An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Inside a small, dimly lit room, Luo Chen held the banner in his hands, eyes focused and discerning as he studied it carefully. After a long moment of silence, he slowly nodded to himself.

”As expected, this is the Soul-Refining Banner mentioned in Gu Yue’s autobiography.

”Who would have thought that Li Da managed to forge the Soul-Refining Banner, something even Gu Yue never obtained. And its tier has even reached the top-grade!”

It was precisely the Soul-Refining Banner that had compelled Luo Chen to deviate from his original plan. While he possessed no shortage of enchanted artifacts, this one was different. Not only could it imprison souls and turn them into weapons, but more importantly, it could be used to help Wang Yuan. With it, he might finally extract the remnant soul of Duan Qiankun that lingered within Wang Yuan’s body, plaguing him ever since that encounter. That was something Luo Chen couldn’t pass up, even if it meant acting on impulse.

“Truly, just Li Da’s misfortune,” he said with a faint chuckle, utterly free of guilt for the killing. Whether it was because Li Da had been the one to strike first, or perhaps Luo Chen’s mentality had shifted after reaching Foundation Establishment, and his actions had grown more uninhibited.

It might also have been the years of oppression he endured as a weak cultivator under the heel of those more powerful. But now, the youth who once dreamed of slaying dragons had become one himself, fully assuming the stature and will of a Foundation Establishment Initiate.

Whatever the reason, Luo Chen liked who he had become.

”Once I leave this place, I can begin preparing to resolve the aftereffects in Wang Yuan’s body.” he murmured, his eyes still on the banner. ”But even now, this Soul-Refining Banner will be of great use.”

After all, he was still deep within the ghost city.

Though Luo Chen believed the means at his disposal were sufficient for most dangers, one could never have too many spirit-targeting treasures. The banner would serve him well.

Other than the Soul-Refining Banner, the rest of Li Da’s belongings... they were mostly unimpressive. A few pills, some conventional artifacts none of it worth keeping. He’d likely dump them into the Luo Tian Society’s reserves when he returned, letting the younger cultivators trade for what they needed.

Only one other thing stood out was the three silver needles he had taken at the start—the Ghostmother Needles.

Holding them in his hand, Luo Chen narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “These,” he murmured, “weren’t meant to be used like that.”

***

Within the ghost city, Luo Chen walked with a lantern in hand. His pace had slowed, not because of the ghosts that lingered around every shadowed corner, but because he was taking this opportunity to test and familiarize himself with the two newly acquired soul-path enchanted artifacts, the Soul-Refining Banner and the Ghostmother Needles.

The banner was simple in function. When faced with stronger ghostly entities, he could trap them and turn them into weapons of his own. Straightforward. But the Ghostmother Needles were something far more intriguing.

”Hmm... three more wandering spirits,” Luo Chen murmured as a glint of ghostly green light shimmered through his eyes. With a flick of his hand, three slender silver needles shot forward.

Low-tier ghosts, unlike Ghost Generals, had no corporeal form. They were difficult to deal with unless one had cleansing talismans, specific spells, or specialized tools.

Before, Luo Chen had relied on techniques like Cleanse, Fireball, and Soul-Intimidation or his Green Firefly Lantern. Now, however, he had something much better.

The needles passed straight through the ghosts, seemingly harmless. But the moment they pierced through, three fine threads formed in their wake.

Woo......

The ghosts wailed as they were pulled back, unraveling into streams of pure yin energy that were swiftly absorbed into the Soul Refining Banner. Enriched by the yin energy, the pitch-black banner darkened even further, gaining a deeper hue.

The rank of the Soul-Refining Banner was never fixed. Its power increased depending on the quality of its materials and the strength of the souls it housed. That alone was impressive. But what truly held Luo Chen’s attention were the Ghostmother Needles.

”Ghostmother Needles... spirit consciousness threads.

”As expected, it’s a rare soul-path enchanted artifact that can tether and manipulate spirit consciousness in combat.”

Among the inheritances left behind by Gao Tingyuan, aside from the Soul-Refining True Art, there was another book that discussed spirit consciousness in detail. It had recorded the various ingenious applications of spirit consciousness once a cultivator reached Foundation Establishment. Ordinarily, a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s spirit consciousness was used solely to probe the presence of nearby living beings.

Alternatively, it could be released fully to produce the rare but formidable aura of Foundation Establishment suppression. His earlier clash of spirit consciousness with Nangong Jin had been a display of the latter.

Outside of those two uses, spiritual consciousness seemed to have little practical application. But that didn’t mean it lacked potential. After all, cultivators focused on refining qi while tempering the spirit. As the external manifestation of the divine soul, how could spirit consciousness truly be without value?

It was just that ordinary cultivators lacked the proper methods for using it. Such methods were only possessed by the major sects.

From the book on spirit consciousness, Luo Chen had learned that aside from precise techniques, there was another way to utilize spirit consciousness. It involved crafting enchanted artifacts from rare materials to manifest the intangible spirit consciousness into tangible form.

The Ghostmother Needles were a prime example of such a treasure.

That Li Da was truly wasting a treasure... no, it wasn’t entirely his fault. Without the ability to project his spirit consciousness, even if he knew how to use them, he couldn’t have done it anyway, Luo Chen thought.

Through his experimentation, the true potential of the Ghostmother Needles had finally revealed itself. Needle-type enchanted artifacts were already known for their incredible speed and stealth.

With the added effect of spirit consciousness projection, ordinary ghosts and spirits stood no chance against them.

Moreover, using them to pierce low-tier ghosts and funnel their yin soul energy into the Soul-Refining Banner further enhanced the banner’s power.

This way, he truly achieved the best of both worlds.

Luo Chen stowed away the silver needles and resumed his journey.

***

Two days of cautious travel had brought Luo Chen to the edge of Whitestone Plaza.

He had traveled cautiously along the way, doing everything he could to avoid provoking powerful ghosts; hence the slow pace. After all, this was the infamous Dahe ghost city, a place that held far more than just wandering low-tier ghosts.

Thousands of Qi-Refining Realm rogue cultivators had perished here during the upheaval, and many of them, especially those in the late stages, had transformed into vengeful spirits or malicious wraiths.

These were low-tier ghosts driven not only by instinct but by a deep, innate aggression. Unlike the passive ghosts drifting through the city’s ruins, these beings sought to devour the weak, and within the ghostly mist of the abyss, they could do so freely.

It had taken only a few years for the number of Ghost Generals in the city to rise from a single entity to nine. And that was information from a year ago—only the ghosts themselves might know how many Ghost Generals now roamed.

Even though Luo Chen was brimming with confidence after breaking through to a new realm, he wasn’t reckless. He might be powerful, but he wasn’t arrogant enough to think himself invincible beneath the heavens. This was still a ghost city, and any misstep could lead to death.

When it came to matters of life and death, caution was his only option.

To reach Fallen Phoenix Mountain, the biggest hurdle was passing through Whitestone Plaza! This place housed the very first Ghost General ever born within the Dahe ghost city!

Back then, the Nangong family had suffered devastating losses here, forcing them to retreat and close their gates. Only after several years had they finally begun to recover. As for that first, powerful Ghost General—Luo Chen had no choice but to treat it with caution.

Still, it shouldn’t be a problem! he thought.

Luo Chen brimmed with confidence!

After advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm, even his first-tier spells had become far more potent. He had taken down Li Da, a formidable expert at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining, with a single Entangle and that alone spoke volumes.

Among all his techniques, there were four spells Luo Chen valued the most.

Fireball, Cleanse, Spirit Eyes, and Spirit Suppression!

Back when he was still in the Qi-Refining Realm, the Spirit Suppression had already allowed him to conceal himself from the Foundation Establishment Initiate.

Now that he was in the Foundation Establishment Realm and had enhanced spirit consciousness to complement it, the technique’s effectiveness had only grown stronger.

Whether it would fool a Golden Core cultivator remained uncertain. But when it came to Ghost Generals that lacked intelligence, it would absolutely pose no issue!

In fact, this was the very reason Luo Chen dared to venture alone into the depths of ghost city.

With a single thought, the Perfected Mastery Spirit Suppression activated, silently cloaking his presence

Instantly, all traces of his energy flow vanished. Not a ripple of spirit power remained. Even his vigorous life force was completely sealed within his body.

And that was just the first layer of protection.

If someone accidentally managed to see through it, a second layer lay beneath—one that mimicked the energy flow of a ghost.

With this, there should be no possibility of failure!

Luo Chen took a deep breath and strode confidently toward Whitestone Plaza.

As he walked, his gaze swept across the surroundings.

The Mi Xu Ice City milk tea shop had long since been reduced to ashes. That fierce battle had erupted near this very spot. Nothing could’ve survived.

Yuan Xiaoyue’s old snack stall had vanished without a trace as well. Not even a wooden beam remained. And yet, tucked within the ruins, a shard of bluestone caught Luo Chen’s eye—a familiar gleam amidst the dust.

“That should be the bluestone Old Chen gave me,” he murmurred, pausing for only a breath. “I used it for Xiaoyue’s stall. Never thought it’d come to this.”

Seeing the shard stirred a wave of emotion in Luo Chen, though it did nothing to slow his steps.