An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Deep in the ocean, a colorful clam nearly a hundred zhang wide had its shell slightly open.

A figure rode the ocean currents and arrived in a rush. It looked up at the clam and snorted.

”Tchhh. Just the corpse of a Five-Colored Clam that failed its transformation. Yet that old Golden Mud carries it around everywhere like it’s some great treasure.”

Although he spoke disdainfully, the envy in his eyes was unmistakable. As if sensing his arrival, the Five-Colored Clam flashed with multicolored light and opened a luminous barrier. The newcomer strode forward on eight legs and entered. The moment he stepped inside, a deep, resonant voice sounded in the hall.

”Fellow Daoist Crimson Flame, welcome.”

Crimson Flame looked up and saw three figures already present. One was entirely golden, as though clad in a golden armor, and radiated a domineering presence. Another shone with green and azure hues, and the strands of green seaweed draped across it lent it a distinct elegance. The final figure was much smaller, yet its protruding, sharp mouth, barbed legs, and menacing pincers created a fierce and terrifying impression.

If a human cultivator knowledgeable of demonic beast records stood there, that person would have identified the three at once. They were members of the Overlord Crab clan, the Green Emperor Crab clan, and the Nine-Legged Poison King Crab clan.

”Golden Mud, Green Sleeve, Nine Legs. You guys are usually nowhere to be seen, but this time, you somehow showed up early,” sneered Crimson Flame.

Golden Mud remained silent, but Nine Legs shot back at once. ”You’re the one hiding in that dead undersea volcano all year, too cowardly to even come up for a bit of sunlight. And now you have the guts to mock us?”

Crimson Flame’s anger flared. He prepared to retort, but a gentle voice interrupted him. ”That’s enough. We’re all here for the future of the demonic crab races; there’s no need to argue.”

It was Green Sleeve, the only female clan leader among the five royal clans.

Crimson Flame snorted disdainfully, but said nothing else.

Once things quieted down, Golden Mud, who was presiding over the meeting, spoke slowly, ”We’re just waiting for Red Face to arrive.”

Red Face was the patriarch of the Demon Spider Crab clan. But although he had yet to arrive, Green Sleeve said gently, ”Big Brother Golden, why don’t you explain the situation first? We can discuss it while we wait.”

Golden Mud looked at the three of them. ”It’s nothing complicated. It’s about attacking Profound Rock Island.”

Crimson Flame snorted. ”We can’t even reach the island. How are we supposed to attack it?”

”That’s exactly the thing,” Golden Mud sighed. ”No one expected that even after Demon Emperor Profound Rock left, he would leave behind a life-preserving grand formation for the Ring-Head Turtle clan. Formations... For us demons, they’re practically an insurmountable barrier.”

His words resonated in the hearts of everyone present. Over the years, they had fought countless battles with the Ring-Head Turtle clan of Profound Rock Island. At their best, they had captured twenty-seven islands. Yet after the enemy went all out and activated the formation to counterattack, most of those islands were reclaimed within mere days, leaving them holding only nine. Such results would invite ridicule if rumor spread. What good were the so-called royal clans if that was all they could do?

Crimson Flame frowned and snorted. ”If nothing else works, I’ll draw on my clan’s reserves and set off the undersea volcano. We’ll wash this whole sea clean.”

Green Sleeve hurriedly stopped him. ”We can’t do that. What if it damages the fourth-tier spirit vein here? How are we supposed to advance to the Transformation Stage later?”

Crimson Flame grew increasingly irritated. ”We can’t do this, we can’t do that, we can’t do the other thing... You want the Demon Emperor’s remains, and you want the fourth-tier spirit vein too. Haven’t you heard of the saying that he who chases two eels catches neither?”

Nine Legged sneered. ”The spirit vein can be shared among us. The remains will go to whoever’s fated to have them. Why can’t we have both?”

”You—” Crimson Flame’s anger flared.

”That’s enough! Stop arguing!” snapped Golden Mud. ”Some of us are stuck at the peak of the third tier, others are just missing the tiniest bit until the Transformation Stage. We’re all here for the same chance to advance. Whoever gets it will have a shot at advancing, and that will benefit the rest of us as well. This is the time to work together, not act on impulse.”

Crimson Flame was stunned. ”Your clan has always been domineering and tyrannical. Since when did you of all crabs start thinking about the bigger picture?”

Golden Mud glanced at him and said coldly, ”Without a Demon Emperor to unite all our races, the Profound Rock Sea Region will sooner or later become a hunting ground for humans. We’ve only had breathing room because their Holy Land collapsed a century ago. But as of now, human cultivator forces have already come here to hunt. If none of us becomes a Demon Emperor in the next century or two... Once the humans recover, this place may not even be called the Profound Rock Sea Region anymore.”

The old crab delivered his lines in a cold and apathetic tone, yet each word carried the weight of a mountain. The others fell silent as they listened. All of them were aware of the demon-hunting ship that roamed the surrounding waters; the only reason they had not joined forces to destroy it was that the cultivators aboard targeted the Ring-Head Turtle clan rather than them.

Even so, there had been several close encounters. On one occasion, Golden Pincer of the Overlord Crab clan had brutally torn apart a human Adept. If both sides had not restrained themselves, the confrontation would have escalated into an all-out fight to the death.

When he saw that everyone had grasped the larger picture, Golden Mud steadied his voice and continued, ”The grand formation of Profound Rock Island is both mysterious and complex. With our knowledge, we cannot crack it. At most, we can launch brute-force assaults. But as you all know, the Ring-Head Turtle clan was always the foremost clan of this region, and they have more Demon Kings than any of our clans. We have no chance unless we stand united. And with the formation holding strong, we have no chance even if we do stand united. That must be our first and foremost target.”

At this point, it seemed like a deadlock. But Golden Mud shifted the topic. ”As far as I know, Red Face has a junior he values highly. That junior acquired a legacy of the human race and has some understanding of formations.”

The others were surprised. A demonic crab capable of using human methods?

Green Sleeve suddenly perked up. ”You mean Red Seven?”

She was actually well aware that the Demon Spider Crab clan had produced a rather unusual prodigy. The youngster had been born with a congenital weakness and his body was frail, which led to being often bullied. He thus left the clan territory, and while traveling, he happened upon the cave residence of a human cultivator and obtained an inheritance. That encounter marked the beginning of his rise. A few centuries later, he became a powerful Crab King!

At one point, Green Sleeve had even considered arranging a marriage alliance, with one of her daughters as a bride, to draw him into her force.

”Exactly,” Golden Mud confirmed.

Green Sleeve nodded. ”If he’s here... then this might actually work.”

Nine Legs said darkly, ”Here’s the problem. If Red Face’s people are the ones breaking the formation, does that mean we’ll have to give them a bigger share afterward?”

Golden Mud was puzzled. ”Nine Legs, aren’t you the one closest to Red Face?”

Nine Legs sneered. ”Friendship is friendship, profit is profit. We may not have transformed yet, but we’re not mindless animals. I know how to tell the difference.”

”Honestly, giving them a little more wouldn’t matter. After all, what we really want is—”

As the four patriarchs discussed profit distribution in the palace made of a Five-Colored Clam corpse, the light barrier flashed, and a fifth figure entered. ”No need to discuss it anymore. Red Seven... has fallen.”

The others turned toward the source of the voice. It was, of course, Red Face, the patriarch of the Demon Spider Crab clan. The reputation of his race for keen perception was well deserved. Even from outside, he had overheard every word they’d said.

However, his statement stunned them. Red Seven was dead?

Golden Mud’s body flashed with golden light as he roared, ”WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!”

This was their one and only chance for the demonic crabs to rise! After everything they had tried, whether they succeeded or failed had basically come down to Red Seven’s abilities. And now, Red Seven was dead!? He simply couldn’t accept it!

Red Face shook his head with a trace of sorrow in his eyes. He then told them what he had managed to find out about Red Seven’s death.

Golden Mud gritted his teeth. ”So it was the one behind that vile flood dragon and thieving gull. Damn it! I knew something was wrong! I even sent Golden Pincer out of seclusion to deal with it. I didn’t think we’d still miss the mastermind!”

Nine Legs felt somewhat bewildered. Over the past years, the Nine-Legged Poison King Crab clan had been the only one with no members killed by Luo Chen, so he didn’t feel the weight of it as deeply as the others.

Green Sleeve was also furious. ”If we hadn’t been so focused on Profound Rock Island, we would’ve already sent out an army, dragged that person out into the open, and torn him to pieces!”

Her Green Emperor Crab clan had also suffered heavy losses among its lower-tier members over the past few years.

Crimson Flame let out a low chuckle. Just like Nine Legs, he showed little concern. The Crimson Rock Crab clan dwelled within deep-sea volcanoes and only ventured out in groups. As a result, they rarely faced attacks. There had been one encounter with a Black-Scaled Flood Dragon, but the elder leading the group had nearly slain it. Upon hearing of the misfortunes suffered by the other three clans, Crimson Flame even entertained a flicker of schadenfreude. However, once he considered Red Seven’s death and the unresolved problem of breaking the formation, his amusement faded.

Red Face observed the exchanges in the hall with a cold gaze. Then, he said, ”I can break the formation on Profound Rock Island. But I have one condition: Once this is over, you all must help me hunt down that mastermind.”

That condition posed no issue. What truly drew everyone’s attention was his claim that he could break the formation! For a moment, all four Crab kings fixed their gaze upon him without blinking, eager to learn what solution he had in mind.

Red Face stomped one foot, producing a crisp sound that traveled through the clamshell and echoed outside.

”Golden Mud, please open the door.”

Golden Mud’s expression shifted, and he looked at Red Face. ”I hope you are not inviting a wolf into the house.”

The next moment, the light barrier rippled, and a tall figure stepped into view. He was tall and dressed splendidly. Upon entering, he cupped his fist in greeting. ”I am Gu Shaoshang of Flying Cloud Ravine. Greetings, Fellow Daoists!”

A human cultivator!