An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

On an island, five Crab Kings gathered together. Suddenly, a streak of light tore through the sky and arrived.

”Golden Pincer!”

Thud!

A corpse as massive as a small mountain was thrown onto the ground.

Golden Pincer grinned ferociously. ”Patriarch, the three Longevity Islands have been taken. The one running the formation, Huan Shou, is dead, and its body is here.”

Golden Mud looked at the massive turtle corpse and nodded. ”Well done. Go get some rest. We’ll need you again when we break into on the inner thirty-six islands. As for the corpse, it’s all yours.”

Golden Pincer let out a low chuckle and swept his gaze across the other four demons before turning away in triumph. As that openly provocative look passed over them, the expressions of the four crab clan patriarchs shifted subtly.

After he left, Crimson Flame let out a cold laugh. ”Golden Mud, your subordinate is getting more and more arrogant.”

Nine Legs snorted as well. ”Ignorant brat. Does he really think we’re old and past our prime and we’re no longer a match for him?”

Red Face of the Demon Spider Crab clan said nothing. As he watched Golden Pincer’s departing figure, a trace of envy flickered in his eyes.

The Overlord Crab clan produced powerful experts. Golden Pincer’s combat strength stood nearly on par with the five patriarchs. In truth, he was already the acknowledged heir to the next generation of the Overlord Crab clan. By comparison, the Demon Spider Crab clan seemed to be lacking successors.

Red Seven... Why did you have to die...

Golden Mud did not respond to their provocation and spoke calmly instead, ”The outer islands are pretty much ours. Next come the inner islands. That’s going to be a tough fight.”

Green Sleeve nodded. ”The Ring-Head Turtle clan’s elites are all stationed on the inner islands, so a hard fight is inevitable. But with Fellow Daoist Gu helping us, breaking the formation and taking the islands is only a matter of time. Big Brother Golden Mud, there’s no need to worry so much.”

Golden Mud shook his head. ”That’s not what I’m worried about. I have something else on my mind.”

As he spoke, his gaze met Red Face’s in tacit understanding. ”Red Face, if word gets out that we joined forces with human cultivators against the Ring-Head Turtles, the demonic crabs’ reputation in the Northern Sea will be ruined.”

Red Face remained silent. The other three demons quickly grasped the implication. They had used Gu Shaoshang to break the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation and seize Profound Rock’s inheritance for the sake of the five royal clans’ future. But if their reputation among the demon races was ruined in the process... even if a Crab Emperor emerged one day, life would not be easy.

For a time, all eyes fell upon Red Face. Only after a long silence did his aged voice break the stillness. ”This cooperation is nothing more than mutual need. The moment we storm Profound Rock Island, it ends. After that, there will be no ally named Gu Shaoshang—only a human invader who entered the Profound Rock Sea Region and slaughtered our kin. When that time comes, we deal with the invader together.”

Hearing his words, satisfied smiles spread across their faces. At that very moment, a streak of sword light cut through the air.

A flying sword message?

Golden Mud reached out and caught the small sword. A stream of messages poured from it into his mind. Before he finished reading, his expression twisted in fury. ”Damn humans, they really are cunning and despicable!”

***

Riding the strong winds, a demon-hunting ship sped away from the Profound Rock Sea Region. As Gu Xiaolian looked back at the stretch of sea behind them, she turned to the young man at her side and asked in confusion, ”Big Brother, isn’t the cooperation still ongoing?”

Gu Shaoshang smiled. ”I’ve already given them the method to break the formation. How they carry it out from here is up to them. I can’t be the one directing them the whole time.”

That made sense; he had given them directions, and he had gotten his reward. Yet when her gaze shifted to the Ring-Head Turtle corpses on the ship, doubt still flickered in her eyes. ”We’ve taken over a hundred second-tier turtles and five third-tier ones over the past month. It’s a lot... but we’re still short of the nine Father asked for. What are we going to tell him?”

The smile on Gu Shaoshang’s face faded. ”Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Gu Xiaolian was startled. ”Big Brother... you’re not thinking of...”

Gu Shaoshang nodded. ”That battlefield’s too dangerous, and we’re out here on our own. There’s no guarantee that they won’t turn on us. You go ahead. I’ll head back and collect the rest of what we’re owed.”

”Huh, are you going alone?” Gu Xiaolian looked worried.

Gu Shaoshang let out a cold laugh. ”It’s fine. Those beasts might be troublesome, but with the things Father gave me, they won’t be able to stop me.”

The master of Flying Cloud Ravine—and the duo’s father—was a Sage named Gu Feiyun, and whatever cards were handed to him by a Sage could definitely make Gu Shaoshang fully confident against ordinary Demon Kings posed no threat.

After instructing his subordinates to look after Gu Xiaolian and pilot the ship safely back to Flying Cloud Ravine, Gu Shaoshang leapt into the air and returned to the Profound Rock Sea Region.

***

Half a month later, a massive island was enveloped in a symphony of carnage. Waves of low-tier demonic crabs climbed ashore from the sea and surrounded the island on all sides; at their head stood seven Crimson Rock Crab Kings. They attacked the Ring-Head Turtle experts stationed there together.

The battle soon escalated to a fever pitch. Perhaps knowing that life and death hung in the balance, the Ring-Head Turtles fought back with even greater ferocity and began drawing upon the earth’s spirit energy without restraint. Although they were outnumbered, the support of the grand formation allowed them to stand evenly against the Crimson Rock Crabs.

Indeed, they were able to fight evenly! At the beginning, they had nearly collapsed under the assault, yet now, they were fighting toe to toe. This strange reversal stemmed not only from the Ring-Head Turtles’ desperate resistance but also from the demonic crabs’ disorderly command. Earlier, they had coordinated their forces. Now, each clan fought independently.

They feared treachery from within their alliance and therefore operated separately. In doing so, they lost the synergy and multiplying effect that came from combining their distinct strengths, and the battle grew far more arduous as a result.

The fighting spread outward from the island into the surrounding sea. Demonic energy surged in vast torrents and roiled in every direction. This scene was not confined to a single island; the same battles unfolded in many other places as well.

B-BOOOMMMMM!!!!

With a thunderous crash, a massive Crimson Rock Crab plunged into the sea. It had made an unfortunate mistake that resulted in it being slain by a Ring-Head Turtle King.

As its corpse struck the water, bursts of firelight erupted. At the sight, the Ring-Head Turtle King finally let out a slow breath. ”Whoa, it tried to blow itself up.... Thank heaven I took it down first.”

Beneath the sea, Luo Chen stirred the Blazing Fire Miasma, concealing himself and the crab’s corpse. He then extended both hands and grabbed the corpse.

”Not bad. The first two times, I had to ambush them myself. This time, I just picked one up for free. It may be dead, but a Crab King’s shell is still a Crab King’s shell.”

Delighted, he stored the corpse in his storage ring. He then looked upward through the layers of Blazing Fire Miasma and saw the Ring-Head Turtle with the heavy shell above. It was a Turtle King that had chosen the Black Tortoise path.

It’s heavily injured. Should I...

Just as he hesitated, his senses suddenly caught something.

A figure emerged from who-knew where, and with a clench of his hand, threads shot inward from every direction. The Ring-Head Turtle King had no time to react before the threads tore through its neck and limbs and ended its life on the spot.

As the newcomer gathered the pieces of turtle, his gaze fell toward the sea below. For a moment, his brow furrowed slightly.