An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 946: The Nascent Soul Domain; News of the Purple Monkey Flower (II)

”You go in first. Leave him outside.”

Zhang Jiadi straightened his clothes and stepped into the Alchemy-Artifact Hall with a hint of nervousness. As soon as he entered, a wave of scorching heat nearly took his breath away. He blinked hard before finally seeing the white-robed Daoist seated cross-legged in front of the massive cauldron.

”Greetings, my lord!”

Without turning his head, Luo Chen asked, ”I heard you brought back news of the Purple Monkey Flower?”

Zhang Jiadi lowered his head. ”That rogue cultivator has the details. I’ve brought him back, but the reward hasn’t been paid yet.”

”Has the information leaked?”

”No. He hasn’t received the payment yet, so he hasn’t told anyone.”

”Good.” As he spoke, a large pill bottle flew over to Zhang Jiadi. ”These are top-grade second-tier Thick Earth Pills. They’ll suit your cultivation.”

Zhang Jiadi’s eyes lit up. He quickly caught the bottle and noticed that it contained over a hundred pills. If he used them sparingly, they would last him two or three years.

”You can go now. Tell him to wait there.”

After Zhang Jiadi left, Heavenjade stepped inside and reported the situation at the Azure Yang Treasure Pavilion in detail. The steward involved was a rogue cultivator whom Wen Xiu had promoted years ago. After Wen Xiu left, he had been pressed over by the newly arrived Zhou family and relegated to dealing with rogue cultivators. It was a troublesome role, with little profit to be had. Even so, he had quietly become one of Zhang Jiadi’s trusted aides, keeping watch over the pavilion on his behalf. As soon as anything important arose, he would report it to Zhang Jiadi.

Luo Chen remained calm as ever, though he remarked, ”I used to think Zhang Jiadi was pretty useless, just someone who fawned over the powerful. But it seems that now that he’s been dealing with high-level matters, he’s grown a bit.”

The Zhang family now appeared to be run entirely by Zhou Shanshan, but in truth, the overall direction still rested in Zhang Jiadi’s hands. Especially when it came to matters involving Luo Chen, he remained meticulous. It was clear he understood exactly whose favor he truly depended on.

”Bring him in.”

”Alright.”

The moment he entered, the young Initiate bowed. ”My name is Xu Wang. Greetings, Adept Azure Yang.”

Luo Chen stood with his back to him, but his divine consciousness instantly captured the fear and respect on his face. ”Not bad. Reaching Foundation Establishment at your age as a rogue cultivator... that’s quite something.”

Hearing Luo Chen’s praise, Xu Wang’s face lit up. ”Thank you for the praise, Adept. I was just lucky, and I came across some things left behind by a senior in an old cave residence. Among those things, I also found a Foundation Establishment Pill, and that’s how I managed to break through.”

”An old cave residence, you say?”

”Yes. That’s where I found the information on the Purple Monkey Flower as well. According to the records, it’s deep in the Demon Sea, on an island called Purple Spirit Island. There are large numbers of Purple Poison Monkeys there, and wherever those monkeys are, the Purple Monkey Flower is bound to grow.”

”What else did you get from that cave residence?”

”A cultivation technique, three bottles of pills, one enchanted treasure, and three books. The Purple Monkey Flower information comes from one of those books. It even included a map.”

”Have you told anyone else about this?”

”Not aside from Steward Yao at the Azure Yang Treasure Pavilion.”

The questioning continued back and forth. As it went on, Xu Wang’s speech became increasingly fragmented, and he slowly felt a strain in his eyes. Suddenly, a gentle, clear energy fell upon him, accompanied by a storage pouch.

”There are one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones inside.”

Xu Wang shook his head sharply, snapping out of his dazed state. He instinctively reached out to take the storage pouch, but halfway there, he met an unseen resistance and could not move any further.

”Huh... Adept...”

”Leave the book and swear a Great Dao Oath. You may not speak a single word about this for the rest of your life.”

A Great Dao Oath was not like an ordinary promise. Unless the cultivator was willing to sever all ties and disregard their Dao, few would dare to break it. Especially for a promising cultivator, such matters had to be weighed with care.

Xu Wang swallowed hard, but he had no choice. For the sake of the one hundred thousand spirit stones, he swore the oath. After handing over the book, the storage pouch came floating toward him, and he finally felt relieved.

”You can go.”

”Um... Adept, could I ask you about an enchanted—”

”Don’t stretch your luck!”

Xu Wang shuddered and dared not make any further demands. He clutched the storage pouch and left Surging Lake under Heavenjade’s lead.

After a long while, Heavenjade returned to the Alchemy-Artifact Hall. The moment she entered, she saw a worn, yellowed book floating before Luo Chen, with an unseen hand flipping its pages.

”Master, is the information about the Purple Monkey Flower real?”

”Most likely. From the moment that young man walked in, I used illusion techniques to disrupt his thoughts. Every answer he gave came straight from his soul; there was no deception.”

Luo Chen spoke without turning his head as he read. His illusions could not match the effectiveness of soul-searching techniques, but neither were they as brutal, and dealing with a mere Initiate was effortless. The only constraint was that a Great Dao Oath required the cultivator to remain fully conscious. Otherwise, Luo Chen could have easily manipulated him into swearing anything imaginable.

”Then... what about the book?”

”It’s got some age to it, and I don’t see any signs of forgery. I’d say it’s most likely written by someone who spent a lot of time travelling the Demon Sea.”

Those who had achieved success in cultivation often liked to write books. It was not merely to show off but also to organize their own experiences. Luo Chen was no different. Over the years, his notes on alchemy, artifact creation, and cultivation had already exceeded what could be counted on both hands. When the end of his lifespan neared, he might even write a travel log to record the places he had been and the sights he had seen.

Finally, Heavenjade asked curiously, ”Master, are you going to that... Purple Spirit Island?”

This time, Luo Chen shook his head. ”I won’t be going anywhere any time soon.”

”Huh?”

He let out a sigh. ”I did manage to refine this Demon Emperor’s remains, but it’s not meshing with the formation as smoothly as I expected. I’ll need at least a year to stabilize it.”

Heavenjade was surprised. Such issues had never arisen during her master’s previous attempts. Luo Chen felt the same. It was only now that he had truly discovered the limits of the cauldron’s enhancement effect.

For low-grade enchanted treasures, the success rate was practically a hundred percent. For mid-grade ones, it dropped down to half. But when it came to top-grade treasures, the nurturing effect became insignificant. Meanwhile, Demon Emperor Profound Rock’s remains were of an exceptionally high grade, and the formation he intended to inscribe was equally high-tier. When the two were brought together, even the slightest error resulted in instant rejection. If not for the long period he had spent nurturing the embryo, along with practicing formations until his fingers bled, the inscription would have failed outright. Even now, after forcing it through, he still had to constantly refine and adjust the formation patterns.

He had remained in the Alchemy-Artifact Hall for quite some time, and it was clear he would have to stay there much longer before the formation could fully stabilize.

”Then... the Purple Monkey Flower?” Heavenjade asked. Luo Chen had once told her it was closely tied to forming a Nascent Soul. Such a treasure... were they really just going to wait?

Luo Chen pondered for a long while, a thoughtful glint flickering in his eyes. At last, he said just four words. ”Go call Black King!”