An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 627: Reunion of Old Acquaintances; A Surge of Killing Intent; Bai Ye’s Legacy; The Core Formation Spirit Medicine (II)

At that, Yousha giggled with rippling delight. ”Oh, Master Dan Chenzi, I did not expect you to know our names. Well, you have not seen us fight, but we did see you take three consecutive crowns and suppress the Seven Prodigies of Green Pill Valley. Tsk tsk, it was such a sight, enough to make one’s heart race and mouth go dry.”

Luo Chen’s mouth twitched. What kind of nonsense is this woman spouting?

He then glanced around the room and asked, ”Speaking of the Twin Fiends, what about Fellow Daoist Mingsha?”

The question had barely left his lips when Yousha’s expression softened into one of sorrow.

”My husband... fell in Bai Ye’s pocket world,” she said softly.

Luo Chen froze in mild astonishment, though a flicker of satisfaction stirred in his chest. Serves him right. A fitting end!

Back when he was still recuperating from his wounds, Mingsha was the first to strike, attempting to kill him. The man had clearly walked the path of Physique Refinement with fiend qi and was brutally strong. Had Luo Chen not already attained the third tier of the Archaic physique, that palm strike would have left him gravely injured.

Rogue cultivators of such caliber were never weak; each possessed one or two deadly trump cards. Learning that such a foe had fallen, how could Luo Chen not feel a surge of grim pleasure?

Still, he kept his composure, a trace of sympathy flickering across his face. ”Please accept my condolences.”

To his surprise, Yousha’s grief lasted only a heartbeat before her expression bloomed into delight. ”What is there to mourn? Though he died, he secured a great opportunity for me. Truly, it was a good death!”

”Uh...” Luo Chen could only utter a sound of disbelief. Yet the other three reacted the same way, which made the matter all the more intriguing.

”I wonder what this great opportunity might be,” he said.

A pitch-black bamboo scroll lay in Lady Yousha’s hand.

”This is precisely why I’ve invited you here today, Fellow Daoist,” He Lianyun said cautiously.

Luo Chen eyed the black bamboo scroll. ”So this is the opportunity?”

”That’s right,” Yousha replied with a lilting smile. ”As long as you swear not to reveal what is said here today, I will tell you everything about this opportunity, whether or not our cooperation succeeds.”

The others nodded in agreement. It seemed they had already reached a consensus. However, Luo Chen gave a cold laugh and twirled the tea in the teacup before him.

”And what if I refuse?” he said.

Those five words dropped like a hammer. The faces of all four—man, woman, young, and old—shifted at once.

Luo Chen gave a low chuckle. ”We’re all cultivators at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, already standing at the edge of the Golden Core Realm. How could anyone swear an oath so lightly? If such an oath were to let me fall into deviation during the core forming process, then that’s a risk I have no intention of taking.”

Hearing this, the four exchanged uncertain glances. But Luo Chen couldn’t be bothered with their reactions.

The lower one’s cultivation, the less weight an oath seemed to carry. Yet the higher one climbed, the more careful one became. At that stage, a Dao oath was no trivial matter—it could awaken Heart Devils and cut off one’s cultivation path entirely. And that was something Luo Chen feared above all else.

Back in his Qi Refinement days, exhaustion and a few careless words from Gu Caiyi had driven him into deviation. He had nearly lost everything. If not for Fu Xiuxiu’s Moonlight Herb jolting him awake and his own timely realization, his cultivation would have been destroyed. And after reaching Foundation Establishment, three years ago, his rapid progress and tremendous hatred had once again drawn him to the brink of deviation. Fortunately, by relying on a host of hidden trump cards, he had prevailed in battle, and thanks to the Ice Fortress, he had survived and overcome his Heart Devil. Had the Flame Alliance and Qin Tairan survived, his Dao Heart would have been tainted, and he’d have never regained his drive to even live properly, let alone walk the path toward Golden Core.

These hard lessons had taught Luo Chen caution toward any kind of Dao oath or binding pact. Unless forced beyond measure, he would never swear one.

Seeing the four hesitate, Luo Chen smirked faintly and set down his teacup.

”Forget it. I’ll have nothing to do with your so-called opportunity. Let’s treat today as a friendly meeting. A few more acquaintances along the cultivation path can only be of benefit.”

With that, he rose and strode toward the door. Yet beneath that calm exterior, killing intent was already spreading through his heart. Hermit Xiao and Yousha had once tried to ambush him. Though neither recognized him now, the enmity was carved into his bones. And now, with this so-called opportunity laid before him, the thought of letting them go was laughable.

Luo Chen was no benevolent figure. Once he left this room and they left this city, the Luo Tian Society’s experts would be waiting to wipe them out. When that time came, his vengeance would be complete, and the opportunity they flaunted would belong to him alone. There would be no need for compromise.

Just as he reached the doorway, a voice called out sharply behind him, ”Wait!”

Luo Chen stopped and turned, his killing intent surging like a rising tide. ”What is it? Do you plan to keep me here by force?”

Sensing the open hostility in his tone, all four of them turned pale. The foremost among them, He Lianyun broke into a cold sweat. He hastily wiped his sweat and said, ”Fellow Daoist, please do not take offense! We can still talk this through!”

Without waiting for a reply, he turned to the other three. ”You asked me to invite Dan Chenzi here not only for the alchemy that even Green Pill Valley admires, but also for his gentlemanly conduct, did you not? If you cannot trust Dan Chenzi, then surely you can trust the Fire Spirit Lord!”

These words caused the tension on the others’ faces to ease up. Indeed, the title was not only a tribute to Luo Chen’s strength in battle. The word ”lord” itself carried the meaning of integrity and honor, qualities that defined his reputation as a man of principle who never broke his word.

And for decades, his actions had lived up to that title. The Li family of the Qinhua River, whom he had once protected, had not been consumed by rivals but had prospered instead. Its patriarch now held a high position within the Luo Tian Society and was respected by all. In fact, the family had even produced a second Initiate recently.

And speaking of the Luo Tian Society, Luo Chen had proved time and again that he was willing to give his life for it. For the sake of vengeance, he had led its forces himself, marching straight into the heart of the Flame Alliance to annihilate it. He perfectly embodied the saying that a true man repays kindness and exacts vengeance all the same. Would a man of such character need to be bound by an oath?

He Lianyun finally let out a quiet breath of relief and turned back toward Luo Chen. ”As long as you give your word not to spread this matter, there will be no need for a Dao oath.”

With things pushed to this extent, refusing would have seemed discourteous. And truthfully, they had already shown him considerable respect. Luo Chen thus restrained his killing intent, offered a faint smile, and gave his assurance that he would not reveal their so-called opportunity to others.

Of course, in the world of cultivation, where deceit and hidden motives were as common as air, who could say how much such a promise was truly worth? But either way, once he had spoken, the heavy atmosphere that hung over the room gradually lifted.

He Lianyun gestured lightly. Yousha nodded and said, ”Bai Ye’s pocket world may not be littered with opportunities, but any remnant left by a Divine Transformation Ascendant, even a fingernail’s worth, would be a treasure beyond measure for cultivators like us.”

Luo Chen inclined his head slightly. That much was true. The few Lightning Essences he had once obtained by chance were treasures coveted even by Sages, let alone Adepts. Yet to an Ascendant, such materials would be nothing more than ornaments tucked into some forgotten corner of a palace.

”At the time, my husband and I had gained nothing, so we took the risk and rushed toward the central region of the pocket world,” she said. ”In an outlying palace, we encountered a group of Initiates from various sects fighting fiercely, and we joined the fray. In the end, we obtained this bamboo scroll... at the cost of my husband’s life.”

At this point, Yousha shook her head, a trace of lingering fear on her face. It was clear that the battle had indeed been perilous.

Luo Chen grew interested and asked, ”Then what exactly is recorded on this bamboo scroll that you call such a great opportunity?”

Yousha straightened her back, her tone filled with excitement. ”For others, it might not be considered much. But for us, it is something unique. Because this bamboo scroll records an alchemical formula for a spirit medicine for Core Formation!”

At those words, desire gleamed in the eyes of He Lianyun and the other two. Luo Chen understood at once. Other resources, no matter how rare or valuable, could still be talked about in terms of money. But anything related to Core Formation was a treasure that late-stage Initiates would willingly stake even their lives, let alone their fortunes, to obtain.

Still, his expression showed little interest, and he asked, ”A Core Formation spirit medicine?”

Seeing his indifference, He Lianyun grew anxious. ”Fellow Daoist, do not underestimate this pill. This is not comparable to an Ice Phoenix Pellet or the Ascending Dragon Pill. Even the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect’s Cauldron Inquiring Pill or the Medicine King Sect’s Evergreen Pill is likely inferior to it.”

Luo Chen’s eyes brightened. ”Is it truly that extraordinary?”

For the first time, the quiet herbalist Fu Jiusheng spoke up. In a rough voice, he said, ”If you read the formula, you’ll know that Lady Yousha and the Grand Elder are not exaggerating. This formula is derived from the Nether Sea Pill of the Nether Origin Sect. Its refinement process is simpler, but its medicinal potency is actually greater. Consuming it increases the chance of Core Formation by twenty percent!”

”Give it to me,” said Luo Chen, and extended his hand without hesitation.

The straightforward demand caught the three of them off guard. Throughout the meeting, Luo Chen had conducted himself with a mixture of dominance and composure. He was bold yet calculating, audacious but not reckless. To request the alchemical formula so directly only underscored that blend of confidence and authority.

Luo Chen regarded the four with cool confidence. ”You came seeking me; your intentions are plain enough. In your eyes, I am surely the most suitable person to refine this pill. Since that is the case, there is no need for needless delay. Let me read it.”

Before such unshakable confidence, Lady Yousha, holding the pitch-black bamboo scroll, hesitated briefly.

He Lianyun shot her a look and said, ”Let him have a look. Aside from those alchemists personally trained by the major sects, there is no one else in the entire Jade Cauldron Domain more capable of refining a third-tier pill than Dan Chenzi.”

Yousha thought it through and gave a wry smile. Luo Chen’s insight was remarkably sharp; after hearing what this was about, he had immediately understood their attitude and the situation they were in. And he was right on the mark. After a moment’s reluctance, she handed the black bamboo scroll toward him. Halfway through the motion, as if remembering something, she added hastily, ”Be careful. This scroll was created from Heavenly Lightning Bamboo. It has lightning energy flowing within—”

Zzzztttt...

A thread of lightning arced across. Luo Chen frowned slightly but did not loosen the grip on the scroll. He glanced at Lady Yousha with a faint, knowing smile before opening the bamboo scroll and reading through the alchemical formula in full view of everyone present.

Yousha flushed at the sight, then paled. A moment earlier, she had indeed harbored the petty thought of making Luo Chen appear foolish. She had not expected him to withstand the lightning so easily, as though it were nothing at all.

The lightning was nothing life-threatening; it was barely strong enough to numb the hand for a brief instant. Yet his effortless disregard of it still sent a chill through those watching, and having her small scheme seen through only caused Yousha embarrassment.

He Lianyun merely shook his head and said nothing. He exchanged a glance with the herbalist Fu Jiusheng, and the two seemed reassured. For a time, the room fell silent. Only Luo Chen’s murmurs broke the stillness now and then.

”Coldstar Grass, five-century Netherblue Ganoderma, Garnet Dates...”

Everything he mentioned was a rare herb, and none were common or easily obtained. Though all were second-tier ingredients, every one of them was of exceptional value. Yet all of them merely served as auxiliary ingredients! What truly caused Luo Chen’s eyes to widen were the three main ingredients.

”Heavenly Mountain Revitalization Liquid, Nine-Pattern Snakespit Fruit, and Sapphire Lightning Flower.”

”Hiss...”

Even Luo Chen, who had studied countless herbal compendia and personally handled many rare spirit plants, drew a sharp breath when he saw the names of the three main ingredients. All three were third-tier ingredients! Each was exceptionally rare and naturally imbued with properties that aided Core Formation.

For instance, the Heavenly Mountain Revitalization Liquid was a well-known medicine. Among the auxiliary resources used for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, there was a first-tier medicine known as Revitalization Liquid, a specialty of the Medicine King Sect. However, that common medicine was merely a simplified imitation of the original: a third-tier medicine that was exceedingly hard to find.

The second ingredient, the Nine-Pattern Snakespit Fruit, was a companion herb of the third-tier Nine-Pattern Snow Python. It could not be transported; it had to be plucked and refined on the spot. Even the method of harvesting was not something an ordinary cultivator could hope to master.

The last ingredient, the Sapphire Lightning Flower, was a legendary wonder of heaven and earth. Though classified as third-tier, it was rarer than most fourth-tier herbs.

Seeing his troubled look, the four of them asked in unison, ”Can it be refined?”

Luo Chen rolled his eyes. ”The problem isn’t whether it can be refined. It’s... where in the world are we supposed to find these dozens of auxiliary ingredients, let alone the three main ones?”

At those words, the four of them let out a collective sigh of relief. Luo Chen looked at them, taken aback. ”Don’t tell me....”

Yousha pressed a hand to her chest and said with a trembling voice, ”As long as it can be refined, that’s all that matters!”

He Lianyun was positively elated. ”Core Formation is within reach, the Golden Core Dao is before us!”

Fu Jiusheng nodded slightly, and the look he gave Luo Chen carried unmistakable admiration. He had met many alchemists in his lifetime, including third-tier masters from the Medicine King Sect, yet those figures were all aged experts whose cultivation far surpassed Luo Chen’s. For someone still in the Foundation Establishment Realm to display such composure and confidence was nothing short of remarkable. He said slowly, ”As long as you are confident in refining it, we are confident we can gather every listed material.”

At this declaration, Luo Chen’s expression grew solemn. It was clear that these people had been preparing for this moment for a very long time.