An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The Blood Devil!

At the mention of that moniker, all three turned pale.

”You mean the one who leaves no survivors below the Golden Core Realm, draining every drop of blood essence?” Li Yingzhang asked, his voice tight.

Xu Haizhen frowned. ”You think Palace Leader Wang was attacked... No, wait. You think he is the Blood Devil? How’s that possible? He never seemed the bloodthirsty type!”

Meanwhile, Duan Feng’s face darkened as he vaguely recalled some rumors from the Dahe Market period. Though vague and scattered, those rumors had always vaguely pointed to Wang Yuan. But back then, so much had happened at Dahe Market in just two or three years that no one had paid much attention to Wang Yuan.

Now, hearing that same name linked to the Blood Devil sent a chill down his spine.

Luo Chen quietly exhaled, relieved by their reactions. Whether the rumor was true or not, at least his subordinates had not turned on Wang Yuan as the Falling Cloud Sect and Sword Sect had. Both sects had already declared him a devil cultivator and issued orders for his extermination.

In the Jade Cauldron Domain, there was no place for devil cultivators. This was no longer about sect rivalry or conflicting interests. It came down to a deeper distinction between the righteous and the evil. No matter how petty or deceitful people acted in private, their conduct in public still adhered to the rules of the orthodox path. Even slightly overstepping certain boundaries could brand one a raiding cultivator or a heretical cultivator.

Those who practiced devil techniques and committed atrocities had no place to stand at all. Just like Soul-Refining Hermit Guyue back then—he was merely an early-stage Initiate, yet he was hounded like a rat and cursed by all.

”The rumors of the Blood Devil are indeed linked to Wang Yuan. It spreads through the ninth mountain and the Thousand Li of Yellow Sands. So his whereabouts are most likely within these regions. This matter stays between us four. It must not be spread.”

The three were stunned for a moment, then nodded one after another. Even the divide between the righteous and devil paths could not outweigh personal bonds. Wang Yuan was one of their own and had never once harmed them. Even if he had truly become a devil reviled throughout the Jade Cauldron Domain, they would still protect him whenever possible.

”If you happen to find him, try to persuade him to return or inform me immediately.” Luo Chen retrieved three sound-transmission jade tokens from his storage pouch. These enchanted artifacts could transmit messages across a thousand li radius at speed. ”Alright, you may go now.”

The three men looked as though they wanted to speak further, but upon seeing the furrow in Luo Chen’s brow, they held their tongues and quietly withdrew.

Once they had left, Luo Chen couldn’t help letting out a long sigh. ”Brother Wang...”

He never imagined that Wang Yuan would still end up on this path. It was nearly identical to the future he had simulated in the Divine Ghost Heartmirror the first time!

Luo Chen had always known that Wang Yuan possessed a secret technique that allowed him to absorb a cultivator’s blood essence to rapidly heal his injuries or even enhance his cultivation. Back when the Dajiang Gang launched a full assault on the Poshan Gang, they sent three ninth-stage Qi Refinement experts to besiege Wang Yuan. That battle had reduced the entire Qingjiang Long Street to ruins.

Wang Yuan had killed one, wounded another, and dragged the last one, Broken Blade Xu Renke, down with him. The two had plunged together into the waters of the Lancang River. Yet later, Wang Yuan returned alive and with significantly advanced cultivation! He also reeked of blood, because... he had absorbed every drop of blood essence, leaving Xu Renke’s flesh and bones bare.

Later, while preparing materials for the Blood Fiend Pills, he slaughtered numerous cultivators in the Golden Core ruins, gathering their blood essence. This led to Luo Chen eventually refining the Blood Fiend Pills. Now that such events were recurring, they did indeed align with Wang Yuan’s methods.

If, during the battle on the seventh mountain, he had used the secret technique to recover from grave wounds while covering the retreat, it would have been justifiable. Yet now, the rumors of the Blood Devil on the battlefield weren’t limited to just one man fighting enemies; they talked about a devil slaughtering indiscriminately! Many freshly fallen cultivators had been completely drained of their blood essence, and even living Initiates were frequently ambushed. Such a broad scope... it bordered on madness.

Luo Chen could understand it, but he could not accept it. This was no longer survival; it was courting death! Now, both the Falling Cloud Sect and the Sword Sect had dispatched a Golden Core Adept each to investigate the matter. If Wang Yuan was caught...

The name ”Blood Devil”... was never meant to be Wang Yuan’s. In the simulation, Wang Yuan was hunted by a Golden Core cultivator, but that title belonged to me. I earned it at the end of my lifespan, when I began killing to prolong my life.

He exhaled through his nose. ”And now, Brother Wang... you’ve beaten me to it.”

A wry smile tugged at the corners of Luo Chen’s mouth. His heart churned with tangled emotions. He had done everything he could and had even bought proper second-tier Physique Refinement techniques for Wang Yuan and opened up all the Luo Tian Society’s cultivation methods for his perusal. Yet, Wang Yuan had still chosen this path.

The Blood Path! The most seductive, the most consuming path among all devil arts. And now, it had claimed his closest friend.

Luo Chen took a deep breath and steadied his spirit. Whether Wang Yuan truly was the infamous Blood Devil or not, it changed nothing. He would not give up on him. Wang Yuan had walked with him from the very beginning—as teacher, as brother, as friend. Without that man’s strength and guidance, Luo Chen knew he could never have achieved what he had. He had never been one to hold grudges, and he understood the value of repaying kindness. More than that, they were friends!

”The search for Wang Yuan must continue,” he said firmly to himself.

He straightened up, and conviction returned to his gaze.

In half a month, it would be the Luo Tian Society’s turn to go to the sixth mountain. He had to finish healing Li Yingzhang quickly so he could return to Tianlan Immortal City with Yuan Xiaoyue and the others. The Aperture Opening method he had been developing could be the only path left for him to improve before the war begins; he could not afford to stop now.

In a short time, Luo Chen had sorted out his immediate priorities. The future remained uncertain but the path ahead had to be steady and sure!

The next day, he continued extracting the Earth Fire Fiend Qi from Li Yingzhang’s body and, with Spring Wind Rain Transformation, healing his internal wounds. At the same time, he ordered Duan Feng to use the connections he’d built on Golden Sand Floating Island to gather intel on the ninth mountain. They couldn’t afford to overlook the battlefield across Thousand Li of Yellow Sands either. Lastly, he had Yuan Xiaoyue leverage her ties with the Ice Fortress to procure second-tier Earth Fire Fiend Qi.

Golden Sand Floating Island was the Falling Cloud Sect’s stronghold; naturally, it was a hub for immense resources. Second-tier Earth Fire Fiend Qi wasn’t hard to obtain so long as one had the spirit stones. Soon enough, Yuan Xiaoyue brought him ten portions.

”Not too expensive, only five hundred spirit stones. They say many Flame Alliance disciples carry this stuff on them, so after the battles, the price dropped,” Yuan Xiaoyue said with a smile.

Luo Chen shook his head. It wasn’t exactly cheap. Ten portions of first-tier Earth Fire Fiend Qi usually cost only fifty to sixty spirit stones. But it wasn’t that Yuan Xiaoyue had been deceived. Normally, the difference lay in quality; the higher the tier of fiend qi, the steeper the cost. For instance, back then, Wang Yuan had paid more than thirty thousand spirit stones for Netherworld Yin Fiend. The problem right now was the raging war. Because of it, even the most common materials had surged in price.

”You’ve done well,” Luo Chen said, nodding. ”Keep collecting more.”

”Understood, President!”

”You may go now.”

Once Yuan Xiaoyue departed, Luo Chen activated the defensive formation and fell silent. He stared at the floating rock in his hand, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

He had managed to develop an Aperture Opening method using fiend qi, drawing inspiration from the first-tier Divine Breaker of Malevolence, the second-tier Qi-Physique Origin Method, and the third-tier Physique Refinement technique Sky Roc Transformation. It even incorporated various physique refinement theories that Wang Yuan had casually shared in conversation. With all that knowledge and theory reinforcing him, Luo Chen finally had confidence in his method. Now, everything was in place. It was time to begin.

”I may not be able to create techniques like Wang Yuan, but this personalized Aperture Opening method of mine should be just as good. Even if it fails, I already know how to purge fiend qi. It’s worth a try and there’s nothing to lose.”

With everything in place and no serious risks left, Luo Chen used his spirit power to effortlessly draw forth a fierce and domineering strand of fiend qi from the floating rock!