Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age

The fighting at the Foundation Establishment level was no small ordeal, forcing Lu Chang’sheng and the others to retreat to the sidelines.

The Foundation Establishment demon was a massive Blood Eagle, its whole body suffused with a bloody glow—truly ruthless; however, the gatekeeper, Foundation Establishment cultivator Yang Xiu, was no ordinary man. Using talisman papers and magic, he managed to stalemate the demon.

Seeing this, Lu Chang’sheng felt relieved. All Yang Xiu needed to do was hold up the demon, and the mission would be considered a success.

Sure enough, a day later, a streak of light shot over from the West Gate, revealing another Foundation Establishment cultivator, who promptly joined the battle. In less than half an hour, the Foundation Establishment Blood Eagle was slain.

The following days continued to be tense but without major incident. Occasionally, a second-grade demon appeared, but Yang Xiu would grapple with it, buying time until reinforcements arrived from the West Gate.

As the regional overseer, Gu Feng also seemed much more at ease.

"Yesterday, we got word from Purple Ice Lake—the pressure there has lessened a lot. Looks like those demons from the lake have nearly reached their limit."

That evening, Gu Feng made a point to seek out Lu Chang’sheng and share a few secrets.

Lu Chang’sheng perked up. From Gu Feng’s words, was there someone relaying information from Purple Ice Lake at any time?

"You guys from the Gu Family still have eyes over there?"

Saying this, he poured Gu Feng a cup of spirit tea.

With the demons’ attacks slowing down, Lu Chang’sheng and the other defenders were finally comfortable. Fellow Daoist Fang Shan and the rest even left the city walls from time to time to hunt stray monsters outside.

Lu Chang’sheng still had concerns, so he naturally didn’t join them.

Gu Feng, in a fine mood and having been forthright with Lu Chang’sheng lately, hesitated for a moment and then said quietly, "Truth be told, this is related to those Daoists who went to Purple Ice Lake last time."

They didn’t come to harm?

Lu Chang’sheng was somewhat startled. For over a month he’d heard nothing from the Gu Family’s ancestor, Gu Wei, and the others—he’d thought something bad had happened. But now it seemed otherwise?

"It’s not a good time to say much more about it. Just know it involves all that, and once we make it through this wave, it’ll be fine."

Clearly, Gu Feng didn’t want to elaborate, and Lu Chang’sheng didn’t press further.

But to Lu Chang’sheng, this was enough to bring certain things into focus.

Since the Purple Ice Lake crew hadn’t come to harm—or at least some forces survived—but hadn’t tried to escape, there were only two possibilities.

First, they’ve been trapped by demons somewhere.

Second, they’re hiding, waiting for an opportunity.

The goal for both cases, besides Alchemist Xuangui’s cave estate, was hard for Lu Chang’sheng to figure out.

"Wealth moves the heart!"

Thinking of the carnage a few days ago, Lu Chang’sheng couldn’t help but sigh to himself, feeling slightly unsettled. Maybe he shouldn’t think too far ahead, seeking some strong Immortal Sect like Heaven-Burning Valley, but instead find a sect for temporary protection.

"Enough—in any case, I’ll finish crafting the Mountain Nether Puppet first. With that, I’ll finally qualify to negotiate on equal terms with Foundation Establishment cultivators."

With that, Lu Chang’sheng went to find Gu Feng, mentioning he’d need two or three days to repair his puppet beast.

"If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t allow it. But since it’s Alchemist Lu, that won’t be a problem."

Gu Feng pondered a moment, then smiled.

Given the current situation, a two or three day break could be managed, barely.

"But Lady Lu is a different story. You need to make that clear ahead of time."

"Of course."

In these uncertain times, it was hard to tell when a big battle would erupt. Lu Chang’sheng alone was manageable, but bringing Li Nangua as well was more than Gu Feng could personally oversee.

Leaving Gu Feng’s place, Lu Chang’sheng returned home and advised Nangua to stay safe. Unfortunately, she couldn’t control his Black Water Profound Snake—otherwise, he’d have it protect her.

"It’s fine, go ahead. Fang Shan and the others are around, nothing will go wrong."

Nangua smiled.

Lu Chang’sheng nodded, then turned and flew away from the South Gate Imperial Garden. Repairing the puppet beast would take some time. He definitely wouldn’t do it at the South Gate Imperial Garden, so he headed back to Lu Mansion, planning to check in on Chang’an and the others.

Lu Mansion hadn’t been much affected, thanks to the efforts of many late-stage Qi cultivators. That’s why so many cultivators chose not to flee.

Lu Chang’sheng sat down, holding a Platinum Immortal City insect gifted by Lu Chang’an. These days, the demon calamity was out of control. Though the Immortal City itself was safe, the overwhelming majority—the loose cultivators—were anxious, driving the entire city’s economy.

Food, talismans, pills, magical artifacts—prices were soaring.

Lu Chang’an took the opportunity, selectively selling off pills he’d accumulated.

The profits were substantial.

"But I don’t really have a clear sense of where things are headed, so I dared not go all-in."

Lu Chang’an said, looking at Lu Chang’sheng.

"If you didn’t, that’s fine. Earning a bit less isn’t a big deal."

Lu Chang’sheng pondered, then spoke.

According to Gu Feng, the demon calamity affair was becoming clearer. Given the news from Purple Ice Lake, it was likely true, but Lu Chang’sheng was naturally cautious—he wouldn’t relax until everything was absolutely clear.

Lu Chang’an followed Lu Chang’sheng’s instructions.

"By the way, keep an eye out—if you spot any True Essence Pill materials, buy them up."

Knowing the current state of the market, Lu Chang’sheng instructed Lu Chang’an.

Prices for all kinds of goods skyrocketed, reaching unprecedented levels. Family business managers everywhere could barely restrain themselves.

Not just them—even the loose cultivator crowd couldn’t resist cashing in their treasures to make a killing.

Once the demon disaster settled, prices would crash, so what you could buy would far surpass what you’d get before.

With so many loose cultivators in Platinum Immortal City, some were bound to get lucky. Anything you bought would be a win.

At his level, thirty or fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones really didn’t matter much anymore.

"I’ll keep an eye out!"

Lu Chang’an replied.

Lu Ziyou wasn’t around; recently, his cultivation had advanced, so he was in seclusion.

"Father, by the way—some days ago, the Patriarch of the Chen Family paid a visit. But when he couldn’t reach you, he left."

The Chen Family?

"I’ll pay them a visit."

Lu Chang’sheng thought for a moment and said.

The Chen Family Patriarch’s visit was probably about running away. From Lu Chang’an, Lu Chang’sheng learned that the current Chen Family Patriarch wasn’t Chen Ming, but an old cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Cultivation.

He left at once; with late-stage Qi Cultivation speed, he reached Chen Mansion in less than half an hour.

Once grand, the Chen Mansion now seemed somewhat forlorn. The guards at the gate weren’t from the Chen Family, but two Gu Family cultivators at the sixth layer of Qi Cultivation. Seeing Lu Chang’sheng, they frowned slightly.

"Daoist, why aren’t you defending the city wall, but here instead?" one snapped, while the other secretly took out a Sound Transmission Shell to relay news.

"I’m Lu Chang’sheng, Patriarch of the Lu Family. I just took leave from the South Gate. I’ve already discussed it with South Gate manager Gu Feng. I’m here to see the Chen Family Patriarch."

"So it’s Alchemist Lu."

Hearing his explanation, the Gu Family cultivators relaxed a lot.

Lu Chang’sheng had earned quite a name after the Heaven-Burning Valley assessment. More importantly, they’d heard their own master, Gu Long, thought highly of him.

"Alchemist Lu, you must also know about the Chen Family’s misdeeds. It’s fine to visit, but better not get involved in their troubles—otherwise, you’ll put us all in a hard spot."

One of the cultivators said.

Lu Chang’sheng readily agreed, and soon met a handful of Chen Family members. These days, the Chen Family was down to just a few stragglers.

Forget the sixth layer—even fourth layer and above were scarce. The current patriarch was an old cultivator named Chen Bo, with whitening hair indicative of his limited lifespan.

When Chen Ming left, he took many of the Chen Family elite. On top of that, some were driven out beyond the city walls to fight demons. In the end, the mantle of Patriarch fell to him.