An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

As Luo Chen made his move, the wails of ghosts on Moon Inviting Island reached their peak, carrying across hundreds of li in every direction. The surrounding islands heard it clearly; mortals and Qi Refinement cultivators alike were seized with terror.

Meanwhile, the Initiates in those islands were filled with uncertainty and quietly approached Moon-Inviting Island. Yet when they reached a hundred li away, seven figures shot up from below and blocked their path. By the moonlight, the crowd saw a man in white robes standing there with a faint smile.

”Everyone, this is as far as spectators may come. I am the head of the Cheng family of Black Swan Island!”

A cry of surprise rose from the crowd.

”Family Head Cheng, what is happening up ahead?”

”Is Adept Nantian suffering cultivation deviation, or has a powerful enemy arrived?”

”Cheng Dou, what are you trying to do? Are you rebelling against the Adept Nantian?”

Questions and accusations came crashing toward Cheng Dou, and his expression turned cold. He did not hesitate to retort, ”Yan Nantian has ruled tyrannically for a hundred years, seizing control of the Flying Swallow Archipelago and committing countless crimes. Do you truly still intend to side with such a man?”

Such righteous words caused the crowd to exchange uncertain glances.

A seasoned cultivator quietly asked, ”Fellow Daoist Cheng, did you invite an expert from Devil’s Snare?”

Cheng Dou raised a brow. ”Oh? Fellow Daoist Xu, so you know that Devil’s Snare has been hunting Yan Nantian!”

The cultivator surnamed Xu nodded. ”Maybe in the past, I could get away with not knowing. But these past few years? Devil’s Snare has been all over the place, joining with major forces, grabbing islands right out from under the Righteous Blue Sea Alliance, and fighting over control of the Devil Domains. There’s no way anyone in our circle hasn’t heard of them.”

What bullshit. Since when does any of that have to do with a mere lonely Adept like Yan Nantian? Cheng Dou let out a light laugh. As expected, there were many on the archipelago dissatisfied with Yan Nantian. Quite a few had secretly investigated his background and learned of his enemies. Since that was the case, many matters would become much easier to handle.

”The visitor on the island is Devil Lord Azure Yang. He’s not an expert of the Devil’s Snare lineage, but in terms of background, he may well come from the same line as their founder.”

Devil Lord Azure Yang! Upon hearing the unfamiliar name, the crowd froze in surprise, confusion showing on their faces. Obviously, they had never heard this title. But upon learning that he might share some ties with the founder of Devil’s Snare, understanding quickly dawned.

Rumor had it that the founder of the Devil’s Snare lineage had once been a Nascent Soul elder of the Primordial Devil Sect who happened to be away when the sect was destroyed and thus survived by chance. Later, after the demon races seized the Heaven of Northern Yama, he gathered the Primordial Devil Sect’s surviving forces and established Devil’s Snare. If this so-called Devil Lord Azure Yang truly came from the same line, then he too was an inheritor of the Primordial Devil Sect. With such deep roots, acting on behalf of fellow sect members to eliminate vermin was only natural.

After learning this, even those Initiates who had previously harbored thoughts of aiding Yan Nantian could not help but hesitate.

At that moment, a blue light appeared in Cheng Dou’s hand. The light slowly rose. With a casual sweep of his finger, a massive Water Mirror materialized in midair. Then, he lifted his hands upward.

”This Water Mirror was left behind by that senior. It will allow us to observe the battlefield in detail. Everyone, let’s witness the Devil Lord’s power together.”

The Water Mirror continued to expand, forming a luminous screen several zhang across. The scene within was vivid and lifelike, as though unfolding directly before their eyes. This masterful display immediately drew gasps of astonishment. In the Northern Sea, most cultivators practiced water-element techniques, yet very few could deploy the basic Water Mirror to such an outstanding level.

That senior must be an amazing master of the water path. In an instant, everyone was filled with excitement, widening their eyes as they prepared to carefully watch the battle. After all, this was a Golden Core-level fight. When would one ever have the chance to observe a battle of this level in such detail? Even grasping the tiniest insight would greatly benefit their cultivation and combat tactics.

Cheng Dou felt nothing but indifference. He had already experienced such astonishment himself at the start, so he felt little surprise now. Instead, what he now looked down upon was the narrowness of their horizons. Did they really think that Devil Lord Azure Yang was allowing them to observe such a battle for free? Once they had witnessed the Devil Lord’s methods, the Cheng family could ride his momentum and, under the banner of his might, move to unify the greater and lesser forces of the Flying Swallow Archipelago. In other words, the Devil Lord had long since attached a price tag to every ”gift.” The Cheng family had acknowledged those price tags because, in time, they would not only recoup their losses but stand to earn far more.

Suddenly, Initiate Xu cried out in shock, ”That divine soul aura... isn’t that Fellow Daoist Peng Yu?”

Cheng Dou’s heart jolted. He immediately turned his gaze to the Water Mirror. Within it, dozens of figures burst forth from the black fog that had been torn apart by boundless fiery light. At their head stood an elderly figure with white hair and a youthful face. Even in ghostly form, his former bearing remained unmistakable. If anything, as he stood there empowered by the boundless black fog, he appeared even more imposing.

This elderly man was Peng Yu, the supreme elder of what had once been the foremost family of the Flying Swallow Archipelago a hundred years ago. He had once attempted to advance to the Golden Core Realm. Though he failed, he had still managed to condense a pseudo-core. He had been formidable, renowned for his mastery of water-element arts and honored with the title Boundless Sea. Yet when Yan Nantian seized control of the Flying Swallow Archipelago, Peng Yu had fallen. No one had ever imagined he would reappear in such a form.

”So he was refined alive into Yan Nantian’s Soul-Refining Banner. Glorious in life, yet denied freedom even in death. Fellow Daoist Peng truly met a tragic end...”

As the sighs and lamentations spread, Cheng Dou felt his throat turn dry. Peng Yu had been far stronger than him, and had been considered a senior by all those present. In life, he had even reached the Pseudo-Adept level, yet he had still ended up like this. If Devil Lord Azure Yang were to follow the same path as Yan Nantian one day...

For a brief moment, a trace of regret surfaced in Cheng Dou’s heart. The others, unaware of the deal he had struck, stared fixedly at the Water Mirror. After Peng Yu’s vengeful soul emerged, dozens of other figures followed in succession. When the cultivators present recognized several familiar faces among them, waves of shocked cries rang out.

The three grand cultivators of the Peng family were among them, along with nine ordinary Initiates. In other words, the Peng family’s upper ranks had all been drawn into the banner.

Soon after, more figures were identified within the ghostly ranks. Those individuals were all cultivators from the families on the Flying Swallow Archipelago that had been wiped out. The spectators had all interacted with them while alive. In an instant, a shared sense of sorrow and dread spread among the crowd.

”Yan Nantian’s gone too far. Even if they went against him, death should’ve been enough. Why go so far?”

”Exactly. He didn’t even spare their souls. They won’t even get the chance to reincarnate and cultivate again.”

”The times really have gone to the dogs. Back when the Primordial Devil Sect still existed, even with devil-path experts running rampant, there were limits. Now that the sect is gone, no one’s keeping evil in check. Even with the Righteous Blue Sea Alliance trying to restore order, these lesser devils have no restraint at all. To think this guy broke the taboo and refined a banner with human souls...”

”One... two... tsk... eight late-stage Initiates?!”

”Yan Nantian is too damn ruthless. I don’t have any idea who some of them are, but still...”

As the Blazing Fire Miasma erupted in full force and relentlessly swept through the black fog, the true form of the Myriad Soul Grand Formation gradually unfolded before everyone’s eyes. The more clearly it was revealed, the greater their shock grew. Eight late-stage Initiate souls alone were enough to make one’s scalp tingle. Beyond that, there were more than forty ordinary Foundation Establishment-level souls! As for the lower-level ones, most belonged to sea demons and were comparatively less alarming. Yet their sheer quantity was horrifying—they were packed so densely that they were nearly impossible to count, but the total number of souls definitely exceeded ten thousand.

Initiate Xu took a deep breath. ”I have never seen a Soul-Refining Banner contain so many souls. I’ve heard rumors of a legendary Myriad Soul Banner that can get this powerful, but still... the number of Initiate souls is just insane. If there’s an Adept’s soul among them, as rumors claim, then this Myriad Soul Banner unquestionably ranks among the finest.”

”Fellow Daoist Xu, you truly have keen insight. Yan Nantian’s Myriad Soul Banner does indeed contain an Adept’s soul.”

Though bitterness welled up in Cheng Dou’s chest, he maintained an expression as though everything was within expectations. By contrast, the moment his words fell, gasps erupted from the crowd. Yan Nantian’s appetite for destruction was truly monstrous! He had actually refined a Myriad Soul Banner containing an Adept’s soul! And with this in mind, doubt inevitably arose. Did the so-called Devil Lord Azure Yang truly have the confidence to bring such a foe down?

***

By the lakeside, beneath the clear moonlight, the young man’s brow furrowed. Under his control, the Blazing Fire Miasma surged forward unhindered. With no one presiding over it, the Myriad Soul Grand Formation could barely offer any resistance at all.

Wherever the Withering-Flourishing True Fiend passed, large numbers of low-tier sea demon souls were instantly dispersed. Even those Initiate and second-tier demonic beast souls could not keep up for long and were swept apart. Though they could eventually reform, their ferocity and power was clearly far inferior to before.

Deep within the formation, the roars grew increasingly violent and unrestrained. Clearly, the Golden Core soul stationed at the center could no longer endure the pressure.

A Ghost King poses no threat to me. But even now, Yan Nantian still refuses to show himself. Why?

Luo Chen formed a hand seal, and spirit light burst from his eyes. His gaze pierced through the black fog like the eye of heaven peering into the Nine Hells, reaching straight to the center of Moon-Inviting Island.

The very next instant, a mighty aura soared upward, as if an unseen force was trying to break away from its shackles.

Luo Chen’s expression shifted. ”The audacity! You dare to break through? What the hell do you take me for?!”

Before the words even finished echoing, he had already flown up high into the night sky. The bright moon illuminated his back as spirit light ignited in his eyes. He drew in a breath, raised his hand, and slammed his palm down.

From one side of the formation, a streak of black light shot upward, trying to intercept the strike. Luo Chen shot it a cold glance. ”Get lost!”

With these words, the Mirror Flower Water Moon activated, and the black light’s movements turned sluggish and then stalled. A moment later, a palm projection descended like a blazing sun. It was the Azure Yang Great Handprint!

Once he acted, he held nothing back and unleashed his strongest move. With a strike, the ten li lake exploded. The tiny island at the center, the very core of the spirit vein, nurtured by spirit energy for centuries, was blasted a hundred zhang into the depths!

From far beneath the earth, an overwhelming aura surged upward violently. Killing intent surged forth with it, accompanied by a heart-rending roar that caused the listeners’ ears to bleed.

”BASTAAAAAAAAARD, I WILL KILL YOOOOOOOOOU!”

Two enormous blue dragons coiled through the exploding spray of water, spiraling around a gaunt figure as it surged into view.

At the sight of this, Luo Chen grinned savagely and reached out for the Mystic Flame Sword.

”Perfect timing!”