An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Duan Qiankun took a deep breath and swiftly retreated. He had already used words to buy enough time for the Duan family cultivators to react. Now, the priority was to eliminate all enemies as quickly as possible.

Just as he retreated, a massive fist smashed into where he had just stood. A violent surge of qi force erupted instantly. It blasted a deep crater several meters wide into the forest floor.

”What terrifying strength!” Duan Qiankun’s pupils constricted as he identified his attacker.

”Battle Hall—Wang Yuan!”

From behind the fiery shadow of the punch, a figure clad in coarse hemp robes emerged. His gaze burned with an intense fervor as he stared at Duan Qiankun.

”Foundation Establishment cultivator, Duan Qiankun!

”Today, I’ll test my techniques on you.”

With those words, he launched his fist. A torrent of blood qi coiled around his knuckles.

Seeing this, Duan Qiankun let out a cold sneer. ”Brute!”

His body moved like a swallow as he soared into the sky, his fingers forming a sword-like gesture, tracing an arc.

Shing...

The surging blood qi momentarily faltered as Wang Yuan glanced down. His robe was torn, revealing a deep sword gash that was shocking to behold.

Whoosh!

The supreme-grade enchanted artifact, Heluo Blade, returned to Duan Qiankun’s side, swimming around him like a nimble fish.

The old man chuckled mockingly. ”You may have the power to shake mountains, but you cannot harm me in the slightest. A physical cultivator? Just a relic of an outdated path, washed away by the tides of history!”

”Even an outdated path can still kill you!” Wang Yuan roared, stepping forward with his Dragon Rising Steps, each stride covering ten meters.

A surge of mighty blood qi coiled around his golden-gloved fists.

He threw a punch with full force.

Duan Qiankun’s heart skipped a beat, and he hastily cast a protective barrier.

Boom!

A deafening explosion erupted as the old man was sent flying. As he soared through the air, his supreme-grade flying sword radiated a brilliant blue glow, unleashing torrents of water-attribute spirit energy.

”What a bizarre movement technique! But even so, you are still no match for me!”

”Enough talk—die!” Wang Yuan was unfazed, stepping forward once more.

Duan Qiankun’s expression tightened, but his years of battle-hardened experience ensured he remained composed, not a trace of panic in his eyes.

He maneuvered through the darkened sky, steadily widening the distance between himself and Wang Yuan.

The Heluo Blade weaved in and out of the rainy night like a phantom.

Sometimes it vanished into the night sky; at other times, it burst forth with dazzling sword light.

Despite his evasive and defensive approach, after several exchanges, he had clearly taken the upper hand.

Apart from a slight depletion of spirit energy, Duan Qiankun remained completely unharmed.

Wang Yuan, who had been relentlessly chasing his opponent, now stood drenched in blood, his body riddled with countless sword wounds. Some of the injuries ran so deep that the white of his bones was nearly visible.

Duan Qiankun’s cold laughter echoed in the air. ”What use is a Vajra body?

”Before an immortal’s flying sword, it is nothing but a joke!”

Hovering high in the sky, he gazed down at Wang Yuan with utter contempt, as if he were looking at a mere ant.

”So this is a Foundation Establishment Initiate?” Wang Yuan clenched his fists, staring up at the old man who seemed to be nothing more than a decaying remnant of life itself, yet wielded power far beyond his reach.

A frustrating, maddening sense of helplessness clawed at his heart.

He had underestimated his enemy.

He had believed that, without an enchanted treasure, the odds were seventy-thirty in Duan Qiankun’s favor but reality had been far crueler.

He had been too arrogant! With the sheer speed of a flying sword, coupled with the superior movement techniques of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had been unable to even get within a hundred meters radius of his target.

Duan Qiankun’s voice turned icy and sharp, cutting through the night like a blade. ”I will kill you first, then behead every last enemy here and display their heads for all to see.

”I will make sure the world knows that the Duan family of Dahe is not to be trifled with!”

Duan Qiankun declared viciously, his voice filled with menace.

Today’s events had caught him off guard, Luo Tian Society had made the first move, something he had not anticipated.

At two hundred years old, Duan Qiankun had witnessed far too much. He understood that even an unfavorable situation could present immense opportunities.

As long as he established his dominance in this battle and later used Xiong Kun’s influence to suppress any threats, the Duan family would remain untouchable for the next century, even without him.

However, eliminating a second realm physical cultivator would not be an easy task.

He took a deep breath as the Heluo Blade erupted in cascading waves of blue light, its aura reminiscent of a boundless ocean, surging forward in relentless tides. The powerful energy spread outward, filling the battlefield.

Facing this overwhelming pressure, Wang Yuan stood his ground, his gaze steely, his body pulsing with unrestrained blood qi. He stepped forward with Dragon Rising Steps propelling him forward he would not sit idly and await death.

Yet, his opponent’s agility was his greatest weakness. The erratic movement of the Foundation Establishment cultivator denied Wang Yuan any opportunity to execute his Giant Spirit, drastically reducing his combat effectiveness.

Even so, he refused to believe there was no chance.

Just as the two were about to clash again, a deafening rumble erupted from the peak of Xiao Huan Mountain.

Duan Qiankun whipped his head around, his face instantly twisting into a mask of fury.

A five-zhang-tall Explosive Ape—a beast of sheer primal destruction—was rampaging through the heart of the Duan family’s territory.

Wherever its massive feet landed, buildings crumbled. Its enormous arms swept across the land, sending boulders raining down like meteors.

Whenever Duan family cultivators attempted to counterattack, Duan Feng, standing atop the Explosive Ape’s shoulder, coldly struck them down one by one.

Anyone below the ninth stage of Qi-Refining could not last a single exchange against him. His path was clear, heading clearly toward the Duan family’s forbidden grounds.

”Wretched traitor!” Duan Qiankun cursed furiously, no longer holding back his power. In his haste, he unleashed his flying sword.

At the same time, he completely ignored whether Wang Yuan could withstand it and shot straight toward the forbidden grounds.

”Duan Rui, if not now, then when?”

As soon as the words fell, a massive gray bear, towering three zhang high, came crashing down from the mountaintop.

A series of cracking sounds echoed continuously.

As if it knew no fear of death, it rammed into the Explosive Ape, sending it flying.

Duan Feng raised an eyebrow and swiftly retreated into the sky.

He gazed upward.

From within the formation of white mist, a young man who bore a striking resemblance to him emerged.

The man lowered his head, looking at Duan Feng with disdain.

”You wretched bastard, you dare to return?!”

***

”Wretched bastard!”

Hearing that familiar voice, Duan Feng’s expression instantly twisted into one of madness. ”If not for your meddling, would my mother have been driven to suicide?

Duan Feng’s voice was filled with fury. ”The old dog must die, and so must you!”

When enemies met, their hatred flared like fire. Without hesitation, Duan Feng lunged forward.

”You think you can kill me?” Duan Rui remained unfazed at the sight, merely casting a glance at the chaotic battlefield outside.

Then, he took a step into the thick white mist.

Duan Feng did not hesitate and followed closely, soaring toward the mountaintop. The dense mist reacted immediately, as if coming to life, spreading outward like a living entity.

Duan Qiankun arrived at the scene, his expression dark and ashen.

”Useless brat!” he growled, his tone filled with venom.

He had hoped that Duan Rui, with his Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining cultivation, would take action to stabilize the battlefield and boost the family’s morale.

Although the Duan family’s cultivators were outmatched in both numbers and strength, this was their well-fortified ancestral land. With the advantage of the terrain and Duan Rui holding the line, he would have ample time to deal with Wang Yuan and the other late stage Qi-Refining rogue cultivators.

Yet, to his dismay, Duan Rui had chosen to flee into the forbidden formation, too afraid to stand his ground. Though he had taken Duan Feng with him, it was nothing more than an act of self-preservation, devoid of true valor.

At the brink of life and death... he still cowers like a child!

A surge of fury nearly clouded the old man’s mind.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Duan Qiankun looked down, his expression dark as he watched two colossal beings clash in a brutal struggle.

With Duan Rui fled, the puppet, which he had painstakingly acquired from Tian Xingzi, was now completely defenseless. Against the Explosive Ape’s relentless and savage attacks, it was steadily pushed back, battered and broken.

Its once smooth and pristine exterior was now covered in deep dents and cracks, a pitiful, ruined shell of its former self.

”Damn it!”

Without hesitation, Duan Qiankun reached out, summoning a cylindrical metallic shield into his grasp.

At this moment, it was clear that the greatest threat to the Duan family at this moment was the Explosive Ape.

No one could stop it.

If left unchecked, it would lay complete waste to the Duan estate.

Once it destroyed the puppet, nothing would stand in its way from leveling the entire Duan family.

Seal!

With a low shout, the metallic shield in midair radiated beams of light, which then transformed into twelve massive pillars.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In the blink of an eye, the twelve colossal pillars crashed down from the sky.

Three at the front, three at the back.

Three to the left, three to the right. From all directions, the intertwining beams of spirit light formed an inescapable prison.

The Explosive Ape roared in defiance, ramming against the barrier, only to be forcefully repelled.

”With my supreme-grade Cosmos Shield in place, how could I let you run amok?

”A pity I didn’t acquire Mi Shuhua’s Demon Locking Pagoda. Otherwise, slaying this beast would have been effortless.”

The Explosive Ape lifted its head, glaring at Duan Qiankun in fury.

The next moment, it bent down, flexing its knees before stomping heavily on the ground. It shot into the sky!