An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The plains stretched wide and barren, desolate and eerily silent. Yet across that empty field, a dozen or so puppets of varied designs stood out starkly, drawing all eyes. They were controlled by a team of seven early- and mid-stage Initiates. They had spread out, positioning themselves in every direction, surrounding a single cultivator cloaked in black robes.

”You’ve got guts, Fellow Daoist, daring to ambush a disciple of our Falling Cloud Sect!” The speaker looked young, yet his cultivation was clearly extraordinary. He had firmly stepped into the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. More than that, he was no ordinary youth. Even back in his Qi Refinement days, he had earned a name across the entire Jade Cauldron Domain for his extraordinary achievements.

He was Han Zheng! He had once been ranked first on the Jade Cauldron Domain’s Elite Prodigy Board during the Qi Refinement Realm. After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, he had defeated mid-stage Foundation Establishment sword cultivators while still at the early stage himself. On top of that, he carried a grand status—he was the grandson of a Nascent Soul Sage.

Yet despite his reputation, the team he led now regarded the black-robed figure with palpable wariness. For good reason: The enemy stood at Perfected Mastery of the Foundation Establishment Realm! Worse still, his lightning attacks revealed power faintly reminiscent of a Golden Core cultivator. This meant the man was likely a Pseudo-Golden Core cultivator, someone who had failed to form a core yet whose power surpassed nearly every other Initiate alive.

Such figures were practically untouchable within their realm. Whoever crossed them usually met disaster. They had assumed he was merely at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and by the time they realized, it was already too late to back out. Now, they could only brace themselves and see it through!

The black-robed man sneered and casually tossed something forward. ”You followed me so stubbornly... isn’t it just for your junior brother’s corpse? Here, take it.”

A corpse landed in front of the wary Han Zheng. A shriveled corpse landed heavily before Han Zheng, who had braced himself cautiously. At the sight of the dried, husk-like body, his face darkened. Not a trace of blood qi remained. What did that imply?

Han Zheng instinctively took a step back and asked warily, ”Blood Devil?”

Blood Devil chuckled hoarsely, and his sinister gaze swept over the seven cultivators and the puppets under their control. ”Disciples of a major sect... surely your blood essence surpasses that of those pitiful rogue cultivators!”

Before he had even finished speaking, he began weaving seals at breakneck speed. At the same moment, Han Zheng shouted. ”Attack together!”

Under his command, the seven cultivators from the Falling Cloud Sect activated their puppets and launched the assault.

***

The battlefield lay in ruin, shattered and drenched with blood. Of the dozen puppets once deployed, only four remained standing. As for the Falling Cloud Sect cultivators, just two were still alive.

Han Zheng stood atop a wooden kite puppet, flanked by a broad-mouthed battle puppet, while another swift puppet tangled closely with Blood Devil. His robes were in tatters, and his expression grim. Inside, he burned with grief and fury.

He had miscalculated. He had underestimated the power of a Pseudo-Adept. The truth was stark: Even without forming a core, such an opponent was still leagues above any number of early- and mid-stage Initiates. With just a few moves, Blood Devil had butchered most of their team like chickens. Only one junior brother, Xu Ji, remained desperately dodging, teetering on the brink of collapse.

”Junior Brother Xu Ji, hang on!” Han Zheng shouted. ”I’ve alerted Elder Linghu. He’ll be here soon!”

Xu Ji’s robes were already soaked in blood. Prolonged control over a mid-stage Foundation Establishment humanoid puppet had drained his spirit, leaving his mind groggy and dull. Hearing Han Zheng’s voice, he jolted and shook his head violently. ”Senior brother, I’ll cover the retreat! Please go!”

Before the words had even faded, he popped a blood-red pill into his mouth. In mere seconds, his energy flow surged wildly, rising by three whole stages through sheer force. Han Zheng recognized the pill—it was a first-tier supreme-grade Blood-Burning Pill, crafted by the renowned alchemist Dan Chenzi. Elder Tian Xingzi had exchanged a personal favor to obtain it. As Tian Xingzi’s disciple, it was only natural for Xu Ji to carry such a pill with him.

Xu Ji had consumed the pill and was now preparing for his final stand, all to buy time for Han Zheng’s retreat. The gesture struck deep within Han Zheng’s heart. ”Junior Brother, you—”

Before he could finish, what happened next left him utterly stunned. Instead of charging forward with his newfound power, Xu Ji suddenly retreated. He leapt backward dozens of zhang like an arrow. The unexpected move completely caught Han Zheng off guard. He left me behind? Me? The grandson of a Nascent Soul Sage? How dare he!

A cold voice then echoed beside his ear. ”Distracted in battle? Boy, are you overestimating your divine soul, or simply underestimating me?”

Han Zheng’s eyes widened in horror. Blood Devil had already slipped past the puppet that had the might of a late-stage Initiate.

Boom!

A flash of peach-colored light struck Han Zheng, sending him flying several zhang before he crashed into the ground. Whether he was still alive or not was anybody’s guess. Blood Devil cast a glance at the fallen body, but his expression remained devoid of emotion. He then formed a sword seal with his fingers. His flying sword trembled violently before shooting out; in the blink of an eye, it had crossed ten li, shooting straight for Xu Ji’s neck.

Just then, a giant sword came streaking in like a meteor, followed by a trail of white light. The sword pierced through Xu Ji’s chest and sent him tumbling down. Only then did Blood Devil glimpse the attacker’s silhouette. He frowned and sent his flying sword to intercept with full force.

Clang!

With a single strike, the majestic sword was knocked powerlessly to the ground.

”A masterless flying sword? You dare use this to threaten me?” he sneered and cast another sword seal toward the incoming white light. ”Trying to sneak up on me with cultivation like yours? Do you even know how to write the word ’death’?”

He was brimming with confidence... until the white silhouette suddenly burst into motion. Wings spread wide, and the figure shot forward like lightning.

”It’s you!”

The moment he saw those wings, Blood Devil’s heart thudded violently. But though his mind was quick, his body was half a beat too slow. Or rather, the opponent’s speed was just too overwhelming; a distance of over a hundred zhang was closed in the blink of an eye!

There was no time to recall his sword. He could only instinctively summon his defensive enchanted treasure—a red silk ribbon unfurled before him.

In the next instant, the white light closed in. One hand seized the red silk ribbon and yanked it back with brute force. With overwhelming might, it tore open a gap in the defense of this enchanted treasure. The other hand spread open like a demonic beast’s claw and struck downward!

Schlick!

The strike plunged clean through Blood Devil’s chest like a blade slicing through tofu and wrenched out his still-pulsing heart. Then, without hesitation, the hand tightened its grip. Under Blood Devil’s horrified gaze, the heart exploded into a spray of torn flesh and blood.

Blood Devil suppressed his shock and pain, gritted his teeth, and commanded, ”Return!”

The torn red silk fluttered forward and tried to wrap around his body again. Despite his severe injuries, he remained calm. As long as the enchanted treasure could still activate, he could launch one last attack. If he could not survive, he would take his enemy down with him.

Yet the white figure gave him no chance. Both hands spread wide, and though they did not make contact, a torrent of blood qi burst forth. The surge struck like crashing waves against stone, hitting Blood Devil square and tearing him clean in half.

Splurtttt!

Amid the rain of blood and flesh, the two halves of Blood Devil’s body fell lifeless to the ground.

The white figure finally stopped. With one hand, he seized the torn red silk. With the other, he took the storage pouch from the Blood Devil’s waist. A casual wave gathered up the fallen humanoid puppet and stored it away.

After that, he turned his gaze toward Han Zheng’s motionless body. For a long moment, he stared, and then he shot off into the distance without saying a word. Not once did he glance at the bodies of the other slain disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect.

The written account of this battle might be lengthy, yet in truth, from the moment the white figure appeared to the instant Blood Devil’s possessions were looted, it had all taken place in scarcely a breath.