An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Atop Danxia Peak, the atmosphere that had lately carried a hint of unrest calmed almost instantly the moment Luo Chen returned. His presence alone was like a divine pillar rising from turbulent seas to restore order.

However, at the Battle Palace today, numerous cultivators were bustling back and forth, their faces drawn tight with urgency. It was a flurry of motion that drew attention even from those familiar with the palace’s regular operations.

”What’s going on?” someone muttered.

”It’s rare to see so many Luo Network cultivators gathered all at once... Hey, you there, is there something going on?”

In the face of such questions, a Luo Network cultivator in charge of intel collection cast the speakers a hawk-like glare.

”Don’t ask about stuff that’s none of your business!” he snapped, then strode into the Battle Palace carrying a mountain of files.

***

Inside, Sima Huiniang arranged stacks of bamboo scrolls before Luo Chen with practiced efficiency. ”Here’s the latest intel from the year and a half since your departure. This pile is a general collection of information on Tianlan Immortal City, gathered over the last five years since the Luo Network was formed. The final stack was just delivered. After your order, Su Xiaolin spent significant effort and resources compiling it from multiple sources. It’s been prioritized and sorted. While not perfectly clean, anything connected to the war between the upper sects should be here.”

As Sima Huiniang laid out the bamboo scrolls in organized categories before Luo Chen. Palace Leader Sima Xian and Luo Network Elder Su Xiaolin stood to either side, ready to receive orders.

Luo Chen looked at the densely packed scrolls, drew a deep breath, and began reading without complaint.

Shanhai Calendar, year 3408, tenth month. The Falling Cloud Sect’s Supreme Elder Han Zhan broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm and moved to reclaim three large and seven small market towns under the distant control of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. His aggressive approach provoked protest from the Sword Sect, and the matter ended with their cultivators withdrawing from the Falling Cloud Sect territory. This incident was officially recorded as the trigger of the war between the upper sects.

Luo Chen paused, mentally placing the timeline. At the time, he had likely been at the ninth stage of Qi Refinement. Pang Renxiong had just died, and Dahe Market had fallen into ruin and become a ghost city.

Year 3408, eleventh month. A Foundation Establishment True Inheritor of the Falling Cloud Sect was suspected of having been killed by a True Inheritor from the Sword Sect. Around the same time, a Golden Core Adept from the Sword Sect died under mysterious circumstances, which they suspected was related to the Falling Cloud Sect. The tensions escalated, and talks between sect leaders failed.

The Falling Cloud Sect requested to reclaim a third-tier spirit mine, but the Sword Sect refused. At some point, one side struck first, sparking a small-scale battle near the mine involving Foundation Establishment cultivators. Though swift and brief, this battle officially marked the beginning of the Jade Cauldron Domain’s upper sect war.

The true outbreak was when Ailao Mountain refused to repair the Sword Sect’s Immortal City. One of their core disciples was killed by a Sword Sect True Inheritor. In a rage, that disciple’s master destroyed the city’s spirit core, attracting a massive demonic beast siege. The Sword Sect was enraged and sent three hundred sword cultivators to hold Ailao Mountain accountable. Ailao Mountain sought aid from the Falling Cloud Sect, and outside Ailao Mountain’s gates, the first true large-scale battle erupted.

Luo Chen estimated the time and discovered that it was shortly after this battle that Tian Xingzi from the Precious Dragon Black Market left Dahe Market in haste. That was in the early spring of the second year. He had then joined forces with Nangong Jin, led a charge up Xiaohuan Mountain, and destroyed the Duan family. Afterward, he barely managed to achieve Foundation Establishment and left Dahe Market.

Throughout that process, the two Nascent Soul upper sects in the Jade Cauldron Domain saw their conflicts deepen and escalate. Numerous battles broke out continuously, centered around the Foundation Establishment True Inheritors of both sects.

The battlefields expanded ever wider. The Sword Sect produced expert after expert. Some Golden Core Adepts even led hundreds of sword cultivators in attempts to breach deep into the Falling Cloud Sect territory, but were repelled by the Falling Cloud Sect’s top cultivators.

The world believed the Falling Cloud Sect lacked the foundation to withstand the Sword Sect’s thunderous might. No one expected what actually happened—the Falling Cloud Sect’s puppet arts, often mocked as eccentric tricks, unleashed astonishing power early in the war. In fact, in terms of raw battle power, they were in no way inferior to the Sword Sect’s sword cultivators. There were even instances where sword cultivators slew five puppets in succession, only to be blasted into a bloody pulp by the sixth.

Of course, the Sword Sect was still significantly stronger than the Falling Cloud Sect. After fending off the initial waves together with Ailao Mountain, the Falling Cloud Sect realized they couldn’t hold out. But it was then that Green Pill Valley cultivators joined the war, and they took the Falling Cloud Sect’s side.

Not to be outdone, the Sword Sect mobilized several of their top vassal forces. Even the Flame Alliance threw its support behind them. By this point, five major sects and over a dozen first-rate and second-rate forces had been drawn into the conflict. Both sides seemed to realize that letting things spread unchecked would be unwise. So they began to compress the fighting into three main warzones: the Sky Ascension Secret Realm, the Blackwater Marshes, and the Jilei Nine Mountains.

Although there were three fronts, one clearly held greater strategic weight. The core of the war was the Sky Ascension Secret Realm[1]. According to the rumors circulating around, this ancient ruin had been partially excavated and monopolized by the Sword Sect for centuries. Some even claimed that the reason the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect could surpass Green Pill Valley in number of Adepts and Initiates within mere centuries was due to the enormous gains from the ruins found in this secret realm.

Hence, the Falling Cloud Sect had dispatched Golden Core experts to seize the ruins, hoping to share them with Ailao Mountain and Green Pill Valley. Naturally, the Sword Sect begged to differ, and they sent elite sword cultivators to protect the place.

As for the other two battlefields, the Blackwater Marshes produced numerous rare resources, especially Black Devil Mire, which Ailao Mountain lacked and had long been forced to buy at high prices from the Sword Sect. Thus, Ailao Mountain’s main battleground was there, supported by the Falling Cloud Sect cultivators as they sought to seize control.

Meanwhile, the Jilei Nine Mountains’ front was far more complicated. It housed a massive fourth-tier lightning spirit mine, which over time had eroded the landscape, creating the wonder of the Quicksand Wasteland stretching for thousands of li. Everyone wanted to control it, yet no single force could claim it outright. Both sides sent waves of low-tier disciples to fight tooth and nail for every inch of ground. This front drew the largest number of combatants and the widest range of forces—upper sects, major sects, vassal forces, and even rogue cultivators became entangled in the struggle.

Then, ten years ago, the Sky Ascension Secret Realm suddenly closed! Thus ended one of the three great battlegrounds, and as a direct result, there was no longer any battlefield where high-level cultivators from the two upper sects could directly clash. They had become more restrained and stopped taking action themselves. Instead, they directed their subordinate forces and allies to wage a prolonged war in the Blackwater Marshes and Jilei Nine Mountains.

”So this is why, in recent years, everyone feels the war between the Nascent Soul upper sects has become less intense and more subdued?” Luo Chen murmured.

Given the strength of his divine soul and his sharp mind, he had finished reading and consolidating all the dossiers about this so-called ”Jade Cauldron Civil War” within just half a day. There were many questionable points and subtle patterns worthy of deeper thought, but none of them were the main concern. At the very least, they had little to do with Luo Chen directly.

He gently rubbed his brow and took the most recent intel from Su Xiaolin. Compared to the previous summaries, these records were much more detailed. For example, although Ailao Mountain appeared strong in the Blackwater Marshes, they had suffered heavy losses against the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect’s vassal coalition. Casualties included two Golden Core cultivators, one dead and one seriously injured.

Meanwhile, in the Jilei Nine Mountains, the conflict between Green Pill Valley and the Flame Alliance had only grown more severe. Many True Inheritors had fought in deadly earnest, and the number of fallen cultivators had become statistically significant. Among them were many first-rate and second-rate minor factions, which were swept away in the overwhelming tide. For instance, descendants of the Valley of Ghosts and Divinities that Luo Chen knew had perished one after another during Foundation Establishment battles. In the end, rogue cultivators took advantage of the chaos and looted their ancestral land clean. There were many such examples!

I thought life was already treacherous enough here in Tianlan Immortal City. I didn’t expect that even bloodier conflicts were happening constantly across the cultivation world. Perhaps that’s why the major Golden Core sects have reined themselves in to minimize losses among their ranks. Green Pill Valley, for instance, used the Dao Scion reappointment and Dao Scion competition as an excuse to call many of their disciples off the battlefield.

From the evolution of the broader situation, Luo Chen noticed many details. He could even deduce that some sects were no longer willing to remain entangled in this quagmire of war.

Finally, he turned to the intelligence the Luo Network had gathered during his year and a half away from Tianlan Immortal City.

Year 3450. Han Zhan, the Supreme Elder of the Falling Cloud Sect, and Sage Yuding, Supreme Elder of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, held their first public meeting by the Qinhua River, but parted on bad terms!

Reading that line, Luo Chen’s expression shifted slightly as clarity settled in. He finally understood what had happened during his absence that made things go awry. By the banks of the Qinhua River, the two upper sects had convened for peace talks. Two Sages met only to part on bad terms. Any cultivator would know what that implied.

Of course, the Qinhua River mentioned was not the one near Tianlan Immortal City but the great river that coursed through the entire Jade Cauldron Domain, second in size only to the Lancang River. The precise location of the meeting had not been disclosed, nor had the details of the conversation. Yet the simple phrase ”parted on bad terms” confirmed one thing without doubt: the Jade Cauldron Civil War was far from resolved. In truth, it indicated that simmering tensions were close to erupting into full-scale war.

That had been a year ago. Exactly when the Dao Scion competition began. Luo Chen recalled the many Adepts he had seen atop the Celestial Palace. He remembered clearly that Tao Yisheng had said the attending observers included Golden Core cultivators from the Falling Cloud Sect, the Hundred Flowers Palace, the Ice Fortress, and Ailao Mountain. Yet on the Celestial Palace platform, he hadn’t met any Adept from the Falling Cloud Sect. Either they had remained unseen or departed as soon as they arrived.

The meaning was obvious. Their presence had been only a symbolic message.

In other words, the moment the Dao Scion competition ended, the war machine of the Falling Cloud Sect had begun its full advance. Green Pill Valley and Ailao Mountain had already pledged their support, while the Ice Fortress, long hesitant, had finally made its stance clear. They stood aligned with the Falling Cloud Sect and prepared to enter the war in earnest.

By the time Luo Chen pieced this together, it had grown late. He leaned back in his chair, drained in both body and spirit. Without even bothering to open his eyes, he said flatly, ”You two may leave. Huiniang, stay.”

Sima Xian and Su Xiaolin, who had been standing all day, exchanged glances and quietly excused themselves. Sima Huiniang noticed Luo Chen’s weary state and rose to stand behind him. She massaged the pressure points at either side of his neck.

”I’ve never seen you this concerned,” she said softly. ”Why are you paying so much attention to the upper sect war now?”

”I have no choice but to care.” Luo Chen’s voice was heavy, his eyes still closed. ”We are being pulled into it as well.”

”What did you say....” Sima Huiniang’s hands faltered, her voice unsure, as if she’d misheard him.

Luo Chen let out a long sigh. ”Fairy Ruthless has ordered that everyone in Luo Tian Society above the seventh stage of Qi Refinement must join the war. Only one Foundation Establishment Initiate may remain behind to guard Danxia Peak.”

At those words, the fingers pressing into his temples stiffened. Sima Huiniang’s eyes widened in shock as she sat down across from Luo Chen.

”Are... are you serious?”

”Would I joke with you about something like this?”

Sima Huiniang asked hoarsely, ”How could it come to this...”

Indeed! How could it come to this?

On closer thought, the signs had always been present. Had Luo Tian Society remained as it was in the beginning, with only one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Ice Fortress would never have paid much attention. But once Foundation Establishment cultivators began appearing one after another like bamboo shoots after spring rain, how could they not take notice?

The Foundation Establishment Grand Ceremony had been one such sign. Or perhaps the real turning point came even earlier, when Luo Tian Society destroyed both the Danyuan Sect and the Divine Craftsman Sect, displaying its rising strength. From that moment, the Ice Fortress must have already fixed its sights on them. They had even fueled the flames by gifting a Foundation Establishment Pill at the ceremony, one that was completely useless to Sima Huiniang.

Wasn’t the implication clear? The more Foundation Establishment cultivators the Luo Tian Society produced, the better.

At this moment, Sima Huiniang surely understood what kind of consequences awaited if the Luo Tian Society were dragged into a war of this scale. She showed a shock she hadn’t felt in years, and along with it came the flicker of panic. Yet as her gaze fell on Luo Chen, an unexpected calmness took root within her chest. She smoothed her hair and spoke as if coming to terms with something, ”The circumstances are beyond our control. For years, we’ve enjoyed the great benefits of being Ice Fortress’s vassal. Now that they call on us to contribute, it is only to be expected.”

Luo Chen wanted to say that their vassal status was something he had bargained for with Jade Dew Pills. But when the words reached his lips, he stopped. The Ruthless Lineage hadn’t taken the Jade Dew pills for free. They had paid heavily in spirit stones. If each transaction was weighed fairly, then even without the pressure of a Golden Core Adept, the Luo Tian Society fighting for Ice Fortress could be seen as just. In this world, no one could enjoy benefits without paying a price. Yet when that price fell squarely on his shoulders, it was still hard to accept.

Sima Huiniang took a deep breath, then spoke rapidly but with clarity, ”If we truly must go to war, then many of the Luo Tian Society’s strategies must be revised. We must close and scale back all branches and put a hold on our proxy agreements with Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators, or we’ll lose control of the outer network. We must quickly renegotiate terms with all our trade partners and cancel the plan regarding the Bai family in Glowing Stream Market, and...”

Luo Chen’s gaze settled on the graceful woman before him. She seemed to have already accepted reality and had swiftly projected herself into the future landscape. Everything she thought and did now was oriented toward what lay ahead. Her adaptability was downright terrifying!

”Since Ice Fortress said we could keep one Foundation Establishment cultivator behind, then President, you should be the one to stay. I’ll oversee the battlefield myself, and I’ll do my best to ensure more of our people make it back alive.”

By the end, Sima Huiniang’s voice had grown heavy, and the firm conviction in her words held no fear.

Luo Chen smiled, and under her stunned gaze, he reached out and pinched her delicate nose. ”Silly girl! It’s one thing for you to handle the daily affairs of the Luo Tian Society, but for something this dangerous, how could I possibly send you?”

The gesture startled her. He rarely showed such casual affection, but the warmth behind it stirred her heart. However, the thought of the unknowns they’d face on the battlefield still weighed heavily on her. ”But—”

”No buts,” Luo Chen shook his head. ”Fairy Ruthless said we can leave one behind, but she didn’t count me in. No matter what, I’m a well-known alchemist in the Jade Cauldron Domain. A technical asset like me can’t be thrown into the battlefield to be worn down...”

As he spoke, Luo Chen’s voice gradually sank. The words echoed in his mind, Alchemist... Worn down...

Faintly, a thought began to rise in his mind.