Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Alex and the rest got out of the ship, landing on an open field where many other ships landed as well.

As Flamestride got out of the ship, many humans and beasts turned toward him, quickly greeting him. Alex and the rest could see that the man was quite popular in this place, which made sense given both his standing and his cultivation base.

Several eyes fell on Alex and the rest as well. At first, Alex could tell they were only curious to see who had arrived, but afterward, the look in their eyes changed as they recognized him.

He could hear them calling out his name, ’Dawnblade,’ between whispers and hushed conversations.

Alex doubted they recognized him as the Alchemist who won it all, but rather as the person that the Storm God was searching for, and had mobilized thousands and thousands of Divinities to do so.

Ignoring the chatter, Alex continued with Flamestride as they flew into the city, quickly making their way to a massive palace at the center. Alex looked around the city, amused by its massive size. It was easily a hundred kilometers across, if not more. His eyes couldn’t even see it all, and he had to rely on his sense to do so.

While many towering pagodas covered the city, the palace wasn’t tall. It was no more than four stories tall, but it took up a massive area of land, making it easily the biggest building in the city.

Flying across the sky, it took the group no more than a minute to arrive before the gates of the massive building, at which point they finally slowed down and dropped from the sky.

“Welcome to the Holy Beast Palace,” Flamestride said as he took them through the gates.

Alex could immediately feel an increase in Qi concentration inside the palace the moment he stepped in. There was an invisible barrier that kept the Qi concentrated within the palace, and he could almost swear that the reason for this intense Qi was, in fact, a Celestial Spirit vein.

This place was covered in Celestial Qi.

Two massive gardens with flowers flanked the two sides of the path once they entered the gate. Alex could see flowers of all sorts growing in the garden, along with a massive amount of insects constantly buzzing around the flowers.

He could almost swear those insects were in the Divine realm as well.

Ahead, the path split into two, both of which circled around a massive pond before joining back on the other side before the building.

The water within the pond was clear, with several fish swimming within it. He could sense a strong cultivation base from the fish, but they weren’t as powerful for some reason.

Instead, what caught Alex’s eye were the massive lotus flowers growing in three spots on top of the pond, each one large enough for a human to sit inside when it fully bloomed.

The petals of the lotus were a deep shade of emerald, which gave Alex an idea as to what they were.

“Are those the Sacred Jade Lotus?” Alex asked.

“They are indeed,” Flamestride said with a smile. “Have you seen one before?”

“No,” Alex said. “But I have read about it. I’m an alchemist after all.”

“Ah. Of course.”

“I heard they were nearly extinct,” Alex said, trying to remember what he had read while he was with Silvermist. The Alchemy God’s knowledge only told him about the plant itself, and nothing about the circumstances surrounding it. That knowledge had only come from Silvermist.

“Not just nearly extinct,” Flamestride said, stopping before the lake to look at the flowers. “They were indeed once completely extinct.”

“Really?” Alex asked with no small sense of surprise.

“Yes. Sacred Jade Lotus carries an effect that allows anyone who cultivates within the lotus to gain a powerful spirit and soul,” Flamestride said. “The stronger the flower, the stronger the effect. So, once people knew about it, they began using it to cultivate as much as they could, improving their spirits at the cost of these lotuses.”

“Before long, they were all used up and the lotus went extinct.”

“I see. But if they went extinct, then how are these lotuses here?” Alex asked, pointing at the three jade lotuses.

Flamestride smiled. “Well, that would be thanks to Senior Sacredlotus.”

Alex cocked his head in confusion. “Who?”

“Sacredlotus, a Celestial from a long time ago. She died long ago, so it is understandable if you’ve never heard about her,” Flamestride said.

“Sacredlotus…” Alex mulled the words over, thinking of a possibility. “Was she a plant who gained humanity when she reached the Immortal realm?”

Flamestride smiled. “You do have a good head on your shoulders,” he said. “That is indeed the case. Senior Sacredlotus became an Immortal, and once she reached the Divine realm, she brought back her species from extinction. She liked to keep to herself on the small island at the center that we call Jade Lotus Island, and that is where most of the lotuses are kept.”

“Once she reached the Celestial realm, no one dared use the lotuses anymore, and now they are very much protected. When Senior Sacredlotus was alive, she named this world her dominion, and it has stuck since then.”

“Once she died, there were people who tried to make use of them, but the Beast God before Mother stopped it from happening. Afterward, once Mother took over her master’s role, she and the Wine God together made it impossible for anyone to use the lotuses without going through the appropriate channels.”

“I see,” Alex said. “So no one can abuse the flowers, huh?”

Flamestride nodded. He was about to say something when he paused. A slightly awkward smile flashed across his face.

“Mother is angry that I’m taking too long to get you,” he said with a dry laugh. “Come, let us go inside. We can discuss everything else afterward.”

Alex nodded, and together with Flamestride, he went around the pond, finally entering the palace.