An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Is that a late-stage Demon King?”

Luo Chen raced through the sky with a grave expression. The battle below had become scattered. This showed that he had reached the outer rim of the island and was no longer within the main battlefield. But although the enemies had already fallen far behind, he did not slow the slightest. At the same time, he finally had the leisure to recount the fights earlier.

Due to these clashes, he was now gaining a clearer understanding of his current strength. When he put his mana into a single sword strike, he could slay an early-stage Demon King. When he used his signature spells, he could take down a mid-stage Demon King. But when facing a Great Demon King, he was still hard pressed. That Great Nine-Legged Poison Crab King had fought at full strength, and Luo Chen had also unleashed the Blazing Fire Miasma, which he had nurtured for years, and the Three Piercing Nails. Yet even with both unleashed together, he had only gained a slight advantage. The Blazing Fire Miasma had been mostly consumed by the poison. Of the three nails, the Armor-Breaking Nail and the Qi-Disrupting Nail were lost; only the Soul-Breaking Nail remained.

Had this been a true life-and-death struggle, he would have needed to use more of his abilities. Moreover, the poison of the Nine-Legged Poison King Crab was highly corrosive; because of this, his Mystic Flame Sword and Primordial Unity Cauldron could not be put to full use. The odds of victory were only slightly in his favor. If he wanted to win under such circumstances, he would have to transform into the Sky Roc True Form.

”Great Demon King...” Luo Chen muttered to himself and could only sigh with emotion. In this realm, Demon Kings had begun catching up with human cultivators of the same tier. Even if they were somewhat inferior, their innate abilities closed the gap. With his current strength, fighting any existence above his realm without unleashing everything was still somewhat difficult.

If outsiders knew what he was thinking, they would probably roll their eyes. With only the cultivation at the fourth stage, he had broken through the blockade of several Demon Kings and even faced a Great Demon King head-on. He had even gained the upper hand for a moment, yet he was still dissatisfied! Ordinary Adepts would have probably spat out blood in anger.

After analyzing the situation, Luo Chen reached a conclusion. His mana reserves, divine soul foundation, and various abilities and items put him on par with a Great Demon King. This also indirectly confirmed his earlier judgement regarding his chances against human opponents—namely, he already had the power to keep his life when attacked by a late-stage Adept. With proper preparation, he could even stand toe to toe with a seventh-stage Adept, and if he unleashed the full power of his physique, the balance of victory would begin to tilt in his favor.

Just as Luo Chen was pondering, his expression suddenly changed. With his enhanced vision, he saw a massive figure rise from the sea, gripping the corpse of a huge Ring-Head Turtle. The moment it emerged from the water, it raised the corpse with both pincers and hurled it toward him.

In spite of the sheer magnitude of the attack, which looked much like a mountain being catapulted through the air, it came without the slightest warning. At the same time, tremendous demonic soul pressure spread around, slowing down his movements. It was not powerful enough to lock him down, but it was enough to make it impossible for him to dodge in time.

Luo Chen’s expression shifted drastically. He retreated while his right hand traced mysterious arcs with the Mystic Flame Sword while his left hand formed seals without pause. In the end, he pointed his sword straight at the massive Ring-Head Turtle corpse and shouted, ”Break!”

Surging mana poured from the Mystic Flame Sword and erupted brilliantly in the sky. A tremendous explosion followed.

B-BOOOOOMMMMM!!!

In the sky, the Ring-Head Turtle corpse collapsed. Blood scattered like molten lava, while flesh and bone shattered like rock. The already cracked shell split apart under the impact of mana and turned into countless sharp fragments that shot in every direction.

Whoosh!!!!

After this strike, the sword light shrieked through the air shot straight toward the enemy rushing at him.

Clankkk!

The sword struck true, yet instead of a blade meeting flesh, it sounded more like a blade meeting an indestructible steel plate. Luo Chen focused his gaze and could not help but draw a sharp breath. In front of him stood a colossal figure like a floating island; its pincers shone like gold, carrying unmatched sharpness.

The seemingly unstoppable sword light released by the Mystic Flame Sword could not advance even a hair’s breadth once the pincers closed together. Luo Chen tried to recall the sword, yet no matter how he tugged at it, the Mystic Flame Sword did not budge. As he looked at the figure in front of him, a sense of familiarity tugged at his heart, making it instantly sink.

It’s him!

If he was not mistaken, this demon was the Overlord Crab that had once hunted Black King. Back then, it had not revealed its true form and had appeared ordinary. Thankfully, Luo Chen had decided he didn’t want to stir up trouble, so he’d just fled. Now that it revealed its true form, its titanic carapace turned out to be nearly seventy zhang in diameter, and it hovered in the sky like a floating city. But beyond its size, its aura was outright terrifying—this Crab King was at the late stage, even at Perfected Mastery!

Luo Chen swallowed hard, and his expression turned grave. This crab was in every way comparable to the patriarchs of the five royal clans. As it turned out, he had truly kicked a steel plate.

While he examined the opponent, Golden Pincer also stared back at him with a sharp gaze. ”I see... You must be the master of that flood dragon and seagull. Am I wrong?”

Luo Chen drew a deep breath. He knew this was not the start of a friendly conversation, especially since his interlocutor was blocking his way and had just launched a turtle corpse at him in a surprise attack. Obviously, there was no point in denying things or trying to negotiate.

”So what if I am?”

Golden Pincer bared a ferocious grin as a series of bone-rattling cracks erupted from his massive golden body. ”In that case, you’re staying right here!”

As the words fell, the massive pincer snapped shut.

Crack!

Before Luo Chen’s eyes, the Mystic Flame Sword shattered crisply and fell to the ground as fragments of metal.

”Urgh......”

A muffled groan escaped Luo Chen’s lips, and a thread of blood slipped out. Unlike the Three Piercing Nails, which he had not invested much into, he had been refining the Mystic Flame Sword since the Foundation Establishment Realm, for over a century. Even after forming his core, it had been his most used enchanted treasure. Even though its quality was not high, he had spent great effort nurturing and refining it, and among all his treasures, its connection with him was truly deep. In fact, in that respect, it was second only to the Forsaken Chess Piece; it was even closer to him than his new life-bound treasure. Now that the sword was destroyed, the spirit link caused Luo Chen’s divine soul to suffer a heavy blow. It felt as if someone had torn off one of his limbs!

He had indeed expected that the sword would shatter one day; it was a comparatively cheap item and could no longer withstand the domineering nature of his mana. But he had never expected the sword to be crushed like this.

He drew a deep breath as blood qi surged through his body and azure flames began to coil around him. The blood at the corner of his mouth evaporated as a powerful aura erupted from him. ”You think you can keep me here? Go ahead and try.”

As Golden Pincer felt that completely different aura, his expression showed a moment of surprise. Huh, demonic energy? No... It’s human blood qi mixed with a large amount of demonic energy. But that demonic energy feels strangely familiar. It almost feels like... my own...

As realization struck, Golden Pincer flew into a rage. ”You damn bastard! You actually used my clansmen to temper your body! I’ll tear you apart!!!!!!”

By the time he finished his sentence, he was already charging toward Luo Chen.

Luo Chen showed no fear and rushed forward to meet him head-on. As he advanced, his body began to transform, and endless blood qi began to surge through every muscle and bone like a torrent. His jade-like skin split apart and reformed, turning into something that resembled the thick hide of a rhinoceros and the armor plates of an earth dragon. As the white plates spread across his body, their color deepened; they soon turned crimson like the morning sun. His hands transformed into indestructible claws, and his eyes were covered by thin yet tough protective membranes. Spirit light burst from them with unmatched brilliance.

Whoosh!

His Moonbreak Wings spread wide, covering the sky and blocking out the sun. Azure Withering-Flourishing True Fire surged over his entire body like a tide, enveloping him in blue radiance.

This was the first time Luo Chen revealed his Sky Roc True Form after cultivating his physique to the late stage of the third tier. By the time his transformation was complete, he was just a moment away from clashing with the incoming Overlord Crab!

Azure flames surged toward the sky, and Luo Chen let out a sharp shout that exploded through the air. ”Come!”

The two colossal beings charged straight at each other with absolute resolve and no room to retreat. It was as if a monstrous bird was fully intent on crashing head-on into a mountain!

BOOOOMMMMM!!!

Incomparable power exploded outward as shockwaves swept in every direction. A nearby mountain was even shattered under the blast, and the ground quaked as if a dragon had just rolled beneath it.

The clash of raw strength began the moment they touched and ended at the same instant. The giant crab crashed to the ground and smashed out a massive crater. The giant Sky Roc was also thrown back several hundred zhang. It beat its wings wildly in the air and barely managed to steady itself.

”Again!” Golden Pincer burst from the earth and shot toward the sky. Luo Chen’s expression hardened as he dove straight down.

BOOOMMMMMM!!!!

They clashed again, then separated. A moment later, they charged again.

Once. Twice. Three times...

After the ninth exchange, the two giant beasts separated and panted heavily. Both had already suffered severe wounds. Luo Chen looked at his body—wounds of every kind covered him, and his flesh had split open. These injuries came from Golden Pincer’s massive claws and crab legs during their close combat.

He looked toward Golden Pincer and found that the crab was not in good shape either. Cracks and cuts of all shapes and sizes peppered the golden shell. Some came from the sheer force of the clash, some from the Rain of Blazing Feathers released by the Moonbreak Wings—after all these years spent refining the wings, Luo Chen was making use of this move for the first time. When it struck the Overlord Crab, the fire feathers carved countless grooves in its steel-like shell.

The golden shell also bore pits and scars as if corroded by corrosive poison. That damage came from the leftover Blazing Fire Miasma; the vicious fiend qi was corrosive enough to even damage this incredibly tough carapace. But among all the wounds, a five-finger claw mark stood out the most. It had struck a weak point in the shell and cut deep into the innards. This was the Perfected Mastery Cloud-Seizing Divine Claw unleashed while in the Sky Roc True Form.

This had been a fierce clash and a most dangerous exchange of injuries. And it made it painfully clear that Luo Chen’s defense was not up to par just yet. The injuries he had suffered were more direct. Golden Pincer was different—he had clearly refined his shell and giant claws to a high level so that his body could manage both offense and defense.

I still underestimated him! Luo Chen took a breath, feeling rather annoyed. He rarely fought with the Sky Roc True Form. Even before this battle, he had felt that many aspects could still be improved, and now, that belief proved true. The only pity was that he couldn’t possibly find the time to refine it during battle. At the same time, this body had been painstakingly cultivated and possessed tremendous potential. It still had plenty to offer, and Luo Chen had long since developed a few battle tactics based on it.

A small cauldron flew out of his mouth, then instantly expanded to become a terrifying giant cauldron fifty zhang tall. Luo Chen grabbed one of the cauldron’s legs with one hand. It was a pity the Mystic Flame Sword had been destroyed; otherwise, he could have held a sword in one hand and raised the cauldron with the other in a perfect battle form he had long since envisioned. Even so, this was enough.

He looked at Golden Pincer with a fierce expression. ”This time, I won’t hold back.”

Before he even finished his sentence, he stepped forward. A thunderous sound erupted; his massive body vanished and reappeared above Golden Pincer. He lifted the giant cauldron and brought it down upon his opponent. Golden Pincer’s eyes widened in fury, and it swung its massive pincer upward.

Crack!

With a single strike, the giant claw was torn off and fell like a meteor onto the ground. At the same time, Luo Chen was also blasted back dozens of zhang; the Primordial Unity Cauldron slipped from his grasp and flew away. Under the violent backlash of force, neither side came out unscathed.

Blood poured from Luo Chen’s wounds like a flowing river.

”I can’t go on any longer...”

He forcibly recalled the Primordial Unity Cauldron as a thought rose in his mind. If the battle continued, both sides would end in ruin. If he wished to leave, these couple of clashes had already shown him that it would not be difficult. With the Sky Roc True Form and the workings of Ninety Thousand Li, he could undoubtedly slip away. It seemed that his opponent really did not excel in speed, so there was no way he could keep up with Luo Chen going all out. Yet before leaving, there was one more thing he wanted to do.

”Do you have a name?” asked Luo Chen.

Golden Pincer glared at Luo Chen in rage, raising his remaining claw. ”I am Golden Pincer, the strongest warrior of the Overlord Crab clan. I do not kill nameless foes either. State your name!”

Luo Chen nodded. ”Very well. Golden Pincer, was it? I am Azure Yang. I’ll remember you.”

With that, he beat his wings and once more broke the sound barrier, flying away from Profound Rock Island at breakneck speed.

Golden Pincer froze for a moment before flying into a rage. After fighting to this point, the bastard had just made himself scarce! Never in his life had he suffered such humiliation! Even though his claw had been broken, he had already prepared himself for a life-and-death battle, yet the damn human was fleeing!

”Coward! You’re not worthy of knowing my name! Stay right there!”

Roaring in anger, he set out to chase Luo Chen. But just as he was about to leave the airspace of the island, he suddenly halted and turned back toward the center of it. A powerful aura surged skyward and spread in every direction, causing his expression to change. ”Huh? That’s the aura of the Demon Emperor Profound Rock. Did Seven Rings and Seafall make their move?”

At that moment, five massive clouds of demonic energy rose from the sea and descended upon the island. Thunderous sounds echoed across heaven and earth.

”All Crab Kings, attack together with us! Slay Seafall without mercy!”

Golden Pincer hesitated when he heard this. In the end, he cast one last hateful glance in the direction Luo Chen had fled, then flew toward the center of the island. In this battle, personal gains and losses were trivial. The interests of the clan came first!