An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 317: The Rulebreaker, Nangong Jin’s Madness

”Auntie, something feels off up ahead!” Li Ao called out, rushing to knock on the door of a quiet chamber on the flying boat.

The door slid open, and Li Yixian stepped out with her usual grace. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she lifted her slender chin, gazing toward the distant plateau where towering stone pillars rose like coiled dragons—each one vivid, lifelike, and ominous.

Moments later, the sky was split by the thunderous roars of battle.

Li Yixian’s brow furrowed, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. ”Luo Chen and his people... are in trouble?”

Li Ao hesitated. ”Should we go help them?”

She bit her lower lip lightly, and her gaze swept across the Li family cultivators still setting up camp nearby. Tents remained half-raised, defensive arrays were not yet activated. They were not prepared for sudden battle.

After a brief moment of silence, Li Yixian drew a deep breath and turned to him. Her voice was steady and resolute. ”You remain here. Keep the others on alert. No one is to grow complacent. I’ll go check it out myself.”

”Yes, ma’am!” Li Ao responded immediately.

Without another word, Li Yixian rose into the sky, her figure slicing upward with practiced ease. As she flew, her figure began to blur, gradually fading from sight under the effect of a profound secret technique.

The Shadow Yin!

The Shadow Yin! It was one of the Li family’s three great second-tier techniques, passed down only to those who possessed the rare and elusive Shadow Yin physique. Li Yixian was one such individual.

Due to it, she had reached Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining by the age of forty-two. However, the very nature of the technique made breakthroughs difficult and time-consuming. It had taken her years just to barely enter the Foundation Establishment Realm.

And after that, her cultivation had become even more demanding. Despite her remarkable physique, her spirit roots were average at best. Several years had passed since her breakthrough, and she was still only at the second stage of Foundation Establishment.

Still, the technique itself was incredibly profound, particularly in concealment, escape, and speed. Once hidden, she was nearly undetectable unless someone was extremely close.

Even someone like Luo Chen had only seen through her stealth once, and that had been at arm’s length, even though he was extraordinarily sharp.

As she neared the Gaoling Plains, her figure still faint and concealed, she suddenly stopped cold in the air.

A pair of hawk-sharp eyes locked onto her from above, unblinking, unrelenting.

No... not just like a hawk’s. They were truly hawk’s eyes!

”Yixian, stop right there.”

A soft, melodic voice drifted down as the clouds overhead parted.

Through the opening emerged a stunningly beautiful woman standing atop a massive hawk. The bird’s plumage shimmered in a dazzling emerald green, and it was crowned with a tuft of pristine white feathers. Majestic, composed, and intelligent—a spirit beast.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator... riding a second-tier demonic beast!

Li Yixian’s face went pale. Her concealment unraveled as she reappeared midair, exposed under that cold gaze.

Looking up at the woman above, she spoke with a bitter smile. “Sister Rou, you even brought out the Bai family’s inherited spirit beast, the Verdant-Feather Whitehawk... all of this, just to deal with me?”

The elegant woman was none other than Yu Rou, Matriarch of the Yu family from Yihua Mountain.

She sighed lightly. “This isn’t what I wanted, Yixian. But you know... the Yu family is about to form a marriage alliance with the Huo family. Since Huo Hu made a request, how could I refuse?”

She cast a glance toward the distant horizon, where the flames of battle still flickered.

“I am not targeting you,” she added softly. “As long as you don’t intervene in the fight... and you hand over that enchanted treasure from the auction... I can personally guarantee that Huo Hu won’t lay a finger on your family.”

Li Yixian scoffed. “How shameless can he be? Selling a treasure at his own auction, only to try and rob it back afterward?”

Yu Rou simply shook her head and sighed again.

It truly was disgraceful. If the Huo family’s Grand Elder weren’t still in seclusion, such behavior would never have been tolerated. But for now, Huo Hu held the reins.

Seeing no sign of relent in Yu Rou’s expression, Li Yixian’s gaze hardened.

“And what if I refuse?” she said stubbornly.

That enchanted treasure had cost her years of her family’s savings. She had obtained it to nurture and raise, to serve as a future defense for her family. And now they wanted her to give it up willingly?

Who would agree to that? Who could accept it?

Yu Rou gave another gentle shake of her head. “You’ve only had it for a few days. You haven’t bonded with it yet. At best, you can draw out a tenth of its power. Your concealment techniques are useless against the eyes of the Verdant-Feather Whitehawk. In other words, you can’t beat me.”

Hearing this, Li Yixian felt her heart sinking deeper with each word.

Yu Rou’s voice remained soft, but her words hit with force. “Even if you don’t think for yourself, shouldn’t you at least consider the Li family...”

“Don’t you dare!” Li Yixian snapped, raising her head with a glare as sharp as a blade.

Her eyes locked onto Yu Rou with fierce intensity, like a tigress ready to defend her cubs to the death.

In her hand, a phantom sword shimmered into existence, its edge glinting with silent threat.

Yu Rou didn’t speak. She simply watched.

Li Yixian’s grip slowly loosened. The sword floated before her, unmoving.

“Yu Rou,” she said bitterly, “are you truly sure you can protect my family from Huo Hu?”

“If he betrays his word, you can always run. I won’t stop you. With your skill, if you’re shameless enough to flee... who in the Huo family can catch you?”

Biting her lip, Li Yixian looked longingly toward the Gaoling Plains in the distance. “But Luo Chen...”

“I don’t know what kind of deal you struck with Luo Chen,” Yu Rou interrupted coolly. “But whatever it is, right now, you’re not getting past me.”

The night wind blew softly.

Standing before this woman and her hawk, Li Yixian felt utterly powerless. Her family’s fate rested in the hands of someone else, and the Fellow Daoist she had once allied with was besieged by overwhelming enemies.

And she could do nothing about it.

Is this what becomes of those who leave home...? Do we truly become nothing at all? Li Yixian sighed inwardly.

She exhaled quietly, her breath carried away by the wind.

Then, suddenly, she turned to look in another direction.

From the depths of the night sky, a blaze surged upward, fiery, violent, and brilliant, illuminating the darkness with a sky full of flame.

Her expression changed instantly. She whipped back to face Yu Rou, her eyes wide in horror.

”You targeted the Nangong family too?!” she cried, her voice tight with disbelief and trembling with fury.

***

Fire!

Flames devoured the night sky, blazing across the darkness like a roaring sea of destruction. Fiery dragons surged from all directions, carving the Nangong family’s camp into isolated fragments.

Nangong Jin’s eyes flared with fury and disbelief. “What vile rats dare provoke the Nangong family?!” he bellowed, his voice echoing with rage.

With a flick of his wrist, a scroll unfurled before him. Its surface painted a vast ocean and boundless marshlands. In an instant, the painted scene sprang to life. A deluge burst forth from the scroll, an endless tide of inky water flooding the battlefield. The roaring blaze met the flood, and the dragons of flame were swiftly drowned beneath it. Smoke hissed and billowed as scorched air clashed with surging water.

”Father!” a panicked voice cried out.

”Stand behind me!” Nangong Jin barked.

His face darkened. He didn’t spare a glance at the bodies of mortal retainers lying scattered in the flames. His attention was locked on the figures emerging through the smoke.

One by one, cultivators in green robes bearing the emblem of the Evergreen Cypress emerged from the night. From their midst strode a figure radiating Foundation Establishment power. His presence surged like wildfire, domineering and smug.

“Bai Lun!” Nangong Jin hissed.

The man opened his arms wide, a mocking grin tugging at his lips. “Fellow Daoist Nangong,” he said, feigning cordiality, “you’ve come to my Glowing Stream Market. How could I not extend a proper welcome?”

Nangong Jin scanned the scene. Most of the family’s cultivators were still alive, but the mortals... not even one in ten had survived.

In a cold voice, he asked, “Is this what you call a greeting?”

“Tsk, tsk... merely a humble show of local hospitality,” Bai Lun replied smoothly. “The real welcome has yet to begin.”

With a wave of his hand, dozens of rogue cultivators emerged from every direction under the cover of night. Their eyes gleamed hungrily, like the eyes of starving wolves who had just caught scent of prey.

These were no ordinary cultivators. All of them were raiders from Glowing Stream Market!

Nangong Jin’s eyes widened. Behind him, Nangong Qin drew a sharp breath, despair flashing in his eyes.

Bai Lun let out a twisted grin and raised his hand high. “Kill them all. Take whatever spoils you want!”

A tide of raiding cultivators charged forward, leading the slaughter. The Bai family’s cultivators followed close behind, their enchanted artifacts glowing brilliantly beneath the moonlight.

Nangong Jin trembled slightly but paid no attention to the encroaching enemies. Instead, he turned to face Nangong Qin, his eyes deep with resolve.

A voice carried by spirit consciousness rang solemnly in Nangong Qin’s mind. His eyes widened in shock.

Nangong Jin clenched his fists tightly. “Remember what I say, son—no matter what happens!”

“But, Father...”

“No buts!” Nangong Jin cut him off sharply. “I have a defensive enchanted treasure. They won’t be able to kill me.”

Before Nangong Qin could reply, Nangong Jin raised his sword high. A burst of radiant spirit light exploded from its edge, arcing outward in a brilliant sweep. Crystalline frost bloomed in an instant, surging forth in a wave of shimmering ice.

To the northeast, dozens of cultivators were caught mid-charge and frozen solid, halted in place like statues of death.

The icy explosion cleared a narrow path, a single glimpse of escape carved through chaos and fire.

Just then, Bai Lun stepped forward, his brow arching with mock interest. He moved to block the path, and his tone was laced with sarcasm as he jeered, “Attacking low-tier cultivators now? Isn’t that a bit beneath your dignity, Fellow Daoist Nangong?

Nangong Jin sneered. ”And you targeted mortals. Where was your dignity then?”

”Fine then. Let’s settle it with steel before we talk about honor.”

Both men soared into the sky, their clash erupting in blinding flashes of spirit light that lit up the heavens like lightning.

Nangong Qin found it hard to tear his eyes away from his father’s silhouette. Surrounded by Qi-Refining enemies far outnumbering him, despair clawed at his heart.

Remembering his father’s command, he gritted his teeth and charged forward. He ran toward the escape route his father had carved open.

For the moment, it remained unblocked. As he fled, several shadows broke from the mob to pursue him.

High above, Bai Lun, still being forced back in battle, sneered coldly. “At such a crucial moment, you send your son running while leaving your people to die? Is this the kind of leader you are?”

Nangong Jin abruptly stopped in midair. His gaze turned icy.

“Before questioning my character,” he said coldly, “maybe you should look in a mirror.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he abandoned the clash and plummeted like lightning toward the ground, straight at the Bai family’s low-tier cultivators.

Wherever he passed, heads flew into the sky one after another.

Bai Lun watched in horror, his eyes bulging as rage overtook him. His face flushed red with fury.

“Shame on you, Nangong Jin!” he roared.

He sent his flying sword hurtling downward with all his strength.

As a fellow Foundation Establishment cultivator, Nangong Jin had completely exposed himself while butchering the weaker cultivators below. His defenses were full of openings; he was an easy target. There was no way he could dodge that strike.

But he didn’t even try to.

Zeguo Gui Diagram!

A rush of waves surged out as the defensive enchanted treasure unfolded, taking the sword strike head-on.

Clang!

The blade plunged into the watery illusion, raising an enormous tidal surge.

A potentially lethal blow was blocked!

Yet a full-power attack from a Foundation Establishment Initiate wasn’t something an enchanted treasure could absorb unscathed. The backlash tore open Nangong Jin’s back, leaving behind a deep and vicious wound.

He was flung through the air like a broken sack.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed from his lips, his face drained of color. Yet even in his battered state, a wild, unrestrained grin split across his face.

As he tumbled through the sky, his fingers formed a series of rapid seals. His flying sword continued its merciless sweep, harvesting lives below.

By the time he came to a stop, over a dozen more heads had hit the ground.

“I know exactly what you’re planning,” Nangong Jin spat, his voice hoarse yet sharp. “You’re stalling me. You want to let those rogue cultivators finish off the low-tier members of my Nangong family, then wait for the ones ambushing Dan Chenzi to regroup with you, so you can all gang up and kill me. Isn’t that right?! Well, I have news for you. If my people are going to die anyway, then we’ll drag you down with us! If the Nangong family is doomed, then the Bai family will share our grave!”

As Bai Lun stared at the severed heads of his family members scattered across the ground, he trembled uncontrollably.

For as long as anyone could remember, whether it was a war between sects, a feud among cultivation families, or skirmishes between rogue cultivator factions, there had always been an unspoken rule in the world of cultivation: Kings face kings, generals face generals, soldiers face soldiers.

If one side refrained from deploying Golden Core cultivators, the other would do the same. If Foundation Establishment cultivators were sent to battle, the response would come from cultivators of equal rank.

When it came to clashes among Qi-Refining cultivators, high-tier experts rarely intervened unless the outcome had already been decided. This wasn’t about tradition; it was about balance.

Everyone knew that once high-tier cultivators entered a low-tier battlefield, it would turn into a one-sided slaughter. The weak stood no chance. It was like scything through a field of grass—one swing could cut down dozens.

That was why all sides tacitly observed this rule. Because if both camps abandoned restraint and allowed their strongest to massacre at will, then by the war’s end, only the top two would be left alive, surrounded by corpses, without a single follower to command.

And then what? Be rulers of ashes? What would be the point of the battle? What spoils could a single person possibly claim alone?

What future would remain for either side?

But tonight, Nangong Jin shattered that unwritten rule.

He cast aside the dignity of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Ignoring the lethal threat hovering nearby, he relied solely on his defensive enchanted treasure and brought a storm of slaughter down upon the Bai family’s low-tier cultivator.

He didn’t even glance at the rogue cultivators attacking the Nangong family.

He struck only at the Bai family. And worst of all, Bai Lun was powerless to stop him. That defensive enchanted treasure made him nearly untouchable. At best, Bai Lun could injure him; killing him in one stroke was simply impossible. And by the time he could kill Nangong Jin... the Bai family’s cultivators would likely wait for him in the afterworld.

Even if the Nangong family was wiped out, what would be the point?

“No wonder you made your son run. You’re gambling on mutual destruction just to leave the Nangong line a future!” Bai Lun let out a bitter laugh, and his shaking body slowly stilled.

Nangong Jin wiped the blood from his lips, face twisted with ferocity. ”You forced me into this!”

There was no more strategy, no more hesitation. Only a bone-deep resolve to die dragging his enemies with him—to shatter jade and burn with the common clay.

“So what now?” he growled. “What are you going to do?”

Bai Lun looked down at the lifeless heads of his family members. Even in death, their eyes remained wide with shock and disbelief. In just a few minutes, more than thirty of his cultivators had fallen under Nangong Jin’s blade.

They were his elites, his future!

His throat tightened. He closed his eyes and took a long, trembling breath.

”This ends here. Cease the attack!”

At his command, the Bai family cultivators immediately withdrew, halting mid-assault. But the raiding cultivators from Glowing Stream Market were still lost in their frenzy. Drunk on bloodlust, they either didn’t hear him or simply didn’t care. They had begun fighting over spoils, teetering on the brink of turning on each other.

”I said, STOP!!!” Bai Lun’s eyes opened wide in fury, and his flying sword streaked forth like a ray of light.

Swish!

Thk! Thk! Thk!

Wherever it passed, low-tier rogue cultivators were run clean through the chest. Even as its momentum began to fade, the blade still pierced through three bodies in a row—like skewering meat on a spit.

Thunk!

The blade was driven into the earth, its hilt still quivering as three lifeless bodies hung skewered upon it like candied fruit on a stick.

In that moment, the raiders of Glowing Stream Market sobered instantly. The bloodlust drained from their faces as they turned to Bai Lun in terror.

“Senior Bai...”

“Scram!” Bai Lun roared, his voice guttural and full of fury.

Watching this, Nangong Jin made his way back to the remnants of the Nangong family’s camp. After gathering the survivors, he discovered that only a dozen or so remained.

No mortals. No early or mid stage Qi-Refining cultivators. Only those in late stage Qi-Refining had survived.

Outnumbered several times over, each had faced two, sometimes three, seasoned raiding cultiavtors. Ruthless, battle-hardened killers. How could they have held on?

Nangong Jin’s eyes burned red, his body trembling as he clenched his jaw. He turned to glare at Bai Lun, his gaze filled with hatred and grief.

“Enough fighting, wouldn’t you say?”

Bai Lun, panting heavily, returned his hateful glare. ”Take your dead. This ends here.”

As if the entire battle had been some absurd farce—grand in its opening, pathetic in its end.

And yet, just before turning away, Bai Lun growled, “You won’t get far, Nangong Jin. Huo Hu has his eye on that defensive enchanted treasure of yours. And the Huo family? They don’t care for reason.”

The Huo family! Nangong Jin’s heart clenched.

But his lips showed no fear. ”If Huo Hu wants to come, I’ll be waiting. Bai Lun, you’ve started a grudge today, and my family will remember it.”

”Hmph. Next time we meet, there will be no Nangong family to remember anything,” retorted Bai Lun.

They hurled threats and turned away, not sparing another glance.

Suppressing his grief, Nangong Jin bent over slightly, clutching his waist. ”Gather what you can, we’re leaving at once.”

”But Patriarch... the bodies...?” a cultivator called out.

”Burn them.”

In less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the survivors gathered what items and spoils they could. Then boarded the flying boat.

Standing on the deck, Nangong Jin gazed down at the towering mound of corpses.

He bit his bloodied lip, and the pain made him come to his senses. Then, raising a trembling hand, he summoned a thread of Foundation Establishment true fire.

A torrent of flames burst forth, illuminating the moon-drenched plains. The stench of charred flesh soon filled the air, thick and bitter. Behind him, the surviving Nangong cultivators wept in silence, their grief too deep for words.

Nangong Jin cast one final, venomous glance toward the distant lights of Glowing Stream Market.

Then he closed his eyes and said, ”Let’s go!”