans were typically about ten percent shorter than their Qi-cultivating counterparts at the same level.

In contrast, Lan Chang'an’s cultivation path was the opposite of Futah. He focused on Qi cultivation, with body refinement as a secondary practice to enhance his resilience and margin for error.

In less than fifteen minutes, after a straightforward process of questioning, investigation, and evaluation, Lan Chang'an obtained an entry permit engraved with a black scorpion design.

Of course, it wasn’t free.

While the entry permit itself only required a fee of 100 spirit stones, Futah demanded an additional 600 spirit stones, a bottle of second-rank pills, and two spirit herbs as a “hard work fee.”

Half of the spirit stones were immediately handed over by Futah as bribe to the Fake Dan cultivator handling the inspection.

Lan Chang'an inwardly mused that Futah was both greedy and cunning. He had not only used Jiang Ruotong to build goodwill but had also taken the opportunity to extort Lan Chang'an.

Still, Lan Chang'an wasn’t overly resentful. At least Futah got things done efficiently, and his demands weren’t entirely unreasonable.

“Immortal Xu, with this entry permit, you’re free to move around Scorpion Desolate City and trade without obstruction. If you run into trouble, just mention my name, Futah. The local tribesmen won’t make things difficult for you!”

Futah was in high spirits, pleased with his profitable haul.

“Good! If trouble arises, I’ll be sure to invoke your esteemed name, Lord Futah,” Lan Chang'an responded cheerfully.

Futah’s expression froze momentarily. The customary boastful remarks of desert tribesmen had actually been taken seriously by this young man?

No matter. If any real trouble came, Futah could always feign ignorance or take the opportunity to squeeze Lan Chang'an for more.

...Nôv(el)B\\jnn

With the entry permit in hand, Lan Chang'an joined Fairy Jiang and the other women from Xuan Yin Pavilion as they entered Scorpion Desolate City together.

Futah had patrol duties and couldn’t accompany them further.

Watching the backs of Lan Chang'an and Fairy Jiang as they flew side by side, chatting and laughing, Futah couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

The serene and reserved Fairy Jiang, usually so cold and aloof, had smiled more times today than in all of Futah’s previous encounters with her combined.

Still, he dared not provoke Lan Chang'an. The man’s origins and strength were unknown, making him a potentially dangerous figure.

Once inside the city, Lan Chang'an parted ways with Fairy Jiang and her companions, declining their invitation to stay at the same inn.

He had noticed that the female cultivators of Xuan Yin Pavilion attracted an extraordinary amount of attention in the desert tribes—like celebrities under the spotlight.

After a brief tour of the city, Lan Chang'an observed that over 80% of the population were native cultivators. Their skin tone, clothing, and accents made them easily distinguishable.

Outsiders accounted for less than 20% and included merchants, refugees, and a few who had married into the local tribes.

The city’s shops and buildings were predominantly constructed from stone—stone fortresses and stone halls—with very few wooden structures.

After visiting several stores, Lan Chang'an confirmed that the prices here were generally lower than in Liang Kingdom.

First- and second-rank pills and spirit herbs were in high demand and considered scarce resources.

On the other hand, materials for artifact refining and puppetry were priced several percent lower than in Liang Kingdom.

The market was favorable for profits, but the people were not.

Lan Chang'an keenly sensed the hostility, disdain, and greed in the eyes of the native cultivators as they looked at him.

Some shopkeepers even quoted him prices that were 10–20% higher than those offered to locals.

In Lan Chang'an’s view, the cultivation civilization of the Fengyuan Kingdom lagged behind that of the Righteous Dao Alliance.

Not to mention Feng Kingdom—Fengyuan couldn’t even compare to Liang Kingdom.

Yet, the native cultivators of Fengyuan carried an inexplicable pride.

They regarded themselves as heirs to an ancient desert civilization, a “superpower” with a long history and the miracle of thriving in the barren sands under the leadership of the Ice and Snow Sacred Mountain.

To them, all outsiders were either struggling in minor cultivation nations or lacked the grit honed by desert life. Thus, they believed outsiders should revere and admire their tribal greatness.

When a shop assistant asked Lan Chang'an if he was amazed by the greatness of Scorpion Desolate City, Lan Chang'an replied with a calm smile:

“Fengyuan Kingdom is the greatest ancient nation I’ve ever seen. Scorpion Desolate City is the largest immortal city I’ve encountered in my life. Truly magnificent!”

"Esteemed guest, you have great insight, but unfortunately, our Desolate City Tribe doesn’t easily accept external cultivators—unless they are beautiful and virtuous female cultivators..."

The shop assistant, pleased by Lan Chang'an’s insight, revealed quite a lot of information and unspoken rules of the city to him.

Subsequent transactions were even priced at fair market rates.

...

Half a day later.

Lan Chang'an rented a third-rank spirit vein cave dwelling in the highest area of Scorpion Desolate City.

Due to the barren land and the scarcity of spirit veins, the rental price of a third-rank cave dwelling here was actually slightly higher than in the Liang Kingdom.

Seeing that Lan Chang'an was an outsider, the official in charge of renting the cave dwellings raised the price by 50%, attempting to pocket the difference.

“Vice Commander of the Patrol, Futah, is my referrer. How dare you take advantage of me and inflate the price? Do you have the guts to confront me at the Chief’s residence?”

Lan Chang'an bellowed, his voice firm and full of confidence, adopting the demeanor of someone with a powerful backer.

“Your Excellency lower your voice...”

The official, guilty and apprehensive, quickly relented and rented the cave dwelling to Lan Chang'an at the standard price for a one-year term.

The cave dwellings in the desert city were rough fortress-like structures. The materials used were strong and sturdy, but the interior was relatively crude.

Lan Chang'an felt like he had entered a kiln. Occasionally, a few grains of sand would even fall from the walls.

The formations protecting the dwelling were lackluster as well. Despite being a third-rank spirit vein dwelling, it was only equipped with a simple superior second-rank formation.

Lan Chang'an took the time to reconfigure and upgrade it with a proper third-rank formation and restrictions.

Upon arriving in Scorpion Desolate City, Lan Chang'an, despite having a wealth of resources he could trade to make a fortune, did not act rashly.

For the first few days, he focused on understanding the local situation and unspoken rules.

As someone new to the region, showing off wealth in such a xenophobic environment would only invite trouble.

Five days later.

Fairy Jiang and the other Xuan Yin Pavilion women bade farewell to Lan Chang'an, leaving him with their contact information.

The Xuan Yin Pavilion’s base of operations was located within the territory of the Outer Sect Alliance. After completing their trades in the city, they were preparing to leave Scorpion Desolate City.

Before parting, Jiang Ruotong reminded Lan Chang'an of two key points:

“Mister Xu, when trading with the shops or merchants in the city, remember to pay with one hand and deliver with the other. Never trust verbal promises.”

Lan Chang'an nodded, already aware of this.

The desert tribesmen were notorious for their lack of honesty in dealings with outsiders. They often neglected on debts.

“Also, Mister Xu, please do not reveal your identity as a third-rank alchemist. Otherwise, I fear it will be difficult for you to leave this place...”

“Thank you for the reminder, Fairy Jiang.”

Lan Chang'an understood that Jiang Ruotong’s second piece of advice was not entirely selfless.

While it was true that alchemists captured by the desert tribes could be forced to work tirelessly in dark chambers refining pills day and night, third-rank alchemists were a different matter.

For someone of his caliber, the upper echelons of the desert tribes would likely treat him with respect. If he found a reliable backer, he could even integrate into the city’s elite class with special privileges.

Jiang Ruotong’s warning came partly from goodwill, but also from a desire to prevent Lan Chang'an from being recruited or bought off by other forces.

To ensure his identity as an alchemist remained a secret, Jiang Ruotong had even made the other female cultivators swear oaths to keep it a strict secret.

...

Over half a year later.

Lan Chang'an spent his 213th year in Fengyuan Kingdom’s desert city.

That day, in his stone fortress cave-dwelling, Lan Chang'an carefully sealed a jet-black liquid into a black bottle, applying restrictive seals to ensure its safety.

The liquid, resembling black ink, was a middle third-rank poison called Corrupted Heart Poison.

If a Core Formation cultivator were poisoned, their internal organs, meridians, and even their True Dan could be severely corroded, drastically weakening their combat strength.

For Fake Dan cultivators, their inferior “Gray Core” would fail to resist for even ten breaths before their bodies turned into a puddle of corpse water.

The poison’s drawback was its lack of subtlety—it was neither colorless nor odorless.

For it to be effective, the target had to either inhale it or have it enter their body through an open wound.

“Lucky me,” Lan Chang'an murmured with a warm smile. “The most critical ingredient for the Corrupted Heart Poison was surprisingly easy to purchase from a tribal oasis near Scorpion Desolate City.”

The vast deserts of the Fengyuan Kingdom were home to terrifying venomous creatures, such as snakes, scorpions, and even certain poisonous plants.

Materials that were rare and hard to find in the Righteous Dao Alliance were often unexpectedly abundant here.

As the economic and trade hub of the Fengyuan Kingdom, Scorpion Desolate City was surrounded by scattered oases, hills, and lakes.

At these tribal oases, specialty resources could often be purchased for far cheaper than within the city itself.

Over the past half-year, Lan Chang'an used the Hundred Illusions Mask to create a variety of identities, conducting trades with shops, merchants, and nearby oases. He had acquired a significant amount of resources through this method.

The desert tribesmen had a strong demand for pills and spirit herbs from outsiders.

Lan Chang'an sold off many of his surplus low-grade pills and spirit herbs, earning a substantial profit.

Not only did he exchange them for useful resources, but he also increased his spirit stones by 10,000 to 20,000.

Some of the more valuable materials he intended to sell later in the Outer Sect Alliance, where their worth would be far greater.

It was said that the Outer Sect Alliance had access to even more terrifying poisons and ancient puppet-crafting inheritances.

Among the spoils he had looted from the slain Huang Lan Immortal were spiritual beast cubs and beast eggs. However, Lan Chang'an had no intention of selling these in Scorpion Desolate City.

He assigned his two pet beasts—the Earth Burrowing Rat and the Profound Water Turtle—to care for the spiritual beast cubs.

Initially, due to a lack of experience, a few weak cubs died.

Upon inspection, it turned out that several of the cubs and eggs contained earth-grade bloodlines.

However, they didn’t possess any particularly outstanding talents, so Lan Chang'an had little interest in investing further time and resources into raising them.

Raising spiritual beasts to a level where they could become independent required a tremendous amount of resources, time, and effort.

The Profound Water Turtle and Earth Burrowing Rat were relatively low-maintenance.

The Profound Water Turtle mainly needed time to grow and didn’t have high resource demands.

The Earth Burrowing Rat was an omnivorous creature that often foraged for its own food.

Unless it was a rare and powerful spiritual beast, like the Five-Colored Peacock with thin traces of true spirit bloodline, Lan Chang'an wouldn’t consider raising it.

Among the other spoils from Huang Lan Immortal were materials for Crystal Condensation Pills and some materials for second- and third-rank Life Extension Pills.

Lan Chang'an planned to refine these pills himself in the future once he gathered the remaining materials.

By cutting out the middlemen, some costs could be saved.

...

Two months later.

After spending a full year in Scorpion Desolate City, Lan Chang'an visited the tribal administrative office in the city to extend his entry permit for another year.

This time, without any middlemen, the renewal only cost him an additional 200 spirit stones.

Lan Chang'an had also considered acquiring a native identity.

However, given that he was living in a third-rank spirit vein cave-dwelling, an ordinary identity wasn’t sufficient.

A status equivalent to that of a Core Formation cultivator was required, but such figures were well-known and not easily replaced within the tribe.

Moreover, Lan Chang'an didn’t particularly enjoy the xenophobic environment of the desert tribes. This city was only a temporary stop for him.

“One more year here,” Lan Chang'an decided, “and I’ll cultivate the Golden Luo Overlord Body to the peak of the early third rank. Afterward, I’ll head to the Outer Sect Alliance and find an oasis to cultivate peacefully...”

He had a clear plan for his future.

The Fengyuan Kingdom’s focus on body refinement meant that the related materials were widely available and relatively abundant.

Using various aliases, Lan Chang'an had already purchased numerous body refinement materials in Scorpion Desolate City that would aid in the advancement of the Golden Luo Overlord Body.

Lan Chang'an had been practicing body refinement for over 40 years after having transitioned to a new technique halfway, which had slightly slowed his progress.

He estimated that within 10 years, he could advance the Golden Luo Overlord Body to the mid-third rank.

Even in a country like Fengyuan, where body refinement was prominent, reaching the mid-third rank would make him a renowned powerhouse.

Had it not been for the threat posed by the Peacock Saintess, Lan Chang'an would have preferred to remain in Liang Kingdom for another decade or two before fleeing to Fengyuan.

On his way back to his third-rank cave-dwelling, Lan Chang'an sensed a faint trace of someone secretly watching him.

This was nothing new—every time he ventured out, he experienced such surveillance.

As a lone outsider who kept to himself and cultivated in seclusion, he naturally stood out in the xenophobic tribal environment.

Lan Chang'an wasn’t overly concerned. The strongest cultivator in Scorpion Desolate City, the Scorpion Chief, very likely didn’t surpass the Peacock Saintess in power.

After all, the Six Great Demonic Sects represented the pinnacle of the Great Qing cultivation world, and Fengyuan Kingdom’s tribal cultivators were far inferior by comparison.

As long as he avoided falling into traps or being ambushed by a group of cultivators of similar strength, his life wouldn’t be at risk.

Furthermore, every two months, Lan Chang'an used divination to assess his fortune.

...

A hundred feet away, inside a crystal tower.

"That’s the so-called ‘Immortal Xu’ mentioned by Futah?”

A cold voice came from a young man in a fur cloak, standing by the window. His hair was tied in a long braid.

“Yes, Young Maser Ada. According to some rumors, this man is said to possess valuable pills and spirit herbs brought in from outside the desert,” replied a black-faced elder at the late Foundation Establishment stage, bowing respectfully.

The braided youth was named Ada Wan, a nephew of the Scorpion Chief and son of the Deputy City Lord, a mid-Core Formation cultivator.

Ada Wan was lean and wiry, with sunken eyes and a braid that reached his waist. His attire stood out even among the locals of Scorpion Desolate City as very unconventional.

“Ridiculous!”

Ada Wan sneered, his expression full of disdain.

“Over the past year, the influx of pills and spirit herbs into the city has increased slightly, but it has yet to break the 20-year record. Attributing this to a single Fake Dan outsider is pure nonsense.”

“You’re absolutely right, Young Maser Ada,” the elder agreed, eager to please. “In my opinion, it’s likely Futah, the Vice Patrol Commander, is jealous of this Immortal Xu’s rapport with Fairy Jiang from Xuan Yin Pavilion. He’s spreading false rumors to provoke others into testing this man or even getting rid of him.”

“Hmph, blinded by lust. What’s the point of women? Puppets are far more interesting,” Ada Wan said dismissively, waving the elder away.

Once alone in the room, Ada Wan took out a puppet from his storage pouch.

It was a female puppet with a human face and a dragon-like tail.

The puppet had a beautiful, lifelike face, and its torso and arms were indistinguishable from a human’s. Only its lower body, a sinuous tail resembling that of a flood dragon, revealed its artificial nature.

“Ada Wan, this slave missed you...”

The puppet’s dragon tail coiled around Ada Wan’s body, and the room was soon filled with heavy breathing.

Plop!

Suddenly, one of the puppet’s eyeballs fell to the ground, accompanied by a splash of viscous liquid.

“Sigh, lack of resources again. The materials used on Ah Jiao aren’t high enough in rank,” Ada Wan muttered, his tone tinged with regret.

“I should’ve lowered my standards for crafting a third-rank puppet. Using the legendary true spirit, the ‘Human-Faced Flood Dragon,’ as the model has made this way too difficult...”

With a sigh, Ada Wan picked up the fallen eyeball and reinstalled it into the puppet’s eye socket.

Pop!

As soon as the eyeball was inserted, it exploded, spraying liquid all over Ada Wan’s face.

...

Ten months later.

In his third-rank stone fortress cave-dwelling, Lan Chang'an was immersed in a golden-black body refinement medicinal bath.

His bronze-toned muscles rippled like hills, and faint golden scales shimmered on his skin. The qi and blood radiating from his body had reached the peak of the early third rank.

His frame had grown to over ten feet tall, resembling a golden giant Arhat.

At this point, with a single full-force punch, Lan Chang'an could easily break the protective shield of an early Core Formation cultivator. He could even directly clash with non-heavy low-grade magical treasures.

“With the Golden Luo Overlord Body cultivated to the peak of the early third rank, and the creation of a mid-third-rank poison like the Corrupted Heart Poison, my trip to Scorpion Desolate City has been well worth it,” Lan Chang'an thought with satisfaction as he stepped out of the medicinal pool and dried himself off.

Calculating the time, he realized he had two months left before his entry permit and cave-dwelling lease expired.

Lan Chang'an decided to use the remaining time to craft a third-rank puppet.

Before leaving Liang Kingdom, he had collected a significant amount of third-rank materials. During his stay in Scorpion Desolate City, he had acquired even more puppet components.

Two months later.

A third-rank bow-wielding puppet had taken shape, though its key weapon component had not yet been refined to the level of a magical treasure.

“The entry permit has expired,” Lan Chang'an murmured, storing the puppet away and calling his spirit pets back to his side.

Leaving this third-rank cave-dwelling, Lan Chang'an sensed faint traces of covert observation again. However, as always, the gazes quickly withdrew, leaving no clues as to their origin.

He paid them no mind.

Before departing, Lan Chang'an cast a divination for fortune.

The result was minor fortune. Whether it would hold true remained to be seen.

Last year, when he found a key poisonous material near an oasis, he had also received a minor fortune reading at that time.

Taking this as a sign, Lan Chang'an flew dozens of li away from Scorpion Desolate City and transformed into the guise of a Fake Dan local. He planned to explore the nearby oases for resources.

Two days later.

Lan Chang'an’s search yielded no unexpected treasures as he gradually approached the edge of Scorpion Desolate City’s sphere of influence.

At one point, he flew into an area shrouded in sand mist.

Sand mist was a natural desert phenomenon composed of unpredictable fog and windblown sand that could obscure a cultivator’s senses.

Low-level cultivators could easily get lost within it.

“Hmm? This isn’t ordinary sand mist!”

Lan Chang'an suddenly felt his breathing grow hot and his skin tingle. The golden scales on his body faintly flickered with lightning-like patterns.

“A third-rank poison! Who’s there?”

Amid the sand mist, Lan Chang'an’s light shifted erratically as his figure wavered.

So much for that minor fortune reading—this was clearly a dangerous start to the journey.

“Heh heh... Immortal Xu reacts quickly,” a sinister voice echoed.

“Tsk tsk, even after being exposed to a third-rank poison, you haven’t collapsed. It seems you’re not one of those frail Core Formation cultivators.”

At the other end of the sand mist, two or three figures emerged from the shadows.