An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

When Luo Chen broke free from the oppressive might of an Adept’s strike and lunged straight at Zheng Xian, three soft exclamations echoed throughout the sky, carried by the icy gales that swept through the clouds. It seemed none of them had expected that a mere Initiate could shatter the spirit pressure unique to Adepts.

In the cultivation world, upward challenges and victories were rare but not unheard of. Such feats, however, usually occurred only within minor stages of the same realm. Once the battle crossed into a different realm, the outcome was practically set in stone. Few could ever hope to defeat those a major realm above them.

Between Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment stretched the gulf of projecting spirit consciousness and liquefying spirit power. A Qi Refinement cultivator had to possess an exceptionally strong divine soul, unusually dense spirit power, and additional hidden techniques, abilities, and items; even then, surpassing that boundary was a titanic task. Yet within the Shanhai Realm, stories did surface from time to time of Qi Refinement cultivators defeating Initiates.

However, for Foundation Establishment cultivators to defeat those at the Golden Core Realm was almost beyond belief. The stories most often told were of one Initiate or another exchanging a few moves with an Adept, or narrowly escaping such an opponent’s grasp. Never in recorded history had there been an Initiate who killed an Adept in head-on combat.

Even a few years ago, when Luo Chen slew Di Wanyun, that example carried little weight in the eyes of others. To them, Luo Chen’s victory had been nothing more than luck. He had merely triggered the remnant power left behind by a mighty cultivator of the Divine Transformation Realm. Before such power, what was an Adept? Even the slightest contact could mean instant death.

As for Adepts defeating Nascent Soul Sages, or Sages fighting against Divine Transformation Ascendants, such tales were dismissed as pure fantasy. The reason lay in the nature of each major realm. Every great boundary carried a transformation even more profound than that between Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment.

Between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core, the gulf came in the form of divine consciousness and the transformation of spirit power into mana. That transformation gave rise to a unique aura that set the two realms apart—spirit pressure!

The fusion of divine consciousness and spirit power gave birth to mana. Once unleashed, that power naturally suppressed the liquefied spirit power of Foundation Establishment Initiates. That suppression was known as spirit pressure. It was the direct and perceptible expression of pure domination in terms of both spirit power and divine soul foundation.

Back on the battlefield of the Jilei Nine Mountains, when Luo Chen first faced Di Wanyun, he had been nearly powerless to resist. Even escape had been nearly impossible; before even realizing it, he had already been smothered by spirit pressure. If not for Chu Kui breaking through that suppression with the aid of a Golden Core pill of unknown origin, Luo Chen would never have gotten away.

Moreover, Di Wanyun was old, and he had not even gone all out in the first moment. Qin Tairan was now in his prime, higher in level, and with cultivation of extraordinary depth. Since he had taken action directly, Luo Chen should have been captured without struggle. Yet against all expectations, Luo Chen had broken free! Not only that, but he even charged at Zheng Xian!

In the skies, the eyes of Ailao Mountain’s elder flickered strangely. ”What a formidable physique!”

Elder Long immediately understood what he meant: Luo Chen had not relied on spirit power to overcome the suppression of mana. He had relied purely on the strength of his body. Even so, something still did not add up!

”No, that’s not possible. What about the pressure on the divine soul?” Elder Long muttered in disbelief. ”How can he ignore that? Could it be that this boy’s divine soul foundation is no weaker than an Adept’s?”

The thought was impossible. Luo Chen’s cultivation was plain for all to see. At most, he had just stepped into the seventh stage of Foundation Establishment. And given his young age, no matter how strong his divine soul foundation, how could it possibly be that strong?

“Could it be... he carries an enchanted treasure that reinforces his soul?” Elder Long wondered silently.

As expected of someone so old and experienced, he was right on the mark. Luo Chen did, in fact, possess an enchanted treasure tied to the soul. It was the Forsaken Chess Piece.

Ever since the day he slew Di Wanyun on the Ninth Mountain of Jilei Mountain, Luo Chen had known he had slapped the Flame Alliance square in the face. If he had died there, the matter might have ended; but because he survived, the Flame Alliance would never let it rest.

Even though he held the title of guest elder, the Ice Fortress could not shield him. Unless he remained hidden within the fortress forever, never taking a step outside, their vengeance would eventually find him. And such a path was not one he would entertain even for a moment. A true man could never accept living in stifled obscurity, bowing beneath others without end.

But Luo Chen was not without his own following, and neither did he lack a foundation like the average rogue cultivator.

Since leaving the Divine Transformation pocket world, he had concealed his movements, never revealing himself openly. On the rare occasions when he appeared, he disguised his identity and passed as one of the members of the Luo Tian Society.

What he needed was time! Time to grow and gain the strength to face an Adept head-on. Over the years, he had studied many of the methods that set Golden Core cultivators apart. Among them, the greatest threat to those at Foundation Establishment was spirit pressure.

Once unleashed, an Adept’s spirit pressure would leave cultivators of lower realms with no means to resist, rendering them helpless as lambs awaiting slaughter. From the moment he first experienced it, Luo Chen had wondered how he could withstand such force. Only after overcoming that obstacle could he begin to think about true combat.

At last, he had found a solution. With his third-tier Archaic physique, he could resist the suppression of mana. And with the soul-defending properties of the Forsaken Black Chess Piece, he could block the suppressive force of divine consciousness.

The latter assumption was not without basis. Luo Chen still remembered the battle at Trapping Hollow Valley—when he fell near the gate of that Divine Transformation pocket world, Di Wanyun unleashed a strike of divine consciousness against him. Yet a black radiance from his Forsaken Black Chess Piece had shielded him completely. In other words, that enchanted treasure was indeed capable of countering the divine consciousness attacks of Adepts.

Ever since obtaining it in the Dahe Ghost City after stepping into Foundation Establishment, he had devoted himself to refining it. He had poured even more time into the Forsaken Chess Piece than into the Mystic Flame Sword.

When he cultivated the Divine Breaker of Malevolence to Grandmaster level, a thin defensive net formed around his sea of consciousness. That defense had been born purely of his willpower. Though fragile and useful only against cultivators of similar power, it was entirely his own creation. Now, with this defense as his foundation and the Forsaken Black Chess Piece providing power, his years of painstaking effort had at last paid off. A faint golden edge encircled a dense black radiance spreading across his sea of consciousness.

Each time Qin Tairan’s divine consciousness bore down upon him, the golden-tinged black radiance rippled outward like a tide, pushing the suppressive force back into the outside world.

And thus, the feared spirit pressure was rendered completely ineffective.

***

Earlier, when Qin Tairan finally made his move, Zheng Xian relaxed completely. A Golden Core Adept possessed terrifying strength, and to deal with a mere seventh-stage Initiate was no different from dealing with a somewhat pesky insect. Once it was in the palm of his hand, simply closing his fist would be enough to crush it to death.

There was relief in his eyes, but the most vivid emotion within was venomous hatred. The despicable methods his opponent had used earlier remained vivid in his mind. Luo Chen was hidden within the earth fire and tried to kill him with a single strike. If not for the fiend qi he had nurtured in his chest, that strike might have killed him outright.

Even so, he had paid a heavy price. One of his arms had been torn away by Luo Chen’s monstrous strength. If he had retrieved it immediately, there might have been a chance to reattach it, but Luo Chen had cast the arm straight into the raging earth fire, burning away all hope.

The loss was not simply a matter of one arm. Cultivators whose bodies were thus crippled were effectively severed from the Great Dao. Even if they won this battle and he returned to the Flame Alliance, his hopes of forming a core were lost forever.

No medicine or healing art could truly restore what had been lost. Reattached limbs were never the same as those born with the body, and during a breakthrough, such flaws became the greatest hidden danger.

”I’ll see you dead! I can’t rest until you’re on your way to hell!” he roared.

But just as he savored the thought of Luo Chen’s miserable end, something suddenly felt wrong. His enemy’s expression remained unnervingly calm, his eyes sharp and cold, not showing the slightest trace of panic. He even flew forward, bearing down on him as though nothing at all were amiss.

And he was terrifyingly fast. There was a pair of illusory wings that seemed to unfurl from his back, propelling him with unstoppable momentum. At that pace, Zheng Xian knew escape was impossible.

”How is this possible?” he cried out. Could it be... he is unaffected by the spirit pressure of an Adept?!

There was no time to hesitate. Almost reflexively, Zheng Xian channeled his spirit power and swung his feather fan. Waves of fiery light surged out, their scorching heat so intense it felt as though the void itself might melt. Even Chu Kui, while drawing upon the strength of a Golden Core pill, would never have dared meet such an attack head-on.

As long as I hold on for a moment, Elder Qin will arrive!

As he frantically fanned the flames, his gaze flicked to the skies. Vaguely, he saw a crimson streak of light descending from the heavens toward them. However, from the corner of his eye, he also caught sight of a scene that made his blood run cold.

Within the sea of fire, Luo Chen did not dodge or turn aside. He simply charged straight through, forcing his way out unscathed. The speed exceeded Zheng Xian’s ability to react; in less time than the blink of an eye, Luo Chen closed the distance and appeared before him. The Mystic Flame Sword thrust forward, while the feather fan swung desperately in defense.

The two forces collided, and a violent shockwave erupted between them. Zheng Xian was blasted backward uncontrollably, while Luo Chen remained unaffected. His figure rose with wings spread wide like a great roc, soaring above Zheng Xian’s head. His fingers curled into a claw and reached downward.

Crack!

”What... is he grabbing?” Zheng Xian wondered in a daze. His gaze followed the motion, and he saw a headless corpse drift slowly toward the ground, still clutching a feather fan in the limp grasp of its only hand.

That... is my body?

Whoosh!

Luo Chen’s figure flickered upward in a sudden burst. In his grasp, he held Zheng Xian’s severed head, and he rose high into the skies above Danxia Peak.

Across the sky, Qin Tairan descended step by step from the heavens, fury etched across his face. Luo Chen stopped midair and fixed him with a cold, unflinching gaze.

”Qin Tairan, as an elder of the Flame Alliance, why do you strike at me? Do you intend to represent your alliance in declaring war against the Ice Fortress?”

”Insolent brat! You dare speak up in front of me?” Qin Tairan thundered in rage. ”Die!”

Without giving Luo Chen the chance to respond, he opened his mouth and spat out something of a crimson spark. The spark caught the wind and expanded, in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a furnace one zhang tall.

With a single push of his hand, the furnace hurtled down upon Luo Chen with unstoppable force.

You think you’re great? Fine then! If your body is so strong, let’s see you catch this furnace before it crushes you to death! If you’re so good with fire spells, then let’s see you resist the true fire in it!