An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”So, you are Luo Chen?”

”I am.”

The moment he heard the question, Luo Chen responded instinctively. Yet almost immediately, he sensed that something was amiss. Although he was somewhat known around the Jade Cauldron Domain, he could hardly be considered famous among the many cultivators participating in this Frontier War. So why would his interlocutor single him out with such a question?

Luo Chen believed that he had done nothing particularly out of line during the war. Even though he had once slain three Demon Kings in battle and escaped alive from the Golden Wolf King, such feats were simply not worth mentioning in the eyes of a Demon Emperor.

Just as he was filled with doubts, Nether Spring examined Luo Chen carefully once more. Then it muttered to itself, ”Using five Sages, each with five-element spirit roots, to reverse-refine a Primal Embryo Dao Body... I don’t know whether to call this genius or madness.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Chen’s expression changed drastically.

Over the years, he had read a lot and had seen descriptions of such aptitude in various texts. A cultivator’s aptitude was generally defined by three factors. The first was the spirit root, the second was the soul, and the third was the physique. Among the three, spirit roots were the most basic yet also the most crucial, as they formed the threshold for cultivation. Meanwhile, the aptitude of the soul manifested in less direct but no less influential ways—comprehension, temperament, divine soul foundation, and even latent wisdom carried through reincarnation.

Those who possessed such qualities often gained extraordinary assistance along the path of cultivation. The Falling Cloud Sect, for instance, showed exceptional favor toward disciples with outstanding divine soul aptitude. Even if their spirit roots were terrible, as long as their divine soul was strong, the sect would still make an exception and take them in.

Apart from these two, certain people also had a special cultivation aptitude pertaining to the physique. This type of aptitude manifested in yet another different manner—not directly tied to qi cultivation per se, but influencing the body’s tangible resonance with heaven and earth. For example, the legendary Geng Metal Sword Body aligned with the sword path, while the Nine Yang Divine Body aligned with the fire path, and many others followed the same principle.

Of course, such physiques were far beyond reach. But along his cultivation journey, Luo Chen had encountered some cultivators with special, albeit less rare, physiques. For example, Li Yixian possessed the Locust[1] Yin Body. This had been stated by Li Yixian himself. It helped with stealth and concealment, the handling of baleful yin and ghostly energies, and even the cultivation of wood-element techniques. Another example was Li Yingzhang, the elder of the Luo Tian Sect, who had the Ninefold Winding Body. After cultivating the Ninefold Reversion Sutra, he had a twenty percent higher chance of crossing the barriers between realms even without consuming breakthrough pills.

The advantages of the Ninefold Winding Body were not limited to breakthroughs alone; cultivating with it also resulted in an incomparably solid foundation. When Luo Chen treated Li Yingzhang’s injuries, he noticed that the man’s foundation was no weaker than his own and that his spirit power was exceptionally robust. At the same time, this physique also came with a drawback—namely, an extremely slow cultivation. Li Yingzhang had reached Foundation Establishment at an early age, yet he had since been overtaken by Gu Caiyi, Lou Ying, and others. And it was precisely because of the limitations imposed by this physique.

Above these uncommon physiques, and beyond even the legendary ones, there existed one that was even more formidable: the very Primal Embryo Dao Body mentioned by the Netherworld Yin Crow.

Heaven and earth were suffused with spirit energy that transformed into yin and yang and split into the five elements; wind and lightning interwove;light and darkness shifted. Beneath the seemingly tranquil natural environment, the composition of spirit energy was in fact exceedingly complex. As a result, cultivators often failed to achieve optimal efficiency when absorbing and utilizing spirit energy.

People who researched documents left behind by ancient Qi Refiners, however, discovered that those cultivators had not absorbed and refined spirit energy, but rather primal qi. Primal qi encompassed all the various attributes of spirit energy. However, as ages passed and heaven and earth underwent change, ordinary cultivators could no longer directly utilize the primal qi of the world. The Qi Refiners of modern times thus used natural spirit energy together with the qi in their own bodies, and were more commonly known as immortal cultivators.

The only beings capable of directly utilizing the primal qi of heaven and earth were those who had surpassed the Nascent Soul Realm to attain Divine Transformation. In fact, the ability to freely control primal qi was one of the defining features of an Ascendant.

Yet there was an exception: the Primal Embryo Dao Body. As long as they had a compatible technique, someone with this special physique could directly absorb and utilize the primal qi of heaven and earth regardless of their level of cultivation and location. There would never be an awkward situation where an orthodox cultivator could not absorb the energy of lands suffused with baleful energies, or where fire spells couldn’t be cast to full effectiveness because the environment was full of ice.

To have the Primal Embryo Dao Body was akin to being an embryo of the cosmos itself; wherever one was between heaven and earth, it was like dwelling within a maternal womb. Any resource and any form of spirit energy was as nourishing as the amniotic fluid, and it could be freely absorbed and refined. With such conditions, the efficiency of cultivation and the speed of advancement were simply beyond imagination.

Seeing Luo Chen’s reaction, Nether Spring chuckled. ”It seems you know what the Primal Embryo Dao Body is.”

Luo Chen stiffly nodded, panic rising in his heart. He lifted his head with difficulty. ”Senior, you wouldn’t, by any chance...”

”Hehe!” The crow let out a shrill, mocking laugh. ”Do you think I’m mad? The very idea is absurd. In a world like this, how could a mythical constitution like the Primal Embryo Dao Body ever be born? The one who had that idea was one of your fellow humans, from the Five Elements Divine Sect. Well, what can I say? With such good comrades, who needs enemies? Hahaha!”

When Luo Chen heard the beginning, he finally let out a breath of relief. Yet by the end, his heart jolted once more. The Five Elements Divine Sect! Of course... It all makes sense now!

Now he understood why Jin Buque had been so friendly toward him! No wonder he had been so eager to bring Luo Chen to settle in the Five Elements Domain, and he had satisfied Luo Chen’s requests so readily... So this had been the purpose all along! The reason they had not forcibly taken action was likely what the crow had mentioned—the ”materials” had to be at least at the Nascent Soul Realm. Luo Chen was only at the early stage of the Golden Core Realm and was still far from the Nascent Soul Realm. The Five Elements Divine Sect was naturally not in a hurry to capture him and refine the Primal Embryo Dao Body. But if he were to escape in the future...

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. What future is there? I should first think about how to get through the hurdle right in front of me. If I survive the soul-search somewhat intact... Hm?

Suddenly, Luo Chen noticed something. He cautiously lifted his head and looked toward the crow atop the wide chair.

”Senior, why are you not searching my soul?”

”Do you want me to?”

”Uhhhhh... not in particular?”

The crow let out a cackle. ”You are not a top disciple of a great sect. You’re somewhat famous, but you’re just a rogue cultivator originally. What valuable information could I find in your memories? Well... You know what they say, better punish a hundred innocents than let a guilty one escape. Maybe I should search your soul, actually.”

Luo Chen’s heart instantly leapt up in his throat, and clear regret appeared on his face. Shit! Why did I have to remind it!? Me and my big stupid mouth!

As he grew tense, the crow waved a wing. ”Alright, calm down. You’re still useful to me. Soul-searching would only affect your performance.”

Before Luo Chen could ask what ”performance” it referred to, the crow continued, ”Do you have any Imperial Nectar right now? Let me see it.”

Luo Chen froze for a brief moment, then realization dawned on him. It was obvious that she had uncovered information related to him from other people’s memories. His rise along the cultivation path had been far too rapid, to the point that many had deliberately gathered information about him. Imperial Nectar had originally been one of his most closely guarded secrets. Yet because this spirit medicine had occasionally been distributed to his sect members for Foundation Establishment, the secret had somehow leaked.

There was no such thing as an impregnable wall when it came to information. Certainly, random people would not have noticed, and even Luo Chen’s friends from other sects were probably none the wiser. But since Jin Buque had nefarious intentions with regard to him, it made perfect sense that he’d investigate everything about Luo Chen thoroughly, and he had the means to do so.

Under different circumstances, Luo Chen would naturally not have cared. After all, he had already formed his core, and as a third-tier alchemist, refining spirit medicines that assisted Foundation Establishment was entirely normal. However, the fact that the crow cared so much about Imperial Nectar did not bode well.

He instinctively tried to open his storage ring, but a bitter smile appeared on his face. ”Senior, I cannot use my mana.”

The crow blinked, then pulled out a green feather from beneath its wing and waved it at him. In an instant, Luo Chen felt something vanish from his body. A fraction of a second later, he felt that his soul could move freely, and his Golden Core could be activated once again. Luo Chen took out a bottle of Imperial Nectar from his storage pouch and respectfully handed it over.

The crow first carefully sniffed it, then lightly pecked at it. Then...

”Peh peh peh! What is this disgusting concoction!? It reeks of wolf sweat! You refined this using demonic wolf flesh?”

”Senior, you’re keen! That’s right,” Luo Chen flattered it smoothly, without the slightest awkwardness.

The crow was quite pleased. It shook the small bottle, and a trace of humanlike expression appeared on its face. Luo Chen saw it clearly. It seemed like... wistfulness?

”That little fox... He could have stayed properly in Green Parasol Mountain, yet he insisted on chasing some so-called Dao of Alchemy and running off to the human cultivation world. How could he not know that those who are not of our kind will always harbor different intentions? Even those who share the same bed, when faced with the divide of race, will never truly trust each other. His death was well deserved.”

The wistful expression gradually turned fierce. Luo Chen lowered his head as an unbelievable guess formed in his heart. Imperial Nectar, fox, alchemy, humans... Shang Hu?![2] No way... Could it be that he was actually a demonic fox!?

If that was truly the case, then it could explain why Fairy Ruthless had disregarded marital bonds and killed her Dao companion with her own two hands. When it came to the boundary between human and demon, even such ties came second. This also explained why the Ice Fortress had remained fervently committed to hunting snow foxes for so many years.

However, Luo Chen did not probe further into these speculations. If the interlocutor was willing to speak, it would speak. If not, did he really dare to question it?

The crow put the bottle away and looked at Luo Chen. ”The quality of this Imperial Nectar is not bad, but it’s not enough. I want top-grade Imperial Nectar, and the more, the better!”

Luo Chen naturally did not dare to say no. While he was under someone else’s roof, there was no room for questioning their motives. He had always been this way: clear-headed, pragmatic, and keenly aware of when to yield. Had he not lived all these decades by doing exactly that? The only difference now was that the one he bowed to was not human but demon.

Perhaps others would cling to their principles and insist on standing firm. Yet decades ago, because of—or thanks to—Miao Wen, Luo Chen had already come to understand exactly what kind of person he was. Gentlemanly conduct and consistent moral standards were naturally things to be upheld on the path to immortality, but that dictum was only valid when he had the ability to practice it. And clearly, right now, he did not have that ability. However...

”Senior, I—”

”Stop calling me senior. My name is Nether Spring. I am the deputy palace leader of the Transcendence Palace of Green Parasol Mountain. Just call me deputy palace leader.”

Luo Chen froze, recalling the characters he had seen on the plaque before entering: Transcendence Palace. In such a thoroughly demon-controlled domain, a name so steeped in human Dao resonance stood out immediately.

He immediately changed his form of address. ”Deputy palace leader, I am of course able to concoct top-grade Imperial Nectar. The trouble is the medicinal materials. Those are hard to come by....”

”You don’t need to worry about that. There might not be medicinal ingredients anywhere else, but Green Parasol Mountain lacks nothing!” Nether Spring flapped its wings domineeringly and flew up from the chair. ”You’ll get everything you need, so get to it. Once you’re done, I’ll have more work for you. The demon races need people like you.”

More work? Luo Chen pressed his dry lips together and nodded. ”Understood.”

”Go. From now on, you’re a member of the Transcendence Palace. You are not to leave Green Parasol Mountain, and you are not to wander into the other two palaces without permission. Understood? Other than that, you can do as you please. If you need anything, Pure Crane will see to it.”

Luo Chen respectfully acknowledged and slowly withdrew from the palace. Only after he stepped out of the entrance did the gaze locked onto him vanish. At that very instant, Luo Chen shivered, and his mind suddenly cleared.

What a terrifying illusion technique.... From start to finish, I never once even considered disagreeing with a single word it said.

After he came back to himself, cold sweat seeped down his back without him realizing it. When he recalled his various lapses in judgement earlier, it was obvious that the composure he had always taken pride in had completely collapsed. This showed just how formidable Nether Spring’s attainments in divine soul arts were. No wonder it hadn’t bothered searching his soul. Even a minor illusion technique had ensnared him instantly, before he even noticed it.

”If I were in peak condition and used Mirror Flower Water Moon beforehand, would I be able to withstand this kind of illusion?”

As Luo Chen muttered to himself, a voice came from the side. ”Not bad. You got yourself together pretty fast.”

Luo Chen turned around and saw Pure Crane. The woman cast him a cold glance and walked down the mountain. ”Follow me. Your residence has already been arranged.”

Luo Chen nodded and followed closely behind. The further he moved away from the range of the Transcendence Palace, the heavier the pressure became, like a mountain weighing down on him. It felt as if Sages were staring at him from behind.

”Wh... what is...” Cold sweat seeped from Luo Chen’s forehead.

Pure Crane walked ahead and let out a cold snort. ”Do not try to sense it. The Transcendence Palace does not have only Lord Nether Spring. This is a fifth-tier spirit land. In the Great Million Mountains of the wilderness, countless flying creatures revere Green Parasol Mountain. You have no idea how many avian demons dream of cultivating in a place like this. Being valued by Lord Nether Spring is tremendous good fortune for you.”

Luo Chen really wanted to say, If this kind of fortune is so good, why don’t you take it yourself?

Naturally, he did not dare voice such thoughts. Only after descending for a while did the oppressive pressure start to fade away.

It was only then that he realized how limited his perspective had been. When one stood too close, the whole was impossible to see. Yet even that narrow view gave Luo Chen some hints about what stood beyond. Nether Spring was merely a deputy palace leader, yet it was simply unfathomable. It was hard to imagine how powerful the actual palace leader was.

As Luo Chen watched Pure Crane, with her slender waist and her aura that clearly stated ”do not approach,” he suddenly recalled what Nether Spring had said earlier.

Any request... Pure Crane would see to it?

1. This refers to the Chinese honey locust tree (皂荚 zào jiá), not the biblical plague grasshopper. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s associated with the yin side of things. ☜

2. The Hu in Shang Hu (尚狐) literally means fox. ☜