An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

For demonic beasts native to the Howling Moon Mountain Range, human cultivators were, naturally, outsiders. As for those cultivators who sought to kill them and forcefully occupy their home, they were even more deserving of being called uninvited guests. From this perspective, what Defiant Howl said was perfectly reasonable.

Unfortunately, some matters could not be settled through reason alone. For the sake of living space, for cultivation resources, for the pursuit of the Great Dao, what Han Zhan intended to do today was to seize the initiative and establish dominion over Howling Moon.

Han Zhan raised both hands into the air. A series of humming sounds echoed through the air. From the ground that had been shattered earlier, ripples of dim light suddenly surged forth toward Thousand Leaf Peak. Within the dim light, five figures sat cross-legged, each holding a sharp sword. Their gazes were cold as they fixed upon the dignified middle-aged man clad in golden robes floating beneath the moonlight.

Wolf Emperor Defiant Howl’s eyebrow arched. ”A puppet formation? Swordsmen?”

Han Zhan smiled faintly and nodded. ”You have sharp eyes! It’s my very own Two Poles Five Elements Formation.[1] It has five late-stage Adept sword puppets as its foundation and draws upon the spirit energy of the third-tier spirit vein here. Its power rivals that of an early-stage Sage.”

The middle-aged man let out a cold laugh. ”You do not seriously think such crude things can stop me, do you? Besides, even if all five elements are present, where are the two poles?”

Han Zhan shook his head and sighed. ”Your arrival was within my expectations. Fellow Daoist, how could my preparations be so simplistic?”

As he spoke, a streak of black light flashed out. A black puppet appeared at his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. At this sight, Defiant Howl’s expression shifted. It was a Sage-level puppet! With one living and one dead, the two could form a yin and yang formation core together! If they combined with the five late-stage Adept puppets, the Two Poles Five Elements Sword Formation was complete. Its power unquestionably far exceeded that of an early-stage Sage. Defiant Howl was no exception; he had completed his transformation two hundred years back and awakened a unique bloodline inheritance, but under such circumstances, a full-force clash would likely end in his defeat.

He had originally believed that their first exchange had already revealed the other side’s depth. In that encounter, they had only exchanged a few moves, but he had gained a slight edge. This time, he had descended without warning to catch his opponent unprepared. He had not expected such a formidable formation to be lying in wait.

For a moment, he found himself in a dilemma. Yet even as he hesitated between advance and retreat, Han Zhan did not take the initiative to attack. Instead, he simply used his divine consciousness to have the five puppets draw in the spirit energy of the earth veins; they had to keep themselves ready to strike at any moment.

The two sides fell into a stalemate. However, the demonic beast army assaulting the encampment did not slow in the slightest. Moments later, tens of thousands of demonic wolves surged forward like a tide.

Luo Chen had just been marveling at Han Zhan’s formidable divine consciousness and his control over six puppets. At the sight before him, his expression changed sharply. He wanted to retreat with the alliance members, but clearly, there was nowhere to retreat.

On the Falling Cloud Sect’s side, Cheng Yan had already led his people into battle. ”The defensive formation has been destroyed and needs time to be repaired. Everyone, follow me and block the enemy. We must stop the beast tide outside the camp’s defensive line.”

At his command, the gathered cultivators responded in unison. Luo Chen took a deep breath and glanced back. He had witnessed Defiant Howl’s arrival first-hand—that initial strike, powered by the Wolf Emperor’s fury, had been anything but light. Yet he had not expected that the aftershocks of a single clash between Sages would destroy the defensive formations built around the main encampment. With things like this, retreating to the rear or staying at the front made little difference. The only thing left to consider was...

WHOOSH!

A pair of wings spread open below. Zeng Yilong was shivering slightly, his expression caught between fear and excitement. From his bearing, it was clear that he was already prepared for a fierce battle.

Luo Chen sighed inwardly. Very well. Since we have to fight, then let us fight!

”Take care of yourselves!”

With a light shout, Luo Chen stepped forward from the crowd. As the words left his mouth, he had already drawn the Mystic Flame Sword and slashed forward. The fiery sword energy tore through the battlefield. With mana reinforcing it, it cut down low-tier demonic beasts without resistance.

At that moment, two early-stage third-tier demonic beasts locked onto him and charged straight at him. Luo Chen clenched his teeth and cast Solar Flare to briefly halt their advance.

Then, he flicked his wrist, and a disc fell into his hand. As mana poured in, cracking sounds rang out continuously as crescent blades peeled away from the disc one after another and started spinning. Under the infusion of mana, they grew larger and more numerous. In the blink of an eye, 365 flying discs circled around him. At the same time, even though he hadn’t nurtured them for long, he didn’t hesitate to activate the Moonbreak Wings. Two illusory wings manifested behind his back.

The moment Luo Chen acted, he went all out. It was not that he was overreacting or using overwhelming force on a trivial foe—the number of demonic beasts assaulting the main encampment was simply far too great. The number of third-tier demonic beasts alone exceeded twenty. Meanwhile, the Adepts left to guard the encampment numbered no more than ten at best. If the two formation masters who had to stay behind to repair the formations were excluded, there were even fewer of them. In other words, each Adept resisting the beast tide had to face two to three enemies of the same realm.

This battle had come far too abruptly.

Not far away, Cheng Yan was suppressing three mid-stage Wolf Kings on his own, yet he still appeared to have strength to spare. He swept his divine consciousness across the surroundings to assess the overall flow of the battle. When he saw Luo Chen activating his enchanted treasures and moving through the battlefield with ease, a trace of approval rose within him.

No wonder he was once the foremost Initiate of the Jade Cauldron Domain. Even after forming his core, his combat strength has entirely kept up with his cultivation. He still shows the same will to dominate whatever place he’s in and suppresses those of the same realm.

With this assurance, he felt there was no need for him to divert his attention to look after Luo Chen. But when his gaze shifted toward the rear of the beast tide and settled on the three late-stage Wolf Kings watching intently and poised to strike at any moment, his heart sank.

This is dangerous. Junior Brother Han Zhan’s cultivation is inferior to Defiant Howl’s. He is relying on the terrain and timing to set up the formation to hold him back for now, which means he cannot spare any effort to assist us. In that case, we can only drag this out. We must stall until the defensive formations regain their effectiveness and the Sword Enforcer Hall cultivators return.

***

Several thousand li to the southwest of the main encampment, two battles of vastly different scales were unfolding at the same time. The larger engagement involved seven sects launching a joint assault on Supreme Emperor Mountain. The smaller clash saw over a hundred cultivators from the Sword Enforcer Hall intercepting reinforcements from the Defiant Howl Wolf Court.

The latter battle had erupted swiftly and it concluded just as quickly. As a massive sword light swept across the battlefield and erased the final third-tier demonic wolf, the interception effort officially came to an end. A late-stage Adept named Wei Wuya stepped forward with a smile on his face. ”Fellow Daoist Linghu, the task is complete. Shall we head over to assist Star Moon Temple next?”

As he spoke, the rest of the Sword Enforcer Hall cultivators also turned their gazes over. The Sword Enforcer Hall had gathered elites from the nine upper sects, as well as several major sects. There were over a dozen Adepts among them, and more than a hundred Initiates, making them the most elite force in this Frontier War. Such a force could deliver a decisive blow at a critical moment. If they joined the battle at Supreme Emperor Mountain, the siege that had dragged on for several days would surely be resolved with ease.

Linghu Jie felt tempted by the suggestion. As the leader of the Sword Enforcer Hall, he had the authority to act as the situation demanded and report afterward. That said, offering assistance to the siege was certainly possible.

In particular, Star Moon Temple was on good terms with the Falling Cloud Sect. To help them secure Supreme Emperor Mountain would make them neighbors afterward and would allow them to be brought under the Falling Cloud Sect’s influence properly and legitimately. It was much like the relationship between the Sword Sect and the Flame Alliance back then.

Just as he was about to make a decision, his gaze suddenly shifted toward the ground.

Whoosh!

A streak of yellow light burst from the earth and shot straight toward him. Mana rippled through the air. Linghu Jie caught the yellow light while raising a hand to stop the others from reacting. ”Don’t worry. It is just a messenger puppet.”

Everyone felt their tension ease and looked over. What appeared before them was a small yellow pangolin. Surprisingly, in spite of its size, it was a third-tier demonic beast!

Wei Wuya exclaimed in amazement, ”Damn, you’re using a Profound Yellow Pangolin King as a messenger puppet! You people sure know how to be extravagant!”

Linghu Jie smiled faintly and sent out a spirit signal. The yellow pangolin immediately opened its mouth and produced a series of chittering sounds. Then came a voice—sharp and unnatural but clearly human, and carrying an unmistakable tone of urgency.

”The sect is in danger! Return at once!”

Linghu Jie’s expression darkened instantly. Rather than a joint army encampment, the main camp was effectively the Falling Cloud Sect’s encampment. The other sects were stationed elsewhere, and only the Falling Cloud Sect and the Sword Enforcer Hall were based around Thousand Leaf Peak. Now that the Sword Enforcer Hall had deployed, nearly ninety percent of those left behind were Falling Cloud Sect members.

Taking into account the Adepts distributed to Moonbreak and other locations, fewer than ten Adepts remained behind. Naturally, Linghu Jie understood better than anyone what the message implied. The others exchanged uneasy glances as well.

Lin Qingxuan frowned. ”No wonder the reinforcements were so easy to deal with. They were nothing more than bait.”

Wei Wuya nodded in agreement. ”Once demonic beasts undergo transformation, their intelligence is not inferior to humans. Last time, they used Supreme Emperor Mountain as bait to ambush the five sects. And now, they’ve done it again, except it was to get us here, and they shifted their main assault to the encampment. They’re striking straight at the heart.”

Nalan Feng of Willow Forest Den asked in confusion, ”But isn’t Sage Han guarding the main encampment? What gave them the guts?”

What gave them the guts? The answer was obvious. If they dared to strike at a Sage, it meant that a Sage-level being was leading them!

Linghu Jie’s face was grim, and he did not hesitate in the slightest as he swept his hand forward. ”Do not clean up the battlefield. Everyone, follow me to reinforce Thousand Leaf Peak. Any losses will be compensated by the Falling Cloud Sect afterward.”

With the order given, he charged out first. The others hurriedly followed, not even sparing a glance for the precious demon cores and such scattered across the ground. Linghu Jie led from the front, his heart burning with urgency. I hope we can hold out....

***

”Kill!”

”Kill!”

”Kill the damn humans!”

”AAAWOOOOO!”

On the battlefield, wolf howls echoed like crashing waves without end. The cries of the Falling Cloud Sect’s low-tier disciples were just as constant, but they took the form of wails and agonized screams.

One puppet after another was brutally shattered under attacks from demonic beasts several times their number. In just a short span of time, the casualties among low-tier cultivators were already horrifying to behold. And if that had been the extent of it, it might have been manageable. Yet even in the battles among high-tier cultivators, the balance was gradually shifting.

BOOOOMMM!

A third-tier puppet self-detonated. The powerful shockwave swept in all directions, not only killing an early-stage third-tier Wolf King but also taking dozens of low-tier wolves with it. Of course, many Falling Cloud Sect disciples were accidentally killed in the process.

”Fellow disciples, please forgive me...”

The pale-faced Adept of the Falling Cloud Sect murmured to himself with guilt. He had no other choice, as he was surrounded by the wolves. At that moment, he could only detonate his precious puppet. Under normal circumstances, trading a puppet for a Wolf King would have been worth it, but now... he faced more than a single enemy.

In the next moment, two enormous shadows dove down from the sky. The Falling Cloud Sect Adept took out two flying swords and launched a counterattack. Even after detonating a puppet that had been refined with his own soul and suffering severe injuries, he was still able to wield two flying swords simultaneously. There was no denying his strength.

However, he had already reached his limit. And then... a piercing screech suddenly exploded through the air, leaving his head spinning and his divine soul violently shaken. As he struggled to regain his composure, he saw that both flying swords had been knocked away to places unknown. The two Wolf Kings were already closing in, only a short distance away.

One of them unleashed overwhelming demonic energy to suppress his mana, while the other swept past and tore him to pieces. And that was the end of him. Worse still, he did not even manage to detonate his own Golden Core and take an enemy down with him.

After slaughtering him, the two Wolf Kings paused briefly to catch their breath. They then cast bloodthirsty gazes across the battlefield, each selecting a new opponent before charging forward once more.

This scene unfolded incredibly fast, yet every Adept on the field saw it clearly. Cheng Yan’s expression changed. After butchering a mid-stage Wolf King with sheer power, he glared resentfully toward the three late-stage Wolf Kings at the rear. Just moments ago, it was one of them that had suddenly let out a piercing screech, shattering the balance of the battlefield and causing one of his junior brothers to fall without the slightest chance to resist. Yet he could do nothing but watch....

1. The term ”two poles” here refers to yin and yang. ☜