An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The Thousand Li of Yellow Sands stretched endlessly, barren and desolate. Everywhere Luo Chen looked, there was nothing but an expanse of golden grit—dunes rising and falling like the waves of a still, silent sea.

According to ancient records, this place had once been nothing like it was now. Back then, the land had been lush with water and greenery; the mountains had been elegant and serene. But that all changed a thousand years ago. The Jilei Nine Mountains erupted from the earth, and as if bringing a heavenly tribulation against heaven itself, their lightning raged across the skies.

Over time, that overwhelming power of lightning shattered the surrounding terrain, grinding mountains and valleys alike into fine sand. Even now, after countless ages and countless transformations of the land, the wrath of lightning had never ceased. What was once a thriving land had become a vast desert stretching for thousands of li.

Yet this was no ordinary desert. This was forged by the lightning of the Jilei Nine Mountains; it harbored neither life nor vegetation—no demonic beasts, no plants, no signs of vitality at all. The dunes moved constantly, writhing like a living sea of sand. Without Wind Control, even a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator would be sucked down by quicksand and buried alive. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators had to stay constantly alert, lest they too be dragged under.

Luo Chen stood near the center of the formation, his gaze calm but sharp, sweeping across the marching army. Over ten thousand cultivators were present, most of them at the late Qi Refinement Realm. But what truly stood out was the number of Initiates, which had reached over a thousand!

That number alone rivaled the strength of a major sect. In fact, few major sects could muster this many Initiates. Within the Jade Cauldron Domain, only Green Pill Valley and the Sword Sect had such deep foundations.

The Four Sects led the way. Their vassals formed the core, supplemented by confident rogue cultivators seeking glory.

If this turns into a full-scale war, even with my strength, there’s no guarantee of safety. And the Luo Tian Society? We barely number a hundred, Luo Chen thought.

While the cultivators around him brimmed with excitement and anticipation, Luo Chen remained silent. His expression was calm, but a quiet heaviness lingered in his heart. He did not voice it at all; he simply continued forward with the vast army as it pressed toward the sixth mountain.

Boom!

Suddenly, a booming crack of thunder exploded in his ears. Luo Chen looked up and couldn’t help but shiver in awe. In his sight, nine towering, steep peaks stretched from earth to sky, rising high over the Yellow Sands. Beneath their feet lay golden drifting sands; above their heads, dark clouds loomed heavily. Bolts of white lightning twisted through the sky like serpents and dragons, clawing violently at the heavens.

”Hold your position!” came a sharp command, cutting through the rumble. ”A thunderstorm is raging. It’ll last for ten breaths. We’ll go on the mountain once it subsides, and remember, the identity token issued by your factions carries embedded lightning-warding formations. Do not lose them!”

The voice came from a Golden Core Adept stationed near the center of the army. Luo Chen tightened his grip on the wooden token in his hand. The item was pitch-black and weighty; it was made of second-tier lightning-warding spiritwood. Luo Chen had no idea how the Falling Cloud Sect managed to mass-produce them. In the past, only the Sword Sect had produced such items in quantity, and they were for their miners to use while working in the Jilei Nine Mountains.

After a short wait, a wave of searing wind swept across the land. The storm of lightning vanished, and the dark clouds above seemed to dissipate. But they merely receded temporarily; everyone knew that within a month, they would gather once more and bring lightning with them.

”To the mountain!”

At this command, over ten thousand cultivators turned into two streams of light, flying separately toward the fifth and sixth mountains. These were the only two mountains the Four-Sect Alliance still held in full control.

Of the remaining seven, six were held by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, whereas the ninth mountain was too unstable for any troops to be stationed there. It was said that the two Nascent Soul Sages had struck a pact: If the Falling Cloud Sect lost control of all the Jilei Nine Mountains, they would be declared defeated, and the same held in reverse.

The Sword Sect had stumbled early due to fewer numbers and lost four of the Jilei Nine Mountains. But they had years of experience managing the mountains, and once they rallied, their counterattacks were ferocious, nearly suppressing the entire Four-Sect Alliance. The hard-won seventh and eighth mountains had been lost again in the past two years.

Now, the Four-Sect Alliance teetered on the brink of collapse. But it was said that the Falling Cloud Sect was developing lightning-resistant puppets capable of fighting freely in Jilei Nine Mountains. When that time came, the Falling Cloud Sect might very well launch their counteroffensive. With that in mind, the alliance clung desperately to the two mountains they still held.

***

”Phew, we’re finally here!” someone exclaimed.

”By heaven, my eyes hurt just from staring at the damn sand all the way here,” another muttered.

”Are we using the same encampment as last time?” came a voice from behind.

As Luo Chen descended to the ground, the air around him buzzed with chatter and idle complaints. Waves of cultivators landed one after another, exchanging grumbles and greetings as they took in their surroundings. He paid no attention to them and simply waited quietly for Tantai Jin’s instructions.

”There’s no need to rush,” her calm voice came through a sound transmission. ”My master has already made the arrangements. Once the handover is complete, we’ll head straight in.”

Luo Chen gave a slight nod and said nothing further. He watched in silence as the encampments across the sixth mountain changed hands. As new forces arrived, the exhausted cultivators who had held this post for months finally began their slow withdrawal. One by one, they emerged from their tents with their faces pale, their armor cracked, and their robes darkened by smoke and dirt.

Xu Haizhen stood beside Luo Chen. He spoke softly about the dangers of fighting in the Jilei Nine Mountains, ”The Jilei Nine Mountains are saturated with lightning year-round. The spirit energy here is wild and unstable. Low-tier defensive formations are completely useless. Right now, the sixth mountain has three large-scale defensive formations created by experts from the Falling Cloud Sect and Ailao Mountain. They are all technically fourth-tier, but because of the interference of the lightning, their effectiveness barely reaches third-tier. In any case, as long as we’re not hit by an Adept, we can hold our ground with this terrain advantage.”

Luo Chen nodded slightly. Everything Xu Haizhen said matched what Min Longyu had told him before. There were no discrepancies.

Despite their fearsome reputation, the Jilei Nine Mountains weren’t all that large; each mountain was about the size of Danxia Peak. Yet even one of these required three separate fourth-tier formations to fully cover, and even then, their effectiveness was diminished. It was a clear sign of just how brutal this battlefield truly was.

Xu Haizhen lowered his voice further. ”Also, obviously, we have to be especially wary of cultivators with lightning spirit roots or who specialize in lightning arts. Their power here is far beyond normal limits. There are three sword cultivators on the Sword Sect, skilled in lightning arts—two in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and one in the late stage. All of them are strong. The Flame Alliance also has a mid-stage Initiate who is an expert in lightning arts. We only know him by his Dao title, Yan Leizi.[1] Here are their portraits. President, if you encounter them, it’s best to avoid direct conflict.”

Xu Haizhen laid out a few portraits for Luo Chen to examine. Luo Chen accepted the portraits and studied each one carefully, committing the faces to memory. Then, with a faint smile, he asked casually, ”What about our side? Do we have any lightning experts?”

”We do!” Xu Haizhen discreetly pointed toward a defiant-looking man with curly hair.

Luo Chen glanced over. The guy with instant noodle hair?

Xu Haizhen continued, ”That man goes by the Dao title Lightning Sprite. He’s from Ailao Mountain and has reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment. He has an enchanted treasure called Lightning Spirit Drill, and he’s incredibly fierce. Whenever we clash with the Sword Sect’s sword cultivators, he’s always the first to charge in. He’s completely fearless. There’s also a lightning-spirit-root cultivator from Green Pill Valley who wields an enchanted treasure called Blackcloud Miasma. It’s especially effective in large-scale combat. And on the fifth mountain, the Falling Cloud Sect has a lightning cultivator who’s caused the Sword Sect quite a bit of trouble.”

At this point, Xu Haizhen suddenly paused. ”Actually, we’ve got one from our own Luo Tian Society too. The Sword Sect has officially placed him on the ’high caution’ list for low-tier cultivators.”

”Min Longyu?” Luo Chen asked.

Xu Haizhen nodded. ”Yes. Elder Min may not possess a lightning spirit root, but by combining formations with special materials, he’s able to channel the actual lightning here. That time, he deployed the Fivefold Thunderfall Formation and annihilated five Initiates in an instant. The story is still told across the Jilei Nine Mountains. His new Dao title, Lei Zhenzi, is enough to strike fear into many.”

A faint light of admiration glimmered in Luo Chen’s eyes as he nodded slowly. He had told Min Longyu that he had nothing to feel guilty about, and that was not a lie in the slightest. During that night battle, he had done everything within his power. The Dao title Lei Zhenzi stood as solid proof that everyone believed that.

He thought of the formation disc Min Longyu had gifted him before their parting, with a specially tuned formation inside. Luo Chen felt immensely reassured. Lei Zhenzi may no longer be here in person, but his legacy is.So long as the conditions were right...

He instinctively cast his gaze across the landscape. Jagged cliffs loomed all around, their surfaces charred black.

Is that the mark left by a lightning strike, or the blood of countless fallen cultivators seeping into the stone? Either way, this terrain isn’t ideal for deploying a formation.

”Oh yes, one more thing.” Xu Haizhen grew serious. ”President, you must remember to never fly too high when fighting atop the Jilei Nine Mountains.”

Luo Chen raised a brow. ”Because it makes you an easier target for lightning?”

”Exactly! The lightning force accumulated in these mountains over the years is terrifying. Even when it looks calm, no one can predict when a bolt might come down. In battle, flying too high turns you into a living target. There are no lifeforms native to this land, not even insects. That should tell you something.”

Ordinary lightning posed little threat to cultivators; it wasn’t the lightning tribulation that struck during Nascent Soul ascension, after all. Some powerful cultivators could even harness such lightning to forge enchanted artifacts or temper their bodies. But if struck mid-battle, even one instant of brief paralysis could decide the fight. To die because you flew a bit too high would be the most humiliating kind of end.

Xu Haizhen had shared a great deal all at once. He had practically unloaded every hard-earned lesson from the past two years onto Luo Chen. Luo Chen glanced at the wide-eyed, eager rogue cultivators around them. Most of them probably had no idea about these dangers.

”Make sure everyone in the Luo Tian Society knows all this as well,” Luo Chen said.

”Already done,” Xu replied. ”I’ve sent someone to brief them.”

As they spoke, the handover of the sixth mountain was nearing its end. Luo Chen’s expression shifted slightly as his gaze swept across the departing cultivators, and then stopped upon a familiar squad.

The Lianyun Trade Alliance!

Among them stood a woman, momentarily frozen in place as her eyes met his. Luo Chen gave a small nod in greeting, and the woman smiled bitterly and nodded in return.

”Fellow Daoist Li, is there something wrong?” asked Nangong Jin, who was flying alongside her in the retreating group.

Li Yixian sighed. ”I thought with Luo Chen’s reputation as a great alchemist, they would let him stay out of this war... Never thought he’d be dragged into it too.”

Nangong Jin froze and instinctively looked toward Luo Tian Society’s direction. He saw only Luo Chen’s back, already disappearing into the mountains under Ice Fortress escort. He murmured, ”Even an alchemist master renowned across the entire domain has been pulled into this storm. Then what can ordinary folks like us expect?”

Li Yixian gave another bitter laugh and was about to reply when an aged voice sounded from behind them.

”Don’t underestimate Dan Chenzi,” the old man said. ”The encampment he’s been assigned is among the safest. The Ice Fortress values him far more than they do any of us.”

Li Yixian and Nangong Jin were both taken aback. They turned and bowed respectfully. ”Greetings, Grand Elder!”

The Grand Elder of Lianyun waved tiredly. ”No need for such formalities here. Go rest.”

As he spoke, his eyes lingered on Luo Chen’s fading silhouette, and a trace of envy crossed his face. Their encampments faced vastly different degrees of danger. If the Lianyun Trade Alliance had received such protection, its losses wouldn’t have been so severe. Just two years ago, they had nine Initiates; now, only five remained.

Even Zhou Qing, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator he’d pinned high hopes on, had perished. If this went on, how many of them from the Lianyun Trade Alliance would even survive to return to Tianlan Immortal City?

”Enough,” he muttered under his breath. ”I can only hope Tian Xingzi was telling the truth... Otherwise, this entire expedition may have been for nothing.”

The Grand Elder of the Lianyun Trade Alliance let out a sigh and turned and flew away from the sixth mountain, exhaustion etched into every movement.

***

The Luo Tian Society had been assigned to guard a mountainside post near the rear of the battlefield, one of the few locations where trees still grew.

The trees here, nourished by lightning year-round, could be turned into a type of lumber naturally known as Thunderstruck Wood. This second-tier material was commonly used in crafting lightning-element enchanted artifacts and treasures. It held respectable value, though it was not particularly rare. Many major sects had long since mastered the art of cultivating Thunderstruck Trees by channeling natural lightning to nourish the trees in their own backyards.

This particular site was located somewhere far from the front lines, and perched on elevated terrain. The resources it produced were nothing to write home about. All in all, it was probably the least desirable post from an enemy’s perspective. Unlike other vassal forces, which guarded key passages, formation nodes, or valuable resources, the Luo Tian Society would have very little to do.

”Are you satisfied?” Tantai Jin asked.

Luo Chen withdrew his gaze from the surroundings and gave a sincere nod. ”To be honest, it’s even a bit beyond my expectations.”

He had expected that Adept Ruthless would show some favor to the Luo Tian Society, but he had not imagined that the arrangement would be this generous. Beyond everything else, the site offered an excellent retreat path. Even if the enemy launched a full assault, the front-line cultivators would absorb the brunt of the attack long before it reached this position.

Tantai Jin shook her head. ”It is a good spot, yes, but my master paid dearly for it. Nearly seventy percent of the supreme-grade Blood-Burning Pills you refined were traded to the Falling Cloud Sect and Daoist Aunt Moonshade.”

Luo Chen’s eyebrows shot up. Seriously? Damn!

He had often wondered why, despite acquiring a massive amount of Blood-Burning Pills over the past two years, the Ruthless Lineage’s situation on the battlefield had not improved. Even the Luo Tian Society had only been given a relatively safe outpost.

Now he understood. That fickle leader of the Ruthless Lineage had not used the pills at all! She had hoarded them until now, waiting to trade them for greater benefit!

For a moment, a wave of anger surged in his chest. Yet as Tantai Jin flew ahead toward the mountain peak, that anger gradually died down. If he were in her position, he would likely have done the same. Back when he’d just given her the Blood-Burning Pills, they were merely valuable items. They were potentially useful, but not critical. Now that the war had escalated, their value had multiplied. Each pill could temporarily raise a cultivator’s battle strength by several levels and even shift the outcome of small-scale clashes. Traded at this stage, they were worth far more than before, and as a result, the Luo Tian Society also benefited.

”I really did underestimate these Adepts,” Luo Chen muttered under his breath. ”They all appear calm and withdrawn, but when it comes to profit, none are more perceptive. Thinking kindly of her just now was naïve.”

He looked around at the mountainside. The area was quiet, and its rocky slopes were peppered with Thunderstruck Trees. This place should have been Luo Tian Society’s designated position from the beginning.

Forget it. Since I’m here, I may as well settle in. There’s no point in dwelling on the past. What matters now is surviving the battles ahead, he thought.

With that thought, Luo Chen reached into his storage pouch and took out the Wandering Eighteen-Formation Disc.

1. The character 炎 (Yán) in 炎雷子 (Yan Leizi) references the Flame Alliance (炎盟), while 雷 (Léi) means thunder or lightning. Just as a reminder, the suffix 子 is a classical honorific used for scholars, denoting seniority or mastery. ☜