An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

In short order, Luo Chen weighed the balance of the fight. Yet his attention was not on her battle alone. Since attaining Perfected Mastery of Divine Breaker of Malevolence, he could divide his focus with ease. His spirit consciousness tracked the other two fights as well.

“Huh!”

A low exclamation slipped from Luo Chen’s lips, betraying a rare flicker of unease. Across the cavern, He Lianyun’s movement caught his attention and made him grow wary. The man had just taken out some black nails—yes, some. It was not just the one nail he had used before, but three of them!

The three black nails shot forth one after the other, with flickers of black light. The first pierced the tough scale armor and bored into the python’s flesh. The second struck a meridian, pinning the python’s immense demonic qi so it could not circulate at all. Finally, the third nail stabbed straight into the python’s brow.

Puff!

The python hissed in pain and collapsed limply to the ground. Black light pulsed within its body. After only a few breaths, the nails that had burrowed inside shot back out through the tail. He Lianyun lifted his hand and made a summoning gesture and all three nails returned to his palm. The Snow Python lay still, dead beyond any doubt.

Sensing Luo Chen’s gaze upon him, He Lianyun gave a faint smile. ”Just a petty trick, nothing worth showing off.”

Instant kill! That was a true instantaneous kill!

Compared to Lady Yousha’s drawn-out battle, He Lianyun’s flurry of strikes had crushed and slain a demonic beast of equal rank with unstoppable ferocity. That was no petty trick.

Luo Chen nodded gravely, silently assessing how he would defend himself if he ever had to face He Lianyun and those black nails. What He Lianyun wielded was a complete set: Armor-Piercing Nail, Qi-Disrupting Nail, and Soul-Breaking Nail.

No wonder this man had survived the Thundernet Nine Mountains without a scratch. So this was his trump card! From what Luo Chen saw, these nails might be technically just low-grade enchanted treasures, but their potential clearly extended far beyond that.

Luo Chen suppressed his unease toward the grand elder of the Lianyun Trade Alliance and turned his gaze toward Hermit Xiao’s battle. In truth, he hardly needed to look. From the very start, that eerie flute melody had been drifting continuously through the cavern. Those outside the fight couldn’t sense the full force behind the melody, but the Six-Ring Snow Python facing Hermit Xiao had long since frozen in place.

As the flute notes quickened, the python moved! Yet instead of launching an attack, it lifted its head high toward the heavens. Hermit Xiao stepped forward, lightly tapping the python’s head with his tiptoes and standing atop it, gazing down at the others. The Six-Ring Snow Python beneath him stood motionless, its eyes vacant and lifeless.

He Lianyun’s proud expression twisted in alarm at the sight. ”Fellow Daoist, that technique of yours...”

Hermit Xiao let out a faint smile. ”A beast like this may have awakened some measure of intelligence, but before cultivators like us, it is no superior to a three-year-old child. Nothing more than a petty charm technique, not worth mentioning. Actually, if it lacked intellect and acted purely by instinct, I might not have been able to subdue it so easily.”

Though his tone was modest, none present dared to take his words lightly. Luo Chen’s brow furrowed. In a way, his own condition was not so different from that of these beasts. He possessed a formidable physique, yet his divine soul foundation, strong though it was, remained comparatively weak.

As they spoke, Lady Yousha finally slew her opponent. Her body glistened with sweat, and only half of the Snow Python’s corpse remained on the ground. It seemed the Amber-Crimson Silk Ribbon’s flesh-devouring art had its limits after all; it could not consume indefinitely.

Luo Chen swept his gaze around the battlefield, studying each of the four one by one. In that moment, realization dawned upon him. No wonder these people had dared to team up with him despite his fearsome reputation. Trusting his upright character was one thing, but having absolute confidence in their own methods was quite another. Whether it was the black nail set, the soul-seizing flute, or the silk ribbon, each in some way could restrain his formidable physique.

As for Fu Jiusheng, he had relied from start to finish on the steady foundation of an Initiate at Perfected Mastery. He had revealed little of his true arsenal, and Luo Chen had no doubt he held several trump cards in reserve.

As he quickly evaluated the strengths and confidence of each person, Luo Chen watched as the four gathered closer. All of their gazes fell upon the blue barrier beneath him. With a thought, Luo Chen waved his hand, dispelling both the glazed light barrier and the spirit energy dome.

The small tree, barely two chi tall, appeared before them. It was neither tall nor lush; its branches were sparse and its leaves few. Yet the single fruit hanging from its branch drew every eye.

”One, two, three... nine! The Nine-Pattern Snakespit Fruit! Haha! Exactly as I predicted. It’s freshly ripened, not a moment early or late!”

For once, Fu Jiusheng’s expression brimmed with unrestrained joy. The other three were equally elated. Then, their gazes collectively shifted to Luo Chen.

”From here on, it’s all up to you, Dan Chenzi. Do you have confidence? We’ll stand guard for you while you refine. You must succeed in producing the Nether Origin Pill! If you need anything, speak now.”

Under their eager stares, Luo Chen pressed his lips together and gestured with one hand.

Clang!

A one-legged broken cauldron that looked like a strange hybrid of pot and furnace appeared before them. He formed a seal and channeled spirit power into it. The Shangshu Cauldron expanded instantly until it stood a full zhang tall.

The others exchanged looks of mild astonishment. It was an enchanted-treasure alchemy cauldron! It seemed Luo Chen had come thoroughly prepared for this refinement.

Ignoring their astonishment, Luo Chen moved his hand once more. A small formation disc, no larger than his palm, appeared in his grasp. Before their eyes, he embedded five mid-grade spirit stones into its grooves with practiced precision. At the sight, subtle changes flickered across their faces.

”It’s not that I distrust you, but for an alchemist, the greatest taboos are interruption and observation,” Luo Chen said lightly. ”This formation disc carries only a second-tier warning formation. I simply hope that during my refinement, none of you disturb me.”

Luo Chen smiled faintly as he spoke. The four stared at him in silence. After a long pause, Fu Jiusheng finally shook his head. ”Dan Chenzi, just focus on your alchemy. I’ll go set up a Five Elements Concealment Formation so we don’t draw the attention of other beasts in this grotto.”

With that, he left, in apparent good faith. However, the remaining three still hesitated. Yousha couldn’t help but ask, ”What if there are extra Nether Origin Pills? You wouldn’t... keep them for yourself, would you?”

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow and countered softly, ”You don’t trust me?”

Yousha faltered. Luo Chen sneered and said, ”Fellow Daoist, we’ve already come this far, and you’re still this suspicious? If I wanted to deceive you, I could just add a little extra something into the Nether Origin Pills, and when you attempt to form your core, your efforts would go to waste just like that.”

Yousha’s face turned ashen. Hermit Xiao shook his head and said, ”It seemed we had no choice but to trust you. Dan Chenzi, focus on refining. I’ll take this Six-Ring Snow Python to scout the situation outside.”

He Lianyun said nothing more. He had invested the most effort in this operation, both by linking all parties as a middleman and by preparing various auxiliary materials in advance, which had cost him dearly. All of it had been for one Nether Origin Pill. Whether Luo Chen chose to keep an extra one for himself had little to do with him; all he wanted was his portion.

As the others dispersed to stand guard and ward off nearby beasts, Yousha’s expression flickered between shame and anger. In the end, faced with Luo Chen’s mocking smile, she could only stamp her foot and say through clenched teeth, ”Sorry. I was in the wrong.”

After speaking, she backed away from Luo Chen. Luo Chen chuckled and tossed the formation disc onto the ground. The warning formation crafted for him by Min Longyu unfolded at once, veiling him with a curtain of mist. At that moment, Luo Chen finally exhaled a deep breath and gazed, a little entranced, at the Nine-Pattern Snakespit Fruit.

”All is ready,” he murmured. ”Third-tier pill... here I come.”

He opened his mouth and spat out a streak of green light beneath the Shangshu Cauldron. The vessel quivered, letting out a deep hum, and the light flared into a fierce, roaring blaze—the Withering-Flourishing Fire.

He had perfectly refined it into his primordial true fire, and thus, he only needed a trace of spirit power to control the blaze. In other words, he did not need to use Foundation Establishment true fire for alchemy, which allowed him to preserve his strength to the utmost.

Then, the prepared medicinal ingredients flew out from Luo Chen’s storage pouch fell into the Shangshu Cauldron.

He had begun studying the refinement of the Nether Origin Pill nine years ago. By the fourth year, confident that his foundation was sufficient, he had used the system to reach Beginner level. For that, he had spent a full forty achievement points. Such an expenditure was second only to the forty-five points he had once used to complete the Sky Roc Transformation and create Myriad Path Convergence. This time, it was cheaper because the Nether Origin Pill’s formula was complete, and Luo Chen’s foundation in alchemy was deeper than his Physique Refinement. Yet even so, it was still a tremendous expense.

”I hope you don’t disappoint me,” Luo Chen murmured.

His hands began to move, weaving seals in swift succession. Streams of pure wood-element spirit power flowed from his fingertips as he traced arcs of spirit light around the small tree. It was Unadorned Heart, practiced to the level of Perfected Mastery! With this alchemical technique, he could pluck the fruit flawlessly, preventing any defilement upon detachment.

After he picked the ripe fruit, he gently deposited it into the Shangshu Cauldron. A moment later, one of the white lines suddenly writhed; a ninth of the fruit’s medicinal energy turned into a tiny serpent and darted into the herbal liquid surronding it. They slowly fused, and the embryonic form of the Nether Origin Pill took shape.

But Luo Chen knew this was only the beginning.

***

Time trickled by. Within the spirit-fruit cavern, the four who waited shifted from quiet patience to restless anticipation. Before long, that uneasy tension had spread among them like ripples in still water.

”Three days,” someone whispered.

”Has he still not succeeded?” another murmured.

”Let us wait a little longer. It is a third-tier pill, after all. You can’t possibly expect him to succeed in one go, right?” a third said.

”But this is taking too long,” the first grumbled.

”That’s not even the problem. The Snow Python I controlled has died; the remnant soul couldn’t hold on anymore. But before it died, I saw the situation outside. The pythons are wandering in agitation. It seems unusual... as if something momentous is about to happen.”

”It really is strange. I confirmed our route several times before, and it was perfectly safe. Yet this time, we kept encountering spirit beasts. It didn’t look like they were moving with purpose but... scattering, as though they were fleeing from something deeper within the mountains. I fear there’s some unknown change occurring in the depths of the Great Snowy Mountains.”

”If something is causing all these beasts to flee, then it might cause the Seven-Ring Python to flee as well. And if that happens, it will never abandon a ripe Nine-Pattern Snakespit Fruit. Dan Chenzi better succeed soon, or there may be serious trouble.”

”Patience. Let’s wait a little longer.”

”Yes. I’ve cultivated for 230 years already. What are a few more days?”

Soft voices rose and faded among them, each word barely audible. None dared to speak too loudly, afraid of disturbing Luo Chen within the formation. Even so, the anxiety on their faces could not be concealed. After all, this concerned their chance to form their core.

Amid their tense anticipation, the fifth day finally dawned. At that very moment, a strange, potent fragrance began to rise from the heart of the cavern. The four cultivators stirred, their gazes snapping toward the source. As the dense mist dispersed, a lone figure emerged, his hand cradling four dark pills.

Those four pills drew everyone’s eyes at once. Their medicinal power was so perfectly restrained that it was impossible to discern whether they truly had the potency to even heal the common cold, let alone aid in Core Formation. Yet the faint arcs of blue lightning that flickered across their surface told a different story. The sight drew a simultaneous cry from the four.

”The azure lightning flashing across the nether sea heralds the origin of life...” Yousha murmured, remembering what she’d read in the pill formula scroll.

Luo Chen smiled broadly and said, ”It did not disappoint. The pills are done.”