An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

He stepped forward and leaped into the raging tornado. The other two immediately followed.

As the three disappeared into the spirit energy tornado, faint rumbling echoes reverberated through the abyss. Deep within a narrow crack in the cliff wall, a fleshy mass suddenly twitched, causing fine dust-like particles to slough off its surface. Most of the particles drifted downward into the abyss, while others settled onto the cliff walls, where they gradually transformed into patches of moss and clusters of tiny mushrooms. Only a tiny fraction were caught by the violent winds generated by the spirit energy tornado and carried out of the abyss.

As more and more of those particles dispersed, the aura of the fleshy mass weakened slightly. Yet it seemed unconcerned by the loss. Instead, it cast a resentful glance toward the depths of the abyss before peering toward the distant opening of the dark crevice. It felt a strange sense of anticipation. It’s coming. It’s finally coming.

***

Three streaks of light sped cautiously through the Thousand Blade Mountains. Whenever possible, they avoided the tallest mountains and steered clear of territories occupied by powerful exotic beasts. Along the way, the Flesh Ganoderma patiently answered Luo Chen’s questions and explained the true structure of the pocket world. Luo Chen listened attentively as they traveled. Whenever something was unclear, he immediately pressed for further details.

”The Land of Fallen Devils is divided into three parts, the so-called heavens. One is the Heaven of Oblivion, another is the Heaven of the Five Elements, and the third is the Heaven of Night Illumination, also known as the Heaven of Bright Illumination. You’ve already experienced the Heaven of Oblivion. That place is filled with countless illusions, and one wrong step is enough to become trapped forever. It’s especially dangerous for anyone with a weak Dao heart or an injured divine soul. That’s exactly how Ding Yi died. His divine soul had been wounded by my remnant will years ago, so he never had a chance of making it through.

”It’s also the barrier that separates this place from the outside world. As far as I know, the Heaven of Oblivion wasn’t originally meant to keep cultivators out at all; it was created to guard against the Heavenly Devils. Also, what you encountered there was only a fraction of its true power. If it had fully activated, none of you would’ve made it through.”

Hearing that, Luo Chen felt a measure of relief. If what he had experienced was only the surface, then the fact that he had escaped unharmed was fortunate indeed.

The Flesh Ganoderma then shifted to the final region. ”As for the Heaven of Bright Illumination, I’ve never been there myself. But that’s the place you guys call the inheritance grounds. Over the past thousand years, I’ve watched many experts from the devil sect enter it. Some of them were even Ascendants.”

Luo Chen silently absorbed the information. Just as he was reflecting on the dangers hidden within the Land of Fallen Devils, he suddenly recalled a detail from his experience. ”By the way, while I was in the Heaven of Oblivion, I encountered a rather unusual illusion. It seemed capable of drawing out the deepest regrets within a person’s heart. What exactly is that?”

The Flesh Ganoderma seemed surprised. ”What? You encountered the Heart-Bewildering Illusion?”

Luo Chen frowned. ”Is there something wrong with that?”

The Flesh Ganoderma replied uncertainly, ”If I remember correctly, the Heart-Bewildering Illusion was specifically created as a barrier against Heavenly Devils. You—”

Devil’s Cloud looked alarmed. ”Devil Lord, don’t tell me you’re actually a Heavenly Devil!”

Luo Chen’s expression darkened before he let out a cold snort. ”Have either of you ever heard of a Heavenly Devil with only Golden Core cultivation?”

That immediately put the matter into perspective. According to legend, Heavenly Devils were formless beings capable of traversing the boundaries between worlds. They would never appear for no reason; it was only when a cultivator underwent tribulation, and their divine soul briefly resonated with heaven and earth, that Heavenly Devils seized the opportunity to descend. Luo Chen was merely an Adept. No matter how one looked at it, he could not possibly be the incarnation of a Heavenly Devil.

Realizing the flaw in his reasoning, the Flesh Ganoderma quickly corrected himself. ”You’re right. In that case, it’s probably because you’ve accumulated too much killing intent. Your heart has become clouded, which caused the Heart-Bewildering Illusion to react to you.”

Luo Chen merely curled his lip. Although he appeared unconcerned, a trace of worry lingered in the back of his mind. Rather than dwell on the matter, he shifted the conversation elsewhere. ”Okay, tell me more about the Heaven of the Five Elements.”

The Flesh Ganoderma cleared its throat and continued. ”The master of this place cultivated to an unfathomable depth. He used all five elemental laws to divide this world into five regions: the Thousand Blade Mountain Range, the Wood Heaven Plains, Azure Tide, the Blazing Purgatory, and the Quicksand Sea. Each region naturally gathers vast quantities of five-element essence. More importantly, he used a divine technique to forcefully give rise to sprites from those essences, allowing the elemental energy of the five regions to circulate endlessly and sustain one another. Together, these five regions form the Heaven of the Five Elements.”

The explanation struck Luo Chen and Han Zhan like a bolt from the blue. Luo Chen came to an abrupt stop in midair. ”You must be joking. Even for someone beyond Divine Transformation, mastering all five elemental laws and creating sprites on such a scale is a ridiculous feat.”

The Flesh Ganoderma stopped as well and looked at him with a peculiar expression. ”Someone beyond Divine Transformation? That’s a gross underestimation. The only worthy title is that of the greatest Monarch in history.”

A complicated expression filled its eyes. There was reverence and admiration, but also fear, resentment, and something akin to longing. So many emotions were intertwined that it was impossible to separate one from another.

Devil’s Cloud shook his head. ”Even if that’s true, to master the five laws is scary enough.”

”Five? That’s not even close.” The Flesh Ganoderma lowered his voice. ”The Monarch was a once-in-ten-million-years genius. Cultivation came as naturally as eating and drinking. At the very least, I’ve personally witnessed them wield more than ten different Powers of Laws.”

The corner of Luo Chen’s mouth twitched. ”... Are you even describing a human anymore?”

He was beginning to suspect the Flesh Ganoderma was deliberately exaggerating the former master’s abilities to intimidate them. Yet the Flesh Ganoderma nodded as though the answer were self-evident. ”They truly weren’t human. They were half-human and half-devil and even possessed the bloodline of a Heavenly Demon. If you prefer, you could say they were not human, nor demon, nor devil, but something that transcended all three.”

This time, Luo Chen fell completely silent. After a long while, he finally asked softly, ”What’s their name?”

The Flesh Ganoderma shook its head. ”How could someone as insignificant as me know their true name? I mean... I once heard a supreme expert who entered this world refer to them as Devil Lord Heaven Refiner.”

Devil Lord Heaven Refiner. Luo Chen silently repeated the title to himself as they continued onward. Suddenly, the name Land of Fallen Devils made perfect sense. Its creator had been a devil race powerhouse!

He wanted to learn more, but the Flesh Ganoderma had already said nearly everything it knew. According to its account, most of the living beings in this world were sprites created by Devil Lord Heaven Refiner through some kind of divine techniques. Only a small number were exceptions, such as the ganoderma itself—creatures that had lived here for countless years and gradually gained intelligence on their own.

Even the Five Elements Lotus could be considered one of its juniors. Unfortunately, it had only just begun developing sentience before cultivators like Luo Chen set their sights on it. Since the Flesh Ganoderma had only gained consciousness at a fairly late point, its understanding of Devil Lord Heaven Refiner’s life was limited. What it knew amounted to little more than scattered fragments, barely enough to reveal the tip of the iceberg.

Five days later, three figures reached a region of low rolling hills. Behind them, an uncountable number of peaks stretched across the horizon like a forest of swords piercing into the heavens.

The Flesh Ganoderma let out a long breath. ”Among the five regions, the Thousand Blade Mountain Range is the richest in resources but also the most dangerous. Even the experts of the devil sect dare not act recklessly here. There are numerous powerful fourth-tier exotic beasts roaming these mountains, and deep within the mountain range sleeps a fifth-tier Iron-Devouring Beast. The route we’re taking next leads to the Blazing Purgatory. The Five Elements Lotus you’re looking for should be there.”

Luo Chen followed the direction it indicated and gazed toward the horizon. However, he saw no sign of any fiery hell. What lay before him instead was an endless expanse of yellow sand stretching as far as the eye could see.

”We’ll worry about the Blazing Purgatory after we cross the Quicksand Sea.”

With that, the three of them continued onward.