An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Something’s wrong! He already set up a trapping formation—this was premeditated.”

”Too late now. Did you think I left the black market early for no reason?” Qiu Bai sneered viciously as thirty percent of his spirit power surged out.

In the next moment, three massive azure serpentine dragons burst forth, baring their fangs and claws.

After circling once in the sky, the figures swooped down, diving straight toward the trio below.

But these three were not so easily overwhelmed. Almost in unison, they summoned their enchanted artifacts and launched a fierce counterattack.

It had to be said—any cultivators bold enough to travel between regions and profit from the fluctuations of trade were not ordinary. Even under the sudden assault of a supreme-grade enchanted artifact, they managed to hold their ground, fending off the attacks despite their obvious haste.

Yet the balance was fragile.

After only a brief exchange, a sudden change flickered across the face of the female cultivator, Sima Huiniang.

”No, this enchanted artifact carries blue musk essence—it’s obstructing our spirit power and severely reducing our combat strength!

”Big Brother, Third Brother, hold your breath!” Sima Huiniang shouted loudly as she unleashed a flurry of talismans, bombarding the surrounding white mist.

What she spoke of was precisely one of the functionalities of the Blue Musk Gathering Serpent Banner that Tian Xingzi had openly admitted at the black market.

In the sky above, Qiu Bai, who reached Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining Realm, let out a sinister sneer. ”Too late! You think covering your noses will help?

”Tian Xingzi would never reveal all the hidden properties of an enchanted artifact. Otherwise, wouldn’t the cultivator who purchased it have their methods exposed?”

Sure enough, even though Sima Huiniang and her siblings tried their best to hold their breath their spirit power circulation still slowed down significantly, albeit slightly better than before. The musk-like aroma seeped into their meridians through the orifices of their bodies.

”Second Sister, what do we do if we can’t escape?”

”Huiniang, if this continues, we’ll all die. I’ll hold them off—both of you, run!” The eldest of the three roared and tapped several acupoints on his body, his face flushed unnaturally red.

He then swallowed a pill in one swift motion. In an instant, his spirit energy surged by over thirty percent.

From his hidden corner, Luo Chen blinked.

The eldest sibling of the trio had consumed none other than the Blood-Burning pill Luo Chen had auctioned off. It stood out in Luo Chen’s memory because this person had perfectly timed their bid, winning a Blood-Burning pill for just eighty spirit stones. It was the lowest price among the six pills he had auctioned.

Luo Chen had even felt a twinge of envy at how experienced the bidder seemed.

Well, this is perfect! Now I can observe firsthand how a late stage Qi-Refining cultivator reacts to the Blood-Burning pill.

As the pill’s effects kicked in, the man’s spirit energy skyrocketed, nearly rivaling Qiu Bai’s Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining.

The circular artifact in his hand radiated spirit light, creating three massive rings in an instant. Each ring targeted one of the rampaging wooden flood dragons.

Judging by his stance, he intended to trap all three wooden dragons within his battle circle. He planned to hold them off alone, giving his younger siblings a chance to escape.

Unfortunately, the gap in cultivation realm between him and Qiu Bai was far too wide, and with only a top-grade artifact, how could he contend with a supreme-grade enchanted artifact wielded by a Perfected Mastery cultivator?

He barely managed to trap two of the dragons before his strength began to wane. Forget the third—just dealing with two had him spitting blood, his robe ripping apart to reveal bloodied wounds underneath.

Spirit power backlash? The pill’s properties?

The Blood-Burning pill was crafted using Explosive Ape blood as its main ingredient—a devil-path concoction that places immense strain on the body. This must be one of its side effects.

Luo Chen crouched in the corner, quickly jotting down notes on the pill’s observed effects. He classified this as the third experimental trial.

The first was on a demonic beast, and the second was Wang Yuan testing it on a mid stage Qi-Refining cultivator. Now, he had the best test subject yet—a late stage Qi-Refining cultivator!

Confronted with the eldest sibling’s sudden outburst, Qiu Bai’s expression grew noticeably grim. If he wasn’t mistaken, this pill must be the one auctioned by a rogue cultivator after he left the black market.

Too bad I wasn’t there; otherwise, I would have bought one as a backup.

As Luo Chen continued his notes, the battle had reached a fever pitch.

The eldest of the Sima siblings single-handedly held back two wooden dragons, while Sima Huiniang, the second sibling, fought against the third on her own. Meanwhile, the youngest frantically attacked the formation, desperately trying to find an escape route.

Suddenly, a despairing voice cried out. ”Big Brother, Second Sister, it’s no use! The formation is controlled by someone else!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the eldest spat out a mouthful of blood. The circular enchanted artifact was violently shaken off by the wooden dragon.

With a crisp crack, the artifact shattered into several pieces.

The eldest sibling himself was sent flying backward by the immense force of the impact.

”Little Brother, assist me!” Sima Huiniang shouted in a low voice, reaching out to release a talisman.

A defensive barrier spread out instantly. Perhaps knowing the function of this talisman, the younger brother quickly moved closer and continuously channeled his spirit power to support the barrier. The eldest brother flew back and joined in to help.

In the blink of an eye, three flood dragons relentlessly gnawed at and rammed into the barrier. The situation became increasingly perilous.

Luo Chen was startled from his hiding spot in the corner .

It was all because of the third sibling’s shout, “This formation is controlled by someone else!”

There’s someone else! Does Qiu Bai have an accomplice?

Almost as soon as this thought crossed his mind, a massive explosion erupted from another direction.

But it was only a single blast. In the next moment, an angry voice rang out.

”Damn it, even a fifth stage Qi-Refining cultivator dares to play the lurking predator.”

From within the swirling white mist, a figure slowly emerged, a mangled corpse dangling from one hand. His gaze swept over the battered Sima siblings before, without hesitation, he leapt forward, landing beside Qiu Bai to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

His envious gaze fell upon the massive banner in Qiu Bai’s hands.

”That supreme-grade enchanted artifact... its power is truly unmatched!”

Qiu Bai laughed heartily. ”Of course! It cost me nearly seven thousand spirit stones... wait, no!”

The other man’s expression shifted, his hand just beginning to rise when Qiu Bai spoke again. ”Tian Xingzi, that old bastard, lied to me! He claimed the Blue Musk Gathering Serpent Banner could be used twice by a ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivator, but even with my Perfected Mastery and abundant spirit power, I can still only use it twice!”

Hearing this, his companion secretly sighed in relief.

”Well, technically, he wasn’t lying. Perfected Mastery is still the ninth stage of Qi-Refining, isn’t it?”

”We can’t drag this out any longer; delays invite complications! Liu Han, keep an eye out for me later.”

With that, Qiu Bai let out a low roar. An enormous surge of pure spirit power erupted like a raging river.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Three more flood dragons soared into the sky. Under the desperate gazes of the Sima siblings, all six wooden dragons charged at the barrier surrounding them.

Even though their barrier was powered by a second-tier defensive talisman, it couldn’t withstand a single strike from a supreme-grade enchanted artifact in its prime.

Boom!!!

A deafening sound echoed through the air. The explosion’s shockwave sent the trio flying hundreds of meters. Even mid-air, blood sprayed uncontrollably from their bodies.

By the time they hit the ground, they resembled discarded sacks, completely motionless.

”Brother Qiu single-handedly killed three cultivators of the same tier—truly domineering!” Liu Han clapped Qiu Bai on the shoulder, praising him enthusiastically.

Qiu Bai took a deep breath, grinned, and was about to speak.

Suddenly, his pupils widened in shock. ”Dammit!

”Hehe.” Liu Han chuckled softly and quickly stepped back.

”Brother Qiu, why get so worked up? It’s just a peculiar little enchanted artifact I bought at the Precious Dragon Black Market. Please, take a moment to appreciate it.”

On Qiu Bai’s shoulder, a mouth resembling that of a human had appeared. The mouth clamped tightly onto Qiu Bai’s shoulder, emitting a dark and profound glow that spread like a halo.

Qiu Bai’s eyes bulged with rage and terror. He stood frozen in place, unable to move, as if paralyzed.

In the next moment, his entire body was enveloped by the radiating light.

And then—

Sizzle!

He vanished into smoke, leaving no bones behind. A Perfected Mastery cultivator of the Qi-Refining Realm fell just like that. Only a storage pouch and the massive banner floated gently to the ground.

Liu Han let out a sigh of relief, having feared that Qiu Bai might retaliate before his death.

After all, Qiu Bai was a Perfected Mastery cultivator; who knew if his claim about the supreme-grade enchanted artifact being limited to two uses was a lie?

But now that his one-time-use peculiar artifact had succeeded, everything was settled.

With Qiu Bai’s entire inheritance, the Sima siblings’ loot, and his meticulous preparations, Liu Han now had the confidence to explore the Golden Core Ruins alone.

With a faint smile, he sent two streams of spirit power toward the storage pouch and the Blue Musk Gathering Serpent Banner.

But in the next instant, fury and shock filled his face as he blurted out, ”Damn bastard!”

A figure, like a great roc, soared with the wind, taking advantage of the stormy rain and wind to burst forth at astonishing speed.

In the blink of an eye, the figure reached the Blue Musk Gathering Serpent Banner. The surging spirit power formed a giant hand, sweeping aside Liu Han’s stream of spirit power.

Grabbing the banner, the figure vanished into the stormy night.

Not only that, but the figure launched two attacks before leaving. One struck the storage pouch in mid-air, while the other hit a massive stone mill in the white mist.

Liu Han’s eyes burned with rage, the fury within him nearly setting him aflame.

Storage pouches were never known for their durability. Especially those of low-tier cultivators, which often got damaged during battles.

Most of the contents would vanish without a trace, with only a small portion surviving.

That damned bastard! Not only did they steal the supreme-grade artifact and flee, but they also sought to eliminate all traces.

Liu Han didn’t dare hesitate, putting all his strength into blocking the black attack.

Bang!

It felt like a gentle breeze—nowhere near the power of even a low-grade enchanted artifact.

With one hand gripping the storage pouch, Liu Han reached into the void with the other, only to grasp a handful of jade powder tinged with a faint burnt medicinal scent.

”Don’t let me find out who you are, or I’ll skin you alive and break every bone in your body!”

Took a deep breath, Liu Han consoled himself with the thought that at least he had Qiu Bai’s storage pouch, containing the full inheritance of a Perfected Mastery cultivator. Plus, there was still the loot from the three ninth-stage Qi-Refining cultivators on the ground.

The Sima siblings were traveling merchants operating across multiple markets, and today they had offloaded most of their goods. Their wealth must be substantial.

Unless...Liu Han stared at the ground, dumbfounded. The spot where the three corpses had once been was now completely empty.

”Where are my three storage pouches?!”