I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals-Chapter 394: Drastic Change in the Situation, Nascent Soul Reaped

He didn't seek victory, he only needed to hold Lan Chang'an back for a moment.

"Anyone who dares to encircle and hunt down a Nascent Soul True Monarch like Jing Wufeng is certainly no easy opponent."

Lan Chang'an thought to himself, unfazed by the provocation.

Within the early Nascent Soul stage, True Monarch Dominating Martial was practically an all-rounder. His defensive treasures were formidable, and he possessed a quasi-fourth-rank tempered body. Without using a trump card, there was little threat he could pose to him.

Even an ordinary Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator would find it troublesome to eliminate True Monarch Dominating Martial.

The ideal strategy would be to trap him within the formation and swarm him, just like how they previously killed the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King.

“In that case, I'll play along with you.”

Lan Chang'an performed the puppet control technique, and the sixteen puppets formed a battle formation, floating around him in midair. They arranged into a massive arc of electric light.

Harnessing the power of the puppet formation, Lan Chang'an forced True Monarch Dominating Martial into a frantic retreat.

Indeed, a puppet army formation was not as effective in guerrilla combat compared to positional warfare. But when it came to crushing weaker foes with overwhelming force, an early Nascent Soul cultivator had no right to challenge it.

Of course, against a Nascent Soul mid-stage expert who specialized in mobility, this approach would be far less effective.

Squeak! Squeak!

Beneath Lan Chang'an, the ground trembled with surging earth-elemental demon power, Lord Earthrock was lying in wait.

True Monarch Dominating Martial flew vigilantly high into the air, having long been on the lookout for the Lord Earthrock.

If he were to be encircled by Lan Chang'an, the puppet formation, and Lord Earthrock at the same time, even someone as powerful as him would face mortal danger. Though he was confident he could hold out until True Monarch Netherwater arrived, there was no need to take such an unnecessary risk.

However, to his surprise, Lord Earthrock did not target him and instead burrowed away in another direction...

...

"Fellow Daoist Nangong, Fairy Soaring Snow, be careful!"

True Monarch Dominating Martial, struggling under Lan Chang'an’s suppression, barely managed to transmit a warning.

Whoosh!

Fairy Soaring Snow formed a hand seal with her delicate fingers, her flowing white palace dress fluttering, long hair cascading freely. With an icy beauty akin to a goddess of snow and ice, snowflakes swirled around her in a mesmerizing dance.

She wielded the Ice Soul True Light and Profound Ice Sword Blades, coordinating with Nangong Xiu to suppress Jing Wufeng.

Just as True Monarch Dominating Martial's voice transmission reached them—

Boom!

The ground suddenly bulged into a massive sand dune before erupting with a thunderous explosion.

From beneath, a colossal Rat King, shrouded in a storm of flying sand and yellow gales, shot toward the gracefully floating Fairy Soaring Snow with explosive force.

"Filthy beast!"

Fairy Soaring Snow’s delicate brows furrowed, a faint trace of disgust surfacing instinctively.

Anyone who obstructed her vengeance was her enemy.

But she could not ignore the assault of a fourth-rank Demon King and had no choice but to momentarily ease her pressure on Jing Wufeng.

Profound Ice Flying Lotus!

Fairy Soaring Snow lightly caressed her chest with her jade-like hand, and from within the folds of her dress, an ice lotus treasure made of crystalline jade floated out.

Whoosh! Swish, swish…

The ice lotus split into seven smaller lotuses, each blossoming with ethereal blue ice light, orbiting around her with graceful, dreamlike radiance.

Each of these seven ice crystal lotuses was both offensive and defensive. Three of them shot out automatically, colliding against Lord Earthrock’s hidden rock claws with crisp metallic clashes—

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Ice shards scattered in all directions, and the frigid aura that escaped condensed into frost over Lord Earthrock’s clawed limbs.

Lord Earthrock bared its fangs in a grimace, fierce light flashing in its eyes as it continued its assault on True Monarch Soaring Snow at close range.

Yet, the seven ice crystal lotuses, each as heavy as a glacier, spun and struck relentlessly—some blocking, others attacking—making it difficult for Lord Earthrock to break through.

Meanwhile, the bloodline demonic power within the Earth Burrowing Rat surged, stirring up a tempest of yellow sand and whirling it toward Fairy Soaring Snow in an attempt to grind her to dust.

"Petty tricks!"

Fairy Soaring Snow’s cold eyes flashed with disdain. Her palace robes billowed as her figure glided through the air like a startled swan.

Boom!

With her Profound Ice Dao Body augmenting her ice-elemental divine arts, a howling storm of ice and snow erupted, unleashing a force as vast as heaven and earth—swallowing the Earth Burrowing Rat's sandstorm in an instant.

The Earth Burrowing Rat let out a sharp screech, completely suppressed by Fairy Soaring Snow’s divine spell. The freezing cold invaded its body, causing its demonic blood energy to stagnate.

Cold Ice Divine Chain!

Fairy Soaring Snow's killing intent surged. With a graceful flick of her jade finger, she summoned forth a silver-crystal-glowing mystic iron ice chain, which shot forward and tightly bound the sluggish and frostbitten Earth Burrowing Rat.

"Master, save me—!"

Lord Earthrock, trapped within the raging snowstorm, let out a panicked cry for help.

Its demon king’s body was now ensnared by the mystic iron ice lotus treasure, the terrifying cold freezing its flesh and sealing its demonic energy, making it nearly impossible to break free.

Fairy Soaring Snow’s divine abilities and treasures specialized in control. While she couldn’t slay a fourth-rank Demon King instantly, she could seal it in ice and hold it captive.

Once the two Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators or stronger reinforcements arrived, even if Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng managed to retreat, Lord Earthrock would have no chance of escape.

"True Monarch Evergreen, sending a mere spirit pet to face me, what an arrogant miscalculation."

Fairy Soaring Snow’s demeanor remained coldly elegant. The seven lotus lights around her dimmed slightly as she poured more of her magical power into strengthening the Cold Ice Divine Chain, determined to leave Lord Earthrock behind.

"Well done, Fairy Soaring Snow!"

Elsewhere, True Monarch Dominating Martial—who had been on the defensive and had sustained minor injuries—couldn’t help but praise aloud, his battle spirit surging.

If they could eliminate Lord Earthrock, they would deal a severe blow to True Monarch Evergreen’s strength.

Without a fourth-rank spirit pet, Xiang Dalong would lose his ability to contend against Nascent Soul mid-stage opponents. He would merely be a top-tier Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator, unable to create a significant power gap between himself and figures like White Bone Guild Master or True Monarch Dominating Martial.

"This woman does have some ability. No wonder Jing Wufeng could do nothing about it after a long time of pestering and chasing her."

Lan Chang'an silently acknowledged.

Once entangled by Fairy Soaring Snow’s frost techniques, even the slightest slowdown could place Jing Wufeng to be at risk of being swarmed.

Moreover, since Fairy Soaring Snow rarely acted alone, Jing Wufeng would never recklessly provoke her...

...

"Master..."

Seeing Lord Earthrock cry out for help, its demon king’s body gradually being encased in ice, Lan Chang'an’s expression darkened.

"Hahaha! True Monarch Xiang, come and have a real fight with me!"

As Lan Chang'an attempted to rush over to rescue Lord Earthrock, True Monarch Dominating Martial clung to him like a relentless leech. He was willing to take injuries just to keep Lan Chang'an occupied.

Noticing that Lan Chang'an was restrained, True Monarch Soaring Snow felt reassured. Her lips pressed into a tight line as a chilling aura surged, pouring all her strength into completely freezing and sealing Lord Earthrock.

But at that moment, a sudden mutation occurred!

Lord Earthrock’s fur stood on end, and an explosion of Earthfiend energy burst forth, shattering a significant amount of the surrounding ice.

Boom!

A raging sandstorm cyclone erupted once again, intertwining with the blizzard, distorting vision and disrupting perception.

Puff!

The colossal sandstorm rat opened its mouth, spewing forth a dark yellow demonic flame, instantly melting the surrounding ice and streaking toward True Monarch Soaring Snow.

The unexpected shift caused True Monarch Soaring Snow’s delicate face to change slightly, but she did not panic.

At that moment, most of her magical power was focused on controlling the Cold Ice Divine Chain, leaving her no time to react properly. She could only manipulate the dimly glowing seven Profound Ice Lotuses around her, merging them into one massive Profound Ice Lotus.

The dark yellow fiendish flame was Lord Earthrock’s innate demonic fire, infused with potent Earthfiend energy.

As the two forces collided, the Profound Ice Lotus dimmed and extinguished, plummeting downward.

The dark yellow fiendish flame also lost most of its intensity, yet it still struck True Monarch Soaring Snow’s hastily erected glacial light barrier.

The barrier flickered violently, nearly shattering, but barely managed to hold.

True Monarch Soaring Snow’s expression turned grave, her heart filled with lingering fear. Had she been directly struck by the innate demonic fire, at the very least her body would be seriously injured.

However, before she could breathe a sigh of relief, a more deadly sense of crisis struck.

The colossal rat king’s gaping maw, after spewing its innate demonic fire, did not close.

Hiss!

A green-black fang, tinged with eerie light, shot out from the rat’s mouth the very instant the fire dissipated, piercing straight through True Monarch Soaring Snow’s dimming ice barrier!

At that moment, time seemed to freeze.

The swirling sandstorm and blizzard clashed in a grand spectacle, completely veiling the scene from outside eyes.

Fairy Soaring Snow’s graceful figure, clad in flowing palace robes, stiffened in midair.

A gaping, bloody hole had been torn through her abdomen.

Behind her, her once pristine snow-white dress was now drenched in blood, drops of red falling like petals.

Hiss!

The green-black fang, dripping with venomous blood, swiftly returned to Lord Earthrock’s mouth.

With a snap, Lord Earthrock’s jaws shut tight, concealing the true fourth-rank puppet’s aura hidden within.

The final mutation and stealth attack happened in an instant.

Even True Monarch Soaring Snow herself hadn't clearly seen what happened, she merely assumed that Lord Earthrock had some concealed demonic treasure.

"F-Fourth-rank venom... Nascent Soul Poison..."

Fairy Soaring Snow’s Nascent Soul consciousness grew hazy, her body trembling as she plummeted from the sky.

Her once-fair face was now streaked with crimson-black serpent patterns, a clear sign of severe poisoning.

The strike from the green-black fang had already been powerful enough to rival a Nascent Soul early-stage attack, utterly shattering her internal organs.

Her Profound Ice Dao Body, though durable, had suffered a lethal injury.

But the most terrifying part was that the fang had been coated with a fourth-rank venom, and it also contained a Nascent Soul poison ingredient that eroded the Nascent Soul cultivator's divine soul.

Lan Chang'an's fourth-rank venom was a trophy acquired from the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King, whose memories contained the formula for the deadly poison.

The Serpent King's venom sac served as the crucial ingredient for crafting this deadly fourth-rank venom.

...

"What the hell just happened?!"

On the other side, True Monarch Dominating Martial, who had been pressed into a corner by Lan Chang'an, could only perceive the collision of sandstorms and blizzards, obscuring everything.

He had no spare energy to extend his spiritual sense into the chaotic battlefield.

Did Lord Earthrock unleash some desperate counterattack?

The swirling yellow sand continued to obscure the area, yet the once-raging blizzard suddenly collapsed and dissipated.

"This… this is impossible!"

True Monarch Dominating Martial’s heart shook violently as he finally sensed True Monarch Soaring Snow’s life force plummeting, dropping straight to rock bottom within mere moments!

"Fairy Soaring Snow! I told you before, vengeance should never be rushed, one must take it one bite at a time."

Lan Chang'an’s calm, faint laughter rang out.

It turned out that from the very beginning, the first target in his plan had been True Monarch Soaring Snow.

It wasn't that she was weaker, in fact, her Profound Ice Dao Body made her extremely troublesome to deal with.

The reason he targeted her was simple: her obsession with vengeance was a fatal flaw.

Moreover, her ice-based techniques and treasures were highly specialized in control and immobilization.

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As long as she was eliminated, Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng would have complete freedom of movement—even if True Monarch Netherwater arrived, she wouldn’t be able to stop them.

The fourth-rank venom would be even more effective against Fairy Soaring Snow.

As for True Monarch Dominating Martial, being a quasi-fourth-rank body refiner, his physique was incredibly robust, and the defense of his demonic armor was exceptionally strong.

...

True Monarch Soaring Snow crashed to the ground, her entire body encased in a layer of frost and ice, sealing herself with a secret art.

She stabilized her injuries, slowing the invasion of the deadly poison.

At that moment,

From the distant demonic clouds over the Ancient Battlefield, a chilling, powerful black-water escape light shot toward them at astonishing speed, radiating the unmistakable pressure of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"True Monarch Netherwater is here!"

True Monarch Dominating Martial, whose heart had plunged into despair, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been relentlessly suppressed by Lan Chang'an’s puppet formation, struggling to hold his ground, his injuries worsening by the moment.

Sensing Netherwater’s presence, True Monarch Soaring Snow abandoned the thought of her Nascent Soul escaping and, with the last of her controllable magical power, activated her ice-sealing secret technique.

Whoosh!

A tremendous surge of frost and snow erupted from her body, spreading in all directions.

Screech!

Lord Earthrock, in its demon king form, withstood the blast of icy energy, opened its bloodstained maw, and bit down toward True Monarch Soaring Snow’s delicate head—

Only to hear a crunch!

Fairy Soaring Snow’s entire body had transformed into a flawless, lifelike ice sculpture. The crystalline profound ice, over a foot thick, only showed tiny cracks, which the surrounding frost energy quickly repaired.

No matter how it bit, whether at her head or legs, it couldn’t shatter her.

Lan Chang'an ordered Lord Earthrock to ignore the frozen True Monarch Soaring Snow.

She was already gravely injured after being poisoned by Nascent Soul Venom and had sealed herself in ice. With her combat strength completely lost, their objective had been achieved.

Abandoning the ice-sculpted fairy, Lord Earthrock shot forward, rushing to aid Lan Chang'an in battle.

"True Monarch Netherwater, save me—!"

True Monarch Dominating Martial, burning his essence blood and lifespan, activated his Blood Shadow Escape Technique, desperately fleeing for his life.

He absolutely could not afford to be encircled by Lan Chang'an, the puppet formation, and Lord Earthrock.

Especially since Lan Chang'an appeared to have some insidious poison assassination method.

"Fellow Daoist Netherwater, help me!"

On the other side, Nangong Xiu also cried out for aid. His plain robe was stained with blood, his complexion pale from heavy mana depletion.

In the shallow layers of the void, strange sounds rippled. The Voidless Blade, thin as a cicada’s wing, flickered between dimensions, vanishing from both sight and spiritual sense, before suddenly slashing toward Nangong Xiu’s chest.

In the fractured spatial field, a silver ripple shimmered like an ocean wave, sealing Nangong Xiu’s retreat.

It turned out that after Lord Earthrock attacked Fairy Soaring Snow, Jing Wufeng had freed up his hands, shifting the battlefield and launching a counteroffensive against Nangong Xiu.

Nangong Xiu’s Heavenly Blade techniques were overwhelmingly powerful but came at a tremendous energy cost.

Jing Wufeng was not adept at direct confrontation and was initially suppressed. However, his mystical abilities excelled in their unpredictable attacks and mobility.

Ordinary defensive methods were incapable of withstanding the slicing force of his spatial divine abilities.

...

"Hold on, both of you! I am almost there."

True Monarch Netherwater pushed her water-escape technique to its absolute limit, sweeping her spiritual sense across the battlefield.

Fairy Soaring Snow was poisoned and frozen, completely out of commission.

Lan Chang'an was hunting down True Monarch Dominating Martial, whose injuries were severe, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth.

Nangong Xiu, despite wielding the ancient Heavenly Blade, was struggling to hold his ground, constantly forced back and surrounded by danger.

"Regroup with Fellow Daoist Nangong!"

Netherwater’s priority was aiding Nangong Xiu, his combat strength posed a greater threat to both Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng.

Hearing this command through voice transmission, True Monarch Dominating Martial felt a surge of frustration but had no choice but to fly toward the space between Nangong Xiu and Netherwater.

Drawing several dozen li closer, Netherwater extended a cold, pale hand, summoning a deep blue-black ancient sea banner.

Boom—!

The ancient sea banner unfurled in the wind, unleashing a cataclysmic hurricane, summoning towering black tidal waves, creating an oceanic domain of dark waters.

In an instant, a howling, storm-wracked ocean spread for ten miles, engulfing Jing Wufeng and Nangong Xiu together.

"The Ocean Sky Saint Banner, one of the inherited sea banners of the Tinghai Pavilion!"

Even though this particular sea-banner magical treasure had undergone modifications and restorations over the years, Lan Chang'an still recognized its ancient lineage.

...

Within the black sea domain formed by the Ocean Sky Saint Banner.

The roaring black waves surged violently, transforming into serpentine water dragons that twisted and coiled around Jing Wufeng with astonishing speed.

Jing Wufeng seemed unwilling to retreat. Even as he faced the threat of being seriously wounded, he still attempted to strike a lethal blow that could endanger Nangong Xiu’s life.

"Impudent!"

True Monarch Netherwater’s raspy voice turned cold and solemn. Even she hadn’t expected Jing Wufeng to be so reckless, daring to remain within her ocean banner’s water domain.

If Jing Wufeng had withdrawn sooner, his spatial divine abilities would have allowed him to escape this trapped battlefield entirely.

This is very good!

He was completely ensnared in her water domain, where he was restricted in every way, while Netherwater’s powers were greatly amplified.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

True Monarch Netherwater controlled the Ocean Sky Saint Banner, unleashing enormous black-gray hurricanes filled with chilling Yin energy, surrounding Jing Wufeng from all directions.

Meanwhile, Nangong Xiu finally caught his breath. He quickly retreated, pulled out several high-grade spirit pills, and swallowed them to recover his injuries and mana.

Splash!

At the same time, the fleeing True Monarch Dominating Martial also stumbled into the dark, ominous sea domain.

"Fellow Daoist Netherwater, you finally arrived."

True Monarch Dominating Martial was severely injured, his vital energy greatly depleted. Without hesitation, he rushed to join Netherwater and Nangong Xiu.

"Perfect timing! With the three of us and the support of the Ocean Banner’s domain, we can keep Jing Wufeng contained until Fellow Daoist Golden Kun and the others arrive."

True Monarch Netherwater's mid-stage Nascent Soul aura surged, and the torrential black waves covered the battlefield with overwhelming pressure.

A black wave rose, transforming into a soft, circular water platform, carrying Netherwater, Nangong Xiu, and Dominating Martial as they stood together.

True Monarch Dominating Martial seized this moment to consume a recovery pill, meditating to regain his strength.

Nangong Xiu, having absorbed the medicinal power, had his spiritual energy stabilized and positioned himself behind the other two.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong, in a moment, you—"

Before Netherwater could finish giving her instructions, a strange change occurred!

Clang!

Nangong Xiu’s hand, which had been gripping his sword hilt all along, suddenly drew his blade in a flash of unparalleled swordsmanship.

A devastating crimson-blue blade arc, crackling like divine lightning, swept through the air and sliced straight through True Monarch Netherwater and True Monarch Dominating Martial!

"Pfft!"

Flesh and bone exploded in the air as the ancient blade gleamed with fresh blood.

"Nangong Xiu—!"

A cold, enraged voice echoed throughout the sea domain.

The domineering blade arc, spanning several dozen zhang, cut through both Netherwater and Dominating Martial, cleaving them in half.

"Aaargh—!"

True Monarch Dominating Martial screamed.

He had just been meditating to recover, completely unprepared for an attack from an ally.

And this was no ordinary attack, it was a full-force blade strike, comparable to a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator’s peak attack!

As the blade arc struck his body, it instantly shattered his internal organs.

His quasi-fourth-rank physique, which had endured so many battles, was completely torn apart, unable to resist this devastating strike.

In an instant, True Monarch Dominating Martial’s physical body was destroyed!

Even more terrifyingly, the blade’s profound intent seeped into his Nascent Soul, cutting at his very divine soul.

True Monarch Dominating Martial's consciousness shuddered with icy dread as his Nascent Soul spirit body slowed ever so slightly during its escape.

Whoosh! The Nascent Soul had just fled its destroyed physical body when threads of shimmering, lightning-like silver waves swept in. The space rippled with faint folds and shadows, sealing off its escape routes and wrapping the Nascent Soul layer by layer in binding strands.

Swish! Jing Wufeng instantly teleported to the scene, producing a silver-white bottle. A swirl of silver wind and haze swept up the tightly bound Nascent Soul, pulling it into the bottle. With a sealing talisman attached to its surface, the capture was complete.

From the moment True Monarch Dominating Martial was slain to the capture of his Nascent Soul, it took no more than a fleeting instant.

Whoosh! Meanwhile, True Monarch Netherwater, sliced cleanly in two, dissolved into a pool of black water that splashed a trail of blood at the site.

...

The farthest corner of the Ocean Banner’s domain.

Amidst the surging black tides, waves rose—

Revealing True Monarch Netherwater’s long-haired, graceful silhouette.

Her icy yet alluring face was pale, and her blue-black robe bore a deep, bloodstained gash, exposing a large section of her cold, snow-white skin.

"Nangong Xiu! You dare break the contract and betray us—?!"

True Monarch Netherwater’s silver teeth clenched tightly, her expression grim and menacing. Her icy, piercing gaze locked onto Nangong Xiu, who had just attacked her.

Had it not been for her connection to the Ocean Banner’s domain, allowing her to instantaneously evade a fatal strike, she wouldn’t have escaped with merely a flesh wound.

"Ugh!"

Nangong Xiu, still gripping his sword hilt, coughed up blood, his face twisted in pain.

This was the backlash from breaking a spiritual contract, even though Jing Wufeng’s secret method had neutralized most of the repercussions, the remaining backlash was still agonizing.

"Cough… Fellow Daoist Jing once saved my life. And besides, he offered a higher price!"

Nangong Xiu wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, speaking without the slightest hint of guilt as if his actions were completely justified.

Years ago, he had been hunted by Heavenly Sword Pavilion, pursued across countless battlefields. Gravely injured, he would have perished had it not been for Jing Wufeng’s secret aid, which allowed him to escape certain death.

On the surface, the two had often clashed as rivals, their relationship outwardly hostile.

Yet after being defeated by True Monarch Jing Tian, Nangong Xiu had accepted his loss and humbly received guidance, gaining great insights from the experience.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong, with this, you have already repaid your debt to me. The rest is none of your concern."

Jing Wufeng smiled calmly, cupping his hand in salute.

"Be careful. Although True Monarch Netherwater is only a newly advanced Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator, within her Ocean Banner’s domain, her defenses are formidable."

Nangong Xiu, enduring the backlash injuries, returned the salute.

At that moment, Jing Wufeng raised his hand, coordinating with Lan Chang'an from outside, he tore open a rift in the Ocean Banner’s domain.

Nangong Xiu tightened his grip on his sword, staying alert as he crossed paths with Lan Chang'an.

One entered, one exited.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong has worked hard."

Lan Chang'an smiled, his gaze filled with appreciation.

When they first planned this operation, they had estimated that the enemy might have up to eight Nascent Soul combatants, including the uncertain factor of Shura Ghost Lord.

Without the hidden chess piece Nangong Xiu greatly increasing the odds of success, Lan Chang'an would not have easily participated in such a risky operation.

As Lan Chang'an stepped into the Ocean Banner’s domain, Jing Wufeng used his spatial movement technique to activate his Voidless Blade, flickering in and out of visibility as he engaged True Monarch Netherwater head-on.

"True Monarch Xiang, now that only Netherwater remains. Let us join forces and eliminate this woman before Golden Kun Old Monster arrives, to prevent any future trouble!"