Chapter 136: Fake Dan Immortal

"Ugh! Junior, you killed Yue'er. This hatred, old me will someday..."

Gao Cheng's gaze was venomous, his once heroic face now issuing a hoarse, cold voice.

Boom! Crack!

As he spoke, a surge of powerful mana erupted from within him, shattering the thorny vines around him.

"Stay!"

Lan Chang'an saw the light forming under Gao Cheng's feet.

Gao Cheng's old injuries flared up. As a wanted rogue cultivator, he knew he couldn't afford a prolonged battle with Lan Chang'an, who was as tough as a tortoise shell.

Lan Chang'an was in the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and combined with his mid second-rank spirit pet and puppet, ordinary late Foundation Establishment cultivators stood no chance of winning against him.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Earth Burrowing Rat and the Wolf-Headed Spear Puppet quickly flanked from both sides.

Lan Chang'an, the Earth Burrowing Rat, and the Wolf-headed Puppet formed a triangular encirclement.

However, repelling a late Foundation Establishment cultivator and killing one were entirely different levels of difficulty.

"These numbers can't stop me." Gao Cheng sneered confidently, charging directly at the Wolf-headed Puppet.

Crack!

The spear thrown by the Wolf-headed Puppet was cleaved in two by a massive golden-blue axe engulfed in blood flames.

With a palm strike, Gao Cheng sent a dark blood-colored beam of light, crashing into the Wolf-headed Puppet, causing its scales to crack and shatter.

At this moment, the Earth Burrowing Rat began gathering strong earth-spirit energy.

Whoosh!

A swirling vortex of yellow sand, covering over ten zhang in diameter, enveloped Gao Cheng.

Gao Cheng's brute-force attempt at breaking through was shattered by the Earth Burrowing Rat's Sandstorm Technique, causing his speed to plummet instantly.

The protective barrier around him grated against the rapidly spinning sand, creating an ear-piercing noise akin to nails on a chalkboard.

"Hmm?"

Gao Cheng suddenly sensed something and saw Lan Chang'an's mana surging by more than fifty percent.

In the two or three breaths of his breakout attempt, Lan Chang'an swallowed a "Blood Yang Pill."

This pill, obtained from Alchemist Hua, could significantly enhance the mana of a Foundation Establishment cultivator for a short time.

Lan Chang'an took the Blood Yang Pill, because he was unwilling to reveal his true trump cards.

This battle was different from the past. There were rogue cultivators observing at Wuqi Mountain, and there might be others spying in the surroundings.

Moreover, the Blood Yang Pill had a high cost-efficiency when used in the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, boosting mana by fifty percent. For a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, the effect would be halved.

He had three of these pills, so there was no need to be overly frugal.

Whoosh!

With his mana increased by a margin, Lan Chang'an flew on a green light, pursuing the trapped Gao Cheng who was in the grasp of the Sandstorm Technique.

He formed hand seals, his throat and cheeks bulging, his eyes flashing with spiritual light.

Opening his mouth, he let out a roar.

Boom!

A thunderous sound resonated above Gao Cheng's head, shaking his soul.

Instantly, his eardrums went numb, his blood and qi trembled, his mind roared, and his body spasmed momentarily.

"Thunder Roar Technique? Such a cunning junior—"

Gao Cheng's eyes turned cold as his internal mana became chaotic, his blood and qi roiling.

Whoosh!

He wobbled, spitting out a mouthful of clotted blood.

Lan Chang'an's "Thunder Roar Technique" was difficult to master at the Foundation Establishment Realm, but not an absolute secret. Its power mainly depended on the caster's mana and spiritual sense. It could shake the target's mind, disturb mana and qi, and affect internal organs.

If it were a fully healthy late Foundation Establishment cultivator, even with Lan Chang'an's mana boost of fifty percent, the effect would be limited, and it didn't help that the technique was very draining.

However, Gao Cheng's old wounds hadn't healed, and the previous battle had once again aggravated them.

At this moment, this "Thunder Roar Technique" was akin to salt on a wound, achieving a significantly amplified effect. Gao Cheng's internal injuries not only resurfaced but also worsened.

...

Sizzle!

Just as Gao Cheng recovered from the "Thunder Roar Technique," the protective barrier around him was worn down by the yellow sand, scraping off a layer of bloody flesh.

The Wolf-headed Puppet threw another spear, crackling with lightning.

The Earth Burrowing Rat, leaving behind an afterimage, struck at Gao Cheng's back with dark claws. The power of a mid second-rank demonic beast, if this claw hit, even late-stage Foundation Establishment human cultivators could not afford it.

Gao Cheng's heart pounded, his golden-blue axe blocking the spear from the side. Simultaneously, he summoned a beast-skin shield, which glowed with a black aura, deflecting the Earth Burrowing Rat's claws.

With his injuries worsening, Gao Cheng's strength dropped by thirty percent. Juggling two supreme-grade magical weapons, facing attacks from both front and back, he was no longer as relaxed.

The Earth Burrowing Rat and Wolf-headed Puppet swung their claws and jabbed their spears relentlessly.

Lan Chang'an cast a wood spell, thick thorny vines surrounded and wrapped around his body. At the same time, he also launched four or five second-rank attack talismans in succession, including a second-rank superior-grade Lightning Talisman.

Gao Cheng's two supreme-grade magical weapons quickly dimmed and shattered.

"Scram!"

Amidst the chaotic light, a muffled groan turned into a roar.

A massive blood flame explosion, comparable to the peak of Foundation Establishment power, obliterated the surrounding attacks.

The Wolf-headed Puppet's body was half-melted.

The Earth Burrowing Rat was sent flying backward, its yellow aura dissipating, leaving several corrosive wounds.

Whoosh!

A severely injured, gaunt old man, his breath weak, fled towards the outskirts of Wuqi Mountain on a blood-red light.

At this moment, Gao Cheng's disguise was shattered.

His old face, like cracked tree bark, bore some resemblance to the previous "Kong Mao."

Lan Chang'an could not yet confirm his true name or identity.

"Using conventional means to kill a late Foundation Establishment cultivator head-on is still very difficult." Lan Chang'an sighed inwardly, putting away the damaged puppet.

"Retreat!"

As Gao Cheng flew out of Wuqi Mountain, he shouted towards Little Pill Peak, without looking back.

At that location, there should have been the two Foundation Establishment henchmen, an old man and a middle-aged man in gray robes. However, there was no response.

Lan Chang'an glanced over, revealing a look of surprise.

Ye Fei, pale and covered in blood, lay exhausted on Little Pill Peak. At the foot of the mountain were two corpses, their bodies poisoned, oozing pus. Blue-black poison bugs crawled out of their orifices.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, be careful. I suspect..." Ye Fei transmitted his voice.

"Mm."

Lan Chang'an nodded, flying towards the injured old man.

At this point, Gao Cheng was severely wounded, his mana had dropped by half. Even if he used secret techniques to enhance his escape speed, Lan Chang'an's Blood Yang Pill effect could ensure he could keep up and not be left behind. If he used a second-rank superior-grade acceleration talisman, he had a chance to catch up.

Lan Chang'an decided to not rush headlong into a bloody confrontation; instead, he would exhaust the enemy first.

Squeak!

Lan Chang'an beckoned the Earth Burrowing Rat and flew out of Wuqi Mountain.

"Did you memorize that person's aura?" Lan Chang'an asked.

To prevent the target from escaping his sight, he had instructed the Earth Burrowing Rat to sniff Gao Cheng's lingering aura.

Squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat nodded, and with a fawning face, it opened its mouth and spat out a nearly transparent ultra-thin mask, whose material was similar to silicone.

Lan Chang'an took the ultra-thin mask, puzzled.

This item must have been dropped by Gao Cheng in his desperate escape. If it were an ordinary magical weapon, Lan Chang'an would have noticed it long ago. Instead, it had been overlooked.

He released his spiritual sense to inspect the mask, exclaiming in surprise.

His spiritual sense felt as if it entered a void, finding nothing.

"This mask deceives and hides from spiritual senses, making it easy to ignore its existence."

As Lan Chang'an delved deeper with his spiritual sense, he caught a hint of an ancient, eerie energy.

"This item is not simple."

He quickly put away the ultra-thin mask, observing his surroundings. No one seemed to have noticed. Even if someone unintentionally saw it, their senses would ignore its existence.

...

Lan Chang'an chased after him for dozens of li.

The gaunt old man ahead, realizing he couldn't shake him off, gritted his teeth and changed direction.

Lan Chang'an pondered.

Earlier, Ye Fei had transmitted to him that this group of rogue cultivators likely had a key figure who was seriously injured.

Ye Fei's ability to kill two Foundation Establishment cultivators in a desperate situation was only partly due to his own trump cards.

Those two seemed to want to capture him alive for his skills as an herbalist, which gave Ye Fei a chance to strike back. Additionally, the gray-robed old man in the mid-stage Foundation Establishment also seemed to be injured.

Ye Fei thus surmised that this group of robbing cultivators, in the Fox Valley massacre tragedy, had an important person who was injured and which was why they were looking for a cultivator with medical skills.

Lan Chang'an thought for a moment and decided to continue pursuing Gao Cheng.

This person possessed a mysterious mask for disguise and was likely the one who was responsible for infiltrating from the inside in their operations, and should be the core of the group, which posed a greater threat.

If there was indeed a seriously injured key member needing a medicinal master's treatment, it meant that the injuries were severe.

Without proper care, they would likely die or suffer significant damage to their foundations, reducing their lifespan, their cultivation realm falling, etc...

Just as Lan Chang'an formed this conclusion, his heart suddenly jolted, and he turned toward the distant horizon.

...

Huff!

The clouds billowed and twisted, dyed red by dusk's glow, as a heavy spirit pressure suffused the area.

"Core power aura? Fake-Dan Immortal!"

Lan Chang'an paused in his pursuit.

"Vile thief!"

A rotund old Taoist appeared overhead, looming over Gao Cheng like a towering mountain.

His scathing rebuke sounded like thunder.

Pfft!

Gao Cheng coughed up blood, his figure falling to the ground like a kite with its string cut.

The rotund old Taoist's palm made an empty grab, transforming the core power into an invisible giant hand that enveloped Gao Cheng.

"Haha... Even if you're an Immortal, you cannot capture this old man alive." Gao Cheng's ghastly face twisted into a savage smile.

Fling!

He circulated what remained of his spiritual energy, shattering his internal organs and severing his veins, then collapsed dead on the spot.

The rotund old Taoist snorted coldly, his gaze shifting toward the young man clad in white who had been pursuing Gao Cheng.

As soon as the Fake-Dan Immortal appeared, Lan Chang'an halted in place, taking medicinal pills to restore his depleted mana and vital essence.

This Immortal had already discovered him.

As a pursuer, if Lan Chang'an left with trepidation, it would only raise the other party's suspicions.

"I, Wuqi Mountain Peak Master Lan Chang'an, greet the Immortal."

Lan Chang'an did not retreat but instead moved forward, slightly stiffly cupping his hands and bowing in greeting.

At this time, Flame Departing Palace's vermilion flying boat appeared behind the plump old Taoist, carrying several mid-to-late Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Flame Departing Palace.

"Fortunately, senior from Flame Departing Palace arrived just in time to slay this villain. Dare I ask how the immortal is addressed?"

Having confirmed his identity, Lan Chang'an secretly let out a sigh of relief.

"My Dao name is Hong Song," the wide-robed old Taoist replied mildly, reaching across the distance to snatch the storage pouches from Gao Cheng's body.

"So you're Hong Song Immortal."

Lan Chang'an's eyelid twitched slightly, glancing at those bags, then stopping himself from speaking up. He could pretend he hadn't seen them, but that would show too much heart on his part.

Logically speaking, Gao Cheng had been severely injured by him, falling below critical condition; it was unlikely for him to escape such a calamity. Lan Chang'an had contributed the majority of the work in acquiring these spoils, while the Flame Departing Palace Fake-Dan Immortal had merely come over to finish him off.

"Junior is not bad, was he injured by you?"

Hong Song Immortal noticed Lan Chang'an's expression and smiled. "This junior was just fortunate. The man had old injuries that resurfaced during the battle on Wuqi Mountain. This junior took a medicinal pill to enhance mana, then used it with a second-rank spirit pet and puppet to barely defeat him." Lan Chang'an modestly replied.

Hong Song Immortal pondered a little before nodding slightly.

The information Flame Departing Palace received said that the leader of this group of rogue cultivators had sustained injuries in the battle at Fox Valley, and the prototype of the magical treasure in his hands was also damaged.

Fox Valley's late-stage Foundation Establishment artifact refiner was quite wealthy, he even possessed a talismanic treasure with good power.

"In order to deal with this calamity, the second-rank mid-grade puppet that I purchased at a high price was nearly scrapped."

Lan Chang'an bitterly laughed as he produced the Wolf-Headed Puppet whose body had been almost entirely melted away.

As Hong Song Immortal watched the miserable Lan Chang'an, he couldn't help but laugh. "Junior, for assisting Flame Departing Palace in capturing this ringleader, this Immortal will not swallow your share of the spoils."

(End of chapter)