An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Just as panic spread across the front lines, an abrupt piece of news arrived and settled everyone’s hearts. A late-stage Sage had arrived at Moonbreak—the Grand Elder of the Silktree Sect!

The news immediately lifted everyone’s spirits. The Silktree Sect’s Grand Elder was no ordinary figure. He had practiced the sect’s legacy technique Six Sovereigns Yin-Yang Transformation for over a thousand years, and his strength had reached an unfathomable state. It was said that in his earlier years, he had nearly been taken in by the Nether Origin Sect as a guest elder. Although he had ultimately failed, for reasons unknown, it was still enough to show just how formidable he was.

Such a figure appearing in the Howling Moon Mountain Range was like a stabilizing pillar that anchored the situation and soothed everyone’s fear. As long as no Ancient Demon emerged from the Great Million Mountains, nothing major would happen to the already secured Howling Moon Mountain Range. Meanwhile, those who understood more about the world reached their own conclusions. The Silktree Sect’s grand elder had always remained detached from worldly affairs. For him to leave seclusion and personally come to the front lines, he was most likely here to make amends.

Everyone knew that this Frontier War, from Moonbreak to the final battle at Heavenly Drum Plains, had largely remained within acceptable bounds. The real trouble had arisen at the very end of the campaign, when they moved against the Great Snow Mountains. That campaign had been led by Cloud Crane of the Silktree Sect and his Dao companion Pure Crane. They were the ones who had caused trouble and provoked powerful demon race experts. Regardless of how the Divine Transformation Holy Land of the Eastern Wilderness chose to handle the matter, the Silktree Sect had to give an explanation.

After thinking this through, the human cultivators stationed in the Howling Moon Mountain Range finally felt at ease. The recent panic vanished, and businesses resumed vigorously. With the disappearance of a large number of Adepts, more benefits were left unclaimed. This, in turn, sparked fiercer competition and led to occasional bloodshed.

Under normal circumstances, such a disorder should never have appeared. Yet the Falling Cloud Sect was now without a leader, and even though the Silktree Sect’s Grand Elder had arrived, he was not here to manage trivial affairs. In the absence of someone to restrain them, people naturally grew more and more unrestrained.

***

On Green Parasol Mountain, two figures stood side by side and looked down at the plaza below. A man controlled true fire to burn a furnace and refine pills, while flocks of birds gathered quietly around him and made no sound, as though they were focused on learning.

The man’s expression did not look particularly good, yet his movements, even to an uneducated observer, were flawless. He did not make a single mistake.

Before the Daylight Palace, Nether Spring beat her wings and tried to land on the shoulder of the demoness in green robes. The distance between them was minimal, yet an unseen barrier seemed to stand in the way, making it impossible for her to cross.

Nether Spring spoke in a grating voice, ”Little Azure, just let me perch for a moment. Flying the whole time is really tiring.”

Azure Frost seemed not to hear her. Though she seemed to be looking at Luo Chen, her usually bright eyes appeared unfocused.

Nether Spring cackled twice as a mass of black cloud settled beneath her feet, then spoke as if to herself, ”Those human cultivators really don’t take us seriously. You killed two of the Sages and captured three, and they’re still wandering around the Howling Moon Mountain Range. Are they not afraid of provoking Sky Monarch?”

Azure Frost’s expression shifted slightly, then she said calmly, ”Didn’t you always say that human cultivators are arrogant by nature?”

They were indeed arrogant. Every Frontier War was started for certain profit, but people knew that this massive profit came with tremendous danger. And even though they knew that, every time, countless people joined in without end. Why was that? It was simply because cultivators habitually believed the profits were great, while the risks were nothing to fear! Subconsciously, the cultivators of the Eastern Wilderness, buoyed by repeated victories, had never truly regarded the demon races of the Great Million Mountains as a serious threat.

Nether Spring curled her lips and glanced toward the Transcendence Palace that she was temporarily overseeing. ”If you ask me, killing them would have been simpler. Why did you bother bringing these people back?”

Azure Frost spoke softly, ”Elder Sister once said that she and Sky Monarch are not on the same path. For me to help Sky Monarch once on her behalf is enough. There is no need to offend the human race to the point of no return. We keep these people for now and wait to see how matters develop. If we manage to reach an agreement in the future, we might just hand them over. That will ensure our relationship isn’t completely ruined.”

Nether Spring froze for a moment. ”Little Azure, I didn’t expect you to understand these kinds of human intricacies.”

Azure Frost bit her lip lightly. ”I’ve read enough books to pick these things up.”

Nether Spring chuckled. ”Then have you thought about what happens if we cannot reach an agreement?”

Azure Frost frowned and found herself at a loss. After a moment of thought, she spoke with hesitation, ”Uhh, we kill them?”

”I am afraid that by then, it will already be too late!”

”Uh...”

”Don’t worry. I have already contacted the Eastern Wilderness Demon Court under Heaven Emperor. They’ll come and take these people away. When the time comes, whether it ends in war or peace will have nothing to do with Green Parasol Mountain. Little Azure, remember this... What you learn from books is only the surface. Some truths can only be understood by experiencing things for yourself.”

Experiencing things myself? A trace of mixed feelings appeared on the woman’s delicate face.

Seeing her troubled expression, Nether Spring smiled again and said, ”Alright, alright. I know you hate dealing with these things. All you want is to focus on cultivation and become an Ancient Demon as soon as you can. So stop worrying about it and leave these matters to me.”

Only then did the tension ease from Azure Frost’s face. She let out a quiet breath and said softly, ”Well, yeah. It’s what Elder Sister hopes for me as well. I can’t let her down.”

”Good, keep it up! I believe you can do it. You’ve cultivated the most orthodox demon technique since you were little, and in just two hundred years, you’ve become a late-stage Demon Emperor. If anyone in this world can break through in this era... it’s you!”

Faced with these words of encouragement, the demoness rarely revealed a faint smile. Yet she did not notice the trace of impatience that flickered through Nether Spring’s eyes. Suddenly, Azure Frost looked at the back of the man refining pills below the mountain and asked offhandedly, ”What you value in him isn’t just his alchemy, right?”

”What makes you say that? Imperial Nectar is crucial to building up Green Parasol Mountain. That alone is reason enough for me to value him.”

”It is enough, but is it really all?”

Nether Spring cackled. ”Fine. I cannot hide it from you. Take a closer look at the flames he is using.”

Azure Frost looked over curiously. Gradually, surprise appeared on her face. ”Nirvana Sacred Fire?”

”Yes... and no,” Nether Spring said smugly. ”In this world, only the Primal Sovereign can wield the Nirvana Sacred Fire. How could a mere Adept possibly command it? But you are not wrong either. The Withering-Flourishing Fire Luo Chen controls is in fact a lesser form of the Nirvana Sacred Fire. It holds a trace of the mystery of life and death.”

”So that’s why you’ve been treating him so differently?”

”That is part of it,” Nether Spring said in a low, strange voice. ”But that boy really is something else. He has five spirit roots, yet he formed his core in under a hundred years. His will is resolute, and his fortune is deep. If not for your intervention, he would have become the most outstanding prodigy among the human race. Now that we have him here, we can strengthen our side and allow Green Parasol Mountain to grow while weakening the human race. It’s a win-win, so why wouldn’t I do it? And besides, Imperial Nectar isn’t the real prize; Transformation Pills are. That’s what will truly decide Green Parasol Mountain’s rise.”

The mountain wind swept past and stirred the green robes into motion. Azure Frost appeared lost in thought. After watching Luo Chen refine pills for a while longer, she spoke in an offhand manner, ”But it’s obvious he’s not very good at using the Withering–Flourishing Fire. At this level, I doubt he’ll be able to refine Transformation Pills for you.”

”I did not expect you to know this much about fire techniques as well,” Nether Spring chuckled. ”Don’t worry. That’s a small problem. I have my own way of helping him grasp the Withering–Flourishing Fire. Then, he’ll refine Transformation Pills for me.”

***

On the mountainside platform, Luo Chen refined Imperial Nectar with a dark expression on his face. After a full month, he managed to gather a batch of materials with Pure Crane’s assistance. After he personally carried out another round of fine processing, the materials at last met the basic conditions for refinement.

If that were all, it would not have mattered. Alchemy was something he had always been doing. Yet Nether Spring had issued an additional order—Luo Chen was to conduct refinement in full view of the public. If any of the demonic birds here wished to seek guidance, he was also required to answer their questions in detail.

What did this imply? It meant forcing him to become the teacher of these demonic beasts. It meant handing over his alchemy techniques without reservation!

Luo Chen had no way to refuse. They had spared him from soul searching and had even provided him with a supreme-grade third-tier cave residence that increased his cultivation speed ninefold. In such circumstances, he could not possibly use so-called taboos of an alchemist as a reason to refuse. Moreover, although Luo Chen was human and regarded them as enemies, he would never choose to prove his resolve through death.

Even so, refining pills for demonic beasts was one matter, while openly displaying human alchemy techniques for them to learn was something entirely different.

If cultivators find out, I will never get rid of the traitor label.

Luo Chen smiled bitterly to himself, yet his hands did not slow in the slightest. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the lid of the Shangshu Cauldron rose and streams of golden liquid surged into the sky. Under the guidance of his mana, the liquid separated and poured into the prepared jade bottles. The scene resembled essence born of the blazing sun and radiance falling from the bright moon. It was dazzling and resplendent.

Chirp Chirp Chirp...

Bird calls rang beside his ears. Luo Chen, who now had a basic grasp of avian speech, could clearly tell that the demonic birds of Green Parasol Mountain were praising him with genuine admiration. Yet that praise sounded unbearably grating to his ears. If given a choice, Luo Chen would rather have none of it.

He turned to leave, only to have his path blocked by Pure Crane.

”I need rest!”

”Next time you refine pills, slow it down a bit. A lot of them couldn’t follow what you were doing.”

”If they couldn’t follow, that just means they lack comprehension,” Luo Chen said. ”And without that, they were never cut out to be alchemists in the first place.”

”Luo Chen, I advise you to put away your temper.”

Luo Chen took a deep breath, trying to rein in his displeasure. Even so, his words remained sharp. ”That’s just how things are. You think it’s something anyone can do? If it were, alchemists would be everywhere in the cultivation world by now! Senior Pure Crane, you’ve spent far longer in the human cultivation world than I have. You understand this better than I do, don’t you?”

Pure Crane nodded without thinking. Almost at once, she caught the faint note of mockery buried in his words. He was criticizing her as well, implying that she had once betrayed her own kind. But just as anger was about to flare, the words about to leave her lips suddenly halted. She turned her head and looked up toward the Daylight Palace, then cast an unsettled glance back at Luo Chen. ”They want you to go there.”

Luo Chen paused in surprise and instinctively followed her gaze toward the enormous palace. It seemed to exist within another layer of space, its vast form appearing and fading from sight like an illusion.

***

This was Luo Chen’s first time setting foot in the Daylight Palace, but not the first time seeing the powerful demoness known as Azure Frost.

When their gazes met, Luo Chen jolted and immediately lowered his head.

Azure Frost frowned. She sent a voice transmission to Nether Spring. ”Are you really going to pass him Elder Sister’s technique?”

”It’s only the Golden Core chapter. It’s fine. Besides, even if the manual comes from Lianxia, so what? The Primal Sovereign has long broken free of those shackles and no longer relies on it. Don’t worry. If she really comes looking to hold someone accountable, I’ll take responsibility,” Nether Spring said with a chuckle.

Since she hadn’t transformed, her speech still sounded very much like a crow’s cawing, jarring and unsettling, even though she was speaking with her mind.

Azure Frost fell silent for a moment, neither agreeing nor objecting outright. ”If that’s the case, then do as you see fit. Elder Sister already said that everything on Green Parasol Mountain is for you to decide.”

”Good,” Nether Spring replied. ”Just remember that I’ll need your help later.”

”Mm.”

Meanwhile, Luo Chen stood quietly with his head lowered. For a long while, there was no sound, which made him feel uneasy. It felt as though his life and death were held in another’s hands, with not the slightest ability to resist. At last, the crow broke the silence with its strange voice. ”Luo Chen, has anyone ever told you that you have chosen the wrong path?”

Luo Chen froze, then instinctively raised his head and looked straight at his interlocutor. ”Yeah, some people told me about it before.”

Nether Spring seemed unbothered by his direct gaze and nodded. ”It seems there are people among the human race with true discernment.”

Luo Chen thought back on his journey and recalled Ice Torrent, who had once guided him, as well as Chu Kui, who had briefly served as his sparring partner. As those memories surfaced, he spoke in an even voice, ”Someone once told me that I excel at fire arts, yet I cultivate using a wood technique. He said I am heading in the wrong direction, and my strength has not been fully realized.”

Nether Spring nodded slightly.

”Yet some others have also said that I have five-element spirit roots, and that means an incomparably solid foundation and the potential to ascend.”

Nether Spring nodded again.

Luo Chen continued, ”Because of that, after forming my Golden Core, I began trying to correct this mistake. I shifted from a wood-element technique to a dual wood-and-fire one. Unfortunately, cultivation techniques are guarded sect secrets, and I only obtained an incomplete volume of the Wood Ignition Art. My progress is slow because of that”

Nether Spring cackled. ”Your ideas are solid, and you’ve got the drive to act on them. But have you really thought it through? Dual cultivation is hard enough on its own. With the burden of five spirit roots, how long do you think it’ll take you to reach the Nascent Soul Realm? In this lifetime, do you even think you’ll have a chance at Divine Transformation?”

As these words fell, a bitter smile appeared on Luo Chen’s face. He had indeed thought about these things. In fact, he had thought about them seriously when he formed his core. At the time, he had chosen to take matters one step at a time and resolve the difficulties of cultivation gradually. Yet after so many years of effort, even with resources pushed to their limits, his cultivation remained sluggish.

Even now, he had not yet had the chance to craft a life-bound treasure. Even with a supreme-grade third-tier spirit land at his disposal, he still had little confidence in forming a Nascent Soul, let alone advancing to Divine Transformation and achieving immortality. Dual cultivation was itself a burden, and his five spirit roots had become a fundamental shackle. Worse still, he had no idea how long he would be able to enjoy this supreme-grade third-tier spirit land.

As Luo Chen was smiling bitterly, Nether Spring spoke in a calm manner, ”I have a peerless divine art. It can help you reshape what you have and turn fully toward the path of fire. If you practice it to the peak, you can even deceive the heavens, break free of your shackles with single-spirit-root aptitude, and cultivate rapidly. Do you want to learn it?”

Luo Chen’s heart skipped a beat. He blurted out, ”What art?”

Nether Spring opened her beak and spat out a crimson feather that shimmered like a living flame. It hovered before her in midair. ”This is the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. It leads all the way to the Grand Ascension Stage... or as you call it, Divine Transformation.”