An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Unfortunately, the heavens did not hear Wei Wuya’s prayers. Early the next morning, footsteps echoed once more through the dungeon corridor. Just as everyone expected, Pure Crane appeared again and took Wei Wuya away.

Two hours later, he was brought back hanging like a dead pig. He was still unconscious, and no one had any idea what had happened. The remaining cultivators finally started to panic. The four remaining late-stage Adepts could no longer maintain their composure as traces of fear appeared on their faces.

At their level, injuries sustained in battle were not a serious matter. But once the divine soul was damaged, the hope of advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm became nil. And it was painfully clear that the conditions of both Hao Ranzi and Wei Wuya were the result of damage to their divine souls.

On the third day, the Supreme Elder of Dreamspring Cave was taken away. At this sight, Jadewater Dragon, who was in a cell farther back, shouted repeatedly, demanding to know why cultivators were being taken away. But Pure Crane paid no attention at all. It behaved like a warden of this prison, unmoved by anything, only faithfully carrying out the task of escorting prisoners in and out.

One piece of good news came by evening—Hao Ranzi finally woke up! But faced with the flurry of anxious questions, he did not answer right away. His gaze was unfocused, and he was still clouded with confusion.

After a long while, Hao Ranzi clutched his head and said in a low voice, ”My soul was searched.”

Everyone’s expressions changed drastically. Soul-searching was a devilish method. It caused tremendous and irreversible damage to a cultivator’s divine soul. Once one was subjected to it, everything from their past was laid bare before the enemy. Their deepest secrets, killing moves, insights into cultivation, techniques and spells, every bit of random knowledge, and even interpersonal relationships were all exposed without reserve.

Everything unfolded like a painted scroll, laid open for others to browse at will. Worse still, after a soul-search, a cultivator’s divine soul would be left flawed. Any attempt at a breakthrough would then carry a far greater chance of attracting a Heart Devil compared to ordinary cultivators. In other words, if this entire group were subjected to soul-searching, their already slim chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm would be nearly gone.

All of a sudden, Jin Buque spoke up. ”If one of us happens to have a soul restriction placed by a sect elder, and they are forcibly soul-searched, what happens then?”

Hao Ranzi could not give a definite answer to this question. He said uncertainly, ”The one conducting the soul-search was that black crow. It seems to be from the archaic Netherworld Yin Crow lineage and has great attainment in the Dao of the Soul. It might be able to break it without taking a life... maybe. But if the soul restriction was placed by your sect’s Supreme Elder, Sage Divine Origin, then the consequences would be hard to predict.”

Jin Buque’s face turned deathly pale.

The Five Elements Divine Sect was different from most upper sects. This sect liked to research various divine techniques and secret arts, and indeed possessed many rare and unusual methods. Yet precisely because of this, it easily drew the covetous attention of others. Thus, there had always been a tradition for their sect’s experts to place soul restrictions on certain techniques and secret arts in order to prevent core methods from being stolen.

Moreover, the Supreme Elder of the sect, Divine Origin, was a late-stage Sage. Meanwhile, the black crow’s cultivation was definitely not as high; at most, it was at the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. No matter how great its soul cultivation was, it was very unlikely to undo the workings of a late-stage Sage. And if it were to forcibly break the soul restriction, then Jin Buque would likely be dead.

Jin Buque was not the only one harboring such fears. Ye Xiang of the Divine Talisman Sect and Fairy Fengyue of Windflower Palace had both turned pale. Yet no matter how anxious they were, the footsteps always came, and Pure Crane took one person away each day for interrogation.

One day, two days, three days...

After the late-stage Adepts were done, it was finally the turn of those at the middle stage.

On the first day, Jin Buque was summoned. However, he did not come back alive. This probably meant that what he had feared earlier had come true. However, Ye Xiang and Fengyue managed to return by sheer luck. This was likely because the elders from their sects who had placed the restrictions were not particularly high in cultivation nor especially accomplished in soul restrictions. Those restrictions were easily broken by the black crow, which ironically allowed them to preserve their lives. In a twisted way, it could be considered another form of fortune.

Another strange thing was that Light Frost also did not return. This left everyone utterly baffled. Yet among them, Luo Chen no longer had the energy to ponder such matters, because his own turn was fast approaching.

Within the dim cell, Luo Chen wore a bitter expression. The feeling of being at another’s mercy was truly unbearable. It was even worse knowing that the butcher’s blade was drawing closer day by day. Outside the cell, some cultivators who had regained consciousness also looked at him with sympathy in their eyes.

Hao Ranzi let out a sigh and said, ”Do not dwell on it. If it is fortune, it will not turn into calamity. If it is a calamity, it cannot be avoided. As cultivators, we are fated to face trials.”

Luo Chen opened his mouth, yet found himself at a loss for words.

Hao Ranzi continued, ”It’s only soul-searching. As long as you survive, it’s still possible to find a method or two in the future to repair the lingering damage.”

He had already come to terms with it and appeared remarkably composed. Luo Chen pressed his lips together and forced his restless emotions back down. Yes! As long as I survive, that is enough!

As he waited with a resolute gaze, the footsteps rang out once more in the dark corridor. This time, Pure Crane stopped outside Luo Chen’s cell. ”Come out.”

Luo Chen took a deep breath and followed Pure Crane step by step toward the outside. It was clearly a path toward the light beyond, yet for some reason it felt more like plunging into a bottomless abyss. The weight in his heart grew heavier with every step.

***

”What is this...”

After passing through layer upon layer of corridors, Luo Chen stood outside a grand hall. As he looked around, verdant mountains stretched endlessly into the distance, peppered with towering parasol trees[1] hundreds of zhang tall. Colorful birds circled and danced amid cloud-wreathed peaks; it was truly a land where a hundred birds paid homage to the phoenix[2] and ten thousand birds found their roost.

Among those flocks were creatures ranging from the first to the third tier, and Luo Chen could even see a few that seemed extremely close to the fourth tier. Moreover, in terms of species, many were rare spirit birds spoken of only in legend; Luo Chen had never had the chance to see even a feather of such a bird, let alone a live one flying around. But their presence here made perfect sense. The spirit energy was so dense it seemed to flow like water. Merely taking a single breath left one refreshed in both body and mind. Even Luo Chen’s Golden Core, which had been sealed away, seemed to stir faintly.

”A third-tier spirit vein? No, it’s at least fourth tier...”

Hearing Luo Chen’s murmurs, Pure Crane glanced back at him. ”Oh, you can tell? Good eyes, but not good enough. Actually, this Green Parasol Mountain is one of the rare fifth-tier spirit lands in this realm, and of course, it’s built on a fifth-tier spirit vein.”

A fifth-tier spirit land!? Luo Chen’s heart trembled. The cultivation land of an Ascendant?

Not long ago, he had exhausted himself for the sake of a mere third-tier spirit land, yet now he had suddenly arrived at a legendary fifth-tier one. Nothing in this world felt more unfathomable than such a twist of fate.

Wait... Could it be that the demoness in the green robe is not a Demon Emperor, but a fifth-tier Ancient Demon on par with Ascendant?

As his thoughts reeled, Pure Crane came to a stop. Luo Chen looked up and saw a massive plaque hanging above the enormous palace—Transcendence Palace.

”Go in. Nether Spring is waiting for you.”

Nether Spring seemed to be the name of that Netherworld Yin Crow.

Luo Chen clenched his teeth. With no means to resist, he stepped forward and entered the Transcendence Palace. The moment he entered, a pair of unfathomable eyes locked onto him. Yet the moment Luo Chen’s mind began to waver, the strange and oppressive force he was feeling abruptly ceased.

”So, you are Luo Chen?”

1. In Chinese mythology, the phoenix is said to roost on a parasol tree (梧桐 wútóng). The origin of this seems to be a poem in the Classic of Poetry, one of the Chinese Five Classics, which dates back around 3000 years. ☜

2. According to a Chinese folk tale, the phoenix was initially an inconspicuous and plain-looking bird that gathered seeds and fruit all day. When a drought came, it shared its food with the other birds, and as a reward, each bird chose its most beautiful feather and gifted it to the phoenix. They then elected the phoenix as their ruler. ☜