An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

But there was no time to dwell on the question. The palm projections were already upon him, and he knew that he could not allow them to hit him right now. Naturally, he had plenty of ways to stop them, yet the moment he mobilized his mana to use some abilities of his own, a strange disturbance spread through his meridians.

Hm? My mana... This brat is disrupting it with some kind of Domain!

Realizing he could not allow the interference to continue, he spat out a round pearl. It rose into the air and burst with light, sealing off the surrounding space.

Before the barrier could fully stabilize, a sharp sword cry pierced the air. The next instant, seven swords sang in unison and seamlessly formed a sword formation. The streams of fiend qi merged into a raging storm of sword light that slammed into the pearl and blasted it skyward.

Liu Jun’s face darkened. ”Despicable!”

Then, he detonated the pearl. An overwhelming wave of freezing power flared outward. Wherever the light reached, boiling magma solidified into frozen rock, and the blistering heat that had scorched the cave for centuries began to fade beneath the frost. Only after securing the battlefield did Liu Jun take a deep breath and spread his divine consciousness across the frozen landscape, searching for Luo Chen.

Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed.

The frozen surface exploded apart as a towering figure more than nine zhang tall burst from the ice-covered rock. Massive wings spread wide behind him, scattering shards of frost as he shot toward the ceiling of the cave. Before Liu Jun could react, the giant had already closed the distance with his massive fist clenched.

Mountain-Breaking Form!

This time, Liu Jun could no longer remain seated. He rose from the Five Elements Lotus and threw out a punch of his own. As his fist shot forward, glowing colored scales spread across his arm.

BBOOOOOMMMMM!!!

The two fists collided with explosive force, and the resulting shockwave rippled through the battlefield, sending both men flying backward. Below them, the already fractured ice shattered further, and magma surged once more through the widening cracks. Amid the chaos, the Five Elements Lotus slowly began to sink into the magma.

The moment Liu Jun noticed it, his expression changed. He immediately flicked his sleeve and sent out a silk ribbon toward the lotus in an attempt to retrieve it. Just as it was about to be caught, however, the lotus began to spin in midair, slipped past his grasp, and plunged straight into the depths of the lake.

”Damn it!”

The loss stung, but Liu Jun quickly forced himself to abandon the thought of pursuing the lotus and instead turned his attention back to Luo Chen. He studied him carefully, only for a trace of uncertainty to appear on his face. ”Are you a human or a beast?”

Having sealed off his hearing long ago, Luo Chen could not hear a word he said. Even if he could vaguely interpret the movement of his opponent’s lips, he had no interest in answering. Instead, he slammed a palm into the rocky surface beneath his feet. The force traveled deep into the rock, accelerating its collapse and allowing the magma trapped below to burst free once more. As rivers of fire tore through the frozen landscape, the battlefield gradually returned to a state that favored him.

Without giving Liu Jun a chance to regain control, Luo Chen stepped forward. The air beneath his feet warped as he used Voidburst Step. The distance between them had already been short to begin with, and it vanished entirely in the blink of an eye. He appeared directly before Liu Jun and thrust his hand toward the Demon Emperor’s chest.

The Cloud-Seizing Divine Claw!

Luo Chen unleashed the full might of the Devil Lord’s Seven Strikes, seamlessly blending terrifying speed, monstrous physical strength, and combat techniques into a continuous barrage. Meanwhile, he also sent out several Azure Yang Great Handprints amid the storm of attacks. Faced with such pressure, Liu Jun was steadily driven onto the defensive. In barely a few dozen exchanges, he had already fallen into a disadvantage and could do little but struggle to keep up.

Then, during yet another crash, his eyes suddenly narrowed. The exceptionally high-quality blue flying sword finally reached its limit. Cracks spread across its surface, and then the sword simply shattered into countless fragments that fell into the magma.

Liu Jun’s heart sank. No... I can’t keep fighting him here. This place is restraining my Domain, and every bit of mana I expend is gone for good. His physique is stronger than mine as well, and worst of all... that thing is still hiding and watching us!

Having made his decision, Liu Jun drew a deep breath and wrapped himself in the silk ribbon. He forcibly took one of Luo Chen’s attacks, then borrowed the force to propel himself into the sky like a streak of light. The moment Luo Chen saw him retreat, killing intent surged in his eyes. He spared a glance at the magma lake below before giving chase. Yet as soon as he burst through the fiery haze and entered the open sky, his eyes widened.

Liu Jun had not fled. He simply stood in the sky, holding a dark blue oil lamp in one hand. From his fingertip fell a droplet of liquid that seemed to be both blood and oil and landed upon the wick. ”You really think you’ve got me pinned down, don’t you? Well let me tell you something: I survived the great war between demons and humans. Do you think I’d be afraid of something as insignificant as the elemental restraints?”

The humiliation he had suffered throughout the battle had clearly pushed him to the edge.

A tiny blue flame suddenly appeared atop the oil lamp. Liu Jun gently blew upon it, and the flame drifted leisurely toward Luo Chen.

It didn’t look like much, yet the instant he saw it, a sense of danger surged through him. He immediately turned and fled. But although the flame appeared to move slowly, its actual speed was astonishing. No matter how Luo Chen changed direction or how much he accelerated, he could not shake it off. Even with his peerless physique and Ninety Thousand Li, the strange blue flame continued to close in.

After several attempts, Luo Chen finally realized escape was impossible. He landed atop a towering mountain and turned to face it. A ruthless look flashed across his face as he thrust out his left hand, his palm wrapped in Withering-Flourishing True Fire, and reached directly for the blue flame.

Not far away, Liu Jun watched with a cold sneer on his face. ”You like playing with fire, I see. Well, today, you’ll get burned!”

In the next instant, the giant’s left hand came into direct contact with the flame. The two lights clashed fiercely against one another, neither yielding in the slightest. The sight immediately wiped the sneer from Liu Jun’s face and replaced it with surprise.

What in the... How does he have a flame on that level!?

But surprise quickly gave way to confidence once more. At first, Luo Chen’s Withering-Flourishing True Fire appeared to hold the advantage, while the blue flame appeared weaker. Yet the moment the blue flame touched his flesh, it surged more intensely, suppressing the azure flames.

They say the merfolk of the Northern Sea are blessed with unmatched beauty and voices that can enchant the soul. The silk they weave is priceless, their tears shine like moonlight, their blood can extend one’s lifespan, and their oil can burn for ten thousand years...

Ever since he had slain a late-stage Merman King in the Sunken Sea, and especially after he had encountered Liu Jun, Luo Chen had researched this race in great detail. Now that he was faced with this strange flame, all that knowledge came flooding back. Looking at his left hand and the sight of its immense life force being turned into fuel for the blue flame instead of resisting it, he fell silent.

Clearly, this strange flame had been born using Liu Jun’s own oil as fuel to ignite an oil lamp that seemed to be a True Artifact or at least very close to one. Such a profound ability was not something Luo Chen’s still-imperfect Withering-Flourishing True Fire could contend against. If this continued, then no matter how powerful his physique was, he would eventually be burned to ashes.

Unfortunately, Luo Chen had no time to spare. If he had even a little more time, he could have employed the Dragon-Slaying Art and severed the connection completely. But in a life-and-death battle, hesitation was often deadlier than any enemy.

Without a word, he raised his right hand and stretched his fingers into a blade.

Crack!

His left hand neatly separated from his wrist and fell down. Liu Jun, who had already approached to less than ten zhang, stopped short in surprise. He had expected Luo Chen to continue relying on that azure flame to buy himself time. Never had he imagined that Luo Chen would resolve the problem so ruthlessly. As the severed hand tumbled away, Luo Chen slowly lifted his head and met Liu Jun’s gaze with a pair of icy eyes.

Liu Jun frowned. ”What else do you have left? The fire of my clan’s True Artifact exists precisely to counter beings with overwhelming vitality. Your physique is no longer an advantage, and you’ve lost control of the battlefield as well...”

But instead of answering, Luo Chen smiled. He used his remaining hand to form seals and struck. This time, the target was not Liu Jun, but the towering mountain beneath his feet.

”LAAAANDSLIIIIIIIIDE!!!”

In the next instant, the entire mountain split apart. The impact sent out a shockwave that forced both Luo Chen and Liu Jun backward. Seeing this, Liu Jun’s expression immediately darkened.

”Trying to run now!?”

This man had forced him into such a miserable state that there was no way he would allow him to escape. Ignoring the turbulence around him, he stepped forward and prepared to pursue Luo Chen. Before he could move, however, a piercing wail suddenly erupted from deep within the shattered mountain. A giant silver python burst forth in a fury, its enormous body coiling through the air, and Liu Jun recognized what it was at a glance. ”A fire sprite!”

At almost the same moment, Luo Chen let out a cold laugh and spat out a strand of azure flame. The flame drifted through the air before rapidly expanding, transforming into a blazing tree.

”Go. Kill him.”

The flaming tree swayed as it charged toward Liu Jun. At the same time, the silver python seemed to sense a kindred existence and immediately fixed its attention on Liu Jun as well. As two fire sprites rushed toward him simultaneously, Liu Jun finally panicked.

His gaze swept across the distant landscape, where volcano after volcano towered above the horizon and painted the heavens crimson with their eruptions. As he looked toward them, the killing intent within him surged higher and higher until it seemed capable of piercing the heavens themselves. Without another glance backward, he shot toward another erupting volcano in the distance.

”I’ll make sure you die here!”