An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Kill!”

Flying swords streaked through the sky, slicing through the vast tide of demonic beasts. In an instant, a weak Explosive Ape was slain. The cultivator who landed the kill grinned viciously.

Low-tier demonic beasts weren’t truly strong. Lacking tough physiques, most were incapable of flight, their attacks crude and unsophisticated. Strategy and intelligence were even rarer.

In the past, hunting them was difficult only because they resided deep within treacherous mountain ranges and marshes. The terrain was complex, and ambushes were inevitable. Moreover, reckless slaughter often provoked high-tier beast generals or even beast kings.

That was why demonic beast hunting was an unprofitable venture. Only a large force like the Poshan Gang had the manpower and stability to establish consistent hunting operations.

But now, the demonic beasts had left the mountains and were charging straight at Luo Tian Society.

They were practically offering themselves up for slaughter!

Lang Mu’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the demonic beasts below. He felt as though a fortune had just fallen into his lap. He had survived both the fall of the Poshan Gang and the battle against the Fu family.

Unfortunately, his luck had never been great, he hadn’t managed to grab any significant spoils. Yet now, after joining Luo Tian Society, such an incredible opportunity had presented itself.

”This is my third kill. Let me put on a proper display, ”

Before he could finish, his expression twisted as his eyes flicked to the side.

Under the moonlight, a nimble figure shot into the air and tore a late stage Qi-Refining cultivator in half as he attempted to escape with Wind-Control.

A Golden Spirit Monkey!

A rare, intelligent demonic beast.

A rain of blood showered down. Lang Mu, who had been reveling in the slaughter, shuddered involuntarily. His gaze swept across the battlefield, and he finally realized that the situation was far worse than he had assumed.

There were simply too many demonic beasts.

Three hundred didn’t sound like much on paper. But Luo Tian Society had barely fifty cultivators who could truly fight. Even with the best count, there were only fifty.

And in the span of mere moments, six or seven late stage Qi-Refining cultivators had already fallen.

”No! I need to retreat and defend from the city!”

A chill surged through Lang Mu’s heart, and he instinctively turned to flee.

But just as he pivoted, a massive boulder came hurtling through the air.

Reacting instantly, he activated his mid-grade defensive artifact. Yet the sheer force behind the stone shattered his artifact in an instant. The impact didn’t stop there, the boulder slammed into the formation protecting the city walls.

The Minor Five Elements Formation flickered violently, its glow faltering as it threatened to collapse.

In his final moments, Lang Mu’s eyes widened in utter disbelief as he stared at the colossal demonic beast sprinting toward them from the wasteland.

”A... a second-tier... Impossible...”

Flesh and bone scattered, the wet sound of impact drowned out by the deafening howls of the frenzied beasts. Their bloodthirsty instincts ignited.

They pounced at the formation, clawing, tearing, ramming against it without a hint of fear.

The cultivators of the Battle Hall, who had just moments ago fought bravely outside the walls, now had no choice but to retreat in haste.

Then came the sound, a thunderous rumbling from the distant wasteland. And at that moment, every cultivator’s face changed.

”Second-tier Explosive Ape! We can’t let it near the formation!” Sima Huiniang’s shrill cry rang out, laced with desperation.

But who among them dared to step forward?

For the first time, Sima Huiniang felt the clutch of despair. A second-tier demonic beast had arrived and it wasn’t just any second-tier beast, it was an Explosive Ape, a creature infamous for its ferocity and overwhelming combat prowess.

Luo Tian Society was likely doomed.

Was her tenure as director, which had only just begun, about to end as well?

”Duan Feng, Sima Xian, come with me!”

On the city walls, Qin Liangchen gripped his massive golden hammer, his expression twisted in ferocity.

Duan Feng stood firm, his sword at the ready, without a moment’s hesitation. Sima Xian hesitated briefly, his gaze falling on his younger sister, Sima Huiniang, only to find her expression dazed.

So be it. We finally have a stable place to cultivate, how can we let it be destroyed so easily?

My own path to ascension is hopeless, but my sister has finally gained recognition. I must fight to protect the Luo Tian Society for her!

Sima Xian abandoned all hesitation and leaped forward, following Qin Liangchen’s lead.

Three figures erupted with spirit energy, streaking over the horde of beasts, charging straight toward the rampaging Explosive Ape.

Hearing her elder brother’s name snapped Sima Huiniang out of her daze.

”No! The three of them alone won’t be enough!”

Acting on instinct, she immediately shouted, ”Zeng Wen, Wenjie, where are you?”

Before either could respond, a deep voice rang out through the air.

”They’re not needed.”

The next instant, a violent surge of energy erupted from Crescent Moon Valley.

Beneath the night sky, a blood-red figure shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bow.

In the blink of an eye, he had overtaken Qin Liangchen and the others.

”Go back and defend Crescent Moon Valley!”

The three of them froze in shock.

”It’s Hall Leader Wang!” Duan Feng instantly recognized the voice.

”Can he handle it?” Sima Xian hesitated.

Stopping a second-tier demonic beast alone, especially one as ferocious as an Explosive Ape, seemed impossible. This was not something a mere Qi-Refining cultivator could achieve.

Qin Liangchen gritted his teeth as he watched the figure crash down like a meteor.

”We’re heading back. Crescent Moon Valley needs us more!”

Before turning back, he stole one last glance.

Across the wasteland, two figures wreathed in blazing red light had already clashed. One was massive, standing five or six zhang tall, towering over the battlefield. The other was barely seven feet tall, yet his aura was in no way inferior.

”Has he really grown this powerful?” Muttering to himself, he wasted no more time. The three of them charged back into the battle outside the valley.

With Duan Feng no longer maintaining the formation, the Minor Five Elements Formation’s power had weakened significantly. Even though Zhou Yuanli forcefully replenished it with large amounts of spirit stones, he couldn’t cover every weakness.

Numerous small demonic beasts had already breached the valley.

Fortunately, Granny Yuan and Gu Caiyi stepped in, leading a group of mid stage Qi-Refining cultivators to eliminate them one by one.

”There are too many! At this rate, when will it ever end?!”

From within the chaotic tide of beasts, Sima Huiniang turned and hurled a talisman.

A deafening explosion instantly tore two Azure Rock Monkeys into bloody shreds. Yet, their thick hides withstood the blast, though momentarily dazed, they quickly resumed their assault on the nearby cultivators.

”Watch out!” A warning call rang out just as Sima Huiniang herself spotted the danger.

Without hesitation, she conjured a Water Shield.

Boom!

A massive force struck her, sending her hurtling dozens of meters away.

A towering Explosive Ape, nearly ten zhang tall, pounded its chest in fury.

A peak first-tier demonic beast!

With such a massive frame and overwhelming presence, it was no weaker than a Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining cultivator.

Still shaken, Sima Huiniang immediately retreated, soaring into the sky. But the Explosive Ape seemed to have locked onto her.

Grabbing a nearby demonic beast corpse as a weapon, it hurled it straight at her.

”Break!”

A sharp cry rang out beside her, and a flying sword instantly slashed through the corpse, cutting it into dozens of pieces.

It was Murong Qinglian who had come to her aid.

”Thanks!” Sima Huiniang let out a long breath of relief.

Murong Qinglian’s expression was as dark as still water. ”This won’t do.”

Sima Huiniang was just as pessimistic. ”The number of demonic beasts outmatches us several times over. If this continues, even if we win, the losses will be devastating.”

If more than two-thirds of their forces were lost, Luo Tian Society would be no more than a hollow shell.

”Where is the President?”

As Sima Huiniang unleashed wave after wave of attacks, she voiced the question on everyone’s mind, where was Luo Chen?

At such a critical moment, Luo Chen was nowhere to be seen.

Surely, he wasn’t just sitting back and reaping the rewards while they fought to the death for Luo Tian Society!

”Did he run away?”

”He’s not that kind of person!” Murong Qinglian snapped back, her voice filled with fury.

Sima Huiniang froze.

Why was her reaction so big?

Just as her doubts surfaced, a black cloud descended from the sky with a piercing screech.

Along with it came a barrage of ear-piercing sounds slicing through the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!