An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”STOP!” The Flesh Ganoderma cried out in panic, but Luo Chen showed no intention of relenting. As the overwhelming killing intent closed in, genuine fear finally surfaced on the creature’s face. ”Don’t you want to know the true location of the Five Elements Lotus?”

Even as it spoke, it repeatedly slapped its palms together. Waves of flesh rolled across its body once more. Under the violent exertion, Ding Yi’s body rapidly shrank until he was as thin as a bamboo pole.

B-BOOMMM!

The merged Seven Fiend Sword was blocked by a massive illusory fan. The Flesh Ganoderma clenched its teeth, its expression turning uglier by the second. It had never imagined that Luo Chen’s strength had reached such a level. Not only had he mastered something akin to a Nascent Soul Domain, but he was suppressing its mana to the point where it could scarcely use any. Furthermore, most of its innate abilities had already been expended on the Nine-Sun Golden Eagle. If it truly fought Luo Chen to the death, this avatar would almost certainly be the one to die.

”Azure Yang, I know exactly what you’re thinking. You’ve seen how the spirit energy is distributed throughout this world, so you’re convinced the Five Elements Lotus must be hiding somewhere rich in wood-element spirit energy. You think you can kill me and find it yourself afterward. But you’re wrong!”

The Flesh Ganoderma spoke rapidly and anxiously. Meanwhile, Ding Yi’s body grew even more shriveled. Even calling it a bamboo pole no longer seemed appropriate. Right now, it looked more like a thin skeleton draped in skin.

Luo Chen remained expressionless as he controlled the Seven Fiend Swords through the Soul Heaven Sword Case. He merely replied, ”If it’s not in a region rich in wood-element spirit energy, then it must be where the five elemental energies converge.”

”Wrong! Still wrong!” The Flesh Ganoderma hurriedly shook its head. ”That might have been true in the past, but not anymore. The Five Elements Lotus Pod here has already reached the peak of the fourth tier and is only a step away from the fifth. It has long ago broken free from the shackles that bound it to a concentrated five-element environment. In fact, it now roams freely throughout the Heaven of the Five Elements. You won’t find it by searching for wood-element spirit energy or five-element energies. Only I know where it is. Kill me if you want, but once I’m dead, you can spend a hundred years searching this place and still never find it!”

Clang!

Luo Chen held back for a fraction of a second. The Flesh Ganoderma seized the opportunity to catch its breath and blurted out, ”I’m not lying to you. The Five Elements Lotus has already developed true intelligence. It’s completely different from those wild sprites scattered throughout the mountain range. If you’re after it, you can’t do it without me!”

Luo Chen frowned and quickly exchanged a few words with Han Zhan through divine consciousness. ”Is he telling the truth?”

”Hard to say. The Five Elements Lotus Pods are a resource controlled by the Holy Lands. The one Green Pill Valley obtained back then had only just reached the fourth tier and hadn’t developed sentience yet. Still, this fellow’s divine soul fluctuations are extremely unstable right now. I don’t think he’s lying.”

Hm... Is that so? Luo Chen hesitated.

Han Zhan had speculated that the Five Elements Lotus was most likely where the five elemental energies converged. That assumption had been one of the main reasons Luo Chen had dared to lay this trap and move against the Flesh Ganoderma. Even if he killed it, he had believed he could still locate the lotus pod on his own. But judging from the Flesh Ganoderma’s reaction, things were not so simple.

Thus, Luo Chen made his decision. ”I can spare you, but from this point on, you’d better help me find the Five Elements Lotus.”

The Flesh Ganoderma’s expression grew serious. ”Of course. I can even swear an oath. But in return, I need you to agree to one thing.”

Luo Chen’s gaze turned cold. ”Oh?”

The Flesh Ganoderma met his gaze without backing down. ”You should hear me out first. Killing me won’t accomplish anything. The thing inside Ding Yi’s body is only a fragment of my will. To me, this body is nothing more than an avatar. If it comes to it, I can abandon it at any time.”

Luo Chen suppressed his impatience. ”Okay, what do you want?”

Hehe, room for negotiation! The Flesh Ganoderma answered, ”It’s simple. Once I’ve helped you find the Five Elements Lotus, you and Devil’s Cloud must come with me to where my true body is imprisoned and help me break the restrictions binding it.”

”No way!” Luo Chen rejected the proposal without a moment’s hesitation. ”Your avatar alone is already troublesome enough. I don’t even want to think about how strong your true body is. What happens after we help you? How do I know you won’t turn around and kill us?”

”I can swear a Great Dao Oath!” The Flesh Ganoderma spoke sharply, as though clutching at a final lifeline. ”If I betray you after I’m freed, may the heavenly lightning strike me down and destroy me entirely! Azure Yang, you have no reason to doubt my sincerity. I am just a mushroom. Lightning and fire are my greatest weaknesses. An oath like that places enormous restraints on me.”

Luo Chen hesitated. After studying the seemingly earnest Flesh Ganoderma for a moment, he finally said, ”An oath alone isn’t enough. I’ll be placing a few restrictions on you as well.”

As he spoke, a wisp of azure flame rose from his palm. The Flesh Ganoderma’s pupils immediately contracted. Yet with its life hanging by a thread, it had no room to negotiate. After a brief hesitation, it lowered its head and said, ”I agree.”

Only after hearing those words did a faint smile appear on Luo Chen’s face. Once the Flesh Ganoderma completed its oath, Luo Chen sent the Withering-Flourishing True Fire into its body and stationed it near the sea of qi as additional insurance.

With the agreement sealed and the safeguards in place, the tense atmosphere finally faded. Luo Chen dispersed the Infinite Blaze Prison, recalled Black King and Heavenjade into their spirit beast pouches, and lifted the restraint on Devil’s Cloud. Afterward, he directed the ghostly mist back to the Myriad Soul Banner, and sunlight once again spilled across the valley.

Suddenly, an astonished shout rang out from above. ”Supreme-grade Nine-Sun Geng Metal! And such a large piece at that!”

Along with the voice, four figures came to a stop above the valley. From their vantage point in the sky, they quickly took stock of the three below. The ninth-stage Adept’s aura was visibly weakened, as though he had recently paid a heavy price to use some secret art. The seventh-stage Adept was in similarly poor condition; his face was pale and his robes torn, and claw wounds marred his body. The third was only at the sixth stage, but his aura showed clearly that he was no ordinary individual.

Crimson Corpse let out a sinister laugh. ”It seems you expended quite a bit of effort to kill the eagle.”

At a wave of his hand, the three cultivators behind him spread out and sealed off every avenue of retreat around Luo Chen’s group. Not only that, two more figures floated out from behind him. They were completely devoid of life, yet their bronze skin and metal-like physiques radiated a frightening sense of danger. It was immediately obvious that these were refined corpses, and they were anything but ordinary. Devil’s Cloud’s expression darkened. He quickly summoned his life-bound treasure, the bronze furnace, and put up his defenses.

The Flesh Ganoderma, on the other hand, could only force out a bitter smile. ”Azure Yang, I truly don’t have any strength left.”

Luo Chen was unfazed. He merely shook his head and said, ”It doesn’t matter. They’re just a group of fools rushing to their own deaths.”

He had barely finished his sentence when the Infinite Blaze Prison that had vanished moments ago spread out again. The infernal blaze surged around the valley and sealed off the entire area. A dreadful pressure descended upon the four Adepts, as if they were suddenly the target of some supreme being’s wrath. Crimson Corpse’s face shifted dramatically. ”A Sage?”

No reply came. Instead, a gigantic Azure Yang Great Handprint tore through the air and crashed toward his group. Before the first strike had even fully landed, more palm manifestations followed one after another, spreading across the sky and burning everything in their path.

Concealed within the overwhelming barrage were three incomparably sharp flying swords. The three middle-stage Adepts tried to defend themselves, but for some reason, their mana seemed to stall. It was just a brief lapse, but that was all it took. The flying swords pierced through their chests and terrifying fiend qi erupted from the wounds, shattering their Golden Cores and destroying their souls before they could even cry out.

Crimson Corpse’s face filled with terror. He quickly ordered the two refined corpses, each comparable to a late-stage Adept, to throw themselves in front of him as a shield.

Boom! Boom!

The terrifying palm strikes blasted the two corpses backward. Though they were not destroyed, their defensive formation was shattered. Immediately afterward, the four flying swords arrived, circling Crimson Corpse and launching relentless attacks from every direction.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sharp clang of metal rang continuously through the valley. Although his protective enchanted treasures were extraordinary and managed to withstand the flying swords’ relentless assault for the time being, Crimson Corpse felt no relief. From the moment the mysterious Domain had descended, the overwhelming pressure had disrupted his control over mana, leaving him struggling to mobilize it properly. Only by exerting himself to the fullest extent was he able to briefly resist the restraint and regain a sliver of freedom.

As soon as he regained control of his mana, he forced his way through the barrage of flying swords and fled without looking back. Yet at that moment, a thunderous explosion suddenly sounded. In the next instant, a crimson-robed Daoist appeared directly in front of him, blocking his path.

Crimson Corpse’s heart sank. Meeting those indifferent eyes, he hurriedly spoke. ”Fellow Daoist, this is all a misunderstanding. We were merely passing by...”

The words had barely left his mouth when his consciousness seemed to plunge into an endless abyss. The crimson-robed man’s eyes were like a bottomless sea, and in an instant, Crimson Corpse sank, losing all sense of reality. By the time agonizing pain awoke him from the illusion, four sharp swords had already pierced through his chest, while his Golden Core was no longer inside his body but firmly grasped within the crimson-robed Daoist’s jade-like hand.

”How’s this possible...”

Thud!

His voice trailed off in disbelief before his lifeless body slammed heavily into the ground. Moments later, the two refined corpses also toppled beside him. Devil’s Cloud stared blankly at the three corpses. After a long moment, he slowly raised his head toward the sky in reverence. One against four... and he killed them all in an instant. Just how strong is he?

The Flesh Ganoderma was no less shaken. It had known that Luo Chen was strong, definitely strong enough to destroy its avatar at least. But it had never expected the man’s arsenal to be so diverse, nor his combat instincts to be so sharp. There had been no prolonged struggle, only a lightning-fast slaughter before anyone could react. It cursed inwardly. Ding Yi, you’ve truly found me one hell of a helper!

In the sky, Luo Chen was about to descend when he suddenly turned his head and looked toward a certain direction, yet found nothing there. For a brief moment, it felt as though someone was watching him. Yet when he searched carefully, he found nothing.

He shook off the feeling and landed on the ground. The seven flying swords immediately streaked back into the sword case on his back like swallows returning to their nest. Then, he patted one of his spirit beast pouches, and a green light shot out.

”Collect the spoils. Those two refined corpses should still be intact. Bring them to me.”

”Yes, Master!” Heavenjade answered crisply and immediately set off. As she flew across the battlefield, her body shifted and transformed into human form.

Seeing Heavenjade transform, both Devil’s Cloud and the Flesh Ganoderma were stunned once more. A transformed demon cultivator? Wait... Why’s she only at the third tier!?

Luo Chen paid no attention to their shock and walked straight toward the Flesh Ganoderma. ”So, tell me about this Heaven of the Five Elements.”