An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Kill!”

”Kill!”

”Kill! Kill! Kill!”

Across the mountains and plains, battle erupted in an instant. Just as Luo Chen had given the order to attack without the slightest hesitation, the demonic wolves had done the same on their side. Everyone understood that for the sake of the cultivation land, the two sides were locked in a situation where one mountain could not tolerate two tigers... or rather, two wolves. Unless one side voluntarily gave up, there was no way to coexist.

Would the human cultivators give up? That was absolutely impossible. The Eastern Wilderness lacked resources and could not support more long-lived high-tier cultivators. Expansion was the inevitable path forward. With twenty-seven sects mustering their full strength for this war, there was no reason to retreat.

Would the demonic wolves give up? That was even less of a possibility. Since ancient times, the Howling Moon Mountain Range had been the wolves’ home. They lived here, bred here, and cultivated here. To the wolf clan, this land was their homeland. How could they give it up?

Even though the low-tier demonic wolves were hardly intelligent and could not really grasp the situation, under the command of the leading Wolf Kings, they were resolved to die before they took even one step back.

Thus, once the great battle broke out, human shouts and wolf howls filled the sky. The cultivators’ eyes shone with expectation, greed, and burning desire, while the countless demonic wolves’ gazes held only rage and savagery.

Casualties began to appear almost the very instant the two sides clashed.

Aboard the Crimson Flame Dragon Boat, the five Adepts revealed their figures together and fixed their gazes on the three enormous wolves atop Snow Wolf Plateau.

Diwu Qi said calmly, ”Leave the third-tier mid-stage one to me. The four of you split into pairs and take the others. Finish them off quickly, then come support me.”

It was the most reasonable division. Before a demonic beast took on human form, its only advantages lay in its long lifespan and its thick hide and flesh. Aside from that, it had no other edge.

In contrast, any human cultivator who managed to reach a high cultivation never lacked combat tricks. They also had formations, talismans, enchanted artifacts, enchanted treasures, puppets, and countless other external aids. It could be said that they held almost every advantage. Even if a demonic beast stood one or two minor realms above a human cultivator, the humans still had the strength to contend.

For the sake of future cultivation lands, Diwu Qi now took the initiative to shoulder the greatest enemy. And at that moment, Luo Chen suddenly raised both hands, forming seals at great speed.

”Move, now!”

The other four froze for a heartbeat, then saw the three demonic wolves atop Snow Wolf Plateau raise their heads together. Three enormous glowing orbs rose into the air in an instant. Terrifying demonic energy surged in the air, causing the Adepts’ expressions to change drastically.

Diwu Qi, Jiang Yu, and Cen Qiusheng shot forward without a moment of hesitation. Fu Jiusheng stopped for a moment and looked toward Luo Chen.

”Go! I’m right behind you!” shouted Luo Chen.

Fu Jiusheng grunted in acknowledgement and flew toward a third-tier early-stage demonic wolf. At the very instant they struck out, the three glowing orbs of demonic energy hurtled down toward the countless humans below. Diwu Qi and the others wore grim expressions, yet their steps did not slow in the slightest. They knew Luo Chen would block this first volley.

A sharp whistle rang out, echoing through the clouds.

”Expand!”

The rising cry seemed to unfurl into a vast azure barrier that spanned the heavens and descended over the three thousand cultivators of the Luo Tian Alliance. The light screen was clear as glass, and waves rippled across its surface as it stretched on without end. This was none other than Luo Chen’s best defensive spell, Glazed Skyveil!

The spell was notoriously difficult to master, but once the user reached major mastery, it was said to rival a small mountain-guarding formation. Luo Chen had not only achieved that, but even practiced it to Perfected Mastery! At this point, its defensive power was no weaker than that of a proper third-tier formation. It was precisely because he possessed this swift defensive spell that he did not need defensive enchanted treasures. And now that he was going all-out casting it, Glazed Skyveil finally showed its true power.

In the next instant, the three glowing orbs of demonic energy crashed down onto the Glazed Skyveil one after another.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Three muffled explosions erupted at once. Ripples spread across the Glazed Skyveil, rising into heaving waves that strained to vent the tremendous force bearing down upon it.

Pfft!

In the next moment, the barrier shattered. The lingering force did not dissipate and continued streaming toward the low-tier human cultivators. But then, one small barrier after another sprang up in its path, blocking it again and again.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

At last, the power of the three strikes unleashed by the Snow Wolf Kings dissolved in front of the unyielding obstruction. Furious howls echoed across Snow Wolf Plateau. A Golden Core-level battle erupted in an instant.

On the Crimson Flame Dragon Boat, Xu Haizhen stared worriedly at the young man before him. Luo Chen’s figure drooped, and his face flushed. It was as if a breath had failed to reach his chest and was stuck in his throat

”Supreme Elder, are you all right?”

For a long moment, nothing happened.

Hoo...

Luo Chen finally breathed in, then exhaled a long, long breath. His breathing started to flow again, and his mana once again flooded his body. Just now, to take the combined strike of the three wolves, he had utilised almost a tenth of his total mana in an instant. Even then, he’d still been forced to continually cast smaller versions of Glazed Skyveil afterward to completely neutralize that one volley.

Fighting demonic beasts in large-scale warfare is nothing like internal human conflicts. They do not abide by the so-called rule of king against king, general against general, and soldier against soldier. There is only slaughter, differences in cultivation be damned. This is a fight for survival, and in fights like these, no rules apply.

As Luo Chen steadied his breathing and let his mana flow smoothly again, his thoughts churned wildly. He cast a glance at the battlefield below, where spirit energy and demonic energy erupted without pause. That was all he could do. Whether the Luo Tian Sect cultivators survived now depended entirely on themselves.

Luo Chen said coldly, ”Xu Haizhen, take the men and hold the Crimson Flame Dragon Boat.”

”As you command, Supreme Elder!”

Luo Chen let out a long howl, and the Mystic Flame Sword appeared in his hand. Fiery light burst out to shroud him. Then, he stepped onto the sword and flew straight toward Fu Jiusheng’s battlefield. But he was barely halfway when a miserable scream reached his ears.

”Aaahhhh!”

He snapped his gaze over just in time to see a figure smashed down from the sky and driven into Snow Wolf Plateau, snow bursting upward in a blinding spray. A massive beast followed close behind, its killing intent surging to the heavens.

Diwu Qi’s panicked voice echoed across the sky. ”This wolf is too fierce. I need help!”

Luo Chen’s brows knit tightly. He immediately changed direction and flew straight toward Diwu Qi. He was not the only one; on the other side, Jiang Yu, who had been teaming up with Cen Qiusheng to besiege another third-tier wolf, also rushed toward Diwu Qi. Before he even arrived, a vast curtain of rain formed from mana and swept down to shroud the Snow Wolf King.

The air sizzled with harsh sizzling sounds as a stench of rot spread outward. Luo Chen also slashed out in a horizontal arc. A streak of crimson sword energy interrupted the Snow Wolf King’s attempt to pursue Diwu Qi.

”How could this be happening?” Diwu Qi crawled out from Snow Wolf Plateau with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His expression was filled with alarm. He said grimly, ”There’s something wrong with this wolf. It has mastered some kind of divine ability that slows me down. Not just my attacks, but even my flight!”

Swish! Swish!

Luo Chen and Jiang Yu each took a position around the mid-stage Snow Wolf King.

But even though the Snow Wolf King was surrounded by the three of them, it remained unafraid and even spoke in the human language, ”The Wolf Emperor was right when he taught me Snow Corrosion. Humans are shameless. You will die today!”

As it spoke, demonic energy surged upward. A tremendous chill drifted down with the falling snow, spreading across the heavens and earth. Luo Chen’s expression tightened—he felt his mana circulation slow by nearly a third!

Snow Corrosion? That Wolf Emperor Defiant Howl actually taught this one a spell? This is completely unlike the usual tales of demonic beasts cultivating alone by instinct. Has something happened to these wolves?

A myriad thoughts flashed through his mind, but his hands moved without pause. A blazing sun flared from the tip of his sword. With the Mystic Flame Sword refined to perfection and his mana powering it rather than spirit power, the spells he relied upon carried far greater might. Yet before he could shoot his spell, the Snow Wolf King launched its attack. Its target was Jiang Yu!

The Snow Wolf King tore through the corrosive rain curtain and slashed down with his claws. Each swipe condensed demonic energy into a crescent blade, sweeping toward Jiang Yu.

A demonic beast that had yet to take human form might have had a thick hide and a long lifespan, but it also possessed spellwork honed through countless years of instinctual refinement. Years of absorbing and unleashing the demonic energy allowed them to grasp peculiar offensive methods. It was crude, but incredibly fast.

Chi! Chi! Chi!

Jiang Yu’s face changed drastically as he shook the Rain Summoning Banner in his hand again and again. Sheets of rain fell in unison, trying to block the crescent blades’ slashes. Yet that inexplicable slowing effect always left him a step behind.

Swish!

In just a single exchange, Jiang Yu failed to retreat in time and took a slash across his body. His supreme grade defensive enchanted artifact and defensive robe shattered at once. Blood spewed from his mouth as he staggered back in panic.

”Die!”

With a low growl, the Wolf King charged through the swirling snow straight at Jiang Yu. At that very moment, a blazing sun rose behind it. The Wolf King abruptly whirled around and spat out a massive snowball that smashed into the erupting sun.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed through the skies. The shockwave that followed was so powerful that it simply compacted the entire Snow Wolf Plateau by several zhang. Cen Qiusheng and Fu Jiusheng, who had also been fighting atop the plateau, were blasted tens of li away by the impact.

Amid firelight and whirling snow, a massive figure suddenly burst out.

”You die first!”

Luo Chen’s expression shifted once more. This Snow Wolf King’s battle instincts were frighteningly sharp. It had picked out that he was the lowest in cultivation among the three.

Without skipping a beat, he swung the Mystic Flame Sword in a rapid flurry. A mountain of spirit energy manifested overhead, and its immense suppressive weight blanketed the land.

Landslide!

The mid-stage Snow Wolf King jolted to a halt. Snow-white radiance flared across its fur, offsetting the suppressive effect of Landslide, and its speed returned at once. Yet just as it was about to charge at Luo Chen, Luo Chen suddenly retreated several dozen zhang with a speed not inferior to the beast’s.

”Are you guys planning to wait until next week?” said Luo Chen.

At the same time, Diwu Qi and Jiang Yu, who had regained their footing, plunged back into the battle. In the blink of an eye, the three of them had the Snow Wolf King in the center of a triangle.

Seeing them surround it, the mid-stage Snow Wolf King’s rage only intensified. It opened its jaws and spat out a crescent-shaped blade that floated above its head.

The three of them froze for a moment.

”A life-bound enchanted treasure?”

”A demonic beast can do that?”

”No, that is only a treasure embryo. There is nothing to fear.”

Luo Chen grit his teeth and activated Landslide on the spot. The explosion engulfed the Snow Wolf King’s massive body in an instant. Diwu Qi drove his flying sword straight into the heart of the blast. Jiang Yu also ignored his injuries and activated the Rain Summoning Banner.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Crashing sounds echoed again and again. Even surrounded by three cultivators, the demonic wolf still retained the strength to strike back. Luo Chen kept one eye on the battle as he pondered how to counteract Snow Corrosion, while the corner of his gaze tracked the flow of combat across the field. He was truly splitting his focus in several directions at once.