An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

In the side hall of Icewave Palace, Luo Chen accompanied by Shi Boying, finally came face to face with the long-elusive Tantai Jin.

Her expression was cold and aloof, and Luo Chen couldn’t help feeling a tangle of emotions. Still, he spoke directly, ”Thank you, Fellow Daoist Tantai, for your help at the Qinhua River.”

The moment he said this, Shi Boying was visibly shocked. Wait, didn’t Junior Sister say she wouldn’t get involved with Luo Chen? Then why did she secretly go to the Qinhua River and even assist him?

Tantai Jin’s expression shifted slightly, but she quickly understood how Luo Chen had learned of her involvement. She responded with calm indifference, ”I never acted. What help could I have given? Besides, you already paid that brute Chu Kui to intervene. Whether I was there or not hardly matters.”

Luo Chen simply smiled and shook his head. ”Still, I’m grateful for the thought. I won’t forget it.”

Back during the Qinhua River battle, there were far more late stage Foundation Establishment cultivators than just Huang Sha. If all of them had grown tempted and chosen to act, Chu Kui would have been overwhelmed. He might have ensured Luo Chen’s survival, but only at the cost of hundreds of thousands more spirit stones.

It was precisely because of Tantai Jin’s appearance that those hidden threats had backed down. Even if she had done it for the Jade Dew pill business, Luo Chen still acknowledged the goodwill behind it.

Tantai Jin gave a faint smile but didn’t argue. She turned her head and pointed to the side. ”Later, you’re only here to listen. Don’t speak. Not a word.”

”Who’s next door?” Luo Chen asked curiously.

Tantai Jin casually uttered a name. ”Green Pill Valley’s Foundation Establishment True Inheritor, Tao Wan.”

Luo Chen’s expression shifted slightly. Someone from Green Pill Valley! Weren’t they here to take over Tianlan Immortal City?

Since Tao Wan was a late-stage Foundation Establishment grand cultivator, she had likely come in person to assume a role similar to Tantai Jin’s. In Tianlan Immortal City, she would hold real authority beneath the sect’s Golden Core cultivators, not only commanding the enforcement team but also overseeing all Green Pill Valley cultivators stationed within the city. So, who was she meeting?

As Luo Chen silently speculated, crisp footsteps echoed from the adjoining main hall.

Moments later, an aged voice rang out. ”Sect Leader of the Iron Sword Hall, Zuo Song, greets True Inheritor Tao.”

Almost at once came another voice, responding with an air of pride. ”Sect Leader Zuo, why aren’t you staying put at your Iron Sword Hall? What brings you here?”

Zuo Song sounded a little caught off guard. ”Did the Green Pill Valley cultivators not report the matter I raised to you?”

”Hmph, how do I know if what they said was accurate?” replied Tao Wan.

In the Grand Hall, Zuo Song stood tall and sharp like a sword, yet his face was marked by a deep frown. But since he had come with a request, he stated his intentions plainly.

”That Luo Tian Society has grown far too brazen. Especially its leader, Luo Chen. Not only has he slain fellow cultivators, but he also encourages his men to kill, loot, and pillage weaker groups without restraint,” Zuo Song remarked. ”Perhaps you’re unaware, True Inheritor Tao, that he commands two Foundation Establishment cultivators. One has relentlessly hunted Sky Eagle Peak disciples, while the other heartlessly refined more than a hundred Geng family Qi Refinement cultivators alive through a great formation. Tell me, are such acts any different from the ways of devil cultivators? How can we possibly turn a blind eye to villains like these?”

In the side hall next door, Luo Chen’s face darkened at once. He had expected someone might raise Xing Zhonghan and Min Longyu’s actions, but he hadn’t thought the accusation would be so sharp and delivered directly before the future ruler of Tianlan Immortal City.

Worse, he had no personal grudge with Zuo Song. If Tao Wan gave weight to this slander, then what awaited the Luo Tian Society...

No, wait!

A sudden realization struck Luo Chen. He stole a glance at Tantai Jin from the corner of her eye. She remained utterly calm, seemingly unconcerned by the matter. They had gone out of their way to bring him here for this....

Is this another show of goodwill?

As thoughts churned in his mind, the accusations in the next hall continued.

”Our Jade Cauldron Domain has never tolerated devil cultivators,” Zuo Song declared with righteous indignation. ”And since Green Pill Valley will govern Tianlan Immortal City for the next decade, you must act on this matter.”

But after hearing his statements, Tao Wan let out a cold snort. ”Zuo Song, are you trying to teach me how to do my job?”

In an instant, Zuo Song’s impassioned tone was doused entirely, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He opened his mouth in surprise. ”No, I didn’t mean—”

”No need for excuses,” Tao Wan cut him off coldly. ”None of the actual parties involved have said a word. Why is your Iron Sword Hall so eager to meddle?”

Because the actual parties are nearly all dead! Zuo Song screamed inwardly, but his face was blank with shock.

He instinctively argued, ”I only felt it was my duty to uphold justice as part of Tianlan Immortal City.”

Tao Wan sneered. ”When was your Iron Sword Hall ever part of the city? This city belongs to the Seven Major Sects. Know your place.”

Then, her tone suddenly shifted. ”Besides... wasn’t your Iron Sword Hall rather close with the Flame Alliance?”

The words landed like a hammer.

Green Pill Valley had already allied itself with the Falling Cloud Sect, clashing time and again with the Flame Alliance and their Sword Sect partners. Foundation Establishment cultivators had fallen in those bloody conflicts. The two sides were sworn enemies, not allies!

Iron Sword Hall’s ties to the Flame Alliance were supposed to be a closely guarded secret. Now, that secret lay exposed before the future ruler of Tianlan Immortal City. If Tao Wan pressed the point further, the consequences would be disastrous.

Cold sweat drenched Zuo Song’s back before he realized it. He barely registered what Tao Wan said afterward. All he caught was, ”Tianlan Immortal City is still under Ice Fortress’s control. If you have issues, go talk to Tantai Jin. Don’t bother me!”

What kind of joke is this?

Everyone knew the Ice Fortress was the Luo Tian Society’s backer. They might not always intervene, but barging into their affairs was equal to slapping the Ice Fortress in the face. And who in their right mind would provoke a sect with Golden Core cultivators?

As these jumbled thoughts spun through Zuo Song’s mind, he stumbled out of Icewave Palace in a daze. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!

He had come to report the Luo Tian Society’s atrocities, to see the future ruler of Tianlan Immortal City fly into a rage and crush them beneath her authority. The Luo Tian Society’s pill business was already cutting into Green Pill Valley’s Yellow Dragon pills business. He had practically handed her a righteous excuse to act. Surely even the Ice Fortress wouldn’t have been able to shield them!

Then why... why did Tao Wan brush it all aside? thought Zuo Song.

Meanwhile, within Icewave Palace, Tao Wan looked at Luo Chen with a half-smile. ”Fellow Daoist Luo, it’s been two years since we parted. Have you been well?”

Luo Chen responded with composure, ”Thank you, True Inheritor Tao, for standing up for justice.”

She scoffed lightly. ”It was a trivial matter, hardly worth calling justice. If you must thank someone, thank Tantai Jin.”

Luo Chen turned to Tantai Jin.

She simply shook her head and said calmly, ”Winners rule, losers fall. That’s all there is to it.”

And in that moment, Luo Chen understood. When the Luo Tian Society had been in crisis, the Ice Fortress hadn’t lifted a finger. But now that he had emerged victorious, his strength was proven. And strength alone commanded respect. In such a situation, offering a few timely favors was something they didn’t mind at all.

”Today, I brought you here to inform you of something else,” Tantai Jin suddenly said.

Luo Chen tilted his head in curiosity.

Under his gaze, Tantai Jin glanced at Tao Wan, then said, ”For the next ten years, Tianlan Immortal City will remain under Ice Fortress’s control. As for the Jade Dew pill collaboration, we’ll continue.”

Her voice was cool and steady, belying the shocking news it delivered. Luo Chen was entirely caught off guard.

Wait... what?! What about the ten-year sect rotation? Wasn’t the city supposed to be in the midst of transition?

Suddenly, he recalled his first meeting with Tantai Jin and his encounter with the Fairy Ruthless. Each time the Jade Dew pills had been mentioned, the terms were measured not in years, but in decades and centuries... almost as if the rotation of power in Tianlan Immortal City was irrelevant.

From the beginning, they had been confident that they could maintain this partnership. In other words, Green Pill Valley’s giving up its ten-year city tenure had been planned long ago. This was merely the moment it became official.

Tantai Jin’s voice drifted softly by his ear, yet carried the weight of iron. ”The Luo Tian Society will now be under the true protection of our Ruthless Lineage. Once you’ve cleaned up the aftermath, refine as many Jade Dew pills as you can. The annual supply before was far too little!”

So that was the real point!

Luo Chen finally understood. He drew a deep breath and bowed with solemn respect. ”I won’t let you down, Fellow Daoist.”

***

Accompanied by Shi Boying, Luo Chen stepped out of Icewave Palace. Bathed in the harsh sunlight, he felt as though heavy manacles had been removed from his limbs.

The external threats were gone! The foundation for the Luo Tian Society’s ventures was firmly established, and with the protection of the Ruthless Lineage secured, he no longer had to live on edge, bracing for a crisis at every turn. All that remained was to tie up a few loose ends. Once Sima Huiniang emerged from seclusion, he could finally lay down his burdens and focus wholly on cultivation and pill refinement.

As they walked, Luo Chen casually struck up a conversation with Shi Boying. He had meant to ask about the Ice Fortress’s second-tier top-grade cultivation pills. The answer he received was unexpected yet perfectly reasonable.

Shi Boying explained, ”Our Ice Fortress doesn’t specialize in alchemy. We rely entirely on supplies from the Medicine King Sect and Green Pill Valley. Occasionally, we obtain some top-grade pills, but they’re always in short supply. In that case, even if some do show up, none of it will trickle down to us.”

I see, so that’s how things are...

Though slightly surprised, Luo Chen understood. If it weren’t so, neither Tantai Jin nor the Golden Core Adept Fairy Ruthless would’ve placed such value on his Jade Dew pill. But that raised another question: where could he find top-grade cultivation pills?

Tao Wan?

Thinking of Tao Wan, who had casually protected him earlier, Luo Chen felt a slight stir in his heart. Green Pill Valley was a great alchemy sect. Even if it could not rival the Medicine King Sect, it surely had no shortage of top-grade pills. Perhaps there was a way to gain access through an indirect path.

But Tao Wan was proud by nature. How should he approach her? Through her younger brother, Tao Yisheng? Or perhaps by learning her preferences, just as he had done with thd Ice Fortress, aligning with their interests to draw closer?

While Luo Chen pondered, Shi Boying excused herself.

Standing at the gates of Icewave Palace, Luo Chen let out a soft sigh. ”So be it. At least the external threats are resolved. Internal matters will fall into place in time.”

Just as Luo Chen turned to head back toward Danxia Peak, a strange sensation pricked at him. Following that feeling, he lifted his gaze.

On the third floor of a nearby tavern stood a man with a reddened forehead and a broad saber on his back, staring at him intently. His eyes were filled with disbelief and uncertainty, and with Luo Chen’s sharp vision, he could see the man’s expression, dark as an overcast sky.

Luo Chen smiled and gave a slight nod in that direction.

Zuo Song, Sect Leader of Iron Sword Hall, forced an awkward smile in return.