An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Beneath the towering snow-capped peak, a figure emerged from the cave at the mountain’s base. The man had intended to flee the moment he escaped, yet just as he’d bolted away, his flight came to an abrupt halt. The expression on his face shifted again and again, torn between fear and determination.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and growled, ”With Luo Chen’s vengeful nature, he’ll never let me go. If I flee now, he will overtake me long before I reach the open ground. Enough! Since this battle has begun, it must end properly.”

He Lianyun took a deep breath, reached into his storage pouch, and drew out several items. “The traps I set in the tunnels... seven remain untouched, only three were triggered. Such tricks might fool a normal Initiate, but they’re useless against him. In that case... these will have to do.”

A single pill, a talisman, and a brick-shaped enchanted treasure appeared before him. Without hesitation, he swallowed the pill. As the medicinal power dissolved, waves of heat surged through his dantian. His aura grew wilder with every breath, surging past the limits of Foundation Establishment and soaring upward until it nearly reached that barrier he was longing to break.

Although he was still far from the Golden Core Realm, his power now rivaled that of the so-called Pseudo-Adepts. More medicinal power roiled inside him, but his body could no longer refine it.

A flicker of regret crossed his face. After taking this pill, he would likely be unable to attempt Core Formation for ten years, and the breakthrough would have to be postponed. Yet in this moment of life and death, such concerns were secondary to staying alive.

Exhaling a long breath, he channeled his overflowing spirit power into the golden brick and raised it with both hands. The enchanted treasure golden brick streaked upward, disappearing into the clouds that shrouded the snow-covered peak.

He continued forming seals, holding the talisman poised at the edge of activation. He also buried the three nails deep within the snow. A final ripple of light shimmered across his body, and the soft sound of waves echoed faintly in his ears.

”If you want my life, then come and take it. With these things in place, even if you’re as powerful as an Adept, you won’t walk away unscathed.”

All preparations were complete, yet before his agitated heart could calm, a deafening explosion erupted from deep beneath the mountain.

He Lianyun’s eyes widened as he roared, ”Luo Chen, you wretch, come face me if you dare!”

With that furious cry, his flying sword shot forward like lightning.

At the foot of the mountain, Luo Chen stared in mild surprise at the man standing ready for a final battle. He had thought he would still need to chase him for a while. But the old man hadn’t fled; instead, he was waiting for him.

”So be it. Since you seek death, I will oblige.” Luo Chen gave a low shout and swept his sleeve. A gust of wind surged out, deflecting the oncoming sword by several cun.

That enchanted treasure flying sword had not been carefully refined; otherwise, its power would not have been so pitiful.

Then he leaped and charged toward He Lianyun.

During the rush, the Mystic Flame Sword in his hand scattered streaks of blazing meteors through the air. Yet each blazing meteor vanished before reaching its mark, as though swallowed by an unseen force. By concentrating spirit power into his eyes, Luo Chen finally discerned the faint shimmer of water light. A scroll had unfurled in mid-air, enveloping He Lianyun in its glow. It was a water-element defensive enchanted treasure!

”So it’s true, Nangong Jin’s Marsh Gui Diagram is in your hands!” Luo Chen said coldly.

He Lianyun sneered. ”So what if it is? Treasures belong to those with fortune. A mere early-stage Initiate brat carrying such a treasure deserves his fate.”

Luo Chen’s brows drew together. He had heard Nangong Jin had perished on the Thundernet Nine Mountains battlefield and had assumed it was mere bad luck. Now, it appeared the old man had played a part in that outcome.

”What now? Feeling like avenging your old comrade?” He Lianyun taunted him.

Luo Chen shook his head and said lightly, ”He and I were nothing but occasional partners. But blessings and calamities are the result of one’s own doing, and karma follows like a shadow. That treasure once belonged to my friend’s family, and today, you will return it.”

As he spoke, his sword’s tip shifted upward, a surge of spirit energy gathering at its edge. The sight of it made He Lianyun’s face change instantly, and recognition flashed in his eyes. Luo Chen was casting Solar Flare!

He had heard plenty of rumors about Luo Chen’s combat methods. The man could cast high-tier spells without seals, purely by willing them into being. His mastery of fire arts in particular was famed throughout the entire Jade Cauldron Domain.

Without hesitation, He Lianyun mounted his sword and fled. Luo Chen blinked in mild perplexity; so much for the old fart’s vow to fight to the end! With a flick of his wings, Luo Chen shot after him at blinding speed. The distance between them closed swiftly.

”Old fool, you almost had me fooled.”

Luo Chen swung his Mystic Flame Sword, releasing the stored energy of Solar Flare. A brilliant golden light erupted in an explosion. In a panic, He Lianyun activated the Marsh Gui Diagram with all he had. The scroll unfolded, waves surging within it as if it contained a boundless sea. The blazing power of the Solar Flare vanished the moment it touched that sea.

Luo Chen had expected as much. The elemental nature of water suppressing fire was inevitable, and the old man’s strength had surged beyond its ordinary limits. Expecting a hastily condensed Solar Flare to take his life was unrealistic. Still, stopping his flight was enough. Once halted, the rest would follow naturally.

”No!” Luo Chen’s head snapped upward.

That dazzling golden light wasn’t his Solar Flare!

From high above, a massive golden brick fell through the clouds, trailing roaring winds as it descended like a meteor.

”So that’s where your confidence came from. You had another trump card!” Luo Chen gave a cold snort, forming a single hand seal as vast waves of spirit power surged through his meridians.

As his left hand rose, a streak of azure light unfurled across the sky, forming a translucent curtain that shimmered like glass.

It was Glazed Skyveil, a top-tier second-tier water-element defensive spell. At minor mastery, the spell could protect the entire body, its strength comparable to that of a top-grade defensive enchanted artifact. When cultivated to the Proficient level, it could be summoned and withdrawn at will, providing protection on par with supreme-grade enchanted treasures. Upon reaching major mastery, it could expand to cover an entire region, rivaling even a mountain-guarding grand formation in might.

The spell’s power was already sufficient to match an ordinary defensive enchanted treasure. Having practiced it to Perfected Mastery, Luo Chen had pushed it to its limit. He could now cast it near-instantly, its protection both fluid and impregnable.

Back at the Thundernet Nine Mountains battlefield, this very spell had once blocked a blow from Di Wanyun, and that man had been an Adept! It was also thanks to this spell that Luo Chen had survived the explosion underground, suffering nothing worse than shattered Qi Armor.

With this spell and his formidable physique, his need for external defensive treasures was almost nonexistent. After all, enchanted artifacts required refinement and activation, while his spells could be unleashed freely, and his very skin was as thick as a city wall. Nothing could match such convenience and speed.

Now, as the golden brick came crashing down, Luo Chen remained unshaken. Before his eyes, the golden brick sank into the Glazed Skyveil like a boulder into deep mire, its immense power smothered and slowed.

Even so, he knew He Lianyun would not rely on a single attack. For some reason, Luo Chen recalled the way he himself had slain Di Wanyun at the Thundernet Nine Mountains. And sure enough, an instant later, three streaks of black light burst from the ground, flying in a triangular formation.

”The damn nails again!” Luo Chen spat coldly and swung his Mystic Flame Sword, sending arcs of sword light to intercept their path. At the same time, he had no intention of lingering there. His wings flapped, and using the Ascending Dragon Step he had learned from Wang Yuan, he shifted ten paces sideways in an instant. He relied solely on the power of his flesh, without invoking a single trace of spirit power.

Once he escaped the golden brick and the three black nails, his hand extended toward He Lianyun. The surging tide of blood qi spread outward, forming a massive claw that tore through the air and descended with crushing force, intending to shatter the man outright.

Just as the claw was about to seize its target, Luo Chen caught sight of a smirk on the old man’s face. Above him hovered a golden talisman, its light flickering like a living flame.

”Die, you wretch!” He Lianyun roared as his entire spirit power poured into the talisman. Since it was at the edge of activation, the talisman ignited instantly under the surge of spirit power. And when the last trace of fire vanished, the sky filled with countless sword shadows.

At that instant, Luo Chen’s expression shifted. This was the Myriad Sword Talisman! It stood as the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect’s most formidable third-tier talisman, capable of sealing ten thousand strands of sword energy; each strand contained the full power of a Sword Sect Initiate’s strike! When unleashed together, their combined force easily rivaled the power of an Adept’s blow!

It was too late now to cast Glazed Skyveil again. And even if time had allowed it, the law of the five elements dictates that metal overwhelms water; the barrier spell could not possibly endure this assault. The golden brick was also aligned to the metal element, but it followed the path of blunt force; its momentum and weight could be met with softness and delayed through the veil’s fluid defense. Meanwhile, the Myriad Sword Talisman focused on piercing precision. Every strand of sword energy struck like a needle and left no room for deflection.