An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

As the anchor was dropped, the massive demon-hunting ship swayed slightly before stopping beside a huge pier. Luo Chen stepped out of the cabin and took in the bustling scene before him. A faint glimmer passed through his eyes.

Ships were everywhere! People were everywhere! Demon-hunting ships of the Cheng family’s scale had gathered here; there were seven or eight of them, with over a dozen smaller ones as well.

From Cheng Haichang’s earlier explanations, Luo Chen knew that the smaller demon-hunting ships could only operate near the coast. Only the larger ships dared to venture tens of thousands of li into the open sea. As for the people present, aside from a handful of Qi Refinement cultivators maintaining order, almost all were mortals.

Yet these mortals moved with vigorous strides. Their bare arms and legs sported massive, bulging muscles, and their physiques brimmed with dense blood qi. Judged by Wang Yuan’s standards of the past, these mortals working on the docks were at least second-rate, or even first-rate martial artists. A portion of them had even brushed against the threshold of Innate Grandmaster level.

What caught Luo Chen’s attention most was that these mortal martial artists did not wear expressions of numbness toward life. Instead, their faces were filled with vigor, brimming with hope. They looked nothing like what he had expected from a world toiling under the rule of a devilish sect. Rather, everything here pointed toward a righteous world blessed with flourishing fortune and harmonious order.

As Luo Chen observed the surroundings, the others on the dock also noticed the arrival of the Cheng family’s demon-hunting ship. The moment they saw the scant number of people aboard and caught the heavy stench of blood clinging to the vessel, everyone understood what had happened. The Cheng family’s latest expedition had suffered a calamity!

Murmurs of discussion rippled through the dock, accompanied by waves of sympathetic glances cast in the ship’s direction. Cheng Haichang’s expression darkened as he walked over to Luo Chen. ”Senior, Black Swan Island lies at the northwestern corner of the Flying Swallow Archipelago. It is still some distance from here, but we will have to travel by ourselves from this point onward.”

Luo Chen nodded.

”Please wait a moment, Senior. Let me make some arrangements.”

”Do as you please.”

Luo Chen continued observing the bustling dock. The Concealment Veil Formation was fully activated, revealing only mid-stage Initiate power. Meanwhile, his divine consciousness spread outward. Two early-stage Initiates stationed at the dock. The nearest island should belong to the Flood Dragon Gang that Cheng Haichang mentioned, the ones that handle dock business. So they have a late-stage Initiate too.... Huh.

Luo Chen slowly withdrew his divine consciousness and shifted his gaze toward the central region of the Flying Swallow Archipelago. It was said that a rogue Adept resided there. He had taken advantage of the chaos following the destruction of the Primordial Devil Sect, wiped out the strongest Foundation Establishment family in the Flying Swallow Archipelago, and seized their third-tier spirit vein. He was now using the place as his personal cultivation land, and, of course, ordered those beneath him to pay tribute.

Thirty years ago, this individual had taken the initiative to join the Righteous Blue Sea Alliance, becoming a member of the alliance. In return, he had obtained the island-linking formation that the alliance freely passed down. With that, the Flying Swallow Archipelago had become even more tightly unified. Over these three decades, that man had lived an exceedingly comfortable life.

Well, you know what they say, what goes around, comes around. If you can do that to others, there’s no reason I can’t do that to you.

The corners of Luo Chen’s lips lifted slightly. He was currently in need of a suitable third-tier spirit vein for cultivation. Still, there was no need to rush; for now, he needed to probe that person’s background.

”Senior, I have made the arrangements. Please come this way.”

”Mm.”

Luo Chen followed Cheng Haichang as they flew toward the northwest. The two moved at great speed, and in less than half a day, they arrived at a relatively remote corner.

Luo Chen hovered at the sky and looked down from above. Black Swan Island was long and narrow, shaped like a crescent moon, with a broad stretch of beach running along it. At one end rose a mountain ridge some five hundred zhang high. It was nothing much in terms of altitude, but it was steep and sheer, its cliff faces forming a natural barrier against threats from the sea.

Several small lakes scattered across the island. Within those lakes and along the sandy beaches, large numbers of Black Swans wandered about. Luo Chen knew this was the Cheng family’s primary industry: raising first-tier spirit beasts known as Black Swans. As his divine consciousness swept over the area, he also gained a rough understanding of the Cheng family’s overall strength. There was one Initiate at the ninth stage and four at the early stage, not including Cheng Haichang and Cheng Ji.

One late-stage and six early-stage Initiates.... That’s pretty solid strength for a Foundation Establishment force. No wonder they rank among the top five organizations of the archipelago.

While Luo Chen observed the situation on Black Swan Island, Cheng Haichang had already hurried into the family’s stronghold. The Cheng family’s Initiates seemed to have been informed in advance. Although a few showed curiosity along the way, none stepped forward to disturb him.

Before long, Cheng Haichang arrived before a small lake shaped like a round mirror. A young man dressed in white stood there, looking as though he had been waiting for some time. When he saw Cheng Haichang arrive alone, the white-clad man’s brows immediately knit together.

”Where is the Adept you mentioned?”

”That senior is waiting outside.”

Cheng Dou blinked in surprise. ”Waiting outside? That’s awfully polite. Didn’t you say he was a devil-path powerhouse?”

”Family Head, please watch your words,” Cheng Haichang said quickly, his expression tightening.

Cheng Dou waved his hand. ”It is fine. I have already set up a soundproof formation around this small mirror lake. It may not block an Adept’s divine consciousness, but it’ll at least warn us. If he tries to listen in, the formation will react. See? It’s not doing anything. That means the senior is keeping proper etiquette.”

These words dispelled Cheng Haichang’s worries. He let out a breath. ”That senior seems quite nice, but the way he actually does things... well, it really doesn’t strike me as the righteous path.”

”Oh? What do you mean by that?” Cheng Dou wore an attentive expression. The information mentioned in the earlier transmission talisman had been far too little. He needed to know more about that mysterious person, so he could make proper arrangements for the upcoming reception. He even had to consider whether it was necessary to report the matter to the person who presided over the central region of the archipelago.

Next, Cheng Haichang recounted everything that had happened in the Heaventrust Sea Region to Cheng Dou. From major events to minor details, almost nothing was left out.

”A flame that looks like the Azure Yang Devil Flame, powerful illusion techniques, and a lot of interest in anything related to the Primordial Devil Sect...” Cheng Dou muttered to himself, repeating what he’d just been told. ”With that in mind, there’s a good chance he really is a Primordial Devil Sect disciple who went traveling in his early years. If he’s been away that long, it wouldn’t be strange for him not to know the sect has already fallen. Of course, there’s also another possibility. He could be a powerhouse from another continent, crossing the ocean and coming to the Northern Sea on his own.”

Cheng Dou combined the intelligence and made his analysis. Then he asked in detail about Luo Chen’s habits, temperament, and manner of conduct. Cheng Haichang answered based on his own judgment, though the information he could provide in this regard was admittedly limited.

After a long while, the hesitation in Cheng Dou’s eyes vanished, replaced by firmness. ”From what you’re saying, this person acts ruthlessly, but he doesn’t move blindly. He gathers information first and plans before acting... When he reached the Flying Swallow Archipelago, he didn’t go see Adept Nantian and came to us instead. That just confirms it! No matter what, we must give him a proper welcome. Go send people to prepare the finest spirit meal and take out a jar of Washed Orange Wine, the one sealed away two hundred years ago.”

Cheng Haichang froze for a moment. ”Family head, that Washed Orange Wine is meant to help you form your Golden Core. Even back when Adept Northern Sky took over the archipelago, we only sent him a single gourd, not a whole jar.”

Cheng Dou shook his head. ”I don’t need that much to form my core. And you are all at the early stage, still far off. A jar is nothing. What matters is making sure we treat this man well.”

”Why? He might just be a passerby, staying on Black Swan Island for a short while.”

Cheng Dou smiled faintly. ”A passerby? Hardly. Someone who digs that deeply into the Flying Swallow Archipelago can’t possibly be a random traveler. Oh! Have Seventh Sister make preparations as well. She’ll accompany me to meet him later.”

Cheng Haichang’s expression changed. ”Little Seven has only just reached the Foundation Establishment Realm!”

”If I tell you to do it, then do it!” Cheng Dou’s smile vanished instantly as he shot his clansman a fierce glare.

Cheng Haichang clenched his fists. After a brief moment, he steadied himself. The family head clearly had his own plans, and he was clearly prepared to pay any price to see them through. How could anyone possibly hold him back? Thus, Cheng Haichang took his leave to make preparations, while Cheng Dou smoothed his robes and personally went out to welcome the guest.

***

In spite of their best efforts, every word of the conversation between Cheng Haichang and Cheng Dou had reached Luo Chen’s ears. His divine consciousness was extremely powerful, and in his early years he had practiced Sound Isolation to Perfected Mastery. Over these years, he had also become more proficient in the fundamental restriction of Darkness. With all these combined, a mere soundproofing formation could not block him at all; he could listen however closely he wanted and none of the speakers were any the wiser.

At this moment, a thoughtful look appeared on Luo Chen’s face.

”No wonder Cheng Haichang kept showing loyalty to the long-fallen Primordial Devil Sect when he first saw me. So that’s it... he mistook me for one of their members. Oh! And that Azure Yang Devil Flame...”

A flame appeared in his palm as the corner of Luo Chen’s mouth lifted. In all fairness, this Withering-Flourishing Fire did bear a striking resemblance to Azure Yang Devil Flame. In his early years, he had obtained a manual for that flame—not a naturally born flame, but one artificially created. It required extracting large amounts of blood essence and refining it through devil-path secret techniques. It was vicious, sinister, and profoundly defiant of heaven. In battle, it possessed a powerful corrupting effect against cultivators’ enchanted artifacts and treasures.

However, artificial flames diminished with each use and needed replenishment after battle. Compared to actual Sourceless Flames, they were not even worth mentioning.

”Well, if that’s how things are, I can simply go with the flow,” Luo Chen murmured.

By now, Cheng Dou was already within sight; the moment he saw Luo Chen, he quickened his steps. ”Senior, it’s an honor to have you here. I failed to come out and welcome you sooner. Please forgive the discourtesy.”

”It is fine. I don’t concern myself with such formalities.”

Luo Chen smiled faintly. Wrapped in his black fitted robe, his figure appeared even more imposing, standing a full head taller than Cheng Dou. He glanced behind and saw no other Cheng family cultivators. It was clear that Cheng Dou had come alone, intending to keep news of his arrival confined to a limited circle.

After bowing respectfully, Cheng Dou carefully lifted his head. ”May I ask for your honored name?”

The corner of Luo Chen’s mouth lifted as he spoke clearly, ”I am Azure Yang!”