An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

With battles unfolding one after the other, time slowly passed by.

With Gu Shaoshang no longer in command, the demonic crabs fell into disorder. Their assaults lost coordination and became increasingly chaotic. Later, each clan reorganized and fought independently. Once they removed mutual interference, their command structure stabilized for a little.

Yet by that point, the five royal clans had all suffered substantial losses. The casualties were not limited to low-tier demonic crabs—even their upper-tier battle strength began to suffer. A Great Crab King tallied the losses: The five clans had lost over twenty Crab Kings in this war, while the Ring-Head Turtle’s side suffered even more grievously!

Even so, the Ring-Head Turtles never backed down. In fact, they only grew more resolute. The five royal clans did the same, and so, the battlefield continued to advance until eighteen islands were left.

From that point, it took the crabs nearly a year to take over the islands and finally crack the formation.

At last, the patriarchs of the five royal clans stepped onto the large Void Serpent Island together. Golden Mud, Crimson Flame, Red Face, Nine Legs, and Green Sleeve all revealed their full forms, towering above the beaches of Void Serpent Island. Behind them stretched millions of demonic crab troops, and before them lay another island spanning a thousand li across.

”Finally, Profound Rock Island!” Golden Mud’s voice rang out strong and steady. ”After decades of preparation and five years of battle, we’ve finally made it this far. Everyone... whether we rise or fall comes down to this final battle!”

There was no trace of weariness in him, only resolve and ambition. The other four demons were also filled with emotions. Some among them had only joined the campaign at its final stage, while others had prepared long in advance. But no matter the path they had taken, each clan had paid a heavy price.

Green Sleeve blinked with sorrow. ”To reach this point, my Crab clan lost seven Crab Kings. As for the second and first tiers... there are simply too many to count. Even now, some of their bodies have not been recovered.”

Red Face said indifferently, ”It will all be worth it. So long as we take Profound Rock Island.”

Crimson Flame snorted, ”Tsk, what useless chatter. Someone who didn’t know better might think you were one of those weak human cultivators whining about losses.”

Nine Legs could barely restrain himself and bared his fangs. ”When do we strike?”

Golden Mud raised his massive pincer. ”There’s only one step left. No need to wait. If we’re going to do it, we do it now!”

As he spoke, the great pincer slammed down. ”ATTAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!”

With that, he rose into the air, with the other four patriarchs following closely behind. Beneath countless watching eyes, the five demons shot forward and headed straight for the island ahead.

As they flew out, the island trembled, and a pillar of light shot upward. Vast spirit energy erupted from deep underground. As a terrifying suction spread in all directions.

Yet the force found no response. The Nine Palace Eight Trigram Formation had been broken, and the island at the center was now an island in the truest sense—an isolated land. The pillar of light had not even fully taken shape before the five patriarchs struck together; their demonic energy crashed down in unison and shattered it.

As the pillar dispersed, violent tremors rippled across Profound Rock Island. Several mountains crumbled and the ground stirred as if some great beast had awakened beneath it. Around it, great waves surged from all directions.

Across the island, Ring-Head Turtles emerged one after another. Their gazes were cold and unwavering. They had already resolved to defend their homeland to the end; there was nothing left to say at this point.

At the command of the five patriarchs, millions of demonic crab troops began landing on Profound Rock Island. In an instant, the clash of battle roared across the land. Blood fell like rain, and thick demonic energy spread through the air.

***

”It’s time for me to join the fun, I suppose.”

Among the demonic crab army, a second-tier demonic crab moved slowly, appearing somewhat out of place.

Inside the hollow shell, Luo Chen guided the puppet forward with a trace of curiosity in his eyes.

Yes, it was a demonic crab puppet! This was a simple puppet that Han Zhan had crafted for him. Its offensive and defensive capabilities were ordinary, but it was obviously good for concealment. Combined with Luo Chen’s Perfected Mastery Spirit Suppression, which gave him the ability to imitate others’ aura, it made for the perfect mobile hideout. Few would notice anything unusual without careful inspection.

As Luo Chen manipulated the puppet, an odd sensation arose in his heart. This must be what it feels like to control a mecha. Those sci-fi novel authors sure knew what they were talking about.

The puppet advanced with the army. Yet after landing on the island, it did not charge into battle; Luo Chen made sure he steered away from the main force. Fighting erupted across the island, but he avoided every clash.

Suddenly, Luo Chen halted and looked toward a certain spot. There, spirit light shimmered and a figure slowly emerged. Oh! He is here as well!

Gu Shaoshang had arrived as well. Unlike Luo Chen, who moved without being seen even by the keenest eyes, he stood out immediately. On the outskirts, where demonic beasts were few, this was not really a problem, but on the battlefield crowded with crabs and turtles, the sudden appearance of a human cultivator drew every eye.

The moment Gu Shaoshang revealed himself, he had no choice but to engage in battle. Luo Chen cast a brief glance in his direction, but had no intention of intervening. He guided the demonic crab puppet away from the center of the battlefield and continued on his path.

”Ha!”

On the battlefield, Gu Shaoshang pressed his fingers together and directed a flying sword to cut down the demonic crabs around him. He felt somewhat helpless; he did not excel in concealment techniques and had accidentally stumbled upon one of the larger battlefields. That single misstep had exposed him. When he saw two Crab Kings charging toward him from a distance, he had no choice but to withdraw and fly away from Profound Rock Island.

As he retreated, he caught sight of a demonic crab moving against the flow of battle. This was rather weird; how could a crab go against the orders of its king?

Luo Chen was unaware that he had momentarily attracted Gu Shaoshang’s gaze. From his perspective, everything had gone smoothly. By deliberately detouring, he avoided large and small skirmishes.

At last, the puppet stopped within a swamp shrouded in miasma. The miasma shifted and opened a narrow path. A giant snake-like being bearing a single horn extended its head and studied the demonic crab with suspicion. But as a divine consciousness transmission entered its mind, it quickly reacted.

”Welcome, Master!”

Without replying, Luo Chen guided the puppet to step into the swamp. Once inside, Luo Chen emerged from the shell. He looked around and revealed a look of satisfaction. ”It may be a little rough, but it’s linked to a deep-sea spring. Easy to advance and retreat. This will make a fine base. Well done!”

As he spoke, he casually tossed over a jade bottle. Black King caught it carefully as though it was some kind of great treasure, and asked, ”Master, are we going to join the battle?”

Luo Chen’s lips curved slightly. Join the battle? Of course, he would. But he would not act rashly. The priority was to assess the battlefield first.

He did not reply to Black King. Instead, he found a dry patch within the swamp and sat cross-legged. He produced the Divine Seal Compass and began drawing in the surrounding spirit energy as he usually did while cultivating. But before it was transformed into mana, he cast a spell.

A moment later, a Water Mirror took shape. Upon its surface, battles across the island unfolded vividly. However, the violent surges of demonic and spirit energies caused constant ripples across the mirror’s face. The image wavered.

”Even with a divine soul on par with late-stage Adept... I still can’t sustain a Water Mirror in a battle of this scale?” Luo Chen muttered. He was naturally displeased, but he had to accept there was nothing he could do about it.

Thankfully, others could. ”Senior Han, please help.”

Han Zhan emerged helplessly from the Myriad Soul Banner. ”You brat...”

As he spoke, he extended a finger and tapped lightly toward the Water Mirror. At once, the surface of the mirror steadied and became firm!