An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”We won!”

”We won!”

”Woohoo! We finally took Azure Iron Mountain!”

On the verdant and imposing Azure Iron Mountain, cries of unrestrained excitement echoed everywhere. A rugged middle-aged man stood on the summit covered in blood. He gazed at the few hundred surviving disciples below with a deeply conflicted expression on his face.

At his feet lay three massive demonic wolf corpses and a great sword whose spirituality had nearly vanished. It had once been his master’s life-bound enchanted treasure. For the sake of this battle, the Myriad Phenomena Sect had staked everything. The Supreme Elder, whose lifespan was nearly exhausted, had even chosen to detonate his own Golden Core, dragging two wolf kings to their deaths with him. Through bitter struggle and despite grievous injuries, this man had finally slain the last third-tier wolf. To him, everything had been worth it.

”With this spirit land, the sect has hope of revival. Give us just a hundred years to recuperate, and I will definitely restore the sect to its peak. Master, you may rest in peace,” Yang Wenchang said.

Grief carved deep lines into his face as he gripped the greatsword. Countless plans for rebuilding the Myriad Phenomena Sect surged through his heart. Azure Iron Mountain could even be renamed Myriad Phenomena Mountain.

But just as he stood immersed in sorrow and rising ambition, trouble arrived.

From the foot of the mountain came panicked cries for help.

”What is happening?”

Yang Wenchang’s heart jolted, and his divine consciousness spread outward. In his senses became clear a gigantic demonic wolf charging toward Azure Iron Mountain with reckless abandon. It was an absolute behemoth, and its momentum seemed great enough to flatten mountains in its path. Yet at the same time, its movements carried the frantic desperation of a frightened beast fleeing for its life.

Wherever the wolf passed, its demonic energy turned into countless wind blades that sliced apart everything in their way. The Qi Refinement Realm disciples died the instant they were touched, and the Initiates either perished or barely escaped with heavy injuries.

How could there still be another demonic wolf king? Azure Iron Mountain is on the outer edge of the Howling Moon Mountain Range, Yang Wenchang thought in shock.

As he watched disciples fall one after another, his eyes went red with rage. They were all promising candidates for the sect’s revival and the pillars who had survived the war against the wolves. Such a thing was absolutely intolerable.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yang Wenchang drew his sword and streaked into the sky like a rainbow. He charged straight at the third-tier demonic wolf.

”Beast, die!” he shouted.

”Out of my way!” the wolf roared.

They wasted no words. The man and wolf clashed at once. Sword light surged and wove intricate patterns. Demonic energy filled the sky, and wind blades swept out like a raging storm in all directions.

Already seriously injured, Yang Wenchang quickly fell to a disadvantage in this sudden battle. With his mana nearly depleted, even directing his flying sword took significant effort.

After more than a hundred exchanges, the wolf’s body bore several bone-deep sword wounds. Yang Wenchang’s own enchanted robe hung in tatters, and his face was ashen. Yet he could not retreat.

This mountain held the future of the Myriad Phenomena Sect. Behind him was the hope of the sect’s rise. If he retreated now, he would not only bury all hope and future, but also make the Supreme Elder’s self-detonation and the deaths of every disciple in this battle utterly meaningless.

***

Within the hazy sea of clouds, three figures conversed in low voices.

”Jiang Yu, the Illusory Rain Veil of yours is as marvelous as ever. I doubt even a late-stage Adept’s divine consciousness could see through it,” Diwu Qi said with a chuckle.

”You flatter me. It is nothing more than a paltry life-saving trick, hardly comparable to your grand abilities,” Jiang Yu replied.

”You are far too modest. Among Adepts, anyone with a few reliable enchanted treasures already counts as a regional powerhouse. Your Sea Stabilizing Pearl together with the Rain Summoning Banner, then supported by this Illusory Rain Veil... If you strike first, even a mid-stage Adept will suffer badly.”

”Tsk tsk, Daoist brother, you overpraise me. Once your trump card is unleashed, who could possibly withstand it?” Jiang Yu said. ”If you ask me, Dan Chenzi is still the most formidable. With so many hidden cards, such remarkable abilities, and nearly no rivals in his realm. Speaking of which, Dan Chenzi, what exactly are those three black nails of yours? Those treasures are truly mysterious.”

Within the rain veil, Luo Chen listened to their flattery with a faint smile. To hear them talk, it sounded as though any one of them could fight across realms and stand toe to toe with mid-stage Adepts.

Of course, he did not take the words seriously. Fighting across realms was never that simple. The three of them had joined forces earlier and still spent enormous effort killing a mid-stage Snow Wolf King. If they truly met a mid-stage Adept, they would likely not last a solid minute unless they used a devastating weapon like the Lightning Immortal Pearl.

He did not involve himself deeply in their little praise session. He kept his attention on the battle at Azure Iron Mountain instead. As he watched, his expression gradually grew grave.

”Yang Wenchang has some skill. Even in that state, he can still take down a third-tier demonic wolf,” he remarked.

The other two put away their relaxed attitudes as well. At the moment, they were carrying out a scheme to pit wolves against men and then devour the victor. They had hoped to seize Azure Iron Mountain without lifting a finger. But now, it seemed that this plan was in a good deal of trouble. If the Myriad Phenomena Sect fully secured the place and the Luo Tian Alliance then tried to snatch it, the sect would surely complain to the Falling Cloud Sect, and problems would follow.

”Why don’t I make a move again, repeat what we did at Dream Return Ridge, and seize Azure Iron Mountain?” Luo Chen suggested.

But this time, he was met with opposition. Jiang Yu shook his head. ”The Myriad Phenomena Sect even sacrificed their Supreme Elder for the sake of this spirit vein. If you try what you did before, they will not yield so easily.”

Luo Chen frowned. The reasoning was sound. Azure Iron Mountain had already been taken, unlike Dream Return Ridge where the He family’s failed assault had left him the chance to pluck the ripe fruit. Even so, they could not simply concede such a crucial cultivation land.

He let out a sigh and said, ”If it does not work, we will simply use our momentum to pressure them later and force them to leave. As for any complaint they bring to the Falling Cloud Sect afterward, we can drag things out slowly.”

It sounded like a fine idea. However, Diwu Qi spoke up, ”That is far too troublesome. Let me handle it. The method may be somewhat crude, but for the sake of our cultivation, there are some things we must do.”

Jiang Yu’s expression turned solemn as he whispered, ”Make sure you keep it hidden.”

Diwu Qi nodded and said, ”Rest assured. In the middle of such a fierce battle, ordinary cultivators have no way of noticing this. No one will suspect a thing.”

As he spoke, he pressed two fingers together like a sword before his chest. His breath flowed out lightly. A strand of eerie wind appeared, coiling into a tiny vortex as it slowly emerged.

The instant that strand of wind appeared, Luo Chen’s expression hardened. So this is the trump card Jiang Yu mentioned?

He remembered that Diwu Qi had once wanted to use it on the mid-stage Snow Wolf King at Snow Wolf Flats. Luo Chen had told him to save it, so he had not witnessed its power then. Now that he saw it, an obscure and sinister aura seeped from the spiral of wind. It was enough to make one’s heart tremble.

Luo Chen hesitated and wondered whether he should stop the other man. Yet the solemn look on Diwu Qi’s face and the half-smiling expression on Jiang Yu’s made him suddenly realize something. Perhaps they were not worried about trouble at all. Instead, they meant to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys.

Luo Chen stood out far too much. Not only was he the nominal leader of the Luo Tian Alliance, but his repeated displays of strength had long cast him as the alliance’s strongest cultivator. Even the low-tier cultivators of Stormwind Manor and the Cen family had begun to treat him with respect.

Under such circumstances, Stormwind Manor, which should have been the most imposing force, had instead been overshadowed. Now that they were about the seize all the mountains as planned, there would inevitably be a struggle over how the spoils would be divided.

Given that, Diwu Qi would not accept being overshadowed. This time, he volunteered not so much to kill Yang Wenchang as to display his own capabilities. In other words, the target was neither the wolf nor Yang Wenchang, but Luo Chen!

Of course, even if he thought so, Luo Chen could not very well argue with him and risk throwing the alliance into disarray.

So that is why they boasted so much earlier. They were hinting at this all along, he thought with a silent sigh. He had parted his lips to speak, but after some thought, he closed them once more. He kept his expression calm and simply watched Diwu Qi cast his spell.

Jiang Yu had been watching every change in his expression. When he saw this, his own heart finally settled. That’s right. You thought we were weaklings? Well, let’s see what you think after this!

”Huuuuu...” Diwu Qi let out a gentle breath, and the strand of eerie wind coiled around his fingertips slipped away in utter silence.

Down on Azure Iron Mountain, Yang Wenchang was still locked in fierce combat. Slowly, he began to realize that something was wrong. The demonic wolf before him attacked with savage fury, yet still fought with strength to spare, as if it remained wary of something else. Not only that, it kept roaring at him to get out of its way and stop blocking its path.

This wolf is acting very strangely. Could it be that it did not come for the Myriad Phenomena Sect at all, but was driven here by someone else? Where is the one who drove it then? Wait, could it be...

As his thoughts churned and he tried to shift aside to open a path for the wolf, a faint breeze drifted over. The breeze was spinning as it brushed past him. Yan Wenchang’s robes fluttered, and blood stench scattered in the air.

Yang Wenchang’s eyes went wide as he looked down at his own body. He was neatly split into two halves, and a tiny vortex spun around his Golden Core. In his dimming vision, the last thing he saw was the demonic wolf’s massive claw descending.

Everything happened far too quickly, so quickly that none of the low-tier cultivators of the Myriad Phenomena Sect on Azure Iron Mountain had time to react before their leader’s head was crushed.

A moment later, a thunderous roar exploded from the clouds. ”Evil beast, hand over your life!”

Diwu Qi dove from the sky, and two miniature vortices spun between his hands as strands of eerie wind coiled ceaselessly around them. He arrived too abruptly and at far too perfect a moment. By the time his streak of light reached the battlefield, the vortices had already enveloped the demonic wolf. With only a crisscrossing twist, the mighty third-tier beast fell dead upon Azure Iron Mountain.

Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, Diwu Qi caught the Golden Core with a show of regret. ”My apologies! I was late and made you suffer this calamity without cause.”

As he spoke, his expression shifted slightly, and he glanced back over his shoulder. Then, he tossed the Golden Core toward a late-stage Initiate who had just rushed out from the mountain, and he said, ”This is your esteemed master’s inheritance. You should keep it well.”

At the same time, he also threw over Yang Wenchang’s storage pouch and flying sword. The scene left the furious disciples of the Myriad Phenomena Sect momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

At that moment, two streaks of light arrived from afar. As the wind surged, Luo Chen swept his sleeve and stepped forward from among the crowd.

”What do we do with these people?” he asked calmly.

The disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Sect clutched Yang Wenchang’s items with trembling hands. He looked at Luo Chen and the other two with blank eyes and asked, ”May I ask the seniors’ honored names?”

Luo Chen and the other two exchanged a glance and smiled with warm courtesy.

”I am Dan Chenzi of the Luo Tian Alliance,” Luo Chen said.

”Diwu Qi,” the second introduced.

”Jiang Yu,” the third added.

Under the three men’s seemingly gentle gazes, the several hundred remaining disciples of the Myriad Phenomena Sect on Azure Iron Mountain appeared small and fragile as ants. It was as if the mere presence of the three Adepts could kill them!