An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

On the Crimson Flame Dragon Boat, one young and one middle-aged figure occupied the higher seats, while the white-haired Kang Dongyue sat in front of them and kept a deeply respectful manner.

”Three days from now, once the Kang family has taken over Splendid Wing Mountain, you may hand it over to Fellow Daoist Song’s disciples,” Luo Chen said offhandedly.

Song Mi nodded. ”I will accept it with gratitude. But the Kang family contributed to this matter, and I cannot just let them leave empty-handed. In the future, the Kang family may also take part in this business.”

Kang Dongyue’s face brightened at the sound of this promise. His lifespan was already running short. But before he passed away, he had sent a genius disciple to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, secured Cypress Mountain for the Kang family, and now he had even gained a share of the Heavenly Blade Sect’s business. He felt that he had already done everything a leader could do and could die without regrets.

”Thank you, seniors!”

Luo Chen shook his head. That kind of polite address felt a little distant, yet the evolution in cultivation almost always erected a thick wall between people. He waved his hand, and his old friend tactfully took his leave from the hall.

Once Kang Dongyue was gone, the conversation that followed covered more serious topics. Song Mi spoke at length. With this well-situated second-tier spirit land in hand, he would be able to station disciples of the Heavenly Blade Sect here long-term to engage in various businesses related to the Frontier War. He also intended to give the Luo Tian Sect a share of the profits.

However, Luo Chen declined. ”My sect currently has few people and limited strength. With our forces already split in several places, we are already stretched thin. We will not get involved in this.”

Song Mi felt somewhat surprised. An offer that practically handed spirit stones to him for free, and the other party did not want it? But Luo Chen’s next sentence explained his confusion.

”I intended to claim a third-tier spirit vein as a place for my sect to settle. If things go smoothly, that will be ideal. If there happen to be complications, I hope that you would not begrudge lending a hand once, Fellow Daoist.”

Understanding dawned on Song Mi. Compared to a third-tier spirit vein, such profit truly amounted to nothing more than scraps. After thinking it over, he spoke with some seriousness, ”As long as it’s within manageable limits, I will certainly take action.”

Luo Chen studied him for a moment, then gave a slight nod. ”In that case, I will thank you in advance.”

After that, Song Mi spoke a bit more about the situation over in the Howling Moon Mountain Range before taking his leave.

When he was gone, Luo Chen curled his lips. These Adepts were all sharp as foxes. He had hoped to use this favor to make the man commit to exerting himself fully in the future. Instead, Song Mi had left himself a way out. Within manageable limits, was it?

”Hehe...”

Luo Chen shook his head and sent out a strand of divine consciousness as a voice transmission. Before long, Xu Haizhen stepped into the hall. With a wave of his hand, the Verdant-Feather Whitehawk he had suppressed earlier appeared in front of Xu Haizhen, trembling all over.

”Supreme Elder, this is...”

”For you,” Luo Chen said with a faint smile. ”In the battle of the Thundernet Nine Mountains, you lost that white crane of yours. At the time, I said that if there was a chance, I would find you another one, so I am happy to be able to make good on that promise. Is this Verdant-Feather Whitehawk to your liking”

Xu Haizhen froze for a moment. He had not expected Luo Chen to still remember such a minor matter. For Luo Chen, it was a small thing, yet for him it was undeniably a major one. Most of his abilities lay in beast taming. The white crane he had painstakingly nurtured had died on the battlefield of Thundernet. Later, he had finally reared a second-tier Plume-Snatching Eagle, only for it to be beaten to death during the Danxia Peak battle. As a result, despite having reached the eighth stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, his combat strength lagged behind his peers by a good margin.

”Late stage of the second-tier, and excellent spirit intelligence. Tsk, tsk, this white hawk was never enslaved, and its potential is tremendous!” he said.

Luo Chen laughed and said, ”This spirit beast grew up with Yu Rou since it was young and has eaten more heavenly treasures than you can count. Whether its combat strength is truly outstanding is hard to say, but its speed in flight easily places it among the elites of Foundation Establishment. If you have this, then few Initiates will be able to catch up with you.”

Xu Haizhen nodded again and again. ”Thank you, Supreme Elder!”

”It is nothing,” Luo Chen replied with an easy wave of his hand. ”Your next assignment differs from Yuan Xiaoyue’s and the others. You will need to personally oversee our sect’s branch in the Howling Moon Mountain Range and manage the demonic beast trade. Giving you this beast simply applies it where it is most useful.”

”I will surely do my utmost to strengthen our sect’s reputation,” Xu Haizhen answered with firm resolve.

***

Luo Chen did not linger in Taishan Market for long. When all was said and done, this place now belonged to the Heavenly Blade Sect. He had merely taken the opportunity to settle the old debt between himself and Yu Rou, and the manner in which he had resolved it was quite satisfactory.

Once news spread, no one would accuse him of bullying. Instead, they would praise him as magnanimous. Someone who had gravely offended him in the past had suffered only a minor punishment and a stern warning, and past grudges had been set aside afterward. Such was indeed the bearing of an Adept! And when that was contrasted with his experiences in the Foundation Establishment Realm, where he had destroyed mountains and annihilated families at the slightest provocation and repaid every grievance tenfold, no one would think he had become overly soft.

The fine balance between the two was not something an ordinary person could easily grasp. Only after carefully weighing matters had Luo Chen decided to take Yu Rou’s spirit beast rather than her life.

On the flying boat, Luo Chen looked up at Xu Haizhen, who had just taken the Verdant-Feather Whitehawk under his command and was getting used to the demonic beast. Several thoughts stirred in his heart.

They were about to arrive at the Falling Cloud Sect’s immortal city. The future grand plan of the Luo Tian Sect was at stake, and every move he made would fall under the gaze of those with sharp eyes. Reputation was a very sharp weapon. At critical moments, others might ignore it, but at ordinary times, it still worked to his advantage in every way. Luo Chen had enjoyed many benefits from his fame over the years. For that reason, there were times when, even if he didn’t want to put on an act, he still had to keep acting!

The Crimson Flame Dragon Boat continued forward. After passing Taishan Market, it went by Ninefold Mountain. In the past, a herd of demonic deer had occupied that place, led by a third-tier beast king, the Nine Camphor Deer. Even when the River-Swallowing Toad had blocked their path back then, neither Luo Chen nor Wang Haichao had dared to take a detour precisely because of that deer.

Now, it had vanished without a trace. In its territory stood a newly built large-scale market. In fact, it was not just Ninefold Mountain; everywhere the dragon boat passed, the mountains and rivers he remembered that had even a hint of decent spirit land now had one power or another constructing a market. Even at Nanwa Snow Mountain, some old acquaintances from the Ice Fortress were hastily constructing a market to channel the flow of people and do some war-related business.

Some might have wondered where so much business would come from and where so much profit could be found. The answer was simple: Wherever there were people, there were interests to be pursued. The Frontier War had gathered twenty-seven sects from all over. With smaller powers arriving in an endless stream, and as for rogue cultivators trying to make a name for themselves, they were beyond counting. With such an immense flow of people, one could make a fortune doing almost any kind of business.

The front lines were firmly controlled by the Falling Cloud Sect and the eight upper sects. Powers slightly lower on the ladder were naturally forced to settle for whatever scraps remained.

***

”This is Moonbreak Immortal City?”

On the Crimson Flame Dragon Boat, Luo Chen looked down upon the colossal city below.

Stone bulwarks rose firm and tall, wooden pillars thrust upward, and three solitary peaks stood within the walls, all forcibly relocated through the grand abilities of a Sage. Not only that, but the Lancang River, born from the Great Snowy Mountains, was split into two branches that circled the immortal city as protective moats. All around the walls stood puppets of differing shapes and designs. Perhaps because the city had been built in haste, it lacked refinement, yet a rugged and domineering presence clung to every corner of it.

If Tianlan resembled an ancient beast sunk in deep slumber, then this Moonbreak was a war beast on the verge of rising to tear its prey apart, fierce and imposing.

Within Luo Chen’s line of sight, many cultivators of varied affiliation and cultivation busied themselves along the towering walls, as though carving formation lines. Streams of light rose and fell throughout the city. It seemed the Falling Cloud Sect had not yet installed a flight restriction formation.

The instant he laid eyes on this city, an abrupt clarity rose within Luo Chen. Is this really a city that the Falling Cloud Sect built under pressure from the Howling Moon wolf clans? No... It’s clearly something they chose to construct. They deliberately slowed the start of the Frontier War, and they’re drawing on the vast manpower and resources of the twenty-seven sects. With this city in place, the future Falling Cloud Domain will grow wealthier by the day.

A certain ambition that had no place in his mind surged up without warning. If he could claim the profits of this city, it might well be enough to support the rise of a Sage.

He shook his head sharply and swept his sleeve. ”Stop the ship and enter the city!”