An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Three demons had attacked. One was injured, and two were slain. What followed was simple; it was merely a matter of cleaning the battlefield. The surviving Demon Spider Crab was easy to deal with. Though it was third-tier, the method of handling it differed little from that used on first- and second-tier ones.

One of the other two had its chest cracked by Luo Chen’s punch, and the contents of its shell turned into crab paste. Thankfully, the important parts were left behind: one big shell, two enormous crab pincers, and a third-tier water-element demon core.

Red Seven’s fate was far worse. The Primordial Unity Cauldron was crafted from exceptional materials. Although its impurities had not yet been completely purged, when driven by Luo Chen’s titanic power, it had the power of a meteor falling from heaven.

With a single strike, Red Seven had been obliterated. Let alone an intact corpse, not even its demon core had survived. However, the compass that served as the core of the grand formation and the eight crab legs used to establish it remained intact, and that counted as a considerable harvest.

While Blackscale handled the cleanup, Luo Chen quietly reflected on the battle. Now that he’d fought demonic beasts head-on, without employing spells and other techniques, his physical strength was plainly evident: He could simply crush early-stage Demon Kings, and even mid-stage ones were no longer his match.

The only reason he had been trapped within the formation was a moment of carelessness. After all, few would have expected a demonic beast to deploy a formation, the refined creation of a human cultivator. This also acted as a reminder that he could not afford to underestimate any enemy.

”I have achieved Perfected Mastery in Myriad Path Convergence, and I can now partially transform. That should make up for my shortcomings in close-quarters combat. Hmmm... And if I transform completely... then with my physique...”

Luo Chen weighed the thought in his mind and recalled his battle with the Golden Wolf King on the Heavenly Drum Plains. Looking back at the wolf’s power, Luo Chen felt that if he were to undergo a complete transformation, he could likely withstand a full-force frontal assault without suffering the slightest injury. In other words, his physical power was sufficient to face most late-stage Demon Kings. And once his cultivation fully stabilized, even against late-stage Adepts, he would be able to protect himself.

”Maybe... if I prepare properly, I could even defeat them?” Luo Chen murmured. He was still somewhat unsure of his overall strength, but at the very least, he had absolute confidence that he could now prevail against Wu Qi.

”My physique is solid, but it hasn’t been tempered enough. There’s still plenty of room to push it further. With the boost from the Black Sovereign Paste, I could really reach the fourth tier! And when that happens... hehe.”

While Luo Chen concluded his reflections, the Black-Scaled Flood Dragon approached cautiously. ”Master, these are all the spoils.”

Luo Chen stored everything into his storage ring and then cast Cleanse extensively over the region. After doing so, he shook his head. The remnants of the battle were too extensive to be fully erased by a low-tier spell like Cleanse. At best, it could only provide temporary concealment.

He made up his mind and returned to Heavenjade Island with Blackscale. His gaze first fell upon the Heavenjade Battle Gull lying on the ground. He frowned. ”What’s up with you?”

In a subdued voice, Heavenjade replied, ”A late-stage Adept placed a Demon Suppression Talisman on me. I cannot mobilize my demonic power at all.”

A Demon Suppression Talisman, you say?

In the Northern Sea cultivation world, it was one of the most widely circulated talismans, spanning the first to fourth tiers. Its function was straightforward: to seal the demon core of a demonic beast and suppress its demonic power. It was a very popular talisman because many cultivators liked to capture demonic beasts, subdue them, and turn them into spirit beasts.

Moreover, many cultivators liked to bestow Demon Suppression Talismans upon juniors as a reward. Such Demon Suppression Talismans were usually pairs—one master talisman and one slave talisman. So long as a beast was branded with the slave talisman, the one using the master talisman would be able to deal with it even if the beast

Luo Chen extended his divine consciousness and carefully examined Heavenjade. As it offered no resistance, he quickly located the brand of the third-tier Demon Suppression Talisman; it was imprinted onto its demon core. Without the original caster actively undoing it, and without the master talisman in hand, dispelling it would require considerable effort.

After examining it carefully, Luo Chen nodded slightly. ”Well, no worries. Even without the master talisman, I can remove it. Just give me a bit of time. Meanwhile, you should focus on recovery. We will depart shortly.”

Blackscale froze and blurted, ”We’re leaving?”

Luo Chen did not answer and returned alone to the cave residence. Upon entering, he saw the black Soul-Refining Banner planted at the entrance.

Han Zhan’s voice sounded at once. ”Congratulations on your advancement!”

Luo Chen waved his hand. ”Merely the fourth stage. Nothing worth mentioning.”

”Your qi cultivation is one thing, your body is something else. You were surrounded by three Demon Kings, including a mid-stage one who even mastered a formation, and you mowed them down in just a few breaths. I feel like the average Adept doesn’t quite measure up to you.”

Luo Chen tugged at the corner of his mouth and suddenly asked, ”Then how do I compare to Gu Shaoshang of Flying Cloud Ravine?”

Han Zhan smiled faintly. ”I only exchanged a few moves with him, and the Myriad Soul Banner isn’t even my own life-bound treasure, so it’s hard to say for certain. Still... in my view, he’s probably not your equal.”

Luo Chen also smiled. ”So you say he’s not my equal... and yet he fought you to a draw while still at the seventh stage? You know, when I stand before you, I still feel that even this wisp of your remnant soul is as deep as the ocean.”

”Hehe...”

Han Zhan chuckled helplessly, then fell silent. Luo Chen paid him no further heed and walked straight into the cave residence. Mana surged and transformed into massive red hands that swept up medicinal herbs, books, wooden racks, and meditation cushions into his storage ring.

The battle with the three Demon Kings of the Demon Spider Crab clan had caused no small commotion. He had killed all three of them, and there was no way the Demon Spider Crab clan would let that slide—they’d been angry enough anyway because of all the first- and second-tier crabs he’d caught.

The worst part was that Heavenjade Island was now exposed. He could not possibly erase all traces and hide the island from view. Thus, abandoning the place was imperative. This went to show exactly why human cultivators rarely chose to cultivate in desolate mountain ranges or demonic sea territories. A single battle could easily attract large numbers of demonic beasts. Under such circumstances, quiet cultivation was impossible. In fact, if not for the two Demon Kings he had subdued, these five years would never have been so peaceful.

At any rate, he had to leave immediately. Yet after packing everything, Luo Chen looked at the cave residence with its small third-tier spirit vein and felt a trace of reluctance.

”What a pity...”

With a sweep of his sleeve, the spirit-gathering formation flags buried beneath the ground shot out as streaks of light and flew back into his grasp. Cracking sounds echoed above the cave residence as large chunks of rock and gravel fell.

He turned and left. As he passed the entrance, he recalled the Myriad Soul Banner.

***

High in the sky, a faint white cloud drifted forward at an unhurried pace. Luo Chen held the compass Red Seven had left behind and turned it over in his hands. It was a water-element formation disc. With his attainments in formations, he could tell that it had no fewer than thirteen formations inscribed upon it. Ten of them were common first- and second-tier formations, while the remaining three were rather formidable third-tier grand formations.

The Oceanseal Eight Trigram Formation was among them. Its strength lay in drawing upon the inexhaustible water-element spirit energy of the sea to form a sealing formation. Once the enemy was trapped within it, unless they had overwhelming explosive power, the one who established the formation would stand virtually undefeated. After all, a single being’s strength could be exhausted, but the sea was boundless.

Luo Chen had relied on his late-stage archaic beast physique and his top-grade enchanted treasure to shatter it through sheer force. An ordinary person would likely have been sealed within and killed by that blood-colored spider silk.

Besides the Oceanseal Eight Trigram Formation, there was also the Surging Cloudmist Formation, which was for concealment and cover. As for the final third-tier grand formation, Luo Chen could not tell what it was.

He continued studying the formation disc for a while, but at one point, he suddenly furrowed his brow. With a flick of his wrist, the Myriad Soul Banner appeared before him. ”Senior, is there something you wish to say to me?”

From within the banner, Han Zhan sighed. ”I just want you to understand something. This remnant of my soul is really nothing more than a remnant. It can’t do even a bit of what my full soul is capable of. It also happens to be the foundation I’ll need one day to rebuild a body and start cultivating again. Unless there’s truly no other choice, I can’t afford to burn it away over a few minor enemies.”

Luo Chen curved his lips faintly. As expected, Han Zhan had held something back. When dealing with Wu Qi in the past, Han Zhan claimed that too many low-tier souls within the Myriad Soul Banner had been consumed and he was unable to stop the opponent, forcing Luo Chen to personally deal with Wu Qi’s forceful arrival.

Yet over these years, he had poured all the souls of the first- and second-tier demon crabs hunted into the Soul-Refining Banner. The banner had long since regained its original quality. Moreover, after Luo Chen slew Yan Nantian, the numerous subordinate souls within the banner had divided and devoured Yan Nantian’s soul. As a result, those hundred-plus subordinate souls had all gained the foundation to achieve third-tier strength.

After he had replenished the banner with a large number of low-tier souls, one soul that had once been at Perfected Mastery of the Foundation Establishment in life advanced to the level of Ghost King through continuous devouring and fusion. That was why, when Han Zhan activated the Myriad Soul Banner, there was not only the original Ghost King within, but a second one as well. Moreover, many other subordinate souls reached the Ghost General level. In other words, the banner was more powerful than it had ever been!

With a Sage as its controller, how could a mere seventh-stage Adept be his match? Yet even while blocking Gu Shaoshang, Han Zhan had still required Blackscale to use its demonic technique to ”barely” rescue Heavenjade. That incident had even brought trouble to their doorstep. It could be said that Han Zhan had deliberately held back all along, concealing the extent of his capabilities.

When Luo Chen recalled his battle against the Wolf Emperor Defiant Howl on the Heavenly Drum Plains and everything that had transpired at Green Parasol Mountain, it was clear that this man was exceedingly cunning and truly fond of keeping a couple of trump cards in reserve.

Now, hearing his justification for holding back, Luo Chen merely sneered. ”I don’t know whether you’re telling the truth or not. But since you have chosen to travel with me through the Sea of Demons and we are bound by a Great Dao Oath, I believe it would be best for us to work together in good faith.”

Han Zhan replied at once, ”By ’good faith,’ do you mean we ought to go all out for each other?”

Luo Chen pondered for a moment. After weighing the gains and losses, he said calmly, ”That would be ideal.”

Han Zhan chuckled softly. ”Then I may as well speak frankly. What I want... even if you give it your all, you may not be able to provide.”

”Then say it plainly!”

”Restoring my cultivation through slow and bitter cultivation is not a feasible route for me. And if I seize the body of an Adept, I still won’t survive the heavenly tribulation in that borrowed flesh. So what I need... is the body of a Sage. And it must be a human cultivator’s body. Only then can I truly rebuild myself and lay a new foundation for the Dao. Luo Chen... can you get me a body like that?”

The calm expression on Luo Chen’s face vanished.